Clarins Multi-Active Eye

When it comes to looking after your skin it’s important to know that the skin around your eyes requires special treatment.

The eye contour area is 3-5 times finer than the rest of the face, meaning that it is usually the first to

show visible signs of ageing.  This is certainly the case with me as I’ve had crows feet lines around my eyes since my mid twenties!

I’m forever keeping my eyes out (‘scuse the pun) for the next great product to help my eye area look youthful and came across Clarins Multi-Active Eye.

Housed within this very pretty pink tube is a new eye care product inspired by the latest technological advances in plant power, that is meant to help counteract the effects of a stressful lifestyle.

This serum-esq product is designed to preserve radiant, youthful-looking eyes, smooth fine lines, minimise signs of fatigue and brighten the eye area.

It contains several key ingredients;

 Teasel extract helps to revitalise and protect tired, stressed skin by encouraging the production of the energising molecule Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP) that helps fight free radicals. The fatigue fighting properties of Teasel extract also helps to fight dark circles and puffiness.

Myrothamnus extract (a South African plant capable of surviving hydric stress) reinforces the preventative anti-ageing effect of encapsulated teasel extract by helping to reduce the look of fine lines on the contour area.

Escin from horse chestnut helps to fight dark circles while caffeine helps to fight puffiness.

The product itself is light and very much like a gel/serum in texture. You might be able to notice from the photos that it is also slightly iridescent in colour which I rather like as it instantly helps to brighten tired eyes and lighten eye bags (of which I have plenty).

The applicator itself is fabulous with one side dispensing the product and the opposing side featuring a sleek, smooth and cryo-metallic (meaning ultra cold metal) smoothing tip.

I like to dab the product around my eye area before using the cool metal tip to massage it into the skin. The coolness of the tip instantly revives tired, sore eyes and helps to reduce the appearance of puffiness.

The gel-serum is absorbed really quickly and instantly my eyes feel revived and I look more awake.

I’ve been using it for several weeks now and I’m very impressed.

I’m a big fan of its lightweight texture as opposed to a thick, heavy cream and while it hasn’t got rid of my crows feet (but then what will other than cosmetic surgery) it has really helped to brighten my eye area, reduce the appearance of dark circles and really helps with puffiness after a bad nights sleep.

I would highly recommend giving this a try if like me you suffer with dark circles and puffiness of a morning!

Clarins Multi-Active Eye is available now and costs £35.

Paco Rabanne Olympéa Intense

Olympéa Intense is the new powerful scent from Paco Rabanne.

This unique and bold fragrance launched on Feb 1^st and is one of the most distinctive scents I’ve ever experienced.

Described as a ‘sensual oriental’, Olympéa Intense is captivating and potent perfume which requires a strong, fiercely feminine woman to carry it off.

This unique scent is housed in a feminine yet mighty bottle and offers intense notes of white pepper, orange flower and grapefruit flower which give way to sensual salty vanilla, cedarwood and white amber.

It is absolutely not the kind of fragrance I would usually be attracted to.

It is thick, heavy, rich, heady, intense and yet also addictively creamy and warm.

A little really does go a long way and while I’m not sure I’m a fan of its initial scent, I rather like the dry down aroma.

It softens somehow and becomes much more appealing, to me at least!

It is a sophisticated and grown up scent and would be the perfect fragrance for anyone who wants to stand out and who commands attention!

Paco Rabanne Olympéa Intense is available now and costs £72 for 80ml.

Zelens Power A High Potency Vitamin A Treatment Drops

One of my must have skincare products comes from a brand that I have come to trust and very much love.

It is a luxury, expensive brand that creates products that really work and I can honestly say are worth every single penny.

Zelens Power A High Potency Vitamin A Treatment Drops are my skins saviour.

Used nightly as an all-over treatment or to target specific areas, this oil contains a powerful combination of pure, encapsulated retinol and two retinoids to promote skin renewal, improve skin tone and texture and does so with minimal or no irritation so often associated with the use of retinoids.

This wonder oil can help to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots as well as help to clear blemishes and minimise the look of enlarged pores. It really is a multi functional, miracle little product.

You’ve only got to the look at the impressive list of ingredients to realise that it is jam packed full of a huge range of skin loving, nourishing and beautifying ingredients. 

Retinol: Zelens uses encapsulated, time-released retinol which stimulates cellular turnover minimal or no irritation. Visibly retexturize skin surface, restores skin thickness and help reverse signs of aging.

Retinoids: Zelens uses two cosmetic grades retinoids: Hydroxypinacolone retinoate and Retinyl palmitate. Hydroxypinacolone retinoate is an ester of all-trans retinoic acid. This retinoid demonstrates activities of pure retinol without irritation. Retinyl palmitate is an ester of retinol and palmitic acid. This retinoid facilitates cell communication and enhances skin renewal process.

Phospholipids: Major building components in the structure of any cellular membrane essential for all vital physiological processes. These natural skin-identical ingredients demonstrate moisturising, restructuring and protective properties.

Sterol complex: A blend of vegetable-derived esters structurally similar to skin lipids. Demonstrates moisturising, conditioning and repairing properties. Reinforces skin barrier function.

Soybean sterols: Phytosterols derived from soybeans are lipid molecules with strong biomimetic and soothing properties. Structurally similar to skin natural lipids, these sterols moisturise skin, reduce water loss and strengthen natural barrier function.

Glycolipids: Lipid molecules analogous to the intercellular lipids of stratum corneum (SC) demonstrate structuring, repairing and protective properties. Strengthen the barrier function and hydro-retaining capacity of skin.

Omega-3 and Omega-6: Essential fatty acids derived from safflower oil. Help restore and maintain lipid barrier function and balance the moisture of the skin. Omega acids act as skin protectors and revitalisers.

Proprietary botanical blend: This unique botanical blend contains 6 fruit and vegetable extracts (pumpkin, carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, tomato and spinach) rich in Vitamin A (carotenoids).

Vitamin E: An antioxidant with a key role in the protection of cellular membranes from free radicals. It is the major antioxidant in the human epidermis with strong protective - effects against UV-induced skin damage.

Geranium oil: An essential oil extracted from the plant Rose geranium. This oil possesses antioxidant and antiseptic properties. It helps to balance the secretion of sebum and clear oily skins. Traditionally it has been used for years to help healing of wounds, burns and ulcers.

The oil itself is light in texture and possesses a fresh, pleasant and relaxing aroma.

Designed for use on cleansed skin prior to a serum or moisturiser, I use around 3-4 drops and gently massage it all over my face, concentrating on particularly troublesome areas.

The skin around my nose is often dry and flaky and my chin is frequently oily and regularly features hormonal spots, yet this concentrated oil somehow manages to soothe and rectify both areas.

Seriously! It soothes and nourishes my dry skin patches and yet also helps to clear my problem skin.

When my skin is bad I can notice a huge difference come the morning after just one application of this oil. My skintone is more even, redness has been reduced and my skin actually feels healthier.

I am completely in love with this product and love that it helps with two of my biggest skin concerns; ageing and acne and its gentle enough for even my sensitive skin.

Zelens Power A High Potency Vitamin A Treatment Drops are available now and costs £115.