Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Creme

Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Creme* - £37.60

Ole Henriksen's products combine powerful actives, essential fatty acids & soothing botanicals for a bit of everyday luxury in your skincare routine. I've reviewed a few of his products in the past & have nothing but praise for the Truth Serum Collagen Booster. Following the hugely popular Invigorating Night Treatment, one of Ole Henriksen's latest creations is the Invigorating Night Creme which is exclusive to Escentual in the UK. This rich moisturiser promises to re-texturise the skin & replenish moisture while you sleep. The base of this nourishing night cream is shea butter & evening primrose oil which help to keep your skin feeling supple & soft. It is enriched with glycolic, lactic & fruit acids which are fantastic at treating things like spots, closed comedones, dull skin, rough texture, fine lines & wrinkles. It also boasts vitamin C to boost collagen production & brighten the complexion. In theory the Invigorating Night Creme sounds like a truly amazing moisturiser & that's exactly why I wanted to try it out in the first place. However it didn't quite live up to my expectations...

For me the main selling point of this product was that it combined AHAs with a moisturiser when in fact, this turned out to be it's downfall. I would liken it to using a moisturiser with SPF. You might be moisturising your skin & protecting yourself from the sun but that product will never be as effective as a dedicated day cream with a layer of sunscreen on top. Likewise the Invigorating Night Creme will never be as effective as a separate AHA exfoliating toner followed by a rich night cream. As a moisturiser it's a fairly decent product but again it could be better. The gel cream texture feels really nice when you're applying it but a few minutes later my skin is left feeling tacky & it's almost like it leaves a tight film on my skin. It contains a lot of needless irritants & is so heavily perfumed that I can taste it. The AHA content also makes any active blemishes sting which is not something I normally experience with chemical exfoliants. By morning my skin does feel much softer & looks plumper with a radiant glow. But I've found that while it makes some areas look smoother, it clogs pores in other places like my forehead. Another thing that lets this product down is the packaging. Jars are really unhygienic as you have to keep dipping your fingers into the pot. The jar packaging also decreases the efficacy of both the AHAs & the vitamin C. It might seem like this cream has a lot of beneficial ingredients but if they can't work properly on the skin then they may as well not be in there.

I've been using AHAs on my skin for quite a while now & therefore it has become accustomed to high potency products like Alpha-H Liquid Gold. I would imagine that if you're completely new to chemical exfoliation then this product might revolutionise your skin but it didn't really do much for me. It's not a bad moisturiser & while I don't love it, I don't hate it either. I suppose it would be quite handy if you're feeling too lazy to finish off your evening skincare routine with two products instead of one. I'm more than happy to invest in my skin but if I'm gonna spend 40 quid on a skincare product I want to know that's it's worth the money. Unfortunately I just don't think that this is. You'd be much better off buying a separate AHA treatment & a night cream. Not only will you get better results but you'll probably save a few pounds in the process.

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May Favourites

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light
The Ambient Lighting Powders from Hourglass are the perfect finishing touch for your makeup. They feel so lightweight & help to airbrush the appearance of your skin. The one I've been reaching for most lately is Diffused Light. This is a yellow toned powder that subtly corrects redness. As I've been going for lighter bases such as the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser or Radiant Creamy Concealer I've been using this to set my makeup. It's not brilliant at oil control but that's not really a concern of mine. It just makes your foundation look a bit more flawless with a beautiful soft glow.

Sally Hansen Maximum Growth
I don't have a problem with growing my nails but they are very prone to breakage. Rather than shell out £18 on OPI Nail Envy I decided to give some good old Sally Hansen products a go. This product is basically a clear basecoat for your nails. It dries to a shiny finish and protects your nails so that they can grow without splitting. It seals any weak areas & my nails get seriously long whenever I use this stuff. It has no long lasting effects, your nails won't grow any stronger but as long as you keep applying the polish every other day they will keep on growing. I really like it as it makes my nails look strong & healthy. You can wear it alone or with polish on top. I probably will give Nail Envy a go at some point but this product is much cheaper & it works so well.

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster*
My skin had been looking a bit dull recently so I went back to using this Ole Henriksen serum. It's packed full of Vitamin C which is brilliant at brightening the skin & gives you a really healthy looking glow. This product has won so many awards for it's ability to plump up the skin & reverse the signs of ageing. It works well on freckles, post-blemish scarring & congestion too. It feels quite sticky to begin with but once you apply moisturiser over it that soon goes away. After it has absorbed properly it leaves your skin feeling really soft & juicy. I can't get enough of that orange sherbet scent either. This is easily one of my favourite serums & it's definitely deserving of it's cult status.

