The amount of beauty products I own can (and do) fill an entire shelf, but the one product noticeably missing from the collection is always night cream. I just don’t care for them—hyper-emollient as most of them are, I often find them too thick and perfumed to let the skin truly breathe at night. I usually layer a vitamin-heavy serum under a moisturizing emulsion instead, or slap a sleeping mask above the serum if I really need some first aid, and I’ve yet to feel like I’m at a disadvantage. But only a fool passes up on a chance to kill two birds with one stone and, to be honest, I was genuinely charmed by the wordplay. Enter: Origins’ High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral-Enriched Renewal Cream ($55). This chestnut, wheat germ and orange peel oil mixture smells disarmingly familiar at first blush, almost like cola (if not like a cocktail bitter) thanks to the neroli scent. The chestnut extract renews skin, while potent vitamin E from the wheat germ nourishes the skin barrier. The vitamin C from the orange evens out skin tone and promotes radiance and, for good measure, a pinch of fennel and barley is also in there to clear your mind while reducing inflammation. After the initial tart notes, the scent fades away into an earthy vanilla and, in theory, it’s an absolute winner.  In action, however, it doesn’t even disappoint as much as it just… fails to impress. The morning after, my skin does feel hydrated and supple, but not bouncy, and I really don’t think it’s a matter of semantics. Every other morning I give myself the Jelly Test—you’d know it as Jell-o, but in my house we’ve always called it Jelly—where I quickly and lightly tap different areas of my face with my finger tips just to see how my skin is doing. If the consistency is soft yet slightly resilient, like a certain gel-type dessert, I’m doing fine; any tightness, pain, cracks or uncomfortable textures and I’m not. With the Night-A-Mins, I find that while the skin is soft and hydrated, yes, it isn’t comfortably plush like Jell-o is. My expectation that the cream would be overly thick was directly challenged and sent packing; instead, in the morning after an evening with the Night-A-Mins, my skin is still thirsty for more, and that’s a big no-no in my books. If I’ve taken the time to apply night cream the evening before, the skin around my eyes and temples shouldn’t feel dry by the morning. That beany, vanilla scent is not to my taste, and while the cream sinks in quickly, it seems to leave no trace that it was there the morning after, even when a double coat is applied. This makes me feel like the product attempts too much without noticeably delivering in a key way on any one count. I won’t pretend my eyes are strong enough to notice minuscule changes in my skin’s radiance level, but even texturally, I do feel like the High Potency Night-A-Mins are not potent enough to match up to collagen- or hyaluronic acid-based creams in terms of lasting hydration or plumping out texture from within. It’s a funny claim for me to make because the cream does indeed contain hyaluronic acid in the form of sodium hyaluronate, but that’s exactly the point I’m trying to make: I shouldn’t have to wish for more hydrating ingredients or “oomph” in any cream that is supposed to watch over me for eight whole hours. In closing, Origins mentions that the cream is best suited to combination and dry skin, but I’d like to strongly suggest that drier skin types find themselves something sturdier for the long haul, especially if you’re not intending to layer a serum under the cream. This cream might be a good option for oilier skin types in the summer, or for someone who’s looking into a starter routine that covers a bunch of different bases, but for the most part? I think I’m calling it a night with this one. When I diligently stick to just one cream for months on end, it must mean I like it. Well, it also means I’m lazy (I’m supposed to swap it out for something else) but in the main, I like this one enough to keep using it till it’s finished 🙂 The night cream in question is the Origins High-Potency Night-a-Mins which I’m given to understand, is an upgrade from their previous cream, also called Night-a-Mins. I’d never used the older version so I can’t tell you anything about it. This new one however, I like. But it wasn’t always a smooth journey, which explains why I’ve taken so long with it. I had to figure out what troubled me and how I solved it 🙂 I somehow feel like the High-Potency Night-a-Mins is the night cream counterpoint to the daytime Ginzing Cream. They both sport a zesty citrus scent, which is more mellow and milder in Night-A-Mins than in Ginzing, but which is significantly present. It does seem a little strange at first getting that burst of citrus zest scent in the evening, but it dissipates and the strangeness does go away eventually. What Origins says this night cream does is help to reboot and renew your skin while you sleep, while offering hydration. In fact, the version I have is supposed to be for those with combination-dry skin (which I do) and there is an oil-free version for those of you with combination-oily skin. The texture of this cream is therefore a little thick and a bit heavy, but I don’t find it oily or greasy or suffocating on my skin. What I do find instead is that it isn’t hydrating enough for me. The first couple of weeks I was using this cream, I found that I liked the scent, and texture. It was thick but not too thick and it went on my skin smoothly. While my skin did look a bit better after a week or two, it was also looking drier and I wasn’t quite sure why, until I hit upon the idea that it was due to this cream. So what I do is blend in a drop or two of facial oil, which helps me address this problem, and helps this cream feel more comfortable on my skin. I’ve been using this for months (it’s slow going – look at how much more I have to get through!) and I’m pretty generous with my use, massaging a fairly thick layer into my skin each night to seal in all the goodness of the serums and oils underneath, so this cream will go quite a long way. My skin seems to like it. It feels comfortable, soft, and bright. But do bear in mind that I use serums and oils underneath so I will never attribute any significant change in my skin texture to just one product. It take a village, as they say. While it does claim to make these wonderful improvements to your skin, I can’t quite say that I noticed it being significantly better than any other cream I’ve used. It’s a nice night cream, but if hydration is a concern for you then this isn’t the product you should be using. I honestly don’t think they did enough in that department despite targeting this at those of us with dry skin. IN A NUTSHELL Here is the ingredient list for those interested:- Water, Methyl Trimethicone, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polysorbate 40, Cetyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Myristyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Glycerin, Orange Peel Oil, Orange Flower Oil, Valerian Root Oil, Cinnamomum Cassia Lead Oil, Ferula Galbaniflua Resin Oil, Bitter Orange Peel Oil, Vanilla Fruit Extract, Orange Juice, Citral, Linalool, Limonene, Raspberry Leaf Wax, Fennel Seed Extract, Chestnut Seed Extract, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Coleus Barbatus Extract, Wheat Germ Extract, Barley Extract, Panthenol, Biotin, Folic Acid, Pantethine, Glyceryl Stearate, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Arginine, Caprylyl Glycol, Phytosterols, Cholesterol, Linoleic Acid, Palm Oil, Salicylic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Squalene, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium PCA, Ceteareth-20, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phospholipids, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocotrienols, Calcium Carbonate, Carbomer, Hexylene glycol, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol If you are fan of Paula Begoun then you may be interested that she gave this a big fat 0 but while I accept her points and have no quarrel with her findings since I’m not scientist myself, I have to say that it works fine for my skin with no irritation and my skin does seem to like it a lot. For me, that’s really all it comes down to – does my skin like it? And that’s what I go on 🙂 Have you used this Origins night cream? Are you using anything else by Origins?I have actually managed to get my hands on the Make A Difference + Night Cream which I’m excited about using, because I really really loved the MAD+ Day cream. I went through 2 tubs of that! Now that I’ve shared my thoughts about Night-A-Mins, I guess I finally have the excuse to move on 😉 Paris B Origins High-Potency Night-a-Mins Price: RM115/50ml (pre-GST) Availability: Origins counters and stores Disclosure: Featured product is a press sample for consideration. Our commitment is to honesty and fairness. For posting guidelines please read the disclaimer. |
