Ever since I got off birth control a year ago, I’ve been playing hormonal acne Whac-A-Mole. When one bump finally minimizes in size, another pops up on my jawline. It’s a terrible game me and my body play, and it only gets worse around my period or if I’m stressed. I’ve been combatting the blemishes with medical-grade retinoids, which helps—but in exchange for cyst-free skin, my complexion gets red, itchy, and irritated (a common side effect of retinol—especially since I’m using the strong stuff).
As a defensive strategy to soothe my stressed, over-sensitized skin, I’ve been using all kinds of overnight creams and oils to repair the barrier (without clogging my pores and going back to square one in the process). And when award-winning skin-care brand Tula sent me its newest product, the Tri-Supreme Overnight Oil Concentrate ($74—now on sale for $59), I was delighted by the timing. I could always use an overnight treatment to help achieve a happier complexion. I mean, who doesn’t like waking up in the morning to a brighter, more even, nourished face? (That’s a rhetorical question—everyone does.)
The Overnight Oil Concentrate, the brand’s most potent, innovative product to date, promises to improve the moisture barrier as well as skin tone and texture—plus, its formula is designed to minimize fine lines and wrinkles over time. Curious to give it a shot, I put it to the test for a week to see how my angry skin would respond. Tldr; my face loved it (and keep scrolling for a pretty dramatic transformation).
My honest review of Tula Tri-Supreme Overnight Oil Concentrate
After using my PM toner and moisturizer, I applied a few drops of the oil concentrate to my face. It’s thinner than most oils—its consistency is a bit more watery and serum-like than traditional face oils. It’s much lighter, so I didn’t feel like I was going to bed after dunking my head in a vat of olive oil. I massaged the formula into my skin and went to bed—so far so good.
Waking up the first morning, my skin looked good. There were no breakouts, and the inflammation from the previous night’s retinol had gone down. I looked like slept eight hours (lies—I clocked in six, thanks to anxiety and my dog waking us up at 5 a.m. to potty).
The next three mornings, it was more of the same, but I noticed my complexion looking progressively brighter, softer, and more even. By the seventh morning, I felt like I could easily skip foundation—something I haven’t been able to do since I was on The Pill. At this point, it’s unclear if the wrinkle-fighting ingredients are working their magic (it’s only been a week), but I can report that my skin feels a lot more supple.
Before I started using Overnight Oil Concentrate
After I started using Overnight Oil Concentrate (seven days later)
What makes Tri-Supreme Overnight Oil Concentrate so effective?
The Overnight Oil Concentrate’s star ingredients include Tula’s proprietary blends like s6pro complex and pro-ferm complex, plus peptides, niacinamide, and a blend of alpine rose, green caviar, and summer truffle. Here’s what each ingredient does:
s6pro complex®
This patent-pending complex uses prebiotics and probiotics, which is what Tula is known for, to balance out the skin, keeping it healthy, bouncy, smooth, and radiant.
Peptides
Peptides are one of the most effective ingredients in mature-aging skin care. “Peptides are small amino acids, which are the building blocks of collagen. Kind of like a grape is to wine, peptides are to collagen. They wake up the collagen, shake it up a little bit, so it knows it has to produce itself more,” board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD previously told us.
Pro-ferm complex
Another one of Tula’s proprietary blends, this combination of polyglutamic acid, evening primrose, fermented green tea see oil, and ceramides mainly infuse intense hydration, which is partially why you skin will look and feel so soft and bouncy the morning after using the Overnight Complex.
Alpine rose, green caviar & summer truffle
This sounds like ingredients listed on a brunch menu, but we promise this summery blend is a strategic skin-care combination that naturally firms skin.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide is a derm-favorite for its nourishing, healing properties. A vitamin B derivative, niacinamide “helps brighten the complexion and lighten dark spots. It also helps calm inflammation and supports healthy collagen production,” Joshua Zeichner, board-certified dermatologist previously told us.
Lucky for me (and everyone reading this), Tula is having a site-wide sale (the brand’s Family & Friends event) that going until May 18, so that means stocking up on several bottles of this stuff before it returns to its full price.
This content was originally published here.