If you are one of those beauty aficionados that always stays up-to-date with the new products making waves in the beauty industry, then you probably already know about Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid by Bella Joi.

Many people try to find the best beauty fixes that will help get rid of problems such as wrinkles and fine lines. This is quite understandable especially nowadays when looks and beauty are important and let’s face it, no one wants to look old. The problem is that there are SO MANY products in the market today, and they all promise so much. It’s hard to wade through all the noise to find out which products are good and which products are not.

So, the million-dollar question is:  Is Bella Joi’s serum any good?

Let’s take a look and find out.

Information about this Product

Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid is produced by Bella Joi, a US-based beauty company with a line of skin care products.

According to the makers, this product was made to help reduce the risk of premature aging of the skin. Moreover, it can aid everyone in making their skin more radiant and young-looking.

Key Ingredients

As seen in the label and on its product page, the serum contains the following ingredients:

Vitamin C – helps promote collagen production and stop wrinkles from forming. It has been proven to be a good anti-aging component for the skin. It is said to help reduce wrinkle formation as well as the appearance of skin discolorations to make the skin brighter.

Hyaluronic Acid – Makes the wrinkles you do have less noticeable. It is known to help boost the skin’s moisture content.

L-Arginine – This is a type of amino acid that possesses the powerful properties of antioxidant.

Glycerin – This is popular in hydrating the skin to make it soft and silky.

Jojoba Oil – This is a type of oil that can help boost collagen production to maintain skin’s elasticity and integrity.

Does it work?

Yes. It can help dull skin by reinvigorating it so that it will become brighter, healthier and more radiant. It can help make skin appear up to 10 years younger with continued use.

Another thing to love about this product is that it is not greasy. This is one of the most important considerations for many users because many are not fond of products that are too heavy and greasy on the face. It is noticeable that the serum is easily absorbed by the face compared to creams. There is also no greasy and oily feeling.

The last thing that is important to point out is the results it made for wrinkles and fine lines. Just like in any product, it is unreasonable to expect wrinkles to be gone in just one application. Vitamin C takes time to work. Even Dr. Oz says it can take up to 8 weeks and sometimes more to see results with a topical vitamin c but that the results can be incredible.

Users will experience a younger-looking skin without having to undergo drastic procedures or buy expensive products that aren’t as effective.

Testimonials and Customer Reviews

As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of good reviews for this product, just like this one review by N. Harrington:

“I want to recommend this serum to everyone because I have experienced it myself. This is the only Vitamin C serum that worked really well for my skin, which was very dry and dull. After using this serum for one month, I can already see the improvements. I now have clearer skin, my acne marks are almost gone, and my fine lines are gone too. If there is a beauty product that I can use for life, this is it.”

Another review, this one by Annette Gonzalez:

“This is an honest review for this product. I’m now 58 years old and I can say that I have tried a lot of different skin products. I can honestly say that this product is the best thing ever.

* It helped my wrinkles and fine lines disappear
* It gave my skin a healthy and natural glow
* My skin feels softer now

To be fair, you should not expect results in just one night. If you want to see the results, you should use it regularly.”

What Else You Need to Know

One thing to know is that since there are different skin types, the results may vary from one person to another.

For example, it can take a couple of weeks for some people to see results while for others it can take a couple of months. With vitamin c serum the results compound over time which means that your skin will look better and better the longer you use it.

Final Verdict

A Good Buy. Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid by Bella Joi is a good buy. It can help users to achieve a smoother, clearer and younger looking skin. If you are looking for a good anti-aging product for your skin this one is affordable and works.

What are puffy eyes?

Puffiness is the result of swollen skin.  The skin around your eyes is very sensitive. Because of this, it is prone to swelling and irritation.

There are many possible causes of eye puffiness. The most common causes include fluid retention, lack of sleep, oversleeping, genetics, allergies, poor diet, aging, inflammation, stress, hormonal changes, diet, excessive alcohol intake, and other medical conditions.

