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Looking for something new to try in your quest to firm up the look of your skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles?
Two trends that may have caught your eye are face taping (also called wrinkle taping) and layering serums. Both are very different yet they share a common goal; giving the skin a smoother, tighter, and younger-looking finish. While this may be the case, they each go about this task in their own way…and one is definitely more effective than the other.
So, when it comes to face taping and layering serums, which one should you try? Read on as VouPre explains the answer to that question.
What Does Face Taping Involve?
Face taping is exactly what it sounds like – applying tape to your skin. It might sound a little whacky but it’s not a new trend. It was first developed back in the 70s in Japan as a way to support the body’s muscles after an injury.
What does this have to do with reducing the appearance of wrinkles and sagging? It all comes down to how the tape is applied. The tape is placed in a way that holds the skin taut and provides an immediate lifting effect. While some celebrities are known for making use of face taping before a special event, other aficionados of this trend incorporate it into their evening routines and tape their face every night due to its purported long-term benefits.
What Does Layering Serums Involve?
Again, layering serums is exactly what the name implies – layering multiple serums over the top of each other, as opposed to applying just a single serum. This gives you the opportunity to tackle the appearance of aging using a wider variety of ingredients.
The serums are applied in a particular order – from thinnest to thickest. This encourages absorbency, preventing the heavier formulas from blocking out the lighter ones.
The Pros and Cons of Face Taping
As mentioned above, face taping provides instant results, which is one of its appeals. The downside to this is that it’s quite an awkward solution for dealing with wrinkles since face tape can be difficult to camouflage, even if you cover it with layers of makeup or hide it behind accessories. It takes a lot of planning!
Supporters of this trend also rave about how face taping relaxes the muscles in a way that provides long-term wrinkle-smoothing benefits. They claim that face taping overnight will have you waking up to skin that looks fresher and more contoured.
Sadly, there isn’t any science to back this up. Experts agree that face taping only provides superficial and temporary benefits. Its long-term effects, on the other hand, can be downright dangerous for your skin. Even if you use a tape that has a very gentle glue, you’re still very likely to irritate your skin. This is especially the case if you tape your face regularly. Since the tape is usually applied to already-sensitive areas of skin, such as under the eyes, it doesn’t take long for the skin to become inflamed and angry.
Repeated face taping will, over time, leave your skin barrier damaged too. This can lead to dryness, redness, and, very often, even speeds up the skin aging process. This is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve!
If all of that wasn’t enough, face taping has also been linked to acne breakouts. This usually occurs when the tape is left on for too long. Sweat and sebum end up trapped beneath it, building up in the pores and causing pimples.
The Pros and Cons of Layering Serums
Layering serums is a much safer approach to tackling the appearance of skin aging. You likely already use a serum in your skincare routine, so all you’d need to do is add one or two more in.
This allows you to really customize your skincare routine. It’s particularly helpful for those who have multiple skin concerns that they want to hone in on. It can sometimes be difficult to find a single product with the perfect balance of active ingredients to bring about all of those different improvements. Layering your serums circumvents this problem since you can choose one serum for each skin concern you have. Unlike face taping, which only focuses on wrinkles and tightness, layering serums allows you to take care of all of your skin’s various needs.
So, what are the downsides?
Some would say that the main one is its timeframe. Most serums, along with their active ingredients, need weeks, if not months, to produce visible results. Face taping, on the other hand, provides instant wrinkle reduction. The counterargument to this is that not all serums need time to work. Some, like the VouPre Age Defy Smoothing Solution, can give you a taut and wrinkle-free appearance in just seconds. Better yet, they don’t irritate or damage your complexion while they do so.
Instead, the main negative to watch out for is irritation that comes from layering the wrong serums. Whether you’ve chosen two serums with incompatible ingredients or your combined serums are too potent for your skin, layering serums does require a bit of research and know-how to get right! However, once you’ve mastered your layering techniques, the long-term results that you’ll see from your clever serum combinations will make this more than worthwhile.
