I thought that I would narrow it down to one product. And this is it. Fractionated Eye Contour Concentrate or FECC from NIOD. It worked for me in 2016.
I came somewhat kicking and screaming to NIOD, I liked the idea but not really the application, the textures were alien, they disappeared into my skin without a trace of neither scent nor feeling and I struggled on with grim determination gaining no pleasure but a gradual improvement in skin texture and appearance. But this is not about the whole range, this is about FECC.
So this is an eye product. Light in texture, but not as light as water, it has a viscosity to it. No smell. It comes in a brown glass bottle with a dropper and one tiny drop is enough for both eyes. It can be applied all over the eye lid, top lid and bottom lid. It smooths easily over both lids, without any dragging.
Now my eye problems are well documented on this blog, I don't do eye shadow because I have baggy saggy eyelids, they are 50 years old and the rest, I have awnings for eyelids, I can fold them over many times, you know the pencil test for boobs, well I can apply that to my eye lids blah blah. I am unlikely to find and eye product which would firm up my eyelids, only surgery could remove the excess skin, but what this product did was get rid of the puffiness of both upper and lower lids, it sort of clarified the whole area and made it look younger.
The bottle has lasted me over six months and I have purchased another bottle. It does not moisturise particularly and I do use another eye cream over the top, what can I say? so many eye products, so little time.
More information from Victoria Health and Deciem.
I have come to the end of this, this strange, yeasty like cleanser, all 90mls of it squeezed out and spread over my face for most evenings of the last two and a half months or so.
I am a re-convert to the NIOD range. I tried products before in a starter kit and found them alien and strange, the watery textures and neutral scents gave nothing sensorial back to me. And the packages give little information other than ingredients, which is fine but I want a bit more, so it is word of mouth and the excellent Victoria Health website for the extra bits and pieces.
This is a cleansing balm I suppose, not a makeup remover though and instructions are very clear on that, designed to be applied post makeup removal to cleanse the face. And that I can cope with, I like to remove makeup and then go in with a second cleanse to clean my face.
The texture is somewhat sticky, and I like that too. It can be massaged into the skin and with the addition of water does emulsify to a certain extent.
And how does it feel on the skin? Well to me it feels quite gentle, but thorough, I hesitate to say it but it does almost feel as if a vacuum is being created, and it is sucking up the remainding (cue new word or should that be tense? - ie remainder + remaining = remainding). Maybe what I mean is that the yeasty effervescentness feels as if it is pacmanning its way through my pores and emptying them of debris.
It does have a tendency to force itself through the opening, which adds to the feeling that it is alive!
I have enjoyed this so much that I have bought the mothership - all 180mls
I bought mine from Deciem, but Victoria Health also carries the larger size. Currently £34
I purchased this because it was new, no suprise there really, I like new things and am constantly searching for the one product or products for I would not want to restrict myself, which make my skin look amazing.
This is a rather unrealistic task for this product for it is to all intents and purposes a facial mist, a spray, something which one faffs about with. But you see for me this product is anything but, and I was well flabbergasted as to its immediate and lasting effect on my skin.
NIOD is a new brand just over a year old, and I have blogged about it before and there is lots of information on their own website, Caroline Hirons had a post with comment answered by the brand's inventor (for want of a better word) and Victoria Health has comprehensive information with each of the products that they sell.
SDSM - as it intialises as, is marketed as a face and body treatment which hydrates the skin and protects against oxidation. In a nutshell, it isn't a toner, but it is to my mind, maybe a suped up toner with added benefits.
What I found on my skin post application was firstly that it does not feel like a toner on the skin. I sprayed it on, goodish spray but it does come out a bit spurty but then where is there a spray which does not spurt a bit? And for want of speed I rubbed it into my face - the texture is lovely, like a thinnish serum - it has substance. My skin felt immediately plumped up, as if every cell had supped at a cool clear mountain stream. But what amazed me the most was how well every other product I applied, down to my base and concealer, went on so much more easily and lasted so much longer with far less breakup and cracking and general wear and tear.The ingredients are listed below and there is information about how each one actively works to increase hydration and decrease the effects of oxidation and general inflammation on the skin on the NIOD website and the Victoria Health website.It is £34 for 240mls and is likely to last a good time even with generous spraying. It has somewhat nudged me into trying the brand again, and at the moment all my other hydrating type sprays are taking a back seat.
Up until a week ago I had not heard of this brand, but wandering around the interweb as is my wont led me to Victoria Health and some intrigue and the above kit.
NOID stands for non-invasive options in dermal science - hardly catchy to my mind, and the strap line of "skincare for the hyper-educated" serves to alienate me further if I am honest, for there is a lot of science about this brand, and a lot about its ingredients, which is great and the website is clear and informative but maybe a tad lacking in the readability to me, which is a criticism of me rather than the website, sadly my 49 year old brain skids off information even if it is simply set out - I no longer have the capacity for concentration.
However, the reviews are positive and the enticement of something new in skincare is a delight and a motivation for me to investigate further. Incidentally Jane at British Beauty Blogger has a written about the range here, here, here, and here which makes for informative, and entertaining reading as is to be expected from her.So these are my initial thoughts only, I have had this kit less than a week and will have used it for four days when this post goes up
Firstly the sizes in the kit, whilst appearing small - the eye concentrate is 3mls - all have a fluid, water like consistency, which means that a little really does go a long way. The products are cased in brown or clear bottles with pipettes or droppers as needed and the scent is of nothing, maybe a faint trace in the cleanser but it is innocuous.
But this fluidity can lead to a bit of a panic for me, how do I get the darn stuff onto my face? It does have a tendency to run.
So what I can say on such a limited use? Well I think that a trial size of a product should enable one to see if one gets on with the smell, texture and ease of use.
I feel that I can only really comment on the cleanser and the eye serum, the Multi Molecular Hyaluronic Ester and the Photographic Fluid Opacity 12% both need further exploration for me.
The Low Viscosity Cleaning Ester or LVCE appeared to me on first glance like one of those ubiquitous micellar waters which never floated my boat, too boring frankly. This is a weird one, water is not an ingredient apparently, and it does not feel like water on the skin, it feels like a light oil, a very light oil mixed with, well, water. It has slip. It removes makeup remarkably well, it whistles through sunscreen and full foundation and concealer, and mascara. I need a second pass, but then that is always a given with me.
The Fractionated Eye Contour Concentrate or FECC is extremely moisturising on my eyes, well the skin around my eyes. The instructions are to apply a drop, which is enough for both eyes, the drops from the dropper are tiny, so I apply two and I was amazed that my eyelids and general eye area comfortable and moist well into the evening post application some four hours earlier. I did not feel the need to add an eye cream on the top which further amazed me.
All in all I want to try these further and they are already on my bathroom shelf, but the sensorial paucity may dent my enjoyment.
More information from Victoria Health, the kit is currently £25.Caroline Hirons has just published a helpful guide here
