Beauty: Auriga Flavo C via Newpharma review

Hi guys, as you know, I'm forever on the lookout for the perfect skincare regime to suit my dry, sensitive, rosacea skin. I got a free mini-consult with a dermatologist a while ago, and she told me that both the redness and the hyperpigmentation in my skin could be helped by a vitamin C heavy skincare routine. Afterwards I did some additional research, and apparently, vitamin C is supposed to help your skin's condition in five important ways:

- reduce sundamage (those darned hyperpigmentation spots)

- boost collagen production (great for firmness of skin)

- reduce inflammation (rosacea)

- fade scars by supporting the natural healing process of your skin

- boosts your skin's defense against UV exposure

(source: Paula's Choice)

Most vitamin C skincare products are definitely on the expensive side, which makes it less attractive to try out if something might work for you if you're not 100% convinced. However, Belgium has a secret weapon: Auriga, an affordable Belgian skincare brand that brings the newest scientific developments in dermatology. I bought some products for myself, and then I was contacted by NewPharma (an online pharmacy) with the offer to pick some items frrom their webshop, so I ended up with a nice range of Auriga products to try out: the Flavo-C tonic (€12,70), cream (€29,7), flash serum (€29 for two bottles) and mask (€29,9).

I tried the products for a month, because it takes about a month before your skin has renewed. Let's see what these did for me.

All of the Auriga products have a line on the bottom left of their label listing the active ingredients, for example, the Flavo-C cream has vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, while the tonic has Glycolic acid and Aloe Ferox. The entire range My skincare routine looked like this during the month I used Flavo-C: I used the cream in the morning and at night, I used the serum after removing my makeup and before applying my moisturizer, I used the mask twice and I applied the flash serum a couple of times to my "problem areas".

The moisturizer uses hyaluronic acid to draw moisture to the skin and adds vitamin C for all of the benefits mentioned above, the tonic melts away dead skincells and boosts skin renewel, the serum has a higher concentration of vitamin C and is best used to treat pigmentation spots, scars or wrinkles, and the mask brightens and tightens the skin.

Curious to see what these did for my face after a month of use? I was too, let's take a look.

Ok so first off, the thing I notice most is that my skintone DOES look a tiny bit more evened out, the hyperpigmentation on my forehead has faded a bit, and so has the redness on my cheek. However, my facial skin also looks a lot drier, the natural dewy glow seems to have disappeared. Let's go in for a close up.

OK so yep, the redness has subsided a bit, and another noticeable improvement is how clear my pores are: just compare the tip of my nose between the before and after. My pores have gotten super small and there are virtually no blackheads. However, again, my skin looks super dull and matte, kind of dehydrated, and you can't tell from the pics but my skin also felt more dry and course rather than hydrated and supple. You win some, you lose some?

I think that this regimen offers a lot of good stuff for people with skin issues similar to mine, but if your skin is dry like mine is, you'll need a more nourishing, moisturizer and nightcream than the one Auriga is offering: this particular line of products might be  a bit too harsh for extended use. I've since switched to a new line of skincare products and I already feel like my skin is a lot softer and has its natural glow back. I'll keep using the Tonic and the mask, though, since I loved using both and they can be implemented next to a moisturizer that works better for my skin's needs.

So, have you tried any vitamin C skincare products? Thoughts? Tips?