Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil ($105 at Sephora) is a next-generation retinol oil that helps to fight the signs of aging. I normally don't review products that are this expensive on the blog (let alone purchase them for myself!) but when it comes to skincare I'll spend the big bucks on something if I truly believe it's going to make a difference. I feel that your skin is the foundation for everything, and if it looks great, your makeup will look better...actually, you'll probably need to wear less of it. As I've gotten older, I've found that wearing a lot of makeup, particularly foundation can be aging (the exact opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish!) so if I can get my skin looking as close to flawless as possible on it's own, I won't have to always worry about covering up age spots, redness, pores, and fine lines.
I've been using retinol products for a while now since it's one of the few ingredients that's actually effective at rebuilding collagen. The problem is, most retinols are drying, so for the longest time, I thought that my lines and wrinkles were actually getting worse not better. Then my dermatologist told me that they're not getting worse...they're most likely getting better, but when your skin is dried out, it makes lines look more pronounced. I have dry skin to begin with, so that wasn't good news...what was the point of using something that made my skin look more wrinkled, even if it was doing good below the surface? So I stopped using retinol for a while and starting using extra-moisturizing products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid. My skin looked better and seemed more plump with less lines, but it was all superficial...I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that I wasn't actually correcting the damage...just putting a band-aid on it.
Then I heard about Sunday Riley Luna...so many bloggers and online reviewers were claiming that it worked miracles for their skin. Even though it's a retinol product, it's in a super nourishing oil base with lots of natural, soothing ingredients. I was so excited about the prospect of a hydrating retinol treatment that I ran right out to Sephora and purchased it.
The packaging is super luxurious...it comes in a thick, sturdy box that lifts off of a base where a beautiful dark blue glass dropper bottle sits nestled inside.
The bottle itself is just beautiful...the dark blue glass shields the ingredients from light which can break them down. It's 1oz. but it's going to last a really long time since I only use about 3 or 4 drops to cover my face and neck.
Luna is a gorgeous blue-green color that totally surprised me at first. I assumed it was from the Blue Tansy oil, but then I saw in the ingredient list that they have also added color to it. Some of the reviews I've read questioned the use of artificial colors since many people feel that they are unnecessary and not good for your skin. But I saw an explanation on Sunday Riley's Instagram page that I wanted to pass on to you. It said that the dyes are harmless and only make up .04% of the formula. They were added as indicators so that when you apply it to your skin, you'll know when it's been rubbed in all the way (you shouldn't be able to see blue anymore). That way, you'll know that you've used it correctly and will get the most benefits from it.
The one and only thing I'm not crazy about with Luna is the scent...it's a strong herbal scent that reminds me of licorice (which I don't like) but thankfully, I can't smell it on my skin about 5 minutes after application so I don't have to smell it for long. I've actually gotten kind of used to it and it doesn't bother me as much as it did in the beginning.
So the big question I'm sure you have is...does it work? YES...it definitely worked for me! The first two nights, I didn't see any difference in my skin but it felt super soft and smooth. By the third night, I noticed that my skin looked a little brighter and after a week, I woke up and thought, "wow my skin looks good!" It looked smoother, brighter and more clear. I've been using it for a month and I've seen my sun damage spots lighten up a lot, plus the texture of my skin is so much smoother. As for fine lines and wrinkles...well, I'll need to keep using it longer to find out. From what I understand from my dermatologist, retinol products take at least a month to start seeing a reduction in wrinkles.
I've been so happy with Luna, I recently went back to Sephora and got a sample of Sunday Riley's Good Genes Treatment and I've been using that in the morning and Luna at night (although you can layer Good Genes on top of Luna at night if you want to, according to Sunday Riley). It's completely amplified the great results I got with Luna, so now I'm contemplating buying Good Genes as well!
Overall, if you're looking for a gentle, yet powerful and effective retinol product, you have to run down to Sephora and try Luna. Ask an associate to give you a sample jar first and see how it goes...if you're like me, you may see results in a few days and decide to go back and get the full size. If not, then you haven't lost anything. In my opinion, Luna is worth the splurge!
Have you tried Luna Sleeping Night Oil yet? I'd love to hear from you and find out what you thought!
To see the rest of the Sunday Riley line, please visit their website.
Ouch . that's expensive. But if it's good than its totally worth it.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I don't mind paying more for something if it works! :)
DeleteI'm currently using a Vitamin C serum...have you tried that, and what are your thoughts on that vs. the Luna treatment?
ReplyDeleteHi Jules, Vitamin C and Retinol treatments work really well together! They're both antioxidants (since Retinol is Vitamin A) and they defend your skin against free-radicals. But the best part is that Vitamin C will fight off the free radicals and sort of protect the retinol from oxidizing so it can work better and get deeper into your skin. So if you layer your Vitamin C serum underneath a retinol product like Luna, it'll work that much better! :)
DeleteI also meant to add that Vitamin C on it's own isn't as strong as retinol as far as anti-aging goes. It's an amazing antioxidant that will help to prevent skin damage from the environment, as well as lighten and brighten spots and support collagen. But retinol goes deeper into the skin so it depends on your age and skin concerns. If you don't have lines and wrinkles you probably don't need a retinol product yet...Vitamin C will help to prevent them. But if you're seeing the signs of aging, retinol will be more helpful (or even better, both of them together!).
DeleteI tried it and love it! Have not gotten it in the full size bottle but the samples I got lasts about a week for me!😉 Dying for a less costly dupe!
ReplyDelete