The Vitamin C Serum That's Making Me a Believer

To say Drunk Elephant and I got off on the wrong foot would be an understatement.

First, their cult-favorite T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum gave me an overnight case of flaming face eczema. Lovely. Then their Shaba Complex Eye Serum turned the delicate windows to my soul into swollen nightmare lids of terror. We’re talking red, inflamed, and flaky. Needless to say, it was a real visual treat for me and the onsite nurse at CVS.

Okay, fool me twice and it’s time to walk away, right? For a sensible person, probably yes. But for a product junky, who continues to read positive review after positive review for a brand that has burned her two times over, it’s all part of the beauty-is-pain trial and error process.

So I went back. This time for their mild cleanser, the Peekee Bar (a face wash I continue to use to this day), and then for their acclaimed C-Firma Day Serum.

As someone who skipped sunscreen the first 20-plus years of her life, picked at pimples into adulthood, and is now in the midst of battling dreaded pregnancy (a hormone-induced overproduction of melanin that turns your complexion into a constellation of brown spots) I was hoping that this C-fueled serum would be the all-in-one solution to my hyperpigmented woes.

And so far, it is. Not only am I keeping the mask at bay, my complexion also appears to be evening out. Spots seem to be fading (albeit slowly) and, while I’m not sure if I can chalk this up to the serum or simply my hormones leveling out, the pimples seem to have calmed down too.

I’ve been using this Drunk Elephant serum for about six weeks now, and it would appear that not learning from my mistakes is finally working in my favor. That being said, I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you. This product requires patience and a decent amount of money ($80 for a one-ounce bottle. Eesh).

If it helps, you only need one small pump in the morning to get the job done. And thanks to their modern packaging (a cap-free bottle with hidden, Transformer-style pump), there’s little chance of product going bad from exposure.

So have I changed my mind about the Drunk Elephant line? Not exactly. But thanks to this complexion-balancing serum, I’m learning to forgive.