Elizabeth Arden just looooove their skincare capsules, y’all! They’ve made them for eyes… They’ve made them to help brighten… their most iconic, however, is still the original gold ceramide version. Back in my student days I used to live with a glamorous friend who worked behind a make-up counter and always had them hidden away in her bathroom cabinet and I’d occasionally nick one. This was a time when I used to blow all my waitressing money on shoes, clothes and booze so my own beauty stash was limited to drugstore options and all her fancy lotions and potions were like catnip.

Anyway, fast forward to 2017 and Arden’s capsules are still going strong but now they’ve had a revamp. Cue ‘Say hello to Advanced Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Serum!’

The formula is similar to the original but has been improved upon. If I compare the ingredients lists I can see they’ve dropped the borage seed oil in favour of antioxidan vitamin-rich Japanese camellia seed oil (also known as tsubaki oil). Tsubaki’s a winner as it’s non-greasy and fast absorbing but still contains essential fatty acids and lipids.

Speaking of lipids, Arden’s also added cholesterol to the mix and while that sounds like a weird thing to be a plus but it really is. Recent studies have proven that hydrating lipids and ceramides work best when teamed with natural cholesterol when it comes to helping improve your skin’s barrier function and ability to retain it’s own natural moisture.

Lastly, there is a li’l retinyl palmitate in the mix. It’s a mild form of wrinkle-busting retinol so if you’re currently using that (retinol), I wouldn’t advise dropping that and relying on the capsules to get your fix as you’d be downgrading in terms of potency, especially since it’s the third last ingredient in the list. But in saying that, if you aren’t using retinol or find it irritates your skin then at least having some retinyl palmitate in your life, even if it’s just a smidge, is a good thing.

Other things you should know? One of the ceramides, ceramide 6, has an AHA-like quality that can help exfoliate. They’ve also included antioxidant sea fennel extract that also has exfoliating properties. The effect, however, would be a mild one, so don’t toss your Dermalogica Superfoliant or more potent AHA product just yet.

To get the best from Arden’s capsules you’re to use them every night (or day if your skin is very dry) but I’ve been using them on and off at night as a hydrating boost. I like that each capsule contains a very generous amount of product so I can use it on my face and neck. Being combination-skinned it doesn’t absorb fully but because I consider it a leave-on hydrating mask before bed this doesn’t worry me in the least. I see myself reaching for these guys more often as the chilly season rolls in as a luxurious way to beat winter dryness while benefiting from a mix of antioxidants.

Available in two sizes, 60 caps for R825 and 90 caps for R995 it definitely makes good sense to spring for the 90s as it works out to R11 a cap as opposed to almost R14. Shop clever meisies!

Love, love

Leigh