Beauty Sleep Concentrate by Neal's Yard Remedies

There is certain sleep debt I have acquired, since filming for six months (I think that excuse is wearing thin given that the job ended two months ago now!) and from basically spending all night researching bits and pieces for the blog followed by wasting time in the wee hours examining the lines (or the threat of them) on my face...which ironically only serves to make them worse with all the worry and the late nights etc...So I thought I was in dire need of assistance. SOS! Beauty Sleep Concentrate by Neal's Yard Remedies.

I might just have to take a deep breath now and gather my thoughts into cohesive sentences because otherwise you'll be reading a string of OMGs, exclamation marks and extended vowels.

I love it. In three words, I LOVE IT! But a three word review isn't very helpful to you so I'll tell you why.

(I'm actually getting a bit fidgety that time is getting on because all I want to do is go and get ready for bed so I can use it again! Unheard of!)

The body naturally renews itself during sleep, with the process peaking between the hours of 11pm and 4am. This is when free-radicals get mopped up, cells are regenerated, toxins are rounded up and shot, sort of! It's the optimum time for the body to heal itself and eliminate the environmental stressors and pollutants absorbed and consumed throughout the day. So then, a good night cream should promote and support this process. And here we have a very good night cream. Good, because I think it works, even on waking you can see the effects! And good because it contains all natural ingredients that will really help the skin. (You can use it alone or with another night treatment actually.)

In fact there is some serious science going on in this product. The active ingredients include dormins extracted from the narcissus tazetta bulb. Dormins are responsible for slowing down cell division which is thought to essentially slow down the ageing process of a cell. It has been a common belief in anti-ageing that increasing cell turnover keeps the level of cells that are healthy and young to an optimum. But new research says that there may be a natural limit to the number of times a cell can divide before it starts to age. Therefore, increasing cell turnover may actually allude to cells ageing. In nature, dormins induce or control a rest phase. For example they suppress a seed from germinating before it's ready and they help a plant to resist harsh environmental conditions, like a cold winter. So you can see by including this very intriguing ingredient the skin's natural processes are supported during it's own rest phase and the ageing process is resisted. Amazing.

Also included in the formula is a bio-active tri-peptide naturally derived from palmitic acid found in plants. (Sorry, more science, I'll keep it brief) Peptides basically tell the cells what to do. In the Beauty Sleep Concentrate I believe these Peptides are saying 'Make more collagen!' and then the cells say 'Sir! Yes. Sir!' giving your skin a boost to help it look fresh and well-rested. Marvellous. You know, even after a very late night, looking in the mirror in the morning I could definitely see a plump, more evenly textured appearance to my skin. And this was only the second day of using it! Sure, the under-eye shadows were still there but I think I'd need God-in-a-Bottle to get rid of those. Well maybe just the regular eight hours would do it!

Right, now the important part is covered, let me tell you how gorgeous it smells. Like you won't believe. The aromatherapy blend of clary sage, cypress, orange, patchouli and ylang ylang creates the most soothing and sleep-inducing fragrance. I was asleep in moments. My heart skips to a merry beat just thinking about how heavenly this is. Seriously, it's odd, it has some strange power over me. It's very orangey, but very deep and warm, with a chocolatey undertone that I suspect comes from the cocoa seed oil that it also contains, further helping to reduce moisture loss overnight I might add!

The bottle, as you can see is a simple pump-action and you need maybe two or three pumps for a generous application. Four, if you really want to go all the way and include your neck. Which you should! Because no-one wants a turkey gobble and because it is bedtime and it's nice to treat yourself.

And so with that, I'm afraid I'm exhausted... Goodnight!

Neal's Yard Remedies Beauty Sleep Concentrate £30 for 30ml
Available online at Neal's Yard Remedies and in stores nationwide.