If you’re an Arden fan, keep your eyes on the counter next week; the brand’s going to introduce their new, sleeker-looking skin care line up to SA.

You’ll find they’ve dropped a few products, kept everyone’s favourites, improved certain formulas and consolidated everything into one easy to use regime-focused skin care range called Visible Difference. It caters to three basic skin types; Oily, Combination and Dry, offering cleansers, toners and moisturisers along with optional treatment products. There’s one treatment product, however, that they recommend everyone use regardless of their skin type and that’s their Visible Difference Optimizing Skin Serum (R545).

It’s key ingredient is wrinkle-smoothing retinyl linoleoate, a much gentler, milder ‘cousin’ of retinol. While regular readers will know I’m a big fan of super sterk retinol, many sensitive-skinned girls find it irritating so this is a nice alternative if you’re the sensitive sort. It also contains a stabilised form of vitamin C to help increase your skin’s collagen production and brighten up your complexion.

Texture-wise, it’s a super-light silky creme-gel that would work with any moisturiser. Packaging-wise, I’m glad they’ve use an air tight pump as opposed to a glass dropper. (Many cosmetic companies go the glass dropper route as many women think it looks ‘scientific’ and ‘fancy’ and are thus willing to increase their spend, but don’t realise their precious active ingredients are losing their efficacy thanks to oxidation.)

Anyway, of all the Arden Visible Difference goodies I’ve tried, I most liked Visible Difference Skin Balancing Lotion with SPF 15 (R440). It’s a lovely daily moisturiser with an SPF that also includes a dash of retinyl linoleate.

The brand’s Skin Balancing Lotion without an SPF works for me too; it’s got an even lighter gel-like texture which I adore, especially since it would see me having to reach for my blotting powder less often, but I’m hellbent on wearing an SPF every day and don’t like the hassle of applying a separate sunscreen. Still, when I do my make-up at night and just need a lovely, light lotion to hydrate and help spread my foundation around I often break out that baby.

Other goodies I liked? Arden’s Visible Difference Oil-free Cleanser (R215) from the ‘oily’ range is a very nice foaming cleanser that removes make-up well without leaving your skin feeling tight or dry. I prefered it to the exfoliating cleanser (aimed at combo skin) as the exfoliating beads weren’t concentrated enough to do much exfoliating.

Oh! And if you’re into using a toner I’d suggest you opt for the Skin Balancing option from their combination skin range (R215) regardless of your skin type as the other two contain a high concentration of alcohol.

Last but not least, I enjoyed using Visible Difference Skin Balancing Night Cream (R460).

It’s great for combination skinned girls like me as it rehydrates my skin beautifully but doesn’t feel heavy, greasy or gross. It also contains beneficial ingredients like collagen-encouraging red clover extract and vitamin E plus a dash of the aforementioned retinyl linoleate.

I just wish it wasn’t in a jar – you know how I feel about bloody jars and – but at least you can team it with a pump-packaged serum that’ll ensure whatever ingredients it contains don’t oxidize before you use it up. And either way, I like that when I use it, I wake up looking plumper and prettier than the night’s that I don’t.

Looking good Arden!

Love, love

Leigh