little white truths

This has been one of those products that I must have photographed three or four times now, and I'm just going to go with these shots because I've had enough and I've almost finished the product so it's definitely time to review it.

You may remember that I tried a few sachets of this cream and fell in love with it, so I bought it last year and opened it perhaps six months ago. Now that I've used it for ages, I can say that it's a good product but it's not brilliant. More on that below.

Ren claims/product details:

• A transforming treatment that works overnight to leave skin visibly brighter, more luminous, refined and even toned in the morning
• A unique complex of actives delivers a three-phase treatment while you sleep that gently renews the skin, boosts skin cell vitality and infuses skin with plumping moisture
• Phase one is exfoliation, blending AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) lactic and glycolic acids with enzymes to repair uneven texture, support natural cell turnover and reduce surface pigmentation
• Phase two is massaging, which combines glycogen, magnesium and omega oils to energise, revitalise and heal
• Phase three is hydration, where sodium lactate gently raises the skin’s pH and attracts water to the skin to plump and deeply hydrate
• Results: skin looks renewed and radiant; skin feels softer and smoother; skintone is more even and refined; fine lines and wrinkles are visibly reduced; skin is hydrated and nourished
• Suitable for all skin types except sensitive
• To use: at night, apply 2-3 pumps onto clean skin over the face, neck and décolleté, avoiding the eye area; slight tingling may happen during application; if using with other products, apply after your serum and prior to your moisturiser; for best results use 2-3 times a week
• RRP $58 AUD for 40ml

Verdict

When I went through the sachets of this product, I remember that it did insanely brilliant things for my skin - even after one use. My face looked brighter, felt smoother and more hydrated, and looked more even. Overnight. 

My husband noticed the difference too, which says a lot, so I went ahead and bought the full size - annoyingly when it was priced at $69 AUD because it's now $11 cheaper. Don't you hate that?!

Moving on.

It's a white cream that's lightweight and it's almost a cream/gel hybrid because it's not too heavy in texture, so don't shy away from this if you don't like rich products: this isn't one of those.

It has an odd scent - it smells strongly of dried apricots to me - and while I don't mind the fragrance, that's something to be aware of because I've seen some people complain about it. Worth noting is that I can't smell it once it's on and it's had an opportunity to absorb, so it's not one of those scents that hangs around at full pelt for ages.

When I first used this, I remember that it tingled a lot after application and I could really feel it working on the surface of my skin. It doesn't do that now, so I'm not sure if the sachets had a slightly different formula (sometimes that happens) or whether the product stays 'truer' to itself when it's super fresh and hasn't yet been opened. Mind you, I don't remember my full size ever doing what the sachets did, so perhaps there's something different going on with my skin.

Come to think about it, at the moment I'm using a lot more active ingredients in my skincare than I was when I was pregnant, and it was when I was pregnant that I first started testing this. So perhaps what's happening here is that I'm already at 'critical mass' with the products I'm currently using, so this one isn't having as much opportunity to do what it once did.

Don't get me wrong, I still think this is a pretty good product and it does do something towards making my skin look brighter and feel more refined, it's just that when I used those samples, it did at least three times more for my skin than it's doing now. Before I used to wake up and look like a different person, whereas now the effect is more slight. 

Also worth noting is that this full size has never tingled when I've applied it. It feels quite soothing, cooling and nice on the skin, but I can't feel the active ingredients doing their work like I could before.

So in sum, it's hard for me to give a really solid opinion on this, given that it used to do amazing things for me but it no longer does. Perhaps if you don't use many actives in your skincare then this would be a good pick, but for me, this isn't a repurchase because it doesn't perform the backflips that it once did.

Good but not great.