Odacite Facial Serum Concentrate

Received a tiny vial of this Odacite Facial Serum Concentrate in Gt+L (Green Tea Lemongrass Radiance Effect, under the Devitalized column) from a Beauty Habit GWP a while back and finally got around to using it now.

This is a "booster," a product I've been seeing more and more of, most recently with Clarins. What you do is add a few drops into your daily dose of toner, mist, moisturizer, serum, or even makeup base or foundation for an extra boost. Some boosters can be used alone by themselves as intense treatments, like these Odacite ones, others are too concentrated and not recommended as stand-alone treatments and must be diluted with something else, like the Clarins ones.

***Furious rant below. You've been warned.***

So...if I'm buying an economical jar of generic moisturizer that does one thing and one thing only--to moisturize--like this giant Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream tub that took me years to finish, then sure, I'd try a booster or two for their specialized and targeted functions. But otherwise, why the hell do I need any of these so-called "boosters" again?

Take Clarins, for example, have you seen their dizzying array of toners, serums, and moisturizers? We're talking about numerous lines, several of which are available in different formulations for day and night, each claims to do great somethings for my skin. At the same time, Clarins also offer these "Boosters" in three varieties, Energy (red) to revive radiance, Repair (blue) to hydrates and comforts, and Detox (green) to refreshes and recovers, and I'm to add 3-5 drops of them into my daily dose of whatever, emphasis on *daily*.

I'm currently using Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream non-SPF for All Skin Types, which claims to "visibly minimize fine lines, ...boost radiance, fight effects of daytime stress, target revitalizing and anti-aging..., ... visibly smoothes, tones and de-stresses." In selling me a "booster," is Clarins telling me this lovely cream doesn't do any of the shit it claims to do?

Do I need an Energy Booster for my skin to be "radiant" because their White Plus, Vital Light, and Daily Energizer lines of creams don't actually brighten anything?

Do I needed a Repair Booster for my skin to be "comforted" because their Hydra-Essentiel line of creams doesn't actually "hydrate"?

Do I needed a Detox Booster for my skin to "recover" because their Super Restorative line of creams doesn't actually "restore"?

Worse, I can't even use any of these "boosters" by itself as a stand-alone intense treatments and must mix it with something else! If Clarins's moisturizers needed a booster to work, perhaps I should look for a better moisturizer elsewhere to begin with.

Shame on you, Clarins!

***Okay, end rant.***

Now that I got the dubious nature of these "boosters" out of the way, I'll tell you what I did with this Odacite Facial Serum Concentrate: I mixed the whole vial with a 30mL spray bottle of Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist. Only to learn after the fact that this Serum Concentrate was an oil and didn't quite mix well with the watery mist. Every time I use the mist now, I have to shake it up which isn't a problem in itself.

The problem is that I've discerned nothing at all other than the serum's lemongrass notes on top of the mist's rose fragrance. Sure, it could very well be that the vial was tiny and there wasn't enough of the stuff to have any effect. It could also be that I should have used it as instructed, adding 2-3 drops into my daily dose of moisturizer, or use it alone by itself as an intense treatment, which is still way better than those damn Clarins Boosters. So there you have it. To booster or to not booster, you decide. As for me, no thanks.