I like Charlotte Tilbury products and no doubt the crystal-designed plastic and rose gold lids look fabulous on your dressing table but I can’t help thinking that it’s all a bit fur coat and no knickers. Gushy, fussy hyperbolic marketing might appeal to some but the thrill of paying out large amounts of money to possess face creams packaged prettily soon fades. The stuff looks gorgeous but it’s very expensive and I’m not sure that it’s any better than any other moisturisers, despite the claims of the flame-haired artiste herself. It reminds me to my mum’s go-to “zinc cream” or, in fact Sudocrem onle a bit better-smelling. Maybe they d have a tiny touch of magic about them, who knows? Just because you say something is wonderful though, it’s not the same as a double-blind scientific proof.

Don’t get me wrong, the cleanser (Multi Miracle Glow) removes your make-up effectively; the moisturiser does moisturise (although I have never really got used to the sticky-face night cream) and they all smell divine but I simply don’t see any magical effects on my 52 year old face. I don’t like jar packaging, either, as it’s too easy to contaminate.

So farewell, then, Charlotte. I’ve decided that I want to do something positive about my melasma and hyper-pigmentation this year so I’ve invested in the Obagi system. It’s early days yet in the projected 16 week skin renovation but my face is already looking healthier than in ages. The packaging is plain and you could never call it picturesque, and the products, give off a faintly medicinal aroma, except the sweetly-floral cleansing gel. I’m currently in my third week of using this skincare and I have seen a definite improvement in my skin’s clarity and some smoother texture. The hazard of using the powerful exfoliant by day is some peeling and I’ve had to use a much more moisturing foundation that contains hyaluronic acid to compensate but, so far, I’m rather impressed.

I invested in the travel size Obagi bag too but I’ve discovered that it contains no moisturiser so I can achieve a happy compromise by using my Charlotte Tilbury Magic cream travel sizes.