[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] A couple of years ago I bought a little Glow Recipe set – I rarely buy skin care because I get more than enough sent for review so this was a rare exception purely because I found its presentation so enticing. Based around fruit power, and founded by two ex-L’Oreal Korea marketers, Glow Recipe has nailed textures and fragrances while making Korean inspired skin care more mainstream. The old adage of buying first with your eyes applies very strongly here (no surprise that the founders fully use their marketing know how on this) with bright packaging and bottle styles that have a bit more creativity than we generally see.
This product had me at Dew Drops – those words conjure up exactly the texture I was hoping for. It’s a light, serum-style liquid that’s immediately softening and comfortable, boosted with a ping of watermelon scent. It’s the sort of serum that gives no-make up skin an instant dewy sheen (not oily) that looks fresh and well. The brand suggests tapping on the high points of the face to get glow in those areas but I’d say that’s a make-up artist look that is probably only really relevant in a shoot environment because the ‘strobe’ effect is subtle. And, it’s also irresistible not to put it everywhere.
In terms of ingredients, niacinamide helps to even out tone (in the long term) and hyaluronic acid does the job of hydrating. It also contains the slightly unfortunately named Eclipta Prostrata which is sometimes known as False Daisy, a relative of the sunflower and a common skin care ingredient in Korea that is both anti-oxidant and soothing. As you can see, I’ve also got the Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum which tackles redness. Again, it has a serum like texture that’s slightly milky in appearance and sinks beautifully (and immediately) into the complexion. While my skin is more sensitive than it used to be I don’t have any active redness at the moment, but at least I can tell you what it contains.
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Obviously, avocado is at the fore here in the form of both oil and butter but a blend of five skin identical ceramides offer moisture as well as preventing water loss. Allantoin is both hydrating and soothing and rice milk helps to gently exfoliate to ensure smoothness. I feel you could think of both the products as essences – something extra to use before your moisturiser and after cleansing. We’ve been slow to adopt this extra step beloved by Asian countries perhaps because of their watery nature – put them serum style and we’re much more on board. The Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum also came with a little sachet of Avocado Melt Eye Sleeping Mask which was a nice surprise. Bottom line is that if you love serum-like textures with a fresh skin feel, you’ll like Glow Recipe. I’d be inclined to point you in the direction of the Glow Recipe Essentials set at £29 that contains Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask, Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser, Water Melon Glow Toner and the Avocado Melt Eye Mask to give you an overview of the brand. It’s HERE. Otherwise, the Ceramide Recovery is £38 HERE and the Watermelon Glow Dew Drops are £31 HERE. Non-affiliate is HERE.
Transparency Disclosure
All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
2 comments
Thanks for the review Jane. These look very appealing but that price is very off-putting, especially when brands like Inkey, The Ordinary and Superdrug exist.
I hear you – there’s a very broad spectrum of beauty consumers so its good that there is something for everyone. I haven’t tried Inkey for ages so thanks for the reminder!