After suffering from sensitive skin and eczema for a period of time I was over the moon when I stumbled upon Queen Cosmetics. I immediately purchased their eye make up remover and loved it. Queen Cosmetics are experts in skincare for sensitive skin, their products are as pure as possible, leaving out all the unnecessary perfumes, preservatives and additives (all the bad stuff) and they’re not tested on animals.

So when Tracey and I were approached to try out and review their Sensiderma Renew and Refine Moisturiser, we were hardly going to say no were we.  I must apologise to Queen Cosmetics as I have had this moisturiser for a while but been unable to do an honest review as I was also trying out other products. I did try it initially but found it too rich when used with the other products I was trying so for the last few weeks Renew and Refine has had my undivided attention.

What Queen Cosmetics say:

Sensiderma Renew & Refine adheres to Queen’s philosophy of making products which are unique in a) their purity (nothing unnecessary goes in e.g. perfume, essential oils, masking fragrance, extracts and high levels of preservatives) so as to reduce irritation to sensitive skin types and b) their higher concentrations of those ingredients which actually work and which skin needs to remain soothed and moisturised. It contains peptides which work on reducing the appearance of expression lines and wrinkles without causing irritation to sensitive skin.

Skin feels softer and smoother immediately and, used twice a day for 28 days, the appearance of lines and wrinkles are reduced.

What Liz says:

I know I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was. To start with, the packaging, although quite simple in its design, looks rather chic and classy.  Just plain white with a silver lid and a pump action dispenser…less is more!! The pump delivers just the right amount with 2 squirts to cover the whole face and neck area. As they’ve left out all the smelly stuff, there’s just a whiff of clean and fresh (if that makes sense). The cream itself is quite a thick consistency but is absorbed into the skin quite easily, without too much rubbing in. It doesn’t feel at all greasy and does not leave a coating on top of the skin that ‘rubs up’ like some creams do.

I’m always quite nervous of using the same moisturiser for day time as I do on a night mainly because I have to put make up on top of it for daytime. I should also point out here that as Queen do not use additives, there’s no SPF in this moisturiser – I’m Ok with this as I wear a tinted moisturiser rather than a foundation and the one I use has an SPF of 20. I did think that my tinted moisturiser as well as the Renew and Refine might be a tad too much for my skin but they worked fine together and my obviously thirsty skin just absorbed them both providing a good base for the rest of my make up.

Although I haven’t suffered from any eczema outbreaks for a number of months now, my skin can still be dry and/or sensitive at times but I can honestly say that my skin has felt soft and smooth and had a ‘glow’ after each use of Renew and Refine. I’m not sure that lines and wrinkles appear any more reduced than with any other moisturiser (or ever will just with the use of creams…I have resorted to other measures to reduce those babies) but I am more than happy to use this as my day AND night time moisturiser.

45ml is only £36.95 but what I also like about Queen Cosmetics is the fact that they do sample pots which are an ideal way to try out a few different products without breaking the bank – they’re also fab for holidays too (save the luggage allowance for the shoes!!)

What Tracey says:

I passed the cream onto my mum as she has fairly dry skin; I found it slightly too greasy for mine and unfortunately it did bring me out in a few spots. My skin is very temperamental!

I thought mum would appreciate it, unlike me she doesn’t spend a  fortune on skin care but is always grateful for any ‘hand-me-downs’. She had recently undertaken a 5-week course of radio-therapy which had left her washed out and her skin was not its usual glowing self. It was being quite erratic, blotchy and prone to flaring up.

What can I say she loved it. Her overall verdict was that it was fabulous, in her words  ‘it left my skin so soft and just well … nice’ (She isn’t like me and doesn’t get that excited about face creams) Most importantly it didn’t bring her out in spots ,hives or bumps and it definitely calmed her skin down leaving it more uniform. She slowly but surely started to get her glow back. She has used the whole bottle and has been quite vocal that she would definitely purchase again.

I asked her if she had got to mark it out of 10 what would she give it and she said ……10! Praise indeed.