One of my favorite skincare brands, Pai, recently launched a new dry oil called Age Confidence Facial Oil. Instead of labeling it as “anti-aging,” the founder Sarah Brown believes every woman should look and feel confident, comfortable and proud of the skin she’s in, and that there is no age limit to beauty.
I haven’t experienced a lot of signs of aging so far (for your reference, I’m 29. Everyone’s skin ages at a different speed though), but I always love a good dry oil. Pai Echium & Amaranth Age Confidence Oil (60 euros on the Pai site, but I have seen it for around 54 on other retail sites) contains a blend of different oils, out of which echium (rich in Omega 3 & 6) and amaranth (rich in Squalene, a moisturizing agent). It has a light citrus scent (from the lime and mandarin oil) and a viscous texture. According to the instructions, 2-3 drops of oil should be massaged into slightly damp skin at night, until it is fully absorbed.
Pai Echium & Amaranth Age Confidence Oil is extremely rich. Those with combination or oily skin only need to use it once or twice a week (twice to three times for normal skin, and every night for dry skin). After you spread 2-3 drops on your palms and massage it in, it might feel like only a minimum of product has got onto the face. However, for skin that is not very dry, it is enough. It takes a while for the oil to sink into the skin, but I personally don’t mind going to bed with some oil on my face. Just concentrate on the gorgeous skin you’re going to wake up with in the morning!
As I have combination skin, I have to use this oil very sparingly (I got greedy in the beginning and ended up with blackheads growing back faster). However, it does deliver the ‘supercharged dose of vitamins, omegas and essential nutrients” Pai promises. My skin is incredibly bright, plump, smooth, and well-rested in the morning! I have tried many dry oils with great results, but Pai Echium & Amaranth Age Confidence Facial Oil is entirely something else!
While this oil is too rich to use on my face more than once a week, I do use it on my neck and around my eyes almost every day. Here’s the thing: in the past few months, my lids started feeling “thinner.” When I did FOTDs, I could see a “crease” along my socket line at some angles, and I was not ready to take that lying down! After patting Pai Age Confidence Oil on my lids at night for two months, I am relieved to report my lids are now back to their plump and creaseless selves! The result is not temporary like what you might experience with a product that contains alcohol denat or cone. It is real. Even if I skip the oil for a night or two, my lids remain nice and plump! It’s weird how growing up, I prayed and prayed to wake up one morning with a crease like what happens to certain monolidders. When I actually got some kind of “crease,” even though it’s only at certain angles, I panicked and wanted them to just go back to the way they were! But that’s another story for another day…
Bottom line: All in all, I would highly recommend Pai Echium & Amaranth Age Confidence Oil to those with dry skin, or those whose skin is changing with age. It truly nourishes the skin and makes it look as good as it can. Whatever the age, that’s always a great thing! People who have normal or combination skin might still enjoy it when it is used sparingly, but it is most probably too rich for oily skin.
In other news, I hauled some more Pai! I repurchased the eye cream which has been renamed as Echium & Argan Gentle Eye Cream. It used to be called Echium BioRejuvenate Eye Cream, but I checked the ingredient list and nothing has changed. It now says “Age Confidence” on the box as well. I also got Comfrey & Calendula Calming Body Cream. I am increasingly careful about what I put on my skin, and Pai always makes me happy with their clean ingredient lists!
Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx
Here is the ingredient list of Pai Echium & Amaranth Age Confidence Facial Oil: aleurites moluccana seed oil* (kukui oil), argania spinosa kernel oil* (argan oil), borago officinalis seed oil* (borage oil), macadamia ternifolia seed oil* (macadamia oil), vitis vinifera seed oil* (grape seed oil), prunus domestica seed oil* (plum kernel oil), echium plantagineum seed oil (echium oil), amaranthus caudatus seed extract* (amaranth oil), rosa damascena oil* (rose otto oil), hippophae rhamnoides fruit extract* (sea buckthorn oil), litsea cubeba fruit oil* (may chang oil), citrus aurantifolia oil* (lime oil), ocimum basilicum oil* (basil oil), citrus nobilis peel oil* (mandarin oil), rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract (rosemary extract), commiphora mukul resin extract (guggul oil), caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut oil extract), tocopherol (natural vitamin e)
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