True Radical Honesty From Our Community

High on stress and low on rest? The delicate skin around your eyes will be the first to suffer.

With the world dictating some major mask-wearing for the forseeable future, your eyes have never been more important. Annoying, then, that the skin around your eyes is thin, fragile and prone to dryness, meaning it ages super-fast and totally gives the game away when you're tired. Sigh.

So, if you're looking for the best ways to solve inevitable eye issues such as fine lines, wrinkles, sagging, puffiness and dark circles, you've come to the right place.

Here are our top three ways to up your anti-aging eyecare game.

1. Don’t Underestimate The Power Of A Good Night’s Sleep

Even though the sleep sweet spot is between seven and nine hours a night, a whopping 40 percent of Americans get less than seven hours. That’s a lot of people not getting enough zzzs, and a lot of you whose appearance is probably suffering because of it. You’ve all been there, right? Woken up after a crappy night’s sleep only to be faced with dark circles and bags under your eyes. So not what the beauty doctor ordered.

The harsh truth is that skipping on sleep does a real number on the skin around your eyes. Lack of sleep makes your blood vessels dilate (hello dark circles), leads to water retention (ditto puffy eyes) and can even decrease moisture levels in your skin (dry skin, be damned). You know that term ‘beauty sleep’? Yeah, that.

The solution? Go to bed earlier, for one; skip caffeine in the evening; don’t eat too late and disconnect yourself from your smartphone at least 30 minutes before you turn in. Words With Friends can wait until the morning.

2. Add An Eye Cream To Your Skincare Routine

As well as it being thinner and more fragile, the skin around the eyes is generally drier than the rest of your face, so it requires extra moisturization and a delicate touch. It also gets a vigorous, daily workout due to constant muscle movement from talking, squinting, frowning, laughing, eye rolling, the works. It’s no wonder, then, that the skin around your eyes is among the first areas to show the visible signs of aging.

And this is where a quality eye cream comes into play. Note, the word ‘quality’ – after all, like most skincare formulations, not all eye creams are created equal. We believe it’s all about key ingredients that have been tried and tested to offer results. And our three favorites for the skin around your eyes? Hyaluronic acid, peptides and antioxidants. 

Hyaluronic Acid (HA)

Say hello to the darling of the skincare industry. And rightly so because hyaluronic acid does, for sure, pack a very powerful hydrating punch which is super-important for the dry skin around your eyes. Countless studies prove that HA holds more than 1,000 times its weight in water giving it an amazing ability to draw moisture into the skin. Just remember, however, if a product formulation doesn’t include some kind of occlusive emollient to seal in the moisture, it’ll just evaporate from the surface of your skin rendering all that delicious HA, well, kinda pointless.

Occlusive emollients include things like ceramides, cocoa and shea butter, squalane and various oils such as jojoba and olive.    

Peptides

Peptides are small chemical compounds that create the building blocks of essential proteins such as collagen, elastin and keratin. It’s a little confusing, we know, but bear with us. Without these proteins, skin loses its firmness, smoothness and suppleness, so the objective for peptides in skincare is to help stimulate collagen and elastin production for healthier, more youthful-looking skin. Make sense? Good.

By strengthening the skin, peptides have also been shown to help improve dark circles under the eyes and the appearance of puffiness. Gotta love that.

Antioxidants

If you don’t stop pesky free radicals (caused mostly by environmental damage) from damaging valuable collagen and elastin in your skin, your eyes will pay the price and leave you with any number of concerns including crow’s feet and sagging skin.

And the only way to win the free radical battle? With antioxidants such as vitamins C and E which have the unique capacity to neutralize free radicals before they get the chance to strike.

In case you were wondering, our Anti-Aging Eye Cream and Eye Gel both contain all of the above (group hug).

To make the most from your eye treatment, never use too much and try not to be too heavy-handed with it. This means a tiny dab (less than a pea-size) should be enough for both eyes.