What are the treatment options?

Surgery

Surgery for eye bags and puffiness is called Blepharoplasty surgery and is performed by a plastic surgeon.  As you can imagine this is expensive; however it does provide a permanent fix to the problem.  All other fixes are temporary.

Home Remedies

Many home remedies actually do work for eye bags.  Those that do include cucumber, tea bags, and rose water.   The good thing about home remedies is that they are often pretty cheap to implement.  The con of these for most people is the time it takes to do them.  Most home remedies take about 15 minutes or so to work and only provides a temporary fix.

Over the Counter Beauty Products

While these are usually more expensive than home remedies they are quick to apply.  After all it’s a lot faster to dab on some cream or gel than lie around for 15 minutes every morning with cold cucumbers on your eyes.   Another advantage that over the counter products have is that they are usually targeted specifically to the eye area and most help not only with puffiness but with other eye problems such as crow’s feet and dark circles.

To see our latest review on a puffy eye reducer click here.

Here is a look at the most common remedies and their effectiveness.

Sleep

This one is basic and is almost always suggested.  The theory behind it is – Get more rest and your eyes won’t look so tired and you won’t have the deep circles.

Does it work?

Yes.  The more sleep you get the less puffy and swollen your eyes will look.

Cucumbers

Another oldie, but goodie when it comes to eyes. The theory is that putting a cold cucumber on your eyes will help.

Does it work?

Yes.  The cold constrict the blood vessels around your eyes.  When this happens the swelling around your eyes will go down.  This is a temporary fix but does work.

Potatoes

This one is similar to cucumbers.  The idea is to get the potato cold and then place on your eyes.

Does this work?

Yes.  Just like cucumbers the cold helps reduce puffiness.

Rose water

This remedy says to soak a few cotton balls in rose water, then gently massage them under your eyes for a few minutes.

Does it work?

Yes.  Rose water acts as an anti-inflammatory.  It will soothe your skin and help reduce puffy eye bags.

Tea Bags

With tea bags the remedy is to soak them in water before putting them in the refrigerator for about an hour, then take them out and put over your eyes.

Does it work?

Yes. Cold tea bags reduce the puffiness around your eyes so you look more awake.

What Else Works

Each of these remedies takes about 15 minutes in order to work.  If you don’t have 15 minutes morning and night to devote to putting cold cucumbers on your eyes you may want to try an eye cream or gel.  They can do the same thing but takes a lot less time.

It is recommended that you choose an eye cream or gel that has anti-inflammatory ingredients.  Some of the main anti-inflammatory ingredients used in eye products are aloe, cucumber and green tea.

Click here to check out our latest review for an over the counter puffy eyes treatment.

What is Blepharoplasty surgery?

Blepharoplasty is the removal of the excess fatty tissues and skin underneath the eyes or in the eyelids. This procedure is done to help restore youthfulness in the face. Aside from the usual removal of the eye bags, this can also help smooth the corners of the eyes, also known as crow’s feet.

Why should I consider this procedure?

You should consider undergoing this surgery if you really, really want to remove your eye bags and you have the money to spend on it.

What can surgery correct?

If you have any of the following issues Blepharoplasty can help you:

•Sagging excess skin in the upper lid or underneath the eyes

• Excessive wrinkling in the upper lid, side or underneath the eyes

• Puffiness and eye bags underneath the eyes

• Excessive skin and wrinkles in the underneath the eyes

What are the things that I need to consider before undergoing surgery?

Just like any other procedure, there are risks involved. During the surgery, you will be put under general anesthesia as the doctor makes an incision on your eyelid or below your eye. If there is an incision, there is also risk for infection. This occurs only rarely.

As for the recovery time, it will depend on what was specifically done to you (for example just the eye bags or just the eyelids). In most cases, the recovery time can take anywhere from 7 to 10 days. This is hugely important, especially for those who are busy at work.

How much does surgery cost?

