If it’s good enough for Kylie…
You never have to travel far before you come across someone who will happily swear by these iconic pots of cream. Whether it’s the original Cold Cream or some of their more uptodate incarnations, someone somewhere will happily tell you how Ponds is the only moisturiser their Nan/Mother/Sister (delete as appropriate) has been using since 1935 and that she doesn’t look a day over 23.
I’ve been using Pond’s Light Day Cream (£3.99) on and off for a while now and it is indeed (mostly) the bees knees.
Ignore for a moment the parabens, perfume and mineral oil contained within (I know, it’s hard)… these are pretty old school inexpensive ingredients designed to a) make the product stay fresh longer, b) smell nice and c) form a barrier between your skin and the drying effects of the environment. Are there better ingredients that do the same job? You bet. Are there better ingredients that do the same job for the same price? Not so much.
If you’re not sensitive to these ingredients (and I don’t seem to be) then I’m happy to use them. Many people aren’t afforded that luxury, with artificial perfumes being among one of the biggest culprits for skin sensitivity.
But anyway, I’m going off on a tangent slightly… back to the review…
Attractively packaged in a heavyweight frosted glass jar, the cream has a thick but slippy texture. It’s much easier to spread than that refrigerated Nutella texture that is Nivea Creme. It’s also as light and non-greasy as it claims, as long as I’m not too heavy handed. I find that the cream sinks in beautifully and leaves my skin feeling softer and more supple than before. If I get a bit carried away with it, it leaves my skin slightly tacky for about 10 minutes before subsiding.
It’s strong scent loses it a point (or 4)… I know it’s iconic… but I can still smell it 3 hours later! Also, SPF 6… is that it? It’s barely worth bothering is it? I won’t leave the house without a minimum of SPF15 and it’s a shame that this doesn’t supply that extra protection.
There’s one thing I must mention though, it’s the one reason in particular that I will be repurchasing. It’s compatible.
Shall I explain?
I often like to mix things into my moisturiser. Luminizers mostly… but often I’ll add foundations to sheer them out a touch. Things like the new LUSH Colour Supplement blend wonderfully into this cream and apply flawlessly. Oh and another thing? Powder products wear with absolutely no problems over the Pond’s Light Day Cream. I can slap a bit of this on my face first thing and less than 5 minutes later, I’m swirl, tap, buffing my way to a flawless complexion quite happily. Nothing ‘balls’ up under my fingers… it’s just a very laid back, inexpensive and light day cream for the summer.
Top marks! (nearly).
