What you shouldn't miss from the new Collagen by Watsons line
Hi, my name is Den and I am a skincare addict. I'm seriously (unhealthily?) obsessed with getting my skin to its absolute best condition. Not gonna lie - as managing editor of Project Vanity I do get to try pricier skincare brands that make the cost worth it, but it isn't a practical option for other people. I was honestly very excited to try the new Collagen by Watsons line because I'd love to be able to share more budget-friendly recos. And I'm happy to say that for the most part, these picks did not disappoint!
Though there are four different variations to choose from depending on your skin's needs, all the products feature the Tri-Collagen Complex, which is "an enhanced 3-tier collagen boosting system to improve skin elasticity, firmness and moisture retention". I haven't tried any other collagen products so I can't compare, but I tried each one for at least a week. Apart from my cleanser, I skipped my usual routine of acids and essences to see what effects these collagen-enriched products would have on my skin.
The original Collagen by Watsons line has actually been out in the market for a while now and I'd been curious about it since my blogger friend Tara raved about their Intensive Nourishing & Firming Facial Mask (P69 each but I spotted a Buy 2, Take 1 promo at the store). My skin did feel bouncier after 20 minutes of masking, and there was such a generous amount of essence leftover that I transferred it into a bottle and used it for five more nights!
To ensure that my skin would better absorb all that masking goodness, I first exfoliated with the Brightening Peeling Cleanser (P249). The name is honestly a bit confusing because "cleanser" initially made me think it was some kind of face wash, but it's actually a peeling gel exfoliant with mangosteen peel extract and jojoba beads. It seemed to smooth the texture of my skin but it doesn't feel as effective as my favorite gommage exfoliant.
Somewhat surprisingly, my favorite from this line variant was the Q10 Intensive Moisturising & Firming Body Lotion (P199)! My skin feels amazing when I slather this on! It's not heavy or sticky, but it isn't too watery and light either. I feel aware of having this on mostly because of how ridiculously smooth my skin is after application, like it really absorbed all that collagen. I wish they would improve the scent though because I'm not a fan of the weird fragrance, but I'd still buy it anyway because I've never had a lotion quite this impressive before!
My photos don't do it justice but the royal indigo and gold packaging of the Skin Renew line looks incredibly luxe! Apart from the Tri-Collagen Complex, it also features 3D Hydraconcept for longer lasting hydration and Nano Tri-Ceramide for repairing the skin barrier. I wanted so much to like the Skin Renew Intensive Serum (P319), which can be used both day and night, but the floral fragrance is much too strong for my overly-sensitive nose. It's not an unpleasant smell but it overwhelms me.
The Skin Renew Night Treatment Cream (P349) also has a fragrance, though not as strong as the serum's. I feel really bad about not being able to use these because skincare products with ceramides are still quite rare here and I'd been wanting to incorporate it into my routine. If you're more tolerant of fragrances and want to try ceramides, these are very affordable options.
The White Regeneration products immediately caught my eye because of two things: one, the pretty pink metallics looked very chic; and two, the Penta-Lucent System (an "all-rounded whitening solution") reminded me of Liz's favorite Shiseido White Lucent skincare. I'm honestly not interested in making my skin any whiter than it is but if it can at least help even out my skin tone, I'm game to try.
I've gotten used to very watery toners so I was surprised that the White Regeneration Toner (P349) looked and felt exactly the same as the face mask essence! It feels similar to first treatment essences and even features niacinamide as one of its ingredients. Do take note that this lists "Alcohol Denat." (aka, denatured alcohol) as the second ingredient so you may want to skip this if you have sensitive skin. I usually try to avoid alcohols in my skincare products but I did not have any adverse reactions to this formula.
I liked using the White Regeneration Night Cream (P419) and actually found the floral scent quite lovely. Unlike most night creams, the formula isn't heavy at all, and the texture feels more like a gel than a cream to me. It absorbs pretty quickly on the skin so if you wanted to use this in the daytime, I feel like that would work, too!
I'm a big fan of CC creams because I prefer my face base to be as skin-like and natural-looking as possible (hence, the obsession with skincare). The White Regeneration Colour Change Nude Creams (P267 each) offer light coverage and a Chromacare feature to give skin a soft, natural glow. Both creams start out as a white fluid with tiny dots of pigment; as you rub it in, the color changes into a skin tone.
Wearing the White Regeneration Colour Change Nude Cream in Ivory
I find that Ivory is a better match for my NC20 skin even though Natural looks nicer in the photos - I think the slightly warmer tone registered better on camera but it's a tad too dark on me in person. Only these two shades are available so if you're darker than NC35, these will probably be too light for you.
Wearing the White Regeneration Colour Change Nude Cream in Natural
There's actually one more product from the White Regeneration line that I intend to create a separate post for: one of my current skincare favorites, the White Regeneration Instant Finishing Cream (P349). I love it so much that it deserves its own feature! I'll be sharing that post very soon but if you'd like a sneak peek, I talked about it in a recent Facebook live video. I promise it's worth the wait!
I've only been using the products for a little over a week so it's hard to definitively say what the collagen's effects are but I'm pretty happy that even without my usual skincare staples, my skin stayed clear and actually looked quite a bit brighter than usual. And I think I know why most of the products delivered results for me. Before starting on this trial, many of the skincare products I use are Korean. Well, apart from the original line, Collagen by Watsons products are actually made in Korea! Everything I used also contained the Tri-Collagen Complex, so carrying that ingredient into all my skincare steps seemed to improve its efficacy.
My skin reacted very well to this new routine and I even found some new HGs! I'd definitely recommend trying some of these products out, one at a time of course. The prices are so wallet-friendly that you can definitely build an entire routine using these products, and they even have special discounts for SM Advantage cardholders.
Have you checked out the Collagen by Watsons line yet? Which of these products would you want to try?