Testing skincare is really hard. It takes time, dedication, a lot of observing and a lot of patience and more time. I still love testing skincare though and I am patient enough to use it for extended period of time and then give honest opinions about it. I know by now what my skin likes and needs and when something goes wrong.
Skincare by Beauty Bay got me excited since it launched. It's Beauty Bay's own skincare range with very affordable products which have minimum of ingredients and focus on simplicity and effectiveness. The first launch of the range sold out in a very short period of time and I wasn't able to put my hands on anything. This time around, they restocked everything and added some new bits so I decided to go for it while it's not sold out and I got myself a skincare haul.
My skin is very moody, overall I would say it's normal. However, during summer I get a little more oily than usual so it really depends on the weather. But it's normal-slightly oily, quite clear but pores can clog quite easily. If you have similar skin to mine, you'll be able to tell how the products might react with your skin. However, skincare is still very individual thing and what suits me doesn't have to suit you. I'm trying to be as objective as possible.
Overall, I love the packaging of everything and the whole vibe of the range. It reminds me of The Inkey List, which also focuses a lot on single ingredients in the overall picture and targets specific issues. Also the pricing is great and the reviews seem to be mostly positive from what I've read. I also believe the whole range is cruelty-free and vegan. Every bottle has QR code which leads to the Beauty Bay web page about the products. Here, amongs other information, you can find instructions on recycling all of the products. I think that's pretty neat.
All of the products can also be combined. You can add the SkinHit serums into the moisturizer or the mask as you wish to customize the skincare in the best way possible. Even on the Beauty Bay website you can check out their guide to the skincare range and really pick everything you need for your specific needs.
The haul
I decided to pick up multiple products because I just couldn't pick up just a few. I have a mask, toner, moisturizer and four serums. Just because, again, I couldn't decide which ones to pick so I just bought four. Let's look at all these products first, run through the information about them and let's see what results should we expect from these.
Acid Trip Exfoliating Toner AHA + PHA for decongesting and smoothing skin (all skin types)
I am a sucker for a good toner. Toners changes my skin so much in the past that I just really enjoy discovering new ones with hopes of even more and better changes. I use exfoliating toners quite a lot, specifically the Pixi Glow Tonic, which is one of my current favorites.
This one has slightly mixed reviews online because some people say that it's too harsh for their skin. It's recommended for all skin types. It costs 7.50 Euros and you get 150ml of product which I think is quite decent. It has AHA and PHA acids which both target different skin layers. AHAs brighten, refine and even skintone and PHAs help with softening and smoothing the skin. Overall, it should help clear pores and lead towards clearer, brighter complexion.
You can apply it with your hands or with a cotton pad. As usual with these exfoliating products, make sure to wear SPF after you use it. People with sensitive skin should use it 2-3 times a week. You can always try patch testing when trying a more agressive product like this one. It shouldn't be used with other acids, retinoids or vitamin C.
I like the twist-up dispenser which makes it harder to spill and I also like the size of the bottle. It's very slim and easily fits everywhere. The product is clear in the bottle and it doesn't really smell of anything so far.
Day One Moisturizer Ginseng + Squalane for protecting and hydrating skin
I will never turn down anything with ginseng, I love that ingredient in anything. This moisturizer is for normal, oily and combination skin types, which is pretty much my skintype alltogether. You get 125ml for 7.75 Euros and it comes in a while tall bottle with a pump. I like that because I really don't enjoy dipping my fingers into a pot with cream. It can get really dirty sometimes.
It's a lightweight gel-cream moisturizer which contains Indian ginseng to protect the skin from screen-emitted light and squalane to provide hydration. It should also work well as a primer. It slightly smells like a mint candy in a nice way though. The consistency is as described, light cream-gel and it seems really nice on the first glance.
SkinHit Clarifying Serum Bakuchiol + Oatmeal for tackling breakouts and moisturizing skin
This serum is for all skintypes and as with all the serums you get 50ml in a plastic bottle with a dropper. This one costs 7 Euros which is a great price. Bakuchiol is a natural alternative of retinol which helps with blemishes and oatmeal helps to hydrate and restore the skin.