Apply it to one ring finger, then press it between your other ring finger to get an even distribution for each eye. Next, lightly press, don’t rub, each ring finger around each eye, working it around the orbital bones and over your brows as instructed on the label. Using your ring fingers rather than your forefingers means you’ll get a much lighter touch which reduces dragging (read: wrinkles). 

3. Make Better Lifestyle Choices

Whether it’s sugar, salt, alcohol or a combination of all three, your vices are the source of many skin concerns. All three of these oh-so-good, yet oh-so-bad treats are extremely dehydrating and not only exacerbate dryness to your skin but may cause fluid retention, sagging skin and dark circles under your eyes.
 
Sugar, specifically, is seen as the root of many skin evils. One word: glycation. Glycation is the name of the process in which sugar molecules attach themselves to proteins (namely collagen) and fats in your skin, causing them to become stiff and inflexible. The end result is a severe loss in your skin’s elasticity and an acceleration in the visible signs of aging.
 
Instead of constantly over-indulging in salt, sugar and booze, up your intake of beans, oily fish, nuts, tomatoes and leafy green veggies.

Boring, we know, but totally worth it in the long run.

Applying your products in the wrong order or in record-breaking time is asking for serious trouble. So, if dry patches, itchy skin and flare-ups are so not your jam, let’s get this layering malarkey nailed, shall we?

Knowing when (and when not) to apply your skincare products can be something of an art form. Does your antioxidant serum come before or after your moisturizer? And what about sunscreen? Also, are you supposed to wait a few minutes between applications or can you just go for it and layer to your heart’s content?
 
So. Many. Questions.
 
But don’t worry, because we’ve all been faced with the dilemma of which battalion of serum to apply first and thought 'what the heck, I’m gonna apply them both – together.' Instant regret.

So, should you hone down your regime into a couple of key products? Or do you simply need to learn how to play the skincare cocktailing game? Actually, it’s kind of up to you and the concerns you want to address. But if you need a little help getting started, we’ve put together a four-step guide to the art of skincare layering.
 
Here it goes...

1. Understand Your Skin

Some of you can get away with applying product after product with no adverse reaction (lucky you), but this is not the case for everyone. For example, while a nightly dose of 1 percent retinol could be a slam dunk for many of you, it might be way too intense for anyone with sensitive or dry skin.

The key is to understand your skin and learn what it does and does not like. And the best way to do this? Always patch test a new product before trying it all over your face. This way you’ll learn if your skin becomes irritated by a particular ingredient. Also, give new products a chance to work before you write them off completely. Your skin takes between four and six weeks to turnover, so the general rule of thumb is to give new products this amount of time to really do their thing. No judging after 24 hours, OK? Unless you’ve had a negative reaction, of course. Then you’re totally OK to judge. And to stop using it.

One other thing: if you ever become sensitive to one of your favorite serums, but can't bear to trash it, try applying a gentle moisturizer first to reduce its potency and cause less irritation. And if it still causes issues? Then it’s time to say ciao.

2. Get Some Order 

When it comes to knowing what to apply when, obviously you know that cleanser happens first, then toner. But what should come next? Well, if you’re using some kind of treatment serum for acne or pigmentation, for example, this should follow your toner.

Next up would be an antioxidant serum like vitamin C, hyaluronic acid or niacinamide, followed by eye cream, a pimple treatment, moisturizer, face oil and finally a broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning.

Obviously, your skin doesn’t need ALL of these, every day, but moisturizer is the one product everybody should use. Reckon your skin is too good, oily or zitty for moisturizer? Think again. Moisturizer not only locks in, er, moisture, but it balances your skin and seals in all those products you’ve applied previously to help them work more effectively and efficiently. You need it. You just do.

Sunscreen is also vital every morning and, without question, always comes last because most (and especially mineral sunscreens) are formulated to sit on the surface of your skin. If you apply sunscreen before your serum, for example, it’ll literally block it from penetrating your skin. That’s just wasteful.

Not sure if your product is a serum or an oil? Then get a feel of its texture, weight and viscosity and compare it to the rest of your skincare line-up. Then all you need to remember is that your thinnest product should be applied first, with the thickest, most dense product going last.

