Cheryl Shops

One of the perks of being a blogger is that I get sent a lot of skincare products—often more than even an entire family can use. Conventional wisdom says that you should try a product at least 28 days before you judge its results, but ain't nobody got time for that here. I generally give a new product a week (or less if it irritates my skin), and if it's not doing anything for me, it goes into my friends and family pile. For the record, I don't write about 75% of the things I receive—generally I believe that if I don't have something nice to say. I shouldn't put it in writing—but when something comes along that's noteworthy, that's when I decide to tell you about it. And you definitely need to know about Eighth Day skincare. Full disclosure: they sent me a full-size Regenerative Serum  and Reparative Moisturizer to try, and I was under no obligation to write about either product, but the results were so instantly, visibly amazing, I knew I had to give them a proper review. So without further ado, here's my honest, unfiltered opinion of Eighth Day Regenerative Serum and Reparative Moisturizer. 

First, a little background on Eighth Day

Eighth Day was started by Dr. Anthony Nahkla, a reconstructive skin cancer surgeon and wound-healing expert based in Orange County, CA. (If that sounds slightly familiar, it may be because of that other luxury skincare line created by an expert in regenerative medicine, Augustinus Bader.) Like nearly every other high-end skincare line nowadays, Eighth Day has a trademarked proprietary formula, in this case Peptide-Rich Plasma, a blend of 24 bio-identical ingredients that mimic the skin's natural ability to renew and regenerate itself. (Note: Peptide-Rich Plasma is not to be confused with platelet-rich plasma, the key ingredient in the "vampire facial," although I'm assuming the similarity was intentional, in that both are meant to treat signs of aging.) All Eighth Day products qualify as clean, vegan, and cruelty free, as well as fragrance-free, and the brand is committed to recycled and/or recyclable packaging. But none of that matters if a product doesn't deliver results, and what Eighth Day aims to do is, well, kind of everything: improve elasticity, reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles, address redness, shrink the look of pores, brighten dull skin, help smooth texture, protect against sun damage and blue light, and, oh, moisturize. Does it deliver? Read on for my reviews of each product I tried.

The Regenerative Serum 

Finding a good serum is tricky. Lots of them are so thick and sticky, they take too long to dry in the morning and can mess with the entire texture of your skin. Many don't do anything for me at all. The Regenerative Serum, on the other hand, absorbed so quickly that I was worried that I wasn't using enough. (I was.) After layering with the Reparative Moisturizer, my makeup went on really smoothly and my skin felt super hydrated all day. I committed to using only these two products (other than cleanser and sunscreen) night and day so I could really gauge whether or not they were working, and I thought I was dreaming when I woke up the next morning with plumper, softer, and more even-looking skin. Yes, that's how effective this stuff is—I was pretty much ready to throw away everything else in my medicine cabinet. Over the next month, multiple people told me how good my skin looked, and I believed them, because I could see the results for myself. And I hate to admit that, because half an ounce of this stuff will set you back $195, and I blitzed through an entire bottle in a month. I am the last person to tell you to buy expensive skincare (I don't think Bader is worth the hype), but this stuff really works well. Like, really, really well. 

The Reparative Moisturizer

I am still working through my bottle of The Reparative Moisturizer, and happily so—this is one of the nicest-feeling creams I've ever put on my face. It delivers way more moisture than you'd expect from its light texture, and there's something instantly soothing happening when you apply it. The cream has a very subtle natural scent to it that reminds me of toothpaste, but in a very pleasant way. I use just a pump in the morning and at night, and that keeps my skin super soft and bouncy-feeling all day (and night) long. I should also mention that the packaging for this line—and especially this product—is gorgeous. I prefer not to have to dip my fingers into a jar, so I'm a fan of the pump, which keeps the formula airtight (and away from germs). Plus, the black bottle is just so sleek and luxurious-looking. Of course, like the serum, luxury (and efficacy) has a price, which in this case is $180 for 1oz. I will say that the moisturizer bottle lasts longer than the serum, but it's also twice the size, so duh, math. I will also say that while this is a very lovely moisturizer, I think the serum is the real star of this show, although they likely work best in conjunction. Since I ran out of the serum, I've been using the moisturizer with another favorite serum of mine, Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Balancing Essence, and while my skin looks great, it doesn't look quite as amazing as when I was using the Regenerative Serum. 

My honest review

It has been a long time since I've been this excited about the results I've seen from any skincare product—there are things that work over time, and then there are formulas like this that work literally overnight. Again, the last thing I want to do is say a product this expensive is worth it, but...it's worth it. I'd be curious to try it with another moisturizer, but I truly think the Regenerative Serum is the real workhorse here, so if you have to choose between one of these products, I'd go with that one. Then again, if you have the means to splurge, you'll be in for plump, glowy, hydrated, even-looking skin—and I will be super jealous. Eighth Day is also available at Violet Grey, which offers 15% off your first purchase, as does the official Eighth Day website. I suggest taking advantage of both offers!