I Tried Sunday Riley Skincare—Here’s What Happened (Full Review)
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When I was in my mid 20’s I started to take interest in building a strong skin care routine, but I’ve never followed something perfectly for a variety of reasons. I didn’t form the habit, I didn’t want to spend the money, etc. To be honest, when you think about it, skin care is a little overwhelming. Where do you start? What do you NEED? What order do you use things in? Plus, the COST. Skincare can be expensive, and I’m a frugal girlie. I like to ball on a budget, but I will also pay for quality and value. Assuming I’m going to spend money on something, the amount of money I spend on something is usually dependent on the research I’ve done (blogs like this one, product reviews, etc.), the value the product or service will add to my life, and the longevity.
Now, as I near my thirties, I’ve found the value in skincare to be stronger than ever. Post-babies, I’ve found myself on this journey of rediscovering who I am and what I care about outside of motherhood. If you haven’t yet, check out my post about the things I’m doing to rediscover myself after becoming a mom. One of my bigger focuses is to focus on myself. My health, my skin, my thoughts, my goals, my mind, and so much more.
With a focus on skincare, I’ve been on the lookout for products that can help me achieve healthier, more radiant skin. My journey led me to Sunday Riley, a brand known for its innovative formulations and effective skincare solutions. Intrigued by the raving reviews of their Auto Correct Eye Cream, I decided to delve deeper and try out their complete morning and night skincare routines with the “Wake Up With Me” and “Go To Bed With Me” kits.
Why Sunday Riley?
I first learned about Sunday Riley skincare when I received a sample of their Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream and fell in love with it. I’ve always struggled with dark circles under my eyes, similar to my dad. It’s rare I can go a week without someone telling me I look “tired.” The Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream goes on light, but provides enough coverage for me to see a difference in the brightness and hydration of my under eye skin. It doesn’t eliminate my dark circles, but it sure helps and it’s been the first product I’ve used that made a visible difference. After using up my sample, I knew I wanted to purchase the full size. I get a lot of my skincare from Lovely Skin and I like to purchase when there are sales (frugal girlie, remember 😜). When the November sales rolled around last year, I was on the hunt to round out the rest of my routine, and stumbled on the Sunday Riley Wake Up With Me Complete Brightening Morning Skincare Set and the Sunday Riley Go To Bed With Me Complete Anti-Aging Evening Set. I did some surface level research about the brand, and was happy to see they were cruelty-free. It should be known that I am NOT a beauty guru, but when it comes to beauty products, I do try to look for clean, cruelty free options.
I debated on starting with one kit because each of the options contain a few of the same products, but I also really liked that the sets took the guess work out of what to use and when to use it. So ended up purchasing both Sunday Riley skincare sets.
Each of the sets came with smaller sizes of the products. Some were what I would consider mini or travel sizes, and others such as the Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment, C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum, and the A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum that came in sizes that were still smaller than those generally sold, but large enough to contain a decent amount of product in them.
My Routine
To be honest, 5 years ago you wouldn’t have caught me washing my face morning and night 😂. I got my SPF from either a tinted moisturizer or a powder foundation – two things I only wear on occasion now that I’ve started to embrace the beauty of a natural, naked face. I also work from home 90% of the time, so that miiiiiiiight have something to do with it. A year ago, my routine had evolved into a natural cleanser, the Vichy Hylauronic Acid, and the CereVe SPF moisturizers. I started to experiment with SkinMedica retinols but I struggled to find the right dosage that didn’t irritate my skin, which isn’t an uncommon experience. I don’t usually have sensitive skin, but retinols are tricky.
Fast forward to purchasing these sets. I was so excited to dive right in and see what my skin could be. The sets came with a suggested routine right on the back of the box which included:
Morning:
Evening:
Initial Thoughts
As soon as the sets arrived, I couldn’t wait to dig in. I cut out the recommended order that was shared on the back of the boxes to reference until I got used to the regimen. Here were some of my initial reactions after a few days of use:
Strength
I was nervous about the retinoid serum and the lactic acid treatment and was expecting my skin to react to them. The first few times I had applied them, I could tell they were strong. I didn’t feel any burning sensation, but I could just feel a reaction in my skin, but to my surprise there never was any sort of rash, burn, or reaction that appeared. After doing some more research it seems like many of the Sunday Riley products are suitable for those with sensitive skin so maybe that has something to do with it.
Greasy, but Hydrating
My first time using the morning regimen, all I could think about was how greasy it was. I was all in for the glazed donut look at night, but in the morning??? I wasn’t so sure. I don’t really wear makeup, but my first thought was how makeup would apply over top of all the product. I felt like I would need to wait quite a while to let everything soak in.
On the contrary, in both the morning and night routine, I knew my skin was going to be loving the hydration.
Scented
Almost all products have a scent to them and they’re not all the same. For someone who hasn’t used heavily scented products in the past, I was concerned this might have a negative impact on my skin. Plus, it can just be a lot of smells and not everyone reacts to smells the same. In the end, this didn’t hurt my skin in any way, but it would have been nice for a few of the products, such as the creams, to be unscented.