Makes so much more sense now, right?

3. Don’t Overload Your Skin With Actives

While it may be super-tempting to bombard your skin with AHAs, BHAs, retinol and vitamin C, remember, you can have too much of a good thing. And in this case, too many hard-working, active ingredients can cause breakouts, dryness or in worse cases, severe irritation. Most derms agree that three treatment products is the maximum anyone should apply.

We recommend either sticking with actives that have been cleverly formulated in precise concentrations to work synergistically together (oh hi there, C-Plus Super Serum). Or go for just one main, active ingredient in your morning regimen (vitamin C, for example) and a different one in the evening (retinol, of course).

4. Finally, Take Your Time

Remember, your skincare routine should be something you enjoy, not a race to the finish line, so take time when smoothing products onto your skin. And avoid any frantic rubbing. Slowly and gently pat and press products into your skin as this helps minimize friction and allows them to absorb way better. 

Also, try to give yourself a little breather between product applications. If you pile all your products on in quick succession you could wipe away the previous one, therefore a) wasting it and b) increasing your chance of pilling. Instead, stick the coffee machine on between applications or check your FB feed for a few minutes to allow each product to settle into your skin before applying the next.

These extra minutes will not only be beneficial to your skin and give you the perfect base for your makeup, but they'll help you start off your day on the right foot – ie: not in a complete frenzy.

If you’re the type of person who lovingly exfoliates, treats and moisturizes your face religiously… but then stops at your chin, congrats on the former, but shame on you for the latter. The fact is: ageless skin should never begin and end with your face.

Obviously, your face is the first area others see and it’s exposed to environmental stressors on a daily basis, so needs a lot of TLC. And yes, the skin on your face is also thinner than the rest of your body, making it more delicate and sensitive to the elements. But the thing is, there’s so much more to beautiful, healthy skin than just your face.

Think about this: the front of your head accounts for just 4.5 percent of your total surface area. Now, that’s a lot of skin going unloved and uncared for – 95.5 percent of it to be precise. Food for thought, right?

So, if you reckon it's time to pour some attention onto that large expanse of skin from your chin to your toes, then good on you. Here’s how…

1. Exfoliate All Over

Gentle exfoliation is just as important to your body as it is to your face.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), you lose between 30,000 and 40,000 skin cells every day, and if you let these dead skin cells sit around on the surface of your skin, they'll make it look dull and miserable. Nobody wants that. To give your dead skin cells a little nudge in the right direction (ie: down the drain), exfoliate twice a week with a gentle, pH-balanced scrub, or try using a loofah as you cleanse. It really is as simple as that.

2. Try Dry Body Brushing

Dry body brushing is also a great (and inexpensive) way to encourage cell turnover. It works by stimulating both your circulatory and your lymphatic systems. The lymphatic system is what keeps your body’s immune system in check by draining and removing dead cells, metabolic waste and toxins. Allow your lymphatic system and your blood flow to become sluggish and your skin will thank you in the form of dry patches, dullness, cellulite, acne and, well, need we go on? Thought not.

To really work both systems, brush your body daily, before showering, working from your ankles upwards and using long strokes or circular motions. Be gentle (it’s not supposed to be torture) and avoid open wounds, rashes, varicose veins, freshly shaven legs and sunburn. After a few weeks, guaranteed you’ll notice your skin is softer and much more radiant. Plus, any product you apply to your body afterwards is going to be more readily absorbed and therefore way more effective. Gotta love that.

3. Moisturize Daily

Just like the skin on your face, your body becomes drier and itchier in the fall and winter as the climate gets cooler, windier and less humid. So, while you might have been able to ‘get away with’ not moisturizing from head-to-toe in the summer months, that won’t be the case for the rest of the year.

