All articles filed in Reviews

Over the last couple of years, my attitude to makeup has changed.  As my skin has matured, it doesn’t get on very well with heavy foundations, powders or dark colours as these things can be a bit ageing.  I’d rather invest as much as possible in skincare and then use light makeup to highlight good…

Full disclosure: I received this product as part of a gift-with-purchase beauty bag.  I’d never heard of it and had no idea what it was supposed to do.  If I’d looked, I would have seen that it’s a sort of hydration serum containing retinol.  Since I have to be quite careful with retinol, I delayed…

When evaluating a product, I’m never sure if I should pay attention to its claims or simply appreciate it for what it does for my skin.  Skincare is subjective, and what works beautifully for me might not work for you.  The same is true for a product’s description: a serum that claims to lift and…

Having inflamed skin is upsetting.  It looks awful because it’s red and scaly, and it feels awful because red, scaly skin is sore.  When my skin gets like this, it stresses me, which I think makes the problem worse.  I have to be super-careful about what I use on my skin during these episodes, but…

When trying out a beauty product, I try not to factor the price into my impression of the product.  Am I more demanding when something costs a lot?  More forgiving when it doesn’t?  Price doesn’t affect how well a product performs.  If it did, this particular product should cost at least ten times more than it…

I’m not going to even remotely suggest that you need this product.  It’s pricey, and there are plenty of cheaper options out there that perform the same function.  But May Lindstrom products are not about function.  I think of them as products for the Beautiful People, May herself being one of them.  May’s products are all…

I had high hopes for this product.   Sunday Riley makes one of favourite skincare products ever, and the reviews of her new night oil with retinol were favourable.  It’s expensive, as most of her products are, but it does contain blue tansy, chia seed oil, and blackberry seed oil – none of which are cheap.…

I have a weird relationship with eye creams.  I’m not convinced I actually need one, but then the skin right below my left eyebrow gets scaly and raw for no apparent reason and I start slathering on the nearest eye cream I can find.  While I’m always happy to see claims of anti-ageing properties in…

One thing that makes me happy is being able to use and recommend skincare that doesn’t cost a lot, so today is a very good day.  Today I get to recommend another wonderful Lacura product, this time in the form of their superb serum. Lacura Restorative Multi Intensive Serum is easily one of the best…

Nothing drags my skin down more than a lack of exfoliation.  Granted, at my age the turnover rate of my skin cells isn’t what it was, and I feel my skin sometimes has trouble sloughing off what’s no longer needed.  Dead skin has to go, though.  It dulls the complexion and causes makeup to sit…

I tend to be fairly agnostic with it comes to skincare brands.  A brand can excel at one product, and completely fail with another.  Just because someone makes a great cleanser doesn’t mean their facial oil is just as good.  But sometimes, it is.  In fact, sometimes a brand gets a lot of products just right. British…

I always feel a little unsettled recommending a product with a high price tag, especially when there are often other less expensive alternatives about.  There’s usually a cheaper cleanser, moisturiser or mask which will work just as well as its pricier counterpart, so when in doubt, take the lesser risk. Good Genes is different.  It…

Every now and then my skin becomes grumpy and sensitive for no obvious reason.  I suspect it’s down to my ever-changing hormones, but diet, lack of sleep and stress can also have an effect.  My poor skin goes dull and develops dry patches, and the more I worry about it, the worse it gets. Avène Hydrating…