I turned into a face-oil convert ever since I experienced the lovely benefits from my first one, Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+. And after the success of Sunday Riley Good Genes and the wonders it brings on my skin, what better way to expand my face oil arsenal by getting one of the oil offerings from the brand.

It took me quite some time to write this review because I had a hard time finding the right words for it. The oil itself is rather complex and I am still a newcomer in the face oil-world. But let’s try, shall we?

Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil

As of now, Sunday Riley has three face oils in her skincare line: Juno, Artemis and Flora (used to be Isis). I was going to get Juno first, but after a few consideration and a lot of review readings, I decided to get this one instead. Here’s why:

Artemis is described as “a complexion balancing blend of clarifying, toning, and detoxifying oils for a clean and healthy glow from within.” It’s said to possess the ability to combat redness, fight premature aging, and provide anti-inflammatory, purifying and cleansing benefits. –Skin & Tonics

Artemis is aimed at a slightly confused skin – it is clarifying, toning and detoxifying and smells lovely due to the medicinal lemon ironbark and myrtle. This one is anti-inflammatory, cleansing and purifying. –Caroline Hirons

The underlined words up there are pretty much the reasons why I’m sold on Artemis. Slightly confused skin? Oh yeah, definitely. Sometimes my skin still acts like a rebellious teenager. And when it does, it’s havoc in the house.

Artemis’ ingredients are also antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal.

Let me just state here first that I am not a fan of the scent. It reminds me of oregano or Italian herbs and it’s pungent. It’s so strong that I could smelled it before I open the box when I first got it. It’s very interesting how a lemony scent comes out once I blend the oil into the skin. Oregano and lemon are not something I’m used to, at least for the first couple of months. I literally had to hold my breath when I use this. I’m quite used to it by now, though I still don’t like the scent.

I use this only at night time and I think it’s the right call because Artemis feels rich. It took me a while before I found the right use for it and to be honest, it made me slightly frustrated in the beginning. It works beautiful on one night and it could give me bumps on the next. After using it for some time, I suddenly found it, that silver lining.

I’ve found that Artemis works best when my skin is acting up due to PMS or general stress from work, or life *ahem*. During those times, I usually will have few tiny bumps here and there, even pimples. Artemis does everything that it promises to be. All of those underlined-key words above are true. It clarifies and detoxifies the skin. It purifies and cleanses the skin’s impurities. The anti-inflammatory quality definitely helps calming down pimples and redness. It doesn’t get rid of pimple(s) in one night, but it sure does help deflated it and made it less painful. This is important especially if I’m going to a special event in the next (few) day(s).

I couldn’t count how many times Artemis had become a savior during these ordeals, unknowingly and after. It was just one lucky night that I noticed the difference and ever since then, I always rely on this oil to be the hero on my bad skin day. I use 5 drops mixed with Avène Thermal Spring Water. The oil is rich that 1 drop makes a difference. 4 drops aren’t quite enough but 6 drops are definitely too much.

Now, here’s the catch. It’s truly a complexion-balancing oil for me. Artemis helps to fix and makes my skin back to a normal, happy state. That being said, it’s a double-edged sword for me when I use it every single day. It breaks me out! And this is the part where I realize that Artemis is rich and potent. I probably have a reaction to the essential oils used (lemon ironbark, lemon myrtle and pink grapefruit) when exposed too much. That’s not a problem though, because once I stop using it, the breakout recedes in no time.

So, how do I schedule the usage? It’s pretty simple. I use it 2-3 times a week, once in every other day-type of schedule. On bad skin day, I could use it straight for 2, sometimes 3 days, but not more than that, otherwise I will have that reversed effect. I generally don’t layer Artemis over Good Genes, but sometimes I do when I feel the skin needs a huge boost. On normal schedule, I use other (lighter) serum such as SK-II Cellumination Aura Essence or Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin.

Aside from the whole detox and clarifying attributes, I also find Artemis has refined my skin even more as well. It makes it more toned, clear and radiant. It’s not necessarily brightening like what Good Genes does, but the healthy glow it leaves is unmistakably Sunday Riley’s :)

I have to say that this is one expensive oil. At USD 125, this is not everyone’s cup of tea. For 30 ml, it will last me a long time so I suppose that’s where the justification comes in.

But first and foremost, I consider Artemis to be a super food for my skin, when I need it.