I’m 30 Years Old—This Is The Skincare Routine I’ve Seen Real Results From

I’m not going to lie… throughout my teen years and well into my twenties, with the exception of the odd hormonal breakout, my skin has always been relatively well-behaved. I’ve always taken care of my skin, using good, gentle products but now, as I move into my thirties, my skincare routine has become a much bigger priority. I am more conscious of fine lines, tone, sun damage prevention, pigmentation and overall skin health. I want to be using skincare that is going to carry me through the next decade with confidence (don’t we all?). 

I’m a bit of a skinimalist when it comes to my routine (both skin and makeup). Less is more has always been my approach. But when you work in the beauty industry, it can be really hard to stick to using a consistent selection of products when you have new, fun, beautifully packaged products coming across your desk every day! So, when Ultraceuticals offered to take me on a three month skin revamp journey, I was curious to see what it was all about. And I was especially keen to commit to a consistent skincare regimen which promised results. 

Enter the Ultraceuticals Real Visible Results in 90 days program… 

I’ve been a skincare and beauty lover for as long as I can remember. As an avid follower of Gritty Pretty (even before starting my role here), cult products such as Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Serum, La Roche Posay’s Hyalu B5 Moisturiser and Dermalogica’s Special Cleansing Gel were all well-used products within my beauty cabinet. With the assistance of our expert Beauty Editor’s here at GP HQ, I’ve been lucky enough to discover and try some amazing products that have transformed my skin, including SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, Emma Lewisham’s Supernatural 72-Hour Hydration Face Cream and Alpha H’s Sleep Peel. While I was enjoying this fun and experimental time being able to try and test products, I felt that I was chopping and changing my skincare products too often. Although my skin never caused me any major concerns and maintained a healthy appearance, perhaps this wasn’t conducive to seeing real results. 

Okay, so I know I mentioned that I haven’t ever had serious skin concerns but when I met with Jess, my personal Ultraceuticals skin therapist, she took me through an in-depth skin analysis where she asked me questions about my current skin routine, diet, and lifestyle habits. After our discussion and opening up a little, it became evident that there were certain things about my skin that, in an ideal world, wouldn’t exist. My main concerns included uneven skin tone and age prevention. My more minor concerns included enlarged pores, broken capillaries, mild rosacea and pigmentation. If these secondary concerns could be seen to, in my mind, that would be an added bonus. Using a skin-analysis machine, in-depth photographs (slightly terrifying) were then taken which would be used to capture my skin’s progress throughout the 90 days, taking into account hydration levels, skin tone/texture, sun damage and any other skin concerns.

Jess performed a beautiful sleep-inducing facial using Ultraceuticals’s phenomenal Brightening Accelerator Mask. This treatment features a combination of Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs), Salicylic Acid (BHA) and Niacinamide combined with a powerful blend of brightening agents. She also used Ultraceuticals’s sonophoresis machine to penetrate a combination of their Energising and Replenishing Masks for hydration and to invigorate the skin. Throughout the treatment, Jess used an UltraSonophoresis machine which uses ultrasound technology to achieve an absorption rate which far exceeds what can be achieved by topical application. She used this at the cleansing stage to prepare the skin for the professional treatment and she then used it to infuse and increase the penetration of products to enhance the results. It certainly felt like it was doing wonders for my skin already, with warm vibrating pulses massaging my face. 

I walked (sorry, floated) out of this facial, drifting on cloud nine and with a beaming smile and a luxurious new personalised set of products in hand! My 90 day skincare package included some baseline essentials: The Ultra Brightening Foaming Cleanser, Ultra UV Protective Daily Moisturiser With SPF, Ultra Moisturiser Cream, Ultra Moisturiser Eye Cream, the Ultra Hydrating Skin Mist (a favourite), a Ultra B5 Hydrating Serum, the Ultra B2 Hydrating Mask and the product I was most excited about, a corrective serum: Ultra A Serum Mild (which Jess prescribed to target age prevention, uneven skin tone, enlarged pores and pigmentation).  