The cost of Blepharoplasty will depend on many factors such as the doctor, surgical clinic and location. According to statistics, the average cost is $2,800, but it may cost up to $4,500.

If you decide surgery isn’t for you, there are always less expensive treatments that you can consider such as eye creams and gels. Aside from being generally safe and effective, creams and gels are also very inexpensive. There are good creams on the market today with ingredients specifically targeted to the eye area that skin experts recommend. With regular use, you can expect changes in just a few weeks or months.

What are Bags Under the Eyes?

Eye bags are swelling of the skin below the eye.  The skin around your eyes is very sensitive. Because of this, it is prone to swelling and irritation.  Most of the time, having puffy eye bags isn’t the sign of anything serious but if you are concerned about them then by all means contact your doctor.

What are the causes of Eye Bags?

There are many possible causes of eye puffiness. The most common causes include fluid retention, lack of sleep, oversleeping, allergies, poor diet, aging, genetics, inflammation, stress, hormonal changes, diet, excessive alcohol intake, and other medical conditions.

What are the treatment options for under eye bags?

Here are the most common treatments that you can use to reduce swelling and bags around your eyes:

Creams and gels

A great over the counter option is to use a cream or gel specifically targeted to the under eye area.  Look for eye products that contain aloe and cucumber.  Those both contain anti-inflammatory properties which helps to reduce the swelling and puffiness.

To see our latest review of an Eye Bags product click here.

Home remedies

If you don’t want to buy creams and gels, then you may opt for home remedies. You should know that not all can be effective or, if they are, they may take a while before you will be able to notice the difference.

Some home remedies include washing the face with cold water, or applying something cold to your eyes.  The cold will constrict the blood vessels causing the swelling around the eyes to go down.  This is just a temporary fix.

Surgery

If you are really bothered by your eye area, there are surgical options that you can try. Ask your doctor about the possibilities. Surgical treatments are usually effective and long term; however, they can also be quite pricey.

These are the most common and effective treatment options used for this problem.

Vitamin C Overview

According to Dr. OZ, topical Vitamin C is one of the best things you can do to improve your skin and help your skin look and stay younger.  He says that applying Vitamin C directly to the skin is up to 20 times more effective compared to taking it orally.

Although vitamin c is infused not just in serums, but in lotions and other beauty products as well, serums are better because it can penetrate the skin more.

What Does it Help?

1. Wrinkles

Wrinkles appear when the skin loses its elasticity. As we age, the production of collagen, which is vital in maintaining skin’s elasticity, slows down. As a result, the skin sags and develops wrinkles. In order to stop or at least slow down wrinkle formation, you need to stabilize the collagen production of your skin. You can do this with the help of Vitamin C serum.

2. Age spots

Another common sign of aging is age spots.   While you can undergo a laser procedure to help you diminish these, they are time consuming and expensive.  Aside from laser treatment, you can also undergo chemical peels. If you want to save more money, we have good news for you! Vitamin C can also aid you to reduce or diminish your age spots. This is possible because Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant. It works to heal and replace damaged skin cells.

How Long Does It Take to Work?

The single biggest cause of frustration with vitamin c is that people don’t give it long enough to actually work.  They expect a magic solution that works overnight.  Vitamin C isn’t like that.  It takes a while to show results but when those results start to show it can be a remarkable difference on one’s skin.

According to Dr. Oz it takes most people between 2 and 8 weeks to see results from using topical vitamin c.  The longer it is used the better it works.  It continues to work and make the skin better and better.  At about 6 months of use it reaches maximum effectiveness  While it can take a while to work when it does, it makes a real difference in skin tone and helps with the anti-aging fight.  In fact, he says with continued use it has the potential to make a person look 10 years younger!  Wow!

To see this month’s Vitamin C Serum review click here.

Dr. Oz info from his website Oct. 31, 2012 and Oct 16, 2013.

Vitamin C Serum on Amazon

At the time this article is being written Amazon has over 10,000 vitamin c serum products.  With that huge amount to sort through how do you determine which one to get?  There are so many options it can be overwhelming.  What ingredients should you look for and look out for?

