If you haven’t included a serum into your skincare regime, then you really should consider doing so immediately. Serums are fantastic because they effectively penetrate deeply into the skin to deliver a very high doses of active ingredients. The best way to select the correct serum is to establish what your particular skincare concern is, like wrinkles, dehydration or breakouts – and choose a formula that tackles those issues.
I prefer serums that target specific age related concerns, like dehydration, lack of radiance and plumping. I also ALWAYS include an antioxidant serum in my daytime regime to help mop up free radicals before they cause any havoc on my skin. At night, I often add a Retinol treatment to help blitz fine lines, boost collagen production and ensure my skin has a gorgeous glow. Recently, I’ve also begun including products with hyaluronic acid into my routine, to boost my skin’s moisture reserves and fight dehydration.
If you read my blog regularly you’ll know I’m a BIG Skinceuticals fan. Yes, their products are pricey, but I’m happy to pay top dollar when I can see a visible improvement in my skin. Recently the brand sent me the new newly launched Skinceuticals H.A. Intensifier (R1550 – BUY HERE) to test out.
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is definitely a buzz word in the skincare industry and is being added to more and more formulas. However, HA is a large molecule – too large in fact for it to be optimal for skin absorption. What sets the new Skinceuticals H.A. Intensifier apart from the rest is that it uniquely combines surface-hydrating HA with proxylane. But more on that later.
Now, just a little recap on why you want to include hyaluronic acid into your skincare. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in our bodies. It’s responsible for that youthful, plump look typical of younger skin. Sadly, as we get older, our bodies natural supply of HA decreases, resulting in drier, less plump skin with more visible fine lines.
The Skinceuticals H.A. Intensifier works to deliver surface hydration, which helps to visibly improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, smoothness, firmness and facial plumpness. This anti-aging corrective serum actually amplifies the skin’s moisture levels by 30%, has shown to improve firmness by 11% and plumpness by 23%. It also visibly improves the appearance of marionette lines, nasolabial folds and crow’s feet.
Also included in the ingredients is proxylane (which further boosts the skin’s natural water reserves) and botanical extracts of licorice root and purple rice that support the skin’s hyaluronic acid levels. I also like how Skinceuticals encourage their customers to use additional antioxidant formulas to boost the effectiveness of their skincare. You can read previous posts I’ve done around why you need to include antioxidants into your skincare HERE .
I use my H.A. Intensifier both morning and evening, applying 4 drops onto my face, neck and décolletage. The product itself has a red grape colour, and the texture is akin to a watery gel. I put the drops into the palm of my hand, then using my fingertips I dab it to my cheeks, chin, forehead, neck and chest. It absorbs in an instant. I then apply my moisturiser and sunscreen, followed by my makeup. For evening, because I always include retinol in my nighttime skin regimen, I apply that first, then use my H.A. Intensifier over the retinol. I then apply my night cream.
The H.A. Intensifier can (and should) be paired with an antioxidant, sunscreen and other moisturisers in the Skinceuticals Corrective portfolio to effectively tackle multiple anti-aging concerns.
The brand kindly sent me a bottle of (my absolute favourite) Phloretin CF (R2725 – BUY HERE) a high performance, broad action antioxidant treatment that contains 2% Phloretin (an antioxidant that improves the performance of vitamin c), 10% pure vitamin C (excellent for brightening and staving off free radicals) and 0.5% Ferulic acid to help shield skin from the free radicals and protect it from environmental stressors (like ozone pollution and infrared radiation). I’ve apply 4 drops in the morning onto clean skin prior to applying my H.A. Intensifier. I find after a few days, this formula literally leaves my skin glowing and radiant looking.
I’ve been using my H.A. Intensifier for over a month now and can see very visible plumping in my skin, an increase in hydration and a definite improvement on fine lines around my eyes. My skin also has a wonderful glow and feels really soft and smooth.
Below is a brilliant slide that shows you how to include the Skinceuticals range of prevention and treatment products into your skincare regime
How to apply the Skinceuticals H.A Intensifier
Win A Bottle Of The Skinceuticals H.A. Intensifier
Skinceuticals is running an exciting competition for the launch of H.A Intensifier with their online partners, Dermastore.
Every Monday at 9am find a hidden element of HA Intensifier on Dermastore. First to find and complete checkout with this hidden element WINS an HA Intensifier – it’s that simple!
Terms: One prize available each Monday from the 17th of July to 21st of August. Hidden element will display as out of stock if a winner has been successful – choose the EFT payment option and complete the null value order, to claim your prize.
*This blog post is sponsored by Skinceuticals*
