Paula's Choice Haul

Purchased Affiliate / Referral Link


My first Paula's Choice haul! I wanted to try out their vitamin C serum so I decided to take advantage of a $10 USD off referral for first time customers purchasing over $15 USD and their free shipping promo for under $50 USD.

What is it?

Paula's Choice is a cosmetics company that focuses on evidence based body care.

Cost

I paid $8 total for my haul. Because of the promo, there was no shipping charge for my order. I also used Ebates to get a bit of cashback.

Shipping

I bought my products on Feb. 23rd, my order shipped Feb. 24th, and it arrived on Feb. 26th.

Packaging

My package came in a box with Paula's Choice's logo on the outside. There was brown paper padding the top and bottom of the inside of the box.

Contents

I actually only purchased the following two items.


Resist C15 Super Booster
Full Size: $40.80 USD for 20mL / 0.67oz
Trial Size: $9.00 USD for 3.5mL / 0.12oz
I bought two vials of the sample sized vitamin C serum because I've been meaning to try one that is well formulated and includes l-ascorbic acid, tocopherol, and ferulic acid. I also needed two of the samples to be able to bump the cost of my order over $15 to take advantage of the referral credit.

But there might be a problem...


The serum is a golden yellow upon opening the product, which indicates that it has oxidized to the point where it may be too ineffective as a vitamin C serum to function as advertised.

And here are the samples!

Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Lotion Exfoliant
Full Size: $26.00 USD for 100mL / 3.3oz
Sample Size: $9.00 USD for 1.5mL or 0.05oz
I'm looking for a non-drying BHA exfoliant because my current BHA exfoliant, Stridex Max Strength, is way too drying and I can't stand tightness I get from it. It also leaves a weird film and I'm not a fan of that.

Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant
Full Size: $26.00 USD for 100mL / 3.3oz
Sample Size: $9.00 USD for 1.5mL or 0.05oz
The last AHA I tried was the St. Ives pads and I didn't think they worked very well. That was also 4-5% lactic acid, while this utilizes 8% glycolic acid.

Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum with Retinol
Full Size $30.00 USD for 30mL / 1oz
Sample Size $1.00USD for 3mL / 0.03oz
I picked this because I didn't see much interesting things on the free samples selection. I might try a moisturizer or toner next time.

And here are the printed materials.


I checked to receive the 20 Beauty Myths Busted and How to Put a Skincare Routine Together so I can read what Paula has to say.

Customer Service

I contacted customer service because of the golden yellow color of the C15 Booster.

"Hi Paula's Choice, I have questions about the Resist C15 Super Booster. At which point will the product indicate that it is oxidized to a point that we shouldn't be using it anymore? Or can we still use the product even if it has oxidized to a golden yellow color? Thank you. "

They responded:

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us today! The RESIST C15 Super Booster should be a liquid, and have a clear to a light yellowish tone. Although judging color can be somewhat subjective, the issue with destabilization of high amounts of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) comes into play once this vitamin begins to discolor significantly, i.e. turning a deep yellow/orange or deep brown shade. This is a sign the vitamin C has become less active which can occur over time, hence our recommendation to use this serum within three months of opening. Since the sample size contains a significantly smaller amount, and the bottle doesn’t have the same air restrictor that the full sized bottle has, which is why the trial size turns a darker yellow color slightly quicker.

A minor color variation is normal for products that don't contain artificial colorants to maintain a consistent shade, so between batches there can be a subtle difference in shade due to the natural color of the raw materials used to make the product. This does not mean the product is ineffective or less effective than if it were completely colorless. I’ve included a visual below of different color variations for this product (all are completely safe and effective to use).


I hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Best regards,

SKY MOHLER"

They responded by the next day I had submitted my inquiry. Not only that, but they are well informed and gave a detailed explanation and all the possibilities of what could have happened for troubleshooting. I've seen similar questions and responses to and from PC's customer service, and I would say that there is consistency in the messages, which means that they are well trained on what info to give to its customers.

I think they should include a photo of when the color of the serum will indicate that it is not safe to use and I am still unsure of how oxidized my product is. Since mine is the rightmost shade, my serum may not be good to use. I am going to assume that the trial size is okay and on the verge of going bad. I will use it for testing the formula for breakouts, allergic reactions, texture, or other issues and not necessarily for lightening my pigmentation or anti-aging purposes.

Conclusion

Deals

Make sure to subscribe to their newsletter so you can catch their deals on their website! I got free shipping on my items because of that.

You can get $10 off your first purchase over $15 if you use my referral link. I will also get $10 credit. Couple it with Ebates to get a percentage of your order's total back.