Philosophy Microdelivery Peel kit reviewed

I was given a voucher for my birthday recently to decided to buy myself the Philosophy Microdelivery Peel kit which I had tried out a few years ago and been longing ever since to replace. Yes this product has been on the  market a while, yes it works.

The word 'peel' always makes me a bit worried as I think of horrible red skin afterwards but this peel is gentle and really lovely to use even though it does contain both lactic and alicylic acid. First off you apply about a teaspoon worth of  the microdelivery peel vitamin c crystals to clean, dry skin. Once covered you gently massage the face avoiding the eye area for up to 60 seconds. The smell is an overwhelming one of oranges and is quite delicious. You then add, with your fingertips, about a teaspoon of activator which turns the granular mask into a gentle white foam as it by magic. This activates the vitamin c and peptides and you leave it on your skin for 1-2 minutes then simply wash off.

It's recommended that you use it once or twice a week before applying other beauty products but as it is so simple and quick to use (the whole process takes 5 mins max) this is no chore and the results are quite dramatic. My skin feels really really smooth and after a couple of weeks looks brighter and younger (less noticable lines).

This is not a cheap product but a little goes a long way and it is just as effective as a salon facial (in my opinion anyway). For those who want to liven up winter skin in preparation for the summer it is a must!
The Microdelivery Peel from Philosophy £59.

Philips ReAura - the story so far

About a month ago I was asked to give the Philips ReAura home laser kit which is a truly ground-breaking development in home beauty treatments. It has big promises to dramatically improve the quality of my skin including high colour (which I do suffer from a bit) to age spots, wrinkles and lines. It promises to give you dramatically improved skin in 8 weeks so this was one that had to be put to the test!

It works on using light treatment and is endorsed by a leading Harley Street cosmetic dermatologist, Dr Sam Bunting - and is from Philips who are a well trusted brand, so I never felt like I was putting myself up for something that was harmful. But like all lasers you do have to follow the instructions to the letter so you don't do more harm than good.

My initial impression was that it was a bit uncomfortable and I was wary of increasing the power to the full three - however after a week or so I found that I could tolerate it and use the power at full without too much difficulty.

My laughter lines before treatment

My forehead before treatment

As you can see from these pictures my unmade-up skin has a few patches of uneven skin-tone, the expected wrinkles for someone of my age and I do have a few tiny broken capillaries which make my skin look a little red, especially on my cheeks. I therefore have been concentrating on my face for the duration of the trial as you are advised only to do one body area at a time (so either your face, or neck or chest area, not all together).

The Philips ReAura is £799 from space:nk. 

Skin-care that smooths out the wrinkles

Skincare is a touchy subject when you get to a certain age. Do expensive creams really benefit or are we just beguilded by exotic ingredients and even more exotic promises? I have been battling the wrinkles for at least a decade now so am happy to share the products I have really thoroughly tried with you all - and give an honest opinion.

So here is the daily moisturiser that has been putting a smile on my face for about the last six weeks.

Readily available over the counters in the high-street, Roc Sublime Energy Day Cream is a two-stage cream which really does iron out the wrinkles. The first cream comes out charcoal grey which is an initial worry, but fear not it is quickly absorbed leaving your skin looking smooth and beautiful in terms of texture. The second cream goes over the top and thoroughly moisturises.

Now for the science bit which you can take or leave at will...
 This cream creates and delivers natural levels of electricity to the skin which helps stimulate the skin's rejuvenation process. The first cream contains zinc and copper minerals which react to do this and the second an active moisturiser. So it all works to get the skin producing those essential proteins such as collagen and elastin which keeps us young looking.


I am impressed. Although it won't banish deep wrinkles my skin really did look significantly brighter and any open pores (which are another sign of aging without the wrinkles) were miraculously filled-in. And my skin feels moisturised throughout the day without it feeling too rich. This can be found at all good beauty counters or here.