If there is one thing that I dislike buying or that I am wary of buying, its moisturisers. I am incredibly fussy with textures and how they “feel” on the skin and I find a lot of moisturisers are just too thick or feel greasy, sticky or just plain yuck! I also find it incredibly hard to finish moisturisers as well, so I do try my best to limit what I own in my stash. It’s incredibly rare that I get excited over a moisturiser release, however, Sunday Riley is always the exception for me, its a brand that rarely disappoints.
Sunday Riley is a brand that I absolutely adore and almost everything that Sunday releases, I cannot help but get excited about. There is generally so much hype with a Sunday Riley launch but the brand has failed to disappoint me. When Sunday Riley released Tidal, late last year, I just HAD to have it. It wasn’t available in Australia at the time (and sadly will never be available in Australia due to Australian Laws regarding some of the ingredients being sold over the counter at Mecca) but I had a friend flying from the US and asked them to get hold of a tub for me. I am so glad that they did, as this is hands down one of my favourite moisturisers that I own.
What Is It?
Sunday Riley’s Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream is described as an advanced brightening, refining treatment infused into a next generation water cream. In layman’s terms, Tidal is basically a water based moisturiser that is packed with brightening, hydrating and skin smoothing ingredients.
What Does It Do?
Sunday Riley is a water based moisturiser that contains two different weights of hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump the skin visually but also on a deeper level. The water cream also contains papaya enzymes which help to exfoliate and resurface the skin to reveal a more radiant and glowing complexion. Tidal also contains other botanical extracts such as birds of paradise to help brighten the skin and improve the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Another ingredient that Tidal boasts is Alpha-arbutin, a clinically proven compound that has shown in scientific studies to also improve hyperpigmentation of the skin. Overall Sunday Riley’s Tidal aims to moisturise the skin both on the surface and at a deeper level whilst also giving the skin a beautiful radiant glow and brightening the skin using both botanical extracts and science together.
Ingredients:
Water, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Tamarindus Indica (Tamarind) Seed Gum, Ethyl Macadamiate, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer (and) Lecithin, Isododecane, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol Crosspolymer, Lauryl Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Strelitzia Nicolai (Bird of Paradise flower) Seed Aril Extract, Alpha-Arbutin, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) seed extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Allantoin, Papain and Carbome 1, 2-Hexanediol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Algin, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Extract, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Leaf Extract (and) Melia Azadirachta Flower (Neem) Extract (and) Amino Esters-1 (and) Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract (and) Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract (and) Lawsonia Inermis Extract (and) Ocimum Sanctum Leaf (Holy Basil) Extract, Pearl Powder, Fragrance, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Titanium Dioxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
Like most Sunday Riley products, the ingredients list generally fine, with the exception of the phenoxyethanol which is a fragrance compound. Due to the fact that this is the second last ingredient on the list and the product is full of many other amazing extracts and ingredients, I will let this one slide.
My Thoughts:
There is no denying it, I really love this moisturiser and I would have to say it is really up there with my favourite products of all time. My skin absolutely LOVES this and it just drinks and soaks up its goodness. If I were just allowed to buy one moisturiser, this would be it.
The reasons why I love this is endless, for me the number one thing I love about this is that it really does hydrate, brighten and give my skin a beautiful glow without feeling heavy, thick and greasy on the skin. For that reason, it makes it perfect to use in all seasons, even in a hot and humid environment but also working very well in the winter due to the hyaluronic acid compounds in this product. I have been using this both in the Australian summer earlier this year which is hot and dry, but also in the Asian humidity in China and I am happy to say that this feels so comfortable on the skin for me. It not only feels super cooling on the skin due to its bouncy gel like texture but it sinks in and soaks up so nicely. Due to the fact it melts into the skin so well, its also a perfect moisturiser to wear under make-up and helps to create a beautiful flawless base to the skin.
Tidal is also jam packed full of great ingredients such as hyaluronic acid which is featured in two different molecular weights. Hyaluronic acid is one of those fantastic moisture retaining ingredients (it can retain up to 1000 time its own weight in water) to hydrate the skin and keep it looking plump and healthy. It also contains papaya enzymes (in the form of Papain) to gently exfoliate the skin to remove the skin of any dead skin cells. This not only helps to regenerate new skin cells (perfect for overnight) but also reveals new skin cells which in turn will give the skin a more radiant and glowing complexion. I find that when I use this, especially when used overnight, the next day my skin not only feels hydrated and fresh but I do have a more of a lit from within glow. Tidal also promises to help with hyperpigmenatation in the form of a birds of paradise extract and alpha-arbutin. I personally do not have problems from hyperpigmentation, so I cannot measure the change in how my skin looks after using this in that area. However, I can happily say that my skin does look much more brighter and awake when using Tidal.
By using jojoba esters as one of the main moisturising ingredients, I would say that Tidal is probably great for most skin types, especially those with oily/combination skin. Jojoba is a wonderful plant oil/wax that is quite interesting as it mimics the skin’s natural sebum. Due to this, the skin feels that it already produced enough oil and therefore it will less likely produce more unnecessary sebum (and you don’t get a super greasy face from it!) and overall work to balance oil production. The fact that Tidal uses this as one of the main moisturising agents and the fact it sinks so well into the skin, makes it quite well suited to those with oily/combination skin. Due to the moisturising agents (such as hyaluronic acid) in this water cream, ladies and gents with dry/dehydrated skin will reap benefits as well. For those with sensitive skin, I would recommend to test this first as it does contain enzymes which act to exfoliate the skin and also fragrance compounds. The exfoliation may be a bit too harsh depending on how sensitive you are. Aloe Vera is present in this product, so it will also calm down some redness, soothe the skin and overall will have a lovely cooling effect on the face which is always lovely in the summer time.
As mentioned earlier, this does have a slight scent which is derived from both the botanical ingredients and also the phenoxyethanol. This smells quite refreshing – almost like cucumbers with a slight floral note to it. Smell doesn’t really effect me as such and once it is on the face, the scent doesn’t linger. The product has really bouncy water gel like consistency which glides on to the skin quite easily and effortlessly and it sinks in instantaneously into the skin as well which gives it a nice dry to touch feeling which I personally love. Due to this instant absorption and cooling effect on the skin, it really is a moisturiser which I cannot recommend enough for summer as it has kept me both looking and feeling fresh. My ONLY gripe with this product is the packaging. It is housed in a thick plastic blue jar which makes it somewhat annoying and unhygienic to use the actual product. I am used to jar packaging (as so many of my other products use it) but I wish companies would be done with jar packaging!
Repurchase YAY or NAY:
This is definitely a product that I would repurchase time and time again. Overall, I absolutely love Tidal by Sunday Riley and it is hands down one of my favourite moisturisers that I own. I love the fact that I can use this both day and night and I love the fact it doesn’t leave a tacky or sticky finish on the skin. The Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream keeps my face hydrated, glowing and radiant and it is a great moisturiser for summer due to it’s lightweight bouncy gel like texture which has an instant cooling effect on the skin.
It is a little harder to get back at home in Australia but with cultbeauty.com and spacenk.com now stocking this product, it is that little bit easier to obtain. This is available from Sephora for USD $65.00 and cultbeauty.com for GBP £60.00.
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