May Lindstrom The Youth Dew

Describe the brand in three words.

Artisanal. Organic. Luxury.

What is it?

A hydrating serum.

Who is it for?

Everyone.

What’s in it?

Persea Americana (Avocado) Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam Seed) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Prunus Spp (Plum Kernel) Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa (Rosehip Seed) Oil, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Oil, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Oil, Borago Officinalis (Borage Seed) Oil, Aleurites Moluccans (Kukui Nut) Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium Rose) Essential Oil, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Essential Oil, Citrus Sinensis (Sweet Orange) Essential Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Essential Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose Absolute) Essential Oil, Rosa Damascena (Bulgarian Rose) Essential Oil, Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Essential Oil, Daucus Carota (Carrot Seed) Essential Oil, Ubiquinone (CoEnzyme Q10)

What's not in it?

parabens, propylene or butylene glycols, petroleum, sulphates, PEGs, TEA, DEA, phthalates, GMO, silicones, pesticides, artificial dyes, fragrances or 'suspected carcinogens'

Possibly acne/allergy/troubling for some ingredients?

essential oils

Suitable for pregnancy?

Yes

Natural? Organic? Man made? Vegan?

Vegan, organic, sustainably farmed and wild-harvested

Tested on animals in home country/EU/sold in territories that require testing?

No/No/No

How does it smell?

Divine. Intensely overwhelming in the best, relaxing, way. Slightly floral but light.

How do you use it?

I apply one pump into the palm of my hand, do the therapist swipe, and go straight onto the skin, massaging as I go. After acids, under moisturisers.

Can it be taken around the eyes?

Yes, it's lovely as an eye serum

Best for winter or summer?

Both

How long did I test it for?

I've been using this for a couple of years, on and off.

How much is it? /Size

£96.00/$120.00 for 20ml

Works well with?

Anything, but if you use it under things like The Blue Cocoon, it's almost savage in its intensity and glow. And that's a compliment.

What’s the website like?

Good. Not a ton of information but it lists ingredients and has videos demoing application etc.

How’s the distribution? Available freely or limited?

Selected distribution across lovely doors like Barneys, Cult Beauty and Liberty.

What’s good about it?

This is a divine serum-oil that contains 20 botanical oils along with CoQ10 via ubiquinone, a fat-soluble vitamin-like substance that although naturally found in the body, is the first antioxidant to disappear from the skin as soon as we are exposed to sunlight. CoQ10 levels also decrease as we age (doesn't everything?!) and it is hard to absorb, hence adding it to a fatty, liposome formula to aid penetration. 

The oils are a mixture of nourishing, regenerating, hydrating, omega-heavy and healing. The serum is extremely light, almost runny in its texture, and absorbs immediately. Long-term effects are softer, smoother, brighter skin, that is more protected due to the CoQ10.

What’s not so good about it?

It's not cheap and it's only a 20ml bottle, but in this case you're getting extremely high quality oils/ingredients for your money. Due to the natural state and quality of the ingredients, it's almost orange in colour, which may stain your pillowcases if you lay down too soon. This is a natural colour and will vary slightly by each batch depending on the crop.

Would I purchase/repurchase?

Yes. Obviously I did not pay for it, but I would/will when the time comes.

Do you need it?

Yes, if you can afford it. If you can't afford it at the moment, look at The Ordinary's Buffet and mix it with their Rosehip Oil. It won't be the same, but we have to work with what we can afford financially!

Similar products?

De Mamiel Intense Nurture Antioxidant Serum
Vintner's Daughter
Black Chicken Love Your Face Serum



May Lindstrom The Youth Dew is £96.00 from Cult Beauty.com or $120.00 from MayLindstrom.com




*This post does not contain affiliate links to May Lindstrom's Youth Dew as May is one of my professional clients, but some of the other product links are affiliated.
For full details on how that works see my full disclaimer here: http://bit.ly/1rpEmSq and as always any questions just ask.
The views expressed on this site are the author's own and are provided for informational purposes only. The author makes no warranties about the suitability of any product or treatment referenced or reviewed here for any person other than herself and any reliance placed on these reviews or references by you is done so solely at your own risk. Nothing on this site shall be construed as providing dermatological, medical or other such advice and you are always advised to seek the advice of a suitable professional should you have any such concerns.

What to Buy? Tata Harper

Where to start? I've never met a Tata product I didn't like. So good is the choice, that the hardest part for this type of review is singling out individual products.

So as not to go completely overboard, I am limiting myself to one cleanser (OHGODHELPME), and excluding the Rejuvenating Serum that I wrote about last month here, for no other reason than it's in the Hall of Fame, it was in my Cult Beauty Box, it's an obvious choice. So let's assume that's a given.

All products and further information are available from TataHarper.com but they don't ship everywhere so there are also local links below.

