I first wrote about my fondness of Sunday Riley products back in 2016, after using them for almost a year. Well, we are quickly approaching 2020 guys and I'm still here for it! To me, in this ever changing world of fickle beauty, this brand continues to capture my attention and never lets me down with visible results and with it's price tag, it better not!
Let's chat about my HERO products from this line, what has been OK and one item I would skip.
If you were going to treat yourself but could only splurge on one item from the line, Good Genes should be it! This is the most universally helpful skin care treatment for any skin type and all skin types will see a visible difference in under a week of using it. It's a mild to medium exfoliator and you can use it at night for your 'treatment' or use in the morning to 'prep' your skin for makeup. I personally prefer it before makeup because I see a visible plumpness in my skin and an almost immediate smoothing that allows my foundation to lay nicely. It comes in a pump... do I need to say more about that? I think we can all appreciate the packaging and yes, at the end of the bottle I will deep dive the rest of the product out with just about anything I can get in there, so long as its clean.
If you're like me you grew up treating acne and breakouts by stripping the ever living shit out of your skin. I had that mentality until I went through the specialized Paramedical Esthetician program at FCNH and learned how many better ways there are to keeping pesky breakouts at bay. This face oil will break your brain if you've suffered from oily skin and/or acne but trust me, especially during winter months when everything dries out here in Austin, U.F.O will be a way for you to stay hydrated and acne free. I would recommend using it at night, as with most oils unless you are incredibly dry than you can afford a little slip before makeup.
This brightening enzyme water cream was a miss for me the first time around but it's part of my HERO products now because I've learned how to use it and understand it's place in my skin care regime. At the time when I first tried it I had been using the complete Obagi Nu Derm system and was cycling off of it. Every time I applied Tidal it really stung my skin but I now know that the Obagi was making my skin really vulnerable. About a year later I gave it another try and I'm now on my 3rd container. It's light weight, hydrating enough for my oily/combo skin AND with the added bonus of a mild exfoliation too makes it an ideal morning (or night) cream, any time of year.
This cleanser is one of the last things I've tried from the line. To be honest, prior to using it I didn't have much loyalty to any cleanser. I'd used balms, oils, and foaming types... I found with the balms my skin was more congested than normal, the oils (except my other love, Tatcha Camiella Cleansing Oil) all required a 'second cleanse' which if I'm honest, if I'm going to do an extra step, I'd prefer it not be cleansing and the foaming or gel kinds left my skin clean but feeling stripped and never washed all of my eye makeup away. To be fair I do use a micellar water to remove my mascara and brow makeup before I cleanse so I can't speak to how effective Ceramic Slip would be at removing eye makeup but I do use it over my eyes and I have had zero issue with it. I love that it's a plant based soap and leaves my skin feeling baby soft, clean but not stripped.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Do you really have an opinion about eye cream? I find that with all that I've tried, I really don't. There's only been a few that have stood out to me over the years and this isn't one of them. It's quite thick which I enjoy in the evenings and 1/4 of a pump is more than enough to treat both eyes so it does last quite a while but I wouldn't say run right out and buy it unless you are like me and enjoy several other SR products and you want to use an eye cream... this is a nice one, not a life changing one but I like it. The claims that it's "depuffing and lifting" are false but if you are looking for something to instantly tighten and depuff, try Peter Thomas Roth Instant FIRMx Eye... trust me, you will see a difference in seconds.
Unfortunately I'm not the best person to review this mask because I'm allergic to penicillin with a sensitivity to products containing sulfur but from a skincare professional perspective, if you have trouble with acne or occasional breakouts, this would make a great treatment mask once a week or a wonderful spot treatment when you feel an uninvited friend coming.
Before Sunday Riley released U.F.O, this was the night time oil I used to alternate days when I wasn't using my prescription retinol. For normal to dry skins, you would LOVE it. If you are just dipping your toe into the world of retinol, you would LOVE it. It delivers the benefits of retinols in a gentle and hydrating way but for me U.F.O is a better fit for my needs. One word of warning though with both oils, they do have a smell that takes some getting used to and the blue in the Luna is actual visible even AFTER being rubbed in... if you're ok with that, go for it!
SKIP
From the description of this, it seemed like a perfect match for my skin type so I ordered it on the Sephora app and couldn't wait for it to arrive. To date it is the only SR product that I didn't finish and actually threw it away after a few uses. The texture is weird, thick and gloopy so it didn't feel like a toner to me. The smell is almost outrageous and I can use just about anything if it's going to work but it didn't... I just didn't see any improvement so the Martian Mattifying Melting Water Gel Toner is a HARD PASS from me.
Let me know what you loved over on Instagram! I love getting your DMs after you've found a recommendation of mine helpful!
xoxo - Kara