The Best Of Drinkable Beauty, And Why You Need It
We’re the first to admit that we’re total suckers when it comes to any new supplement, tonic, natural probiotic, or otherwise that promises to do something “life-changing” in the skin department.
And lately our attention has turned to beauty drinks. While it seems too good to be true, it’s possible to drink your way to better skin and I know this because I’ve worked my way through a slew of beauty powders and tonics in place of my nightly swill of cab sav, and they all came good on their promise to make my complexion ~infallible~.
I will admit that Carlie — founder of THE FILE and ultimate #girlboss — frightened me into trialling said concoctions, only because she knows all when it comes to skin. Listening to her tell me that the rate at which we produce collagen deteriorates about 2% each year, starting from our mid-twenties, was akin to being told tequila isn’t actually a stimulant (I’m gullible), and quickly led to me pulling up every “collagen” page Google had to offer. Luckily, the bearer of this bad news also had some product suggestions up her sleeve, four of which made their way into this review. Pour it up!
The Beauty Chef Collagen Inner Beauty Boost
One
We’ll start with this one, because I know you’re all *dying* at the thought of a collagen booster you can ingest. Cosmetically speaking, what more could you ask for? This is cordial for the health-conscious — while there’s no added sugar, it’s great for satisfying sugar cravings, and it has the added bonus of firming skin, reducing fine lines, and protecting against free-radical damage (!). I add a tablespoon or so to a glass of cold water, and the result was a chilled beverage that tasted like a high-end Ribena. Move over, wine club!
As for its effects, you do have to give this one a bit of time before you see any visible changes, but it’s v worth the wait. I’m just over a month in, and the skin around my eyes is beginning to plump up (cha-ching), the fine lines around my mouth have smoothed over significantly, and I feel like Goop’s leading lady, Gwyneth Paltrow. A double thumbs up to The Beauty Chef for this one, and bonus points for making me drink more water.
Moon Juice Beauty Dust
Two
Admittedly, the name of this product had me sold before I’d even tried it. By the time I had tried it, I’d been sold two times over, and was thrice sold a week into using it. Glowing! My face! Every inch of it! Almost as if I’d lived my life without a single blemish (ha ha). Two weeks in, I found my hair could go longer in between washes, and had the same sheen it did long before I started to colour it. It’s best in smoothies or iced coffee, although it tastes just fine in water. Addictive personalities, beware: you won’t be able to shake Beauty Dust from your regime.
Vida Glow Marine Collagen
Three
Marine collagen has me hooked, and it’s Vida Glow that did it. This is radiance in powder form, with said radiance coming from my face, eyes, and everywhere else on my body, like the aftereffects of a five-day juice cleanse without the effort/expense/cravings. Its other benefits include giving me hardier nails, more lustrous hair, and unfathomable skin elasticity, aka the beauty trifecta!
I found I could amp up my dosage to suit my specific needs — one sachet daily for maintenance, two daily for improvement, and three daily for a total beauty overhaul (which, let’s face it, is what I do every day of the week). Raise your glasses to good health!
CILK Rose Extract
Four
Any beauty extract that promises to work as part of a beauty cocktail is one that I automatically want to trial. Aside from being a good addition to a rose-flavoured cocktail, the CILK rose extract significantly improves the taste and benefits of your standard glass of filtered water, which is how I (predominantly) chose to ingest mine.
My tastebuds were definitely onboard — it was light, refreshing and a good stand-in for my 3pm almond chai. But we’re not here to spitball delicious mid-afternoon beverage alternatives, so I’ll catch you up on what it did for my skin.
The extract contains a whole host of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that worked together to significantly improve the clarity of my skin. Outside of making drinking water a million times more #luxe, the extract also showed notable improvements on my digestion, and I coulda sworn that after drinking it for two weeks, my face betrayed no signs of the daily injustices it suffers. I.e. from caffeine, pollution, carbs on carbs and working late hours. I was definitely seeing the world through rose coloured glasses by the end.
Words, Betsy Greaves. Photography, Carlie Fowler.
