Finding the best moisturiser for 40-something skin 2014 has become a personal mission. One of the things that I’m really enjoying about having my own blog, is being able to write genuine, unbiased reviews of products that I believe really work. When I was editor of Selfridges’ magazine, I was able to select, shoot and write about anything in the store apart from the Beauty Hall which was a total, political nest of vipers.
I was only allowed to feature the products that the beauty buyer wanted me to. All well and good you might think – she, after all, must be the expert. But even she couldn’t recommend the products she wanted to. Instead she used the coverage to keep the brands happy, to ensure that we secured the exclusive launches and the best gifts with purchase. The biggest brands are total bullies and even now, when I pick up a glossy magazine, I can see exactly how the editors have been bought by the advertising heft of the big boys.
Beauty is extremely personal and often, it you find a brand you love, you can stay with them, moving through their products as your skin changes throughout the years. My favourite brand for skincare has always been Lancome (who, despite being big, were never bullies). I’ve always relied on them because my skin is quite dry and they just seem to fix it but recently I’ve fallen out with them for 2 reasons:
- They keep on discontinuing products that I rely on ( a year ago I would have been recommending Renergie Volumetry)
- Their prices are just getting too high – £65 for a pot of face cream is just too much.
So I began my search for the best moisturiser for 40-something skin 2014.
Deciding that I really didn’t want to spend more than £35, I spent some time browsing through Boots. Nivea Q10 was my first attempt at a budget cream but when I opened it up, it felt more like a cheap handcream. It didn’t seem to penetrate or even stay on my skin. So back I went and having often read great things about Olay Regenerist I tried that next. I think the reviews must be ad budgets speaking again because I ended up using it before early morning gym sessions when I knew I’d be having a shower and using something else shortly afterwards.
Then I remembered a lunch I had ages ago with one of the marketing people at Lancome. She explained to me off the record (and it’s so long ago that I’m hoping it doesn’t matter if I share the secret now) that because L’Oreal owns Lancome, the products are actually very similar. The only difference is that the investment in new products goes into Lancome and is then passed on to L’Oreal. This meant, she told me, that the L’Oreal products were sometimes 18 months behind in terms of ‘technology.’ So with that in mind I thought I’d try Revitalift Laser Renew.
I’ve been using it for about 3 weeks now, along with the eye cream and I have to say that I think it’s fantastic. My skin is well hydrated and has a glow to it that hasn’t been there for a while. I was also having a real problem with puffy eyes and that has now gone. Because it is sold in so many places, you can usually find it on offer for about £15 which is an incredible saving on £65. So if you’re spending a lot on your moisturiser why don’t you give it a try – if you don’t like it, save it for the gym!