3 POPSUGAR Editors Booked In For a Virtual Skin Consultation and This is What They Learned

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In 2020 lockdown stress, mask-wearing, and hours spent staring at ourselves on Zoom saw us turning to skincare in a big way. The work commute was replaced by gua sha sessions, NuFacing, LED’ing and microneedling. We shopped: retailers like Adore Beauty and Mecca experienced an eCommerce boom as we added more steps to our skincare routine.

With our new routines, we needed more advice. Virtual consults became part of the shopping experience. Most beauty brands have continued to offer virtual consults and even facials to their clients. But now we can return to the clinic or shop counter, does the convenience of the virtual consult match the quality of in-person? We decided to try a free virtual consult to find out.

Ruby, Beauty and Wellness Producer, POPSUGAR Australia

As a beauty writer who has worked in the skincare and cosmetics industry for seven years, I’m not an easy customer. I always love chatting about beauty, but I know my skin very well and am sceptical of sales tactics and exaggerated marketing claims. That said, I know the Synergie Skincare line and have been impressed by their products in the past, so I was curious to check out their virtual consultation offering.

Synergie recommends wearing no makeup to the skin consult — I was in the office, so I removed my base but left my eye makeup on.

My consultant, Natalie, first asked me about my skin concerns and skin type. I have dry skin that’s easily sensitised by actives like Vitamin A and alpha hydroxy acids. As someone with a Scottish/Irish/Polish background, addressing and preventing sun damage is a priority in my skincare regimen.

Synergie offers consults for targeted concerns and treatments or entire skincare routines. I opted for a new skincare routine out of simple curiosity. Natalie then moved to how much time I was willing to spend on my skincare routine.

We’ve all had the experience of getting over-excited by an 11-step skincare routine, only to find ourselves with hundreds of dollars in products that sit abandoned on our dressing table. Natalie tailored her recommendations to my lifestyle, rather than spending time convincing me I needed to change my routine (or take out a loan).

We then discussed my current skincare routine. I found Natalie impressively knowledgeable about products from other brands. Often skincare advisors have a lot of knowledge about the brands they work with but draw a blank when you mention a competitor’s product. Because Natalie knew the products I was already enjoying, we could find ingredients and textures that would work for me far more quickly.

Natalie nailed her recommendations. There was a balance of Vitamins I regularly use (vitamin C and niacinamide) with alternatives to ingredients I want to use but have struggled to incorporate in the past. I was most intrigued by the Luciderm Serum ($120) — a yeast-free alternative exfoliant — and Ultimate A( $139), a gentle, introductory Vitamin A.

The best part? We reached the end of our consult without a sales pitch. This is always the most awkward part of a “free” consult; uncomfortable enough to make me avoid them. Rather than trying to close a sale over zoom, Natalie sent me a follow-up email with all the information I needed to make a purchasing decision myself. This included a detailed outline of the products recommended and the order to use them.

The Verdict: Natalie’s on-point recommendations, the time-efficient virtual process (I touched up my base and was back at my desk in 25 minutes), and the absence of a “hard sell” made this consult more enjoyable than most in-person consults I’ve had. All this made me far more likely to shop Synergie Skin products. If you’re looking to address a specific concern, introduce a new product, or need a beginning-to-end skincare routine, I recommend this quick (and affordable) service.

Sangeeta, Lifestyle Editor, POPSUGAR Australia

It’s always nice to have someone carve out time to talk about you, so I was excited about my Synergie Skin consult. While I used to have acne in the past, these days I rarely break out and think that, generally, I have my skin pretty under control. In saying that, I do want to look more glowy, smooth out the skin from past acne scarring and prevent as many wrinkles as I can.

My skin consultant, Natalie, had super glowy skin so I was keen to hear what she had to say. She first went through my skin concerns and asked me in detail about my current routine. She asked what brands I used and how often I used their products. Then, she asked me, realistically, what I was willing to commit to for a new routine.  

With all that info, she devised a morning and evening routine for me, explaining what each product she was recommending does, for example, “it mimics Botox and prolongs the effects of injectables” and “it’ll help your scarring”. What I also appreciated were her tips on how to apply the products, telling me to, “use this exfoliant only three times a week and don’t apply around the eyes” and “wait one minute in between applying these two products so the first fully absorbs into the skin”.

She finished by letting me know I can call or email her if I had any questions, and also recommended we touch base in four to six weeks after I’d used the products for that time. She followed up after the call by sending me a PDF outlining the recommended routine, the products and instructions on how to apply them, again with detail like “Do not rub vigorously” and “Apply one pump over face and neck”.

The Verdict: If you’re a lazy gal like me and want to be told exactly what to apply and when, it’s at least worth booking Synergie Skin’s free virtual consult. Even if you don’t end up going ahead with the full routine of products, you’ll get some nuggets of wisdom about your skin and how to apply products correctly from the session. And again, how good is having someone spend nearly 30 minutes trying to help you live your best life? Very.  

Basmah, Entertainment Producer, POPSUGAR Australia

I’m someone who has had a love/hate relationship with my skin since the day I was born. When I was younger, I would deal with clusters of breakouts in different areas of my face, which I would then exacerbate by putting 10 million products on my skin to try and fix it.

Now, as an adult, I’m starting to spot the first signs of ageing and dealing with chronically dehydrated skin.

My skincare routine is extensive, and for the first time in a long time, I find it’s working for me. However, there are always extra steps I could be doing, which is why I decided to take a Synergie Skin Virtual Consultation.

My 20-minute consultation started off with skin expert, Natalie, asking me a few questions about my skin. Once she noted down my concerns, she talked me through a personalised skin routine, featuring Synergie Skin products.

I loved that there was absolutely no pressure to purchase, and from the get-go, Natalie seemed incredibly knowledgeable about skin. I was told that while my routine was pretty spot on, I should be incorporating niacinamide — something that never even crossed my mind when shopping around for skincare.

Before hanging up, we agreed to revisit my skincare routine after four to six weeks of using the recommended Synergie Skin products. They also have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, so if a product doesn’t work for you, they’re happy to offer you a refund or replacement.

The Verdict: I loved having the virtual consultation. It was quick, easy and most of all, free.

If you’d like to book your own Synergie Skin Virtual Consultation, you can do so here.