No SPF
I am certain I knew this when I purchased the sets, but I was and still am surprised that there was no SPF included in either of the sets. It wouldn’t make sense for it to be in any of the vitamin C creams or serums, but both sets contain products that would increase sensitivity to the sun and if there’s one thing I know about skincare, it’s that you need a solid SPF – especially when you’re using retinoids and other oils. This was a bit of a turn off for me because
1. I need to purchase another product for SPF
2. It’s another product to add to the routine, and with each of these stacking up to be seven steps, it was feeling excessive.
What I Can Live Without
So let’s talk about what you really want to know. What’s worth it and what’s not. When I first purchased the Sunday Riley skincare sets, I knew the products were an investment. That being said, I also went into developing a new routine with the mindset that I wouldn’t be purchasing full sizes of everything, only the things I truly felt I liked and saw value in. Here’s what I could do without and why:
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- Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing Essence: the Pink Drink was the first thing I knew I wouldn’t be purchasing. It comes in a spray bottle and honestly, I felt like I wasted more product than used and I didn’t fully understand the purpose. The website says it’s supposed to firm and create a “youthful” look, but if you’re consistently spraying the product and missing your skin, it just feels like a waste. And the cost of it? Hard pass.
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- C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil: I was mixing this with the Vitamin C serum and really liked the skin cocktail, but I think this was the root of the greasy feeling for me. There are also lot of Vitamin C products in the morning regimen, and if I had to choose one, it wouldn’t be this one.
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- C.E.O. Afterglow Brightening Vitamin C Cream: This cream feels greasy too, and as the final full face step, it just feels excessive. It’s got great reviews and many fans, but not for me. I would rather replace it with a morning cream that contains SPF and get my Vitamin C elsewhere.
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- Ceramic Slip Cleanser: this cleanser is actually really nice. My skin felt so clean and fresh after using it. However, I also feel like cleansers are something you easily can save money on and it’s just not worth the cost for me. I also had already found a clay based cleanser that I love from a local maker here in Wisconsin which influenced my decision. It’s a facial bar which means it’s also a more sustainable option – check it out here – Palmarosa Clay Facial Bar
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- ICE Ceramide Moisturizing Cream: This ceremide cream is actually great. I had no issues with it. The scent is light, the product container allows you to maximize the product, but to me it is just a ceramide cream, and would be easy to find an alternative. There are many other ceremide cream options on the market that would do the trick.
What I’m on the Fence About
There were a few products in the Sunday Riley skincare regimen that I really liked, but I’m still on the fence about purchasing full sizes of, including:
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- C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum: I LOVE the way this feels on my skin. Of all the Vitamin C options Sunday Riley has, this would be the one I would purchase. It goes on smooth, feels light, and absorbs well. It’s not greasy and still provides the necessary benefits.
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- Luna Sleeping Night Oil: I mixed this with the retinoid serum as a skin cocktail most nights, and the blue tansy does wonders for my skin, I would easily purchase it if I wasn’t also thinking about the number of steps I want to maintain in a routine. I see this as a nice to have, but not a must have in my routine.
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- A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum: Like the other serums, this one goes on amazing. It was a very different experience with retinol compared to what I’ve had in the past and I really enjoyed it. However, I’m not sure why not having any sort of reaction has me skeptical. I was able to use this nightly with zero issues in comparison to other retinols I could only use every other night or a few times a week. This is still ranked high on my list, but I may experiment with another option before coming back to it.
Consider Keeping
These are the products I would purchase in a heartbeat. The investment is worth it to me.
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- Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream: I mentioned this earlier on in this post, but this is the first eye cream that I’ve noticed a visible difference in the coloring of my under eye. I purchase it when it’s on sale, and it last’s me forever.
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- Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment: It’s easy to see why this is a fan favorite of the Sunday Riley brand. It is effective! Some people use it as a mask and wash it off, but I just incorporated it right into my routine as a leave-on treatment. My skin has never felt so healthy. I didn’t have any reaction with this, but I recommend letting the products you use before Good Genes sit for a few minutes to soak in before application. There were a few times where I felt a few tingles in my skin and I think it was due to impatience. I have recently read about a few dupes and they have me curious, but right now my opinion is still that this is a good one!
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- 5 Stars Retinoid + Niacinamide Eye Serum: My eyes are my “problem” area, and again…I’m a believer. This eye cream has retinol in it, which is not a common ingredient in other eye creams I’ve tried. A little goes a long way and I could justify the cost for this.
Final Thoughts
After several weeks of consistently using Sunday Riley’s skincare routines, I’m happy to report that my skin feels healthier, smoother, and more radiant. The products have been a luxurious and indulgent experience with each application. It was good while it lasted, because I won’t be able to justify the cost of the entire line 😂. I will purchase a few of them because while the investment may seem daunting, the results speak for themselves and will be well worth the splurge for anyone serious about skincare. Of course, as I continue to round out my routine and try new products on this journey I’ll continue to share. Thanks for learning about my experience!
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