Good Ingredients

Every vitamin c serum product is made of a different concoction of ingredients.  Some of these are better than others.  What are some ingredients that you should look for when you are looking for a good serum to get?

Vitamin C

Every serum will have this component.  This is not a case of get the highest concentration of vitamin c you can and the more you get the better it will work.   Most doctors recommend choosing a product with no more than 20% vitamin c.  If it has more than that it often irritates and burns the skin and is too concentrated for most people’s skin to handle.

Hyaluronic Acid

If you are getitng a serum anyway make sure that this ingredient is included as well.  Hyaluronic acid helps keep the skin hydrated by pulling moisture in from the environment.  This helps plump up the skin which makes wrinkles much less noticeable.

When hyaluronic acid and vitamin c are found together then it’s a powerful 1-2 punch against wrinkles and aging.  The vitamin helps prevent wrinkles from forming in the future and makes your skin look better while the hyaluronic acid makes the wrinkles you do have look less noticeable.

Jojoba Oil

As we age our collagen production slows down and causes wrinkles to show.  Jojoba oil helps stimulate collagen production.

Not all serums will have these ingredients but you will be better off if you choose one that does.

Each month we review a new vitamin c serum on Amazon, click here to see our latest review.

Why choose a serum instead of a cream?

• The molecules found in serums are generally smaller than those found in creams and other beauty products. Because of this, it can penetrate deeper into the skin. Because of this, you can expect better results. The usual creams in the market only work on the skin’s surface area.

• Serums are usually incorporated with the essential vitamins and minerals. The ingredients of course will depend on the manufacturers.

• According to experts, serums work faster. This may still be related to the fact that it penetrates the skin very well.

• Serum does not only work to nourish the skin, but to moisturize it well. As mentioned earlier, it is packed with essential vitamins and minerals to ensure that the skin gets what it needs. The concentration of nutrients is what sets serums apart.

Hopefully these tips will help you choose the best vitamin c serum on Amazon.  To see our latest review of a vitamin c serum on amazon click here.

Today, we will be providing a Vitamin C serum recipe that you may want to try at home.

Why Choose Vitamin C?

Many skin care products nowadays have been infused with Vitamin C as an ingredient. This may be attributed to the fact that countless studies have proven that this vitamin is beneficial not only to our over-all health, but in our skin as well.

Here are some of the things that Vitamin C can do for your skin:

• Vitamin C helps prevent the development of the different signs of skin aging such as wrinkles and fine lines. It is said to be a more inexpensive alternative for anti-aging creams and serums since they usually cost more.

• Vitamin C aids in brightening the skin to make it more radiant and glowing. It also aids in tightening the skin so that pores will be less visible.

• It is vital in increasing the collagen production of the skin. Collagen is important in maintaining skin’s elasticity and over-all condition. This is also the reason why Vitamin C has a powerful anti-aging property.

• It can decrease the negative effects of too much sun exposure. You need to remember that too much sun exposure can damage the skin.

Pros and Cons of Doing Your Own Serum

Of course, you will save more if you will do your own serum. However, you should not forget to be cautious. This is very important since facial skin can be very sensitive. To help you decide whether to buy or do your own at home, here are the things that you should remember:

• If you want to save more, doing your own serum may be a better idea.

• Be careful with the amount of ingredients that you will mix. Vitamin C is considered acidic. Therefore, it can burn your skin in high concentration.

• Buying one in the market will ensure you that the product is safe and has been properly tested.

Serum Recipe

If you still want to make your own serum concoction, here is a recipe that you may want to try.

You will need the following:

• ½ teaspoon Vitamin C Powder
• 1 tablespoon distilled water
• Dark container (if in a see through container the vitamin c will oxidize)

Instructions:

1. Pour the distilled water into your container.
2. Add the vitamin powder.
3. Stir or shake well.

The mixture will last around 2 weeks when put in the refrigerator.

