Review: Peace Out Retinol and Peptide Eye Stick

I don't know when and how it happened, but my skincare routine has gained more steps than a Stairmaster, and I really should look at simplifying my process a bit and streamlining all those products, but God help me, I'm a true skincare and beauty junkie, and I don't know that I can really turn the boat back around right now! That said, I thought I might modify one of my steps recently by replacing a cream with a stick balm, in the hopes that I would be able to shave off the thirty seconds I'd usually take to tap the eye cream into my skin, and I've now been using the Peace Out Retinol and Peptide Eye Stick, and it's been quite a fun addition! 

 

This is a serum balm, which means that it's in the shape of a solid balm stick, made up of serum, and comprised of encapsulated retinol, in addition to a combination of antioxidants and peptides, that's meant to glide onto the skin to help target the appearance of fine lines, as well as improve the look of dark circles and skin texture. This is all so that you can be left with skin that looks firmer, and feels smoother.

 

I love that this is also an inclusive product in that this is cruelty free and vegan. This utilises bakuchiol, which is a plant-based alternative to retinol, as their major anti-aging ingredient, and it's a potent antioxidant that is meant to help refine the appearance of texture and pores, and all that is packed into a cute, powder pink tube, much like one you'd find a lip balm to look like. To use this, simply remove the cap, give it a twist to push the balm up, then gently swipe it around the eye area.

 This means that I go in a bit of a circular motion when I'm applying this, starting from just beneath the inner corner of my eyes, then moving it outwards and going over my brow bone. I don't know if I really need to include that much surface area, but hey, it doesn't hurt to cover more of my skin than not! I will warn people who aren't used to retinol, however, to make sure that you ease your skin into it, as it can result in your face reacting to it if it isn't used to retinol. 

 

The result? A mess free balm that glides over my skin and doesn't require me to get my hands slippery at all. It's easy to massage into my skin, and I love that this isn't sticky, nor does it leave any traces of it on my skin. In fact, I actually had to swipe this on the back of my hand the first time I used it to make sure that it was coming off onto my skin. I don't find this to be particularly hydrating (nor does it claim to be), but I do like that it seems to be leaving my undereye area looking a little smoother. This isn't particularly affordable, sitting at $51 for 4g of product, but as it's also something that you can use little amounts of over a long period of time, it might actually be surprisingly economical. You can find it over on the Sephora website. Do you think you'd want to try a balm over a traditional cream?