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- A Guide to Face Oils & Serums
Face Oils & Serums: The Ultimate Guide
By Ellie Child
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3 years ago | Updated
Face oils and serums play an important role within our skin care routines, helping us to tackle unwanted dryness, oiliness, sensitivity and other common skin care concerns. Below, we've outlined everything you need to know about these two complexion-enhancing essentials, listing our top three product recommendations for each!
What is the best face oil for dry skin?
Face oils are one of the best ways to deeply nourish and hydrate your skin. They deliver an intense surge of moisture for parched complexions, relieving you any tightness or irritation due to dryness. At Cosmetify we have thousands of face oils and serums for you to choose from, including leading brands like ELEMIS, Kiehl's, Sunday Riley and REN.
To find the best face oil for dry skin simply use our skin concern filter, as well as ingredient preference, brand and format. All our handy filters allow you to refine your search to find the best and most effective formulas to suit your skin exactly.
How do you use face serum?
First, make sure you cleanse, tone and exfoliate your face with your favourite skincare products. Then choose your serum based on what skin concern you want to tackle, for example, acne, dullness or redness. This can change according to the time of year or how your skin is feeling that particular day. Then with clean fingertips, take a small amount of serum in your hands and gently pat across your forehead, chin and cheeks.
Remember, don't wash off your serums. Packed with nourishing goodies, you should allow them to fully absorb into the skin before you apply any moisturisers or SPF. Serums are also super light, unlike heavy creams or moisturisers, which means they feel weightless on the skin.
What does face serum do?
At Cosmetify, you can find serums to help with a number of skin concerns including dullness, fine lines, wrinkles, acne, hyperpigmentation, redness and dryness. No matter your needs, there's a serum solution for your routine. The lightweight formula of a serum has smaller molecules, which means it can deeply absorb into the skin to deliver a higher concentration of ingredients. This makes it perfect for targeting specific areas and achieving fast-acting, effective results.
With a few simple clicks you can find the best face oil serum for your skin's needs. Browse Cosmetify today and find a serum that promotes a healthier-looking, youthful and smoother complexion in an instant.
Can I use face serum daily?
Yes, definitely. You can use face serums and face oils twice a day, in both the AM and PM. Just take note of what ingredients are in your serums. For example, exfoliating products work better at night as they make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, whereas hydrating serums are perfect under makeup during the day.
In the morning, make sure you apply a sun cream after you apply serums to protect your skin from any sun damage. And at night, apply a night cream to lock in moisture and hydration. Use serums daily to see long-lasting results. Just remember to allow your serums and oils to fully absorb before applying any thicker moisturising creams.
BEST FACE OILS:
ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Marine Oil
£40.37 £72.00 (44% off)An Elemis face oil you can use morning and evening after cleansing, this ultra-lightweight facial oil is infused with a trio of seaweeds to minimise the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Harnessing the power of the sea, it works to moisturise, nourish and hydrate skin for a more youthful look. Don't forget to browse our ELEMIS sale to see if you can get your hands on it for less.
The Ordinary B Oil
£9.75 £10.40 (7% off)Don't be fooled by the price. This smoothing and brightening The Ordinary 'B' Oil is a purified form of micro-algae in a blend of squalene and nourishing oils and works to deliver a healthier, more radiant complexion while simultaneously quenching free radicals and balancing pro-irritant mediators.
Augustinus Bader The Face Oil
£73.00Add a splash of luxury to your skin care routine by inviting this lavish oil into the mix. The Augustinus Bader The Face Oil is a restorative and lightweight oil that melts into the skin to nurture, hydrate and protect all skin types, providing beautifying results that supply long-lasting radiance. We love this formula for its rich ingredient list that features a blend of conditioning properties.
Paula's Choice Moisture Renewal Oil Booster
£39.78This light-weight Paula's Choice face oil works to instantly replenish tight, dehydrated skin and contains a nourishing blend of plant oils that smooth and restore dry and flaky skin. The fragrance free oils drench skin with the essential fatty acids and the antioxidants it needs to retain moisture for healthier skin leaving your skin looking radiant and smooth.
