I’ve filmed a lovely video with John Lewis, all about Autumn skincare and pepping up your routine by adding in little beauty treats to prepare for the colder weather. You can watch that video here but I wanted to have a run through the products, because some of them are relatively new to me and I do love a mini review!
John Lewis had put together a really gorgeous selection of luxurious beauty products with pretty much every skincare step covered, as well as a little SOS fix for those emergency “misbehaving skin” days. Here’s what was in the line-up:
Eve Lom’s cleanser has had a bit of a facelift with this new, mineral-oil-free version. The original is a constant bestseller but the Gel Balm, with its convenient pump and silky texture just knocks that one out of the park. It does a great job of dissolving makeup, is easy to remove with a flannel and doesn’t leave your skin feeling dry after rinsing.
Lancôme Absolue Precious Cells Rose Lotion
Essences are becoming more and more popular here in the UK; used pre-serum and post-toner (if that’s something you have in your routine) they are a lightweight way of adding in a bit of extra hydration, if your skin is feeling a bit weather-beaten.
It feels very indulgent using an essence – probably because we’re so used to the cleanser-toner-moisturiser or cleanser-serum-moisturiser routine – and even more so with this one from Lancôme thanks to its rose petal extracts and heavy glass bottle.
My Mum has been an almost compulsive user of Clarins Double Serum ever since it launched (she’s on bottle number 7243) and so it was only a matter of time before her enthusiasm for it rubbed off on me. It’s a pretty comprehensive formula that tackles dehydration, fine lines and helps to make everything look just that bit more even and toned.
The old formula had a mineral oil base, this one doesn’t, and there’s also a nifty new selector on the lid that means you can pump out a full dose or a quick half dose to mix serum into face cream, should you be short of time. (I slather on so much that I’ve never even considered halving the dose, but my Mum will be pleased!)
Origins Three Part Harmony Day and Night Eye Cream Duo
A lighter, more refreshing cream for morning application and a richer, more nourishing texture to use overnight. Handy, and the two parts do feel quite different, both in effect and to apply. The night is my preferred side, so I can envisage that running out far more quickly, but it’s no real chore to use the day part up afterwards as it’s nicely refreshing on my permanently tired eyes…
Fresh Vitamin Nectar Moisture Glow Face Cream
Fresh is a glorious beauty brand that was previously rather hard to get hold of, unless you ordered directly from their online store. Great to see it in John Lewis and great (for me!) to have the chance to test out the Vitamin Nectar range, which promises to brighten and revitalise and “minimise signs of tired skin”. It’s as though they read my mind.
Fresh have managed to make a skincare range smell so nice that it’s almost a physical impossibility not to scoop it out of the jar and straight into your mouth. (I did actually have a little try of the mask, see below, but yeah – don’t eat it!)
The Moisture Glow Face Cream is nicely hydrating, but has a lightweight, non-greasy feel to it – perfect for layering up over serum. Or essence and serum, as I did nightly in the run-up to the John Lewis shoot day. My skin was playing up a bit, due to stresses with the house move and so on, and so I was piling it all on in an attempt to give it a bit of TLC…
Sarah Chapman Skinesis Ultra Recovery Booster
Talking of TLC, here’s the little bonus ball I was talking about at the start of this post. The Ultra Recovery Booster from Sarah Chapman, a calming serum that can be added into your face cream or applied directly to your skin. Either way, it provides a hit of essential fatty acids and anti-inflammatories that help to soothe and repair your skin. If your skin is suffering with the classic Autumn Blight (central heating indoors, cold winds outdoors!) then this is like a little bottle of calm.
Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask
And finally: the mask that looked good enough to eat, so I did actually try and eat it. Not advisable, ever, so try and restrain yourselves. This is basically why I exist, to do stupid things so that you don’t have to. Unicorn boots, lip-plumpers, hair cuts, acid peels that virtually de-skin you..
At any rate, you don’t need to eat this mask to enjoy it. It’s like pasting yourself in a heavenly citrussy jam. Which I suppose would be called marmalade, strictly speaking, but the word “jam” is so much more evocative of how this mask spreads and feels. Oh, the doldrums when you finally have to rinse it off. But at least it leaves your skin noticeably perkier – the fruit acids exfoliate away dead skin cells, bringing on a fresher-looking face that’s bright and glowy. A good hangover mask, this one. I’d say store it in the fridge, but you just know it’ll end up on toast.
Right: mini reviews over. You can watch my video with John Lewis here and I will be back with more skincare shortly!
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