If you buy just one moisturizer this fall, make it TruSkin Vitamin C Moisturizer which is packed with vitamin B5, shea butter, aloe, green tea and pure organic jojoba oil for a lightweight, yet super-effective full body moisturization. Vitamin C also helps fight free radicals and leaves your skin literally glowing. Granted, there’s no such thing as a ‘miracle’ cream, but this one comes darn close. Use it every day after bathing and showering and apply it while your skin is still slightly damp to help lock moisture in.

4. Target Acne

Pimples on your face are bad enough, but when they rear their ugly heads on your back, chest and buttocks? Well, that’s just rude. Again, dry skin is often the culprit, especially at this time of year when skin overcompensates for things like dry, cold weather and indoor heating.

To treat acne gently and effectively, target flare-ups with a balancing cleanser and never forget to moisturize with a non-pore-clogging, light lotion. You could also spot treat pimples with products containing benzoyl peroxide, witch hazel or tea tree oil.

Sweating under heavy coats, panty hose and sweaters won’t help the acne sitch either, so wash your clothes regularly and wear natural fabrics as much as possible to stop sweat and oils from getting trapped on your skin.

5. Protect Your Hands

Let’s get one thing straight, any skin that’s not covered up by clothes needs to be protected from the sun – whatever the weather. Love your tinted, SPF 30 moisturizer and wear it all year round, without fail? High-fives to you. But what about your hands?

Oh.

Hands are exposed to the elements just as much as the skin on your face, yet they rarely get looked after or smothered in SPF. The skin on your hands also contains very few hair follicles and only a very thin layer of fat, making it prone to dryness – especially with all the hand washing you’re doing these days. Poor mitts, they literally stand no chance.

To keep them hydrated and protected, apply moisturizer after washing your hands and slather sunscreen over the top before going outside.

6. Be Skincare Savvy

Don’t be fooled by anti-cellulite or firming creams that over-promise – if they sound too good to be true, they probably are. The fact is, no cream can melt away fat or get rid of your cellulite: that’s what surgery and aesthetic treatments are for.

If you are looking to help firm, tone and smooth the skin on your legs and booty, however, dry body brushing (see above) is a great play. Moisturizing your skin daily with an antioxidant-rich lotion that’s pumped full of ingredients to boost collagen and elastin production will also go a long way in helping reduce orange peel thighs.

7. Avoid Hot Baths

Although super-tempting on a Sunday night with a glass of red and some relaxing beats, a long soak in a hot bath is bad, BAD news for your skin. Hot water strips the skin of its naturally protective lipid layer, making it super-dehydrated and more susceptible to irritation and sensitivities. And if you’re an eczema or rosacea sufferer? Don’t even go there.

The longer you’re in hot water, the worse it is for your skin, so either stick with warm showers or if you can’t give up your weekly soak, limit your bathing time to 10 minutes and add a little lavender or chamomile oil to your tub to help reduce dehydration. Essential oils can be unpredictable, however, so if you’ve got sensitive skin, tread carefully.

8. Nix Annoying Bumps

Do you suffer with pesky, sometimes itchy little bumps that like to hang out at the tops of your arms or thighs? This is called keratosis pilaris ('chicken skin' to its frenemies) and is caused by a build-up of keratin in the hair follicles.

The best way to treat keratosis pilaris is three-fold. First, avoid abrasive body scrubs in favor of a weekly chemical exfoliation – scrubs will just aggravate the skin and potentially make the situation worse. Second, always moisturize after showering or bathing. And third, try a gentle, topical retinol treatment. Derived from vitamin A, retinol helps increase cell turnover which will prevent keratin from clogging up your skin.

9. Pamper Your Neck & Chest

While the skin on most of your body is thicker than your face, this is the opposite when it comes to the skin on your neck and décolletage. And not only is it thinner, but it has fewer sebaceous glands, so if you leave it to its own devices it’ll feel dry and age quicker than you can say, ‘time for a neck lift.’

The trick is to treat these areas as you would your face. Whenever cleansing or exfoliating, smooth any extra product down your neck and over your chest area. Similarly, treat them to a little of your facial serum every now and again, especially if it's a brightening one – the décolletage is particularly prone to dark spots.

