No.1 Beauty Box for Women over 40

This is the one I reach for on grey mornings. It's Gatineau's best-selling product because it is so unique and so brilliantly useful as a hybrid between skincare and cosmetic.  

It’s a hydrating eye cream with hyaluronic acid. The clever part is that it adapts to your skin tone, so it softens the look of dark circles the moment it goes on. 

Wear it alone on no-make-up days, or under concealer when you want a bit more.

If winter had a hero ingredient, it would be ceramides. They’re the natural fats that hold your skin’s protective barrier together, and our levels drop with age, just when cold winds and dry indoor heat are doing their best to break that barrier down. The result is skin that feels tight, rough and thirsty however much you moisturise.

This generous 175ml tub puts them back. A 5% ceramide blend works alongside niacinamide to strengthen and support the skin’s barrier, while squalane and shea butter replenish moisture and stop it escaping. Glycerin draws in extra hydration. It’s a rich, nourishing cream that absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy feel, and it’s fragrance-free, so it’s gentle enough for the driest, most sensitive patches. It’s a true multi-tasker you’ll use every day this winter.

This is a small thing that makes a big difference. When the mornings are dark and the evenings darker still, a proper night’s sleep is the best beauty treatment there is, and this mask helps you get one.

It’s a soft, smooth satin mask in a cheerful festive red, printed with “Presently Sleeping” in typewriter-style lettering. That’s the perfect do-not-disturb message for a lazy Sunday lie-in or an afternoon nap you’ve more than earned. It blocks out the light so you drift off faster and sleep more deeply, whether that’s at home, on a train or in a hotel room that’s never quite dark enough.

Satin is also kinder to the delicate skin around your eyes. It glides rather than drags, so there’s less friction on fine lines and lashes than you’d get from cotton. The gathered elastic strap holds it comfortably in place without pulling at your hair.  It would make a lovely stocking filler too, if you can bear to part with it!

You don’t need to use all five every day, and you shouldn’t. Here’s how I’d fit them into a normal week:

• Every morning: Miracle Eye Contour Cream then the Nip + Fab barrier cream on any dry, tight areas.
  
• Every day, as often as you like: the hand cream.
• Two or three evenings a week: exfoliate in the shower, then follow straight away with the Sleep Well lotion.
• When you need it: the Frank eye mask. Try it on Friday evenings, the morning after a late one, or before something you want to look fresh for.

Why now

Cold air outside and dry heat inside are a tough combination for any skin. From our forties onwards, our skin also has less natural oil to fall back on. That’s why this box goes beyond the face: hands, body and sleep matter just as much when the weather turns.

And with party season only a few weeks away, getting your skin smooth, hydrated and well rested now means you won’t be playing catch-up in December.

Stay warm, and look after yourself.