In the world of beauty, I would hands down have what you would call “problem skin.” With an oily complexion that highlights the imperfections in my skin thanks to scarring and acne, I tend to have trouble finding skincare products I really like and work consistently for me. 

Sometime last summer I came across a new brand at Sephora–Sunday Riley. The Martian Mattifying Melting Water-Gel Toner was showcased at the front of the store with it being advertised for oily to acne prone skin (oh hey, that’s me!). The $65 price tag was enough to make me take a few steps back and do a loop around the store.

My inner voice was saying “$65? That’s a helluva lot to pay for a product you don’t know will work. Plus, it’s just a toner.” And then it began to say, “But, it’s summer, and you’re kinda desperate over here to come up with ways to keep your skin from looking like an oil slick.” 

And then then genius of my inner voice said, “Wait, doesn’t Sephora give you free samples of any product?” 

I found someone at Sephora and asked for a sample and she gladly created a sample for me. The sample lasted me about 7 days and wow, I really liked the product. The best part of the product is how it would soothe my irritated skin without creating more oil. I had no breakouts from using the product for a couple of months, so I began to look at the other skincare products from Sunday Riley. 

Next, I ended up purchasing Good Genes and Luna. Good Genes is strong (there can be a burning sensation) but works well to remove the gross top layer of skin. The Luna night oil was also really nice but I personally didn’t see a huge difference from using it on my skin. Luna seems like the kind of product you need to use for a while to see benefits from using. 

I ended up getting UFO and then Tidal to use in combination and now these products make up my nightly skincare routine and holy sh*t, I don’t think my skin has ever looked better in the mornings. 

I first wash my face with a gentle cleanser. Then I use Martian and UFO or Luna. Then I wait 5 minutes and use Good Genes, then Tidal. It may seem like a lot of products at first but when you can see a big difference when you wake up in the morning, it’s totally worth it. 

 

I actually like using UFO so much, I’m going to start incorporating it into my morning routine as well. When they say it’s a dry oil, they mean it. It absorbs well into the skin and you can’t tell that you’re wearing an “oil.” 

As you can tell, I’ve kind of fallen in love with this brand. Here are some of the other Sunday Riley products out there that I want to try but haven’t gotten around to just yet. I’m still enjoying the products that are already in my routine so I can’t say I’m in a rush to try every product Sunday Riley makes.

Disclosure: This post is NOT, I repeat, NOT sponsored by Sunday Riley. All opinions are my own. This post DOES contain affiliate links.