I’ve Had an Uneven Skin Tone for Years—This Cult-Loved Serum Corrected It

I’m going to be honest. I’ve always been slightly lackadaisical in my approach to skincare. Well, that was until about five years ago—in my early 30s—when I saw huge changes in my skin tone and complexion. You see, in my early 20s, I was spoilt with compliments about how clear, bright, and glowing my skin was. Since I barely used any skincare products of note and my regimen consisted simply of cleansing and moisturizing, I boiled it down to genetics. My Latin American mother has amazingly smooth and radiant skin to this day. My Welsh father, however, passed along his rosacea cheeks. While I always had a nice olive glow, my cheeks flared red when triggered by specific factors. 

In my 20s, I thought I was invincible! I didn’t pay much attention to my skin. I barely wore sunscreen. This is coming from someone who spent a large part of her 20s traveling outdoors for work and basically lived under the sun—without sunscreen. (Ugh, if only I could turn back time!) Fast-forward 10 years, and I have plenty of sunspots to show for it.

On top of this, I’ve had two babies in the past four years, which has been an absolute joy, but my skin has unquestionably taken a toll. I never knew just how much my skin would change after getting pregnant. Suddenly, I had pregnancy spots, or melasma—a common condition that causes skin hyperpigmentation (i.e. darkening). While it was mild and calmed slightly after pregnancy, I still have spots of slight discoloration. Add lack of sleep, stress, and a not-so-well-balanced, caffeine-heavy diet into the mix, and my skin has never looked so inflamed and uneven in tone and texture. Others couldn’t notice the change that much (thank god for makeup), but when I looked in the mirror sans makeup, I hardly recognized myself.

On a mission to get my uneven skin back on track, I actively sought out skincare products that could reduce my dark spots, improve my overall skin tone, and get my glow back. Call it kismet, but that week at a fashion event, I received a gift bag that had a little miracle in a white pot staring right at me—Caudalie’s Vinoperfect Radiance Dark Spot Serum Vitamin C Alternative. I looked up the product immediately, and after reading countless positive reviews about the cult-loved serum, I tried it. I’m on my third bottle now and have never looked back. I’m still astounded at how much it has improved my skin’s complexion. Below, I’ll be taking you through the ins and outs of the serum and delving into what makes it so good. Let’s get into it.