Some of the most commonly asked questions I used to get when I started researching and learning heavily about skincare was – "can I start treating my skin for anti-ageing in my twenties?", "I stay home all day, do I still need SPF?", "what 'XYZ product' should I use?. The answers are yes, absolutely and keep reading to know which moisturizers I've tried and tested (so you don't have to), and my verdict on which ones are worth spending ££ on.
THE BUDGET FRIENDLY
Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream, £28 for 50ml: This was my first ever grown-up moisturizer in my beauty kit and it's one I still turn to on days when I want a lightweight moisturizer that gives me the same level of hydration that a heavier cream would. Its a cult-classic that can be used with your gua sha or any face massager really to give you that spa-like facial feel, and really does what it says on the tin.
Weleda Skin Food, £13.50 for 75ml: This Victoria Beckham, Katie Jane Hughes and Rihanna-approved moisturizer is absolutely worth all the hype. It's a great everyday face cream, can be repurposed as a hand cream, or around your cuticles, and does more than you'd expect for the price tag. KJH tells Allure that she uses it to either prep her skin for makeup, or even on top of makeup for that extra glow.
THE INVESTMENT WORTHY
Aesop Camellia Nut Facial Hydrating Cream, £51 for 120ml: This one came to me completely by chance – my mum bought it for herself but didn't end up using it for whatever reason, so is now mine to enjoy on days when I want to feel that little bit bougie, but not enough that I'd add the Augustinus Bader one to my cart. It's a lot more hydrating and moisturizing than I was expecting it to be, smells absolutely delicious and is now a regular part of my night-time routine – mainly because its a heavier consistency than what I'd want for my skin during the day, and really seeps into my pores overnight.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, £49 for 30ml: When I first heard about this product, I wasn't sure it would live up to the hype, but after having tested it in the store, and seen my friend's skin looking so plump and dewy, I knew I needed to add this to my kit. Its definitely worth the hype, and is so hydrating it will make your skin look and feel like you do indeed drink 2 litres of water every day. You could get the smallest jar for £25, but the next size up is double the volume and a pound less than double the price – might as well bite the bullet in one shot because once you've tried this product, you're not going back to something else for a long time.
THE DOWN-RIGHT-BOUGIE
Augustinus Bader The Cream, £65 for 15ml (I KNOW): The hero product that made its way onto every influencer and actor's shelves throughout 2020 is one I still don't know when I'd be able to afford. Hefty price tag aside, it seems to really have some kind of magical properties in it that makes people want to save up and repurchase it again and again. I really don't have much to say about this moisturizer simply because I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself – that being said; the fact that it's flying off of shelves can only mean that they must be doing something right.
Creme de la Mer: I got the smallest pot of this cream in 2016 in a goodie bag from a beauty event I attended, and I was so, so careful with how much and when I would use the product, all these years later it has ended up as a souvenir I can't use because it's now out of date BUT, the few occasions I did use this moisturizer, my skin was the plumpest, softest, most hydrated it has ever been in my life. Definitely worth the price tag, but some people on the internet have said they get the same effect from the Weleda Skin Food too, so you don't have to spend two and a half week's worth of grocery money to get dewy skin.