In the days following my first RVR 90 facial, I already noticed that my skin tone appeared more even, my skin was clearer (especially around my T-zone) and luminosity within my skin had been boosted.

In the months following my initial RVR 90 facial, the change was significant. I quickly found that sticking to a consistent skincare routine, along with the introduction of a light retinol (Ultra A Serum – Mild), my skin was appearing more even and clear when I woke up in the morning. Prior to my RVR experience, my skin could appear a little red and blotchy and most days I would have usually reached for my concealer or BB cream to even things out. Though during this three month journey, I was finding that after using my serum and moisturiser, I was good to go with no makeup (on my WFH days) which was incredibly liberating as a 30-year-old. The results were more than skin deep, my confidence also levelled up. 

During my second month of the program, along with another dreamy hydrating facial, I was given the Corrective Serum: Ultra C Firming Serum and Ultra C Eye Cream to target age prevention and strengthen capillaries. While I loved all the products I was using and felt I was seeing results, I did feel that I needed a little more hydration. I love my skin to look and feel dewy, especially when applying makeup on top. With this in mind, Jess encouraged me to use the Ultra Hydrating B2 Mask a couple of times a week, and reminded me to spritz my face throughout the day with the Hydrating Skin mist. Because I literally want my skin to be so hydrated that it’s almost wet, I continued to use a couple of my cult favourite products including La Mer’s Treatment Lotion and Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair in the evening for an extra hit of H2O. 

At the end of my third month of my RVR 90 program, I visited my skin therapist Jess again for my final facial and skin consultation. We compared photographs from throughout the program and discussed the progress of my skin. Perhaps this was naive of me, but if I’m honest, I was hoping to see jaw-dropping results as I really had noticed a difference day-to-day. Jess and I did notice some improvements in my skin texture and a reduction in redness across my t-zone was extremely visible. With the aim of keeping my spirits high and hopeful, Jess then performed an Azyme peel which contains retinol (Vitamin A) which had an added exfoliating ingredient called Bromelain. Jess explained that this ingredient would help to brighten my complexion and provide an overall rejuvenating look to my skin. Following the peel, Jess used the sonophoresis machine again to penetrate a blend of Ultraceuticals’s Energising and Replenishing Mask ingredients for hydration and to invigorate my skin. 

Yet again, for the third time, I floated out of the facial appointment with glowing skin and a zen-like demeanour. I was also given a new product, Corrective Serum: Even Skintone Serum, which Jess mentioned would continue to assist in targeting my initial skin concerns including skin tone, texture and pores. It contains a combination of AHA’s, BHA and Niacinamide. 

When I first started using it, I was slightly alarmed as it initially caused my skin to burn a little and it created some redness around my mouth and cheeks. I emailed Jess right away, looking for some advice and within an hour she came back to me, with some supportive advice and questions. Jess recommended only to use two pumps, starting on my forehead and working down around the outer face and nose before applying to the cheeks – and slowly introducing the product every two to three days. She also reminded me to ensure that I was using the baseline essentials (B2 and moisturisers) to keep the skin conditioned. Using Jess’s advice, within a couple of weeks, sure enough my skin adapted to the Skin Evening Serum and immediately started loving it. I am now obsessed with this product and I use it every other morning to refine my skin texture and enhance clarity. I was so grateful to Jess for this support and advice–without it, I may not have continued to use the product and wouldn’t have seen these additional results. 

Overall, I absolutely loved my experience with Ultraceuticals. It was the first time in my life that I chose to stick to a consistent skin routine, and it truly paid off. While I didn’t see huge life-changing results during my three month journey, I definitely noticed an improvement in skin clarity, texture and tone and I have continued to use the products as my biggest learning is that, along with using tried and tested products, consistency is key. I will definitely be repurchasing the Ultra A Serum Mild and the Even Skin Tone Smoothing Serum – these products have become trusted life-long staples in my beauty cupboard.