MAC Ever Hip Lipstick
Sorry, this lipstick is a limited edition one but if MAC ever bring it back again, you need to buy this! It's hard to find flattering peachy shades when your skin is so pale but this lippie is the ultimate peach for fair skinned girls. It's more of a pink toned coral but it looks peachy on me. It's very 60s-ish & looks gorgeous combined with a lipgloss. I love the MAC Cremesheen formula as the lipsticks glide on, are semi-opaque, look slightly glossy on the lips & feel very creamy. They melt so easily though, I'm forever worried that this lipstick will break off. I really wish they'd make it a permanent shade! You can see me wearing it in this makeup look.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
I absolutely love this concealer! It's similar to the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer but it looks a tad more natural on the skin. It offers high coverage in a lightweight formula with a luminous finish. It covers everything without ever looking cakey or dry. NARS have such a brilliant shade range for all of their base products so you're sure to find something to suit your skin tone. The creamy consistency means it blends like a dream & promptly perfects the skin. I like using this on it's own as a quick and easy base product. The price is pretty high but I really do think it's worth every penny. Read my full review here.

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WIMH Discovery Kit: The Best Of Ole Henriksen

The Best Of Ole Henriksen Discovery Kit* - £19.50 (Worth £54.00)

What's In My Handbag is one of my favourite online beauty destinations. Their online magazine is a fantastic way of finding out about new products. They even offer free product samples on occasion including things like the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm & the new REN BB cream. Recently I've been testing out one of the sample kits they sell in their shop - The Best Of Ole Henriksen Discovery Kit. Ole Henriksen are one of those brands I hear so much about but have never delved into myself. Mainly because a) individually the products are fairly expensive and b) I had no idea where to start. This kit solves both of those problems because it gives you very generous samples of some of their most loved products at a low price. Every item included in the kit is designed to be used on all skin types and the brand has a strong focus on natural, botanical ingredients.



I gave up using wipes as a makeup remover a long time ago. They never got my face clean enough & I had to use about 4 to get rid of all my eye makeup. But these Truth To Go Wipes are probably the best ones I've ever tried. You only get 10 wipes in the packet but just one wipe manages to remove every trace of makeup from my face, even waterproof mascara. I would normally only advocate using a balm, oil or micellar water to remove your makeup but if you ever find yourself in a situation where wipes are the only answer like a festival, plane or you're a drunken mess, then these are perfect. The ingredient list is very impressive, they're full of Vitamin C, micro algae & fruit extracts designed to brighten & firm your skin so you don't have to feel guilty about taking a cleansing shortcut. The wipes themselves are very soft & don't strip the skin at all. Plus they smell like orange sherbet!



The African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser is another product with a delicious citrus scent. This is due to the grapefruit, orange and tangerine extracts that help to purify & brighten skin. Such a light foam might seem like it wouldn't do a good job of cleansing but this actually works really well. You only need one or two pumps before massaging it onto your damp face. As you massage it becomes quite creamy & feels luxurious on the skin. The foam did get up my nose a bit so less is definitely more with this cleanser. It completely melts away makeup and leaves my skin feeling very clean & not dried out. It's very gentle so it's ideal for those with sensitive skin. I've noticed that this product helps to minimise my pores a lot. African Red Tea is one of the ingredients that Ole Henriksen is known for championing as it contains 50 times more antioxidants than green tea. It's apparently great for anti-aging so this could be a good one to try if you're starting to get worried about the appearance of fine lines.



This is the Ole Henriksen product that I hear the most rave reviews about and therefore have been most eager to try out. The Truth Serum Collagen Booster is a potent Vitamin C serum that plumps up the skin, firms and helps to reverse the signs of ageing. Vitamin C is brilliant at brightening the skin and fading freckles. This stuff seriously makes your skin glow. Being so pale its a struggle to find products that make me look healthy but this definitely does it. I've really noticed the brightening effect & it's helped to reduce my post-blemish scarring. The consistency is quite thick for a serum & I find it to be a bit on the sticky side so I've only been using it at night. It does leave my skin feeling silky & soft once it's absorbed properly though. I'd say that buying this kit is well worth it for this serum alone, this really is a star product.



Sheer Transformation is an oil-free moisturiser with a super light consistency. It hydrates my skin nicely & dries down to a semi-matte finish. I think it's a great choice as a base for makeup. It kinda reminds me of a lighter version of the Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Moisturiser as it contains natural extracts that help to fade discolouration in the skin.



The Ultimate Lift Eye Gel has a really thick consistency, almost like a balm. It's very cooling, hydrating and instantly firms the under eye area. I don't really have fine lines around my eyes yet but even I can notice the smoothing effect this provides. The cucumber extract in it works as a decongestant which really refreshes my tired & puffy eyes. As this is such a thick product it is only recommended for night time because something like this might be too heavy during the day. After using this at night, I find I don't look so tired in the morning anymore. This might be a keeper.

Overall I think this kit is a really great buy. It's the perfect set if you want some miniature products for travelling with or just want to try out some new products from a less easily accessible range. The What's In My Handbag shop is full of wonderful discovery kits just like this one & they have some fab deals on individual cult products too. WIMH are kindly offering all of you an exclusive 20% off voucher code to spend in their shop which is valid until 31st May on all orders over £10. Just enter SPARKLY20 at the checkout. I'm sure you all know that I'd recommend buying Alpha-H Liquid Gold & if you order it from WIMH you get a risk-free 4ml sample with it. That way if you don't get on with the sample product you can return the full size item for a full refund. Bargain!

What do you think of this Ole Henriksen discovery kit? Which kit would you like to try out?

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