Vivant Skincare introduction and Complete routine review
A few months ago Vivant contacted me to see if i was interested in trying their skincare line.
After doing some research and having a look around their store I realised that I was indeed interested. They focus on actives based products and had some interesting items with mandelic acid in their lineup. A long time ago I reviewed a mandelic acid cream I got from Poland that I loved and have been looking to try out new products with that wonderful ingredient ever since.
I was put in contact with the Director of the brand, who was so nice and gave me not only an introduction to some of their products but also put together an entire routine for me based on my skin type and concerns. She was very detailed in her answers and even sent information leaflets for each product, how they work and how to use them. It was the first time someone put together a specialized routine for me and it worked quite well I must say.
I was put in contact with the Director of the brand, who was so nice and gave me not only an introduction to some of their products but also put together an entire routine for me based on my skin type and concerns. She was very detailed in her answers and even sent information leaflets for each product, how they work and how to use them. It was the first time someone put together a specialized routine for me and it worked quite well I must say.
Today I will review four of their products I have been using exclusively for four weeks together and separately as well.
Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk
First off is the milk cleanser.
I requested a non drying cleanser since my skin seems to be super finicky when it comes to cleanser in general and usually prefers milk or cream cleansers.
This one is a little different from the ones I usually use since it requires washing off with water.
It is scentless and feels very creamy which makes it comfortable to apply yet washes off very well.
I have only used this as my single cleanser when I didn't wear makeup and it worked really well.
Even though it needs to be washed off with water it did not make my skin dry out since it is very gentle and moisturizing.
I think this would be a great cleanser for people with sensitive or dry skin that still want to use water to wash their faces.
I have only used this as my single cleanser when I didn't wear makeup and it worked really well.
Even though it needs to be washed off with water it did not make my skin dry out since it is very gentle and moisturizing.
I think this would be a great cleanser for people with sensitive or dry skin that still want to use water to wash their faces.
Ingredients: Here
Vivant Skincare 3% Mandelic Acid Toner
As some of you may know I am not a toner type person. They aren't fun for me so I hardly ever buy them. Somehow I always have a toner around so in the end I get to try quite a few. This is also not my first (pre) acid toner even though I don't consider them a necessity. Using this reminded me again how useful it is to have an acid toner around. They are really great to use if you have acne, PIH or simply like to keep your pores clean. I generally don't use it everyday since I don't think I need it but like to use it as a spot treatment occasionally. When a spot appears I apply the toner followed by an acid just to the spot or simply on my nose and chin, the areas I have the most sebaceous filaments.
But remember that I usually don't have spots, luckily no PIH and have little issues with clogged pores. If you have any of the above this toner would be quite useful for you as a start into acids or to boost your regular acids.
It is very watery and smells quite a lot like alcohol. I am not fond of the smell at all but it disappears fast. Johnny (and his average sense of smell) can not identify the scent and says it reminds him of disinfectant. Due to the addition of humectants the toner is not actually drying to my super dry skin but it is definitely in the astringent toner category. I used it for a little while as my sole acid and it did ok as an upkeep type product. Keep in mind that I have been using acids for years now and my skin is quite used to them. Johnny's acid sensitive face did well with it too. His skin seems to love mandelic acid though! For our skin concerns and routine my favourite way of using this toner was before adding other acids. It is hard to measure how much it boosts them but I do feel like our pores were cleaner than without it.
So if you are an acid newb that just wants to give it a try or someone who wants to boost their other acids this is the item to use.
Ingredients: Here
Ingredients: Here
PH: 3.5
Vivant Skincare Rejuv Rx Peptide Concentrate
This serum was a new experience for me. I have never used a peptide serum before so I can not compare this to others. It is very liquid but the convenient dropper bottle makes it easy to use.
The strong alcohol scent is the first thing that I noticed. I am not sensitive to alcohol but I am not fond of the smell and it is quite strong here. I have to admit that it might just be strong to people who are very scentsitive since I asked Johnny (who still has an average sense of smell) what he smelled and he just said I don't know. The serum does not burn when applied but when I used it my skin had no wounds or anything like that. The reason I got it though is that I have been going through a seemingly endless bout of super dry very itchy skin. This serum was recommended to me to help with the itchiness. So even though my skin was “fine” it was quite sensitive when I used this and it still didn't burn. If you have previous sensitivities to alcohol though using this might not be a good idea.
