When you feel the onset of a cold coming on the first thing people usually do is bone up on orange juice because of the vitamin C. It’s a natural response. Vitamin C is a classic nutrient, a micronutrient actually, that serves to protect against and prevent the common cold. Not only that, it’s great for supporting a healthy immune system and preventing prenatal maladies among a host of other good things it can do.
But what you may not know or maybe you do, is that vitamin C is widely regarded as a way to protect the skin against early aging. One of the surest ways your skin can age you is by having lackluster and dull skin. If you find that your skin has a muddy, shadowy, or sallow appearance, you can definitely use a vitamin C treatment of some sort. Please note that drinking orange juice is not going to solve your dilemma! 🙂
From my own personal experience I, periodically, take a break from wearing any sort of foundation or base. I do it to let me skin breathe a bit. Without foundation, I noticed that my skin is pretty even in texture because I am big on exfoliating, but my skin didn’t have the radiance I once had. Besides cleaning up my diet, I knew I needed a treatment to get my glow back and vitamin C would get me the results I was looking for.
As an anti-aging “defense mechanism” for lack of a better term, vitamin C, as a topical treatment, can do wonders no matter what your skin type. It can be a collagen booster to plump up your skin and brighten skin by evening the dullness and dimishing hyperpigmentation over time. It can even be used to correct sun damage.
Some of my favorite products I’ve used where vitamin C is one of the star ingredients are listed below:
First up is Blue Mercury’s in-house skin care line’s M-61 Fast Blast 2-Minute Vitamin C Facial Mask. I’d gotten a sample of the product when I shopped at Blue Mercury about a year ago. It was left in my medicine cabinet and one morning I decided to try it. All I can say is “whoa!” This product gave me the brightest and prettiest glow to my skin! I looked so well rested! After applying a touch of makeup after using this light and foaming mask, I realized that I only needed a light touch of foundation. I kept the glow all day! After the use of the one sample, I immediately bought the full-sized version.
In order to keep glowing, I began using the Artistry Ideal Radiance Skin Care System. This totally affordable system includes a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, serum, and a targeted product specifically for dark spots. My skin stayed bright and clear! The star of the show is the Ideal Radiance Illuminating Essence which boasts the highest concentration of ingredients that allows your skin to shine! Formulated with a mulit-floral blend, a pearl protein, and acerola cherry (highest concentration of vitamin C), I love this system to brighten any dark patches without the use of harsh chemicals like the traditionally used hydroquinone.
Speaking with a friend, she’s was waxing poetic on a cleaner that she swears has changed her life. Not to be outdone, I decided to try the Sunday Riley Ceramic Cleanser for myself. For starters, just reading about the fact that it’s a gel cleanser that tightens pores and balances skin with natural oils, I was intrigued. Having used this cleanser, my skin didn’t seem oily and it pretty much kept the oil from oozing, in warmer weather. It seems that the French green clay is responsible for that. Definitely a keeper and I use it for those extra hot days when my oil production goes into overdrive.
Having worked as a Bobbi Brown makeup artist years ago, I was around when she launched the Vitamin Enriched Face Base. Let me just say that this has got to be a cult classic product. If you’re an oily skin girl like me and want a moisturizer that acts as a primer, this is the one to have! Formulated with shea butter, it’s instant hydration for the skin without the weight. It’s oil-free and the vitamin C it contains guards the skin against free radicals and the damaging effects of the environment.
Lastly, the Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment is a solid eye cream that contains a dose of vitamin C. It’s a good everyday eye cream that hydrates, firms, and brightens the delicate eye area. Pretty much how we want all of the eye creams we use to operate. I love that fact that it’s formulated without parabens, sulfates and phthalates.