Layering Serums for the Win
By now, it’s pretty clear which of the two trends is more effective; layering serums definitely takes the win! Not only does it provide significant long-term results in a way that face taping can’t even begin to compete with, but there are also fewer risks involved.
Earlier, we mentioned that serums should be layered in order of thinnest to thickest. You should also avoid layering more than three serums in one routine, as this then runs the risk of diluting those active ingredients you want to benefit from.
Want to give this trend a try for yourself? Here are a few VouPre serums that lend themselves very well to layering:
The Vita C Serum
Everyone needs a vitamin C serum in their skincare routine, with this antioxidant being such a multi-tasker when it comes to helping the skin. The VouPre Vita C Serum takes things to the next level by offering two different forms of vitamin C. It boasts numerous other antioxidants too, including vitamin A, vitamin E, and grape stem cells. Since it also contains a few hydrating plant oils, such as jojoba seed oil and avocado oil, it will bump up your skin’s moisture levels too.
The Collagen Plumping Mist
Although not technically a serum, the Collagen Plumping Mist from the VouPre Collagen Cooling Set Limited Edition can be used as such. It’s lighter in consistency than most serums, so it would likely be the first one that you layer onto your skin. It’s packed with skin-loving ingredients, including niacinamide, which evens out the look of the skin while soothing the feeling of inflammation. Sodium hyaluronate is in the mix too to give your skin a plumper finish. Simply spritz it onto your face after cleansing and then follow up with your next serum.
The Perfecting Facial Serum
The Perfecting Facial Serum can be found in the VouPre Thermal Collection. While some like to use it in conjunction with our Detoxifying Thermal Mask, others love it as a standalone serum. It definitely has the ingredients to hold its own, with this formula geared toward keeping your skin barrier feeling strong and supported. Peptides play a big role in this, with three different peptides included in this serum. They’re joined by the likes of sodium hyaluronate, grape stem cells, and a plethora of antioxidant-rich botanical extracts.
The Cannabis Facial Serum
If you’re looking for a serum that will help to hydrate and soften the feel of rough and dry skin, the Cannabis Facial Serum from the VouPre Cannabis Collection won’t let you down. It hydrates with humectants – ingredients that bind moisture to the skin. Sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, and lactic acid are just a few of the hydrating humectants in this serum. It then locks this moisture in with a blend of hemp seed oil and coconut oil. Meanwhile, it provides plenty of vitamins and antioxidants too, making it a great all-rounder to layer onto dry skin.
The Invigorating Luminous Serum
The Invigorating Luminous Serum from the VouPre BioCool Collection is another formula that offers a few different benefits. To start with, it’s wonderfully hydrating. Not only does it contain sodium hyaluronate but it’s also brimming with amino acids that both hydrate and condition the skin. Antioxidants are a big part of this formula too. Vitamins B3, C, and E can all be found in this serum, each one serving to improve and enhance the complexion in its own unique way. These are joined by a variety of botanicals, from green tea and sugarcane to lemon and sugar maple. All of these extracts are packed with their own array of antioxidants.
The Radiant Renew Serum Capsules
The Radiant Renew Serum Capsules is one of VouPre’s newer products. It’s a slightly thicker serum than the others that we’ve featured, meaning that it’s most likely going to be the last one that you layer onto your skin. This formula is all about brightening the look of the skin and adding radiance. It does this with a few powerful ingredients, including mountain peanut oil, ginger root extract, orchid extract, and vitamin E. Its encapsulated format helps to preserve the potency of these ingredients, increasing both the shelf life of the product plus the extent of the visible results that it provides.
Summary
If you’re trying to decide whether to try face taping or layering serums, the answer to that is easy. While face taping may help to reduce the appearance of aging temporarily, it does far more harm than good in the long run. Layering serums, on the other hand, is much more beneficial. Not only will it help you to tackle the look of aging on a deeper and longer-lasting level but you’ll also be able to target your other visible skin concerns too, meaning a healthier-looking complexion overall!
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