I’ll admit this from the get-go. Kathy Phillips is my beauty girl-crush. The woman was a/ Health and Beauty Director at Vogue for seven years (all hail) and b/ went on to launch This Works, one of my hero ranges that I will extol the virtues of till the cows come home (I won’t fly without their Deep Sleep range nor bare my legs without the Perfect Legs Skin Miracle). To seal the deal, a few years ago Kathy sent me a personal email after I featured a This Works product in a local, luxury lifestyle magazine I was Beauty Ed on, that landed on her doormat. Yep, she tracked little ol’ me down and thanked me for featuring This Works. Who does that?! Women with integrity and humility that’s who. I mentioned the girl crush, huh?
Anyways, onto the job in hand. Reviewing the latest addition to the ‘No Wrinkles’ skincare range, the Wonder Essence. Kathy is now International Beauty Director for Conde Nast Asia, so is pretty in tune with what those porcelain-cheeked Asian chicks are applying to their skin to get that perfect, even, flawless tone to their skin. The secret? A beauty essence (Kathy does a BRILLIANT video on the origins of the essence here).
What the heck is a beauty essence I hear you shout at your laptop. Okay, a little dramatic perhaps, but I’ll tell you.
It is slightly more viscous than water, but much less so than a serum. It genuinely is a unique formula, I can’t compare it to anything else, or any other stage in my skincare routine. I have been applying it after cleansing and before my serum, although it could very well take the place of a serum altogether but I’m playing it safe through these tricky winter months. I have been trying to pin down the smell from the ingredients list (witchhazel? bitter orange?) but to me it smells of a fragrant, Chinese herbalist’s shop, if that makes sense.
Since trialling this I’ve noticed a couple of other beauty essences popping up on my beauty radar (the BB cream of 2013 perhaps?), including Melvita’s Extraordinary Water which has been getting great reviews (£14, here).
Back to This Works. So, I’m guessing you’re thinking, other than water, what are you getting in this £30 bottle of premium skincare? Well, the trick is the protease enzyme content, that breaks down the dead skin cells on the surface without the need for traditional sloughing exfoliation which, on sensitive or fragile skin, can do more harm than good. Then the dose of hyaluronic acid hydrates and balances out any overly oily zones and lifts those really fine lines.
Basically, think of it as a surface primer. It makes sure that when you apply your serum/moisturiser that it is able to sink right in to the deeper layers, rather than just getting stuck on top of a whole load of dead skin cells. Geddit?
So how does it apply? Well, I pump a couple of drops on my hand, rub them together to warm it slightly, then pat onto my skin. As Kathy suggests. It is very slightly tacky for a few seconds then ZIP, it’s gone. Vanished.
I’ve definitely seen a balancing effect in my skin (the T-zone is slightly less of an oil slick) and it is definitely softer and more springy.
Like the Astalift Jelly concentrate that I still ADORE, it’s so exciting to see a company step outside the cleanser/toner/serum/moisturiser canon of skincare and introduce a new texture/product that makes you re-think your routine. This addition is a no-brainer for me.
This Works No Wrinkles Wonder Essence, £30 is available now from thisworks.com (there is free UK delivery too).
