NOW I have to say from the get-go, I like what the Kear Age-Defying Face Balm promises, which is to “revive the forgotten wisdom of ancient Greece.” Wah-hey! What’s that there on your face, ‘chele? Oh, a bit of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Well, OK, not exactly, but this lot have done their beauty homework – and while I didn’t get a bath of ass’s milk (which frankly never appealed) – there are some very lush, natural ingredients in this gorgeously scented, rich face balm which is closest to, in the modern world a certain brand name eight-hour cream in terms of initial consistency, but nothing else.
Kear Age-Defying Face Balm £50, (50ml)
It lacks, thank goodness, the heavy cloying feeling of those Vaseline-feel balms, and just like it says on the jar, is a bit of an “herbal superstar.”
Unlike the more science-y products that contain AHA-acids and retinol, this is a lovely, very gentle balm based on olive oil, beeswax, calendula, orange, propolis and red vine. This last one is not that familiar to me as a topical agent, but I know red vine supplements are meant to help with those tiny broken veins and vein issues in general.
It’s a mild, soothing product, as the word balm suggests, and perfect if you’ve been on a bit of a harsher product binge. My skin was slightly peely after testing rather a lot of retinol products, so this calmed everything down virtually overnight.
by Michele Kirsch
Kear Age-Defying Face Balm retails at £50