The Body Shop Wise Woman Vitality Serum Review

I know, I know, I haven't been the best blogger this past week. Life was just super busy and although I snapped a bunch of pics in hopes of writing some posts, I kept getting sidetracked. But this week will be better!

I always use a serum before my moisturizer, both in the morning and evening, and since they long discontinued my favorite Lancome Cell Defense, I have been forced to search the market for something just as effective and suitable. That search led me to The Body Shop Wise Vitality Serum. 

The reason I picked this up is because it is not that expensive, $36 for 1oz. However, since The Body Shop always has sales you can often get this for an even better price. The online reviews were pretty good, and since this seemed good for mature skin I thought it would be good since for me (since mature skin is inherently dry skin and I have very dry skin, especially during winter).

The serum itself is clear and very fluid-like. It absorbs quickly without feeling sticky or leaving behind any residue. Although this felt good on the skin, it didn't do anything positive for me. I used up the whole thing, which lasted about 2 months which 2x/day use. Even though I knew I wouldn't see any dramatic change, like wrinkles going away, most good serums at the very least give my skin some luminosity and brightness. I really saw no improvement in my skin whatsoever, not even in terms of moisture retention. I will definitely not re-purchase this.

So back to the drawing board. Do you have any good serum recommendations?

Finished!

As mentioned previously, I am on a kick to finish up my half-used products, and I was successful at finishing 3 things last month:

1. Aura Science Phase One Withdraw Mask - This is a clay mask I picked up a few years ago from Victoria's Secret. I heard that they only sell the Aura Science line in a few states in the US. Personally, I have not seen it in California or Pennsylvania in recent years. I kind of wish they would bring it back because I really liked this mask. A thin layer all over my face and neck really helped shrink my pores and tighten my skin. It was non-drying, but the pore-shrinking effect made me believe it did deep clean all the gunk in my pores. This mask also left my skin super-smooth and soft. Oh well, I will have to find another one....any recommendations?



2. Fresh Soy Face Serum - I had heard great things about the Fresh Soy line, so when I needed a new face serum, I decided to see if it was worth the buzz. OMG, this product smells like rotten cucumbers! I can't believe I actually used up this whole bottle. Really speaking, I would have returned it but I couldn't find the receipt, and couldn't bear throwing it out, so I just used it in the morning when I knew I would be wearing makeup after my skin care so the smell would get covered up. Aside from the smell, I don't think this serum did anything great for my skin. It didn't reduce the size of my pores, and I didn't notice any brightening effects. I don't think it hydrated my skin very much, and I definitely didn't notice any anti-aging effects. My skin was softer with this serum, but that is about it. I highly recommend that you stay away from this product and the whole Soy line.

3. MAC Select SPF Moistureblend Foundation - This is another product that is now discontinued. This foundation was replaced by the Mineralize Foundation SPF 15 that comes in a compact. I really liked the Moistureblend formula so I had a couple back-ups and the one I just used up was the last of my stock. I used it sparingly, mostly when traveling, but I loved it because it was so easy to use and blended in with my skin flawlessly. It looked like I wasn't wearing makeup at all, and it was very hydrating. I guess now I will have to venture out and try the newer Mineralize version.

Have you used any of these products? Have you finished anything recently?