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First Impressions

Many moons ago, I worked in a spa that sold Skin Ceuticals products. And if you’re at all familiar with what beauty editors everywhere have dubbed “liquid gold,” AKA Skin Ceuticals CE Ferulic, then you get where I’m going with this. I got it at a discount, and now that I’m no longer employed there, I can’t even afford it on a good month. It took me a long time to recover from this blow—to my ego and skincare routine—but I and my skin survived, and I’m glad we did, because I found CE Ferulic’s affordable replacement: Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Day Serum.

When this first ran across my desk, I immediately identified with it due to the brand name, because I can’t tell you how many booze-and-pizza-fueled Saturday nights I have totally felt like a drunk elephant…like, back in college, of course. Not now. I’m like, a super sophisticated beauty editor now…but I digress.

Just like the infamous CE Ferulic, C-Firma’s main ingredients are L-Ascorbic Acid (both have 15%), Ferulic acid, and Vitamin E. Thanks to this, and a host of other healthy-skin ingredients (seen here), C-Firma boasts the following benefits:

-Improves cellular renewal, digesting dead skin and decongesting pores
-Brightens, lightens, and de-puffs the skin
-Fights aging: promotes collages synthesis and firmness, treats fine lines and wrinkles
-Hydrates, heals, and rejuvenates
-Protects against UV rays

While I’ll admit CE Ferulic is a bit more potent than C-Firma, this product is still potent. In fact, I very stupidly used it directly following a somewhat abrasive at-home peel, and suffered a tiny bit of irritation (both products work wonderfully separately, just don’t use one after the other), which is just to prove this formula’s potency, so don’t use on broken skin, and start slowly if you have sensitive skin.

The consistency is a smidgen heavier than a serum, to make for easier application, and the scent is the same of most Vitamin C serums—it’s not meant to smell tasty, it’s meant to be effective.

I obviously can’t yet speak personally on its long term anti-aging effects, but I did notice its tightening and brightening powers already at work. My skin just looks generally healthier and more even-toned with continued use. Bonus: since this product is affordable, I feel justified in using on my neck and décolletage, and on the backs of my hands.

As our “crunchy” beauty editor, I love that this brand takes a cleaner approach to their formulas, leaving out things like parabens, synthetic fragrances, SLES/SLS, etc. I also adore the clean look of their line, and their bright, punchy colors. The only thing I didn’t immediately like about this packaging was the opaque plastic bottle and choice of a pump, because I’m frugal and have this phobia of wasting product that the pump can’t reach and I can’t see. However for this particular product, its packaging serves a purpose: to prevent the sun and air from hitting the serum, causing the Vitamin C to lose its efficacy.

All in all, I think this is the perfect tonic of bright, healthy skin ingredients that everyone could benefit from.

Buy here.