'Whilst Cleopatra’s decadent milk baths were said to be the source of her radiant, youthful skin, today’s advances in skincare mean that milk isn’t usually something we’d think of as an anti-ageing potion. However, it turns out that Cleopatra’s beauty secret was a wise choice - milk contains nourishing vitamins and lactic acid, a natural exfoliant. And it seems that British skincare brand NUDE has seen the benefits of milk as a beauty ingredient too.
NUDE skincare is the brainchild of eco-entrepreneurs Bryan Meehan, known for his Fresh & Wild organic food stores and Ali Hewson, wife of Bono. A brand with ethical and sustainable values (even their HQ is based in a recycled sea container in east London), it uses probiotics and peptides sourced from milk to stimulate the production of collagen which smoothes wrinkles, firms your skin and helps to repair damage.
Known as “biocompatible” because the natural ingredients are recognised by the body and are easy for it to use, the products are designed to mimic, re-balance and protect the natural chemicals which control cellular communication, thereby leaving you with skin that looks and feels healthier and more youthful.
Intrigued? I certainly was, so when a box of NUDE goodies landed on my desk, I couldn’t wait to see if the brand lived up to its promise - a high-performance, natural skincare range that delivers noticeable, clinically proven, anti-ageing results and a brighter complexion - what more could a girl want?
NUDE had sent me the NUDE Essential Collection Skincare Gift Set and Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum so I swapped my usual beauty products and waited to see the difference…
The products:
NUDE Cleansing Facial Oil: I’m a big fan of cleansing oils, they don’t leave a greasy residue and they remove all traces of make-up, even mascara, and I would definitely recommend this one. You use a miniscule amount (1-2 pumps was all I needed), it’s not greasy and it doesn’t slip off your hands, rather it’s absorbed, then you add a splash of water, massage a little more and rinse off. My skin felt incredibly clean and soft afterwards. I have to admit I was a little wary of its barely-there scent (my usual cleansing oil smells of citrus fruits) but once I’d accepted that it didn’t need to smell like essential oils, I loved it.
NUDE Age Defence Moisturiser: It’s tempting to ply skin with rich formulas in the winter but there’s also nothing worse than having to wait for cream to sink in before applying make-up, so I was curious as to how nourishing this would be when you only use 1-2 pumps, which seems a very small amount.
A lightweight cream, with a delicate floral scent, it absorbs extremely quickly without leaving an oily film and left my skin with a soft matte finish. You can apply make-up instantly, although I found that my skin felt better and looked brighter so I actually didn’t want to apply very much.
NUDE Advanced Eye Complex: I don’t normally use an eye cream and rely on a multi-tasking night oil but I loved applying this. As with the other products, you use a tiny amount but it really does seem to work and the skin under my eyes looked brighter and fresher.
NUDE Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum: As my skin is subjected to the hustle and bustle of London where I cycle to and from work every day, it’s undoubtedly old before its time. I was really keen to give this serum a try, plus it’s received rave reviews from the beauty world.
The scent is delicious and it feels beautifully soft to apply. The instructions say you only need to apply one drop, but, tempted by the promise of completely renewed skin, I used a good few drops, leaving my skin feeling a bit sticky (so that's why they say less is more!). On evening 2 (the serum works overnight with your skin’s cycle of regeneration), I applied a single drop and managed to massage it over my entire face, where it was absorbed almost instantly. This was my favourite product and I would definitely recommend it.
The verdict
My skin felt much smoother and it definitely looked brighter and clearer when I woke up each morning. So, if Santa happens to be reading this, I’d really like to try the Replenishing Night Oil or failing that, he could pop Nude Lips into my stocking…'