Your straightforward face serums guide on how you choose (and use) the right one.

Anyone else found themselves trying to choose the right products for their skin wishing they’d paid more attention in chemistry class (or something)?           

We’ve come a LONG way since apricot scrub and blackhead strips and I love that for us. But if you’ve ever Googled “what is a peptide” and “where do I even start with serums?” – you are not alone.

It’s a big, wide (extremely confusing) world out there and IF ONLY someone would make all this information slightly more digestible. And, you know... pop it into a simple and effective routine… tailored to our exact skin type. That would be great. Thanks! 

Well, consider your skincare prayers answered.

Today’s your lucky day!

I was introduced to BOOST LAB serums by a fellow beauty writer when I was on the hunt for a very expensive, well-known, cult-ish chemical exfoliant that shall-not-be-named. As I basically asked which of my kids I’d have to sell to get my hands on some, I was told that the BOOST LAB AHA Glow Resurfacing Serum was “just as good”, and the words: “if not better”.

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! SOLD.  

Here's how happy that made me:

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And because I am absolutely incapable of shopping online for just *one thing* I also popped a few more into my cart. I mean, each serum is priced uniformly at $29.95 so would actually have been rude not to.

Image: Supplied. 

I see a lot of beauty research that poses the question “what do you look for in skincare” and for me (and presumably also you?) it's that it WORKS isn’t it? I care not what it looks like, or (within reason) what it costs – I simply want it to do what it says it will. Otherwise, what’s the point?

In order for products to work effectively, though, they need to tick a couple of boxes.

First, you need to be using the right ones for your skin concerns. Which is why it’s extra annoying that shopping for skincare can start to feel like taking a potions class at Hogwarts.

Then, they need to have pure, potent ingredients. Actives (the chemical compounds that get the job done) need to be present in high enough percentages that they have the desired effect. 

Let’s take a few moments to talk about ‘actives’, though, and the levels at which they’re included. Many people believe that a higher percentage of something equals a better, stronger, more effective product. 

This is like saying that a margarita that’s four parts tequila is better than one with two parts tequila, one part lime juice and one part orange liquor.

For a start, that’s no longer a delicious cocktail (it’s rather reckless!), and secondly, your tolerance of it is now going to be much, much less!

Skincare works the same. You CAN have too much of a ‘good thing’. (I’ve burnt my barrier off pushing the ol' percentage boundaries, so I speak from experience here). Just like a cocktail, a fabulous serum is all about balance: a mix of ingredients present in just the right percentages, that they work in synergy to achieve your #skingoals, without unpleasant reactions.

This is also why you should look for formulations that have been dermatologically tested to ensure they’re suitable for all skin types. Irritation ain’t sexy.

Lastly (and let me preface this by saying that this has no bearing on whether or not something will ‘work’ but it’s just really important to me, personally), cruelty free is non-negotiable and I prefer to support Australian owned brands. 

And thus began a love affair with BOOST LAB.

As soon as you get onto the site there is a button right at the top clearly marked SKIN CONCERNS. And when you click it, you get a little drop-down menu with a list of all the areas of concern you may potentially have. 

Me? I tapped ‘eye bags + circles’, ‘uneven tone’, and ‘wrinkles’ in bloody quick succession because I’ve got kids so I’m never not tired, and who doesn’t want to be glowy and seemingly 25 forever?

With the website's suggestions firmly onboard I’d pretty much settled on getting the multi-peptide serum for anti-ageing, a serum for brightening and the serum for around my eyes. But… hold on one hot minute. What was this!?  

Turns out there’s another online function, which you can have your fun with by clicking ‘Skin Advisor’. After selecting your skin type, concerns, gender and age bracket it then uses your location to gauge your UV, humidity and pollution exposure before you get to take a selfie and receive your skin score…

Image: Supplied. 

Only 66!? Rude.

After briefly entertaining the idea that if I moved to a less well-lit area, or maybe lied about my age, I *might* get a higher score, I accepted my face's fate and clicked through to see what these skin wizards that lived inside this website recommended for me.

Image: Supplied. 

I’m an outsourcer from way back, so getting AI algorithms to pick my products? I’m into it.

Plus, the best thing about incorporating targeted serums into your routine is that you don’t need to throw the whole show out and start again. You can continue to use your favourite cleanser and your favourite moisturiser, confident in the knowledge that your BOOST LAB serums are doing all the heavy lifting for you for those pesky problem areas.

This isn’t an overhaul of your skincare, it’s a tune-up. Like sticking a turbo on your car. As these serums are highly potent, you KNOW they're working their ‘lil butts off to get you the results you want, and give your skin a supercharged boost.

While I still haven’t tried that silly, expensive exfoliant to be able to compare product for product, put it this way: I’m no longer looking for it! I am WELL happy with the BOOST LAB AHA Glow Resurfacing serum. Used a couple of nights a week it gently nibbles away all my dead skin cells while I sleep (work smarter, not harder, friends) to give me a fresh and bright complexion come the AM.

I also wanna give an extra special shout-out to the eye reset serum... (told you I’m incapable of buying only one thing!). Just the other week somebody told me “wow, you have literally NO eye bags…” and it’s exactly those sorts of results that I am HERE FOR.

Image: Supplied. 

Feature image: Supplied.

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