Ultraceuticals Balance Set for Normal to Oily Skin

Occasionally, I'll find a really interesting beauty product at Marshall's or TJMaxx, and recently I struck gold at TJ's.  I'd never heard of the brand, Ultraceuticals, but this boxed set was for normal to oily skin and looked right up my alley.  Plus, it was marked down to $7, so for that price I figured I'd give it a shot.  Turns out, it was a good decision!

After doing some research, I discovered that Ultraceuticals was developed by cosmetic physician Dr Geoffrey Heber and is entirely Australian made and owned. The products and treatments offer doctor’s-office efficacy and their Australian heritage gives the brand an understanding of protecting and rejuvenating skin placed under the harshest conditions in the world – the Australian sun.  Having grown up on the Gulf Coast and having over indulged in the sun more than a few times, this is important to me.  Anything that can aid my sun damaged skin gets my attention, pronto.

Using a combination of sophisticated, patented delivery systems and potent, proven anti-ageing stars like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs), each product is formulated with maximum safety and effectiveness, giving results which you can actually see.  They developed a breakthrough patented transdermal vitamin C delivery system, the first of it’s kind which allows for benefits of the ingredient at a level never seen before. Ultraceuticals has since expanded the use of the cutting-edge component into a comprehensive regimen of vitamin C-infused products.  Some pretty impressive before and after pictures are available here. 

These are quality products, as evidenced by their packaging, just to start with.  They have expiration dates, which is important in products containing vitamin C.  The containers keep light out and protect the ingredients.  Little things like that are a tell tale sign to me that the company isn't just jumping on the bandwagon by including certain ingredients such as vitamin C, but then compromising their effectiveness with poor packaging (I'm thinking of you, Ole Henriksen, and your age defying duo set I recently reviewed). 

First up is the Even Skintone Serum, which provides gentle exfoliation with ingredients such as Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, and Salicylic Acid.  This serum is supposed to help smooth skin and even skin tone.  I use it in the morning after cleansing and prior to applying the Ultra Hydrating Gel.

The Ultra Hydrating Gel is a lightweight moisturizer that I find works well with my oily skin.  I need something hydrating but light that does not add sheen to my skin, and this fits the bill.

Last, but not least, is the Ultra Sheer Facial Cream that contains 20% of pure vitamin C, and is supposed to aid with collagen synthesis.  I've read that a 10% concentration of vitamin C is the least amount for effectiveness in skin care products, so 20% would imply a concentrated enough amount to see some results.  Instructions recommend starting with every other night application, but I jumped right in with daily use.  I can feel a slight stinging immediately after applying the cream.   I use a moisturizer on top of this.

I've been using this set for about 3 weeks now, and I can see a difference.  My pores are smaller and the clarity of my skin has improved.  I'm hoping that with continued use some melasma on my left cheek will lesson. I'm also hoping it will help with the under the skin bumps and congested skin I'm plagued with.  Some online reviews I read seemed to indicate good results in this area, so fingers crossed!


Now here's the shocker (or maybe not) - this stuff is expensive.  The serum is $74. The hydrating gel is about $74.  The vitamin C cream is $115.  My set had a full size of the serum and deluxe sample sizes of the gel and cream, so for $7 I got about $150 of product.  Thank you TJMaxx!  I'm going to seriously consider purchasing the serum and vitamin C cream once I run out.  Beauty Collection is one online US retailer that carries some Ultraceutical products.