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It is time for another comprehensive brand review. This time I asked you to pick which brand I reviewed. Overwhelmingly, you wanted to see a review of Paula’s Choice. After hearing a lot of chatter about the brand on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, I was excited to see which skin care products lived up to the hype.
Don’t want to read this Paula’s Choice Review? You can watch or listen to a video instead.
Perfectly Balanced Foaming Cleanser
I know that a lot of people say not to use a foaming cleanser. However, I disagree. If you know your skin well and use a cleanser that isn’t too harsh there is no reason to avoid a foaming cleanser. This one is actually very nice. It has a slight foam but it isn’t too drying. On the website, it says it can remove makeup, but from my experience, it did not. If you are a makeup wearer, you will need to use a separate cleanser to remove your makeup. Then you could use this as a second cleanse.
Click to shop the Perfectly Balanced Foaming Cleanser
The UnScrub
The website calls this a gentle cleansing scrub that removes, makeup sunscreen, and impurities. I have to disagree. First, this is not even remotely a scrub. There are particles floating in the cleanser, but you can’t feel them. Second, this can’t remove makeup. Like the other cleanser, you could use this as a second cleanse after removing your makeup.
Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
The 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is the reason I decided to do a review of Paula’s Choice products. After Hyram’s video went viral on TikTok, I knew I needed to see if this salicylic acid treatment lives up to the hype.
This exfoliant utilizes BHAs which are known as beta hydroxy acids. BHAs are oil-soluble, making them a great option for those with combination/oily/ and acne-prone skin. They go deep into the pores to remove excess skin cells and oil. If you struggle with clogged pores, acne, and blackheads, you should have a BHA in your skincare routine. This is a good affordable option. However, it can be a bit drying. I recommend only using this treatment every other day.
Click to shop the 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Paula’s Choice Ultra Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum
This lightweight serum is formulated with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and a handful of antioxidants. If you find that you have a hard time with Vitamin C serums, you might want to give this a try since the Vitamin C used in this is a bit gentler on the skin. For seasoned Vitamin C users, you can skip this one and opt for a stronger serum like the C15.
Click to shop the Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum
Anti Aging Eye Gel
This eye cream is formulated with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, panthenol, and a bunch of other antioxidant ingredients. Going through the reviews on this, a lot of people said they experienced a burning sensation when using this eye gel. Even with that, I decided to give this eye gel a try.
Thankfully, I did not experience any burning. However, I wasn’t impressed with the eye gel. Overall, it was not very hydrating.
That being said, I can’t recommend this product. If you want a nice hydrating eye cream there are so many better options.
Click to shop the Anti-Aging Eye Gel
Paula’s Choice Omega + Complex Moisturizer
I can’t believe I almost didn’t put this moisturizer in my cart. I added it at the last minute to hit free shipping.
The Omega + Complex Moisturizer is formulated with shea butter, ceramides, and squalane. That combination of ingredients makes it sound like it could be really heavy but the whipped texture keeps it nice and light. The texture and the ingredients make it a great moisturizer for most skin types.
Click to shop the Omega+ Complex Moisturizer
Paula’s Choice Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30
As soon as I saw this on the Paula’s Choice website, I knew I wanted to try it. This moisturizer is tinted and is formulated with only mineral sunscreens. I thought it would interesting to see how this works compared to the Supergoop Glow Screen, which uses chemical sunscreen.
When I use the Glow Screen I get a very glowy finish to the skin. I like glow but I don’t wear just the Glow Screen by itself. I always put makeup on top. When I used the Essential Glow from Paula’s Choice, I only used the Essential Glow. I do that for two reasons. First, the glow from the Essential Glow is much more subtle. Second, this moisturizer/SPF is very heavy. Putting more makeup on top made my face feel like it was suffocating.
Click to shop the Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF30
Paula’s Choice Super-Light Wrinkle Defense SPF 30
Like the other SPF I tried, this is also a tinted mineral sunscreen. However, this is a much lighter formula and doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. This also doesn’t provide any type of glow, but rather gives a matte finish to the skin. Of the two SPFs I tried, I prefer this formula, though neither one of them blew me away. Both the Essential Glow and the Daily Wrinkle Defense only have an SPF of 30, which is lower than I would like.
Click to shop the Super-Light Wrinkle Defense SPF 30
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel
Advertised as a rinse-off AHA/BHA peel that brightens skin, refines texture, smooths the look of wrinkles, and unclogs pores, this peel is often cited as a dupe for the Drunk Elephant Babyfacial. While not an exact dupe, it is a great alternative if the Babyfacial is a bit too much for your skin.
Click to shop the Skin Perfecting 25% AHA + 2% BHA Exfoliant Peel
Overall Thoughts on Paula’s Choice
There are a ton of products available at Paula’s Choice. A lot of the names are similar plus it wasn’t always clear what each product did. As someone that knows quite a bit about skincare, it was difficult for me to decide which products to try. I think for someone new to skincare it would be very overwhelming to try and pick out products for a skincare routine.
From an ingredients perspective, the products are made from great active ingredients. You can tell they have a curated list of ingredients that they go to when formulating their products. Their formulations are not as simple as The Ordinary’s, but they aren’t puffed up with tons of unnecessary ingredients either.
Shop Paula’s Choice
You can purchase some Paula’s Choice products at Sephora but I would recommend shopping at Paula’s Choice. You get 15% off your first order and free shipping on orders over $49. There are also frequent sales.
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