When it comes to skincare serums tend to be my best friend. They tend to be light, give the right amount of moisture and generally work well with my overall skin type. I can often be caught slathering on the Éstee Lauder ANR of a night albeit sparingly due to the huge purse weeping price. . So if the ANR is a tad out of your price range then read on...
Combining both science and nature the latest offering in The Body Shop skincare range is an interesting one. The Nutriganics Drops of Youth Concentrate* is a light weight serum designed to smooth and repair the skin. Packed with over 98% natural ingredients, this is plain goodness with no nasties. Designed to retain the skins natural moisture the serum almost acts as a barrier to the skin promoting skin cell renewal. To break it down this basically means that gradually over time the the top layer of skin is replaced leaving behind smoother, healthier skin. Sounds good right? With one of the main ingredients to note being Criste Marine - a rather juicy plant stem cell designed to delay premature ageing - this sounds right up my street. But putting aside the science of the product, does it really do the business. Heres the spiel...
First and foremost - my skins on the slightly oilier side of normal. I don't tend to suffer breakouts other than the usual when mother nature is paying a visit, and I get the odd pimple and dry patch in the usual areas. I generally sit nicely into the combination skin sector. I initially started using Drops of Youth Concentrate at night, immediately introducing it as part of my night time regime. One squeeze of the handy pipette applicator was enough to cover my entire face. It smooths out nicely and leaves almost a matte finish to the skin which can be finished with moisturiser before hopping into the sack. After a few days I decided to give it a go during the day, omitting it from my night time regime and using it almost like a primer before makeup. A quick pump in the morning after cleansing, rubbed over the face does the trick. It absorbs quickly so no waving your hands around like a loon waiting for it to soak in and literally mops up any oiliness leaving a matte, smooth base for makeup. If you have skin leaning towards the oilier side like myself then I'd definitely give this a whirl for its mattifying properties alone - although I do have a little niggle that alcohol is at the forefront of the ingredients list meaning it could be slightly drying and abrasive on ladies with skin thats dryer or sensitive. For those ladies that do have skin on the dryer side you might want to add a good moisturiser afterwards. I like to use a small dose of Embryolisse on areas needed or when my skins looking a tad dehydrated but a majority of the time I have been using this alone and have definitely seen an improvement in the overall appearance and texture of my skin!
At £22 for a 30ml bottle its not the cheapest of products but its a good half the price of the Éstee Lauder ANR which will set you back a whopping £41 for the same amount of product. Love them or hate them serums are a big part of my routine and this one is definitely here to stay.
*PR Sample
