DHC Rich Eye Zone Care Pack

I'm old.  I'm tired.  I don't get enough sleep.  I stare at computers too much.  I read a lot.  I rub my eyes a lot, and did I mention that I'm tired?  My eyes are definitely starting (ha! "starting") to show the signs of ageing these days, laughter lines get deeper each day, and dehydration lines take longer and longer to disappear once they arrive too.  So eye masks have become a slight obsession recently.  It started with these Rich Eye Zone Care Pack eye masks from DHC, but I'll show you the others some other time.

Used to other sheet-style masks that are soaked in a serum, or other liquid, it was a surprise that these were rather dry and stiff, then it turned out that the masks were put together in pairs with a "proper" eyecream in between.  Once you pulled the masks apart the cream - and it really is a cream, not a serum - is revealed.  The masks remain rather stiff, however, and positioning them can be tricky.

I struggled a bit getting the upper strips into a comfortable position, but I persisted, and wore them for around 20 minutes/half an hour or so, and found when I removed them that my eyes definitely felt more comfortable and hydrated, and the skin was plumped up.  They contain multipeptides which they claim stimulates collagen, olive fruit and hyaluronic acid.

I liked them a lot, actually, and will use them again, particularly as they cost £15 for six treatments, and the clever packaging (a resealable bag, which contains a resealable clam-shell package) means they will keep fresh for a while without drying out.  I think best used as a treat before a big appointment or a night out rather than a weekly indulgence, but good for a quick boost when you need one.

You can buy them direct from DHC here.

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Precious Oils: The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

By Laurin

Two weekends ago, I moved house. In the process of flinging my entire life into twenty cardboard boxes, I uncovered several boxes of old photos I’d dragged across the ocean at some point. Baby pictures, holiday snaps, even old pictures of my grandparents looking impossibly glamorous in the 50’s. I have carried these with me since the day fourteen years ago that I left my hometown with a one-way ticket to London and two bursting suitcases. The Delta check-in agent sweetly looked the other way when I heaved them onto the baggage scales.

I am eighteen in the picture above and I am terrified of fat: both of eating it and of putting it on my face. These are the days of fat-free Snackwell cookies and Molly McButter, a vile yellow dust that promises to taste as delicious as butter, but really just looks like an over-excited daisy got frisky with your jacket potato when you weren’t looking, leaving nothing behind but a sad smear of pollen. I load my plate with plain steamed vegetables and lather my face with a Neutrogena gel that makes my skin feel as though it’s shrunk in the dryer. It makes sense to me at the time. How can you fight oil with more oil?

Thankfully, times have changed. I figured out five years ago that plant oil on my face (and in my mouth, for that matter) is nothing to fear. In 2009, picked up a copy of India Knight’s The Thrift Book and caught wind of DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. Since then, I have been devoted to the oil cleansing method in general and DHC in particular. When I first began using it, it was only available through the DHC website, which made it a difficult sell to anyone without £20 to punt on a facial cleanser that resembled a salad dressing. Happily since then, it’s now more widely available, but I do appreciate that it is still not easily found outside of major metropolitan areas.

The Body Shop, on the other hand, is everywhere. When I was eighteen and snacking on iceberg lettuce leaves during English class, the Body Shop held an exotic appeal, largely because we didn’t have one in Mobile. Since moving to London though, I mostly associate them with fruit-scented lotions for adolescents and Christmas gift sets that inevitably end up gathering dust in a cupboard. My loss, really, for they actually have some excellent products.

The Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil is one of them. I pinched a bottle from Lippie Mansions a few months back and I’ve been using it as my morning cleanser ever since. For £10, it’s seriously good stuff. It’s a paler yellow and slightly runnier than my beloved DHC, but no less effective at removing make-up and leaving your face feeling clean and super-soft. If I’m using it at night, I massage a single pump into my face with my fingers for about thirty seconds, then use cotton wool to remove my eye make-up. I then remove the rest of the oil with a hot flannel. If I remember, I use the Body Shop Facial Roller after removing my eye make-up, but before the hot flannel.

The complaints I’ve heard from those who don’t get on with oil cleansing fall largely into two camps: first, that the oil always runs through their fingers and onto their clothes or down the drain, and second, that it ends up in their eyes and gives them blurry vision. All I can say is that the former has never been a problem for me (perhaps I have exceptionally well-arranged fingers), and the latter stopped happening after a few uses.

Will the Body Shop oil be a permanent replacement for the DHC on my bathroom shelf? Honestly, no. But my preference is largely aesthetic, not based on effectiveness. I like the dark, greeny-gold colour of the DHC, and I like the fact that it smells faintly of olive oil, allowing me to pretend I’m a Greek goddess, rubbing my alabaster skin with precious ointments. But I’d happily buy it if it was the week before payday and I’d run out of DHC. And I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone who wanted to try oil cleansing without splashing the cash for the DHC. It’s a tenner. Take the punt.

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DHC Premium Lipstick: Petal Pink and First Blush

By Laurin

Until recently, I was something of a tart when it came to skincare. Like a Viking-sized magpie, I was all about the latest shiny thing promising to give me the skin of a teenaged nymph. The one constant in my routine for the last 10 years has been DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. I discovered it through India Knight back in 2008 and have been positively evangelical about its benefits since. It deep cleans without stripping the skin, shifts the most tenacious of eyeliners, smells reassuringly wholesome and a £21 bottle lasts for months on end. 

So when I heard DHC were launching a range of proper lipsticks, I was mustard-keen to try them. I chose the two palest colours, Petal Pink and First Blush to try first. Though I like to think I’ve come a long was in my appreciation of a bold lip, the truth is that I am running fifteen minutes late for work on any given day, and pale colours are more forgiving when applied in haste. The gold and silver tubes with flower etching are as pleasing pretty as the two colours themselves turn out to be. Above, you see Petal Pink on the right and First Blush on the left. At first glance, there seems very little difference between them.

The formula is specifically for those with ageing as a primary concern, so contains light-reflecting pigments to give the appearance of fuller lips. Applied on skin, both shades have a soft, candlelit glow that I find much more flattering than the opalescent, borderline-glitter favoured by some brands.

Above: Petal Pink applied with a lipbrush and Studio 10 Age Reverse Perfecting Lipliner

They’re also incredibly moisturising, containing a blend of macadamia, olive and rice bran oils. As such, they apply easily straight from the tube and are a pleasure to wear, but are somewhat lacking in the longevity department. To be fair, I tested them over a couple of days in London that included a heatwave, several journeys on the top deck of the 133 and an eight-hour shift in a shop that had decided to explore an alternate career path as an oven. I got about two hours wear from both shades.

Above: First Blush applied with a lipbrush and Studio 10 Age Reverse Perfecting Lipliner

Petal Pink and First Blush are both pretty everyday lipsticks that would be great to have in your handbag for quick touch ups on your “My Lips But Better” days. Far from being only suitable for more mature skins, I also think they would be a lovely “Lipstick 101” gift for an adolescent girl if you’re not ready to send her out in full Ruby Woo. Check them out. And if I happen to convert you to Deep Cleansing Oil as well, my work here will be well and truly done.

DHC Premium Lipstick GE is £13 and available at www.dhcuk.co.uk

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