The Can't Live Without:

OK this has a back story. I mentioned on Twitter a few weeks ago that I was thrilled to find an amazing product that was going into the Hall of Fame the next day, and then it didn't happen. In a nutshell, the juice in this product is phenomenal. The packaging, however, is not appropriate for it. The formula is slightly too 'firm' to be in a tube. I squeezed it so hard that I split the seal on the tube. This needs to be in a pot, or the formula adjusted to lessen the viscosity. But that of course is a concern, because if they mess with it, it may not be the same, and that would be a great shame, as this is a beautiful eye product. The team at Tata are working on a solution.
That aside, it has not stopped me using it. I don't use it as a mask. I apply it on the under-eye area only, and I do not remove it. It softens the skin and plumps out wrinkles almost immediately. It is easily the nicest thing I have used on my eyes in a long time. I will absolutely not be without this when I fly at the end of the month. If I have to, I will take scissors to it, and decant it all into a Muji pot. No problem. If you have a Tata stockist near you, visit them and put some of this on your eyes. It's just WOAH. And it was a lovely surprise. I would never have thought that an eye mask would be so good, but there we are.

The Boosted Contouring Eye Mask is £115.00 for 30ml from BeingContent.com or $150.00 from TataHarper.com - but you may want to check yours before you buy or keep an eye out for different packaging in the future. *wields scissors*

Purifying Cleanser is the one I went for in the end. It's one of my first choices for morning cleanse, or the perfect second cleanse in the evening after a particularly 'grimy' day. It's refreshing, feels like a runny clay and wakes up your skin and your mind. More info here. I would avoid this if you're using retin-a creams - I mean prescription strength, not over the counter. They're fine.

Purifying Cleanser is £45.00 from CultBeauty.co.uk or $58.00 from Sephora.com

Replenishing Nutrient Complex has been on here before, just over a year ago, when this also went in to the Hall of Fame. It is a no-brainer. This is a beautiful, nourishing, serum-oil that has slowly replaced my Clarins Skin Beauty Repair Concentrate, which I now find a little too fragranced if my skin is sensitised. It's light, absorbs beautifully and is suitable for all skin types. I carry the rollerball version everywhere when I travel, and for that reason, it is my preferred size.

Replenishing Nutrient Complex starts from £36.00 from CultBeauty.co.uk and $45.00 from Sephora.com

Hydrating Floral Essence is another no-brainer. Probably, pro-rata, the product I have used the most since discovering this brand. I use it at the spritz stage, so if you are watching your budget, this is one you can pass over for something more affordable such as Serozinc. If however, you have addiction problems when it comes to all things spritz, this is great. It's a mix of aloe vera, sodium hyaluronate, rosewater and gotu kola and gives a light mist as opposed to drenching your face like the shower. Beautiful.

Hydrating Floral Essence starts at £50.00 from CultBeauty.co.uk and $65.00 from Sephora.com

I know I know - another eye cream. But I have used this on and of for years and I love it. Light, penetrates, soothes lines and puffiness and is just generally a really good eye cream. Zero irritation. Lovely.

Restorative Eye Cream is £60.00 for 15ml from CultBeauty.co.uk and $90.00 from Sephora.com

I love and use both of Tata's moisturisers, but this one pipped the Repairative Moisturiser due to its ability to hydrate really well, absorb perfectly and act as the perfect barrier on top of all the other loveliness underneath. Made for combination/oily/dehydrated skins, but I would happily recommend this and the Replenishing Nutrient Complex to someone with dry skin.

Rebuilding Moisturiser is £80.00 for 50ml from CultBeauty.co.uk and $100.00 from Sephora.com

That's the Top Six. Honestly, I could easily pick 5 more. But it's January and I'm showing restraint. ;)
Safe to say, if you are ever at a Tata counter, and can't decide whether to buy it or not, proceed.

Budget Skincare - Waitrose Pure Range

I am constantly asked for budget friendly items and I love finding them, but they have to actually do something, not just 'be cheap' in order for me to recommend.

I hadn't looked at the Waitrose Pure range properly in a while, and when I saw it instore today, I figured it was time to revisit.

While they won't win any prizes for innovation, and the packaging gives new meaning to the word 'basic', you could do a lot worse than to check these four out if you are looking for skincare and your budget is your priority, or, you simply refuse to spend a lot of money on skincare. Fair enough.

The name of course, is a stretch, you can call it "pure' all you want, it's not going to turn this into an organic range. It is however, fragrance free, vegan, everything is recyclable etc - so it's ticking a lot of boxes that more expensive brands don't even attempt.

Performance-wise, again, as expected, it's basic, but it's a lot better than brands that claim to be simple in their formulations and are actually anything but. 

Standout products for me are the four above. 

I would avoid the eye gel if you have sensitive eyes as despite saying it's for sensitivity, it contains a little menthol - which is unnecessary and odd in an eye cream. If, however, you suffer from tension headaches. migraines, work in schools/hospitals etc, if you apply a little after your moisturiser (back to front), you may find it gives light relief to the area.

The hand cream is non-sticky and perfectly adequate for all but the most dry of skins.

The moisturiser contains shea butter but is actually extremely light to use - to the point where it may not be enough for really dry skins, but normal/combination should be ok.

The facial oil is your best bet. It's not completely pure, it's not 'green', but if you are young and want a starter oil, are watching the purse strings, or just like collecting different products to dabble in and out of, try this out.

There are other products, including a face wash and face wipes, which I would still avoid, but then we know that. :)

The price points are beyond affordable - and at the moment they're 50% off, meaning that the average price is £1.49, so you could buy all of the above for under £6.00.

Pure Face Range is available from Waitrose.com and Ocado.com (the offer is not valid on Ocado. They're a whopping £2.99 each.)