Dreamy creams for night

While there’s no quick remedy for poor skin, some products can help win back that healthy glow.

AS I get older, I seem to wear the crumpled morning look for longer and longer into the day. Nothing springs back into action quite the way it used to.

There’s no quick remedy for skin. It’s one of those things that you have to address slowly and gradually, making changes in your daily life: exercise, fresh air, better diet, drinking eight glasses of water, and even just splashing your face with cold water in the morning helps a lot.

But sometimes it can be hard to fit in any, let alone all of those things, into your day, which is where beauty products can help.

A good starting point is a night cream. But don’t be taken in by creams that are too rich or heavy. These kind of products feel divine on the skin with their luxurious velvety texture, but they can sometimes make the skin look sluggish and weighed down.

Skin guru Vaishaly’s skin cream is designed to be as light as air while still doing what it should. It’s definitely a luxury product, but with its rich essential oils, vitamin E, aloe vera and arnica, it has developed a loyal legion of fans.

Guerlain’s Issima Midnight Secret, €96.55, is a classic product — and again, eyewateringly expensive — but is still one that I swear by. It works great as an intensive treatment when you really can’t manage to get the sleep when you should (it was a stand-by when my kids were babies). Again, it’s pricey, but it’s proved its worth over the years and continues to win awards to this day.

Looking for a cheaper alternative? Try Boots’s new Beautiful Skin Overnight Radiance Boost, €20.20, with multivitamins, minerals, fruit acids, vitamin C and caffeine. It has a very light texture and gets better the more you use it — apply under your regular moisturiser before you go to bed.

Another boosting serum I like to keep on hand is Liz Earle’s Superskin Concentrate, €47.50 (the Superskin moisturiser is also one of the best I’ve tried). This gorgeous little blend of 100% plant oils has argan and organic rosehip oil, neroli, lavender and chamomile. The 28ml bottle costs €48, but you can buy a tiny 2ml bottle for €7 — a great tester.

Tired skin really benefits from exfoliation — and Phyts Organic Exfoliator Activ’Peel, €24, is currently one of my favourites — but if you want to to give your skin a good pep, then try a mask. Bliss’s Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, €50.38, delivers a big blast of freshness and radiance to the skin, although it’s not great for more sensitive skin types, or those with dry skin.

And don’t forget about the day time. As well as excellent little instant-boost fluids, such as MAC’s beloved Strobe Fluid, €24, the L’Oreal Dermo Expertise Youth Code Luminize Moisturising Day Cream, €22.49, is a good recent addition. It’s got quite a title, but you’ll find this is a good standby cream.

Throw in a few early nights and the “youth” aspect of your life might come creeping back.

STUFF WE LIKE

Vaishaly Anti-Ageing Night Cream, €82.

This night cream stands out from the crowd thanks to it’s super fine silky texture that sinks right into the skin. And if you like a boost of essential oils, then this one hits the nail on the head with lavender, geranium, rose absolute, chamomile and ylang ylang.

Boots Beautiful Skin Overnight Radiance Boost, €20.75.

My favourite night-time radiance boost is Guerlain’s Midnight Secret, but it’s very expensive. This is a good alternative — a cheaper version that gets better the more you use it. Stick with it, and you should see results after a few weeks.

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate, €47.50.

Liz Earle’s Superskin is one of the best moisturisers around, but this is a great little addition regardless of whether you use the moisturiser or not. Pop a couple of drops onto your skin before bed, and you’ll really feel the difference in the morning. If your skin is dry, then twice a day works great.

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, €50.38.

Zingy and refreshing, there’s no doubt that this mask gives your skin a major blast of, well, oxygen, and is designed to be like the spa brand’s famous facial of the same name. If you can’t make it to a salon, this is a great alternative.

L’Oreal Youth Code Day Cream, €22.49 (currently on sale for €14.91 with free delivery on feelunique.co.uk).

It’s not going to win over any fans of natural beauty products, but if you’re looking for a good quality moisturiser, with a rich satisfying texture that delivers results then this is a great choice, and not too insanely expensive either. There’s a night cream and a serum in the range, too, so you can go the whole youth code.