I’ll be honest—when it comes to skincare, I’ve always been a bit of a skeptic. Every brand promises glowing, flawless skin that’ll have you looking like the model on the packaging and feeling like you could change the world (or at least get a few compliments at Tesco). And while I’m no dermatologist, I have dealt with my fair share of skin issues. I’ve tried it all—luxury brands, drugstore bargains, whatever TikTok is obsessed with this week, and anything with over four stars on Google. 

But this past year, something new hit me: discolouration. Specifically, a shadow above my lip that made me look like I’d grown a moustache in solidarity with Movember. Mortified, I frantically searched for answers online, only to find advice that pointed straight to laser treatments or a pricey dermatologist visit. Through gritted teeth, I resigned myself to it—this is just my face now, I thought. 

 

That was until I started working with Miss Kelemen, our lead Plastic Surgeon. She’s mentioned SkinCeuticals a few times before, usually with glowing praise—and to be fair, her skin is basically luminous. Still, I smiled, nodded politely, and wrote it off as another high-end brand with too-good-to-be-true promises. I mean, I’m 29, an ex-sunbed enthusiast, and only started taking SPF seriously a few years ago—surely my skin was past saving with just “a few serums.” 

 

But curiosity (and Miss Kelemen’s radiant skin) got the better of me. I asked her for a recommendation—not expecting to be sold on SkinCeuticals, mind you—and before I knew it, she’d armed me with a whole science-backed lineup and a stack of samples: 

 

 

She also gave me some golden rules: 

 

 

So, off I trotted to my local beauty store, picked up a toner and SPF, and left with the (slightly naïve) hope that I’d wake up the next morning looking like I’d had a facial, a filter, and 10 hours of sleep. Spoiler alert: I didn’t. But… I also wasn’t far off.. 

Four weeks in, and with a week’s worth of samples still to go, the results speak for themselves. No filters. No flattering lighting tricks. Just honest before-and-afters—and I can’t believe how much better my skin looks. I’m no longer avoiding mirrors in daylight or piling on makeup to feel like myself. 

So, here’s the takeaway: I didn’t want to love these products. I wanted to prove them wrong. But here I am, eating my words (and maybe placing an order). If you’re sitting on the skincare fence, skeptical like I was, maybe—just maybe—it’s worth a go.