Totally worth the splurge: The Sunday Riley Sleeping Night Oil
When I went to New York in 2018, I bought a Sunday Riley Power Couple Duo set on a whim. It contained a 15ml tube of the Good Genes (review in the link) and a 15ml dropper bottle of the Luna Sleeping Night Oil. I was a bit hesitant to try the products first since I’ve never tested Sunday Riley before, but boy oh boy my mind was blown! My skin got so nice! I’ve repurchased the Good Genes a few times since then. I did, however, balk on buying the Luna Oil as I felt it was too expensive at P3,375 for 15ml, or P225 per ml.
Do you know what changed my mind though? I had a tiny sample vial of the Luna Oil from a past Sephora PH purchase, and just remembered how effective and economical it actually is. It works amazingly well as a nighttime oil moisturizer, with avocado oil and grape seed oil as its main base, mixed in with more premium oils like blackberry oil, chia oil, and blue tansy oil to name a few. I would dispense maybe .25ml per use, and that’s enough to cover my entire face generously.
The kicker though is the granactive retinoid in the ingredients list. This is what makes this a powerful product for restoring skin after it is damaged by acne and photoaging. Sunday Riley doesn’t share the concentration but it’s enough that I feel the difference in skin texture after a week of consistent use, or after a week of stopping all use. (Of course, if you are pregnant, please avoid skincare with retinoids.)
The smell of the oil is quite strong and herbal - there is no added fragrance, so what you get is the natural smell of the oil blend. it’s rich on skin, and will feel oily for a while. It’s designed for night time use only so this is not a problem even for those with oily skin. And yes, you can definitely use this even if you have oily skin! I have combination skin and when I wake up there’s no oily feeling at all. It gets absorbed by skin nicely.
Aside from the price, my other complaint is how ridiculously blue it is. IT IS SO BLUE. There’s blue tansy in the oil, yes, but I also spot some dyes at the end of the ingredients list that definitely enhance its deep blue texture. If this drops on a white shirt, it will stain blue! On skin, the blue becomes less obvious once blended, but there is still a bluish tint that remains on skin. It won’t stain pillowcases naman when blended out, but I still wouldn’t lie down on a white pillow case until it’s fully absorbed. One does get used to this though!
Luna Oil blended out on skin. There’s still that slight blue tint, as you can see.
At the end of the day, this is the best facial oil for me and definitely worth the splurge. A 15ml bottle would last me for about 7-9 months depending on how often I use it, and I use it a 2-3 times a week when I rotate actives. I’m buying it again when I run out. YMMV as usual, but when you get the change get a sample from Sephora PH! They offer it every once in a while.
Would love to know your thoughts on this facial oil!
