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Tag Archives: lacura
Dollface Reviews: Lacura Face Care Multi-Intensive Serum
I promised a review of this a couple of weeks ago, but didn’t get round to it, so as you can see from the photo, my particular bottle of Lacura’s Multi-Intensive Serum has been well used since then. As you can also see, it’s taken to skulking around in the garden since then. Weird!
Anyway, as some of you may remember, this product was the subject of intense press interest when it first came out, because it costs just £3.49, but is said to have an almost identical effect to the much more expensive Protect & Perfect by Boots, which sold out instantly upon its release, and has continued to sell well ever since.
Now, I’m a big fan of Protect & Perfect, which is one of the very few products which actually makes an difference to my skin, and I’m also a big cynic when it comes to skincare claims (although a hopeful one: I never really expect skincare products to do what they say they will, but I buy them anyway, because hope dies hard when you’re ageing as fast as I am.), so I paid very little attention to the media frenzy surrounding the Lacura product, and proceeded on my merry way. In fact, when it dropped through my door one day last year, I simply stuffed it into my “to be reviewed” drawer and continued to work my way through the various different lotions and potions that had already made it from the drawer to the bathroom cabinet.
All I can say to that is: sorry, Lacura. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. I should have listened. Because this? This cream has been a complete revelation to me. Quick science bit first:
“Lacura Multi-intensive serum is a light cream gel which has been developed in accordance with the latest scientific research. The special combination of ingredients includes Vitamins E and C, Shea Butter and Macadamia Nut Oil. Its moisture complex has a 24 hour effect to help improve the skin’s elasticity. When used regularly the skin feels noticeably smoother and tighter.”
I started using it about… a month ago? Six weeks ago? As I said, I wasn’t really expecting much, so I’m not really sure. For about two weeks, I didn’t notice any difference at all, although I didn’t have anything bad to say about it either. As you can see from the image, it comes in a glass bottle, very much like the original Protect & Perfect, with a pump action dispenser, and the product itself is a light, white coloured liquid, which is neither runny nor thick:
It goes on smoothly, absorbs easily, and has a strong, sweet scent which isn’t unpleasant, but which gets a bit wearing after a while, I find. Honestly, though, if I didn’t know what it was, I wouldn’t have been able to guess it was a £3.49 cream and not a much higher-end product.
After two weeks use, morning and night, I was sitting at my desk one morning, and I found myself absent mindedly stroking my cheek. “So soft!” I thought. “So smooth!” And it was. A quick bit of background here: my skin has always been fairly clear, but it’s never been without its issues – I don’t ever really find myself thinking positive thoughts about it, let’s put it that way. After a couple of weeks of this, though, I could really see – and feel – a difference. My skin felt much, much softer, and was also much smoother and tighter, which meant that makeup went on better and looked better once it was on. Basically, it makes exactly the same difference to my skin that Protect & Perfect makes, and which I’ve never really found in other product. (In the interests of fairness, I should probably point out that it’s been a few months now since I last used P&P, and I don’t have a bottle of it in front of me to make a direct comparison, so I’m working purely from memory.)
As for fine lines… they’re still there. I’d have been utterly amazed if they weren’t. Honestly, I don’t really believe there are mere skin creams out there that can totally get rid of wrinkles. (If there are, I’ll buy them, though.) For me, though, it’s not really the fine lines that bother me. I find skin quality, sagging, and loss of volume to be much more ageing than the odd fine line, and while this product won’t do a whole lot on the last two on that list, it does make a big difference to the quality of my skin: I’ve even been using it around the eye area, where I have skin like dragon hide, and have noticed an improvement.
Overall? I can’t think of a negative side to this. I will definitely be buying again, and as it’s so cheap, I’ll probably be stocking up on it: it can be used either on its own or under your usual day/night creams. Personally, I’ve just been using it on its own, because I don’t feel I need anything else. I also use it on my hands and neck – thankfully the price isn’t a barrier to using as much of it as you like.
I should probably also add here that a couple of weeks ago I switched from this to the ‘Premium’ version which I wrote about earlier this month. It may be a bit too early to tell, but so far I actually like the original better: the effects are much the same, but the Premium version feels much greasier when you apply it, and the packaging feels cheaper. I will persevere, though!
Unfortunately, this isn’t available to purchase on line, but you can find your nearest Aldi here.
Lacura Naturals Premium Anti-Ageing Serum
Aldi’s currently have some Mother’s Day specials in store from their skincare line, Lacura, but actually, these offers couldn’t have come at a better time for me, either: I have a review of Lacura’s Skin Serum planned for next week, and let’s just say that if this new premium version from the Lacura Naturals line is anything like as good as the original, Mother’s Day shoppers will have to fight off ME before they can get to it.
