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Paula’s Choice RESIST Skincare Review

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This post is sponsored by ShopStyle and Paula's Choice

paulas choice skincare reviewIn 2001, I began working for The Body Shop. I managed the store in the Baltimore Inner Harbor. The store had high shrink (theft), not enough staff, and visitors from across the globe who saw The Body Shop the way it was in the UK (which was way cooler than Bath and Body Works, which ruled the early oughts). These customers knew their products, and I needed to be one step ahead.  I hit the library to learn behind the fact sheets the company provided to keep up with my clientele. I don't recall how I found Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, but it soon became my bible. I ended up owning more editions of that book than Our Bodies, Ourselves. Because of Paula Begoun, I could school the rich bored housewife who every Monday came in to return last week's purchase because it was, “too caustic.” I could keep up with my overseas customers who knew natural ingredients and essential oils while still making sure no one stole everything off the front table. And to those who also read Begoun's book, I could justify our products' ratings and turn around a sale (hey I may have agreed with her, but I did have sales goals to make!).  I think Paula Begoun and her books helped me get promoted so quickly; with what I learned about skincare I was chosen in less than a year to train future Body Shop store managers for the East Coast. Without trying, Paula Begoun disrupted the skincare industry. She was the precursor to Makeup Alley, EWG's Skin Deep, and other websites that break down the ingredients, problems, and efficacy of beauty products.

And now it's 2018. I've had this blog for 13 years, and for most of that time I've been discussing skincare. Skincare has been a favorite topic since my years at The Body Shop, and often when I discuss it I bring up Paula Begoun. I trusted Paula implicitly, so why have I never before reviewed her skincare line Paula's Choice? I'll admit Paula's Choice has gifted me product over the past year or so but I haven't tried it because I had a good thing going with my current skincare routine and had been burned too many times (sometimes literally) with sponsored beauty posts. I was scared to risk my face with change.

For this sponsored post, I was gifted not just one product but an entire skincare regimen. With every step of my skincare process from Paula's Choice, I can really see how it works. Paula Begoun created her skincare line, Paula's Choice after years of researching other brands. Her readers asked for it, and she made the skincare products she wished existed. I knew Paula wouldn't make a terrible skincare line, so many of you have raved about Paula's Choice over the years… so why did I wait until now?

paulas choice resist skincare reviewPaula's Choice provided a questionnaire to determine what skincare would be best for me and decided on their RESIST Anti Aging Skin Care Collection. Since I have dry skin, the majority of the products I received were focused on caring for normal to dry skin. I received:

As soon as I received the products I boxed up all other skincare I owned and made a complete switch.  At night, I used the Hydrating Cleanser, then the Toner, then the AHA Lotion, then the 1% Retinol Booster mixed with the serum, then the Intensive Repair Cream. In the morning, I cleansed with the Toner, applied the AHA Lotion, the Serum, and the Restoring Moisturizer. The only additional beauty products I used during this time were hydrating facial sprays (a favorite especially in winter to keep my skin feeling and looking dewy).

paulas choice resist skincare reviewI am super pleased with the results. Paula's Choice is clearly high quality ingredients, formulated to be effective. The packaging is low-fuss but again effective – pumps in opaque bottles to dispense the correct amount and not have the ingredients be affected by light. Clear instructions, including order in which to use the products. This is a fantastic brand for the no-BS woman who desires products that deliver without 50,000 steps.  The Hydrating Cleanser takes even waterproof makeup off in one step, leaving skin feeling clean and not stripped. The milky toner leaves skin feeling happy and soft. The AHA lotion didn't make my skin red or irritated, but a bit of tingling that made me know it was working.  Same with the retinol, which is nice considering I often have reactions to retinol. The moisturizers are thick but not greasy; the Skin Restoring Moisturizer has SPF 50 which is awesome. It takes longer to rub in since it's a true sunscreen but worth it because you know your skin is being protected. The mask is the kind you can wear overnight and when you do you wake with plum, dewy, happy skin.

paulas choice resist serum reviewI was surprised by how few steps could provide such an effective result. I realize I had bought into all the hype that Paula's books a decade ago taught me to ignore. I was swayed by influencers, Instagram photos, and trends. I should have known, I knew when I read Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without me. Well thank you Paula's Choice, I again see the light and remember that beautiful skin comes from quality, not quantity. That you can't judge a book by its cover or a serum by its trendy bottle.

