Drunk Elephant, unless you have been living under a rock in the skincare community, you have probably heard of the brand and might have tried something from them. When I first heard of the brand, I was excited but it was only in the US then they finally came to the UK and it was super expensive. Then they revised the prices and whilst my interest was still there, I started seeing and hearing a lot of people talk about their customer service and how they treat customers especially if you have a compliant or issue with any of their products. With luxury priced items and crappy customer service I was put right off, I was still looking at stuff but I knew I wasn’t going to buy anything.
One of the main items I was interested in is the C- Firma Vitamin C serum. It’s one of their best sellers and I love using Vitamin C and always searching for better formulas to try. Las Christmas I thought I would add the Rise & Glow Gift set to my wish list and completely forgot about then when I actually got it I thought I would test it out.
Rise & Glow contains deluxe sizes of the C-Firma Vitamin C serum and the B-Hydra Intensive hydration serum, both at 8ml only and for £19! C-Firma is 15% L Ascorbic acid and also contains pumpkin ferment extract and Ferulic acids and promises to brighten, firm and even complexion. B hydra has pineapple ceramides and pro vitamin B to hydrate and improve skin texture. The whole ethos of DE is staying clear of the ‘Suspicious 6’ (essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrance/dyes and SLS). They recommend a pump of each serum mixed and applied in the AM
Experience
So I have been using this for about 16 days now with 2 day break. I have finished the B hydra serum literally this morning. I was mixing 3 to 4 pumps of B hydra and 1 to 2 pumps of C-Firma daily as morning serum on clean skin with no toner. I’m not a fan of the scent, I know its fragrance free ( I have used a of fragrance free products and didn’t mind the scent). I did experience some texture at the start of using them (not sure if it was the serums or that time of the month) but the texture cleared and I hadn’t experienced anything else.
After using the combo for a week, I began to realise my skin was super dry and tight during the day. I have normal to combo skin and I don’t usually experience this unless have used something mattifying in the morning (I usually don’t). At the time, I was also testing out a new SPF and switched to a new moisturiser but I had used the moisturiser before (Beauty Pie Daily Moisture lotion) and it’s not mattifying. The SPF I was using had a power finish and was slightly mattifying but I thought as I have used the B hydra serum my skin shouldn’t feel this dry and this tight. In order to try and find the cause of drying, I did some revisions.
I kept using the DE combo and SPF and switched cleansers but there was no change. I then went back to the old cleanser and switched serums (used Superdrug Hydrating serum £3!) kept the same SPF and spent all day in Storm Dennis AND my skin wasn’t as dry or tight was when I was using the DE. The next day, I tried a different serum (Intense concentrate with Inkey List Vitamin C), same SPF ( this actually pilled) and same cleanser spent half the day in Storm Dennis and my skin wasn’t as dry and tight. Then I tried a more hydrating SPF (Nivea SPF 50 moisture lock), same cleanser and the DE combo and whilst my skin wasn’t as dry & tight as the previous week my skin was still feeling dry. The Nivea SPF isn’t new to me and I was using it previously it kept my skin moisturised during the day.
I then decided to try their recommendation of using a 1:1 ratio (1 pump each). This wasn’t enough product for my face and I did feel as though I wasn’t using enough. I would use 1:1 ratio for my face and another for my neck. I kept the same ‘matte’ SPF, cleanser and moisturiser. I also tried a 2:1 ratio (2 pumps of B Hydra and 1 C-Firma) these ratios gave me the ‘best results’. My skin felt normal for longer and was only feeling dry and tighter towards the day of the day. This is what 2 pumps of B Hydra & 1 C Firma look like.
Overall thoughts
From my revisions it is clear that when I used too much of the serums (more than 2 pumps of each) it left my skin feeling dry and tight. I don’t understand how too much of a hydrating serum can do this or perhaps it was the vitamin c serum? It also dispenses the tiniest amount of product I’m not sure if it’s because I had the sample size of if the full size also dispenses that much product. I didn’t like the scent of the cocktail but I didn’t experience any piling. I am impressed on how long the 8ml serums have lasted
I have been using the same power foundation, hydrating primer combo and setting spray, the only new serum was the DE combo. My skin doesn’t look any brighter or more even than it already has. My verdict is I don’t think I experienced any benefits from this. I expected so much more from these serums but it fell short.
Are you a DE fan what do you think of their customer service and products?
sarah fynn 