I love a good skin care routine but lately I’ve struggled with crafting one that works for my skin.
How do you shuffle through the noise of skincare brands, products popping up around every corner and the louder noise of everyone sharing their go-to swear-by miracle products that they can’t live without? Truth is you can’t, the mute button works better.
I’ve learned the hard way not to listen to what people recommend for their skin because everyone’s skins are vastly different. Even Zissy and I who share a 92% genetic likeness and may look very similar, have incredibly different skins, which react incredibly differently to products.
The other thing I’ve learned is that the only way to really know what works for you, is to try it first and sadly it is a trial by error costly exercise. That is why I was particularly excited when I discovered Skin Functional.
Skin Functional is a proudly South African skincare brand that aims to deliver noticeable results. They also aim to educate their customers about skincare and they’ve managed to create products that are not only aesthetically pleasing but are also reasonably priced.
Recently they launched introductory packs that I’m calling the 5x5x5. There are 5 different ones, (targeting different skin concerns) and each contain 5, 5ml products.
What is great about these packs is
- They give you a chance to test how your skin tolerates different products
- They’re a relatively low investment (R350-R400 per kit, I’ve wasted more on a single moisturiser that wreaked havoc on my skin)
- They take the guess work out on how to layer a routine, and
- They’re a really handy travel kit (for when you can do that again).
They sent me their sun-induced or hormonal blemish introductory pack to try and after a month of use, I’m sharing my experience.
What is the Skin Functional sun-induced or hormonal blemish Introductory pack for?
The aim of this pack is to reduce blemishes and sun damage
What’s in the Skin Functional sun-induced or hormonal blemish Introductory pack?
1x 5ml Dark Mark Management
Active ingredient is 2% Alpha Arbutin which together with plant extracts, works to fade existing marks and prevent new ones from forming.
1x 5ml Hydration Juice
Active ingredients are 2% Hyaluronic acid and 4% B5. HA is all the rage in the skincare world to help maintain moisture in skin and B5 has anti-inflammatory properties for healing the skin.
1x 5ml Anti-Oxidant Complexion Firmer
Active ingredients are 10% Ascorbic Acid and 3% Ferulic Acid. L-Ascorbic Acid is a stabilised form of Vitamin C which is an anti-oxidant that helps to brighten skin. Ferulic acid is also an anti-oxidant which minimises the harmful effects of sun damage in the skin.
1x5ml Vitamin A
Active ingredient is 0.5% Retinol. Retinol is a Vitamin A derivative, used to treat ageing skin, acne and dark spots by promoting cell turnover and preventing collagen breakdown.
1x 5ml Exfoliating Facial 2
Active ingredient is a 30% Amino Hydroxy complex. This 10 minute AHA treatment helps to improve skin texture and radiance.
What I liked about the Skin Functional sun-induced or hormonal blemish Introductory pack
Firstly, I love the minimal packaging look as a whole, but the box the product comes in is genius. I was incredible impressed by how much info they jam packed in one place, so you can easily reference all the information without a search.
The box manages to contain all the below info printed on it without looking overwhelming:
- The contents
- What it’s good for
- What results you can expect
- What skin types can tolerate it
- An ingredient list for each product
- An explanation on cell turnover and the time it would take for you to see results
- Your morning and night skin care routine. I loved referencing it every day, it felt like a had my own personal aesthetician on call.
All their products also have a sun or moon (or both) icon on them that indicates whether it’s a morning or night product.
My experience using the Skin Functional sun-induced or hormonal blemish Introductory pack
If you’ve read my skincare articles in the past you will know that I don’t have an easy skin. My skin is also very sensitive to new products and although I might not see the benefits right away, I immediately know if my skin doesn’t like something.
Naturally I was expecting some kind of reaction to this new routine, especially seeing as it’s filled with actives and I have had a very bare bones skin routine of late – cleanser, minimal moisturising, my trusty skinoren and the odd mask.
The first night I started using the products I included the Vitamin A (recommendation is 3 times a week), I immediately felt a tingle in the crevices by my nose. The next morning, I awoke to tiny whitehead pimples in that same area, as well as a few on my chin. The next few days I experienced small whiteheads as well as a larger pink pimple on my cheek, but these all cleared very quickly with no post pigmentation.
By the end of the first week, I started to notice a bumpy feeling on my forehead. I was incredibly worried this was going to lead to a larger breakout, but it cleared as quickly as it popped up. These were the only breakouts I experienced during the month.
Towards the end of the second week my skin was looking clearer, smooth and glowy and although I couldn’t quite identify which product was making my skin look better, it was obvious to me and everyone around me that it was. I was using less foundation, less concealer and when I did have minimal amounts on, my skin looked perfect.
Then at the end of the second week, the dark mark management serum finished, and the Hydration juice followed shortly. Although I am curious to know how my skin would look after 12 weeks of continuous use of the dark mark management, I can’t say I particularly missed either. The hydration juice was my least favourite feel (I found it made my face feel tacky) and my face continued to look good leading me to believe the vitamin A and Anti-Oxidant Complexion Firmer are where the magic is at.
My absolute favourite was the Anti-Oxidant Complexion Firmer. I love the oil texture of the serum and how amazing it feels on the face. Because it’s a morning product I found that it provided an incredibly glowy primer to the face. This is definitely a product that will be landing a permanent spot in my skin care routine.
To discover the new Skin Functional Introductory packs and find one that works for your skin concerns visit Skin Functional here.
Skin Functional sent us their sun-induced or hormonal blemish Introductory pack to test. This article is not sponsored nor reviewed by Skin Functional. All opinions are our own.