Luckily, they won’t actually have to, of course, because Aldi were kind enough to send me a bottle of the stuff to sample, and I’ll be doing that ASAP. In the meantime, you might also want to check out the Naturals Day & Night Creams (£4.99 each) (containing ingredients like sandalwood and rice butter to keep the skin soft without irritating it), or the Eye Cream (£4.99) or Hand Cream (£2.99), which contain similarly natural ingredients.
The Face Serum, meanwhile, contains ginger, which Lacura say is able to relax muscles, hopefully helping to ease those expression lines that are currently the bane of my life. It’s also £4.99, and all are available from Aldi. Look out for a couple of reviews from me soon…
Dollface Reviews: Lacura Double Lift Regeneration Anti-Wrinkle Cream and Firming Gel Serum
As I get older, I find myself becoming more and more susceptible to the claims of skincare companies who promise to give me youthful skin in a bottle. Or sometimes in a jar.
The thing is, though, despite wanting to believe these claims are true, I’m always highly skeptical about them, especially given that so many of these skincare solutions come with a hefty price-tag. This is why Lacura’s budget-priced offerings are looking better and better to me these days: ever since they got a lot of press attention with the launch of their Wrinkle Stop serum last year, they’ve been busily producing more products that cost less than £5, and yet still manage to draw comparisons with the high-end brands.
One of these creams is called ‘Double Lift’, and I’ve been trying it out for the last couple of weeks, courtesy of the people at Aldi, who sell Lacura. This is an anti-wrinkle cream and firming serum in one: the bottle actually contains two different products (the cream is white, the serum is red), which are mixed together in the pump dispenser, a bit like toothpaste. Press the left hand side of the pump and the red serum comes out, press the right and you’ll get the cream. Press it in the centre, meanwhile, and they’ll both come out together, allowing you to apply both at the same time, although you have to be careful to make sure that both products are dispensed: the first few times I used this, only the face cream came out and I applied it merrily, not realising there was also a serum. A few pumps of the dispenser will fix this out, though.
This cream promises an immediate firming effect, and sure enough, when I apply it I can feel a slight tightening of the skin: it’s not unpleasant or too extreme, and I was actually quite pleased, because it reassured me that the product was actually doing something. The tingling/tightening only lasts for a few seconds, and immediately afterwards, the lines around my eyes do look less noticeable, although they’re normally back in full effect by the end of the day. Boo!
The cream is really nice to use: it absorbs quickly, and leaves the skin nice and smooth in preparation for makeup. It has a sweet smell, but it doesn’t linger too long, so it’s not competing with any other products you might want to wear. So far I’ve yet to see any overall reduction in wrinkles, but the two weeks I’ve been using it may not be quite long enough to see a difference. My skin does feel softer and smoother, however, and given that this only costs £4.99, I’m impressed: I think it’s easily as good as the more expensive (sometimes much more expensive!) creams I’ve used in the past, and I will definitely re-purchase it when it runs out. Well, why pay £30+ when you can get the same kind of thing for £4.99?
If you want to try it for yourself, the products are unfortunately not available to buy online, but you’ll find a store locator at the Aldi website.
Dollface Reviews: Lacura Beauty Volumising Mascara
No, that’s not a typo on the image: this mascara really does only cost £2.39, which has to make it one of the most affordable mascaras around, if not the most affordable. It’s by Aldi’s brand Lacura, which, you may remember, caused a bit of a stir last year with its Wrinkle Stop serum, and which has gone on to produce many more skincare and cosmetic products, some of which I’ll be reviewing here soon.
For now, though, the mascara, which Aldi sent me a couple of weeks ago, and which I’ve been putting through its paces ever since. This bills itself as a volumising mascara, but unlike most similar products, it comes with a slim brush rather than a thicker one. Perhaps because of this, I didn’t actually notice a whole lot of volumising, but I did find it easy to use and accurate, and the product goes on smoothly, and without any clumping.
As regular readers will know, my preference is for mascaras that lift and curl, as opposed to ones that add volume, so I’m always slightly biased when testing ones that don’t give me huge, spidery lashes! This is definitely more of a daytime mascara, and the look it creates is subtler than I would usually wear, but I was impressed with how nicely it goes on, and how long it lasts. I almost always wear waterproof mascara, which this isn’t, but it does a good job of staying put all day, and I haven’t had any running or smudging with it. I particularly like to use it on the lower lashes, because the shape of the brush is ideal for that, and there’s always just enough product on the brush to coat the lashes without making them clump together.
Overall, not a show-stopper, but definitely a good budget buy if you’re looking for a product to emphasise the eyes without spending a fortune. It’s available at Aldi.
