Review – Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream

I realize that I hardly take photos of products when they are new.. Heh..

So I finally want to renew my blog and found this draft in my folder and it was dated May 2019.. ^_^”

Anyway, as usual, ingredients of the product are as below:

Ingredients:

Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate, Stearic Acid, Coconut Alkanes, Glyceryl Stearate, Niacinamide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Retinol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Chrysin, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Ceramide NP, Xanthophylls, Phytosphingosine, Phytosterols, Jojoba Esters, Physalis Pubescens Fruit Juice, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Oryza Sativa (Rice Bran) Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Carthamus Tinctorium (Safflower) Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Cetyl Palmitate, Trehalose, Lauric Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Glucosamine HCL, Tocopheryl Acetate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract, Tocopherol, Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf/Stem Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Trideceth-6 Phosphate, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Ceteareth-20, Sodium Hydroxide, Laureth-23, Steareth-20, Propanediol, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Polysorbate 20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin.

How did the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream fare?

Drunk Elephant states that A-Passioni™ Retinol Cream is a clean, cutting-edge formula that combines 1.0% vegan retinol with nourishing, superfood-rich ingredients to dramatically diminish the appearance of fine lines, deep wrinkles and sun damage revealing a vibrant, younger-looking complexion. It is also 100% free of essential oils, silicones and fragrance. Please do note that it is not recommended for use while pregnant or breastfeeding.

I’ve been using it for around 1 year plus and I think it’s a good time to talk about it.. First of all, it’s Strong! OK? So first time retinol users, please be very careful about using it. My skin is very used to retinol, or so I thought, but this DE retinol made my skin purge for the first month and my skin was really quite dry and sensitive. I had to stop all other actives during that time because my skin just wasn’t having it! The retinol purge made all the pimples came out so I was breaking out like mad for the first month. However, after around 2 months, my skin FINALLY started to calm down and return back to sorta normal. I still cannot use this retinol without buffering and I’m only using it on alternate nights. My skin looks much brighter, smoother and clearer now. Fine lines on my forehead are also reduced. One thing that I noticed after using retinol for so long is that my skin is finally very much not prone to clogging anymore. I used to be very prone to getting clogged pores but now my skin is pretty smooth. Lastly, unlike what Drunk Elephant recommended, I really really wouldn’t advise you to use this in the daytime. Your skin is fighting against the sunshine, pollution and maybe air conditioning in the daytime. It really doesn’t need a strong retinol to make things worse. Final thoughts: Use it with caution, love the final results!

Step by Step Guide to Incorporating Actives for Your Skincare Routine

In my previous post whereby I talked about how to introduce actives to your skincare routine, I promised that I’ll give you a step by step guide on what to do. As I’ve already mentioned before (and also kept repeating) in my previous post, it’s best to take it slow when you want to add any actives to your skincare routine and give each active around 4 weeks to gauge how it’s working for your skin first before you add another different active.

Below I’ve separated the different actives that I commonly use into daytime and night time routines. Please note that the actives step is always after the cleansing step no matter day or night. After the actives step, you can add in all the hydrating lotions/ serums/ creams that you desire.

Daytime Routine

 

Daytime Actives Routine (start from left to right)

In the daytime, I like to incorporate a strong anti-oxidant (such as a Vitamin C serum) to shield the skin from the stresses of pollution as well as evening out my skin tone. Vitamin C also provides visible anti-ageing benefits such as the improvement of lines and wrinkles, loss of firmness, and a brighter complexion. Most importantly, there have been some studies showing that if you use a Vitamin C serum underneath your sunscreen, you’ll increase the stability of your sunscreen in the presence of sunlight.

However, because generally Vitamin C works best if your skin’s pH is low (around 3.5), you can use a pH-adjusting toner to immediately lower down your skin’s pH after cleansing to maximise the effects of the serum. Then you’ll apply your Vitamin C serum and wait for around 10 ~ 15 minutes before you continue with your BHA and AHA steps. I would advise that you apply BHA first before you apply AHA because BHA is better able to go deep into your pores and dissolve all those oily gunk. Then you’ll use an AHA to not only remove the gunk from your pores that the BHA had dissolved, you’ll also be able to do surface exfoliation. In short, BHA is used to deal with blackheads, oily pimples etc. while AHA is used to deal with closed comedones, whiteheads and milia.

After you’ve completed applying all your actives, you can continue to apply your other hydrating toners, serums, creams and most importantly, sunscreen.

So my daytime routine will be in this sequence:

Cleanse => pH Adjusting Toner => Vitamin C Serum => Wait 10 ~ 15 minutes => BHA => AHA => Wait 10 minutes => Hydrating Toner/ Mist => Hydrating Serum => 2 drops of Face Oil mixed with Day Cream => Sunscreen

Nighttime Routine

 

Nighttime Actives Routine (start from left to right)

At night, I like to use either my over-the-counter (OTC) retinol products or my prescriptive retinoids. Again, after double cleansing to remove my makeup and sunscreen, I’ll go in with my BHA, AHA and then wait 10 minutes. If I want to buffer my retinoids, I’ll apply my hydrating toner and serum first and wait additional 20 minutes before I apply my retinoids. Otherwise, if I’m just using OTC retinol products, I’ll go in straight after my AHA step without the hydrating serum buffer (after waiting 10 minutes of course). Finally, I can then add in my other lotions, serums, creams and oils.

So my nighttime routine will be in this sequence:

Double Cleansing => BHA => AHA => Wait 10 minutes => OTC Retinol => Wait 30 minutes => Hydrating Toner/ Mist => Hydrating Serum => Face Oil => Night cream

Note: If I’m using a retinol oil such as the Pestle & Mortar Superstar Retinol Night Oil, the OTC Retinol step will be in the face oil step. So I’ll just wait 10 minutes after my AHA step before starting on my hydrating toners/ mists and continuing with the rest. 

