Three weeks ago I started my trial period for Olay’s new Regenerist Luminous range and I thought that I’d update you with my thoughts so far. And I must say, it’s a good job that I didn’t just rush into this update and write it after the first week or so, because my thoughts now are actually very different to the thoughts that I was having at the very start of the testing month. I think that it’s always going to be tough to test just one product when you’re used to dib-dabbling in lots of different gorgeous pots of cream and bottles of serum. I really love experimenting with beauty products and I especially like the kind of self-prescribing process that I go through when I’m deciding on which unguent to use on my face. Is it feeling a little dry? A bit flaky around the nose? Does my skin look dull or tired or just a bit lacklustre? Is it greasy in the t-zone with threat of major breakouts? I have my little routines and solutions for all of these things, and not being able to dive into the relevant “SOS” box was a bit of a drag at first.

And so, as you have probably guessed, the start of my trial didn’t go so well. I got angry and went through a kind of mourning period for my skincare products! I wanted to massage in a lovely oil, I wanted to apply a zingy, exfoliating face mask or get to work with a bit of a peel. I couldn’t do any of it, and it irked me. All of this was confounded by the fact that I wasn’t overly keen, at first, on the texture of the Olay Regenerist Luminous products. They were light, true, and they had good “slip” across the skin, but it was more of a “dry oil” slip than the nourishing feel of the moisturisers I’m used to. My skin, after application, felt completely the same, as if I hadn’t applied any product at all – no greasiness, no residue. Granted, it was smoother and certainly not dry, but I just didn’t get that satisfying feeling of…juiciness. You know when you use a cream and it feels quenching? I think that that was what I was missing.

A perusal of the ingredients list revealed that the top one, after water, was cyclopentasiloxane, a commonly used silicone that gives products that slippery feel without having to use oils. You’ll probably be familiar with the feel of silicones if you use makeup primers – many of them rely on them to maintain that really lightweight feel and to help smooth the skin over before you apply foundation. Lots of people have a problem with silicones – I actually thought that I did, when I had my Time of Adult Acne, but it turned out to be dairy that was the problem! I now use silicone-based products all the time without any hiccups, but I have to say that I wasn’t overjoyed that it was in the face and eye cream that I was testing for a whole month! It’s just not my preferred texture, that “dry” feel – I like to have a bit of a dewiness to my skin afterwards, rightly or wrongly.

And so yes: crossness ensued, for at least the first week. But I didn’t tamper with any other products and still haven’t done – it’s a rule that I can’t use a single other product, apart from the Regenerist SPF, if I need it (ha! Right. More likely to need an Ark) and the Regenerist cleanser. I was worried, because of the “dry touch” feel, that my skin wasn’t getting enough moisture, but can categorically tell you that not once has it felt dry. Not in the slightest. Neither have there been any breakouts – I had one weird spot come up underneath where my glasses sit at the side of my nose, but I get the feeling that’s down to the fact that I have new, heavier glasses and nothing to do with my skincare regime!

So, Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream and Regenerist Luminous Dark Circle Correcting Swirl Eye, twice a day: what are my thoughts so far?

1) It is really bloody hard to test long-term skincare properly. Even just using the products assigned to me, it’s difficult to note any changes to your skin when you are staring at your face in a magnifying mirror every day! However, I have had a fair few comments about my skin over the last week, including from a friend who said that my skin looked “more pale than usual, but in a very good way”. Another said that it was looking “flawless” (these were both non-makeup days) and Mr AMR, who gets bombarded with my questions about how my skin looks constantly (or whether he likes a certain perfume, or what he things about the orange lipstick or purple eyeshadow) volunteered the opinion that my skin was looking “very lovely” at the moment.

2) After having a minor breakdown about the texture of the creams, I have to hold my hands up and say that yes, they did moisturise my skin enough. In fact, I would go as far to say that the eye swirl cream has done a better-than-usual job. I’m guessing that there’s a fair whack of niacinamide in there, because it’s pretty far up the ingredients list, and I would hazard a guess that it (along with the hyaluronic acid) has contributed to the plumpy, refreshed feeling around my eyes. It’s also most likely the culprit when it comes to my slightly brighter-in-general face, though I know that there are other effective ingredients at work. (Read my initial post for more of an overview on the formulation side.) 

3) The eye swirl cream is my favourite product so far; I like the packaging, the moisturised results and the fact that there’s a slight “cosmetic” benefit that’s instantly apparent, a kind of light-diffusing effect that, though subtle, takes the edge off when it comes to my dark circles!

I will be back with my final thoughts and results in my March Favourites video and there will be details then on how you can claim your own samples for testing. I’ll be really interested to see what others think of this range –  has it already launched in other parts of the world? Let me know!

*the product trial period and dedicated posts are being sponsored by P&G/Olay. You can read the first post in this series here.