Our Managing Editor reviews the Trilogy Age-Proof range: 'Before I even started, there was a lot to like.'

I am finally one of those people.

For the first time in my life – and we’re talking decades here – I have coordinated skin products in my bathroom cabinet. No more cleanser from here, moisturiser from there, oh-bugger-the-eye-cream. Nope, I have a full set, and I’ve put it to the test to see if it makes any difference when things designed to work together are used as they should be. If the accumulated effect is greater than the single item. If the whole really is greater than its individual parts.

The four skincare products I’m trialling are from the Trilogy Age-Proof range: the Active Enzyme Cleansing Cream; the CoQ10 Booster Oil, the Replenishing Night Cream and the CoQ10 Eye Recovery Concentrate.

I offered myself as a guinea pig to trial them, but before I even started, there was a lot to like.

First, the CoQ10 Booster Oil is certified organic and the others are certified natural. It was kind of a relief to look at the list of ingredients (everything from macadamia seeds to chamomile to licorice to pineapple) and know what most of them are. Second, they are from ‘100 per cent pure’ New Zealand (and what’s not to love about the land across the ditch?). Third, the company supports ethical trade practices and doesn’t test on animals.

And finally, I checked out the price. My products were given to me, but it was good to see that, in different circumstances, I could really afford them.

I trialled the products for a week, morning (except for the night cream) and night. I used them exactly as directed (this is also a first for me - I NEVER read directions). I did use the eye makeup remover, day cream and sunscreen I already own (I am, shall we say, blessed with the type of skin that fries from computer glare, let alone proper sun).

So how did it go?

Active Enzyme Cleansing Cream (rrp $42.95).

It’s hard to say how much I loved this product.

It’s simple to use - you simply massage it onto dry skin, then rinse off with warm water - but I wasn’t prepared for the way it seemed to work into my skin. Because of that, I probably massaged more than I have with other cleansers.

The results were fantastic. I’d been using an exfoliating scrub (perhaps too regularly) but no amount of ‘polishing’ was giving me the ‘babies’ bum’ texture of my youth. This cleanser delivered within three days.

And it smells like the potions they use at posh beauticians.

This is one product I’ll definitely keep using.

CoQ10 Booster Oil (rrp $43.95).

I was late to the facial oil trend - and more fool me. This one draws on macadamia, black caraway seeds and a blend of chia, blueberry, strawberry and pomegranate oils. If I wasn’t applying it, I’d be eating it.

A few little drops morning and night absorbed easily and my skin felt supple and plump. Plump isn’t something I usually covet, but in this context … tick! Another one for the shopping cart.

Replenishing Night Cream (rrp $53.95).

I’ve used way too many night creams that just seem to sit on the surface without doing much. This isn’t one of them.

I really liked the way it absorbed into my skin, especially after I’d used the CoQ10 Booster Oil. These two products really did feel like they worked as a pair.

The cream comes with a little spatula for people who get thingy about putting their fingers in a jar. I don’t, and didn’t use it. Still, considerate of the Trilogy peeps to think of those who do.

CoQ10 Eye Recovery Concentrate (rrp $36.95).

Now, I’m the first to confess I use caffeine to take my energy levels up a notch at about eleven in the morning, every day, but I’ve never thought of it as a way of pepping up my eyes. This little vial, a roll-on about as big as your middle finger, is full of the stuff, along with other goodies designed to reduce dark circles and puffiness (hello Sunday mornings!).

Remember how I said I followed the instruction for all these products? I lied. I kinda skipped the ones for the eye serum (because how hard can it be?). And I was a bit frustrated when the roller didn’t release the potion my peepers so desperately needed.

What can I say? Read the directions. If you do as they say (ie shake it well before each use), it applies like a dream. And it made me wonder how much eye cream I’ve wasted by lathering too liberally in the past. My eyes felt open and awake. And after a long week at work, that’s saying something.

Would I use these products? Yes. Do you need to use them all together? Well, circumstances meant I could, and I’d say the sum of the parts was brilliant.

Would I recommend these products? Definitely.

And would I feel good about it? Absolutely.

What sort of skincare routine do you use?