Balance Active Formula Skincare Review | Budget Skincare

I love featuring beauty products on a budget, but I'll admit, it can be quite hard to find budget skincare products. There are the drugstore/teenage brands, like Simple, Garnier etc, but not many of them offer products like serums and exfoliators. That's probably why The Ordinary took off the way it did, with their choice of good but affordable skincare products. Another brand that meets this niche (but isn't spoken about as much) is Balance Active Formula. They offer formulations that contain active levels of clinically proven ingredients, but without the massive price tag. Infact, you can find their products for around £3 each on Fragrance Direct, Amazon, JustmyLook, Savers and B&M (to list a few).

I had the chance to try out their Vitamin C Power Serum*, Hyaluronic 554 Youth Serum* and Hyaluronic Moisturiser*.

Vitamin C Power Serum*
I was so excited to use this as I have a bit of pigmentation around my chin and upper lip which gives off a bit of a green tinge, and so I really wanted to try a Vitamin C serum as I read about how they brighten the skin and thus reduce any pigmentation. Vitamin C does go off, so it's best to check it hasn't separated and it should be stored in a cool place, away from direct sunlight. Otherwise it won't be as effective. If you're using Vitamin C or any kind of exfoliators, I really wouldn't miss a daily application of SPF as your skin will be more prone to sun damage, and pigmentation could then get worse rather than better.

The Vitamin C Serum, alongside the Hyaluronic Acid, both come in little plastic bottles that are dispensed with pipettes. You get 30ml of product. The consistency is quite runny, however it's very easy to smooth and massage it over the skin. It really doesn't feel very heavy at all on the skin, honestly, it just feels like you're massaging water in. It does have a tacky finish at first, but it quickly dries down to give a matte feel to the skin. It is definitely lightweight and non-greasy, just like it claims to be.

It contains two forms of stabilised Vitamin C - 6% Illumiscin and 3% Stay-C (TM) 50, as well as Zinc PCA and Oleuropein, for a brighter and smoother complexion. Honestly, I really like this serum! I don't mean to exaggerate, but I've been using this for a month, and I really feel like my skin is looking better than it has in ages. I used to have good skin until a few years ago where it started going all dry, patchy and dull, out of the blue. It is starting to look more radiant and slightly smoother now, I can tell that my cheeks look a bit more glowy already. In terms of pigmentation, I think it has improved slightly around my chin, but at the moment it's the same around my upper lip and the corners of my mouth. I'll definitely carry on using this though, and post another 2-3 month update.

I've still got 5/6 of the bottle left after using it more a month, so I can definitely see myself getting a lot more use out of it. Plus, because it's so cheap (under £3 here at Fragrance Direct), you can just pick it up without even thinking too much about it. I tend to use it in the evenings after I have exfoliated, and before my other serums and night creams.

Hyaluronic 554 Youth Serum*
I was also super excited to use the Hyaluronic Serum as I've used it as an ingredient in my skincare, but never on its own as a serum. This one has 5% Hylasome EG10 which holds water tightly within its gel structure, and delivers it over time, leading to its claim of five times the moisturising benefits after 24 hours. Now, I haven't used it for 24 hours, more like 12 hours max at a time. The consistency of this one is more gel like (compared to the Vitamin C). Again, it is dispensed through the pipette and it is really easy to smooth over the skin.

I was expecting it to be more hydrating on its own, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. It does absorb into the skin quite quickly, giving it more of a pump look, but my dry skin still looks dehydrated, especially because it has a matte finish too. I think this Hyaluronic Serum is more to be used as a base, and that's what the instructions point to aswell. I pair it underneath my normal Superdrug serum, and the moisturiser from the same range. I tend to use this one in the mornings, as I leave the Vitamin C serum for the evenings.

I do really like the way my skin looks after all these steps, but I'm not sure it's all down to this one product, so that's why I would say this isn't a necessary step. With the Vitamin C serum it's easy to say that my skin looks more glowy, but it's hard to tell with the hyaluronic acid if my skin is better in the long term. Hopefully, by the 2-3 month update point, I should be able to pinpoint the results better. You can find it on Amazon here for £3.99.

Hyaluronic Moisturiser*
Lastly, I got to try the Hyaluronic moisturiser. I'll admit, I was a bit dubious at just how good a VERY budget moisturiser would be. I don't get on with a lot of drugstore moisturisers as I find that the consistency is often a bit heavy for me, my favourites are those with a gel texture, however I find these tend to be more expensive. This, however, is a really lightweight moisturiser (with a slight gel texture), that just sinks into the skin and hydrates it well. It absorbs incredibly quickly, and gives a matte finish. It's not that rich, so I think it would be fine for normal-combination skin as well, and even oily. With my dry skin, I do put some serum underneath.

It doesn't have SPF in it, so it's suitable for day and night. For a price of £2.50 (Amazon here), I do think it's one of the best bargain moisturisers out there and easily tops a lot of other more expensive creams. It feels quite good on my skin too, like some moisturisers can make your skin feel a bit overloaded (and hot), but this doesn't feel like anything when it's on. I find it quite gentle on my skin too, no itchy skin or breakouts with this. The only con, in my opinion, is that it does have a bit of a chemical scent when you first apply it, however it fades pretty fast.

The active ingredients in this are the Hylasome EG10 (the same form of hyaluronic acid as in the serum above) and Algisium C2 (I couldn't understand all the science-y diagrams but I think it's a collagen booster).

Overall, I've really enjoyed using these three products and I'm really interested in seeing what long term results they have with continued use. I can't wait to do a 2-3 month update! I think Balance Active is one of those brands that isn't spoken about much (probably because they don't advertise), and it's easy to oversee, especially because their packaging isn't very fancy or eye catching. However, if you want affordable skincare that works, or you're new to skincare and have no clue where to start, I would really recommend them as their products are no frills, but just good skincare that delivers!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Have you tried any Balance Active products before?

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