Would you rather spend $80 or $13?

$13, you tell me. No questions asked. But what if you were paying for a better quality product? Would you be willing to spend more?

Skincare is nothing new but more and more brands are coming out with new products every month. It’s impossible to try everything and be able to form a full opinion but what you put on your face is important. Some drugstore brands may use harmful chemicals because they are cheaper to manufacture. However, more luxurious and high end brands are accused of the same thing.

One high end brand named Drunk Elephant prides themselves on avoiding the “suspicious 6.” These ingredients include:

Silicones (pore clogging, skin drying, and acne causing)

Chemical Screens (interferes with the body’s natural hormones)

Fragrances (irritating to the skin)

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS (pollutes the environment and extremely irritating to the skin)

Drying Alcohols (makes skin prone to acne and sensitivity)

Essential Oils (can interact with medications and no way to tell how much of the oil is actually the original oil)

Their philosophy is that less is more and all natural ingredients when it comes to skin products and the company uses the product packaging for their ingredients to stabilize them. The products are also made in the USA.

Over a year ago, I learned about Drunk Elephant and gave it a try. Specifically, I tried their C-Firma Day Serum which retails for 80 USD. The DE website says C-Firma is a powerful antioxidant serum that is active for up to 72 hours and cannot be washed off. The website also claims that this serum will make your skin brighter and more even while diminishing dark spots and wrinkles.

For more information about the pH levels and ingredients click here.

Because I am 22, my wrinkles are scarce but in my year of using this serum I have found that the other claims to be true. I usually use this serum every other day and I have noticed that in addition to brightening my skin and making it have an even complexion, it is also very moisturizing.

Some reviews have complained about the smell, the closest thing I can describe it to is a light hotdog scented body mist. I say body mist because it is not strong and it goes away very quickly.

So it is safe to say, I love this product.

BUT 80USD IS SO MUCH MONEY.

Granted, I only have had to buy it twice. But I’m in college, I need money for after-college. I needed to experiment with other vitamin c serums.

Vitamin C is something that I recommend everyone to add into their skincare routine. First thing is a cleanser and moisturizer but if you were to add anything additional, vitamin c is a must. It is so important because it stimulates collagen production, helps reduce sun damage, and helps decrease dry skin along with so many other benefits.

So after doing some research, I decided to give The Ordinary a chance. The Ordinary is an extremely affordable skincare brand that can be found on Beautylish, Beautybay and Sephora websites.

According to The Ordinary’s website, their philosophy seems to be pretty similar to Drunk Elephant’s. They formulate their products with honesty and integrity and believe that less is more, especially when it comes to their prices.

After looking into their options for vitamin c, I settled on their Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% which is a water-based stabilized vitamin c derivative. It claims to brighten skin, improve fine lines and uneven skin tones. The bottle comes with 30ml and is silicone-, alcohol-, animal fat- and mercury-free. It seemed very similar to the DE C-Firma EXCEPT C-Firma has animal fat and mercury in it. This makes C-Firma not vegan, if you’re into that kind of thing.

You can read more about the ingredients of the AGS 12% here!

So, three weeks ago I bought the 12.90 USD serum from The Ordinary via Beautylish.com (plus $5 shipping) (which isn’t that bad) (on Beautylish its free US shipping after $35) and so I can give it a two-week trial run.

And the verdict?

I’m never buying the Drunk Elephant C-Firma again. Unless, maybe, I’m wealthy and want it for aesthetic reasons in the guest bathroom.

The Ordinary’s Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% has made my skin incredibly even, supple and soft. I feel brighter and have noticed less texture on my cheekbones. I use it every day in the morning, instead of the every other day method with DE, but it’s definitely not an issue. It feels very good after application. Sometimes the DE would get oily and sticky but TO’s sinks into the skin and leaves me ready for moisturizer.

I’m happy I decided to take this step to find a new serum. It saved me a bunch of coin and I’m excited to try other items from The Ordinary.