Allies of Skin was one of my favorite brand discoveries last year. I love the simplicity of the brand. The products are designed to be simple & effortless. They also manage to be extremely effective & jam packed with intelligent nutrients and actives for your skin. I grabbed Bright Future now called Multi Acids & Retinoid Brightening Sleeping Facial a while ago so I've been playing with it for some time. Details per Allies of Skin:
Stress can take a toll on even the most seasoned go-getter. Harness the reparative qualities of sleep with this game-changing sleeping peel. It delivers intense hydration as its blend of AHAs, Retinol and Probiotics encourage cellular renewal overnight to reduce imperfections and reveal brighter skin the next morning.
It helps tired skin attain an optimal level of exfoliation in 2-3 nights. It gives the effects of a professional facial overnight; with cumulative effects seen after 2-3 nights.
Its active ingredients are encapsulated inside a pure High Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid gel. This concentrated Hyaluronic Acid gel slowly releases the active acids and brighteners overnight. By simultaneously boosting hydration levels and exfoliating at the same time, this nourishes the skin twice as much as traditional peels without any of the usual irritation.
Waking up to a brighter future has never been easier.
Directions Spritz Molecular Saviour™ Mist or your favourite toner/mist all over clean skin. Apply a thick, generous layer of our Bright Future Overnight Facial. Spritz Molecular Saviour™ Mist again after the application of Bright Future Overnight Facial. Not for daily use. Rather, use this treatment weekly, 2-3 nights in a row, for maintenance of a healthy glow. For All skin types – especially problematic, dull and stressed. Created because we believe that glowing skin is your birthright.
Allies Tip You should use this treatment on its own. Do not layer with any serums or moisturizers (this ensures that nothing stands in the way of the acids working). Always use SPF the morning after.
Benefits
- Refine and reduce the appearance of large pores.
- Exfoliates and speeds up cellular renewal.
- Reduces breakouts and blemishes.
- Brightens dull, uneven complexion.
- Boosts the penetration of other products and promotes a healthy glow.
- Provides a mega dose of healing hydration overnight.
In simplest terms Bright Future is an Alphahydroxy Acid (AHA) & retinol sleeping mask. It's much more than that, but for the sake of basics that's it's main function. This product comes packaged in the traditional pump tube that Allies of Skin uses. Bright Future has a thicker gel style texture. It has a faint medicinal almost sage oil scent. I don't see sage oil in it, but that's what it reminds me of. A deep, green, earthy, medicinal oil scent, though very faint and non-bothersome. You use this 2-3 nights in a row then stop for a while. I like to use it 2-3 nights in a row once or twice a month for a more intense brightening and exfoliating treatment and boost. This is designed to be used alone as the only product you use--like a sleeping mask.
While that was how it was designed it may not work for everyone, like myself. Unless you have oily or combo oily skin there's no way you can use this alone as a night cream. It's too light. It's not light enough to be a serum but it's not heavy enough to be a night cream. This is why it took me months of playing with to figure out how this works best in a night routine. I do understand why they designed this to be used alone. Acids are more effective when left on the skin for as long as possible before layering other products on top. So if you can get away with using this by itself you will have the best outcome and results form this product. For those of us who cannot use this alone you can read on for how I found it worked best in a routine.
This product tends to not work well texture wise with a lot of other products. I found it pills in certain routines. This works best when applied to the face right after cleansing. Let it set for a few minutes. Then move on. This also does best in a minimal routine. No 12 step Korean Beauty routines with this one. With some of these thin gel sleeping packs I've found they normally work best after serums, before oils and night cream. Not with this one. Using this after any serum makes it more likely to pill. While that's not always the case, it was often the result. It also does worse with balm style hydrators over it versus a facial oil and cream. Very similar to the Jane Scrivner Bioluronic Buzz 2000 I talked about recently. I think it's the hyaluronic acid gel they use. Don't focus on the layering, use this one on its scheduled night in a minimal routine for glorious results. I liked this best applied right after cleansing as my only serums/treatment then following with a facial oil and cream. I'm getting drier so I have to add more hydration to this one. Bright Future alone dries to a thinner layer. It feels like a gel on the skin.
Key Ingredients:
High Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid Gel Next-generation pure Hyaluronic Acid gel provides concentrated moisture to skin. It promotes the formation of Hyaluronic Acid layers that protect and shield the skin against free radicals and environmental stress
Lactobacillius Ferment Potent antibacterial probiotics creates a healthy balanced skin flora and reduces appearance of acne and redness
Brighteners Bearberry Extract, Licorice Root Extract, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Niacinamide) [Provide powerful antioxidant protection while reducing melanin production on multiple levels
Glycolic Acid & Lactic Acid Powerful alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) that reduces blemishes, speed up cellular renewal, lighten dark spots while increasing hydration and strengthening the skin’s barrier
Silk Amino Acids & Silk Oligopeptides Penetrates the skin’s surface to boost moisture levels as well as deliver essential nutrients for optimal cell growth
Manuka Honey Sourced from a sustainable bee farm in New Zealand, manuka honey provides natural antibacterial properties, reduces inflammation and stimulates cellular repair of problematic skin
Ally-R™ Encapsulated form of stabilized Retinol that is more effective and comes without any of the traditional irritation. This treats everything from acne to wrinkles to sun damage
MSM (MethylSulphonylMethane) An essential element that forms the building block of collagen. It enhances and forms connective tissues needed for healthy skin
The INCI list is very impressive. Not surprising from Allies of Skin. All their products are well rounded and packed full of skin loving ingredients. You have glycolic and lactic acid combined with niacinamide and brighteners for a powerful brightening product. I love that they also include honey, MSM & lactobacillus. The retinol Allies of Skin uses is amazing. It's gentle and non-irritating but it works beautifully. Add in hyaluronic acid for extra hydration. It a power packed sleeping treatment for visible brightening and radiance. It's pricey I won't lie, but if you only use it a few nights a month for a radiance boost it will last a long time.
Use code MICHELLEN to save 20% off Allies of Skin and PSA.
Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Niacinamide, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactic Acid (L), Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate (L), Hydrolyzed Silk, Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Sodium Lactate, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Sodium PCA, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi (Bearberry) Leaf Extract, Retinal (Retinaldehyde), Madecassoside, Mel (Honey), Epigallocatechin Gallate, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Cactus) Stem Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Ergothioneine (L), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Callus Culture Extract, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloud Berry) Seed Oil, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Lysophosphatidic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Proline (L), Phenyl t-Butylnitrone (Spin Trap), N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lysolecithin, Lecithin, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Flower Oil, Gluconolactone, Chrysin, Sorbitol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole, Saccharide Isomerate, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Dimethyl Sulfone, Cyclodextrin, Xanthan Gum, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Glycolate, Calcium Gluconate, Sodium Polygamma-Glutamate, Steareth-20, Tetrasodium EDTA, O-cymen-5-OL, Phenoxyethanol, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Gluconate,Citric Acid, Trisodium NTA, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool.
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