A couple of years ago, I flew out to Salt Lake City for a conference. It was my first time in Utah and while I had heard so many people mention that the elevation made a huge difference in their skin, I was not prepared. Not even the slightest. When you go to SLC, your. skin. will. dry. out.
The same day I arrived, I checked into my room and then headed to the nearest Sephora. I was not playing with this dry skin. I need oil in addition to moisturizer I brought to ensure that I stayed moisturized. I used oil sometimes in my skincare routine, but in Atlanta it didn’t seem like a necessity to me. In Salt Lake City, it was the default.
I’m a Sephora girl, so while there were quite the variety of facial oils to use – some in the day, some at night, some that worked for both – I wasn’t the slightest overwhelmed. I was determined. After chatting with the Sephora girl, she convinced me that I “just had to try” the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil. The packaging was cute and the oil was this gorgeous transparent midnight blue color. It reminded me of the peculiar blue performer from The Fifth Element.
It felt amazing on my hand when she let me try a couple of drops on my skin to see if it was right for me. It was moisturizing without being greasy which is quite the feat for an oil. Once I felt it, I knew I was buying it.
I enthusiastically headed to the counter to complete the purchase. This was a skincare mission I was so dedicated to that I never even bothered to ask the price. So when I got to the counter and the cashier told me it was $109.00, I had a brief Carrie Bradshaw like internal dialogue.
Is this really what you’re going to do?
Is it that serious, Mattie?
Turns out it was. Prioritizing my skincare is that serious. And on that day, I put my money where my mouth was.
It is hands down the most expensive beauty product I’ve ever purchased. The Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil is a magic concoction. The color is magnificent; the retinol in it adds 5 years back to your skin overnight. Without question, your skin is brighter and smoother every single time you use it. It is a holy grail beauty product if you ask me and the 1850+ people who have reviewed it on Sephora and given it a 4.1 rating.
To be clear, the retinol in it is sort of a retinol and sort of not. It’s actually trans-retinoic acid ester which packs the same power as retinoids sans the irritation (thank God!).
My other favorite thing about this oil is that it also has a gang of good oils in it – cold pressed avocado oil, grape seed oil (so good!) and blackberry oil. It also has chia seed oil which is the richest botanical source of omega 3. TUH!
And if that isn’t enough, your skin is always so much more calm and less red/irritated because of the blue tansy (hence the color) and German chamomile.
I complete my entire nighttime skincare routine up to my serum, put it on after serum and before moisturizer. That’s when I get the best results.
And don’t get freaked out: it’s blue but definitely becomes clear as you rub it into your skin. Be sure to use this at night (because, retinoids!) and on clean skin.
Not to get all beauty nerd on you, but I had to break it all down to justify the price. And even when you use every single night, it lasts you anywhere from 2-3 months because just a few drops of it each use goes such a long way.
This is by far the most expensive beauty product I’ve purchased and would do it again. In fact, I have for the last 3 years.
What’s the most expensive beauty product you’ve ever purchased? Was it worth it?
