Products that never worked for me & An Update on xfurbeauty

Hi everyone! Before I get into the reviews, I want to let you know that all my original content can be found at www.xfurbeauty.blogspot.com. If you see it anywhere else, it was used without my permission.

Vanicream Vitamin C Serum:

I stumbled upon Vanicream Vitamin C Serum while searching for a vitamin C product that did not contain l-ascorbic acid. I couldn't find an l-ascorbic acid that didn't irritate my skin then.

I've used several tubes of Vanicream Vitamin C Serum. About over 4 tubes. This vitamin C serum contains tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, which is a derivative of vitamin C. The serum is milky, soft, and moisturizing. It works great at keeping the skin moisturized. I relied on this serum a whole bunch to maintain moisturized skin during the winter and on days when my skin felt drier.

That's great, right? It's moisturizing. But let's get into whether the Vanicream Vitamin C Serum does brighten the skin and helps with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which I was hoping for. It is advertised for use for dull and uneven skin. 

After finishing tube after tube of this vitamin C serum, I must say, it didn't live up to what it's supposed to do --- brighten dull skin and improve uneven skin tone. It just didn't work. While using this product, I still had dark marks on my face. My skin didn't appear brighter. It didn't help with uneven skin tone. This vitamin C serum isn't extremely affordable either. It was $18.99 for 1.2 fl. oz. It's pretty small for what you get. On top of that, I thought it was an ineffective vitamin C serum. I won't repurchase. I gave it a fair chance. Over 4 tubes! I'm done with it.

RoC Barrier Renew PM Moisturizer:

I was searching for a moisturizer that was a bit more moisturizing. I found RoC Barrier Renew PM Moisturizer. I have some RoC favorites, so I thought I would give this product a try. 

Ingredients that stood out to me: Ceramides, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Green Tea)

It contains ingredients to provide barrier support and hydration.

The product feels very soothing when applied to the skin. It does provide a decent amount of hydration, and I've noticed that it helps to improve the skin barrier as well. My skin looked healthier while using it. It also helped to diminish some texturized skin. My skin appeared more glowy, moisturized, and healthy.

But I had to stop using it.

I stopped using it because it felt too heavy on my skin, even though my skin improved using it. I started to get breakouts. Really bad breakouts. My skin became congested. Once I stopped using this moisturizer, my breakouts vanished. My skin may be sensitive to some other ingredients in this product. It also contains Squalane, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, and Shea Butter, to name a few others. I knew it had these ingredients, but I had to try it out anyway. Who knows if it'll work on my skin or not? From what I've experienced, RoC Barrier Renew PM Moisturizer is too heavy for my skin type. I have oily skin, by the way. It may work for someone with drier skin. For me, I won't repurchase. I really wanted this one to work.

Olay Regenrist Micro-Sculpting Serum Fragrance-Free:

I'm not a big fan of Olay skin care products, but I decided to give them another chance. I picked up Olay Renegerist Micro-Sculpting Serum Fragrance-Free. I thought I would boost my skincare routine and add a product that could improve my skin texture and tone. 

The texture of the product is lightweight and silky. It absorbs into the skin well. It didn't feel sticky. It felt perfect for my oily skin. I noticed that it had some shimmer in the serum.

So the serum contains Niacinamide, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4...

They are supposed to boost collagen, improve elasticity, reduce fine lines, and protect the skin from oxidative stress.

I didn't see changes in my skin using this serum. I loved the beneficial ingredients that it contains, but it didn't live up to what it claims to do. It made my skin look more aged. It felt irritating and dried out my skin. The opposite of what it's supposed to do. And this serum isn't inexpensive either. It was around $27 for a 1.7 fl. oz. pump bottle. The packaging was horrendous. When I almost finished the entire product, I could tell that there were extra product at the bottom of the bottle. I despised the bottle it came in. That's a negative. I would never purchase it again.