Lastly, moisturize both your neck and chest area daily with an antioxidant-rich moisturizer containing hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid or ceramides.

10. Add A Little Glow

A vacay tan might not be an option right now, but that doesn’t mean your skin can’t have a little bit of a glow. Granted most of your skin is going to be covered up during fall and winter but that ‘aint necessarily so, so if you fancy self-tanning (especially for the holidays), we say go for it.

If you’ve followed these tips, you’ll already have the ideal base for a flawless tan, so grab a tanning mitt to protect your hands and go. Just remember to work on clean, dry skin and other than your knees and elbows, leave your skin unmoisturized because oily residue will cause the color to streak.

According to research, fall is Americans’ favorite time of year, so with the season of falling leaves and crisp temperatures about to officially hit the nation on September 22, we figured it was time you started to rethink your skincare regime. 

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, people. Winter may be coming, but there’s no need to break out the thermals or slather your skin in cold cream quite yet. Instead, use this time to repair any summertime damage you may have unwittingly encountered from that dastardly you-know-what, while preparing your skin for the dry season with antioxidants and hydration.

Here’s how.

Up Your Moisture Game

Studies carried out by Pinterest in 2019 showed that ‘skin care routine’, ‘beauty routine’ and ‘morning routine’ were up there with the most popular search terms in August and September, so it seems we’re not the only ones thinking about what a new season means for the skin.

We love this kind of news, so exactly what should you be doing to maintain a healthy, glowing complexion from now until winter? First up, let’s think about how to switch up your moisturizer. Fall weather is cooler, windier and less humid than the summer months, which also creates the need to crank up the heating. All this makes for a super-dry environment that skin hates. If you’re an eczema sufferer (and studies by the National Eczema Association show that just over 10 percent of you are), then you’ll know just how exacerbating dry conditions can be for your skin.

A simple way to help reduce dehydration is to invest in a humidifier – especially for your bedroom. It’s also the perfect time to switch up your moisturizer. You know that super-lightweight, gel-based moisturizer you’ve been in love with for the past few months? Unless your skin is naturally oily, it probably won’t cut it for the next six months. Instead, look out for slightly richer formulations (but leave the heavy hitters until winter) that contain clinically-proven hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, shea butter and ceramides. You could also try a nightly, nutrient-rich face oil for an extra boost of nourishment.

(PS: Don’t forget to moisturize your body daily as it's not just your facial skin that becomes drier and itchier come fall.)

Don’t Dismiss Your Sunscreen

Sunscreen is the single most important anti-aging step of any skincare plan. And it’s a year-round commitment, not just for summer. Yes, you’re less likely to burn in the fall and winter months as UVB radiation becomes less intense (thanks, clouds). But what about that pesky UVA radiation? This is the stuff that penetrates your skin on a deeper level and is responsible for the visible signs of aging such as fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots. Well, UVA is still very much present. And remains so all year long. It can even penetrate through glass to really hit you when you’re least expecting it.

This is why a broad-spectrum sunscreen (broad-spectrum means it protects from both UVA and UVB) is not to be filed away in the trash as soon as the sun disappears from view. For perfect fall protection, a mineral-based powder or foundation with an SPF of around 30 is often enough. Apply it over your favorite moisturizer and you'll be winning at life.

Treat Post-Summer Discoloration

Fall is the perfect time to do some serious repair work on sun-damaged skin. For the past few months it’s been subject to super-strong UV radiation, and no matter how strict your SPF routine is, sometimes there’s just no getting away from that big ball of fire in the sky.

A great way to deal with post-summer discoloration is to invest in a chemical peel that literally peels off the top layer of dead skin cells. This may sound gross, but trust us, it’s totally worth looking like something from a horror movie for a few days for the fresh, radiant skin a peel offers. Try The Perfect Derma Peel or ask your skincare expert about Skin Medica’s range of professional peels.

