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In case you haven’t heard it enough already, vitamin C is a major game-changer when it comes to fading dark spots, evening skin tone, and adding a glow to your complexion. I’ve tried a couple of vitamin C serums before, and things didn’t always go as planned. I learned that it can take time to find a formula that suits your skin type and needs, but one you shouldn’t overlook is The INKEY List’s 15% Vitamin C + EGF Serum.
For one, the brand touts it as a powerful yet gentle face serum, and considering vitamin C can sometimes be too potent (and therefore cause irritation), this is music to our ears. It’s made with 15 percent ascorbyl glucoside, which works to brighten and protect skin. Additionally, plant-based peptide Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) helps get rid of any dullness in your complexion and makes skin appear firmer, per the brand.
Not to mention, this vitamin C serum doesn’t sit on top of your skin or leave behind a sticky residue (a.k.a. the worst). The formula is lightweight and absorbs fast, creating the perfect canvas for the remainder of your skincare routine.
Can you believe a serum with all these powers only costs $16? Correction: It’s down to $12 as part of The INKEY List’s post-Cyber Monday sale. Take 25 percent off of the entire site while you can.
The INKEY List.
The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C + EGF Serum
On Sale 25% off
If you’re dealing with hyperpigmentation, dull skin, or uneven skin tone, you’re going to want The INKEY List’s 15% Vitamin C + EGF Serum on hand. The ingredient list speaks for itself, but you likely also want to hear what reviewers have to say about their experience using the product.
“It makes your skin so glowy! My skin was kind [of] dull before but now, it glow[s] even with no products on. Gives you that natural lit-from-within glow. It’s a fave,” one five-star shopper raved.
“This is super light and hydrating, a little goes a long way. My skin is bright and clear again,” another one wrote.
“I’ve tried a few Vitamin C serums, trying to find that wonder product that works but doesn’t inflame my very sensitive skin. This is the one! I’ve been using it for a week and already starting to see improvements in my skin tone,” another reviewer commented.
For application, you’re going to want to pay special attention to this part. Vitamin C is a skincare MVP, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some rules to follow. Make sure to apply this product in the morning to reap all of its antioxidant benefits. This serum should come after your cleanser and before your moisturizer. As usual, top everything off with a sunscreen.
Vitamin C is an amazing ingredient, but The INKEY List does not recommend mixing it with other skincare products that contain retinol, alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, or apple cider vinegar), or beta hydroxy acids. If you don’t want to have to completely alter your regimen, try using this vitamin C serum in the morning and everything else in the evening.
A shopper-approved vitamin C serum that doesn’t cost a fortune? Stock up now to get glowing. And don’t forget everything else on The INKEY List’s site is also marked down during its post-Cyber Monday sale. Keep scrolling for some of the brand’s other best-sellers.
Welcome to “Splurge/Save,” a series in which we quiz beauty obsessives about the top luxury (“splurge”) and drugstore (“save”) products in their routines.
Amy Chang — the Los Angeles-based digital content creator known to her many followers on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok as @bondenavant — has some opinions when it comes to beauty products. She’s tested just about everything worth trying, and her fans know they can trust her for honest takes on formulas, treatments and trends. It’s Chang’s grounded, relatable presence, on social media platforms that can often feel overwhelming, that keeps fans coming back.
Born in South Korea but raised in Minnesota, Chang says her passion for beauty stems from her “Sicilian and French Canadian” mother.
“She always has a full face, even if we’re outside in the woods hiking,” Chang tells Fashionista. “She always has lipstick on — she reapplies it throughout the day, even when she’s home alone. This I still don’t understand, but she says, ‘Amy, I just apply it for myself.’”
At 19, Chang temporarily dropped out of college and got a job working at a Shiseido counter, where she recalls first falling in love with skin care. “That little seed of passion was there, it just needed another push,” she says. “When I went back to college, I got an internship at L’Oréal, at Shu Uemura in their PR department, and thought that this was going to be my path.” She spent years working in beauty and then hospitality public relations in New York City before experiencing burnout.
