This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Three Dope Products I Copped In The Sephora Bi Sale From Drunk Elephant, Supergoop And Indie Lee. You can catch the full piece here.

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Nothing gets me more excited than the bi-annual Sephora Beauty Insider sale. Like many people, I like to pre-fill my shopping cart in the week or so before the sale so I only need to go back when the event begins and hit the buy button. It also serves to assure that I’m not buying skincare products on impulse. We’re all guilty of that. So, the whole thing has become rather strategic for me.

In the FW20 Sephora Beauty Insider sale six months ago, I picked up a treasure trove of skincare to brace myself for the dry, dehydrating, cold months ahead. Among the products, I called out three in particular that stood out – the super soothing Farmacy Honey Potion, a new fermented toner from Sunday Riley amusingly called Pink Drink and a serious acid cleanser – the Sobel Skin Rx 27% Glycolic Acid Facial Cleanser. I have since repurchased Sunday Riley’s Pink Drink three times! It’s one of the best fermented toners I’ve come across.

COOL SEPHORA BEAUTY INSIDER GRABS – FARMACY HONEY POTION, SUNDAY RILEY PINK DRINK AND MORE

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This spring, I guess I copped a dozen or so products in all – some new, some refills of existing faves I was running low on (like Pink Drink!). Of the twelve, three new products have brought me tremendous joy over the last couple of weeks. I guess you’d say they were three of my favorite product discoveries of 2021.

I picked up an incredible toning mist powered by CoQ10, one of the most potent antioxidants in the body. The Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner is not only a terrific hydrating toner, but the first product I’ve tried from the brand.

Next in the collection is Drunk Elephant’s Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum — the first extension of the brand’s uber popular Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer. To this day, Protini is the top-selling Drunk Elephant product at Sephora and consistently ranks in the top 20 face creams.

The third product I picked up at the sale is a new mineral sunscreen from one of my favorite sunscreen brands, Supergoop! The Supergoop! Mineral Sheerscreen SPF 30 PA+++ has an incredible texture and has earned its place as one of my favorite daily sunscreens.

With that, let’s take a look one of the products I copped in the SS21 Sephora sale…

Indie Lee | CoQ-10 Toner

I am obsessed with toners! All kinds of toners — fermented toners, acid toners, hydrating toners and the super convenient toning mists. It always makes me sad when I hear someone say they don’t use a toner or can’t be bothered using one. Honestly, the two most important steps in a skincare routine come at the very beginning: cleansing and toning.

Using a hydrating toner like the iconic Hada Labo Rohto Hadalabo Gokujun Hyaluronic Lotion Moist from J-Beauty is essential for locking hydration in the skin. And hydration is everything when it comes to skin health. In fact, hydration is inherently anti-aging. Hydrated skin is best able to function optimally.

In addition, properly hydrated skin can also more effectively absorb the skincare products during your routine. Even the best antioxidant serums and best anti-aging serums aren’t as effective on dry skin.

PRODUCT REVIEW: ROHTO HADA LABO HYALURONIC ACID LOTION - CULT J-BEAUTY TONER FOR DEHYDRATED SKIN

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A great analogy is to think of two sponges — one wet, one dry. Now imagine soaking up water on the kitchen counter with each. The wet sponge will more quickly absorb the water than the dry sponge.

Why? It’s because water molecules attract one another like a magnet. The same goes for the application of skin care! Damp skin will draw in water-based products more quickly — and more deeply — than dry skin.

I only began to understand the importance of hydration when I left my work inside big beauty at Kiehl’s. Oddly, we never talked about the essential role of hydration in the health of the skin.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Long ago, I learned to use a toner the Japanese way, without cotton. Rather, I pore some of whatever toner I’m using into the palms of my hands and press it into my skin. In K-beauty, the 7-Skin Method is an effective means of deeply hydrating the skin.

When I was shopping the sale, one of the products I was most excited about was toners. I ended up buying three of them and the Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner was among the bunch. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to not only grab a great, cleanly formulated hydrating toner, but to finally try Indie Lee for the first time.

What Is CoQ10 and What Does Q10 Do in Skincare?

Of course, the star active in the formula is, as the name avers, is C0Q10 or Coenzyme Q10 — a powerful antioxidant naturally found in the body.

What is it exactly and how does it work in skin care? From the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team: “Also known as ubiquinone, it is a vitamin-like, fat-soluble substance naturally present in the body. A handful of studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may help improve the appearance of signs of aging. There is also research showing that environmental factors deplete the presence of CoQ10 in the skin. The latest research suggests that topical application of CoQ10 has antioxidant and skin-soothing effects.”

I found additional insights on Coenzyme Q10 in the body on the rather authoritative Mayo Clinic website:

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant that your body produces naturally. Your cells use CoQ10 for growth and maintenance.
Levels of CoQ10 in your body decrease as you age. CoQ10levels have also been found to be lower in people with certain conditions, such as heart disease, and in those who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins.
CoQ10 is found in meat, fish and nuts. The amount of CoQ10found in these dietary sources, however, isn't enough to significantly increase CoQ10 levels in your body. CoQ10 dietary supplements are available as capsules, chewable tablets, liquid syrups, wafers and by IV. CoQ10 might help prevent or treat certain heart conditions, as well as migraine headaches.

I’ve been using the Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum nearly nightly for about two weeks now and have seen no signs of irritation, particularly on my overly sensitive forehead. That’s always the indicator that a product is too harsh for my skin.

In addition to a 10% concentration of Lactic Acid, the formula contains eleven signal peptides, rather blandly referred to as a Signal Peptide Complex. As I understand it, signal peptides communicate with cells, prompting them to function more efficiently. Signal peptides can help teach damaged skin to rebuild itself by relocating proteins in the cell membrane. Such wonky science!

There are also multiple amino acids in the formula — as well as a number of powerful antioxidants, including Green Tea Extract and Apple Fruit Extract.

It’s the texture of the Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum for me though! It’s a super light, semi-translucent serum that’s quite easily layered into any skincare routine.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Drunk Elephant Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum for $82 here.

BUY DRUNK ELEPHANT PROTINI POWERPEPTIDE RESURFACING SERUM