I've harped on about Epionce skincare for a LONG time now. I've been using the products for about 3 years and they've made a massive difference to my skin. They're not cheap though and so every now and again, I take the opportunity to try out other brands. In my head I think it's a good way to give my skin a chance to try other ingredients or formulations but apart from in one case*, it's always been a regret.
Just recently I road tested some Balance Me products. I have used Balance Me in the past and loved their ingredients approach - natural/gentle/effective. I will always have a tube of the congestion serum in the house as it's amazing for breakouts. Doesn't dry the skin out but really helps relieve angry breakout skin. Perfect for teenagers (and occasional 40+ breakouts)
But that's the thing, I've not had a breakout for years. Not since I started using Epionce. I thought it was age or a coincidence but then I met Dr Carl Thornfeldt a couple of weeks ago at an Epionce event. He came to Ireland to talk to therapists and Epionce enthusiasts about the story and the science behind his products. He is some man - a practicing dermatologist who became frustrated that there weren't products on the market (prescribed or otherwise) to tackle the problems he was seeing in his clinics. Using his understanding of skin and dedication to research, he created Epionce - a range that heals and repairs the skin, allowing the skin to do what it's meant to do - form a protective barrier to prevent aggravation, ageing, sun damage and disease. You can read more about the Epionce approach and the research that's been carried out on this link.
Fan-girling with Dr Carl on his recent visit to Belfast
And it works - I am only back using it 2 weeks from having about 6 weeks off and already I'm seeing the difference. There's no other way to describe it than my skin just feels content. The breakouts that were building have died down, the dry bits have settled and even the fine lines looks less obvious.
Now it's not to say the Balance Me products weren't good, because they are! But the Epionce ones are better. They are more expensive though and when I recommend them to people, that's the push back I always get - affordability. I get that - they're not going to suit everyone's budget.
But I do think more of us could afford to spend more on our skin if we stopped buying bits and pieces of cheaper stuff all over the place. It's like a capsule wardrobe where you spend more per item on fewer items. I have cleared my entire skincare shelf gradually over the past couple of years and now buy and use just 3 Epionce products. But before, when I used other products and wasn't happy with my skin, it wasn't unusual to spend £20 here and £15 there on serums or treatments or masks, always trying to find the magic formula. I was spending as much if not more than what I spend now on Epionce.
The Ordinary is a great example of this. Lots of on paper cheaper products but many of them are individual ingredients that you then have to try to work out the correct mix of for your skin. You buy several items to make what would be a single product elsewhere. They're £6 or £7 each but you could spend £40 on Ordinary products to get all the ingredients you need working together. It seems like an amazing concept but I think it's flawed and anything I've tried from the range has been a massive disappointment. I've no clue what combination I should be using and anyway, I don't have time to apply 5 or 6 different products in fiddly little glass bottles.
Last month, frustrated with my skin (while not using epionce), I joined Beauty Pie to see what it was about. Before I knew it, I'd spent £30 and £5 membership to try some of their products which were nice, but just nice. Nothing near as good as Epionce and it's all just more packaging, more waste, more cost.
I'm ready to say that I've finally learned my lesson at the ripe old age of 45. I'm happy to chop and change with make up items and body products like fake tan but when it comes to facial skincare, you're not going to find me trying out anything other than Epionce from here on in. Maybe it's an older skin thing - like me in my 40's, my skin is also not willing to tolerate time wasters that don't deliver on promises. It's suspicious of non-researched claims of success, it's wary of anything that spends millions on marketing. My skin want's a niche, well researched product with proven success. One that's made in small batches in an FDA approved factory by a fastidious dermatologist whose life's main aim is to make a difference to people's skin. And having met Dr Carl, I believe him and trust him...but ultimately, my skin is speaking too. It's happy to have fewer brands, fewer different products and fewer chemicals - it's glowing in response.
I will say however that amazing skin in your 40's is a combination of factors - skincare is just one of these. I drink 1-2 litres of water a day and take Seven Seas skin supplements 5 days a week. I also have Epionce lite peels a couple of times a year which are amazing for giving your skin a boost if it's feeling dull and weary. This regime is not for everyone and I know I'm fortunate to have the income at the moment to sustain it. I get occasional free products and treatments in return for blogging about them but I do also purchase regularly the items I use all the time.
Daily, I use the Lytic LX, Renewal Facial Cream and the SPF 50 Tinted Cream, in that order - all three in the morning and just the Lytic and Facial Cream at night. They're available online on this link but you should speak to an Epionce expert to get the right mix of products for you. If you're in Belfast, I can recommend the team at Woodford Clinic on the Lisburn Road as it's where I buy all my own Epionce and have my peels etc done.
Ax
*the one 'other' product that I highly rate is the Clarins Double Serum - still my favourite 3 bottles on!
Not a sponsored post - no affiliate links used
No comments
New comments are not allowed.