Three Great Serums for Tricky Skin

“Tricky Skin” is how I regularly describe my skin type as it really is tricky; it’s such an effort to balance as it’s very prone to dryness – right now I feel as if it might crack if I make any sudden movements, and this is after a night of some serious skin hydration – but it’s also very prone to breakouts.  If I can get the balance just right, then it is quite amazing, as my skin very suddenly becomes bouncy, spot-free and just generally lovely.  Unfortunately, getting that balance just right is virtually impossible and involves continual trial and error, made especially worse by the fact that my skin keeps moving the goal posts regarding what it finds effective.  I have three serums that I keep on rotation to help with trying to balance things – none of these are miracle workers, but they’re all really good and products that I highly recommend.

The Skinceuticals Blemish & Age Defense Serum is a tricky one as it’s horrendously drying – the alcohol content is quite something and, in my humble opinion, rather unnecessary – but it really does work very well on breakouts and it’s especially good if you suddenly find yourself with a large area of broken out skin, as it will reduce them quickly and effectively.  You will, however, need to counteract the effects with lots of hydration – I use this on major breakouts for 2-3 days and then I stop and focus on putting hydrating back into the skin.  At the moment, my skin is far too dry to even contemplate using this, but if you have oily skin that doesn’t dry out easily then this is a serious spot-fighter…just don’t get hooked and use it every day! It’s usually £75 (expensive, but it really lasts – especially if you use it the way I suggested above) but I’ve found it for £64 here – link.

The Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Gel is made for skin like mine as it’s a real multitasker that’s mostly designed to calm inflamed and sensitive skin, but it also provides hydration and the antiseptic element helps heal existing breakouts too.  I was actually sent this by accident and what a great accident it was as I reach for this at least a few times a week – it’s such a great place to start if you look at your skin and don’t know where to begin as it really will settle everything down.  It’s also ideal for anyone prone to problems with sensitivity who want to keeps things calm – it isn’t powerful enough to treat the very dry or very spotty issues, but it is great to add balance and calm and the greenish tinge helps to ease the actual redness too.  It’s usually £50 but here it is – link – for £42.50.

The final product is the one I’m kicking myself for not using last night as it is amazing at putting bucket-loads of hydration back into skin via just a couple of small drops – it’s definitely going on this morning! The Bioeffect EGF Cellular Activating Serum is absolutely fascinating – there is truly nothing like it (that I know of) as it’s like a hydrating gel that doesn’t feel greasy at all, but the immediate change in your skin is astounding.  The use of EGF in skincare is a tad controversial (Caroline did a great feature discussing it here) but I think it’s a case of doing your research and deciding what’s best for you.  I was recommended this serum at one of the most respected clinics in London (Debbie Thomas – here’s my earlier review) and it really is one of the best (if not the best!) products I’ve ever used for quickly adding hydration without giving me any issues with breakouts.  You use literally 1-2 drops, but it isn’t cheap at £125 for 15ml here – link – note you get 10% off at Boots at the mo, which is a good saving on this. I’ll be writing a more thorough review soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

*PR Samples