So it has been a little why since I have written one of these beauty school episodes. But this week I am going to cover the all powerful, Vitamin C and how it can be utilised to achieve amazing skin.
You may have already heard that Vitamin C is well known for helping brighten the skin. But did you know it is great for evening your skin tone and helping keep those hated wrinkles and fine lines at bay?
What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is known for being a fantastic antioxidant. Antioxidants have a great reputation. They’re known for protecting the skin from UV damage, stimulating collagen production and lifting away dark spots. Thus revealing brighter, more even, glowing skin. The downside to this killer skincare ingredient is that in its purest forms it is unstable. Meaning it can be vulnerable to external conditions such as heat, light and air. This is why it is often combined with other ingredients such as ferulic acid. This helps stabilise the ingredients, giving them a greater shelf life.
When to use Vit-C in your skincare
Now you know how amazing this ingredient is. I’m certain you’re ready to start incorporating this into your skincare routine. So what you want to know is when it is best to incorporate this vitamin into your routine? You can include vit-C both morning and night which is great news in my opinion.
Probably the easiest and most affordable way to start incorporating vitamin C into your routine would be with a serum. You can add a couple of drops to your usual moisturiser both morning and night.
Why incorporate Vitamin E with Vitamin C?
I think it is fairly common when you look at the products available on the market. The ones containing Vitamin C, often there is some Vitamin E also included. You may wonder why this is the case. Let me tell you Vitamin E also harnesses the antioxidant power that vitamin C has too. So just think of the added protection from free radicals and UV damage. As mentioned above the additional ferulic acid helps stabilise these vitamins and this is true so added to both of these vitamins yes you are getting the most stable and potent version of these vitamins possible. Thus giving you the ultimate UV protection for under your sunscreen.
Please note this is not a replacement for sunscreen. Find out more about sun protection here.
Some of my Vit-C Favourites.
I know in the past I have been good at delivering this information. But I have neglected to recommend any products which are tried and tested by me and have these added ingredients. So I have compiled a short list including some of my favourite Vitamin C products.
A more recent favourite is an eye cream which contains the all powerful vitamin C and is perfect for even the most sensitive skin types. Read about it here.
The Clinique Fresh Pressed renewing powder cleanser, is not as you would expect. It is without any abrasiveness and there is a small amount of foaming. This cleanser is gentle and leaves the skin feeling clean and clear. The only downfall in my opinion is the fiddly wrapper opening every time you want to cleanse.
The Ole Henriksen C-rush brightening gel creme is a really new addition to my vitamin C stash.I was gifted this at the Boots press launch day. So far I have found it really pleasant and lightweight but I can come back and give you more opinions at a later date.
Both the Vitamin C C.E.O. cream and serum from Sunday Riley (the two orange ones pictured above) are fabulous. They’re both lightweight and give a gorgeous glowing finish. The cream even smells like orange too. I cannot recommend these two products enough.
Want more beauty school? There are loads more in this little series including collagen, hyaluronic acid , exfoliating acids and UV protection.
