The best facial oils sink softly into skin, plumping and nourishing without ever feeling tacky or greasy. Specific ingredients are often chosen for their age-defying properties, helping to brighten skin, or lessen wrinkles. While compiling The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible, we asked our beauty sleuths to help narrow down the choices for you – and here is their shortlist, from a very long list indeed (around 80 oils altogether). Fantastic, we think, for this time of year: try a facial oil smoothed over your night cream, to ‘seal in’ the moisture. We find it really helps ‘plump up’ the skin...
Nude Replenishing Night Oil 
 Score: 9.65/10
Wow. We have waited 14 years for a product to notch up a mark this staggeringly high – averaged across 10 testers (mostly, they gave it a 10). So yes, Nude Replenishing Night Oil – from the range developed in tandem with Ali Hewson (a.k.a. ‘Mrs. Bono’) - has just ever-so-slightly nudged ahead of our previous long-standing highest-scorer, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, and we have no reason to believe Nude Replenishing Night Oil won’t also go on to become one of the great beauty classics. With its blend of active oils (including from macadamia seed, apricot kernel, kukui, raspberry and cranberry seeds), this is super-rich in omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9. The pump action bottle is sculpted from eco-plastic in Nude’s signature mauve shade, and it is – like all the facial oils here – 100% natural.
Comments: ‘Absolutely enhanced radiance, I felt and looked ten years younger – smoother, less lined, brighter, this is serious skincare” • ‘makes my dry crepey skin and flaky patches more softer and dewy, and didn’t aggravate at all which is a miracle in itself’ • ‘my combination skin was definitely plumper, smoother, more moisturised and younger-looking, within 24 hours of first using’ • ‘my dry sensitive skin was much smoother, I would absolutely buy’ • ‘a real antiage product, a must have for mature skin’ • ‘I like the sleek pump dispenser, which is easy to use and to keep clean’.
• Nude Replenishing Night Oil, £44 for 15 ml at www.victoriahealth.com; click here to find it and remember: you’re entitled to a 5% ‘insider discount’ which is automatically deducted at checkout when you visit from our site
Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate
 Score: 9.15/10
This previously came top of the facial oils category in The Green Beauty Bible, but when we sent it out to our mature testers again for this book, they awarded it a micro-mark higher than its previous score (which was 9.1/10, in that case). Which, to us, just goes to confirm what we know: that our trials are incredibly consistent!
Comments: ‘Skin was immediately much smoother and after four weeks, the difference was quite dramatic, my skin was more toned and firm too‘• ‘my combination/dry skin looks youthful and I think the aromatherapy oils help me unwind and sleep better’ • ‘I’m 45 with slight wrinkles, dry skin, tightness, sun damage – and this product makes me look younger! Definitely plumped my skin and makes me looklike I drink lots of water, made jawline more toned and helped my “11” lines on my forehead’ • ‘my sensitive skin is smooth and soft; particularly liked the instruction to inhale the fragrance, which did seem to clam my mind before bed’.
• Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate, £38.75 for 28 ml at www.uk.lizearle.com
Vaishaly Night Nourisher (Dry/Sensitive)
 Score: 8.78/10
The Normal/Combination version of this also appeared in The Green Beauty Bible, but with our anti-ageing testing panel it was Vaishaly’s blend for drier skins which wowed. (Again, achieving a very similar score.) The skin-cocooning oils include jojoba and macadamia nut, plus Arctic raspberry seed extract and grapeseed oil.
Comments: ‘This is luxurious to use and makes me feel pampered: I followed the massage technique from the leaflet and my skin feels plump and hydrated, soothed and comfy; make-up stays put the next day too’ • ‘people say my skin is glowing, it feels intensively moisturised and really smooth, also fewer hormonal breakouts’ • ‘feels wonderful to massage your face with this, even nicer if you can get someone to do it for you!’ • ‘my dry/normal skin loved this – looked amazing! So soft and plump’ • ‘I didn’t have that sinking feeling when I looked in the mirror in the morning!’
• Vaishaly Night Nourisher (Dry/Sensitive), £75 for 30 ml at www.vaishaly.com; just click here to find it on-line
Jane Scrivner Balance Skin Elixir
 Score: 8.6/10
Jane Scrivner is an old friend of Beauty Bible: a health writer and detox expert (and author of many books on the subject) who’s finally brought out her own range. And testers loved Jane’s golden jojoba oil, with its heavenly blend of essential oils: sweet orange, lavender, sandalwood, ylang ylang, myrrh, frankincense and elemi. As Jane points out, it actually balances skin, so oily-skinned women shouldn’t be afraid to use this blend.
Comments: ‘My combination skin was brighter and looking better within 24 hours; absolutely divine smell; in the morning after using at night it looks radiant and “alert” – wide awake!’ • ‘as a beauty elixir/pick me up, it’s heaven; I use it all the time now and have noticed a definite improvement in skin tone’ • ‘generous size lasts up to six months, has improved my combination skin by balancing and normalising it’ • ‘after a few days, skin felt softer and well-moisturised, with a healthy-looking bloom’ • ‘definite thumbs-up for brighter, plumper skin, which feels smooth and less dry’.
• Jane Scrivner Balance Skin Elixir, £27 for 50 ml at www.janescrivner.com; click here to find it
Ila Beyond Organic Face Oil for Glowing Radiance
 Score: 8.55/10
Luxe spa brand Ila harnesses the power of delectably-scented rosa Damascena flower oil for this dropper-bottled facial oil, which also features argan oil, rosehip seed oil, sandalwood and vitamin E oil. More than 92.5% of the blend is organically-certified, but the final product doesn’t carry a certifier’s symbol – so only two daisies in our ‘daisy rating’, not three. As so often with rose products we trial, testers were enraptured by the fragrance.
Comments: ‘My skin seemed to radiate after using this: so bright and fresh – not sure it gets rid of lines, but a glowing look knocks years off – a real tonic in a bottle’ • ‘my skin laps the oil up and I can see/feel that it’s plumper, smoother and brighter’ • ‘thought my face would look greasy but it sinks in very quickly’ • ‘my mature, dry skin is rehydrated and plumper; I also feel I get a better nights sleepwhich is anti-ageing!’ • ‘plumpness is the first thing I noticed – which gave a better look to the more wrinkled parts of my sad old face! – smooth soft skin from first application – glorious smell!
• Ila Beyond Organic Face Oil for Glowing Radiance, £56.40 for 30 ml at www.lovelula.com; click here and enter the code bb12 at the checkout and you’ll receive a 5% discount |
