Julia x Sam Faiers For International Women's Day: Revive Collagen, Motherhood, & Female Friendships

Happy International Women’s Day! Today is the day to celebrate the amazing women in our lives, and reflect on the economic, social, political, and cultural achievements of the women around us. To help us celebrate, our fabulous Face the Future owner, Julia, joined Sam Faiers, the co-owner of Revive Collagen, to talk all things skincare, motherhood, and powerful female friendships.

Collagen drinks have become a huge staple in the beauty world, and with impressive claims and even more impressive results, it’s not hard to understand why. For Sam Faiers collagen has become a big part of her beauty routine, helping to transform her skin, hair, and nails. Today, we’re learning more about Sam’s brand, Revive, one of the most successful collagen brands in the UK set to go global.

Sam’s Skin Journey And Discovering Collagen

Back in high school and during her school years, Sam always had good skin, “I didn’t get spots or breakouts, I was really lucky!” Sam said. It was only after Sam stopped breastfeeding her second baby, Rosie, at around 12 months old that she suddenly broke out with adult acne. "It had a big effect on me as a person and in my confidence too.” Sam said. “I was in a vicious circle because I was applying makeup to cover it up as we were filming for our TV show, so we had cameras around and I was so conscious. It was so bad that I didn’t want to even go outside.” For anybody that’s struggled with acne or even occasional hormonal breakouts, it’s easy to understand how much your self-esteem can be affected – and this is amplified if you’re in the public eye.

“You feel like everyone is looking at you,” Sam says, “my mum and Paul (Sam’s partner) would tell me it wasn’t that bad and tell me to stop picking at it and that I was making it red. I tried skincare, facials, vitamins, minerals, diets – some things helped. But it was always there and kept coming back. Even facials that were labelled as the best thing for acne made it worse.”

Sam is known for favouring a holistic approach when it comes to her health and loves a natural routine, so, she soon found herself led to powdered collagen. Within a few months, she began to see a real improvement in her skin – and not just in her acne. “I noticed brightening, too," Sam says. “So, I began to research other collagens, too. It took me about a year and a half to get my skin on track, but I still do have marks from scarring.”

What Made You Decide That You Were Going To Bring Out Your Own Collagen Brand?

When it came to Revive collagen Sam Faiers wanted to create a brand that gave back. Explaining how she feels so passionate about giving confidence to other women, especially after her own experience, she wanted to make a real difference. And after discovering the powerful effects of collagen, she described being on a ‘collagen buzz’, but felt like something was missing in the market – something she was confident she could create.

With her business partner, John, Sam created Revive collagen – a great tasting collagen drink that could be taken on the go, and a brand that could create a positive, empowering community.

“We launched Revive in 2020 – it was a lockdown business, so it was a huge risk.” Sam explains, “it’s a huge cost to start a business from the ground, but we believed in it from the beginning and knew we had something special.”

What Is Type 1 Marine Collagen And What Are The Benefits For Your Skin?

Marine collagen can be a real minefield to navigate, and with so many different types of collagen on the market, it can be hard to know which to choose.

Type 1 hydrolysed marine collagen, the type inside Revive, is the highest quality collagen, and Revive’s is derived from ethically farmed fish as this is the closest collagen that we get to our own. Hydrolysed collagen means that the collagen is broken down easier in the body and works on hair, skin, and nails with visible results in around 6-8 weeks.

Although Sam states that Revive is primarily a supplement for skin, the brand have seen customers report positive changes in other areas too – from psoriasis and eczema improvements to muscle recovery improvements post-gym, and even digestive improvements. "We even had one review where a customer said it really helped with her hangover,” Sam said, “it made us all laugh! It makes sense though; it is packed with vitamins!”

What Makes The Revive Collagen Ingredients Special?

Revive Collagen currently have three different types of collagen drinks available, each bringing their own benefits.

Revive Collagen Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink

The original Revive collagen (and the collagen that Sam saw her fantastic results with) contains 8,500mg of marine collagen, along with hyaluronic acid, and aloe vera juice.

Revive Collagen Enhanced Plus Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink

Enhanced Plus has been specially created for a slightly more mature customer, so the brand stepped up the ingredients to include an impressive 10,000mg of collagen, along with retinol, hydrolysed keratin, vitamins B6 and B12, and vitamins C and D.

Revive Collagen Vegan - The World’s First Clinically Proven Vegan Collagen

The first clinically proven liquid collagen, Revive Collagen Vegan contains 2.500mg of vegan collagen (the molecules are up to 100x smaller than other forms of collagen, which makes this an adequate daily portion to achieve results), and contains a whole host of B vitamins, retinol, panax ginseng, and vitamins C and E.

“Only a small amount of people are vegan,” Sam says, “but we are the world’s first clinically proven liquid vegan collagen. It wasn’t easy behind the scenes to make, but it’s done amazing.”

Why Should People Choose Revive Collagen

When it came to Revive Sam Faiers wanted to create a collagen drink that had a high absorption rate. With Revive, 90-95% of collagen is absorbed into your body, compared to tablet forms of collagen with an absorption rate of just 30-40%, it’s a huge difference.

