Peptalash: Before and After. My 45 day trial

At the end of June, to celebrate the release of 'Peptalash', the latest eyelash enhancement product from Indeed Laboratories (The people who released Nanoblur) Boots launched a special offer: If you bought a £24.99 tube of Hydraluron (Moisture Boost Serum with hyaluronic acid) you could get a free tube of Peptalash. I had been dying to try Hydraluron so it was the perfect time for me make the plunge and try Peptalash too.

  
I waited until I was on holidays (1 August 2012) to start my intense Peptalash regime, the same time as I embarked on a serious diet to shed some unwanted weight. So for 45 days, twice a day, morning and evening, I set myself the goal to apply religiously my bi-daily dose of peptalash on my poor 'anemic' lashes. The routine was surprisingly easy to stick to and by week two, applying Peptalash had become a habit. Sometimes, I think I was applying three times a day, to make sure I didn't forget.





The recommended minimum trial period is 2 weeks but I never listen to what instructions say: If they say that epilation would make your legs hair free for 4 weeks, I usually halve that time and count myself lucky if my legs are smooth for 2 weeks. Same for a hair colour from a packet: if they say to let it apply on your hair for 15 minutes, I usually leave the colour for double the time. So I thought I would give Peptalash its best shot and apply it for 1 month and a half (45 days) instead of just 2 weeks.






The result? I let you judge by the photos.

   
   






Has it made my lashes longer, thicker and more luscious?
Has it bollocks heck.

   
I felt that my lashes look and felt more conditioned at the time. Looking at them in real life (as opposed to looking at them on photos) I was quite pleased because I felt they looked better even though  I didn’t notice a dramatic change in length or thickness. Now that I look at the photos, I can’t help but feeling a little bit, erm, what’s the polite word, disappointed, shall I say.


Times like these I am so happy that 1) it was free 2) I wasn't sent the product for review purposes as I don't think I would have had the courage to post about it and give Peptalash not such a glorious review.

  
Long live false eyelashes, I say.
What can be done anyway with such ridiculously small, short, poker straight, thin, rubbish lashes anyway? Maybe there is no hope for lashes like mine? Maybe my lashes were a challenge too far for Peptalash.



what: Indeed ‘Peptalash’
how much: £24.99
where: sold exclusively at Boots.

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One apple a day...

They say your first defence against anti-ageing is moisturising. I can definitely tell that I have aged a lot in the past 10 years (snif) so, moisturising has therefore become one of my big skincare priorities. Whilst my daily routine has improved dramatically (I now use a toner and a serum in addition to my spf15 minimum day moisturiser) the same can't be said about my night time routine. I have been cleansing my face at sober night but I have not been consistent with my night time moisturiser. I start with the best of intentions, buy a pot, the pot gathers dust and then I throw it away because it's been opened for too long. It's a real shame as they say that it's at night time that your skin regenerates itself and makes the most of the nutrients you feed it with. A skin care specialist will phrase it better than I can but you know what I mean.

  
My problem also, is that, in the past, I've been choosing night time moisturisers which are too rich for my skin, say a moisturiser for skin for age 55+ when I am no nowhere near this decade yet. The cream feels it takes forever to sink in, making the whole process even more tedious.
 
What if I could find a product which would make the whole night time moisturising ritual a whole lot easier and most importantly, convenient enough for me to stick to? I think I've found it and I could kick myself for not having made the jump any sooner. It's not a moisturiser, mind you, it's a face serum, it's very affordable, it's made by Superdrug and even my tiny little local shop stocks it.

 


I purchased my first 'Optimum Swiss Apple Skin Renewal Serum' at half price (£7ish instead of RRP £14.49) and this is what they say about it:

A skin renewing serum with PhytoCellTec™ Malus Domestica which uses extracts from the Swiss Uttwiler Spatlauber Apples to promote a fresher and more hydrated complexion. Helps to minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Swiss Apple Overnight Serum works while you sleep, leaving it feeling intensely moisturised and refreshed in the morning. Significant results can be expected in just 4 weeks.

The first night I applied the Swiss Apple serum, I immediately fell in love. One pump delivered the perfect quantity of a very light and super quick absorbing gel. Seconds after, my skin feels velvety smooth, almost like I've applied a primer on, but much lighter feeling and with a very fresh scent. The smooth feeling lasted until the morning. Even before waiting 4 weeks to see if it delivered its promises, it was love at first pump and before I knew it, I finished my first bottle and was waiting for the product to be on half price offer again. It did and I bought 2 more in one go, even if my bank overdraft didn't lend itself for at the time.