“My boyfriend at the time — now husband — asked me to move to L.A., and I was like, ‘Sure, let’s do it. Let’s go on another adventure,’” she says. “I knew I didn’t want to go back to an agency life, so I started a blog about beauty and wellness, things that I was exploring in this new world of L.A., like Botox and fillers and lasers and smoothies and juice cleanses.”
What initially began as a “passion project” eventually grew into a full-time career as a beauty content creator.
“I think I was just always searching for connection with other women, and my blog allowed me to have that,” Chang says. “I met so many interesting women along the way, and I had the best time talking with them and sharing what I’m exploring and what works and what doesn’t.”
Chang’s product vetting process is thorough and practiced, though it differs depending on the formula: “Cleansers, I can get a pretty good sense after the first couple of uses of how my skin is going to respond, so I feel like I’m switching out much more frequently than any of the other products. Serums, I give at least a month to see, ‘Okay, what is this doing?’ If I’m not seeing anything after a month of consistent use, I’m kind of like, ‘Okay, this is not happening.’ I need to be seeing something there, even if it’s just a little improvement.”
Whether she’s choosing to cover a product on her channels organically or deciding to partner with a brand, Chang always asks herself three questions: “Is this a product that I would spend my own money on if I didn’t already, if it was gifted? Is this a product that I would re-purchase? Is this a product that I would recommend to my sister, my mom, my best friend? If it’s yes to all three, then I bring it to my audience.”
Ahead, Chang shares her top “splurge” and “save” beauty picks across a wide variety of categories.
Photo: Courtesy of Amy Chang
Mascara: “I have non-existent eyelashes. You can’t even see them. This is just the byproduct of being Asian. They’re straight, thin, limp, short. My budget-friendly one that I love is No. 7 360 Waterproof Mascara in Dark Brown ($10.99). It does such a great job of lifting and providing a little curl. It doesn’t smudge. And dark brown is the thing — I feel like this past year, I’ve really opened myself to brown eyeliner and brown mascara, and it has been a game-changer. It’s such a soft look for daytime, and it makes me look like I don’t have anything on my eyes. Black is more dramatic; I wear that for nighttime.
“For high-end, I love the Tower 28 MakeWaves Mascara ($20). I don’t know if it’s because the founder is Asian and so she probably was creating this product for herself, but I love it. It builds up really well. It gives a nice curl, and it holds and lengthens my short lashes.”
Cleanser: “The ‘low’ is an OG in my household: the CeraVe Cream-to-Foam Cleansing Face Wash ($14.99). It works for everyone in my family. I’ve dealt with dermatitis. My kids have dermatitis and eczema patches. I use it on them, on myself, on my husband. I even use it as shampoo on my kids, and it’s phenomenal. I love that product.
“For ‘high,’ I really like the Philosophy Purity Foaming Cleanser ($27). At first, I was kind of like, ‘I don’t know about Philosophy brand.’ There’s something about the bubble baths. It seemed very… not serious skin care, right? But then I tried this cleanser, and it’s so good. I have sensitive skin, and it has salicylic acid in it. It’s extremely gentle. It helps to clear up clogged pores and blackheads. It’s one of my favorite cleansers now.”
Sunscreen: “Beauty of Joseon ($10.29) is a Korean SPF that went viral last year for a reason. I mean, it’s $10. It has the lightest texture. There’s no white cast. It’s just a beautifully crafted SPF. The only hesitation I have with it personally is that there’s no tint, and for someone like myself who’s dealing with melasma and pigment, wearing tinted SPF is really essential because it protects against that blue light which can stimulate the melanin production of pigment.
“On a day-to-day basis, I really do reach for the EltaMD Tinted SPF 41 ($36.50) for sensitive skin. I’ve been using it for years. I love it because it’s formulated to be used post-laser and chemical peel. That’s actually when I first got introduced to it — I had a Fraxel laser done, and my dermatologist recommended I use this SPF. I also really like the SkinCeuticals Fusion SPF 50 ($36). It also has a tint, so I feel good that I’m getting that extra protection from the blue light. It has more of a watery texture to it.”
