I’ve been on a bit of a mission recently…
A mission to fine-tune my skincare routine and, in so doing, see if it’s not entirely impossible, that I might feel even just a tiny bit better, in this evolving skin I’m in.
It’s a challenge that I broached, admittedly, with some degree of trepidation.
Partly, because the multi-step skincare routines popular with ‘skinfluencers’ the world over, have always seemed at odds with the science which stipulates genetics, nutrition and lifestyle as the greatest contributors to the ‘ageing well’ equation.
Secondly, I feared for how well my already time-stretched mornings (and exhausted evenings!) would accommodate any more cleansing, toning and moisturising than already felt like an effort.
The only solution, I concluded, was to niche down on the one thing that I’ve come to understand is pivotal to helping skin weather the storms of time.
That is… moisture!
To this end, I’m putting on trial a few 'hero' hydrators, which I've singled out just as much for their skin-loving credentials, as for their online recommendations.
They are:
I should probably admit, the words ‘under’ and ‘eye’ were scarcely out of my search bar during this ‘research’ project.
It was a purposive exercise, for I wanted to see if there was an alternative out there to all the gels and creams I’d tried (and always given up on) in the past.
The answer appeared, as if by magic, in the form of Kora Organics Eye Oil.
This product has a nifty, cooling roller ball which sees to it that only the thinnest veil of product glides onto the skin. The clever design not only feels like a micro-massage for the eye, but also avoids the ‘dragging’ that can come with finger-applied products, and which can ultimately compound the sagging these products are designed to protect against!!
The product itself does seem to improve hydration of the eye area, and I found it great for touch ups (over makeup) when I found my face starting to look /feel dry.
I have been using L'Occitane’s Shea moisturiser for years, and always loved the thickness of it, married with the fact that it’s not overly scented, like so many creams that purport to be ‘rich.’
The eye balm, by a similar vein, was velvety and smooth, and the smallest dab went the longest way.
The hydration also had longevity… which has been one of my bugbears with previous eye cream relationships. They lull you in with sweet, softening nothings… then four hours later, your peepers are high and dry!
This balm didn’t do that (phew!) which means, in my book, it’s a keeper.
This, you have to admit, is praise indeed coming from a self-confessed under-eye skimper (that's right, I was once a perpetual ignorer of the ubiquitous 'avoid the eye area' advice!) who has never so much as liked an eye cream, let alone pledged eternal to one.
Since falling out of love with foundation (or make up in general) I’ve discovered a passion for tinted moisturisers.
So much so, that I’ve tried many a CC and BB shaped alternative over the years!
In this experience, some started off with such promise, only to end up disappointing once the hydrating effect and / or coverage started to wear off, or, worse still, the product congealed... such was the fate of my once-beloved tinted SPF!
This CC Cream, by contrast, seems to have nailed the 'coverage without caking' brief. It goes on white, but ‘pops’ into the perfect shade of barely-there colour when smoothed into the skin.
Many a day, I'll wear this product just on its own, and while the enhancement is subtle, it's certainly enough to take the edge of that feeling of being 'exposed' that can come when making the bold, confidence-bolstering, years-shaving-off decision to shun the make up habit of a lifetime.
For more beauty musings and skincare reviews, head over to the Beauty pages, or follow Health Magazine on instagram.