Another great surprise in the Lookfantastic advent calendar was a travel size (30 ml) of this Elemis night cream. I don’t want to be the one who’s all about hyped up products, but for some reason, the face creams I tried so far from Elemis were really right up my alley and I love them.

Packaging:

I don’t know how the full size cream is (50 ml), but the travel size comes in a plastic jar, although it’s a beautiful one, with that baby blue color. At least it does feel heavy, something that I like to see in high end beauty products because I feel like part of the price should be the experience of using products like this.

Texture:

The face cream has a lightweight texture, that feels like whipped cream and it also have a scent to it, but I don’t mind it. It absorbs nice into the skin without feeling greasy or thacky.

Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Lauryl Laurate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Ethyl Macadamiate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Fragrance (Parfum), Butylene Glycol, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Chlorphenesin, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Oil Unsaponifiables, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil Unsaponifiables, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Phytosterols, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Disodium EDTA, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Acacia Decurrens Flower Extract, Linalool, Citronellol, Lithothamnion Calcareum (Red Algae) Powder, Geraniol, Mannitol, Tocopherol, Sorbitan Oleate, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal, Malic Acid, Diatomaceous Earth, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Zinc Sulfate, Hexapeptide-9, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide.

The key ingredients listed on the brand’s website for this night cream are the laminaria digitata extract, the padina pavonica (brown algae) and red algae, although algae are considered as pore-clogging ingredients by some skin experts. However, algae extracts are the key ingredients for the entire range of Elemis products and I personally didn’t have any issues using them.

The top ingredients used in this formula are water, glyceryl stearate SE (an ingredient made from vegetable glycerin and stearic acid, with a small amount of sodium stearate or potassium stearate present), isononyl isononanoate (a synthetic ester that functions as an emollient skin-softening agent and that occurs naturally in cocoa oil and lavender oil), ethylhexyl palmitate (a mixture of a fatty alcohol and palmitic acid that functions as an emollient and texture enhancer) and lauryl laurate (an ester of lauryl alcohol and lauric acid, lauryl laurate is an emollient ingredient that can help bioactive ingredients better integrate with skin’s surface). This are all good ingredients, according to the ingredient dictionary on the Paula’s Choice website that I use for my reviews.

However, other ingredients on this list may be problematic for acne prone skin: shea butter, glyceryl stearate SE, ethylhexyl palmitate, the algae extract and the sorbitan oleate (emulsifier and cleaning agent).

Overall, I do like the formula although some of the ingredients may be controversial for some.

Price and accessibility:

Elemis products are available is some online shops here, but they are quite expensive. For example, the full size of this night cream retails for 125 euros and the travel size that I had retails for 63 euros (according to the brand’s website). I did like the face creams that I used from Elemis so far (both from the Pro-Collagen line, an anti-wrinkle skin care line) and I would like to use some more from them, but the price is just too high for me. Luckily, I have my hopes up that I will find them in beauty boxes again.

My overall opinion:

Like I said before, I like Elemis products, including this night cream because it makes the skin feel so soft and smooth and it also helps to reduce fine lines. With the risk of repeating myself, if you have the budget, go for it. Elemis is a popular skin care brand at least here in Europe and for a reason. They have good formulas and the products actually work. The only downside is the price tag.