My First.....
All beauty lovers have little mental milestones. And if you think of it, it’s because beauty has the essence of journeying. There is always a new technique, a new product, a change in our bodies and style, and even a ‘letting go’ of a product or manner of beauty consumption …..There is always something spurring us on, evolving our beauty stories and seducing us to keep up the pursuit of beauty.
In this blog post, I want to introduce you to my latest two firsts, a retinol-based product AND the review of said product. But first, allow me to give you a touch of context so you can understand why I am making a little fuss over the matter.
Firstly, has the era of blog posts reviewing products ended? Blogs were queen when it came to beauty product reviews but then came social media. This thought AND fact have been one of the reasons that have kept me from turning my blog into a product-heavy platform.
Secondly, it is an unwritten rule in the skincare industry that you MUST start using retinol at least in your late twenties, in the pursuit of remaining young forever. Rules and I…..well, let’s say we must enter into intense talks before I agree or disagree with rules. LOL. Considering that I am very comfortable with the fact that I will eventually age [yes, I know. I do ask myself if I will truly feel like that when I am MUCH older. We will cross that bridge when we get there but I really like the emotional and mental foundation I have already laid down] and that I love questioning rules, I have stayed away from retinol intentionally.
Back to the rules, retinol requires a lot of structure and discipline for success. Mindful exfoliation, dedicated sunscreen wearing, patience when your skin is peeling like a snake….I have far too much fun being a skincare influencer playing with different types of products to just drop everything for retinol. Retinol wants exclusivity and I don’t want to give up my freedom.
So when Disciple sent me their Dreamy Skin oil, [yes this was a product sent in PR. My reasons above make it very clear that I probably would have never purchased this product], I was both intrigued and apprehensive at the same time. I love a good facial oil but was I really ready to put my playful skincare ways aside to truly experience this oil? Studying the formula, knowing of other products similar to the Dreamy Skin, and referencing others’ experiences, I decided to give it a shot.
The Dreamy Skin impressed me so much that I genuinely felt a blog post was a really good way to fully articulate myself. It was delightful. The skin was incredibly happy. I WAS incredibly happy!
Ingredient-wise, the formula is simply a blend of antioxidant-rich oils and the star ingredient of retinyl palmitate, a retinol derivative, at 0.5%. And just in case you don’t know, retinol, simply put, speeds up cell turnover, keeps pores clear, and slows down the breakdown of collagen. Retinyl palmitate lies in the gentlest part of the spectrum of retinoic acid. Perfect for first-timers like me.
Experience-wise, my skin hardly purged which does attest to the gentleness of this oil but I would also like to highlight that I am not particularly acne prone and my skin’s health is in tip-top condition. My skin looked polished and felt balanced. I do have combination skin with oiliness within it and my pores can be disrespectful at times hence why I noticed the polished effect and balanced feel to my skin. I exercised an incredible amount of mindfulness, alternating the use of Dreamy Skin every other week with a very minimal amount of exfoliants in my routine during that week. I, not only wanted to be mindful of over-exfoliating my skin and shattering my moisture barrier, but I really wanted to see if Dreamy Skin was going to make my skin dreamy. And it did. I want another bottle. Repurchase is inevitable.
Here is firsts, firsts of all kinds. They really are a step at the beginning of a journey
PS: FYI
You can purchase the Dreamy Skin in a discovery kit from Disciple. It is the perfect size to test out the oil before buying a full size. You also get to try the Good Skin in that kit, another oil that I was impressed by.
The highlighted words are a link that will take you straight to Disciple’s website!