The Anti-Ageing Essence That Erin Can’t Stop Talking About

At this stage in the game, there are a handful of skincare products that have earned ‘hero’ status. Good luck finding a beauty editor who doesn’t rave about SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum. Ditto Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair and Alpha-H Liquid Gold.

With that in mind, I have a question: Why isn’t anyone talking about Eve Lom Time Retreat Radiance Essence? Somebody give this queen product a crown already.

Eve Lom’s Time Retreat Radiance Essence is GOOD. Like, former colleagues asking me what I’ve been doing kind of good. Since I started using it, I’ve had a hard time refraining from winking at myself in the mirror. (Sometimes I just go ahead and wink. If you don’t wink at yourself, who will?) Mostly, I have found that my complexion is brighter, blackheads are less noticeable and I have less spots popping up on my jawline.

I’ll be honest: I didn’t purchase this essence. Working at Gritty Pretty has its perks—the beauty cupboard being one of them. I am a long-time fan of Eve Lom (the brand’s cleansing balm is beautiful) so when I saw this product sitting pretty on the beauty cupboard shelf, it piqued my interest.

Not to be mistaken for a toner or a serum, an essence is a lightweight, highly-concentrated liquid with a water-like texture. In this case, Eve Lom’s Time Retreat Radiance Essence contains a combination of nine active ingredients to brighten skin, encourage cell turnover and smooth wrinkles. Liposome Encapsulated Retinol—a gentle-yet-effective form of vitamin A—is the workhorse of this formula. A very mysterious ‘Wonder Herb’ (brand’s own description) is in there too, along with peptides and amino acids.

Before committing to this anti-ageing treatment, I did a quick Google to check out its reviews. Like most women, when I’m unsure about buying (or trying) a new product, I check in with the reviews first. To my surprise, I found very little on the internet. There are only four reviews on Mecca, just one on Sephora US and three on Eve Lom’s own site. However, of these measly eight reviews, almost all are five-star—so that’s saying something.

After a fortnight or so, I started to notice the aforementioned changes in my skin. I apply this watery-thin essence three to four times per week, in the evening, post-cleansing and then follow with the rest of my routine. Applying your most potent products straight after cleansing gives the actives (in this case retinol) a chance to really sink in and do their job. The Eve Lom Time Retreat Radiance Essence is lightweight and has an instant hydrating effect. It is ever-so-slightly oily but I kind of like that, unlike Alik35fluff, who docked one whole point off her review for this reason. (Harsh.)

At $148, nobody would accuse the Eve Lom Time Retreat Radiance Essence of being cheap. But in my opinion, it’s worth it. I’ll be purchasing and re-purchasing when this bottle runs out.

Tell us, have you tried this product? What is your ride-or-die skincare hero?