Paula's Choice Calm Skincare for Sensitive Skin Review
Paula's Choice Calm Skincare for Sensitive Skin Review
I was really excited to try the Paula’s Choice Calm since I have combination skin (oily t-zone with normal cheeks and dry patches by nose and eyes) that is also sensitive with a bit of redness on my cheeks.
As always, I read product ingredients before putting them on my skin, and as expected Paula’s Choice didn’t disappoint. All the ingredients in the Calm line I could use without worries of my skin freaking out.
I have tried Paula’s Choice before and there are a few items that are staples in my routine, so I was so glad to be able to try out some of their new products.
I like that everything in this line has no fragrance, no added colors, no chemical sunblocks and no sodium lauryl sulfates, which are things I avoid because they irritate my skin.
If you want to see the other products I have tried make sure to check out my previous review on the customized routine they created for me. The Paula’s Choice Calm line comes in two skin types: Normal to Oily and Normal to Dry. I'm using the normal to oily line, which fits best with my combination skin. I have been testing these products over the past few weeks and I’ll be sharing my thoughts with you guys.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Paula's Choice via Pretty in my Pocket, some links below are affiliate links, items are press samples. I was paid to review these products, I was not paid for my opinion and all opinions are my own.
Let’s Go Over The Products!
A cleanser is the first step in my skincare routine, so first up is the Calm Redness Relief Cleanser. The Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Cleanser retails for $17 for 6.7 ounces. I have been using this cleanser every night and some mornings.
I really enjoy the texture; it is like a gel-cream that doesn’t lather. I have been using this for my second cleanse, as I still need an oil cleanser to remove my makeup before doing a cleanse. I wear quite a bit of heavy, waterproof, and colorful makeup. If you wear lighter makeup day to day, this product may be enough to do your makeup removal and it’s mild enough for your eye area. It also hasn’t irritated my skin at all and leaves my skin feeling clean, without feeling dry.
The next step in my routine is the Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Toner. The Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Toner retails for $20 for 4 ounces.
I have been using it day and night and I use a cotton pad to apply it to my face and neck. It has a nice silky, almost bubbly feel on the skin and leaves my skin feeling lightly hydrated. It also has anti-oxidants, which is something I look for to fight free-radical damage.
I also only use toners that are alcohol free and fragrance free, which the Paula’s Choice Calm Redness Relief Toner is, so it’s a great fit for me.
Only at night time have I used the Calm Redness Relief 1% BHA Lotion Exfoliant. The Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief 1% BHA Lotion Exfoliant retails for $26 for 3.3 ounces. This is my favorite product from this line for sure, and this is going to be something I’ll be repurchasing.
If you read my review when I first tried Paula’s Choice, I tried their 2% BHA Gel which I liked and have continued to use, but it would always leave my skin looking a bit dry the next day, especially in the winter months. I figured this was just life with sensitive skin, and since I was seeing results with texture and tone it was worth two days a week with a bit of dry skin.
However, the Calm Redness Relief 1% BHA Lotion Exfoliant gives me the results I was wanting, in terms of smoothing the texture of my skin and the tone, without the dryness the next day and I am able to use it daily
! Salicylic acid is the BHA in this product, and my skin does really well with salicylic acid in terms of keeping it clear and smooth. Keep in mind, if you are allergic to aspirin, you’ll need to skip products with salicylic acid. It also has Licorice extract, which is another ingredient I like to use on my skin, as it is has anti-inflammatory properties and also improves tone. This product can be used once or twice a day, and I personally use it once at nighttime only after I tone and it’s working very well. Overall, I am a big fan of this product!
I have been using the Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Repairing Serum either just in my morning skincare or sometimes both day and night. It retails for $32 for 1 ounce. After the first few uses I didn’t see any results, but with continued use over the last few weeks the redness I have has been lessening.
I have redness on the lower part of my cheeks that bothers me, and it’s starting to improve after I started using this product. I am going to continue to use the Redness Relief Repairing Serum in hopes to completely remove the redness so I don’t have to add additional foundation to that area. Let me know in the comments if you’d like a follow-up post after 12 weeks of use.
This was formulated for skin with rosacea, which I do not have, so those with it may see different results than I have. Like the other products, this has lots of ingredients I like and look for. It has Licorice root which was also in the Calm Redness Relief 1% BHA Lotion Exfoliant, as well as ceramides, which helps restore the skin's barrier. The Hyaluronic acid, which can hold 1000 times it’s weight in water, is great for hydration and preventing moisture loss from the skin.
The last step for nighttime is the Calm Redness Relief Moisturizer, which is my penultimate step when I wear it during the day. The Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Moisturizer retails for $28 for 2 ounces.
I like that it has a thick texture, rather than the thin lotion-like texture that most moisteners for oily skin tend to be. What I also like is with the ticker more silky feel, it still is lightweight on my skin. I may have combination skin, but I prefer more creamy textures in my skincare if I can get them.
Lots of great antioxidants for free-radical protection and the anti-irritants to keep skin calm, like green tea, licorice root, and willow herb which are things I look for in a moisturizer. I find that this product does a good job of leaving my skin feeling hydrated. I do find that it doesn’t sit very well under heavier foundations.
It wears well under my Makeup Forever HD foundation which is more of a medium coverage foundation, but under the Marc Jacobs Remarcable foundation which is full coverage it looks fine at first but my foundation breaks up more over the day.
In the summer I typically only wear a sunscreen during daytime so this isn’t a summer time issue, but I would switch this out in the morning if was wearing a fuller coverage foundation, but it’s been working well for nighttime.
The last step in the daytime for me is the Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief SPF 30 Mineral Moisturizer which retails for $28 for two ounces. The Calm Redness Relief SPF 30 Mineral Moisturizer is actually the same formula as the Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 30! I started using this sunscreen without looking too much into it, but after a few uses I realized it was really similar to the Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 30, which is the sunscreen I normally use in my skincare and is my favorite mineral based sunscreen.
I looked at the back and check the ingredients and indeed they were the same. I popped over the PC website, and they confirm in a FAQ that it is the same formula repackaged for the Calm line since it is appropriate for sensitive skin.
It is a Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide based sunblock, so it creates a physical barrier that reflects the sun’s rays. I appreciate this, as most chemical sun blocks irritate my skin, so finding physical sunblocks that sit nicely under makeup is something I look for and is the reason I have continued to use the Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 30 in my skincare.
If you want even more information about this sunscreen, you can read my in-depth review on the Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 30/Calm Redness Relief SPF 30 Mineral Moisturizer.