Are Night Creams Necessary?

Whether night creams work or not is an age old questions asked by most women. The main thought being, do we have to use one specifically designed for nighttime use? Why can't we just use our normal day cream?

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Review | IT Cosmetics Confidence in Your Beauty Sleep Night Cream

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Review | Murad Night Fix Enzyme Treatment

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Weekly Worship: Dr Jackson's

Dr Jackson’s is a British apothecary-style beauty brand that puts science at the heart of natural skincare, and this is why I love it. Now I'm not a natural-skincare-or-nothing kind of girl (lolz at the thought!), but if a natural brand can deliver products that provide the same results as its synthetic counterparts, I'm interested.

Weekly Worship: Cult51 Night Cream

Price: £125.00 / $215.00 50ml

Stockists: cult51.com / b-glowing.com

I've always struggled holding down a nighttime skincare routine as, after a long day, I usually want to just crawl into bed and sleep. However I've been using a night cream so amazing that I can't wait to go to bed, just so I can apply this beaut beforehand!

It is the Cult51 Night Cream, a rich and ultra-nourishing skin saviour that feels absolutely divine on the skin. But don't misunderstand me, this isn't just one of those creams that feels luxurious but doesn't do a goddamn thing, it does a lot of goddamn things...

Ingredients 101: Black Cherry Juice

Natural or Synthetic: Natural

Origin: Black cherry juice is extracted from the black cherry plant (aka prunus serotina), a woody plant species belonging to the genus Prunus.

Location: This black cherry plant is native to eastern North America, including the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala.

Beauty Benefits: Black cherry juice is packed with antioxidants, as well as vitamins C, A, B1, B2, B3 and 150 phytonutrients that fight free radicals and protect the skin from premature ageing. Black cherry is also a great anti-ageing ingredient due to its ability to lighten and brighten the skin, reduce the appearance of age spots and give life to dull and ageing skin.

Black cherry juice is also anti-inflammatory, which is just one of the reasons it's considered a great acne-fighting ingredient. Black cherry juice not only reduces the size of a pimple, it destroys bacteria and speeds up the skin's natural healing time.

Warnings: Black cherry juice is safe to use topically. However, if you are pregnant, I would advise talking to your doctor before using it.

Found in: The Dahliana Overnight Fruit Lift Crème 42ml (£56.00 abeautifulworld.co.uk / $145.00 dahliana.com). In addition to black cherry juice, this ultra rich cream contains rosehip oil, green tea extract, aloe and citrus oils. All of these 100% natural ingredients work together to activate cellular turnover, brighten and lighten pigmentation and dullness, hydrate the skin and treat any skin damage. This dream cream soothes my skin the second I apply it and the morning after it's applied, my skin is plump, soft and more radiant. It is a real skin saviour!

Weekly Worship: Vichy Normaderm Night Detox

Price: £15.50 / $27.00 40ml

Stockist: Boots / feelunique.com

Night treatments are amazing because, well, who doesn't love a product that boosts beauty sleep? The latest night treatment to hit my face before it hits the pillow is Vichy's Normaderm Night Detox - a new serum that contains a cocktail of salicylic acid, LHA, eperuline, H.E.P.E.S and perlite. Impressive mix, right?

The detox serum is designed to improve your skin throughout the night and does this by purifying and cleansing the skin, tightening pores and evening skin texture. It also works wonders on oily skin as it helps to slow the rate of oil production that increases while you sleep (a problem that greatly effects those with oily skin). As I don't suffer with oily skin, I haven't been able to use this product to its full potential. However I can often wakeup looking a little oily in areas and, since using this product, my face has been shine-free at sunrise!

What I love about this night treatment is its lightweight texture and ability to absorb into the skin quickly - there is nothing  worse than your pillow getting more beauty benefits than your face! Each time I use the Normaderm Night Detox, I wake up with my skin feeling tight (in the right way), uber soft and lusciously plump. My skin looks healthy and fresh, which makes a change from the usual early-morning dull and dehydrated look!

Weekly Worship: REN V-Cense Revitalising Night Cream

Price: £32.00 / $55.00

Stockist: M&S / Sephora

I have always been a huge fan of night creams - I mean, who doesn't love a product that beautifies you as you sleep?! Now, I am always excited to see new night creams hit the beauty shelves but rarely try any that stand out. However, for the past couple of weeks, I've been using the REN V-Cense Revitalising Night Cream and I am pretty impressed.

