I often leave reviews of skincare products for months and months after I first begin using it, but the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil ($105) is blowing up the blogosphere, especially by British bloggers/vloggers. Sephora carries the line.
Yes, the price is yonkers steep. Is it magic? What's inside? I've never purchased a high end product before, even if it promises to grant me super soft fetus skin. There's almost always a drugstore equivalent, and I rely on SPF, AHAs, and hyaluronic acid to minimize damage to my skin and prevent wrinkles.
The claims? Youthful and healthy skin that's thicker and reduced pore size.
Because the retinol is suspended in oils, it's a very soothing and non-irritating formula, at least for my jaded crocodile skin. Beginners should be wary and use 2x a week at first and build up to nightly if they want. For me, I like to cycle Vitamin C and retinol on different days for maximum effectiveness.
I apply at night as a topper to the rest of my skincare routine, using two to three drops. I often like to use my AHA lotion (12%) underneath after removing my makeup with an oil cleanser and then cleansing my face with something mild like the Cerave Hydrating Cleanser. The blue tint in the product is to make sure you massage it deeply into your skin. You don't want precious oils sinking into your pillow instead, do you?
It smells...polarizing. My husband has smelled it on my face several times with different reactions each time. Sometimes it smells like green tea ice cream, sometimes it smells like eucalyptus oil, and sometimes "OH GAWD YOU SMELL TERRIBLE." Take that how you want, but it smells slightly medicinal and not overpowering or lingering to me. Still, you might want to give it the ole sniff test in stores (if possible) to see if it's off-putting to you.
The first three days, I definitely noticed a huge reduction in surface redness (around the nose, under the eyes, and on my chin) upon waking. It's been several weeks, and I have also noticed that my pore size IS reduced. I don't have very large pores, but they aren't inflamed or swollen with whiteheads anymore. I no longer have to use a pore-filling primer on the sides of my nose.
I have used many *strong* retinol products before from Avene and Neutrogena, and none of those have made a difference in the crater-like dimensions of my laugh line. I feel as if the Sunday Riley version is more effective because my foundations don't sink into textural issues like before. My forehead did purge whiteheads for several days when I first started using this product, but I have less whiteheads forming on my t-zone in general with consistent use.
Reduced loss of skin elasticity? Check. My skin feels more "plump" every morning.
Treating inflamed and irritated skin? Check. There's much less surface redness.
Plumping fine lines? Check. The change is minimal but I hope to see results over time.
Regulate Sebum? I don't have very oily skin and can't attest to that claim.
This is a holy oil for me. My surface redness is significantly reduced, meaning I can forego foundation and concealer. I find myself using less base products on a daily basis and reaching for a tinted moisturizer doesn't feel like blasphemy. If you have very severe problems with acne scarring, I don't think this would be as effective as a prescription retinol. Although a skincare product's success wildly varies from person to person, I still think it's great at providing moisture to the skin.
xo Be
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