A tale of three Eve Lom products...

I've recently finished up three Eve Lom products - two eye creams and a serum - and as I only seem to have photographed them all together may as well review them together too.

They are (pictured l-r):

Intense Hydration serum 

Eye Cream

Eye Lift

The Intense Hydration Serum (£75, 30ml) comes in for a bit of criticism in some online reviews due to the relatively small number of ingredients (namely water, glycerin, phenoxyethanol, sodium hyaluronate, panethenol and ethylhexylglycerin) it contains.  I enjoyed using it, my skin felt somehow more comfortable and less stressed with it on, and it felt hydrating. It's very similar in texture to Nubo's Hydrating Lipids Complex - super light and silky, almost more like a hair serum. It applied very easily, I found it suitable for patting around the eyes before eye cream application and it was fine under moisturiser. However I couldn't discern any visible improvements to my skin.

I also liked both the Eye Cream (£48, 20ml) and the Eye Lift (£48, 15ml) but again neither have found their way into my must-haves. Of the two, my favourite is probably the Eye Lift, which comes in a tube with hygienic applicator as opposed to the Eye Cream which comes in a round pot. The Eye Lift, which is recommended for daytime and nightime use, contains retinol and vitamin C, along with hyaluronic acid for hydration. I found it sat comfortably on the skin and provided a good base for under eye concealer. The Eye Cream, also for morning and nighttime use, contains ingredients such as peptides to reduce puffiness, and shea butter and rosehip oil to combat fine lines. It also applied nicely and didn't cause any irritation to my eyes. Apparently it can be layered over the Eye Lift, though I never tried this and don't really like the idea of using more than one product on delicate undereye skin. I used both for around six months and I do think they did a good job defending my eye area against the ravages of new-motherhood-induced sleep deprivation. But again, I didn't notice any difference to my undereye area when using them (I find it so hard to rate eye creams though - they all seem to do a decent job but unlike face masks, oils and creams etc it's much harder to discern any visible improvements to the eye area).

In all, three decent products and I'd consider repurchasing the Eye Lift in the future, but in the meantime I'll keep searching for my holy grail eye treatments and serum (currently trialling Omorovicza's Rose Lifting Serum).  I still adore my Eve Lom cleanser; it's one of my most loved and repurchased beauty products. I'm keen to try out some items from the new make-up range too, particularly the translucent powder that Lisa Eldrige gave a big thumbs up to.

Would love to hear what serums and eye creams you rate...

Nude Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum

I've recently used up a full size of the Nude Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum and thought I'd share my thoughts.

I started using this at the same time I started using my Clarisonic Mia. I noticed improvements to my skin almost straight away (it looked clearer and felt softer), but wasn't sure whether it was down to the serum or the Mia. However having used this serum on a more or less daily basis for the past six months (and stopped using the Mia a couple of months ago when the brush head needed replacing) I can confidently say that that my skin is visibly improved by this serum.

It's hard to pinpoint the effects exactly, but my skin just looks and feels 'better' than it did before I started using it. By better, I mean clearer and softer, as mentioned, but somehow healthier as well. I haven't noticed any fine lines lessening as such, but I would say my skin appears slightly more youthful. I apply the serum night only, sometimes layering it under a night cream but more often than not applying it on its own - smoothing a couple of drops over the face and a couple more on the neck. It can feel a bit sticky when first applied, but in the morning skin just feels soft and silky.

I would have repurchased this serum but I wanted to try the Trilogy Rosehip Oil having heard many good things about it's anti-ageing properties; I've just started to use the Rosehip Oil so will be interested to see how the two compare. However I can imagine returning to the Nude in future, having found it more effective than other highly-rated serums I've tried such as Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair and Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Complex. I'm keen to try the Nude Cleansing Oil and possibly the Replenishing Night Oil to layer over the top of the serum, but nothing else in the range appeals to me much and I wouldn't buy one of the moisturisers as they don't contain spf.

Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum costs £68 for 30ml - I purchased mine from Beauty Expert during a special offer. It is expensive, but lasts for a long time - over six months in my case - making it more than worth it in my opinion.

Have you tried the Nude serum or any other Nude products?

Boots No 7 - My new must have skincare

It all started innocently enough - I needed a new cleanser, and was feeling uninspired by the selection on offer in Boots. My eye fell upon the No 7 display, where they had an impressive range including a cleansing balm and also a hot cloth cleanser. As they had a free gift worth £22 if you spent over £20, I decided to buy the Age Defence Cleansing Balm (£8.50), Purifying Toner (£7.50) and the Cleanse and Care Eye Make Up Remover (£7). I also picked up the Total Renwal Microdermabrasian Exfoliator (£10.50) as I needed a new scrub.

So far, I've been impressed with all of these products, however it was something that came in the free gift pack - the famous Protect and Perfect Intense serum (the newest version of the cult product) - which has really wowed me.

We've all heard the raves about Protect and Perfect and the scientific research that proved its effectiveness - for some reason I'd never got around to trying it, but now I totally understand the hype. It glides on and absorbs in an instant, and really does leave my skin velvety soft and radiant. I've been using it for two weeks now, under my SPF moisturiser in the daytime and on its own at night, and I think the condition of my skin has improved visibly. It looks smoother and, dare I say it, younger, though it's too soon to assess impact on lines. I far prefer this to my Estee Lauder Night Repair, which is double the price (Protect and Perfect costs £19.75 for 30 ml wherease Night Repair is £36). The No 7 serum seems to work with my skin much more than Night Repair, controlling shine and acting as a perfect base for make up.

Anyway, huge thumbs up from me and I'm going to purchase the full size asap. Has anyone compared the Protect and Perfect Intense with the original version? Would be interested to see how they compare.

The other products I've tried too I rate very highly. The Cleansing Balm feels lovely to apply and cleans well - although it does NOT remove make up adequately - the only way I can get my make up off completely, especially eye, is with cleansing milk and cotton wool pads. The eye make up remover is good - on a par with Clarins, Lancome ete - personally I find them all much of a muchness and again prefer to use cleansing milk or even vaseline, but it works okay. The toner is fantastic, far better than the Clarins one I used previously and definitely seems to be controlling my shine. The Microdermabrasian exfoliator is excellent - my skin looks clear for days afterwards.

After using and liking these products I then went back to purchase the Hot Cloth Cleanser (£8.75).  I adore the Liz Earle cleanser - it really does make skin radiant and squeaky clean - but I find it expensive considering it doesn't last too long - I always find after a few squooshes it's almost empty. With the No 7 you get 200ml for £8.75 - the Liz Earle costs about £23 for the same amount! Admittedly, I don't think the No 7 is as good as the Lize Earle - it doesn't leave my skin quite so fresh looking - and it doesn't have the glorious smell of the LE. However it is a good, effective cleanser - I'm not sure I'll be forking out the extra £15 for the Liz Earle in future. Again though you'll need something separate to take all your make up off - I like the cleansing balm and the hot cloth cleanser in the morning when my skin is quite clean anyway, but always use a cleansing milk and cotton wool in the pm.

If you're thinking of changing your skincare routine it's definitely worth checking out Boots No 7 - especially when Boots have their offers on - at the moment you get a £5 No 7 voucher when you spend £5, so you could pick up a cleanser, toner or even one of their make up brushes which get excellent reviews for just two or three pounds (I have the foundation and concealer brushes and love them both). Overall, very pleasantly surprised indeed.