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!
Lixirskin is a brand that was introduced to me through the October 2017 VictoriaHealth Newsletter. VictoriaHealth is a UK online retailer selling products such as food supplements, healthcare products, and skincare products. They are also responsible for launching NIOD and The Ordinary to the world. Reading the monthly newsletter from Gill (who’s one of the founders of this website) is akin to reading a personal letter from one of my trusted old-time friends and I trust Gill’s impeccable recommendations.
Lixirskin is the baby of Colette Haydon, who is a doctor in dermo-pharmacy, and has over 20 years of experience in formulating skincare. She has her own laboratory in London called Elixir de Beaute. Together with her team, she had formulated hundreds of products for many of the most coveted beauty brands such as HealGel, Jo Malone, Aromatherapy Associates and REN. In fact, I’m pretty sure that you probably have one of her formulations in your bathroom or vanity table. Colette Haydon describes Lixir as a mix of hard working, everyday products and targeted molecules, an advanced yet relaxed approach to skin care. I was attracted to her products, especially her 3 Night Switch products which are treatments for specific skin concerns and formulated with pure active molecules for targeted results. They are for nighttime use, when your skin switches to repair mode and are to be mixed with a moisturiser. You should only use one at a time, then give your skin a rest before switching to another. Switching stimulates the skin to get better results. Colette Haydon recommends the following sequence of using the Night Switch treatments:
Ageing Skin (wrinkles, sagging, sun damage): Four weeks retinol + Two weeks PHA.
Problem Skin (dull, open pores, breakouts): Four weeks retinol + Three weeks BHA.
I’ve been using these products for a total of 10 weeks and I’m finally ready to reveal my thoughts on them. One thing that I need to inform you guys is that while I was testing all the night switch products for the whole 10 weeks duration, I stopped using all other actives in order to accurately judge the effects of these products.
I love its aesthetics!
How does the LIXIRSKIN Night Switch BHA/AHA 10% fare?
The LIXIRSKIN Night Switch BHA/AHA 10% was the first night switch that I’d started off with. As per the instructions given on the box, I tested this product for 4 weeks before I start on another night switch. Unlike the PHA/AHA as well as the Retinol night switch products, it was recommended that the BHA/AHA night switch should be applied to bare skin followed by a moisturiser. The other 2 night switch products were recommended to be mixed into your moisturiser before application.
Ingredients for LIXIRSKIN Night Switch BHA/AHA 10%
From the ingredients list as above, you could tell that this product consists mainly of a blend of 3 acids, namely Lactic Acid (AHA), Azelaic Acid (dicarboxylic acid) and Salicylic Acid (BHA). Each acid offers a special benefit – Lactic Acid improves hydration, Salicylic Acid is antibacterial and prevents clogged pores, and Azelaic Acid controls sebum.
Because I’m already an experienced acid user (as in I’ve been using AHAs and BHAs products for quite some time), I didn’t experience any marvellous life-changing skin benefits. However, the quality of my skin didn’t regress when I started on this product and except for one or two of my usual hormonal acne appearing due to my period, I didn’t have too much issues with clogged pores or blemishes. I guess that’s one of the signs that this product is working for me since I’m so congestion-prone. This product also feels gentle (I mean, gentle for my very acid-experienced skin) on my skin and I’ve never felt any stinging sensation when I used it. I have a feeling that even if you are an acid newbie, your skin won’t be adverse to this product, unless of course if you have ultra-sensitive skin or if you are allergic to any of the ingredients.
How does the LIXIRSKIN Night Switch PHA/AHA 10% fare?
The LIXIRSKIN Night Switch PHA/AHA 10% is an intriguing product to me. Besides the more commonly found Lactic Acid, this product also contains 2 additional acids which were new to me, namely Lactobionic Acid and Phytic Acid. Lactobionic Acid supposedly reduces oxidative stress while Phytic Acid eliminates heavy metals to detoxify the skin. You are supposed to mix this product with your moisturiser and then apply it to your skin.
Ingredients for LIXIRSKIN Night Switch PHA/AHA 10%
As per the instructions, I tested this product for around 2 weeks before I switch to the final Retinol Night Switch. In my opinion, I didn’t really think that 2 weeks is sufficiently long enough for me to observe its effects fully. However, what I had noticed during that 2 weeks seemed promising. When I first tried using this product, I didn’t read the instructions and ended up using it neat on my skin instead of mixing it with a moisturiser. I actually felt a strong stinging sensation when I tried using it that way, which surprised me greatly since I thought that my skin was used to acids. However when I mixed this product with my moisturiser, I didn’t feel the stinging sensation. Currently my biggest problem when it comes to pigmentation issues that my skin is facing isn’t freckles or sunspots. It’s actually ugly brown post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) that I get once my hormonal acne goes away. So even if I don’t have active acne problems, there are still around 4 major brown spots on my cheek area due to the PIH. It pisses me off so much that I had even considered undergoing laser treatment to remove them.
