Recently, I had a chance to visit the Miraj Hammam Spa by Caudalie in Toronto – located at the posh Shangri-La Hotel. I’ve been wanting to pop by there for some time given their my recent work travels and because their services are done with Caudalie products which is a brand I’m slowly getting to know. I’m a huge fan of any French-skincare brands so I felt necessary to walk away with a new skincare item from Caudalie and this time, I opted for the CaudalieVinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence ($50, available here).
This essence, along with other essences in the market (i.e. Shiseido, Tatcha and Origins are among a few brands that have their own version) was inspired by Korean / Asian skincare routine which emphasize the use of essence after you wash your face to enhance the delivery of your skincare products.
Having seen some very impressive “bare” skin from Korean influencers and trying this during my facial session, I was really keen to give this a go at home.
Caudalie Vinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence
This isn’t my first time adding essence to my routine nor is this type of beauty product “new” in the skincare world. I first tried the ShiseidoEudermine Revitalizing Essence which was one of the worst beauty products I’ve ever used on my skin. The essence made my skin peel and to my horror, I found out that alcohol derivatives were the #2, and #3 ingredients respectively (See their ingredients list here, after water)
Needless to say, I’ve been very apprehensive about adding an essence to my routine since.
What convinced me to try the CaudalieVinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence was the fact it didn’t have questionable ingredients as far as I can tell. The fact that it is also a brightening product (for my hyperpigmentation issues) was another bonus. If there’s any skincare experts here, feel free to connect me if this is not the case.
$50 later, I walked away with one heavy bottle of essence.
It’s really easy to use the essence – you apply this before any sort of skincare products (including serum) after you cleanse your face. You can use it day or night as well. The essence works by penetrating deep into the skin and “clearing” the path for your skincare to work more effectively.
How I use the Caudalie Vinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence.
It’s really easy to use the essence – you apply this before any sort of skincare products (including serum) after you cleanse your face. You can use it day or night as well. The essence works by penetrating deep into the skin and “clearing” the path for your skincare to work more effectively.
I use around 4-5 drops after I wash my face; the stopper does a great job at dispensing the product so you won’t end up using too much and wasting the product. The essence has a water-like texture, and almost no scent to it. After pressing down the essence on my face, I didn’t notice any adverse reaction like tightening, tingling or anything like it. It just felt like water on my skin with a bit of tackiness as it dries.
After using this for about a week, I haven’t noticed any adverse reaction to the product which I took to be a good sign. I’ve been using the same routine as before including using the 2% Retinoid from the Ordinary and a moisturizer to keep it simple.
Although there hasn’t been too much outward improvements to the skin, I can tell my face feels a lot more hydrated and plump in a good way. As in, if I press on the skin, I can feel the hydration from my moisturizer being retained by my skin more effectively.
I’ve read some online reviews mentioning seeing a noticeable improvement in old acne scars and dark spots – I haven’t seen too much from my first 2 weeks with the product so I’ll check in with future posts.
If there’s a bad thing I can mention about the product, it would be the glass packaging. Not only is it impractical for travelling but feels quite slippery too (I hate to think what would happen if I drop it). It feels quite fragile and should be placed somewhere where there would be minimal risk to it being knocked down.
Price-wise, this does feel more affordable than some of the other ones in the market especially coming from a brand, well-known for its skincare. I don’t foresee myself running out of this quickly as I only use 4-5 drops (probably less than 1ml) each time so I could see this lasting for at least 6 months or more.
Do you use essence in your skincare routine? Have you tried the Caudalie Vinoperfect Concentrated Brightening Essence?