Below is my sequence when I use prescriptive retinoids:

Double Cleansing => BHA => AHA => Wait 10 minutes => Hydrating Toner => Hydrating Serum Buffer => Wait 20 minutes => Prescriptive Retinol => Wait 30 minutes => Face Oil => Night Cream

Lastly…

I hope that this step by step guide has been useful to you. Just remember that everybody’s skin is different and you definitely do not need to use all the actives that I’m using. Also, you’ll notice that I’ve incorporated some waiting time in between the steps because for me, the actives work better that way. However, I think that perhaps you might not need to have so much waiting in between the steps. You can experiment to find the most effective and efficient way you can incorporate them into your daily life.

Additionally, please always be in tune with your skin and observe it carefully when adding any new products.

As always, thank you for reading!

Review – Pestle & Mortar Superstar Retinol Night Oil

Photo taken from official website pestleandmortar.com

I came across the Irish brand Pestle & Mortar when Caroline Hirons (the super famous UK skincare blogger) claimed that their Superstar Retinol Night Oil is “the best retinol I’ve used outside of a prescription“. With a claim like that, and especially from one who’s known to be a skincare guru, how could I not check that product out?! Around the middle of last year in 2016, I became concerned when I started seeing super fine lines on my forehead. I tried to incorporate more hydrating products into my skincare routine thinking that it might be fine lines caused by dehydration. While those products did help, I still wasn’t fully satisfied with the results. I did some research on my own and came to the conclusion that I need to start including a retinol product to up my game for the fight against signs of ageing. I bought the Superstar Retinol Night Oil and have been using it since January 2017. Before we begin on the review proper, let’s take a look at its ingredients, shall we?

Ingredients

Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil*, Rosa Canina (Fruit) Oil*, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil**, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Oil*, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Retinyl Palmitate, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil***, Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil**, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu/Foraha) Seed Oil**, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil*, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tocopherol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil**, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil**.
*Cold Pressed | **Cold Pressed and Organic| ***Steam distilled

The ingredients which I’ve highlighted in red, bold and underlined are actually the star ingredients of this product. Both are esters of retinol. As stated in their official website, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate represents a new generation of Retinoid. It is an aesthetic ester of all-trans retinoic acid that works similarly to prescriptive Tretinoin (Retin-A) but without the irritation. Retinyl Palmitate, on the other hand, does not penetrate as deeply as the Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate so it is better for surface exfoliating purposes. These 2 ingredients are supported by the more nourishing blend of organic oils and cold pressed using booster technology in Ireland, to deliver the right mix of Vitamins A, E, C and B along with Omegas 3 and 6. I believe this is why the product is able to work its magic without drying out the skin at the same time.

It has a light oil texture that is comfortable even in Singapore!

How does the Pestle & Mortar Superstar Retinol Night Oil fare?

Even though I had not used any retinol products before this (Note: I started using the Differin Gel much later after this product), I was gung-ho and went straight to using it every night with no reservations. And I was rewarded for my “courage” with fabulous results! Now I must say that when I first started using this product, I was quite “meh” about it. I mean I couldn’t really see super fast and drastic results, unlike with acid toners, much to my instant gratification self. However, I do know that skincare is a life-long process and you will only be rewarded many years later and you realise that you look much younger than other people your age.

What changed my opinion of my product was this: During the Chinese New Year period around the end of January this year, me and my husband brought our 2 year-old daughter to China to meet her paternal grandparents. Her grandfather had never met her before ever since she was born and told my husband that he really wanted to see her. Now China, especially the northern region of Hebei where my husband was originally from, is very very cold around that time of the year. Knowing that, I brought only gentle hydrating products, with the exception of the PIXI glow tonic, to prevent my skin from drying out. When I came back to Singapore, my skin was in a mess! Firstly coming back to hot (with average daily temperatures hovering around 31 ~ 34 degree Celsius)  and humid Singapore from a cold country was a shock to my skin. Secondly, the pollution in China was really really bad, due to most people burning coal during winter for warmth, and it affected my skin too. It also didn’t help that I usually have hormonal acne around that time of the month and I was having my period when I came back. My skin was dry yet it looked oily with random breakouts on the bottom half of my cheek area. I started using this product again hoping for a miracle to happen. Within a week, my breakouts had stopped and actually started healing, my skin became balanced again and the grey pallor was gone. I was a convert!

My routine for using this product is this: Cleansing Oil => Cleanser => Acid Toner => Hydrating Toner/ Mist => Pestle & Mortar Superstar Retinol Night Oil => Night Cream. Sometimes when I get back home late or when I’m feeling lazy, I’ll just cleanse my face, spray a copious amount of hydrating mist, massage in 2 pumps of this night oil and go to sleep. I’ll still wake up with soft hydrated skin. Currently I alternate the use of this product with the Differin gel. That is, if on Monday night I use this retinol oil, I’ll use the Differin gel on Tuesday night and continue with this on Wednesday night. My skin is kept relatively happy in this way.

Where can you find it?

This product is not available in Singapore locally. However, you can buy it from their online shop (http://www.pestleandmortar.com/product/superstar-retinol-night-oil/) and they do ship worldwide. It retails for 76 Euros or 63 British Pounds (30ml sized).

LookFantastic SG has also recently stocked this brand.

Receive $5 off your first order when you spend S$30 on LookFantastic by either clicking HERE or use my referral code SUMB-R2!

Thank you for reading!