Kahina Giving Beauty Brightening Serum Revisit & Review

I first used Kahina’s Brightening Serum in the winter and you can read my initial thoughts here. As I started stockpiling products and rotated items in and out of my routine (such is life when you sell beauty products at one of the largest department stores!), this little bottle got lost in the shuffle. The Brightening Serum as I could remember, was great at what it did, but I just didn’t have a ‘need’ for it like some other people whose main concerns seem to be brightening their skin tone. However, a few weeks ago I rediscovered this and decided to use it regularly as kind of a makeshift moisturizer for my combination skin.

Some of you see a ‘brightening’ product and immediately want to try it and others, don’t really ‘get it’. Granted, a brightening product isn’t as straight forward as a anti-aging product, moisturizer, or cleanser, but essentially brightening products are there to make complexion look its best. And Kahina Giving Beauty’s Brightening Serum does just that. The description promises to increase luminosity, refine skin tone & texture. It isn’t a product that ‘bleaches’ skin or anything like that and your skin will not change shades (if you are looking into those products, I’d urge you to reconsider), but it will make your complexion more even and refreshed.

I’d describe this serum as having a milky, slightly sticky texture (the base of this serum consists of aloe leaf juice) that works best when combined with a toner and moisturizer. During the day, I like to layer a moisturizer with spf over it and at night, I pat on a facial oil which takes off the stickiness.  The scent is light slightly minty thanks to a sandalwood oil and spearmint leaf extracts, but make no mistake, this is 100% clean, not a trace of a synthetic fragrance anywhere so it isn’t overwhelming which I love. For those with blemish prone skin, start slowly with 1 pump once a day to make sure your skin can adjust, I notice my skin is very hit-or-miss with Shea Butter products. You’ll want to massage this into skin thoroughly but otherwise I’ve been able to use this product without really breaking out (though when I do have active blemishes, I hold off using this until they have cleared).

I found this to be the perfect compliment to my routine because the light texture and hydration benefits were just the right match for what my skin needed. On top of that, the brightening agents (including White Lilly, Japanese Wakame seawood, maritime pine, and antioxidants) make me feel like I’m also doing skin a lot of good on top of just moisturizing it. Some studies say that the most significant sign of aging is uneven skintone and hyperpigmentation, and so I feel that this is a good preventative measure to take! Another bonus is that this formula uses all 100% natural ingredients  (73.8% organic) that won’t create photosensitivity as it brightens (in fact, Kahina recommends applying this during the day too to prevent dark spots from occurring) . This last point is important because a lot of brightening products on the market use actives that can generate free radical damage and photosensitivity which leaves skin extremely vulnerable and exposed.  The fact that this actually works to refine complexion but also provide skin with protective benefits is wonderful, and truly speaks to the quality of ingredients in this serum.

Those of you with sensitive skin should look at the extracts and essential oils to make sure they’re suitable for your skin, but this is kind of a overall suggestion I give for most products. People have different sensitivities and sometimes think that sensitive skin means they’re sensitive to all essential oils which just isn’t correct. Read the label, check to see if there are ingredients your skin might not like, and don’t just listen to other people talk about their sensitivities. My friend cannot use anything with Rosemary in it, so she cannot use this product, but my skin does not react to it at all.

As summer rolls around, the heavy foundations in my beauty routine are going to move from the top shelf to the back of the shelf since it’s all about light, natural looks. You don’t want to have layers of product on during the sweltering summer heat! This multifunctional product will be a definite regular.

Available at Kahina Giving Beauty $72