Worthwhile Beauty Splurge: BeautyBio R45 Retinol Review

       I recently tried a high-end skincare retinol system that worked incredibly well for my skin! I shared a little bit about it on Instagram Stories and got so many questions about it, so I wanted to write up a quick blog post with more information.  

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!

     Back in November, I went to Florida to visit my good friend Gentry from Girl Meets Bow blog. Gentry is a buyer in the beauty industry for her day job, and she currently works in skincare! I loved hearing about some of the prestige skincare brands that she currently gets to work with. While I was visiting, Gentry realized she had a full extra set of a high-end retinol from the brand BeautyBio. She kindly gifted it to me, and I was so excited to try it! I started it the day that I got home to Virginia.

     What is retinol, and why use it? Retinol is a derivative of Vitamin A. It has many benefits for facial skin including reducing the general changes associated with aging, wrinkle reduction and prevention, dark spot fading and acne reduction. The BeautyBio R45 Retinol System is a 45-day retinol regimen for your face. It is very concentrated, so instead of using a daily retinol year-round, they only recommend doing this regiment twice a year in the recommended 45-day increments. I did mine every evening after washing and cleansing my face.

    I'd tried some less concentrated retinol products from the drugstore makeup and skincare brand Pixi before (and I think some other cheaper brands too?), but this was my first time ever doing a dedicated retinol regiment from a high-end brand. I should also share that I have been pretty blessed my whole life to have good facial skin. I don't have super oily or super dry skin, and it's also not overly sensitive. I have breakouts here and there (usually on my chin when I do get them), but I never struggled with consistent facial acne the way some of my friends have. But skincare and SPF have been very important to me since college! While I have used a lot of different drugstore and prestige brands for my skincare and don't often stay loyal to just one or two, I have always been diligent about a morning and evening skincare routine featuring moisturizer, eye cream, and a mix of serums or toners. I'm thankful that I started becoming religious about this so early in my 20s! I have never done Botox or any type of facial fillers, and while I'm not opposed to trying those someday, I have no desire to start them soon if I don't need them. With 30 quickly approaching, it seemed like perfect timing for trying a strong retinol system like this one. I hoped this would help my already good facial skin look even more youthful and clear, and hopefully help delay my need for any fillers even more. 

      I was nervous that this might dry out my skin too much or I might have some other type of bad reaction, but that wasn't the case luckily! I didn't have any bad reactions to the BeautyBio R45 system. It did exactly what I wanted to right from the start- making my already good skin look even better! I wasn't great at remembering to take a lot of progress photos, but I did take one at the 15 day mark that's pictured below! I didn't edit or filter this picture in any way, and my face is free from any makeup. 

After 15 days of using the BeautyBio R45 regimen

     I can't get over how clear and firm my face looks in the picture after 15 days of use! Wow!! I continued using the R45 nightly through Day 45 as directed. One thing that I was pleasantly surprised by is that I didn't have any breakouts during the 45 days. Not even little chin pimples, which are the most common ones that I get! My skin has truly never felt better than using this product. Below is my final photo on Day 45! 

     The proof is in these pictures- what a product! I am definitely a believer now. So thankful that my friend Gentry gifted me this! 

      I do want to note that while I was using R45 I did modify my normal skincare routine. I did still use my favorite gentle moisturizer and current eye cream twice a day (morning and night), but I temporarily stopped using my toner and serums. I didn't want to overwhelm my skin too much when using a retinol regimen this strong, and I think that was a good decision. 

     The R45 system is not cheap...it's way more costly than I've ever paid for a skincare product! But I do think it is worth the cost. I plan to do it again this June (six months following when I first finished as recommended). The BeautyBio line is sold at both Ulta and Sephora, but I have found that QVC and HSN often offer the best deals and sales on R45 specifically. 

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese