skincare

The gel moisturisers I’ve tried and love



Skin Rocks The Light Moisturiser - a lightweight gel moisturiser

It’s gel moisturiser season and I’m into it.

When the heat rises, gel creams are quick to apply, light to wear and sometimes cooling on the skin. Despite being lightweight, the ones I recommend offer a good level of hydration with their added vitamins, ceramides and hyaluronic acid.

Five favourites that I’ve tried and love…

CLINIQUE MOISTURE SURGE 100H AUTO-REPLENISHING HYDRATOR. First launched in 1988, Clinique’s Moisture Surge (£26 for 30ml) is the gel moisturiser that spawned a thousand blush-pink copycats. Its recognisable colour and bouncy texture may have aesthetic appeal, but its non-clogging formula loaded with vitamins C, D and E, plus hyaluronic acid and calming aloe deliver on results. Buy it here*. There’s also an SPF 25 version (£34 for 50ml). Buy it here*.

BYOMA MOISTURIZING GEL CREAM. Formulated especially to boost the skin barrier, Byoma’s Moisturizing Gel Cream* (£12.99 for 50ml) infused with barrier-boosting ceramides, comforting niacinamide and green tea is an excellent, affordable gel moisturiser. It’s also refillable, and available in an SPF 30 version* (£14.99 for 50ml).

ANTIPODES BAPTISE H2O ULTRA-HYDRATING WATER GEL MOISTURISER. My favourite for hot summers, Antipodes’ plant-based, cooling water-gel moisturiser (£32 for 60ml) is lightly scented with rose and feels thirst quenching on the skin. But it here*.

BOY DE CHANEL FORTIFYING GEL MOISTURIZER. Impossibly chic and practically impossible to find in stores. And yet! It’s worth hunting out Chanel’s lightweight gel-cream from the Boy de Chanel line, (below, $80 for 50ml) for its ultra-light formula containing hyaluronic acid and green coffee to strengthen skin and protect against environmental stressors. A great post-shave men’s moisturiser or women’s pre-make-up prep. Sold out in the UK, but you can buy it here* in the U.S.

Boy De Chanel Fortifying Gel Moisturizer

SKIN ROCKS THE LIGHT MOISTURISER. Finally, brand new and already taking pole position in my bathroom real estate, Caroline Hirons’ Skin Rocks The Light Moisturiser (£58 for 50ml) is a lighter, high-performance addition to the original The Moisturiser hero product. This uber-light summery version has the wobbly jelly texture that I love and its impeccable formula includes a little oil, ceramides and vitamin D to protect the skin barrier and keep hormonal spots in check. Choose from scented or unscented. Buy it here*.

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WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Disneyrollergirl; Boy de Chanel/Disneyrollergirl
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Old and new beauty 2023



Kees van Dongen - L’Ecuyere Rosa

2023 hasn’t been a massive beauty product year for me. Since trialling Renude’s skincare advisory a while ago, I’ve stuck to a few regular trusted skincare products. Plus, I don’t get sent nearly as much PR stuff to try these days, which is something of a relief. But here’s an end-of-year rundown of new-ish products I’ve been enjoying and old ones that still deliver. (more…)



In case you missed it – 2022 edition



Miu Miu chinos ss22

While newsletters may be the new blogs, I still have a solid reader base and for that I thank the regulars who revisit and even subscribe. You know who you are! (Reminder: you can subscribe here to receive my weekly blog digest.) But in case you missed any, here are a few of my favourite posts from 2022…

The trend round-ups are always popular. 2022 was the year of Miu Miu chinos, designer water bottle holders, Mary Jane shoes and Khaite everything. Revisit the reports here and here. (This month I also chimed in on the Miu Miu micro-mini craze for BBC Culture.) (more…)



Shop the post: Kind cleansers



Face Values book - Mari Giudicelli by Demian Jacob

A major skincare shift I’ve seen over the last few years is the move towards products that protect, nourish and gently strengthen the skin, a departure from the problem-solving and ‘repairing’ narrative. While ‘wellness’ gets a bad rap, I think we’re now much more attuned to nutrition, hormones and lifestyle factors that affect the skin. (I mean, when Kate Moss launches a holistic skincare line, you know there’s a vibe shift.) Hopefully that means we’re raising a generation that won’t resort to invasive aesthetic procedures like injectables, lasers and skin resurfacing to repair damaged skin in the future.

In particular, cleansers, facial washes and body washes have become so much more part of a proactive wellbeing ritual. (more…)