As mentioned earlier, you need to be cautious especially when it comes to the concentration and amount of Vitamin C since it can burn or irritate the skin if used incorrectly. After all, you want to make a serum that will make your skin beautiful and not one that leaves your skin worse off.

Tip:  If you want to buy a serum and ensure it’s safe for your skin, check out our Latest Review.  We review a new serum each month.

There you have it! This is a simple Vitamin C Serum recipe that you may want to try.

Causes of Dark Circles

There are numerous factors that can contribute to the development of dark circles. Often times, they are caused by conditions that are not serious. Although they may also be caused by situations which need immediate intervention of physicians.

To help you become more familiar, here is a list of the most common contributing factors:

• Aging especially when the skin becomes more delicate as it becomes thinner (blood vessels become more visible, hence the change in color)
• Too much alcohol and caffeine intake
• Genetics (inherited)
• Poor quality of sleep and rest periods
• Too much stress
• Too much smoking
• Too much exposure to the sun
• Deeply set eyes (shadows are created)
• Some medications such as birth control pills
• Traumatic injuries such as eye injury, fractures of the bones around the eyes and head injury
• Some types of allergies
• Some types of eye infection
• Anemia or when the body lacks enough red blood cells
• Dehydration and malnutrition

A Closer Look at Aging and Dark Circles

As mentioned earlier, one of the main causes of dark circles is aging. As we age, we can expect our skin to lose elasticity and the power to regenerate as the collagen production slows down.  Because of this, your skin will be thinner. When this happens, your dark circles will be more prominent regardless of how much sleep or how much rest you get. This is the same for people with genetic predisposition.

For a review of this month’s featured Dark Circles Eye Treatment product click here.

In one way or another, it has become a trend for quite some time now and because more studies are done to prove then potency of this vitamin to help boost skin’s health, we are regularly introduced to products infused with this vitamin including the most popular topical application of all: vitamin c serum.

Where it all started

As mentioned earlier, the infusion of Vitamin C in different skin care products has become a trend in the beauty industry. This started with the publication of a study conducted at Duke University which proved that Vitamin C could help reduce the effects to the skin of too much sun exposure. Since then, numerous skin experts have launched their own studies about the benefits of Vitamin C. This led, of course to the infusion of this vitamin in facial serums.

A Closer Look on Vitamin C and its Benefits

We know that Vitamin C is vital when it comes to strengthening the immune system when taken orally, however, this is not the only thing that this vitamin can do for the body. It is amazing when used topically on the skin.

It can do the following:

• Fights off free radicals that can damage the cells of the body
• Plays a key role in keeping the connective tissues healthy
• Helps in different cardiovascular and nervous system processes
• Helps in fat metabolism
• Helps in protecting the bones, teeth and especially the skin
• It reduces effects of too much sun exposure. It helps in strengthening the skin’s barrier protecting it from the sun.
• It is vital in the production of collagen that is important in maintaining a healthy and young-looking skin. Collagen is also important to improve the skin’s texture as well as your skin tone.
• It helps in fighting off the different signs of aging such as wrinkles.
• It functions as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are important in protecting the skin from the damages brought about by free radicals.
• Helps in reducing skin inflammation while also speeding up healing
• In high doses, it aids in correcting skin discoloration

Vitamin C in Serums

What you need to understand is that all vitamins can lose its potency when exposed to air. Because of this, experts developed ways to incorporate essential vitamins to different products without affecting their potency. One way is to infuse them in serums. By incorporating Vitamin C in serums, we can now get its benefits even if it is to be applied topically or directly on the skin. When applied topically, we can get a healthier, younger-looking and more radiant skin.

One of the advantages of using a serum is its ability to penetrate deep down the skin. This is important in enhancing the appearance of the skin not just on the outside, but on the inside as well. A serum can deliver all the benefits of Vitamin C to ensure that your skin is soft, radiant and most of all, healthy.

To see our latest Vitamin C Serum review click here.