At home, cut back on your exfoliating routine (once a week should be enough as skin becomes drier) and instead, try some brightening tricks to help bring clarity back to your complexion. As you may have noticed by now, vitamin C is one ingredient that gives us all the feels. Trusted by those-in-the-know for centuries, vitamin C is major antioxidant player. It's also an effective brightening agent that literally kicks dark spots into touch by inhibiting melanin production. Try adding our much-loved Vitamin C Serum into your fall morning routine and you won’t be disappointed with the results.

Invest In Some Key Antioxidant Serums

While we’re on the subject, if you’re not already hooked on antioxidants, now’s the perfect time to get on that. Introducing one (or more) antioxidants to your fall skincare routine is an awesome way to renew your skin and repair damage from exposure to the sun. How so? Because antioxidants have the power to counteract all that destruction (think fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, dryness, dull skin, the works) free radicals do to your skin. And one of the main causes of free radicals? UV radiation.

Invest in an antioxidant-laced serum and apply it after cleansing but before moisturizing to reboot, repair, moisturize and protect post-summer skin. We love niacinamide, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, the aforementioned vitamin C and retinol.

While super-effective, retinol can be notoriously tricky in the summer months because it is quickly deactivated by strong sunlight, disrupts the natural protective barrier and can exacerbate redness. This is why it’s best used at nighttime and must always be followed with a broad-spectrum SPF the next day. If you want to introduce retinol to your skincare regime for the first time, however, fall is the perfect time to do it.

Assess The Skin Around Your Eyes

The delicate skin around your eyes ages much quicker than the rest of your face and is often the first area to show signs of dryness. And dryness is no friend to fine lines around your eyes. Other seasonal changes can also result in puffiness and bags under the eyes, so if you couple all this together, your eyes face a real battle as the days get colder. Honestly, nobody wants that.

To counteract this onslaught, add our Anti-Aging Eye Cream to your fall skincare arsenal which is pumped full of hyaluronic acid to hydrate, vitamins C, B5 and E to feed, repair and protect, and peptides to stimulate collagen production for healthier, more youthful-looking skin.

Just remember, whenever you add new skincare products to your regime, avoid overloading your skin with too many products at once as this can cause irritations if you’re not careful. And we cannot stress enough how important patch testing is. Not sure how that works? We’re here to help with that.

Avast! Ye be reading the log of dread pirate captain Abraham Carver, who be known across all the seven seas as “Fancyhide”. If ye be a landlubber, begone with ye; but if ye be a fellow pirate, read on for the secret to me greatest treasure.

I soon be sailing for a destination better not mentioned. But know ye, that the seas where I’m headed be treacherous. So, I be scrawling this note to be buried with me most precious effects, so they will not be lost to Davy Jones’ locker.

Me crew be thinking this chest holds gold and jewels. But nay, in it I store me beloved skincare products. Why, did ye think I be called Abraham Fancyhide for nothing? Harrr!

There be many a lotion and ointment here, but four be important above all. If yer one of ‘em scurvy dogs who knows not how to use them, let me tell ye how a real pirate captain takes care of his skin.

The Precious, Precious Silver

First thing I do every morning bell be cleansing me face. If ye got nothing but sea water, then that must do for ye. But if ye can mix something in it, mayhaps some charcoal from a scorched English galleon, it be all the better!

After me face be clean, I reach for me toner. Using a toner be important, for it removes impurities, like scrubbing barnacles off the side off yer ship. Impurities or barnacles, send both to the depths.

For toning, I use TruSkin Daily Super Toner. It exfoliates me skin and leaves it clean, like the barnacle scrubber I mentioned. But there be more to this tonic than just that.

Ye might think that silver be only good for plundering off Spanish ships and spending in the inns of Tortuga. But ye be wrong, says I! There be much more to the shiny stuff than that!

The colloidal silver in me toner soothes me skin and reduces the effects of environmental stress. That be many a fancy word, so let me put it simply for ye - the silver repairs me skin from the harm of the cruel seas like a shipwright fixes the holes in me ship’s hull.

Since ye and I be pirates, we both know that ocean water has many a beneficial mineral. But jumping in the sea be not so smart - though the sharks would surely love yer for it, arrr!

