Vitamin C face serum or cream

[fallfallfall]

i just finished a small trial sized sample of sunday riley ceo vit c.
it was fine, smooth, certainly no issues using it daily in the am.
two pumps daily in the am and gone in a flash.
morning routine: wash with lrp foaming micellar water (love it can't see changing it), then the vit c, finish with elta md moisturizing sunscreen.
i'm not young (65) skin is sun damaged but normal. never wear make up (or sunscreen prior to this month).
suggestions appreciated. sr price point steep if i'm going to go through it quickly.
i like the consistancy of sr luna serum (again sample size) but have ordered a retinol replacement avene retin al.

I use the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum in the morning. It has really helped with pigmentation and fine lines. I then use my retinol in the evening. The SkinCeuticals is expensive, but it is also a stable formulation (or so I've read), which is often an issue with Vitamin C serums. I really recommend it. Plus you only need a tiny tiny bit.

thanks @Ruthietuthie , it has so many good reviews but the pp is steep.
being that my routine is simple part of me says, yes jump in with both feet. being the end of december makes me leery to spend so much.
how much moisturizer do you apply following?

I really like lumene nordic c or inkey list for a cheaper option - both work well for my 52 year old skin

thank you @OxanaVorontsova definitely a better pp. what is the texture like?
anyone try Maelove's glow maker?

I only apply the tiniest big of moisturizer afterwards, perhaps the size of a small pea, for my whole face. But yes, it is pricey, I agree.

The Skinceuticals is the Gold Standard, I used to use it but couldn't justify the cost. I think Sunday Riley is a little bit more style over substance since lots of the products were reformulated a couple of years ago. They're certainly overpriced for what they do.

I've since used No7 15% Vit C serum which has a nice light texture, Revolution's 20% serum which has a slightly grittier texture , and Perricone MD ( similar to Skinceuticals in formulation but had an overpowering smell, but I found it in TK Maxx for 1/3 of the price so it was worth a punt.)

Of those three, the No7 was the nicest to use, the Perricone MD gave the best results and the Revolution is the one I've settled into using most as it gives the most bang for buck. You want something with 15-20% L-ascorbic acid to really make a difference to your skin- it's just finding a formulation you like at a price point you're happy with.

I use Tret a couple of times a week, glycolic acid some other nights, Vit c every morning followed by a basic moisturiser like Astral and my skin looks great.

Thank you @LadyOfTheCanyon i’ll research those options

@fallfallfall the Lumene is light and non sticky easily absorbed, I’d say the inkey is marginally thicker but still easily absorbed - I’d repurchase either.

You'll want a serum if you're looking for efficacy as opposed to a buzz ingredient that's added to everything willy nilly and usually just ends up working as a preservative. As Ladyofthecanyon has said you want 15-20% L-Ascorbic acid (although anything over 10 is good too, over 20 is useless as we just can't absorb that much into the skin and you'll risk turning orange, use it just once a day) and you'll want it at a specific pH range as well, but due to Skinceuticals' patent on the formula that's the trickiest part.

Skinceuticals ce ferulic isn't stable as mentioned above, you actually want an unstable formulation (but not so unstable it goes off prematurely) as the whole point of a vitamin c serum is to collide with damaging free radicals so your skin doesn't have to, it kind of works like an airbag. You may want a stable formulation using a vitamin c derivative if you can't tolerate a Skinceuticals(-like) formulation or you just want an all in one product and don't care about maximum efficacy, that can be in cream, serum, silicone suspension or oil form.

I use Geek and Gorgeous C-glow, it's fairly identical to Skinceuticals (I actually like it better) just with a few tweaks to avoid getting sued which means keeping it in the fridge to avoid it oxidising too quickly but you can buy little decant bottles from them to put in a week's worth and keep that in the bathroom/ at your vanity. They used to be pretty hard to source in the UK but they have a dedicated UK site now, I think it's around £10.

Completely agree with Botemp, C-Glow by Geek & Gorgeous is hard to beat for the price. I order 2 bottles at a time and keep both in the fridge (one completely unopened) and decant weekly into the mini bottle. I’ve ended up with 4 bottles as my order went missing for a month so they sent me another 2 bottles and they all turned up together!

I'm another Geek and Gorgeous convert. I did use Skinceuticals a few years ago, but couldn't justify the cost, especially when it only lasts for about 4 - 6 weeks.
I then tried Timeless serum, but then they stopped selling it in the EU for some reason.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned the Geek and Gorgeous one is a total dupe for Skinceuticals, and only about a tenth of the price. I usually buy two bottles at a time and keep one in the fridge.

I'm using the Dermalogica Vit C serum which my skin likes and has responded well to

i went to the make up counter of the busiest drug store and the woman working there was pretty certain i would want to try NeoStrata 15% vitamin C serum.
the pp in canada is reasonable and i'll certainly consider it along with countless others. i'll go back to chat with her when the shop isn't insanely busy and check out sephora as well.
it's dreadfully cold here this week -29C yesterday so i'm not going out an about unless absolutely necessary add in crazy drivers and shops overflowing with stressed out people.
meanwhile my skin is supple and not dry, i wonder if NOT using any vit C for the next couple of weeks will be noticeable in any way?

I buy 1kg bags of Vitamin C powder.
Make fresh serum daily using warm water. Tap it on, before moisturiser.
Doesn't degrade.
Doesn't make you go orange.
You can use a handful in the shower to make your entire body feel amazing.
Costs very little.

@Nextlevelnonsense sounds wonderfully frugal and potentially fresh and nourishing. great tip
i am however wanting a bit of a self indulgent luxurious "feel" to my skin routine.
so i'm really having an internal battle; online reviews, pretty bottles, and price point.

I do use some pretty luxurious skin care, but my vitamin C is made fresh daily, and it really does wonders on the body as well. It degrades pretty easily when it's added to skincare products.

I use the garden of wisdom one. It's brilliant.

Where do you get the bags from, pp?

and what does it do for your body?

am using the new L’Oréal one now, harsher than skinceuticals but has salicylic acid.

I use the Ordinary. But the formulation is a bit sticky. Curious about the powder as that sounds right up my alley!