Tried and tested: Micellar cleanser, balancing facial oil, face cream

Tried and tested: Vichy Normaderm Micellar Solution

Verdict: A make-up remover and a cleanser for oily and combination skin sounds great as I have a combination skin that’s also sensitive.

I’m not usually a fan of micellar cleansers as I find them inefficient and insufficient.

It takes a lot of product to remove all of my make-up and soon I stop trying.

Instead I use this cleanser as a face tonic after cleansing, and that way the product works so much better.

All make-up residue disappears and my skin feels soft and beautiful, the skin tone is normal and I feel no stretching or stinging in skin which can often be the case with other toners.

I love this product as a toner, however not as a make-up remover, so I rate it a 4.

Rated: 4 out of 5

Tried and tested: Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil

Verdict: This product is billed as a facial oil to be used at night to balance skin and minimise pores.

I have a sensitive combination skin with few breakouts but I’d be happy to get a more balanced skin as my T-zone gets oily in the afternoons.

The scent is lovely, herbal and spa-like, and just five or six drops of oil is enough for a full face. So after six weeks I have only used up a fifth of the bottle.

After using the oil at night I feel it necessary to add a moisurising cream, which I am not really supposed to need, so maybe the oil isn’t as rehydrating as it should be.

For the price I expected miracles, so I can’t give this product top marks.

But since my skin becomes glowing and rosy, and a little bit more balanced, it is still a pretty good oil.

Rated: 4 out of 5

Tried and tested: Phyris Refining AHA Depot

I am a woman in my 40s with skin that is oily but still dry on the surface.

I have some fine lines and can see the pigmentations (age-spots) coming so this cream, that promises a better skin structure, less dark spots and reduced wrinkles, sounded like it would work wonders for me.

Unfortunately it doesn’t.

I have used the cream morning and night for six weeks. After a good start, with a nice scent, nice texture and good absorption, exactly nothing happens.

My skin doesn’t get worse than when using any other skin cream, nor does it improve. There is a reasonable rehydration, however nothing spectacular, and my skin is still oily AND dry with fine line and dark pigmentations.

Rated: 2 out of 5