 Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum 25ml (RRP £125)
Let’s face it (no pun intended!), any product that seems to promote the gift of ever-lasting youth is always going to be expensive, but at £125 a pop? I expect to wake up with a face as smooth and clear as a ten year old. Being a natural born cynic Rodial’s Glamoxy Snake Serum is not something I’d ever have considered spending my own money on... Until I was sent this to play with.
Dubbed “Botox in a bottle”, the serum mimics the effect of a South-East Asian Temple Viper's venom when it comes into contact with the skin, by apparently freezing the muscles. Trials have shown “that after just 90 seconds wrinkles are less noticeable - with a 52 per cent reduction within 28 days” and my personal trial showed a really amazing thing: I lost some of my lines! Not the big ones, but the smaller all but vanished.
I’m not sure how you measure a 52% difference in skin tone, but it’s not hard to notice that there is definitely a difference. And what’s more, this product is actually quite pleasant to use; light and citrusy, but not sticky or greasy. Having read the rave reviews and celebrity endorsements (Cheryl Cole, Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes, Yasmin Le Bon, Bella Freud, Naomi Campbell, to name but a few, are all said to be big fans of the stuff), I was quietly determined to find a fault, to not be swayed by the marketing and there’s something about the thought of it that makes me slightly queasy, but there’s no denying it; this stuff really works.
 Transformulas Hydration Gold (15ml RRP£39)
This product must be a marketers dream; what woman could resist an “anti-ageing, line filling, hydrating recovery crème with 23 carat gold powder”?? Formulated with a blend of easily absorbed vitamins, minerals and Hyaluronic Acid – nicknamed as “the key to the fountain of youth” – this new treatment aims to firm and nourish your skin, producing “an instant line filling illusion” and it does a pretty good job of it.
Although I didn’t end up looking like the bronzed blonde goddess on the box – one can’t expect miracles! – my crow’s feet no longer looked like they’d been made using hobnail boots and my usually pallid skin did have something of a warm glow to it, which actually made me feel healthy, as well as look it. It may not be the most expensive product on the shelf, although at £40 for 15ml it’s getting there, but the psychological impact of massaging gold into your face is certainly favourable and adds a touch of decadence to the whole procedure.
The cream itself is pleasant and easy to use, with no cloying scent and although I wouldn’t recommend for use over the whole face, particularly if you’re fair skinned, it is ideal to add a little twinkle to your eyes and sparkle to your day.
 Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus 30ml (RRP £35)
I like Clinique, I’m a fan of their products, but I’m not easily impressed and when I’m sent a sample that claims to have “63% of the effects of a laser over 12 weeks” in a little £35 bottle my sceptical antenna start whirring. Things didn’t start particularly well as I really don’t like the scent of the stuff – it’s a personal thing – and the packaging is less than inspiring, but Repairwear Laser Focus really does do the job.
Within a four week period my fine lines had reduced and my pores seemed to be smaller, my face much smoother and firmer, and despite the smell it’s a lovely product to apply, silky almost to the touch. And as for the statistics, when tested against Erbium Laser treatment – widely acknowledged as the best method of reducing the effects of sun-damage on skin – Clinique’s RLF proved to give 63% of the results, at a fraction of the cost and with none of the nasty side effects.
I’m not entirely sure how Clinique have managed to do this, the active ingredients apparently boost natural collagen levels and cellular repair while offering free radical protection to prevent further damage, but my money is on witchcraft!
 Rodial Glam Balm 40ml (RRP £50)
Firstly, my inner magpie rejoiced at the shiny packaging. Secondly, I was slightly perturbed by the thick, greasy consistency of the product. Thirdly, I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Glam Balm may not be for everyone – when silicon is a listed ingredient, people tend to be slightly put off – but it does have a certain efficacy I wasn’t really expecting.
It does increase lip volume and instantly leaves lips feeling soft and smooth, and as an after sun treatment it’s a great re-hydrator, thanks to the pomegranate ellagic tannins and myrrh extract. I should also imagine that the hype is correct and it would work wonders on a long-haul flight – it will definitely find a place in my suitcase on my next trip to Australia!
However, I wasn’t massively keen on the feeling it produced around my eyes, my skin felt very tight, but that said, the fine lines had reduced significantly and I must add that I have very sensitive eyes and a friend of mine didn’t notice any problems when she tried it. For me, this is more of a quick-fix product, rather than a use-every-day-can’t-live-without kind of thing, but it’s definitely worth keeping in the bathroom cupboard for emergencies.
 Teosyal Cosmeceuticals Advanced Filler 50ml (RRP £60)
Teosyal have made their name in the creations of Teosyal dermal filler injections, used by Dermatologists and plastic surgeons throughout the world and have recently released a complementary range of cosmetics, again based on that magic ingredient hyaluronic acid, for those of us who wish to tackle the problem of aging skin in a less intrusive manner.
Now, I’ve been doing a bit of research and I could dazzle you with all the technical hype that Teosyal have released, but suffice to say that the product is marketed as “an anti-wrinkle, anti-ageing skincare treatment which protects cell DNA. Its anti-wrinkle action significantly reduces the depth of wrinkles” and then I can tell you whether or not it works. The raison d'etre of this product is not so much preventing the signs of aging, as halting and attempting to reverse them once the damage has been done and I’m pleased to say that it does a pretty good job of it.
The cream is easily absorbed, whilst leaving the skin feeling nicely hydrated and slightly tautened after the first use, which did improve over time. I do think that this is one for more long-term use so I probably didn’t get the best out of it in the couple of weeks that I tested it. It’s a good product, but not a wow. |
