Day Glow: Honest Beauty Radiance Serum Review

Today’s post is sponsored by Honest Beauty and Influenceher collective!

Somehow, some way, summer is gone. Over the course of a few, short weeks, we went from sunny days of warm, humid weather to cold, cloudy, dreary, dryness. The downside to all this? My dehydrated skin is a mess and craving all things soothing and hydrating. The plus side of all this? I’m able to apply toners, essences, and serums to my heart’s content!

Price & Availability

$21.99 - $27.99 for 1.0 fl. oz. / 30 mL via Target & Honest Beauty

Product Claims

“Full of antioxidant benefits and helps skin tone appear even — all to bring out your skin’s brilliance. Our vitamin C serum doesn’t stop there. Infused with light reflecting pearl, moisture-attracting hyaluronic acid, and artichoke extract to minimize the appearance of pores, it not only gives you that lit-from-within glow but also helps smooth and increase skin firmness.”

Ingredients

Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Propanediol, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Cynara Scolymus (Artichoke) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Citric Acid, Lysolecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Pullulan, Silica, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Erythritol, Carrageenan, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Isopentyldiol, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower Extract, Cananga Odorata Flower Water, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tin Oxide, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Mica (CI 77019)

This serum does have a nice blend of soothing plant extracts like apple and artichoke, as well as other soothing ingredients like aloe and sodium PCA. It also has sodium hyaluronate which helps keep skin hydrated and plump! It is also free of essential oils and synthetic fragrance.

While this is called a vitamin C serum, it’s not a particularly strong one. It has a vitamin C derivative in the form of sodium ascrobyl phosphate (also referred to as SAP.) Because it’s almost on the bottom of the ingredients list and because Honest Beauty does not publish the percentage that it’s present in the formula, I’m going to guess it’s a relatively small amount. But on the plus side, even percentages as low as 1% of SAP can be effective in brightening and evening skin tone. It’s also gentler than L-ascorbic acids so it could be a better option for those with sensitive skin.

Packaging

The packaging is substantial and is very travel friendly, It’s a plastic bottle with an airless pump. The pump twists and clicks open and shut. I’ve kept it in my makeup bag and haven’t had any issues with it opening unexpectedly. It is honestly one of the most sturdy pump packaging I have tried to date. I also like that it is not unnecessarily bulky; it’s easy to pop into my makeup bag without taking up too much space.

Scent

This doesn’t really smell like anything. It is free of essential oils and synthetic fragrance.

Texture + Application

The texture is pretty light and almost liquidy. There’s a slight pink sheen to it. It absorbs and dries down really quickly. I don’t find it to pill or become tacky. I’ve tried it as the first step in my routine, in the middle of my routine, and as the last step in my routine after sunscreen— it was wore nicely each way.

Results

Before I get into results, I think I need to do a short refresher course on my skin type for reference. My skin is dehydrated and dry in the cooler months. I’m also acne prone and have been dealing with some breakouts due to some haircare I’ve been testing out. SO I’ve been using this a few days a week for the past several weeks.

I’ve been using this two ways. First, as a hydrating serum. Like mentioned above, this has a relatively low amount of a vitamin C derivative. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for me to see any brightening results because I have very stubborn acne scars. Most gentle serums and toners don’t do it for me. BUT it does contain a nice blend of hydrating and soothing ingredients, and worked as a good all-around day serum for me. Plus, because it’s free of essential oils, I didn’t fear this stinging or irritating my breakouts. It has a very light feel to it and absorbed easily. I layered it with thicker serums, oils, and sunscreens, and it didn’t pill.

But my preferred method of application for this product is as a makeup primer. It has a subtle pink shimmer to it that ends up looking really natural. When blended out, it provides a nice luminosity to my skin. Also, because it’s so light and absorbs easily, it doesn’t pill. I also mixed it in with some matte, full coverage foundations which have a tendency to cling to dry patches on my face in the cold. But with this added in, it prevented the foundation from emphasizing said dry spots.