Shampoo and conditioner: “The luxury one almost pains me a little bit to recommend it because it’s so expensive. Well, I love it. It’s the Augustinus Bader Shampoo ($55). The thing is that it’s a shampoo that the more you use it, the better your hair will get. Typically, shampoos are like a face cleanser: You want one that’s not going to be damaging, that’s going to be gentle — yeah, it can contribute some benefits, but because it’s a wash-off product, it’s not going to be as dramatic as a hair serum, so you really just want to find something that’s gentle that works for your hair type. But this, I actually notice improvements in my hair with continued use.
“For the budget-friendly one, I’m a really big fan of Kristin Ess Extra Gentle Shampoo ($11). I think there are five or six different surfactants in it. When you shop for a shampoo, one of the best indicators if it’s good or not is how many detergents they use, because if there’s two different types of detergents to get a foaming action, they need a lot of each of those two detergents. But if you have five or six different kinds and you just need a little bit of each one, there’s less possibility that you’re going to get an irritation or a reaction to that detergent. It also has a lot of film-forming humectants, which add moisture to the strands. When people think about hydration for hair, they’re always thinking butters and oils, which, yes, are great, but you really need things that will bind water to the strand, too. Butters and oils can really weigh down strands. It’s the film-forming humectants that really give that moisture that makes hair kind of flexible and bouncy.
“For conditioners, I love the accompanying conditioner for the Augustinus Bader [shampoo] ($55). I also really like the Briogeo Mango Cherry Conditioner ($30). If you have fine, thin hair, you want one that doesn’t have too many of these rich butters and stuff, because it’s going to weigh it down.”
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Retinoid: “I just recently got back on the retinol train after a very long hiatus. I’m using the SkinCeuticals 0.3 Retinol ($70), which I think is just one of the best if you have sensitive skin. It’s a targeted delivery system.
“For the budget-friendly one, I like the CeraVe ($20.99). I find that it’s a little intense. I go slower with those budget-friendly ones. I think they try to pack a little more punch into them.”
Eye cream: “For the ‘low,’ I’ve loved The Inkey List Caffeine Serum ($13.79) for years. The only drawback is that it doesn’t have anti-aging benefits to it, but it gives you that immediate payoff of helping with dark circles because that’s my problem. Caffeine is a vasodilator, so it helps with improving blood flow. And it’s $10 and it just brightens it right away.
“On the higher end, when I’ve been using nightly, I love the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye ($70). It’s so funny because I feel like this product has been around forever, but they recently reformulated it and added in this technology that has this antioxidant blend that helps block the blue light. With studies coming out and finding that blue light damages collagen and elastin and helps to stimulate that pigment, I think about all the time in the day I spend in front of a screen — I wake up, grab my phone, go to the Peloton screen, to the TV screen, to my computer screen, back to my phone screen at night and then I go to bed. There literally is no break. It’s very sad.”
Body scrub or wash: “The Kopari KP Volcanic Ash Scrub ($26) is hands down my favorite body scrub. That’s really good.
“I’d say on lower end for body wash, I really love the Raw Sugar Body Wash in Watermelon and Fresh Mint ($7.99). It’s really gentle, it smells great, it’s only $10 and you get this huge bottle.”
“I really love the Rare Beauty Eyeliner ($22). It’s really wet, so you have to be careful, but it’s amazing at getting that really sharp winged eyeliner look.”
Blush: “The one that I’ve used the longest and really stayed true — I feel like I always come back to it — is Nars Orgasm ($32). That’s just an OG. I love that one.
“For the ‘low’ pick, I like the W3ll People Stick Blush ($22). I just tried it the other day and it’s really nice.”
Foundation: “Kosas Revealer Foundation ($42). I like that it’s really hydrating. On days that I use it, I don’t use any moisturizer. I’ll just put my SPF on and then I’ll put my foundation on. I really like the Summer Fridays Skin Tint ($42). It’s super sheer. That’s for the days where I feel like my skin is looking great and I don’t actually want that much.
