Caudalie Vinoperfect Essence and Serum – first impressions (trnd project)

Hey beauties!

In case you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed that some of my more recents posts are sometimes skincare related rather than about nail polish. I have been interested in skincare for a while now, especially in non-irritant ingredients, sunscreen and anti-ageing. Although I have been reading a lot (also scientific papers about the effectiveness and harmfulness of ingredients), I feel in no way competent about this topic, which is why I actually prefer reading about skincare over writing about it.

However, today I will make an exception and share my first thoughts with you about two skincare products by the brand Caudalie. The products are supposed to correct and brighten your complexion, so they should especially work against pigmented moles and redness, etc.
In a project by the market research company trnd, I test these products for a month and share my thoughts. The two products are (click to enlarge photo):

• Caudalie Vinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence

Ingredients of the Essence: AQUA/WATER/EAU, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) FRUIT WATER*, CITRUS AURANTIUM AMARA (BITTER ORANGE) FLOWER WATER*, GLYCERIN*, METHYLPROPANEDIOL, GLYCOLIC ACID, CAPRYLYL/CAPRYL GLUCOSIDE*, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) JUICE*, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CITRIC ACID*, ARGININE, SODIUM BENZOATE, PAEONIA LACTIFLORA ROOT EXTRACT*, PHENYLPROPANOL, POTASSIUM SORBATE, SODIUM PHYTATE*, LINALOOL, LIMONENE
* Plant origin

• Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum Complexion Correcting

Ingredients of the Serum: AQUA/WATER/EAU, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN*, SQUALANE*, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE*, CETEARETH-20, PALMITOYL GRAPEVINE SHOOT EXTRACT*, GLYCERYL STEARATE SE *, BISABOLOL*, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, POTASSIUM SORBATE, XANTHAN GUM, CARBOMER, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM PHYTATE*
* Plant origin

First impressions

I must say that I’m a little disappointed with the amount of information that is given to the people testing the products in this project. Both products came in mysterious white cardboard boxes, with no information whatsoever about how to use them. There are no ingredients lists anywhere on the products or in the package, I had to google to find this information, which I find unusual. Furthermore, there is no information available about the amount of glycolic acid in percent or the pH-value. I asked for this information in the project forum but did not receive an answer so far (it has been 10 days now).

The essence contains glycolic acid, an ingredient used as a chemical peeling. I think it is important to point out that when using glycolic acid on your skin, you should always use sun protection. However, this information is not given anywhere. Also, it is not clear whether the products are safe to use near the eye area and whether I am supposed to apply them in the morning or at night. From my experience, I would only recommend applying them at night so that your skin is not exposed to sunlight after using the glycolic acid.

Both the Essence and the Serum come in glass bottles, which makes the products appear luxurious and high quality. I’m not sure whether clear glass would be my number one choice as some ingredients are sensitive to daylight.
The Essence simply has a small opening to pour (I would prefer a spray bottle to be able to spread it across my face more easily) and the Serum comes with a pipette.
Both products smell very natural and green-y – I read that a lot of people cannot stand the smell, but I think it is okay. What I don’t get is why you would put parfum and other fragrances (Limonene, Linalool) in there and still create a smell that is not very “pleasant” to a majority of the people. Why not just leave fragrance out completely then? I would definitely be a fan of that!

In terms of tolerability, I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised. My skin seems to like both products so far (after 2 weeks of daily use), despite some of the ingredients having the potential of being irritating.
In fact, redness and breakouts on my skin are fading a little bit, which I mostly put down to the glycolic acid. In the past, I had some less pleasant experiences with glycolic acid, for example by Paula’s Choice, and had since then given up using glycolic acid because I thought my skin wouldn’t like it. But this one seems to be different, and in some weird way good for my skin.

All in all, I must say that despite the bad supervision during the project and the limited flow of information, something about the products makes my skin very happy so far. And that is a good thing! I will keep you updated and see whether the serum will actually be able to correct and brighten my complexion.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

 

 

Update 1: Project Polish 2018

Hi everyone!

In case you have missed it, I picked three polishes in the beginning of 2018 and marked their current fill line. Now, after four months, it is time for my first update to recap the progress on my project of #unserprojectpolish2018! Actually, I was supposed to post my first update after three months but I was busy handing in my PhD thesis. I read everyone’s progress at the beginning of April and it was so much fun! Now it is time for me to post my own update.

The first thing I did was to re-swatch all three polishes. I will show you the two polishes which I will continue to use. The third polish (China Glaze Oxygen) was very streaky and disappointing on the nails, which is why I will not continue to use it. It was replaced by another polish (see below).

The first polish was P2 Night Out, a beautiful muted dark blue creme polish that I really like wearing. It is perfect to wear on its own, but it is also perfect as a dark base for all kinds of toppers and shifty top coats. This is how I will continue to wear it – that way it will never get boring!

The second polish was also from P2 and is called Charming Secret. It is a cool-toned very light pink shade that is perfect for every day. When I don’t know what to wear on my nails, I will most certainly reach for this one.

Here is the progress I made with the two polishes, (the second black line shows the current fill level). As mentioned above, China Glaze was replaced by another polish, namely Essence Sweet as Candy, which is also a neutral “my nails but better” sheer polish. Swatches of this one will be provided in the next update :).

I will just continue to use these instead of picking new polishes to use until the next update. I think I will be able to finish these in 2018, maybe even before the end of the year, and then choose new “go to” polishes once these are empty. I really love this concept as it makes choosing a polish when in doubt so much easier! The next update will be posted around the beginning of July!

Stay tuned and have a nice day 🙂

 

My (glitter) polishes from Cirque Colors: Electric Circus and Kaleidoscope

Hi everyone!

There is this awesome challenge called #wirlackieren for which Marzipany and Tinesuchtnachmehr announce one (or sometimes two) brands per month that everyone in the nail community will obsessively paint their nails with 😀 Everyone tries to show as many polishes of that given brand as possible within that month.

The brands in February are Cirque Colors and Cadillaquer. Unfortunately, I don’t own any polishes from Cadillaquer. But at least I have two (!) polishes from Cirque Colors that I can show you! Yay!

I bought these back in the day (2014), when a good glitter polish was hard to come by and when neon and matte glitters were the new thing in the nail world. I was obsessed with Electric Circus so I had to have it! I must admit the only reason why I ordered the second one (Kaleidoscope) was so that Electric Circus wouldn’t be so lonely. But I never regretted getting Kaleidoscope as well! Both Electric Circus and Kaleidoscope are one of the highest quality glitter polishes I own, and the glitters haven’t bled out or faded after 4 years, which is quite impressive!

So here is one coat (!) of Electric Circus over a white base (Catrice – Milky Bay). The glitter payoff is insane! It is really fool-proof and one coat gives an even coverage as shown on the picture below. I added one coat of Seche Vite Quick Dry Top Coat.

Next up is Kaleidoscope. It is a beautiful combination of various sizes and shapes of matte glitters. I didn’t put this one over a white base because it contains white glitter as well, so I chose a baby-blue creme polish instead (Color Club – Take me to your Chateau). The application of this one is a little more tricky – the clear base is quite thin so I had to snag the bigger glitter particles and place them on my nails. Nevertheless this is a fun nail polish that makes me happy every time I look at it! I topped this one with a coat of Seche Vite Quick Dry as well.

Those two polishes are all I can contribute to #wirlackierencirquecolors as they are (unfortunately) the only polishes I own from Cirque. Have you participated in the challenge? Are you going to participate next month?  The brand for next month will be Anny. I don’t own any polishes from Anny 😦 But I’m looking forward to all of your swatches!

Happy Sunday everyone and read you soon!