Not to fret, though, for the Super Toner be loaded with ocean minerals. It lets me feel the splash of ocean water on me face without me having to walk the plank.

Vitamins for Scurvy and Skin

After I’ve applied me toner, it be time to use a serum. And nay, this be not like those serums the witches on far islands swamps be brewing.

Y’see, as much I love the sea spray, ocean water be salty. Add to that the constant sun in the high seas, and ye will find yer fancy skin drying up fast.

Using a serum helps me rehydrate me skin. Serums be finer and absorb faster than moisturizers. I be told that it be because them molley-cules in serums be much smaller.

As me serum, I be using TruSkin Vitamin C Serum. I knew this be the right one for me as soon as I heard its name. What pirate could resist vitamin C?

Scurvy be ever yer enemy when sailing the seas, and some vitamin C from a sip of lime juice (mixed with some grog, to be sure) be keeping the terrible sickness at bay. But there be even more to the vitamin.

The Caribbean sun be a harsh mistress, blazing down on ye all the time. Vitamin C helps protect me skin against sun damage, and repairs what damage already be done.

But not only that, this serum contains plenty of aloe, which be well known for soothing yer skin. Aloe be growing in Arabia, not in the middle of the sea, so it be a rare commodity to come by.

For this, I be always keeping me serum under lock and key. Keelhaul the dog who be trying to steal me precious aloe!

Under Me Eyepatch

Next in me skincare routine, I be reaching for me TruSkin Eye Gel. If ye be a pirate, ye will love grog. And if ye love grog, there be nights when ye drink a whole barrel! Harr harr!

But alas, in the morning, ye may be regretting yer decisions when ye wake with puffy and bloodshot eyes. All that saltwater and flying fish getting in me ol’ peepers nay be helping either, nor sweating under an eyepatch.

Lucky me then, that I pillaged me Eye Gel from the daughter of the mayor of Port Royal! Ye need only apply a dollop the size of a pearl - like the ones I’ve adorned me cutlass with - on yer fingertip and dab it under yer eyes.

But if ye be having a hook instead of fingers like me, don’t ye worry. The back curve of yer hook works just as well.

A doctor on Hispaniola told me that this gel contains “plant stem cells and peptides”. I be not exactly sure what they be, but I assume they come from plant stems. In any case, the doctor told me they be good for ye, to be sure!

Moisturize and It’s Anchors Aweigh!

Just like a pirate ship be nay complete without a Jolly Roger up the mast, yer skincare routine be nay complete without a moisturizer. Here I only trust TruSkin Vitamin C Moisturizer.

Need I repeat meself about all the good vitamin C does for ye? The more of it I can smear on me skin, the better, I figures.

This moisturizer holds many a natural ingredient, too. I read on the label scrawlings that there be green tea, sunflower, and dandelion in it, and many more.

My previous first mate once laughed at me for liking all ‘em flowers. So I made him walk the plank! All these things be smelling good and tasting good, and that’s why they must be good for yer skin too, says I!

There also be shea butter in me moisturizer. The shea nut be growing in deepest Africa, and so its butter be hard to come by in the Caribbean, but it be worth it. It protects me fine skin from the rays of the sun and the burn of the blowing winds in the high seas.

It also pleases me that I can apply makeup over this moisturizer. Like many a pirate, I wear kohl to protect me eyes from the sun’s evil glare. The Vitamin C Moisturizer gives me no problem at all, lest I would’ve already thrown the whole tube overboard.

So, now ye be in the know of the secret to me greatest treasure - me flawless skin! If ye be reading me scrawlings here, it means I sank to the sea on me latest dangerous adventure. Or maybe I found a bonnie lass who convinced me to give up me pirating ways, harrr!

Whatever the case, may these instructions serve ye well. Abide by them, and mayhaps ye be the next one to bear the title Fancyhide!

