Serious Skin Care Review (long)
Hi everybody! I'm sure some of you have been wondering about the line
Serious Skin Care (SSS) since it (the line) has been sold on both the US
and Canada's respective home shopping networks. I was curious too but now
I am not since I've used the line for more than three months.
Before I start my review, I want to let you all know that I have combo to
oily and acne-prone skin. I don't have great skin but AHAs have really
made a difference in clearing up my acne and smoothing and even-ing (sp?)
out my skin. So, here is what I think (in order of application). Hope
this helps somebody. :)
SSS Glycolic Cleanser (4fl.oz./118ml) - this cleanser was okay, nothing
spectacular. It does leave a sort of "film" on the skinI can't really
describe it but it's well, something. It removed light make-up well
enough, but it works marginally well on stubborn stay-true make-up. If
you use a wash cloth with the cleanser, then everything comes off. At
first, the cleanser was fine, it left my skin feeling smooth. But once I
just started using the cleanser by itself for a couple of days, I
experienced some dryness in areas of my skin like my jaw and cheeks. I
figure this is the glycolic acid working. But this is odd since the reps
on TV tell you that if you want to use anything from the line you should
use the glycolic cleanserI guess they forgot about the moisturizing part.
The first five ingredients are supposed to be Chamomille, Ammonium Lauryl
Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycolic Acid and Propylene Glycol. 4
out of 5 stars
SSS Clarifying Treatment (4fl.oz./118ml) - this is supposed to be for
"acne skin" with 2% salicylic acid. I don't really know if 2% is good
enough for acne but I found this treatment would not be good for someone
who is impatient to see results (like myself). You are supposed to dab
this on those breakout areas after thorough cleansing and you have to dab
it on well, about 1 to 3 times a day. Uh, I don't have time to dab this
stuff on 3 times a day. Mind you, the stuff is not a bunch of hooey, but
it takes some getting used to. It worked marginally but not fast enough
for me. :( The first five ingredients are supposed to be Deionized Water,
Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, and Salicylic Acid. 2.5 out
of 5 stars.
SSS Glycolic Renewal Gel (4fl.oz/118ml) - as the name implies, this gel is
supposed to be the thing that is supposed to "renew" your skin. This
stuff does work, I admit. The stuff felt sticky (actually so is the
clarifying treatment) on my combo/oily skin. The application is supposed
to be every other day after the clarifying treatment for the first two
weeks; after two weeks you can apply it morning and night every day. You
are supposed to expect a "stinging" sensation - I felt it and I guess it
made me feel better because I figure the stuff is working right? ^_^ This
gel did even out my skin and all in all, did a good job. The first five
ingredients are Chamomille, Glycolic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose,
Chamomille Extract and Yeast Extract. 4 out of 5 stars.
SSS Super Hydrate (4fl.oz./118ml) - as most AHA treatments, you need a
moisturizer to go with the actual AHA gel/cream to prevent dryness and
flaking. This is essentially just a moisturizernothing special, but it
does go well with the whole SSS system. The moisturizer is light weight
and non-greasy. I actually liked this moisturizer since it didn't give me
the "oh look, there is an oil slick on my face" effect. The first five
ingredients are Chamomille, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Vera Gel and
Chamomille Extract. 4 out of 5 stars.
SSS Triple Acting Glycolic Mask (5.5fl.oz/156g) - this is the green stuff.
I only used this stuff about five times and in those times I didn't really
know if the stuff was working or not since I know next to nothing about
masks. I don't know what makes this mask triple acting (which
ingredients??) but it did give me a little "glow" temporarily and made the
oil breakthrough not as severe as usual. Is this what masks are supposed
to do? The first five ingredients are Deionized Water, Bentonite, Kaolin,
Chamomille Extract, and Goldenseal Extract. 3 out of 5 stars.
SSS Double Strength Unplugged (1fl.oz/29ml) - it says on the spray bottle,
a facial skin balancer. Hmm, don't know what that means but the spray
bottle sure wasted a lot of the product. You are supposed to spray this
over the face after cleansing morning and night. You have to let it dry
naturally and then you go on as usual with your skin care routine. I have
used this product only a couple of weeks and I did notice that my face
turned an reddish/pinkish shade the first few times I used this stuff.
But after that, it was okay. The most significant thing I notice was the
fact that oil breakthrough wasn't as severe as beforemy face felt smooth
which I liked. I don't know if this was really unplugging my skin but
hey, can anything do that? The first five ingredients are Purified Water,
Propylene Glycol, Sodium PCA, Methylparaben and Propylparaben. 4 out of 5
stars.
So, that's it! Boy, was that long. So, in conclusion, I think SSS is an
okay line (nothing spectacular). Your mileage of course will vary from
mine, so you might want to give the line a try. I believe there is
something for everyone, but the search may be frustrating. I gave this
line relatively high star marks (i.e., 4 out of 5 stars) because the stuff
does work.
However, three things that really frustrated me about this line are 1) it
didn't work fast enough, 2) you had to layer on a whole bunch of stuff
that to my face, felt quite sticky, and 3) putting on make-up on top of
the SSS is not a good idea (bad results!). So, I turn this line down
because of the "feel" it has on my face. But at night, it shouldn't make
a difference right?
If anybody is interested, I am putting my stash of used and unused SSS on
the swapping/selling block this week. Please e-mail me if you are
interested.
Thank you for the review of the Serious Skin Care line. I have been using it
now for about a month and half. I was extremely skeptical about it working,
but so far, it is working well. My acne is moderate and I have been on
Accutane twice, as well as countless antibiotics. My skin is almost completely
acne free again since using these products. In fact, it hasn't looked this
good since being on Accutane. In the past, nothing topical has worked for me,
so I have been surprised by the good results of this line. Personally, I
haven't found the cleanser to leave any film on my skin...it always feels
well-cleaned and I have found that it does remove all my makeup, even the
"stay-true" type (without a washcloth). I, too, have found the clarifying
treatment to be somewhat sticky, but I only use it and the renewal gel at
night, so it isn't a problem. I know their suggestion is to use it morning and
night, but I have been successful with only night applications because I, too,
didn't want to apply makeup on top of the products. The suggested
application of the clarifying treatment 1-3 times a day is no different than
other similiar salicyclic products. I started noticing results in 2 weeks and
my skin is almost perfect after a month and half. As far as the Unplugged
product, I haven't found it to be very effective really, but it isn't
considered a "main" part of their acne line. The "main" 4 products are the:
cleanser, clarifying treatment, renewal gel, and the super hydrate. They also
have a benzoyl peroxide product (5%) called "Clearz-it". I have never used
this though, but I do use another benzoyl peroxide product about every other
day on problem areas or on bad breakouts (which are few lately). The Skin Care
Consultants recommend the benzoyl peroxide product in addition to the rest of
the acne line for faster results. Just wanted to add my .02 about the Serious
Skin Care line, especially since I was one of the most skeptical out there
before trying it. But, for someone with mild-moderate acne, it may be worth a
try in my opinion or for someone who has taken Accutane before, but has
problems with mild-moderate recurrences and needs a product line to keep their
acne under control.
Thanks again for reviewing the line....it's nice to hear what someone else has
to say about the line.