Anyway, during the 2 weeks of testing this product, I somehow saw that those marks seemed to lighten slightly (note that I wasn’t using any dedicated Vitamin C serums since I had started testing these products to gauge their effectiveness). It surprised me greatly since AHA products usually do not tend to have much effect on my PIH. It usually helps more in terms of general evening of skin tone and keeping my clogged pores away. So that’s the reason why although I can’t confirm its exact long-term effects, the initial result was encouraging to me.
How does the LIXIRSKIN Night Switch Retinol 1% fare?
The LIXIRSKIN Night Switch Retinol 1% was the last night switch that I had tried. As recommended, I had tested this product for around 4 weeks before I feel confident enough to give some sort of opinion on it. The thing about retinol products is that it actually takes an even longer time than acids to show some (or even any!) effects on your face. In fact, most non-prescriptive retinols take 3 to 6 months to show improvements, with best results after 12 months. Although Retin-A works quicker (around 6-8 weeks for visible improvements, with dramatic results in 6 months), side effects such as redness, flakiness and peeling often means that people give up much sooner than the time it takes to see real results.
Initial results that I had observed after using this product for around 4 weeks include softer skin, slight lessening of fine lines on my forehead and eye area and an overall firmer and lifted skin, especially around my jawline. Although I think that I definitely need a longer period of use to fully assess the results, these results after only 4 weeks are highly impressive to me. This night switch product might be my favourite one of all!
In Conclusion…
I think that LIXIRSKIN’s range of Night Switch products definitely works and would probably work better if you used them consistently over the period of one whole year. They are pretty stable non-irritating formulas with strong scientific backing on the effectiveness of all the ingredients included in the product. In other words, they work and they are scientifically proven to do so.
How nice of them to include a handwritten note together with my order!
Allies of Skin is a Singaporean beauty brand that has gone global in recent years. From a small local brand to having their products being stocked in Cult Beauty Online, Net-A-Porter, Sephora and even SpaceNK (!), this brand has truly come a long way. Allies of Skin, to date, only has a capsule collection of just 4 products that are designed to complement all aspects of a demanding life. I had tried samples of their 1A All Day mask before and had an overall positive impression of the brand. Therefore when I saw that they were having a discount sale during Singapore’s National Day celebrations (similar to Independence Day in the US), I bought their Bright Future Overnight Facial to try (it had so many glowing reviews online!).
Below are the ingredients of their Bright Future Overnight Facial:
How does the Allies of Skin Bright Future Overnight Facial fare?
The Allies of Skin Bright Future Overnight Facial is a “sleeping peel” that claims to deliver intense hydration as its blend of AHAs, Retinol and Probiotics encourage cellular renewal overnight to reduce imperfections and reveal brighter skin the next morning. It supposedly helps tired skin attain an optimal level of exfoliation in 2-3 nights, as well as giving the effects of a professional facial overnight, with cumulative effects seen after 2-3 nights.
You are supposed to use it in the following manner:
Double cleanse your face in the evenings
Spritz your favourite toner/ mist liberally all over your face
Apply a thick layer (I usually use about 4 pumps) of the product
Mist again after the application of the product
Go to sleep
When I use the above method, I discovered that my face feels slightly dry when I wake up in the mornings. This might be due to the fact that I usually sleep in an air-conditioned room or due to my combination dry skin needing more moisture that what this product can provide. However, it does help to brighten my skin and it also helps to calm down any hormonal acne that I get. This product is especially useful for times when I pick on my pimple and was left with an angrier looking pimple instead. Usually, whenever I use this product, it would literally shrink the red angry pimple overnight to a smaller less-inflamed one the next morning.
However, the magic of this product really happened when I used it in the following method:
Double cleanse in the evenings
Mist liberally all over my face
Apply 3 more layers of hydrating essence
Apply 1 layer of hydrating serum
Apply a thick layer (I usually use about 4 pumps) of the product
Mist again after the application of the product
Go to sleep
Wake up to glorious bright dewy pore-less perfect skin (!!)
I think that the extra layers of light hydrating products really helps to combat the slightly drying effects of the AHAs and Retinol in this product and yet it is light enough that the ingredients in the product could still “get to work” without impeding it. I’ve been using this product twice a week for around 3 months and really like it because it simply works as described. And that is something that sadly does not happen as often as it should. Look.. I’m a 32 year-old with a 3 year-old toddler who likes to pretend she’s “Jack & Jill” from the nursery rhyme and drags around a basket pretending to “roll down a hill” when she’s supposed to be going to bed. I really don’t get much sleep and, coupled with the fact that I hold a full-time stressful job, it’s a wonder that my skin doesn’t look as tired as I feel inside. Therefore I really appreciate it when products work as they should and are also quick and easy to apply.
Yes, that’s my daughter’s jam currently!
I know that the price is quite high for a product that is only 50ml in size, however given that you only use it twice a week, it should last you quite a long time. If you have the budget and would like to try a product that works, I would highly recommended it for people with problematic dull stressed skin who wants quick results!
Where can you find it?
I bought this product from their official website. It retails at S$159 (50ml sized).
Engineering Beauty 