This one has a milky-cream color and looks the thickers out of all the serums. It has a slight scent but nothing intense, it smells a little minty again for some reason.
SkinHit Brightening Serum Vitamin C + Peptide for brightening and evening out skin
This serum is also for all skintypes. This one retails for 8 Euros and you also get 50ml of product in a plastic bottle with a dropper. Vitamin C has been a big gamechanger for many people when it comes to brightening our the complexion. I use it sometimes but I don't really get along with it that much but I do get along with peptides so we'll see how this combination goes.
It helps brightening the complexion and fights pigmentation. Vitamin C also boosts collagen production and peptides should help to increase skin's luminosity. I honestly cannot wait to see how this serum works for my skin. It doesn't smell of anything, looks like thicker orange juice and I cannot wait to put it on my face.
SkinHit Hydrating Serum Hyaluronic Acid + Glycogen for minimising fine lines and hydrating skin
We all have probably used hyaluronic acid serum at some point. I go through them quite fast and I always need one in my routine no matter what. This one is supposed to be for all skintypes and you get 50ml of product for 6.50 Euros. It comes in the same plastic bottle with a dropper and this serum is actually clear.
It draws and retains moisture in the skin and helps with fine lines and dehydrated complexion. Pretty much just like every other hyaluronic acid serum out there. These tend to work really well for me.
SkinHit Soothing Serum Niacimide + Copper tackling excess oil and clogged pores
This serum caught my attention because I use niacimide a lot. I went through probably 10 niacimide + hyaluronic acid serums in last couple years and I just love it. This serum is suitable for all skintypes and you get 50ml of product for 6 Euros. It comes in a plastic bottle with a dropper and it doesn't really smell of anything.
This serums helps with sebum production and recudes appearance of pores. That's main job of niacimide which helps reducing the sebum production and prevents from pore clogging. The copper helps with oil control as well and gives the serum a color. It's a beautiful blue.
Skin Fixer Clay Mask Clay Blend + PHA for refining and mattifying skin
I couldn't resist a clay mask. This one is for normal, oily and combination skintypes. You get 95ml for 9 Euros. That's a steal in my book. It comes in a plastic pot and it literally just looks like clay.
It contains bentonite clay and and kaolin to purify the skin and decongest pores. and PHAs to smooth the skin out. It's possible to mix any of the SkinHit serums into the mask to customize its effects.
You should use it for 10-15 minutes and 2-3 times a week, which seems like a usual manual for a mask. It's mostly formulated to help with built-up sebum and for skin that's in need of some deep cleansing so I really cannot wait to use it now.
First impressions
I decided to dive straight into testing, because I will probably be using other products with these as well, because I just use a lot of skincare products in general. Let me give you my very first impressions after using all the products.
The mask feels really nice, it did tingle the tiniest bit so if you have sensitive skin you might want to do a patch test first. However, it dried down well but it didn't make my face super tight and dehydrated like clay masks sometimes do. After washing it my skin felt super nice, smooth and hydrated too. I was really happy with the results.
I did use the exfoliating toner twice at this point and I was a little scared because I've read some truly terrifying reviews which included peeling and flaking red skin. My skin is fine with it though. It smells more like acid than it feels. It wasn't stinging or burning at all but in the morning it really took away some nasty dirt from my skin. I usually judge a toner by the way it leaves my skin feeling and I really like this one. I am a little worried about using it daily though, so I probably won't use it every single day, just like I do with my other exfoliating toners.
First I used the soothing serum and the hydrating serum, because I was unsure about using bakuchiol after exfoliating toner and vitamin C is a no-no for sure. So I used these two at first. I like the texture of both serums, they sunk it really fast and didn't leave any residue. My skin felt very similar to when I use other niacimide and hyaluronic acid serums. So I would say the effect is going to be tthe same and I was really happy with th formula.