Essence or toner: “I love the SK-II Pitera ($185). That’s really great because it has that fermented yeast that has the B vitamins. It’s so expensive. And for the longest time, I was like, ‘Come on. Really? Why is this so expensive?’ But then I used it and actually noticed a huge difference in the redness on my face, especially around my chin and nostrils. And it did help with my pigment, oddly. I can’t deduce exactly what’s causing it, which really perplexes me because I’m like, ‘How could just the B vitamins and this fermented yeast do this?’ But I think it helps with the skin barrier, really strengthening it. That’s how it helps with the pigment and the spots and the redness.
“I really like the Cocokind Rosewater Toner ($17.99). I’m a big fan of rose water. I constantly spray it on my scalp, on my face; when my girls get itchy, I spray it on them.”
Highlighter: “Everyone is just obsessed with the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter ($46). I use it in a shade lighter than what they recommend for my skin because it really gives a lot of brightness to the face.
“There’s the viral dupe, and it works just as well — it’s called the L’Oréal Lumi Glotion ($15.99). It works just as well at giving that same kind of high beam, strobe light, really big brightness to the skin. The difference is the consistency: The Lumi Glotion is very thin and lightweight, and the Charlotte Tilbury one is thicker.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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Over the summer, I was traveling around from place to place, lugging around hoards of makeup products in a huge bag. It was disorganized. It was chaotic. And tragically, it ended with exploded products and, often, tears.
Throughout my travels, I found it very difficult to fit my full-sized makeup, skincare, and brushes into a tiny travel bag. When I attended Coachella, TSA threw out half of my makeup and an expensive Olaplex set because they were too large. I’m still traumatized.
As a solution, I had the grand idea to curate a travel size makeup bag filled with all of the essentials that would pass through airport security with flying colors. Groundbreaking.
The skincare is even worse. The Magic Cream and Magic Serum minis retail for around $30 each, all for 0.5 ounces of product. You can get around five full-sized The Ordinary serums for the price of one mini Charlotte Tilbury. Make it make sense.
While Charlotte’s full-sized products are well worth your dollar, their minis are an instant skip. An abomination to the mini makeup community. A laughable joke, if you will.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened my Sephora bag, so to save you this heartbreak, I compiled a list of the best minis for your travel bag. May your makeup bag be locked and loaded at all times.
Mini Makeup Forever Foundation
This classic foundation is full-coverage and gives your skin a flawless finish. It’s perfect for your travel bag to get you through your vacation without having to lug your full-size bottle with you.
Milk The Starter Pack Set
There’s no better way to build your makeup bag than with a set of minis. This set contains the mini Hydrogrip Primer and Setting Spray, RISE mascara, and full-sized Matte Bronzer. All for $28.
Tarte SEA Power Flex Concealer
This mini concealer is currently on sale at Sephora and is super hydrating. With a near five-star rating, it’s full coverage and glowy.
Rare Beauty Mini Kind Words Matte Lip Duo
You need a lip kit in your travel bag, and Rare Beauty is one of the best. This $20 lip kit is the perfect natural rose tone and is ready to go at all times. It contains both a mini lipstick and lip liner, all you need.
NARS Mini Orgasm X Blush
The NARS Orgasm blush shade is famous for a reason. This highly pigmented powder in the mini size will last you forever and give you a sun-kissed look year-round.
The INKEY List Winter Skin 101
INKEY List is similar to The Ordinary because they are both affordably priced, effective skincare brands. This set has everything you need while traveling to keep up with your skincare routine: Cleansing Balm, Hyaluronic Acid Serum, Retinol Serum, and Caffeine De-Puffing Eye Cream all for $25.
Sephora Collection Essential Mini Brush Set
This $20 set of mini brushes has only the essentials: a foundation brush, concealer brush, shadow brush, and crease brush. It’s only the basics, but you’ll thank yourself when your bag isn’t packed with all of your huge brushes.
Don’t waste your money on Charlotte Tilbury minis when you can get 4x the products for the same price…and happy traveling!
All products featured are independently selected by our editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.
