To be clear: I haven’t been this excited about a Sunday Riley launch since the early days of Luna. The C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil is easily the most talked about drop in skincare so far this year. Cleverly bundled as a major highlight in the Allure Beauty Box before landing at Sephora, the exclusive access has only heightened the buzz. So for the past month, I’ve been militant with my bottle. And I’m happy to share my thoughts!
What’s in it?
THD Ascorbate (possibly the most stable form of Vitamin C) is the superhero ingredient alongside Ginger Root and Golden Turmeric Extracts in the latest Sunday Riley face oil. This powerhouse trifecta aims to deliver antioxidant protection in addition to giving your skin an overall brighter, more youthful appearance. And these are just the highlights. Red Raspberry, Cranberry, and Pomegranate Oils are cold-pressed to sustain the highest potency in its skin strengthening and firming benefits. The expertly crafted glow-boosting cocktail also features Moringa, Neem Leaf, Cucumber, and Evening Primrose, to name a few. Impressive, right?
The scent
Scent is always a deciding factor when it comes to Sunday Riley. While I am team Luna all the way, I have yet to get over the aroma of the now discontinued Artemis. To me, C.E.O. Glow definitely has an herbal note similar to Luna. It’s earthy and a tad grassy but in a dried hay kind of way. It doesn’t bother me but I can see how some may find it unappealing. The good news is that it dissipates quickly. Linger it does not.
How I use it
Since C.E.O. Glow is a more lightweight oil (not as light as U.F.O. but much lighter than Juno IMHO), especially within the Sunday Riley range, it has been versatile enough to work for me both during the day and at night. This will likely change soon as the weather is warming up but it has done well under my SPF on the colder days of late. To make it work in the AM on my combination skin, I spray my face generously with a hydrosol mist (Jordan Samuel Hydrate for the win!) and apply 4-5 drops of C.E.O. Glow on my skin while it’s still damp. After a minute or two, I top it off with sunscreen. Luckily, there hasn’t been excessive oiliness nor shine.
At night, I am known to reach for Good Genes, my forever Sunday Riley staple. Using it under C.E.O. Glow has worked really well for me. Recently, I’ve incorporated the latest A+ retinol serum and have had great success layering the new oil over it before bed. Keep in mind that both PM combinations won’t be for everyone. If you’re a novice to acids or retinol, start slow. Avoid irritation by resisting any temptation to layer multiple actives. P.S. my skin is far from sensitive.
Yay or Nay
I’m very much enjoying the latest C.E.O. addition and can easily see myself keeping it around. Is it my skin brighter? A bit. It’s definitely looking more radiant, which I attribute to my last 30 days on C.E.O. Glow. I usually reach for non-oil Vitamin C formulas, especially during the day, but I found this one to work best for me:
- when my skin is feeling dry
- during the colder months
- at night
If you’re on the fence, I say give it a try. I much prefer it over the cream moisturizer, which just wasn’t for me.
$40 (15ml) at Sephora.com