“It’s great because everything is all together in one sachet,” Sam says. “You can mix it in your tea, coffee, water, or juice – however you want to take it. Or you can take it straight from the sachet. It’s designed to be able to take with you on the go, so you can take it any time; it doesn’t need to be taken on a morning, or on an empty stomach, or with food – that’s the beauty with hydrolysed collagen.”

How Long Does It Take To See Results?

Results are usually visible in as little as 6-8 weeks, however, many people do see a difference before this time.

With It Being International Women’s Day, What Does Sam Love Most About Being A Woman?

“The ability to be a mum,” Sam said, “it’s my favourite job in the world! Running a business and being a mum is great. Women are powerful – we can be ten people all in one day! I also read a fact once that women live longer!

And When It Comes To The Women That Inspire Sam?

“I’m surrounded by amazing female figures in my life that I admire,” Sam said, “we’re a female strong family. I don’t even really look to other businesswomen as such. My mum has been the most caring, loving mum and the biggest influence in my life. She was a stay-at-home mum that looked after my sister and I. She was a single mum for a very long period of my life. She brought us up to be very independent. My mum is my biggest inspiration.”

Sam also explains the importance of having a good female support network in terms of friends: “I love the girls!” Sam said, “Paul and I are very close, I love him with all my heart, but it’s so fun having a group of girls around that support you.” Talking about her best friends, Sam said: “we’re so close – always there for each other and hyping each other up. Whether it’s a mum or work achievement, we’re always bigging each other up. I’ve not had that in my life before and it’s really great. We all look out for each other and empower each other.”

Being A Busy Mum, Having A TV Career, And Running A Business, How Does Sam Manage To Fit Everything In?

Sam explains that since having her third baby, Edward, it’s been a game-changer.

“Paul and Rosie are at school so that’s a little easier – they’re a bit more independent,” Sam said, “but having Edward, I’ve gone all the way back to the beginning. I had a chunk of time out which was quite nice. I took a little bit of a step back – I needed that respite to be the best mum to Edward.”

Sam explains that without such a supportive partner in Paul, and such a supportive business partner in John, it would have been challenging. “When it’s your own business, you don’t want to take your foot off the pedal – but the kids come first all the time,” Sam says, “my partner Paul and I are on the same page and juggle life together, we make it work.”

What Are Sam’s Proudest Moments In Terms Of Business?

Sam explained how Revive collagen were crowned the proud winners of three recent prestigious awards:

• Consumer Choice Best New Beauty Brand at the 2022 CEW Beauty Awards
• LLoyds Bank Best New Business Award at the Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards 2022
• Best New Beauty Supplement for Revive Enhanced Plus at the Pure Beauty Awards

She also talked another proud moment: securing Amanda Holden as the brand’s UK ambassador. “I always like to write down my goals, “Sam says. “Every three months I take pen to paper and write them down. Before we took on our UK ambassador, the top of my list was Amanda Holden. It was tricky at first. She had other things going on as the most famous female celeb in UK!”

However, this didn’t deter Sam and the team, and they didn’t stop until they got Amanda on board. “It was a really proud moment!” Sam says, “she’s a great fit for our brand - I really wanted to get her. We wrote that goal down, we manifested that, and we got her! We’re into our second year with Amanda now. We set our goals high. I write down all my goals from the big ones to the little ones. They’re all important – even the little ones.”

What Advice Would You Give To Women Who’d Like To Set Up Their Own Business?

“Be realistic.” Sam says, “I’ve had quite a few businesses in the past over the last 12 or so years. Some have massively failed and cost me a lot of money. Be realistic about your goals and finances. It has to be something you’re really passionate about. If you love it, you’re always going to make it work. But be realistic with funds – I’ve not been realistic in the past and had everything crash. Which is great really, as it taught me a lot. Have a plan. Go for it. But don’t go above your means.”

What’s In Store For Revive This Year?

“We have more products coming out this year – but I can’t say yet!” Sam teased. “We’re doing something slightly different, you’d never guess! We’re also going into the US! Going worldwide was on my goals list, and behind the scenes, it’s been a long process!”

We can’t wait to see what Sam and John have in store for Revive soon!

Revive Collagen Reviews

"After around 2.5 months of taking this collagen supplement, I'm starting to notice a difference in the appearance of my skin. It looks plumper, and fresher, and doesn't feel tight after cleansing. I've also noticed that my nails seem to grow faster now, too! The drink has quite a strong tropical taste, but you can taste the collagen too which isn't the most pleasant. However, it's one of the easier-to-take collagen drinks that I've tried (and I've tried a fair few brands!) You can drink it straight from the sachet, but I like to mix mine in water or juice so it's easier to take first thing in the morning." - Verified Face the Future Customer review

"Much easier to take than other collagen drinks I've tried in the past. This isn't as thick and can be taken straight from the pack - although I prefer to mix mine into a glass of water. There's a strong tropical taste which doesn't completely alleviate the marine collagen taste, but makes it much more palatable. I haven't been taking it long enough to notice a difference in my skin, but I'm looking forward to seeing the results within a couple of months!" - Verified Face the Future Customer review

Looking to upgrade your skincare routine? Learn all about cosmeceutical skincare in our recent post ‘What Is Cosmeceutical Skincare?’ and discover how pharmaceuticals are infused with cosmetics to make potent, effective skincare that makes a real difference to your skin.