The next days I got around to trying the other serums. I was a little hesitant with the brightening serum because I usually don't get along with vitamin C that much. I usually leaves a weird oily-greasy residue on my skin and in the morning my skin smells really bad. However, this brightening serum doesn't do that at all. It feels really nice on the skin, it's really thin and just glides over the face and sinks right in. It doesn't leave any residue or film on my face and in the morning it doesn't have that typical vitamin C overnight smell at all. I am very happy with this serum.
The clarifying serum has the same texture advantage as the other ones, it glides on well and sinks right in. I cannot tell the effects of this one yet, but it felt really nice and my skin didn't seem to react in any negative way to any of the ingredients. I'm usually worried about that the most.
The moisturizer is pretty much a love at first swipe. It smells like a menthol candy I used to like and the consistency is just the right lightweight cream / gel mixture to be still potent enough but not heavy. It also has the "lock-in" effect which I experienced only with a couple of my moisturizers. It feels like the skin is just locked tight with all the moisture inside and it's staying hydrated. It also felt great through the whole. I usually feel like my moisturizer just kind of goes away and the top layer of my skin looses the hydration which was provided to it in the morning but not with this one. I could still feel the "barrier" on my skin in the evening. I am in love with this one the most so far.
Thoughts after two months
I've been using mostly Beauty Bay skincare for almost two months now and I surely have some opinions. Let's take it one by one.
The moisturizer is one of my favorites of all time. Nothing leaves my skin feeling this moisturized for this long period of time. I love the texture, the smell, the feel of it...just everything. I highly recommend if you struggle to find a moisturizer that absorbs well. It's a creamy gel texture, so it's not as light and watery as a gel but not as thick as a cream and it works wonders for my skin.
The toner is another one of my top products from this range. I am obsessed with it. I have clogged pores all the time and this toner really works so well for cleaning them up. It's incredible. Not even my Pixi Glow Tonic can do that. I didn't experience any negative reaction while using this toner but beware that there many people on the Beauty Bay website that didn't have as great experience with it as I did. I already ordered a backup though.
The clay mask is also an amazing product. I put it on after coming back from a vacation because my skin just wasn't feeling great after a week of slacking in the skincare department. So I decided to use this mask and it really made a huge difference in the skin feel and mostly texture. Pores were tighter, little bumpy areas on the face were gone...I really think this mask is working well for my concerns.
The last category are the serums. Overall, I use them all and I love them all. The hydrating one is a classic and it works just as well as my other ones from Revolution Skincare or The Ordinary. The soothing serum is a great replacement of my usual niacimide + zinc serum which I always use as a prevention for breakouts. This one works just as well for my skin. The clarifying serum feels really nice and the texture is pleasant but I didn't have any great skin concerns in the pimple category which could be treated with it. But when my skin feels a little off and going wild, I use it at night and I like how my face feels in the morning. The biggest hit for me is the brightening serum because I finally found a way to incorporate vitamin C into my routine. Any other vitamin C product just doesn't work with my skin and it peels off and leaves my skin smelling awful. This serum is magic. It works great, feels great, plus I love peptide serums so that's another plus.
Final thoughts
I am really surprised by this whole skincare range and yeah...I ordered majority of the range left some time later because I just want to try MORE. Everything I've used from Skincare by Beauty Bay was highly effective, did exactly what I wanted it to do and worked amazing. I didn't have a reaction from anything and I really love every second of using these products. I am very impressed.
One thing to note is that the price is really nice and I would recommend reaching for this range if you're new to skincare, serums or just building a skincare routine in general. But even if you already have a steady routine, it's such a good range of products to try. I was really surprised how much I like these and I can see myself repurchasing several of these products for sure.
On Beautybay.com you can also check out their pre-built sets for different skintypes in case you're not sure which products might be for you. It's very beginner friendly range and I would say that with many products you cannot do any wrong.
Have you tried Skincare by Beauty Bay? Let me know in the comments what are your thoughts and thanks for reading!