We see so many clean beauty products. You really can’t imagine. And while it’s a major job perk on one hand, on the other, there are only so many square inches of skin per skincare product to go around. Imagine stepping in to Sephora and being able to use anything you want — exciting? Yes — until you realize that all that marketing and glossy packaging doesn’t always add up to real-life results and there are really only a couple handfuls of special products that deserve space on your face.
We’ve seen it all, tried most of it and have a short list of tried-and-true ‘best in category’ clean beauty favorites at this point, but, as the industry is still growing like gangbusters we still feel compelled to keep testing and finding the best new products to share with you as they hit the shelves.
Enter Prima’s Night Magic, an intensive facial oil from a new brand we’d come to know and trust early on (Prima co-founder Christopher Gavigan was Jessica Alba’s Honest co-founder and was featured in one of our very first homepage stories!) with over eight hundred five-star reviews.
Truthfully, consumer reviews don’t always stop us in our tracks. We see a lot of beauty products early in their launch phase and can usually tell if a product has this kind of viral potential right off the bat before it gets all those stars. But we were already loving Prima’s CBD capsules (20% off for readers too!) and knew they were immaculately sourced, so when we heard about Night Magic’s growing buzz in our own wellness community here in L.A. we had to get our hands on it right away.
If you’re new to us… you might not realize the obvious: as a wellness site, we are ‘clean’ beauty only and always. You can eat all the kale you want, but if you’re using toxic beauty products, what’s the point? Personal care products are a key part of our daily wellness routines and skincare matters to us the most!
The Review: Why
Does Our Skin Feel So Good?
So, Night Magic’s packaging says that it’s an ‘intensive facial oil’. We’ve tried all the oils and one thing many of them have in common is such a rich brew of potent ingredients that they can be too active for sensitive or reactive skin. Many skincare oils are designed for women with mature skin who are just looking to soften wrinkles, but we’re usually looking for something more balanced and not so rich that your skin is essentially basting in it all night. Oils that are too rich or too active can actually clog or irritate skin types that aren’t dry and aging.
My skin loved Night Magic from the first application and the oil sank right into my skin. One reason for that, after closer inspection, is that Prima’s blend of super-rich oils and active botanicals like prickly pear, moringa, avocado, and kukui oils are layered into a base of calming and nourishing jojoba oil — a skincare ingredient that nearly matches the makeup of the oils in our own skin. While jojoba is probably the least “exciting” ingredient in the product, I think it’s why my skin was able to respond so well and absorb the more “impressive” active ingredients!
After using Prima’s Night Magic for just a few days, I felt the glow coming on, as promised by their impressive clinical trials (which included calmer, more radiant skin for 90% of participants). Here’s why:
+ Less redness: Everyone’s recent obsession, hemp seed oil is the ingredient I credit the oil’s calming and anti-redness benefits. CBD is deeply anti-inflammatory. My skin looked and, more importantly, felt calmer after using Night Magic and if you rifle through those reviews you’ll see lots of notes along the same lines! Hemp seed oil can also have a major impact on breakouts calming the skin and reducing inflammation where skin is the most irritated.
+ Absorbable richness: Chia and marula oils together deliver a full spectrum of omega fatty acids 3, 6 and 9. Some of clean beauty’s most luxe (and expensive) oils are made from these two oils. Most of those products are way too rich for my sensitive, combination skin on their own, but blended into Night Magic they soak right in and now I’m reaping their benefits in a more absorbable form.
+ Antioxidant action: CBD, prickly pear, moringa, avocado, and kukui oils are actual superfoods for the skin — so rich in essential fatty acids, antioxidants and minerals. If the hemp and omega oils are retaining the moisture and quality of the skin I have, I like to think of these antioxidant-rich oils as the actives that are working ahead, preventing future damage. They are all rich in vitamins A, C, and E which protect the skin and prevent free-radical damage to skin cells.
I thought the oil was really great. Then I chatted with Prima co-founder Jessica Assaf who told me that, while I could use the oil on it’s own, I was missing out on the best skin of my life if I wasn’t layering the oil on top of the cream. I paused, adjusted my imaginary skincare-nerd glasses and asked her to tell me everything….
Skincare Layering
Demystified
Do you use an oil or a cream on your skin? Lots of brands will tell you it’s either/or: you’re either Camp Cream or Camp Oil and there’s not going back and forth between. What I knew is that, since I try so many products, I usually wavered between both and wanted the benefits of each at different times.
Layering skincare products can be a total mystery — it was to me, until Jessica (her skin, guys! Watch the video…) walked me through the Prima Power Trio (yes, they actually call it that) of Night Magic, The Afterglow — a cream, and Enlightenment Serum.
I was concerned that this was way too much product for my skin, until she walked me through the routine and we talked about how the triple dose of nutrients had dramatically healed her own skin. I saw just how little of each product was actually needed to layer correctly so that all the product absorbed effortlessly into the skin. This is a big mistake a lot of skincare aficionados make! Well-crafted clean beauty products are a self-care investment and, used right, they should actually last you a really long time!
I can’t not layer now and the evening ritual of light serum, just a touch of the light cream warmed on the fingertips and patted in, and then the oil over the top to seal it all in has my skin feeling as balanced, nourished, calm and happy as I’ve noticed in the entire year of trying some of the best new clean skincare products out there.
Watch Jessica share the layering routine with Prima’s Power Trio; Enlightenment Serum, The Afterglow and Night Magic above. Grab the Trio for an exclusive offer of 20% off to try the clean beauty phenomenon for yourself.
Have questions about our experience? Drop them in the comments below or cruise through Prima’s reviews to see how other users felt about the products! While you’re shopping, note that 20% off applies to all Prima products. Shop their best-selling CBD capsules, The Daily, their Bath Butter or effervescent CBD Bath Bomb while you’re at it! 
This story is brought to you in partnership with Prima. From time to time, TCM editors choose to partner with brands we believe in to bring our readers special offers. The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs.