REN Evercalm Barrier Support Elixir
£28.00 £45.00 (38% off)This non-greasy barrier support oil is proven to help strengthen and repair the skin barrier from as early as 30 minutes and reduce the signs of sensitivity in just a week. This Ren Oil is soothing microbiome-friendly and fragrance-free and features 100% natural-origin ingredients that work together leave skin feeling more supple, comforted and hydrated.
BEST FACE SERUMS:
CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum
£21.00 £23.00 (9% off)With the refreshing feel of a cooling gel cream, this popular serum from Cerave is designed to maintain an optimal level of moisture to keep skin looking soft and smooth. Its unique formula works to bind essential water to the surface of your skin which improves retention for up to 24 hours. And, ceramides come together to support your natural barrier which reduces the risk of excessive moisture loss.
ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Renewal Serum
£49.95 £75.00 (34% off)Boost your anti-ageing benefits with this skin-kind rejuvenating treatment from the experts at Elemis. This is an effective alternative to retinol that improves the look of lines, clarity, firmness, sun damage and visible pores. Your complexion will be left looking significantly more youthful, firmer and renewed.
PIXI Overnight Glow Serum
£26.00 £26.50 (2% off)The active ingredients in this serum from PIXI fight hard while you sleep, letting you wake up to healthy, glowing skin. 10% glycolic acid dissolves the bonds that are keeping all that dead skin clinging to your face, revealing fresh, bright skin and stimulating collagen synthesis. Cucumber and aloe vera follow up this exfoliation to hydrate and soothe the skin and reduce post-blemish redness.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum
£34.81 £40.00 (13% off)Another great choice for blemish-prone skin is this concentrated yet gentle serum that micro-exfoliates your skin to get rid of those dead skin cells and decongest pores. It's powered by salicylic acid, glycolic acid and lip-hydroxy acid, plus niacinamide to brighten the skin and mineral-rich, hydrating thermal spring water. It'll get your oil production under control so you don't get too shiny during the day, all without any discomfort. An absolute gem for your skincare routine!
Medik8 Retinol 3TR Serum
£34.00A cult classic amongst Medik8 fans, this 0.3%retinol infusion helps your skin regenerate overnight, boosting collagen and brightening dull skin for a more youthful look. The addition of vitamin E and jojoba oil nourishes the skin to keep it bouncy and hydrated.
Clarins Double Serum
£41.95 £89.00 (53% off)Clarins Double Serum is a powerful anti-ageing complex enriched with turmeric, which is known for its marvellous anti-ageing properties. It works in wonderful ways to improve your skin's hydration, nutrition, oxygenation, regeneration and protection, leaving you feeling instantly radiant and looking revitalised.
Votary Super Seed Serum
£59.25 £79.00 (25% off)Votary Super Seed Serum tackles all the issues sensitive skin faces and feeds it back to glowing health. Specially formulated with powerful peptides, this serum from Votary helps to boost and support the skin’s microbiome and over time, skin is normalised and left more resilient.
Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster
£45.00 £52.21 (14% off)Pop this booster on before moisturiser or mix it in with your moisturiser before applying - either way, the lightweight formula will prevent your skin from feeling weighed-down or your pores from being clogged. Vitamins C and E and ferulic acid smooth away wrinkles and improve elasticity, plus the antioxidant content keeps your skin bright and protected from environmental aggressors.
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG
£8.25 £20.60 (60% off)Our final pick is for those of you out there that aren't getting enough shut-eye. Dark circles and puffiness are a thing of the past as this lightweight, caffeine-powered formula constricts blood vessels to reduce discolouration and swelling. The EGCG in the formula, sourced from antioxidant green tea, helps reduce inflammation and rejuvenate skin. Look alive!
To discover more state-of-the-art serums, give our guide to The 12 Best Vitamin C Serums of 2022 a browse through!
Written by Ellie Child
With five years’ experience under her belt, Ellie has worked alongside a range of highly regarded makeup artists, giving her a real insight into what consumers should be spending their money on.