With me best regards,

Abraham “Fancyhide” Carver

We’ve always known our flagship Vitamin C Serum was a real champion, but with over 50,000 reviews on Amazon and counting, the nation is clearly in agreement. So, while we pat ourselves on the backs for creating such a well-loved skincare treatment, let’s take a look at what makes Vitamin C Serum such a key player in the quest for glowing, healthy skin…

Launched in the fall of 2013 and produced right here in the US, Vitamin C Serum was the first product to join the TruSkin Naturals family. Like all of our formulations, we wanted it to offer quality and results without unnecessary additives such as fragrance and stabilizers. And all of this without the super-luxe price tag.

Some might say we crushed it.

But why vitamin C? Well, it was simple, really. Vitamin C is one of the most well-researched ingredients in skincare, boldly going where few others dare to go. A powerful antioxidant, it’s known to help ward off free radicals that attack the skin from environmental and lifestyle aggressors such as pollution, UV, cigarette smoke, stress and a poor diet. By neutralizing these nasty free radicals, vitamin C is often harnessed in skincare to help prevent fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and poor texture.

And that’s just the beginning. Vitamin C, when used in the right form and concentration, also works hard to promote collagen production (that’s the stuff that gives your skin its plumpness, ICYMI), prevent sun damage, heck, it may even help fade acne scars.

There are many forms of topical vitamin C, including pure ascorbic acid, l-ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate and sodium ascorbyl phosphate. We plumped for sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP) for our Vitamin C Serum, because it's a more stable and less irritating compound of pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid). This means SAP doesn’t degrade as quickly when exposed to light and air and we think you’ll agree, a stable, less irritating ingredient that is super-effective is much better than something vulnerable but so powerful it has the potential to make your skin flare up.

Another factor working in SAP’s favor is that it contains a salt molecule which helps preserve the vitamin, meaning we don’t have to combine it with other actives (cough, ferulic, cough, acid) to maintain its efficacy and stability. Ever wondered why your ferulic and vitamin C serum smells so bad? That’s all down to the ferulic acid. It’s gross. And we're not into that.

Instead of overpowering your sense of smell with unsavory ingredients, our Vitamin C Serum harnesses the powers of botanical hyaluronic acid, plus vitamin E and aloe vera to infuse your skin with essential nutrients and hydration. The result is a certified cruelty-free skincare treatment that consumers love for offering brighter, stronger, more healthy-looking skin with fewer breakouts, lines and dark spots as a bonus.

Sounds too good to be true? It isn’t…

“This product saved my skin,” explains one recent Amazon reviewer who used Vitamin C Serum to help her acne-prone skin.

“Omg. Guys, literally my face stopped flaring up within three days,” she adds.

Another 40 year-old reviewer agrees:

“My search for an amazing serum is finally over. My skin looks flawless and I have been getting so many compliments about how great I look… as if I just walked out of a spa treatment.”

We can’t thank you enough for loving our vitamin C treatment and making it the number one serum on Amazon. That's some accolade, right?

Just remember, this treatment is concentrated and very powerful, so as with any active product, always do a patch test before using it regularly to make sure your skin is up to the challenge. Simply apply a drop to a small area of clean skin either behind your ear or on the inside of your elbow and leave it for a minimum of 24 hours, preferably 48. Why this long? Because it takes time for your skin to react, that’s all. If, after this time, you see or feel no major reaction, then you should be good to go.

To use, apply between three and five drops to clean, dry skin, smoothing it over your face and neck in upwards motions. If your skin absorbs the serum in a flash, then add an extra drop; whereas if it feels sticky after applying, try to remember to use less next time. After applying, wait a few minutes, then follow with moisturizer. And don’t forget to finish with a broad-spectrum SPF30+ every morning, because vitamin C will help boost the overall effectiveness of your sunscreen.

Gosh, is there anything this stuff can’t do? Well, it won’t do the dishes or walk the dog, but still…

Lastly, if you decide our Vitamin C Serum isn’t a good fit, we offer a 90-day money-back refund, no questions asked.

Because service is just as important to us as skincare.

Now, where's the Moët...