For a long time, I put skincare on the backburner. Growing up I had a baby face, so I didn’t have to do much to keep my skin feeling soft and shiny, but over the last few years I’ve put a lot more focus into my skincare routine, but wasn’t really seeing any payoff.
I tried everything from oil-based cleansers to serums to over-the-counter exfoliants, but nothing really made much of a difference – until I tried Trinny London.
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I honestly wasn’t sure where to start, so their online Match2Me Skincare tool really changed the game for me. The questionnaire, which took less than three minutes to complete, offered up a skincare routine that was personalized to me. After inputting my age, I answered questions about how I felt about my skincare routine, how stressed I am, what skin type I have and more.
Then, the tool offered me (as it touted) a “shortcut to sensational skin,” which I was weary of. But the easy-to-understand routine really laid it all out for me. It detailed a cleanser, exfoliator, moisturizer and two serums – each of which come packed refillable containers. After reading about each of the products, I was super excited for my skincare to arrive. Luckily it didn’t take very long and, after relentlessly checking my mailbox for a day or two, it landed right on my porch.
The packaging was beautiful. Each step of the routine was in an aesthetically pleasing, colourful tube that you would twist to expose a shiny, silver pump. But, while I love a pretty product as much as the next person, it was time to put this skincare set to the test.
Luckily for me, as someone who has never quite understood how to build a skincare routine, Match2Me not only assigned me five different products, but it even built me a personalized routine, detailing when and how I should use each one.
As someone with dry, sensitive skin, I noticed the moisturizer’s impact immediately, as it tightened and plumped up my skin, giving it a level of shine that I’d never seen before. The rest of the set shortly followed suit, smoothing out my skin and moisturizing deep into my tissue without any excess oil.
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But, before I start raving to hard about the overall routine, let’s dive into each product individually.
Be Your Best Cleanser, Trinny London, $58.
Trinny London’s Be Your Best Cleanser
The first step in my routine is Trinny London’s Be Your Best Cleanser (Trinny London, $58), which I use first thing in the morning and at night. This enzyme balm cleanser is all about clean, nourished skin. Not only did I find that it removed stubborn makeup with ease, but it did so without drying out my face. In fact, I found that my skin even radiated after using it – whereas with most other cleansers I’ve used, my skin was left feeling dull and rough.
Each morning and night I pull out this bright yellow tube, twist out the silver pump and drop two dollops of the gel-like cleanser into my hand. Then, I massage it into my face and neck before activating the formula with water. After the cleanser turns from clear to white, I wipe it off with a T-Towel muslin cloth, which actually came packaged with the cleanser. My skin felt amazing after each use, and it left me wondering how it worked, so I did some research.
The Be Your Best Cleanser is made up of almond and jojoba oils as well as natural glycolipids which, as Trinny London explains, helps “remove makeup, SPF and environmental pollution.” Where a pineapple enzyme not only smells amazing but helps gently exfoliate your skin leaving it looking shiny and radiant, the almond, borage and linseed oils leave your skin nourished. The most interesting part about the cleanser is that it “feeds the microbiome,” meaning it boasts a prebiotic complex that creates “the perfect environment for your good skin microflora so your skin can find its balance.”
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Tiptoe In Exfoliant, Trinny London, $62.
Trinny London’s Tiptoe In Exfoliant
After cleansing, the next step in my personalized Match2Me skincare routine was to use the Tiptoe In PHA Exfoliant (Trinny London, $62). Honestly, for a chemical exfoliant, I find it pretty gentle on my skin, but instead of slathering it on every day, I only use it twice a week.
Even at that cadence, I find it moisturizes my skin and removes dead, dry cells without irritating my face. The formula features Trehalose, which is meant to help restore hydration so, while the exfoliator might be removing your dry skin cells, it doesn’t harm your healthy, hydrated complexion.
I definitely recommend this exfoliant for someone with sensitive skin like me.
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Plump Up Serum, Trinny London, $118.
Trinny London’s Plump Up Serum
I use two pumps of Trinny London’s Plump Up Serum (Trinny London, $118) every morning after exfoliating and, honestly, I’m not one to use this term lightly – it leaves my skin feeling snatched. Shortly after applying, I can feel the serum set into my skin, making it feel tighter and firmer. Plus, as an added bonus, it smells amazing.
On their site, Trinny London describes the product as “the ultimate miracle worker for plump, hydrated skin” and they’re not playing around. The serum features oligopeptide-1, which is a star in my eyes, as it’s boosted my skin’s collagen and elastin production, which has given it way more structure. Next to the Bounce Back Moisturizer, this is my favourite product in the set, as the ultra-hydrating serum firms and lifts my skin.
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Overnight Clarity Serum, Trinny London, $112.
Trinny London’s Overnight Clarity Serum
Honestly, this is the serum that I find myself avoiding in my routine. Everything else I’ve loved, and the smell of all of the products are so fresh and sweet, but I find the Overnight Clarity Niacinamide + Retinal Serum (Trinny London, $112) to be much more intimidating than the rest, and I don’t really love the smell.
I have pretty sensitive skin, and I always find myself weary of how certain chemicals will react with it, so when I saw it had niacinamide in it, I worried about whether or not it would work well with my skin – even though a Vitamin C and Niacinamide combo has been shown to be hydrating, brightening and anti-aging. Plus, we all know retinal offers up a more glowing complexion. For me, though, I went to spot test it on my arm before using it on my face and, unlike the rest of the creamy or clear products, it was a highly pigmented yellow – which really turned me off of the product.
Since then, I haven’t really gone back to it, so I can’t accurately voice whether or not it would have benefited my skin long-term. While the Goodnight Clarity Serum is supposed to balance your skin and even out hormonal blemishes, I personally find my skincare routine is pretty flawless without it.
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Bounce Back Moisturizer, Trinny London, $88.
Trinny London’s Bounce Back Moisturizer
Last, but definitely not least is my favourite product: Trinny London’s Bounce Back Moisturizer (Trinny London, $88). Again, as I mentioned, my skin can be pretty sensitive, so I introduced each product one by one over the course of a couple days. This was the first product I tried, and it’s definitely the one that holds my heart. Decked out in a cute pink tube, this moisturizer has tightened my skin and made me look more youthful than I have in years.
While (like most people) the pandemic took a toll on my skin – leaving me with a drier texture and even a few wrinkles (gasp!) – I feel like this moisturizer reverted that almost overnight. Packed with peptides and hyaluronic acid, my skin has never been more vibrant. The soft texture and sweet, subtle smell offer me comfort at night and helps wake me up in the morning. The formula also helps improve your skin’s response to stress, which means that Bounce Back not only offers instant release, but it makes your skin more resilient long-term.
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I feel like this will be my go-to skincare product for years to come, as I’ve seen it visibly reduce wrinkles, firm up my skin and offer up an unmatched shine over the past few weeks.
Is Trinny London skincare worth it?
Long story short, it’s absolutely worth it. While I don’t find myself leaning on every product every day, I use the cleanser and moisturizer every morning and night without fail, and I always tighten my skin with the Plump Up moisturizer before bed.
If you go with the full skincare routine it might feel a little pricey, but I’m telling you it’ll change your skincare game – plus everything is made with sustainability in mind, with refillable packaging and cardboard transit packaging that’s 100 per cent recyclable.
All-in-all my skincare will never be the same, and I’ve never had tighter, more hydrated skin.
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