Where I got it
I bought this from a friend for $50 after she tried it and thought it was doing little for her. I always think what a product does to someone may not do the same to you. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading reviews and believe in reviews, but you really need to read the ingredients and try it out to see if something is right for you or not.
First of all, I have never heard of this brand before, until my friend told me about it, I went and did a little bit of research. It is a multi-award winning, science-backed, medical-grade skincare brand. There are no Jan Marini stockists in New Zealand, so you will need to order online and get it shipped.
She does a whole range of skincare products, which targets most skincare concerns from wrinkles and fine lines, to acne and redness. Her products range from around $30 to $200+, this vitamin c serum is RRP$114.
Jan Marini C-ESTA Face Serum
What I got
This is the Jan Marini C-ESTA Face Serum (30ml). Great for all skin types, C-ESTA Serum is a powerful antioxidant cocktail, featuring Vitamin C and DMAE, shown to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and uneven skin texture. Preferred by subjects in a blinded split-face study vs. a leading Vitamin C solution, C-ESTA Serum is the preferred Vitamin C and antioxidant solution for younger, healthier looking skin.
Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Urea, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dimethicone, Acetyl Tyrosine, Dimethyl MEA, Fragrance (Parfum), Zinc Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ergothioneine, Pyridoxine HCl, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Sulfite, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Farnesol, Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Cinnamal, Limonene, Eugenol, Gerianol, Hydroxycitronellal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol
How I find it
This is a vitamin C serum and I like to use this in the day time with my sunscreen. This also has antioxidants to reduce the effects of free radicals. I used this about 3-4 times a day because I really enjoy using a VitC product in my routine, it does help brighten and even out my skintone.
So after cleansing and toning (usually BHA), I will apply about 2 pumps of this serum all over my face and neck. The serum has that typical yellowish colour that is commonly seen in vitamin C products. The consistency is between a lotion and a liquid – quite a runny liquid. One thing for sure is the scent. It has an amazing sweet scent – like a sweet orange/lemon syrup (hubby said it smelled like candy strawberries). It is powerful and it lingers on for at least an hour (no surprise as fragrance/parfum is quite high on the ingredients list).
Jan Marini C-ESTA Face Serum
I’m usually not too fussy about fragrance in my products because my skin can tolerate it well, but aren’t I glad that the scent of this smells great! Otherwise I would dread putting this on and would probably use it on my body instead or just give it away.
Anyway, let’s get back to the product. After the serum, I would either apply a hydrating serum or a Niacinamide serum, and then moisturiser and SPF. I have been using this pretty much daily for over 6 weeks now and I am really happy with the results! My skin looked brighter and more refined.
Overall
For the first photo of the serum above, I haven’t really gave it a good shake before pumping it out, but you can see in the second photo, the colour of the serum is much more opaque, almost like a murky greyish yellow. You really need to be careful with Vitamin C serums, when they go really orange or brown, they are probably off. The packaging of this bottle is light-proof and air-tight. Therefore I made sure I use it daily before it “expires” and oxidises.
After using this for at least 6 weeks, I still have probably 10-15% left in the bottle. My skin does look brighter and more refined. I made sure I wear sunscreen daily – at least SPF30 or more and I avoid going into the sun as much as I can. I love how even my skintone looks and I think this vitamin C serum contributes a lot. I love using this serum because it smells delightful and I love the texture as well.
I will move onto another vitamin C product after this because I have heaps of products to go through, but surely if I need to go back to a tried and trusted product, this would be it.
