The Amazing Sunday Riley Line Up: Luna Sleeping Night Oil and Good Genes Treatment

Beauty bloggers have been going gaga over Sunday Riley's skincare products.  I was super curious about Good Genes (major Instagram/YouTube love for this one) and the Luna Oil.  Good ol' Sephora provided me with some samples, and in just one night, I was convinced that I needed a full-size version of the oil! 

I saw immediate results. My skin texture was softer, my pores looked smaller, blackheads disappeared, and my skin tone evened out (less splotchy and faded hyperpigmentation). It was unbelievable. Usually, I have to use products for weeks before I see any results. With both of these Sunday Riley products, there was instant gratification.

Luna Sleeping Night Oil

One of the first things you'll notice about this oil is its gorgeous packaging and blue color.

The blue color is due to the ingredient blue tansy, but dyes are also used (my guess: to deepen the color. Ugh, we are such suckers for pretty colors).  It seems unfortunate that there are added dyes to an otherwise fantastic list of ingredients.

As you can see, the trans-retinol ester is strong enough to warrant a warning that pregnant women should avoid this oil.  One of the reasons people love this product is because you get the benefits of  retinol (prevent wrinkles, increase collagen production, and fight sun damage/acne/eczema) in a moisturizing oil that isn't as harsh as other retinol treatments.  Ingredients such as avocado seed oil, blue tansy, and chamomile prevent you from looking like an irritated tomato face with dry patches everywhere. Ok, so you probably will experience some dry skin in the beginning, which is normal for retinol products. But many reviewers who had to stop using other retinol treatments wrote that the Luna Oil was a lot more gentle on their skin. I didn't deal with any irritation with the Luna Oil.

Another bonus to the trans-retinol ester is that it is more stable than traditional retinol formulas.  Therefore, you don't have to worry as much about the Luna Oil breaking down and becoming unusable as quickly.  Unfortunately, all forms of Vitamin A deteriorate as it is exposed to air and light. So you should still keep your Luna Oil in a dark, cool place. 

Yes, the color does mean that you'll end up with blue-green oil all over your face. However, the oil absorbs quickly and the color disappears with it. Or it changes to clear. I'm not really sure what happens there, but you shouldn't have to worry about getting blue goo all over your pillow.  I put on a moisturizer/night cream after the oil.

The scent, which I had to get used to, also fades after applying.  I was super aware of the fragrance the first night, and I no longer notice it now.  To me, it smelled like a mashup of licorice and clove.  Someone on Sephora described it as "Old Spice and old crayon".  Hahaha!

Anyway, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this oil. 

I also got a sample of Good Genes Treatment.  According to the beauty blogger world, this is the holy grail of daily serums.  It is supposed to achieve many miracles like minimize lines/wrinkles, increase skin firmness, even out skin tone, and diminish hyperpigmentation and scars.

Sephora's website lists the ingredients below:

-Unneutralized Lactic Acid: Plumps fine lines, increases epidermal firmness and thickness, and renews skin.

-Licorice: Brightens skin, fights hyperpigmentation, and works as an anti-inflammatory.
-Squalene: Helps repair the skin barrier.
-Yeast Extract: Encourages healthier skin. 

 The treatment felt and looked like a light lotion. It smelled heavily of sandalwood (or as a Sephora reviewer put it: "like old, bad, stale breath." Those are two totally different smells!)

This stuff works! I get a tingly, slight stinging sensation every time I put it on.  It's not unpleasant. But that feeling leads to some plumping of the face. Just as it advertises: "This hydrating treatment is formulated with key ingredients that plump the look of fine lines to reveal brighter, renewed skin, and support natural circulation to create a smooth, vibrant complexion." My skin also definitely looks brighter and younger after using Good Genes.

The Luna Sleeping Night Oil and Good Genes Treatment are each $105 for 1 oz, so you should absolutely get a sample first if you are considering purchasing either of them. It would be a pricey mistake if your skin happened to be too sensitive for them (always do a skin patch test- like I NEVER do!)  Although Sephora does have a wonderful return policy that allows you to get a refund/exchange if the product didn't work for you. 

If you do have that kind of money lying around (well, good for you!) and end up using both, here is Sunday Riley's take on the order of application:  "While we do typically recommend that you apply Good Genes on clean skin, with Luna in particular, we recommend that you apply that first and then your Good Genes treatment. That being said, for all of our other oils, we recommend that you apply them on top of Good Genes. " <-----I found that info in a comment section, just a disclaimer.

If you're trying to decide which one to buy, I did read that the Good Genes Treatment is a better value. Caroline Hirons, who is like the QUEEN in reviewing skincare products, wrote that the Luna Sleeping Oil used some inexpensive plant oils that are pretty much "fillers".  I don't mind because the Luna Oil works so well for me, and I think it has other amazing ingredients. 

Here are Caroline's reviews of Good Genes (she loves it!) and Luna Sleeping Night Oil.

Let me know how you like these products!