SVR Hydracid C50 Smoothing Radiance Mask

We are constantly told that Vitamin C is a highly unstable molecule and it is almost impossible to use it to its full potential and concentration. The most important factor is how it is delivered to get the very best from it as an active and from different brands, I have had products containing Vitamin C as a serum, in a paste, suspended in silicone, as a booster, a gel and today I am sharing the SVR Hydracid C50 Masque Eclat (£30 here*)

If you have never come across SVR as a brand before, it was born in 1962 visionary pharmacists Simone and Robert Véret created SVR: a dermatological laboratory whose key aim was to create "BEAUTIFUL SKIN". Over the years, their son and later their grandson transformed this small French family brand into a true star in the field of dermo-cosmetics.  Today, I have a product called Hydracid C50 Smoothing Radiance Masque Eclat which uses an aerosol to preserve 100% of Vitamin C’s effectiveness.

Give me any product that sounds slightly quirky or kooky and I am wanting to try it almost as soon as I get my hands on it, so from SVR, a mask that comes as an aerosol really did capture my attention.  Said to brighten and refine your complexion, this SVR Hydracid C50 Smoothing Radiance Mask, is best described as being a micro-peeling foam-mask that delivers smoothing, softening and anti-ageing benefits.

Formulated with Hyaluronic Acid and what is referred to as a unique Retexturizing Radiance Complex at 50% concentration, the mousse-textured mask works to maximise skin radiance while plumping out the appearance of wrinkles.   Shaking the can and pumping it onto the palms of my hand to apply to my face, it is actually quite soothing, I haven't used a mousse mask like this before and what I love is how it feels on my skin.  Left on for 15 minutes to work its magic, you look almost as though you have the start of a bubble mask, but the foam dissipates and absorbs into the skin.  Once those 15 minutes are up, you need to remove any excess with a damp cotton wool pad or cloth and then rinse your face.  You can also leave the mask on overnight to really give your skin a boost too.

The SVR Hydracid C50 Smoothing Radiance Mask formula combines several active ingredients which includes:

• Vitamin C 25% optimized complex, a radiance active, antioxidant that unifies the complexion and illuminates the skin,
• Gluconolactone with a retexturising effect which smoothes and refines the skin texture,
• Hyaluronic acid with a repulping effect that fills wrinkles and fine lines.

It delivers what SVR call a superficial micro-peel effect and this is to help refine and retexturise the skin and in doing so, leaves it with a smoother texture, improved hydration and enhanced luminosity, add to that the inclusion of Niacinamide for soothing and Red Algae for moisturising, this is quite unlike any product I have used for some time.

Priced at £30 and available online from Lookfantastic, Feelunique and other boutiques, this is one product you need to have in your stash if you have never used anything with Vitamin C in it,  if you feel your skin needs a workout and a boost and for the foam!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Aldi Lacura Aloha Bronzer - Is it a dupe for Benefit Hoola?

One of my favourite bronzers is Benefit Hoola, it is one product I have repurchased over and over again and every time I stray away and try something new, it is Hoola that I always come back too.  As Benefit has over the years introduced new members to the Hoola family (review here), it is the original I always opt to use because it is just so versatile and for me, works just as well as an eyeshadow as it does a bronzer.

I have made no secret that I find myself giggling away in the much coveted middle aisle in Aldi where you can find everything from Zoflora to an entire garden seating set and every so often there is a beauty product or two that grabs my attention.  Last time it was the Nip + Fab Glycolic Cleansing Pads Dupe and this time it is the turn of the Aloha Bronzer and as you might have guessed from the title, could it be a dupe for Hoola by Benefit?

The biggest giveaway that there are some similarities starts with the packaging.  Whilst one might be pink and the other purple, there are some very obvious dupes on the lid from Aldi with the canes and flowers.  Again, inside the box, we have a mirror in the lid and a brush sitting inside a plastic holder. The one major difference at this stage is the Benefit Hoola box is of much better quality and less flimsy than Aldi's option.

The brushes at a first glance are almost identical, Benefit is blue and Aldi is pink and whilst I do love the colour pink, it is the bristles of the brush which are important and again, for me, there is a huge difference between the two.  Firstly, Aldi packs a lot more into their brush but in doing so, they are not as soft as those offered by Benefit and it is one of the few brushes that comes with a product that I have liked to use, so to find a dupe is quite something.  Sadly, just because there are more bristles doesn't make it a better brush.  It applied the bronzer fairly well, but it is patchy because it just doesn't grab enough and that is whether I use Aloha or Hoola.  With Benefit, you get a much smoother and much more even application and it blends seamlessly, unlike the Aldi option.

When it comes to the actual bronzer, this is where the duping continues, but not in the way you might think.  Both Aldi and Benefit offer 8.0g of product and again, nestled inside the square pan of the box is the bronzer.

At first glance, from Aldi, the bronzer looks much deeper in colour than Benefit and much less smooth but all of this is arbitrary because what really matters is how the shade sits on the skin and below is a finger swatch, unedited onto my wrist and I have kept it as simple as possible because having read previous posts on the Aldi Lacura Aloha bronzer, the one thing I've never found is a swatch.

I found both Aldi and Benefit bronzers really easy to use and swatch, I didn't need to try multiple times to pick up some colour to do the swatch and this is the swatch.

If you want to find out which swatch is which then you will find that answer at the bottom of this post but as you can see from the swatches, the top swatch is lighter and there is a slight shimmer to it whereas the bottom swatch is much more muted. The bottom swatch also has much less of a red undertone than the top swatch, so would probably suit those with a very pale complexion.

For me, whilst there are some nominal differences between the two products as shown so far, the ingredients used are quite interesting.  One thing Aldi is known for is their cruelty-free beauty and there for everyone to see is the Leaping Bunny symbol, something that Benefit does not have.

There are some ingredients which appear in both products and right at the top of that list is Talc for both Aloha and Hoola, they both have ingredients referred too as CL 77491 which is a synthetic red shade, CL 77492 which imparts a purple shade and CL 77499 which is a black Iron Oxide and although Aldi Lacura Aloha says 'may contain' these ingredients they do appear on the label.

So with all of that taken into account, does one bronzer do a better job than the other? For me, I like to mix and match my products and that often includes my bronzers.  Overall for me, Benefit Hoola is my preferred shade and it is the one I find much easier to work with, the one I find easier to blend and the one that works better with my skin tone.

Aldi Lacura Aloha Bronzer retails for £5.99 when it is on sale and if you are curious, then it is well worth grabbing because it does work as a bronzer, it just takes a lot more effort when it comes to blending and building up coverages.  However, it is £20 cheaper than Benefit Hoola which currently retails for £26 (here) and of course, it is cruelty-free, which I know for some is the most important issue when choosing cosmetics.

So which swatch was which?  The answer can be found below - did you guess right?

Have you tried any of Aldi's beauty products before?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.