The strong alcohol scent is the first thing that I noticed. I am not sensitive to alcohol but I am not fond of the smell and it is quite strong here. I have to admit that it might just be strong to people who are very scentsitive since I asked Johnny (who still has an average sense of smell) what he smelled and he just said I don't know. The serum does not burn when applied but when I used it my skin had no wounds or anything like that. The reason I got it though is that I have been going through a seemingly endless bout of super dry very itchy skin. This serum was recommended to me to help with the itchiness. So even though my skin was “fine” it was quite sensitive when I used this and it still didn't burn. If you have previous sensitivities to alcohol though using this might not be a good idea.
The serum surprisingly did not dry my skin out, which I honestly expected due to the scent but actually gave it quite a nice soft feeling. Not moisturising per se but definitely like you added a product to your skin that makes it feel good. The bottle lasted me for about six weeks and after around three to four weeks my itchiness was reduced. Some days it came back though so I might have to try this for a little longer for it to go away. All in all I was quite happy with it and would love to try more peptide containing skincare in the future.
Ingredients: Here
Ingredients: Here
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| Excuse my bottle, I almost finished it by the time I realized I hadn't taken a picture yet. |
Vivant Skincare Allantoin Sedating and Hydrating Lotion
This is a lotion that is meant for sensitive skin. I got it because I was hoping it would help me with my itchy dry skin issues. Allantoin is suppose to be an excellent soothing ingredient so I was excited to use it. It is a very non descript type moisturizer. The kind that is hard to write about because there is so little to say. That does not mean it isn't good though. I am almost out and actually sad to see it go. It is simply so useful and gentle that it is the kind you grab when you have any kind of skin issue. It is scentless and the texture is like a cream on the thinner spectrum. It feels refreshing yet emollient without being heavy at all.
It worked really well on Johnny's normal to dry sensitive skin and well on my super dry itchy skin.
I was sure the cream would be way too light for me and that my skin would fall off after a week of usage (not literally of course but it does feel like that somedays) but surprisingly it didn't.
When I was in Spain I could use this by itself without a problem, back in Berlin I had to add some facial oil to it though. It did indeed soothe the itching quite a bit even though it did not make it go away permanently. Honestly this itching has been going on for so long and I have tried so many itch specific products I think it might be some very random cause that might not be fixable with any skincare (if it doesn't go away soon the dermatologist will be due). When I had a special bout of itching I would simply reapply this to the spots and it would make it go away.
It worked really well on Johnny's normal to dry sensitive skin and well on my super dry itchy skin.
I was sure the cream would be way too light for me and that my skin would fall off after a week of usage (not literally of course but it does feel like that somedays) but surprisingly it didn't.
When I was in Spain I could use this by itself without a problem, back in Berlin I had to add some facial oil to it though. It did indeed soothe the itching quite a bit even though it did not make it go away permanently. Honestly this itching has been going on for so long and I have tried so many itch specific products I think it might be some very random cause that might not be fixable with any skincare (if it doesn't go away soon the dermatologist will be due). When I had a special bout of itching I would simply reapply this to the spots and it would make it go away.
I was also surprised how super gentle this lotion is. I had some skin irritation going on for a few days where everything I added to it would burn. This cream did not though and the irritation was gone after three days.
Consider me impressed.
As I said however, as unexciting as the product might be it is incredibly useful for anyone that has any kind of skin sensitivity (unless that includes one of the ingredients of course) itchiness or dry skin.
It is the kind of product I generally always have at home just in case my skin is acting up and I don't know why because I rely on this to not exacerbate it.
Ingredients: Here
Consider me impressed.
As I said however, as unexciting as the product might be it is incredibly useful for anyone that has any kind of skin sensitivity (unless that includes one of the ingredients of course) itchiness or dry skin.
It is the kind of product I generally always have at home just in case my skin is acting up and I don't know why because I rely on this to not exacerbate it.
Ingredients: Here
All in all my skin was pretty happy with this line of products. It exceeded my expectations but at the same time none of these would be a must keep in my routine. It is just one of those situations where products perform well and your skin is happy yet you think you could get even better results. Call it skincare greed if you want but I am a little spoiled when it comes to cosmetics and my skin is very finicky which also means getting simply decent skin is an improvement ( I know that is totally contradictory but what can I do...).
I still have one more product to test ( a Vitamin A/Retinol serum) and another to review (lovely smelling Mandelic acid wash), so keep a look out since I have high hopes for the serum.
As far as this routine goes I think I would replace the toner with the 8% Mandelic acid serum, which looks really promising to me and I think would fit my skin preferences better. I believe the added acid would push my skin just over the happy line into the oh-hey-it-looks-very-nice-what-are-you-using territory.
Available on Vivantes
Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for review purposes. That fact does not alter my review or opinion in any matter. For more information read my Disclaimer page.