Whenever I apply the REN V-Cense Revitalising Night Cream, I wake up with plumper and brighter looking skin. It doesn't seem to reduce the appearance of fine lines as well as my other favourite night creams (Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream and Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Night Cream), however it does provide a healthy and even complexion.

This beautifully rich cream also absorbs quickly into the skin, instantly making it ultra smooth. In fact, skin is left so smooth and soft that I've actually been using this night cream as a foundation primer - yes, it's that  good!

Review: Elemis Pro-Intense Lift Effect Night Cream

The Promise: "This lift effect firming night cream is formulated with a powerful blend of gardenia stem cells, arjuna and lupin, which help reduce the appearance of sagging jowls, cheeks and chin. Facial contours appear shaped, and skin texture visibly improved".

The Price: £95.00 / $152.00

The Stockist: qvcuk.com / timetospa.com

The Hero Ingredients: Lupin, Arjuna Bark Extract, Gardenia Plant Stem Cells and Alaria Esculenta

The Application: This anti-ageing night cream has a thick, creamy consistency that feels velvety smooth. It soothes and cools the skin the second it is applied and it has a gentle, spa-like scent. It applies easily and only a pea size amount of product is needed to cover the entire face and neck.

This cream does not feel at all sticky on the skin and  it absorbs quickly, so you won't find it rubbing off on your pillow!

The Results: This night cream claims to shape, firm and lift. I can't say much for its lifting abilities, however this anti-ager does firm the skin and improve its texture. It is also amazing at correcting pigmentation, helping to reduce the appearance of age spots, sun damage, redness and hyperpigmentation.

Although it is not promoted as one, the Pro-Intense Lift Effect Night Cream is a great winter skin saviour. It does an amazing job at hydrating the skin and locking in moisture and it protects against skin damage caused by winter months.

The Pro: This night cream is a great all-rounder. In addition to being an anti-ageing hero, it helps to nourish, hydrate and protect the skin from environmental damage.

The Con: At £95.00, it is on the expensive side. However, when you consider that only a tiny amount of product is needed per use, you do get quite a lot for your money.

Are you fan of Elemis? Have you tried any other products from the brand that you would recommend?

PR sample

Faithful Four: Night Creams

The Body Shop Vitamin E Night Cream

Promise: “This rich night cream replenishes moisture levels while you sleep. It intensively hydrates, works when skin is at its most receptive and leaves skin soft and smooth”

Price: £11.00/$20.00 50ml 

Purchase: www.thebodyshop.co.uk, www.thebodyshop-usa.com

This thick and soothing night cream is great for dry and sensitive skin. However avoid this cream at all costs if you suffer from oily skin as you may find it makes it worse. The price is great, a little goes a long way and skin is left hydrated and glowing the morning after using it. It's no surprise that this night cream is one of The Body Shop's best selling products.

REN Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream

Promise: “A night cream formulated to hydrate, recharge and revitalise the skin overnight, leaving it looking radiant, smoothed and beautifully healthy”
Price: £32.00/$55.00 50ml
Purchase: www.renskincare.com, Planet Organic, Sephora

The REN Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream is a gentle night cream that really injects moisture into the skin. As with all REN products, this night cream is paraben free. The cream has a silky, light texture that glides onto the skin easily. Some of the key ingredients are Vitamin C and Citroflavonoids which reduce free radical damage and boost collagen production and Frankincense and Boswellic Acid which help smooth expression lines and wrinkles.

Eucerin Anti-Ageing Hyaluron Filler Night Cream

Promise: “Eucerin Anti-Ageing Hyaluron Filler Night Cream with wrinkle-filling treatment plumps up the appearance of even deep wrinkles from the inside”

Price: £26.00 50ml

Purchase: Boots

This cream is thick, ultra hydrating and best used on normal, mature or dry skin. It feels soothing on skin and when I wake, my skin looks (and feels!) plumped and much perkier. Hero ingredients include Hyaluronic Acid and Saponin which restore skin volume, reducing the appearance of wrinkles. This cream also creates a great base for foundation, making it a great day cream alternative if you run out!

Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream

Promise: “This deeply nourishing , superior-performance botanical night cream restores life to your skin overnight. Its select premium plant oils promote collagen production & regeneration of healthy cells”

Price: £32.95/$60.00 60ml 

Purchase: www.antipodesnature.com (UK), www.antipodesnature.com (USA)

This has to be one of my all time favourite night creams. It has been scientifically proven to stimulate type I collagen production by up to 92% and this is evident the morning after applying. My skin looks plumper, feels super soft and fine lines are less visible! Though on the pricey side, a little product goes a long way and the pot seems to last a lifetime.