Skincare takes up quite a large proportion of my disposable income. I spend quite a lot on my skin and usually I like high-end products from brands like Sunday Riley and Kate Somerville. Some might call me a skincare snob. Whatever, I just like nice things.
There are a few cheaper brands that I love – like La Roche Posay and Avené – but overall I associate higher cost with better ingredients and therefore better results. And I think this is generally a correct assumption. But there are always exceptions to the rule…
I was first introduced to Hylamide through Caroline Hirons, and purchased their SubQ Eyes Advanced Serum when it was on offer in Boots. The RRP is £27 – not really cheap, but FAR more budget-friendly than my last eye cream. I’ve bought eye creams at this price point (and lower) before without much luck – they’re certainly affordable, but they pretty much never work. Eye creams are of particular interest to me because I have very thin, translucent skin under my eyes that’s both extremely dark *and* a bit crepéy. Delightful.
To be honest I wasn’t expecting great things from a £27 eye cream, but I was proved entirely wrong by Hylamide, because it actually WORKED. Not just “oh I think my eyes look a bit brighter today” but actually “my dark circles look far less like black, bottomless pits of despair than they did a week ago”. It brightened, lightened and smoothed the whole area, and I was instantly sold on the brand.
So when they got in touch directly and asked if I’d like to try the SubQ Anti-Age Advanced Serum, I was raring to go. The face serum is slightly more than the eye version at £30, but still hugely cheaper than other alternatives. Here’s what they say about it:
“A highly active concentrate of advanced hyaluronic complexes, next-generation peptides and biotechnological technologies to target rehydration on and below skin surface, while visibly improving lines, wrinkles, sagging skin and textural damage.”
If you’d like a detailed breakdown of the ingredients and how they work, I suggest you check out Caroline’s post. I can’t really explain how this serum does its job, but it does. I’ve learnt a lot about my skin over the last few months, and I’ve pinpointed certain ingredients that really help my uneven skintone, pigmentation and first signs of ageing. Retinol has made a huge difference to my face, and this serum contains it – albeit in a different form. From the website:
“Nonapeptide-3 Retino-Complex – a novel technology that promotes better visible anti-aging results than Retinol with less irritation.”
At the beginning of the year I had an awful allergic reaction to a skincare product and since then my skin has been more sensitive than it was before, so this slightly gentler serum is perfect for the days I don’t want to overdo it with the Retinols. I can imagine for those with properly sensitive skin, this is a brilliant alternative to Sunday Riley’s Luna.
I’ve been using the SubQ Anti-Age Advance Serum every other night for about a week now and I’ve seen a big improvement. It works really well alongside the eye cream – between them they’ve noticeably lightened my dark circles and smoothed out my skintone. My face looks fresh, awake and maybe even a bit radiant. If this was a skincare advert, I’d definitely use the phrase ‘fine lines diminished’. As a combination, it just works.
Back to the budget – together, both Hylamide serums cost £57 which I think is excellent for such effective products. To put it in perspective, I also love Sunday Riley’s Luna (£85) and Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Eye Cream (£62), both of which give me similar results.
If you’re just getting into skincare and the costs are making you sweat, the Hylamide range is a great starting point. It’s also great if you don’t bat an eyelid at spending £85 on a serum (ahem), or if you want something a little less pricy to take on holiday. You can see the full range here – I’m really interested in the Photography Foundation and the Glow Radiance Booster. And I love the website, too!
Have you tried anything from the Hylamide range?
