I had an Elizabeth Arden Ceramide facial and left with an instant glow

As a beauty writer, I tend to go to shops to discover new products first-hand and a few months ago I walked into Boots Covent Garden and was offered a quick facial by Elizabeth Arden experts. A chance to try their bestselling skincare and to enjoy a 15-minute pamper. 

The Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa Express Services are available at selected Boots stores and shoppers can check here to find if their local Boots offers the treatments. I had a Skintervention Custom Solution and got to try the Retinol + HPR Ceramide Capsules Rapid Skin Renewing Serum, which is now on 44% off on Amazon and reduced to £55.08 for 90 capsules.

The trained beautician started with the Ceramide Replenishing Cleansing Oil, now £24.65 at Boots, to wipe off makeup and dirt before refreshing their skin for an instant glow. It removes waterproof mascara in one swipe and leaves a nourishing glow without stripping my skin.

There are, of course, other cleansing oils on the market and at home, I’m using Tata Harper’s Nourishing Oil Cleanser, which has a blend of botanical ingredients including antioxidant-rich Sacha Inchi oil from the Amazon, hence it’s more expensive and priced at £79 at SpaceNK. 

Next the expert used the Ceramide Purifying Toner, which is also reduced to £24.65 at Boots, to remove any last trace of impurities and calm the skin. As I don’t have sensitive skin, I found it performed average, it did nourish my skin but not much on soften my skin. TirTir’s Milk Skin Toner works better on my combination skin and it’s relatively cheaper than the Elizabeth Arden one. It’s available on Beauty Bay for £19.95.

As I expressed ageing concerns so he recommended Retinol + HPR Ceramide Capsules Rapid Skin Renewing Serum to me, a pink capsule pack with skin replenishing peptides for lifting and smoothing lines. Amazon is offering 44% off on the three-month pack, which is 90 capsules, reducing the price from £99 to £55.08.

Loved by shoppers with a 4.8-star rating, the Elizabeth Arden serum leaves my skin silky smooth and dries without a sticky, greasy finish. The expert used a microcurrent device to help massage with a lifting gesture, which helped in depuffing and sculpting.

I was given a seven-day sample of the capsules and with a precise dose of pure retinol, it worked to smoothe out my lines on the forehead and gave me an overall glow on the face while supporting natural collagen and cell turnover. But one shopper said it’s like a “glorified moisturiser and nothing more”.  

Another said she struggled to see a difference after two weeks of use and added: “All of their items are high priced.” For a more affordable choice, No7’s Advanced Ingredients Hyaluronic Acid & Camellia Oil Facial Capsules retails at £9.97 for 30 capsules, making it £29.91 for 90 capsules. French beauty brand RoC’s Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Night Serum Capsules is at a similar price to the Elizabeth Arden one, available for £17.97 for 30 capsules.

As for face cream, the beautician picked the Water Cream from the same Retinol + HPR Ceramide range, now £37.75 – a 50% saving on Amazon. The lightweight texture is perfect to use in days when multi-layered skincare was too much for the face. It locked in moisture and the retinol ingredient is safe to use during the day. 

The expert said: “A gentle pump of the Water Cream is enough for the entire face and use dabbing motion to swipe upwards for a revitalising pick-me-up. You can see the glow almost straight away.” And he was right, I noticed a natural glow around the brows and cheeks.

The cream is comparable to the popular Tatcha Water Cream, which is loved by Molly-Mae Hague. It’s currently on discount and reduced to £53.60 on the official website. Targeting to oily skin, the cream helps calm skin, control excess oil, and smooths skin texture.