Do I need it? What products are worth buying?

Ever wondered whether you can use face cream on your eyes, or body wash on your hair? Here's the low-down from the experts. By Trish Lesslie

Do I need ... a face mask?

Face masks are mainly designed to give deep hydration, so if your skin tends to be on the dry side, applying a mask could give it the moisture boost it needs. ‘Although masks are primarily about intense moisturising and plumping, they can have active ingredients to target specific problems,' say Shakila Sathiananthan, skincare scientific expert at L'Oréal. So if you have a particular skin worry, using a mask designed to address that issue once or twice a week could give your complexion the boost it needs.

 

 

Smart buy: Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser, from £11.25 for 15ml, www.lizearle.com

Voted best moisturiser in the QVC Customer Beauty Awards 2009, this will give you the hydrating effects of a mask in your daily face cream. Great for mature skin, apply it to face, neck and décolleté morning and night.

 

What's the difference between ...

 

Eye cream and eye gel?

‘The difference is in the consistency and the ingredients used,' says skincare expert Liz Earle. ‘Eye gels are lightweight and easy to apply. They're ideal used in the morning as they tend to have cooling properties and help to reduce puffiness. They're also great to use as an eye mask all over the eye contour and eyelids once a week. Eye creams generally have a heavier consistency and work to maintain the condition of the skin and smooth fine lines.'

Smart buy: Soap & Glory Super Eyes, Supereyes Moisturising Eye Gel, £7.87 for 15ml, from larger Boots stores or www.boots.com

As well as promising a reduction in dark circles, puffiness and lines and wrinkles, this cooling gel has an instant smoothing and soothing effect thanks to the exclusive technology and light reflectors. Use every morning and evening, or whenever your eyes need a lift.

 

Moisturiser and serum?

Serums are designed to tackle specific problems - reducing hyper-pigmentation or targeting lines or wrinkles. ‘Serums contain a higher concentration of active ingredients,' explains Tom Ogden of skincare brand Alpha-H. ‘They can be used with moisturiser or alone depending on your skin type,' he adds.

Smart buy: L'occitane Organic Very Precious Regenerating Concentrate, £39 for 30ml, uk.loccitane.com, 020 7907 0301

With this skin-firming, wrinkle-busting dry oil serum, there's no need to use a night cream. It's packed with skin-strengthening ingredients.

 

Facewash and bodywash?

All wash products contain cleansing agents that dissolve dirt and oil so they can be rinsed away. But as body washes tend to be less mild than facial washes, they're more likely to cause irritation if you use them on your face. Face washes also often come with special skin-boosting properties such as blemish-fighting ingredients, so your cleansing can be a vital part of your facial skincare routine.

Smart buy: Sebamed Liquid Face & Body Wash, £5.99 for 300ml, www.chemistdirect.co.uk

A little of this skin-friendly, soap-free face and body wash goes a very long way.

With a pH value of 5.5, it supports and protects the natural barrier function of the skin, giving gentle but deep cleansing and leaving skin soft and smooth.

 

Day and night cream?

‘Day creams tend to be lighter in comparison to richer, concentrated night creams, which work overnight when skin cells are repairing and renewing themselves' says Liz. ‘All skin types will benefit from a nightly application of facial oil: even oilier skins benefit from their gentle skin-balancing properties.'

Smart buy: Neal's Yard Rose & Mallow Moisturiser, £17.80 for 50g, www.nealsyardremedies.com, 0845 262 3145

A rich blend of vitamins and almond oil designed to revitalise and rejuvenate. Cooling and restoring, it contains marshmallow and rose for smoothness and balance. Use it morning and/or night.

 

Can I use ...

 

Shower gel instead of shampoo to wash my hair?

‘You shouldn't use a shower gel on your hair, but it won't harm it either,' says Frauke. ‘Skin and hair do have some commonalities, but also a lot of differences, so skin and haircare products are designed with tailored ingredients to deliver the optimum benefits. A body wash would clean your hair but wouldn't deliver the right care properties.'

An instant wrinkle plumper instead of a moisturiser?

If your filler is formulated simply to provide an instant but temporary plumping effect on lines, then use it under your usual moisturiser. However, if you're using a wrinkle filler with anti-ageing ingredients that's designed for use all over the face, then there's no need to use a separate moisturiser as well, unless you want to.

 

Face cream around my eyes?

According to the experts at Olay, face creams can usually be used around the eyes, unless the instructions say you should avoid the eye area. But while face cream can moisturise the eye area, it won't address specific needs such as dark circles - and using a product not specially formulated for the area can cause puffiness.

 

Visit www.thefactsabout.co.uk for more product information

 

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