Nothing makes me feel older than when I realise I am able to look back and see how much things have changed, like some old dear in a nursing home talking about rationing.

But things have changed since my childhood in the 70s and 80s. I remember when kiwi fruit ‘came out’. Much excitement. How do we eat them? Like a boiled egg? How much more vitamin C do they have than an orange? Four billion times? It was mass hysteria.

And remember when everyone started getting showers in their bathrooms? How new fangled. Shower gel? Practically space age in its modernity. Because in ‘those days’ you didn’t have such a choice of beauty products available, as I’m sure many of you know. Boots wasn’t the vast beauty hypermarket that it is now. You had an aisle for soap, an aisle for enormous sanitary towels and if you wanted a face cream fancier than Nivea then you jolly well had to go to Debenhams.

I’m so glad I live now. In my world there is no such thing as a ‘face cream’. They went the way of powdered egg and were replaced by ‘Balancing Lotions’, ‘Hydrating Solutions’ and ‘Lifting Emulsions’. I know, it sounds complicated. But it’s not really. At night, your skin is doing its repairing stuff so it makes sense to use a super-powered anti-ageing treatment, to help the process along. Plus, you don’t need to wear make-up so you can get away with a thicker formulation.

However, by day, we all want something light to slap on that’s refreshing, goes well under make-up and keeps us feeling hydrated without shine. Throw in some other benefits like an SPF, some anti-ageing properties and suchlike and you have a winner. These are day creams, 2010 style. So if you’re still slapping on something that’s just called a ‘moisturiser’, get with the programme.

Bremenn 6 In 1 Skin Cream (£42 from Harvey Nichols) has the multi-tasking thing sussed. It’s a wrinkle cream, a firming cream, a smoothing cream, a toning cream, a brightening cream and a moisturising cream all in one. Which really means it reduces the appearance of existing fine lines, wrinkles and crow’s feet, but also helps maintain the elasticity, tone, moisture level, smoothness, and overall look of your skin. What I liked about it is that in spite of all this hard work, it goes on really easily and feels very light, with a fresh smell. You’d expect something like that to be gloopy. Result-wise, I’m impressed too. Worth a try. Nicely designed tube with a pump dispenser as well.

Of course Elemis have something marvellous to bring to the table. Maximum Moisture Day Cream (£35) really ticks the ‘refreshing’ box. It smells delicious, sinks in beautifully, and naturally has something impressive called adaptive technology that means it adjusts to your skin’s needs and gives continuous hydration as well as protection against environmental toxins.

Elemental Herbology are really doing it for me these days. Their hard-working day cream comes in the form of Cell Plumping Facial Hydrator SPF 8 (£36 from Space NK). Again, it’s got the lightness you need for day-wear but is super-hydrating, rich in antioxidants and protects against environmental aggressors such as wind or sun. Another nice little addition is rose damask water and pearl extract, which give the complexion a delicate sheen and a youthful glow.

Finally, Mir Skincare. I don’t have enough room here to tell you about the impressive credentials of this range. Have a look at the website to find out more, but suffice to say a lot of time and thought have gone into making products that are free from the irritants, fragrance, essential oils and comedogenic substances found in other natural and organic ranges. Skin Silk Lotion (£33) is designed to balance and soothe sensitive skin and complexions prone to blemishes or rosacea without clogging pores. It’s refreshingly light and silky soft – perfect for the day – and is rich in intensely therapeutic botanicals with anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory benefits, such as argan oil, marshmallow extract, white tea and organic Persian rosewater (which must be what gives it a very subtle rosy smell). Lovely. You can put it on the bathroom shelf next to your shower gel.

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