Ten of the best night creams

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I never understood why you needed a cream specifically for night-time. “Surely it’s much of a muchness,” I thought. My day and night rituals followed the same mantra that I apply to “day” and “night” makeup – ie, no different. I just put more on. A subtle slick of mascara became lashings of the stuff, a hint of blush stretched from the cheek to the side of the eye, a barely there dab of colour on the lips becomes impenetrably opaque… While I’m unrepentant about my makeup ritual (it works!), I have changed tack on my night-time regime. And the reason is this: your skin behaves differently at night, so you need skincare that works accordingly. Which is why night creams, moisturisers and serums make total sense. When you sleep your cortisol levels – aka your stress hormones – drop and your skin goes into repair mode. It then begins to produce enzymes to restore damaged cells and boost moisture levels. A good cream goes a long way to facilitate this process. But choose wisely; not all of them are worth the jar they come in. Yes, you need well-formulated, intensely moisturising products – contrary to popular belief, unless you have incredibly dry skin, they don’t all have to be very heavy – but beyond that a decent night routine should also incorporate actives, such as retinols and acids. They aid cell renewal, polish and plump your skin – while you sleep and you’ll notice the difference in the morning.

1. Medik8 Advanced Night Restore £55, cultbeauty.co.uk
2. Sunday Riley Luna Night Oil £45, libertylondon.com
3. StriVectin Advanced Retinol Nightly Renewal Moisturiser £92, strivectin.co.uk
4. Kiehl’s Retinol Skin Renewing Daily Micro Dose £62, kiehls.co.uk
5. Tata Harper Crème Riche £183, net-a-porter.com
6. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair £60, esteelauder.co.uk
7. Decree Treat Tincture £130, cultbeauty.co.uk
8. Bioderma Pigmentbio Night Renewer £20, feelunique.com
9. PSA Midnight Courage £37, boots.com
10. NEOM Overnight Facial Cream £42, neomorganics.com

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