Veracious Product Review: Origins Mega Bright Skin Tone Correcting Serum

Hi, everyone! Time for my take on one of the myriad of brightening products on the market right now, Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Bright Skin Tone Correcting Serum. I was lucky enough to score a decently-sized sample tube of this a while back, which lasted me long enough (over a month!) to let me form a reliable impression of it.

Before I get into my thoughts, I'll quickly describe my skin care concerns, as brightening products go. My skin is quite fair (MAC NC15-20), combination/oily, sensitive, and acne-prone. Because of my light skin tone and the fact that I tend to get cystic pimples (those deep, stubborn, painful buggers), I am often left with reddish scars long after the breakouts have cleared. The persistence of these post-acne marks is one of my biggest issues at the moment, because the scars leave my skin looking spotted and blotchy even when no active breakouts are present. Because of this, I've been eager to try the many lightening and brightening potions that have been crowding the shelves of late.

The sample of Mega-Bright I received came in a white squeeze tube, though the full-sized product is housed in a bottle with a pump. Origins claims that this serum will fade sun damage, acne marks and age spots in as little as 4 weeks using the power of "nature's radiant Rosa Roxburghii complex". It promises to calm irritation and prevent pigmentation from reappearing, while living skin clear and bright. It also touts suitability and gentleness for all skin types and tones. Lots of heavy assertions! Unfortunately Origins does not list the full ingredients of this serum, though they promise a lack of parabens and sulfates, which is always a plus!

The texture of the serum is that of a thick, translucent gel. It absorbs into skin quite quickly without a greasy residue, which my oily skin loved! It does leave that smooth, silicone-induced feeling on the skin, which is both excellent for its priming abilities and terrible for its pore-clogging potential. Overall, though, the texture made it a wonderful base for foundation, though I used it primarily at nighttime.

The colour of the serum looks initially whitish-ivory, but on closer inspection it has a definite violet, opalescent cast that works to instantly even out pigmentation on the skin. Here are a couple pictures of the colour and texture of Mega-Bright:

Hopefully these shots do a decent job at demonstrating the thickness and opalescence of the serum!

Here it is, blended into my fingertips. As you can see, it doesn't leave a definite colour, though there are noticeable traces of the shimmery opalescent undertones to it:

At first I was convinced that it was only the instant optical blurring of the product (given the shimmery, violet tone) that was making my skin look brighter and more even, an effect that I expected to wash off the next morning. With regular use, however, I started to realize that Mega-Bright was having a longer-lasting effect on my skin. After about 6 weeks of applying it nightly, I did notice that my skin looked brighter and more luminous, which was a huge plus! On the downside, though, this didn't do much to fade my isolated post-acne marks, which remained prominent as ever.

Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons of the product:

Pros:

• Instantly left skin looking more bright and even
• Lightweight texture that absorbed easily and worked well under makeup and night cream
• Didn't break me out! I see this as a huge plus, since my skin is so reactive
• Gradually made my skin look more luminous
• Pleasant licorice/citrus smell
• A little goes a long way! The sample tube lasted me nearly 2 months
• Paraben- and sulfate-free

Cons:

• Did little to lighten my reddish post-acne marks
• Some of the results are due to the instant evening/blurring effect of the shimmery violet-tinged formula, rather than long-lasting benefits
• Luckily my sample was free, but the full-sized product is quite pricey ($69 CAD for 30mL, though it will undoubtedly last a long time!)
• Leaves a slight shimmer on the skin, which may be too noticeable if you are wearing it without anything over top
• Violet/opalescent tint may be less flattering on darker skin tones

Overall I was super happy to sample this product. It didn't break me out and left my skin looking brighter and more luminous, both instantly and over time. But because this did next to nothing to brighten my post-acne marks, I won't likely be splurging on a full-sized bottle. I would definitely recommend this for those with combination/acne-prone skin who want to add luminosity to your complexion without added oil or breakouts. It's fantastic for this! But for those looking to fade acne scars, I'd suggest taking a pass.

Hope you found this review to be helpful! Have you ever tried Mega-Bright? What are your favourite brightening/lightening products?

Thanks for reading! xo