The Paula's Choice website is a place to order the skincare line, but it's also a goldmine of information. On the page for each product you find Why Is It Different, What Does It Do, and How to Use. You will also find a complete ingredient list, a list of research done on the product and ingredients, and amazing detailed reviews from customers. Those reviews taught me how to customize my routine, like mixing the Retinol Booster with the Omega+ Complex Serum before applying.

It's ridiculous that it took this long for me to do a full Paula's Choice skincare review. This won't be the last. I love when sponsored posts force me out of my comfort zone and turn me onto an amazing product. Thank you Paula's Choice for this partnership and for taking such good care of my skin!

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14 Comments

    1. Hi Andi, since the beginning of the year I have published almost 50 blog posts and only 6 of them have been sponsored and one I didn’t get paid but the brand asked me to state it was sponsored since they gifted clothing that was featured in the post. Blogging is my full-time job and I work very hard to find a balance between paid and unpaid content and only accepting partnerships with brands that make sense with the current content and tone of Wardrobe Oxygen.

  1. This isnโ€™t much of a review though. You basically say you like it. Why donโ€™t you compare it to other products that youโ€™ve used?

    1. When you do a sponsored post you have certain rules you need to abide by, a contract you sign. I can’t mention other products in a post where I am being paid to speak of a certain product. As I mentioned in the comments below, I really felt like these products compared to what I was using before I tried this, it’s like apples to oranges. A wash-off liquid cleanser versus a solid oil cleanser. A toner when I don’t usually use one. Fewer steps, different kinds of products. I chose to focus on the quality and efficacy of these products. The rest is personal preference versus actual benefit or performance. The only thing that was similar was the retinol, and I like it as much or maybe more than the one I am using.

  2. I lost all respect for Paula Begoun and Beautypedia when it turned from a website with somewhat scientific if not unbiased reviews and information to a barely veiled site primarily designed to shill Paula’s Choice products and denigrate everything else (just take a look at what they say about The Ordinary, which despite the recent meltdown of the founder on social media is probably the most revolutionary skincare brand right now). Even more so when she sold the company and Paula’s Choice immediately began selling products that Paula herself said were useless (Eye cream, exhibit A). And of course, Paula’s Choice products all get 5 star ratings on Beautypedia.

  3. I love Paula’s Choice. I first sought them out for sunscreen without avobenzene (I am one of small percentage whose eyes sting from it) that wouldn’t clog my pores. Having reactive skin I am so pleased to find products that can address cligged pores separately from oiliness

  4. The Resist Skin Restoring Moisturizer SPF 50 is exactly what I have been hoping to find. I ordered the Resist Travel Kit last night so that I could test out the line. It was on sale for $21. It’s already been shipped and it should arrive Friday. Thanks!
    I bought a few editions of “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter” back in the day. But I wasn’t aware that she had a skincare line. I am very sensitive to fragrance, and I use a lot of Clinique. But I don’t like their daily sunscreen options. Olay Regenerist is the closest I have come to finding a sun protection moisturizer.
    It surprised me that she has a toner. Along with eye cream, I believe she said they were unnecessary. I’m sure the scientific understanding has changed.

    1. Gotta say it surprised me as well. This toner is milky, not a water/astringent type. It’s meant to provide hydration. I considered it like an essence which is such a popular product these days, but not sure what exactly it did other than make my skin feel soft and happy right after applying.

  5. I have been a really loyal Paula’s Choice user for, gosh, YEARS now and I loved her products in my 20s, 30s, and now that I at the brink of my 40s. No nonsense, so effective, easy to use, so pleasant. I โค๏ธ this brand so much!

  6. I don’t understand the less than $1 prices. Is she selling samples? Decimal point in the wrong place?

  7. How does this line compare to the Coleen Rothschild line you have been raving about? Can you give a brief comparison?

    1. It’s apples and oranges. None of the products are really the same kind, used in the same way, or trying to accomplish the same effects. Like I said in this post, I feel this is a great line for a woman who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time on her skin but wants results. Few steps, traditional methods, and great ingredients. With CR, it’s more labor intensive, like a facial at a spa. Both are amazing skincare lines, it’s more about what you are looking for regarding results/treatment, and the method of applying and using that appeals to you.

  8. I love Paula’s Choice! I don’t use a whole regimen, but there are a few products that I purchase over and over again. I love her sunscreen and 2% BHA. I also really liked her 1% retinol treatment but have switched over to Differin now that it is available over the counter. Everything I’ve tried has been really effective, and while it’s a little pricier than I’d like, it’s still a great value for what you get when you compare her products to some other brands.

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