By now, you're likely familiar with our (very fabulous) sister skincare line, Versed. It's affordable ($22 and under) and composed of 22 sustainbly sourced, nontoxic, results-driven skin essentials. From cleansers to serums to masks to toners to a super-delectable oil for your lips, Versed has quickly become one of the most beloved skincare brands among WWW readers, editors, even celebrities, and facialists. My mom (who's 73, fabulous, and obsessed with her skin) has also given the brand two thumbs-up, and the fact that we're coming up on Versed's first birthday come May is absolutely mind-boggling to me considering how much buzz and love it's managed to garner in our community.
As Who What Wear's beauty editor, I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the brand's must-have products pre-launch last year, so this month actually marks the one-year point of my first introduction to the line. I'm super nitpicky when it comes to skincare, and my skin is also sensitive and acne-prone. Not to sound like a product snob, but when it comes to skincare, I'm a product snob, and I have very particular tastes in ingredients and formulations.
Of course, I knew that Who What Wear's savviest beauty experts and researchers were behind Versed's magic, but that didn't necessarily mean I would love all of the products. That said, one year after being introduced to the brand, I honestly use 10 of the 22 products regularly within my skin regimen and love to shout my appreciation for them from the rooftops. (Especially considering how clean and affordable they are compared to some of my other go-to skin saviors.) Ahead, I'm sharing my top 10 Versed products one year into experimenting and testing everything from the line. Keep scrolling!
1. Weekend Glow Daily Brightening Solution
There are two types of people in this world: toner people and non-toner people. I, for the record, am definitely the former. Though experts say they're not completely necessary, I feel like my skin gets a far deeper clean and looks significantly brighter whenever I use this new glow-enhancing toner from Versed. Since I struggle with acne and some stubborn post-breakout marks and scarring, the gentle melding of kojic and azelaic acids, AHAs, bearberry extract, and vitamin C is the perfect antidote to keep things under control. I've seen a noticeable difference in the texture and tone of my complexion since I started using it regularly morning and night.
2. Press Restart Gentle Retinol Serum
I really wasn't a retinol person until I met this affordable formula from Versed. Don't believe me? I wrote an entire review on this game-changing product here. I almost always experience purging (AKA, a mass breakout), irritation, and flaking after trying a new retinol, and this is quite literally the only formula that helps my skin keep its cool. Some highlights: As with all Versed products, it's nontoxic, vegan, and cruelty-free, and it also has a leg up on so many other retinols thanks to unique ingredient additions like chlorophyll and its blend of microencapsulated retinol and natural retinol alternatives, arophira and bakuchiol.
3. The Shortcut Overnight Facial Peel
The fact that this fan-favorite overnight peel is only $20 is almost absurd. Not only do I love this handy formula for emergency skin situations, but it's one of the most popular, highly rated products among Versed reviewers as well. (It has a five-star rating on Dermstore's website and a nearly perfect 4.9 on Versed's.)
I typically exfoliate once or twice a week, and I love anticipating the next morning's magic when I apply a thin layer of this skin-renewing peel pre-bedtime. It boasts a strategic blend of lactic and glycolic acid (which break down dulling dead skin cells), anti-aging vitamin A, plus rose hip, allantoin, and vitamin E to keep skin calm and hydrated while those aforementioned acids go to town while you sleep.
4. Zero-G Smoothing Eye Cream
I'm an eye cream fiend, and I can honestly say this smoothing, shadow-diffusing formula is one of my all-time favorites. (And it's way more affordable than almost all of my other top picks, so there is that!)
Fortified with lush ingredients like olive oil, algae extract, and peptides, which pinch-hit as potent anti-agers, I notice a difference in my sleep-deprived under-eyes immediately after applying this rich concoction.
5. Vacation Eyes Brightening Eye Gel
I warned you! Sorry, but I'm also super obsessed with this eye formula as well, and I'm not the only one. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley uses it before red carpets to instantly cool and de-puff, and MVP ingredients work in tandem to brighten and tighten—think an all-star lineup consisting of vitamin C, ginseng root extract, niacinamide, and coffee seed extract.
6. Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream
My quick-to-oil-and-clog pores just can't handle rich creams and oils. Thus, this featherlight gel-cream is my moisturizer of choice from Versed. (Although, my mom is OBSESSED with the brand's Skin Soak Rich Moisture Cream, $18.)
Dew Point has this amazing jelly-like texture, which I realize might not sound appetizing but is really so lovely and hydrating. It absorbs instantly and leaves my skin feeling balanced. My greasies are kept at bay all day long, but aloe leaf juice, green tea, and sodium hyaluronate keep my complexion surged with moisture, which, contrary to popular belief, is what someone like me who deals with acne really needs.
7. Look Alive Hydrating Plumping Mask
I'm originally from Minnesota, and now that my parents are retired, they do the whole snowbird thing and spend the fall and winter in Tucson, Arizona. Therefore, no matter which locale I travel to in order to visit them, I'm dealing with some serious climate conditions. Minnesota is hot and humid in the summer but frigid and bone dry in the winter, while Tucson is a blazing-hot desert almost all year round—aside from a few chillier months in the winter.
I love packing Versed's travel-friendly masks with me to lend my complexion some TLC, and this hydrating number is my favorite. It immediately gets rid of any redness or discoloration (seriously, your skin looks SO even and calm after wearing it for just 10 minutes), and my complexion also looks brighter, dewier, and significantly more hydrated. Big fan.
8. Hydration Station Booster With HA
I went through a serious rough patch in an effort to clear my skin. I was aggressively over-exfoliating, using acids in every step of my skincare routine, and seriously starving my skin of hydration. Surprise! My skin got so much worse. Now, after a few months of ditching my scrubs, only exfoliating once or twice a week, and adding all the hydrating products—like this handy booster serum—my skin has practically transformed.
I'm obsessed with this HA because it's wonderful on its own as a straightforward hyaluronic acid serum, but it's also designed to be added to any of your other favorite skincare products to make them more moisturizing. You can even add it into a tinted moisturizer or foundation. It's so brilliant.
9. Silk Slip Conditioning Lip Oil
Similar to my infatuation with eye products, I also have a pretty healthy addiction to anything related to lips. Lip oils are definitely having a moment right now in the industry as the ultimate hybrid product between a balm, gloss, salve, or stain, and I have to say, Versed's is one of the best I've tried. It's incredibly affordable (I've seen some lip oils with price points as daunting as $40 or more), and it actually keeps my lips moisturized for hours.
I'm not a gloss person, so it's not surprising I favor the pretty, subtle shine this lip product imparts without any of the stickiness or tackiness of other popular lip products. Plus, so many lip products have coconut oil in them these days, which is pretty much the worst thing you can apply to your lips if you're breakout-prone like I am. This oil features less-comedogenic oils like jojoba and camelia along with things like vitamin E. I have it on my desk at all times.
10. Keep It Supple Body Oil
The fact that this body oil made my top 10 is HUGE. Namely because I have a well-documented history of detesting *most* body oils. That said, here's why I am a fan of this lovely mix from Versed. A) The packaging—it's a spray, so it's significantly less messy and much easier to apply than normal oils you have to pour or drip onto your skin. B) It absorbs extremely quickly without leaving a sticky or greasy aftermath—my ultimate nightmare. C) It has the most luxurious mix of oils and vitamins that make your skin look (and smell) radiant. (Think oils from sweet almond, macadamia nut, and coconut combined with vitamin E, ylang-ylang oil, and calendula flower extract.)
Up next: My Mom Is 45 Years Older Than Me, and We Both Love This Affordable Skincare Line
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