[PROVINCE APOTHECARY] - Rejuvenating + Hydrating face serum

Today is last of the first impressions on Canadian organic beauty companies introduced to me by skinvestmentofficial! It is the Rejuvenating + Hydrating face serum from Province Apothecary. 

• Province Apothecary has a store and a holistic skincare clinic in Toronto, ON. Its mission is to produce effective products that are of highest quality made from certified organic ingredients from all over Canada. It can be used on even the most sensitive skin. In addition to being organic, their products are also vegan and cruelty free.

Before going into the review, just let me state once again that even though I received the product for free, all opinion stated here are my own. 

• Ok, onto the product itself. I was expecting a watery serum so I was surprised to see oil. Guess I should've read the ingredients list first .😅The oil has a herbal scent to it, If I am honest, it smelled like paint thinner and canola oil to me 😅. Every time I put it on, I cringe a little bit. Thankfully the scent goes away after its sunk into my skin.
• 
  
• The instruction said to use between 4-12 drops each time, and let the oil sit for 5-10 minutes to be absorbed by the skin. Apparently it is even better if you massage it in, especially when following the massage guide they provided.

• I attempted two different routine placement for the serum. This is due to a post I read on chemist.confessions where they discussed how products should be applied from more water to less. Basically, oils and balms should be last so the watery products can be absorbed by the skin.

• Method #1: serum after moisturizer

• I used 6 drops after the Blossom Jeju cream, and let it sink in for 5 minutes. But it felt oily to the touch so I started massaging it. Which led to some piling. I am not sure if it's bc I put too much cream on or it's reacting to the oil. 
• 
  

After I massaged it in, which was really relaxing by the way, the greasy feeling went away. Instead, my skin was soft and plump. 

When I went to wash my face the next day, it didn't feel like I was washing off a layer of product at all. I was shocked how smooth my skin felt! Rinsing with water felt like I am rubbing against silk! It was so smooth and soft. I want to maintain this forever! !! 😍😍 

• Method #2: moisturizer after the serum
• 
  
• I tried this with 4 drops as well 6 drops. Both was sufficient for my face and yielded the same result. 

I found that this method doesn't leave me looking greasy, especially if I massage it in. BUT that's only in appearance. Because my skin felt greasy, especially around the temple and edges of my face(does that make sense?). It also made my fingers super greasy. And this is after an hour!!! 😣 I had to massage for another 5 minutes before my fingers stopped looking oily😑

When I went to wash my face the next day, it felt like a layer of product was being washed off. So the cream definitely didn't sink in 😑The cream felt like it was dragging when applied on top of the oil. And I noticed my skin felt less smooth than the 1st method.

So in conclusion, oils, or serum in this case, should go on top of your moisturisers in order to allow all the products to be absorbed by the skin. 

I actually tried a third method recommended by Province Apothecary! It was to mix two or three drops of the oil with the moisturizer. I tried it a few times and I find it to be my favourite. It still leads to a bit of a pilling but it may be because I used too much moisturizer. It doesn't leave my face feeling as greasy, and it doesn't feel like I am washing off layer of product later on! I think I'll continue to use it this way. 

Overall, I really like this product! I am a little sad at the price tag but I think the result is worth it. Also, I am quite surprised this little 3 ml sample has given me more than 4 applications so far! I really want more of it! I want that soft and silky skin every day!