What does a serum do again, is it better than a moisturiser?
"Serums are able to penetrate deeper into the layers of the skin quickly and effectively because it is made of really small molecules, while cream molecules stay in the first layer only. The serums ability to go deeper into the skin and its high level of active ingredients (ten times more effective then cream alone!) means it can help battle many common beauty complaints". (source)
  

The Swiss apple serum didn't reduce my beauty complaint (to make me 10 years younger) nor it claimed to do that. I can't tell you either if it reduced my fine lines as I haven't been looking at my skin so close. What I did notice is that it made my skin a whole lot smoother and brighter. Most of all, it made me adopt a face routine which I finally stuck for weeks on end, and it made me feel a whole better for caring more for my skin.





Do you need to use a moisturiser afterwards?
I don't really know to be honest. The bottle doesn't say I should and I have been enjoying its benefits worn alone.


You will have guessed it, I absolutely love this product but if I had one constructive criticism to make, I would have liked to receive more information with it, perhaps a little paper inside telling me about the differences between a moisturiser and a serum, the minimum amount of time I need to use a serum to be effective, if I can use the product all year round or I need to take a break etc..


My researches on internet (please don't take my word for gospel, I am only someone who experiments with beauty products, not a skincare specialist) led me to believe that the use of serum should be minimum 4 weeks and I should take a break from time to time so I have been doing little intensive sessions of using just this product at night for roughly over a month and having a break afterwards. I must say it feels ever so weird (heavy mainly) to use a normal night moisturiser after being used to a course of 'one apple a day'.


On the greater scheme of things, I can't believe how a skin renewal serum introduced me to a regular night skincare routine and made me stick to it. It now doesn't feel right when I am not using a moisturiser / serum at night time. Talk about a renewal, hey?


The serum is usually sold at £14.99 but my instincts tell it won't be too long before another half price offer comes along, as I believe the whole Optimum range is one of Superdrug most popular lines.

   
Following the success of the serum, Superdrug decided to extend the line. Sadly the serum bottle has undergone a revamp and is losing its ever so sleek glass container (snif) but I am very excited they brought out some additional products. Next, I am trying out the day moisturiser (reviewed by Debbie here). If it smells and feels as good as the serum, then my mornings are in for a treat. No idea when the new products will be out and how the new products will cost but my instincts tell me that there will be some kind of introductory offer. I’ll stamp my feet down if there isn’t!







Are you happy with your night time skincare routine?

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Going further than Nanoblur?

Buying a new beauty product is a risk. Fact. What if it doesn't do what it says on the tin? The team at Buyapowa knows this so well and is helping us in taking a more calculated risk through buying their products on their portal, at a much cheaper price.

Just a few hours ago, they launched the sale of an anti ageing serum I have been waiting for since the same day I first heard about Nanoblur. The product is called 'Snoxin' and oh my word, does it sound promising:

Snoxin features the highest allowable concentration of the most effective anti-aging peptides come together in this advanced serum to combat all aspects of skin aging appearance, including the look of dynamic wrinkles, deeper folds, fine lines, crow’s feet, textural irregularities and sagginess. Snoxin incorporates the highest concentration of next-generation advanced peptides to target multiple aspects of skin ageing. The number and concentration of the peptides in Snoxin are higher than most luxury skincare products on the market.

While most products on the market incorporate one main anti-aging peptide to target skin aging, Snoxin incorporates multiple peptides that target aging through 3 synergistic mechanisms at once:

--- Reduced muscular contractions that lead to the appearance of dynamic lines and wrinkles
--- Increased collagen production through stimulating the skin’s natural processes
--- Formation of a more uniform collagen support matrix through stimulation of repair processes

I can't tell you if it really works, I have yet to try it myself and give it a go.


As with Nanoblur, Boots has the UK market exclusivity over Snoxin, and I doubt they will be offering it any cheaper than £22.99 which is the best price you can get it with Buyapowa. The recommended retail value of this product is 39 Dollars (not sure if it's Canadian Dollars or American Dollars) but the conversion rate is roughly the same and would come to £24.99, and the Buyapowa monkey is offering it for £22.99. Sweeeet!   There are only 50 available though, so don't delay if you want to get one!


     



 

Come and try the Snoxin with me and let's see if it works on our wrinkles :)

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