Tag Archives: 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.