Calysta Labs Anti Aging Serum Review
Written by guest contributing author. This post contains sponsored / affiliate links. Disclosure.
I am 43 years old and I’ve never before used a serum on my skin, much less an anti-aging serum. Although I write professionally for the beauty, cosmetics and skincare industry,
I am a low maintenance, working mom who has historically half paid attention to what I’m using on my skin. My go-to has been BodyShop products, which I’ve used since I was in my 20s, because I like the botanicals and natural ingredients that they advertise.
My SkinCare Needs
As a working mom with a hectic household and a hobby that keeps me outside and active, I also don’t have the time for long and complicated skincare, makeup, or hair styling routines – I need to put on quick and go.
I have naturally oily skin on my face, which has helped me to not age as quickly as many of my friends who started to use Botox and get other procedures, and with my red hair, any grey I noticed just blends back in.
That said, I have never been the best about sun protection, and while I’ve maintained a pretty healthy diet for most of my life, my caffeine intake, inconsistent exercise, poor sleep habits, and love of red wine, certainly have started to take a toll. I’m sure the almost 20 years that I spent smoking on and off didn’t help.
Ultimately, I did quit a decade ago. That said though, I would be a poster child for many of the things you are not supposed to do if you want to have beautiful skin in your 40s, 50s, and 60s.
Coincidently, in the last year I noticed that my lifestyle was catching up with my skin. The expression lines in my forehead had gotten deeper and tiny lines around my mouth had become noticeable.
So I started researching and writing for Calysta Labs in February, which was my first real dive into high caliber, scientifically advanced, skincare products. I spent a lot of time researching the ingredients and how they work to enhance the skin, keeping it youthful looking.
I became fascinated with Calysta Labs elegantly simple line of products and the goals for those products from the company’s founder, Dr. Hardik Soni. I jumped at the opportunity to spend two weeks using the Illuminating Anti-Aging Serum and tracking the results.
At the same time, I started to consume less coffee, less red wine, tried to get more sleep, and drink more water, as well as eat as healthy as possible. I backed off of my normal daily morning exfoliation in the shower, but continued to use my normal daily facial sunscreen. I figured I might as well get the most out of the opportunity to sample the serum.
Using Calysta Labs Illuminating Anti-Aging Serum
The simple and elegant packaging left me with no questions on how to use the product. The box contains a 1 ounce bottle with a pump that administers the exact amount of product that is recommended to be used. That pea-sized amount of serum is truly enough to cover the entire face and neck. The instructions were to use every other night for the first few days and then every day. This means that I applied the serum 10 times in 2 weeks.
The serum promises to be a “lightweight but powerful combination of hydroxyacid, retinol and antioxidants that helps even skin’s tone and texture, while also treating blemishes and dark spots, boosting all-over brightness, and helping reduce the appearance of fine lines.” I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with how it delivers results in a very short period of time. The full list of ingredients includes a large number of soothing and invigorating compounds, many of which I was familiar with from my years of engagement with botanical-based products.
Other ingredients I had learned about over the course of a couple of months in doing research and writing on 21st century skin care products. I knew that my new skincare routine would make a difference on my skin, softening the appearance of age, but if I had realized how easy it was I would have begun using Calysta Labs products the moment I was introduced to them.
There was a short period of adjustment for my skin. The first night I applied the serum to my entire face, including the skin around my eyes and my lips, as well as to my neck and chest, which have had a lot of sun exposure over the years and are mottled with freckles. There was an initial stinging sensation around the most sensitive areas of my face and a tingling feeling on my lips.
Having read so much about the aging process of the skin on the backs of hands, I decided to also apply it to them – mine show real signs of sun damage. 10 minutes in, my whole face was tingling and itchy, and a half hour later it was bright red. That, it turns out, was the effect of my skin being introduced to hydroxyacid for the first time and it was a totally normal response, albeit one that made me glad I was using the product before bed and not before venturing out into the world to see people.
By the next morning the redness had faded. My facial skin, especially around my eyes, felt tingly and a little itchy for most of the day. The skin on my hands didn’t have any physical sensations. My face seemed to have a glow to it that I had never experienced.
Day 3, my face still felt a little tingly and my eyelids felt tight all day. I noticed that my complexion looked a little more smooth and clear. Could it be possible, I thought, that after just one use, there could be a noticeable difference? That evening when I put on the second application of the serum, I noticed no stinging or redness. I was thrilled!
Day 4, my lips, which I had been applying the serum to, felt noticeably soft and full. My skin was still looking better than it had before I started to use Calysta Labs Illuminating Anti-Aging Serum, and when I applied it that evening it felt like it was nourishing my skin.
Every day after that I used the serum and I loved it. I noticed that one week in, the entire tone of my skin was markedly better and I looked healthier and more youthful, but I did developed two blemishes. One was on my cheek and one was on my jawline. This was likely my skin cleansing itself of toxins.
The Remarkable Results: Best Anti-Aging Serum
Today, two weeks in, my hands, lips, eyes, forehead and around my mouth all look younger and I feel more beautiful. I’ve also had a lot of people comment that I look great. You can see why in the before and after pictures. I know I still have a ways to go, but Calysta Labs will see me through to looking years younger.
I give two thumbs up and four stars to Dr. Hardik Soni for creating this product and I can attest that $69 for one ounce of this serum is money very well spent!
