pepta-bright from indeed laboratories - Review

My love affair with Hydraluron (Hironsluron) is well known. Well, Indeed Labs have done it again.

This is one of those products that you don't know you need until you use it and then can't bear to be without it. I wanted to use it for a few weeks to test the claims of fading scarring and pigmentation.

Let me say this from the off: if you are young, have bouncy fabulous skin and no pigmentation or uneven skin tone - you won't love it like I love it. Because bitch you may not need it. (You will still see the benefits - but they won't be as WHOA as someone my age.)

If, however, you have a face that shows you're 30+ and have lived a good life (ahem), worship the sun enjoy sunbathing, have suffered with adult acne and the resulting scarring - any of the above really - then you could do a lot worse than to check this out.

Presented as an 'Intense Brightening Treatment' it claims to do the following (with my subtle comments next to them):

1. Even skin tone - YES
2. Reduce and lighten pigmentation - YES
3. Prevent, treat and diminish dark spots - YES
4. Restore luminosity and radiance - OHMYGOD YES
5. Prevent photoaging - WHO KNOWS?
6. Stimulate cell turnover - TOO EARLY TO TELL
7. Maintain skin's hydration - YEP, USE LESS HYDRALURON AS A RESULT

In short, for me - its all about No. 2 - My acne scars are fading - and No.4 - as soon as you put this on your face it looks like someone has used QVC's soft-lighting-reserved-especially-for-you-know-who to make you look awake, alive and glowing.

What's impressive is what is left out of the formulation. 

It does not contain any:

• bismmuth oxychloride - the ingredient most commonly used to give 'radiance' in eyeshadows/eye creams - also one of the most common allergens and the reason I can't use Bare Minerals.
• hydroquinone - banned in the EU but still widely available in a lot of high-end brands - naughty
• kojic acid - like hydroquinone - skin bleach
• mercury - d'uh - its mercury
• parabens - I don't actually mind about parabens - a lot of fuss about nothing that now has a myth attached to it. Parabens don't give you cancer. Chillax.

Now a part of my staple skincare wardrobe - if you look at pictures of yourself when you were 20 and say 'GOD I look so YOUNG' - this is for you.

pepta-bright is available from Boots for £29.99 - and is at the time of posting on 3 for 2. *sits on bank card*

Sidebar: I use it AM and PM religiously. Its a commitment people. Keep it up.

* PR sample

Cheat Sheet - Eye Cream

There are two camps when it come to eye cream:

• Those that definitely do
• Those that think its unnecessary and a waste of money

Unsurprisingly I am very much the former. An eye cream has been part of my routine since my 20's. I didn't start earlier because I was pretty healthy - never smoked, didn't really drink per se and was a teenager who didn't particularly think about eye cream one way or another. Once I was pregnant with my first child (at 22) I changed my mind.

The saying 'the eyes are the window to the soul' is derived from similar medical terms meaning the eyes are literally the window to what is going on inside the body - at all times. If you are blessed with youth and spectacular health your eyes are, I'm sure, clear and bright and the skin around the orbicularis oculi (think panda eye) evenly toned and and coloured.

However, for most of us - the above is no longer the case. 

Everything affects your eye area.

All of your internal organs are reflected in them...
Liver problems - yellow eyes

Lymph drainage system - puffy, dark circles

General mild illness - dull 

Medication (especially antibiotics) - discoloured, puffy, dull, dehydrated
Smoking - grey, dehydrated 

Lack of sleep/too much sleep - puffy, dark circles, grey 'tired eyes'

Diet - including too much salt, caffeine and alcohol - puffy, dark circles, dehydrated

Sun damage/ageing - wrinkles, dehydrated

It's a minefield. The bad news is that any cream would be hard pushed to fix the above. If you are unhealthy internally, a topical cream will not magically fix you. What they will do however, especially when used in conjunction with a concealer, is temporarily mask some of the above. While we're on the subject - any ethical retailer will advise you that the effect of a cream will wear off if you discontinue use. 

No cream is a permanent 'fix'.

I like a separate eye cream for a number of reasons but mainly because I am extremely prone to puffy eyelids and really dark circles. Both genetic, both nothing I can do anything about (excluding surgery for the lids) - BUT - some things make them much worse and heavier formulations found in most moisturisers are one of them. I like thin serums and dedicated formulations for eyes for that reason.

A few do's and don'ts:

• Do NOT use mineral oil around your eye area - don't use it anywhere - but especially the eye area - you'll be puffy like never before
• Don't be tempted to use more than the advised amount - its unnecessary, could cause irritation and waste your money
• If you have eczema or psoriasis in the eye area - which is very common - you can use thicker creams on the lids as you'll need them - depending on the severity of your condition they should probably be prescribed by your doctor - although you may find a nice organic balm somewhere - no beauty house should claim to treat those problems
• Do use only the lightest of serums on the eyelids for the same reason as the mineral oil - puffiness
• Keep it simple - too much fragrance in a product can really irritate the eye area - your eye cream does not need to smell - of anything
• Most allergies to eye products and eyeshadows/mineral makeup are caused by an ingredient called Bismuth Oxychloride. It is used to give the shimmer/light reflective 'glow' and is one of the biggest allergens I have witnessed in the industry. If you've previously never been able to use a particular eye cream or eyeshadow and had it blamed on 'your eyes' by a brand - check their inci list. You'll probably see it on there. If you can't use mineral makeup because it itches - you need to use a brand that openly says 'no bismuth oxychloride' when they are talking to you.