So, I have a confession to make! Up until the age of 36 I did not drink tea or coffee and I still don’t drink coffee. Believe it or not, I don’t actually like the taste of either but when you attend lots of meetings, it gets a bit lame, having to explain that I don’t like hot drinks and am happy with a glass of water. So, I decided to force myself to like something and the most obvious choice, caffeine free, was of course Rooibos! I now drink this black (why start with milk and sugar?) and love it! Those, who follow me, know that I think “Local is Lekker” and I love all natural products, which is why I was excited to try the African Extracts Rooibos range. With all the healing qualities that the tea/plant offers, I can only imagine the goodness the skincare must have. The skincare range contains a bio-active Rooibos extract, made in the Cederberg (that’s about 2 hours from Cape Town) from freshly harvested rooibos leaves and contains high levels of antioxidants that work at a cellular level to combat the destructive action of free radicals. We all know that its sun exposure, pollution, stress and free radicals that are the primary cause of ageing and so, our skincare regime needs to address the above! Bio-active Rooibos, together with advanced plant-based anti-ageing complexes and vitamins, boosts the3 skin’s natural defences and helps reduce the visible signs of ageing. I have been using the Advantage Range (yes, that is for us slightly more mature ladies) and have been very pleasantly surprised. Hydrating Creamy Cleanser I have particularly dry skin and so I am always concerned about a cleanser that isn’t a “milky one that I can use with cotton wool”. This one however, is creamy, gentle and my skin isn’t left feeling like its been stripped of all its oils. With Bio-active Rooibos extract, aloe leaf extract and vitamins C and E it removes dirt without disturbing the skin’s delicate hydro-lipid barrier. Gentle Refining Polish If you have dry skin, you need to exfoliate 2 – 3 times a week, in order to get those oil glands working and to remove dead skin cells. If however, you struggle with oily skin, then only exfoliate once a week. This exfoliator, enriched with Bio-active Rooibos extract, jojoba and grape see oil, apricot seed and aloe leaf extract has been designed specifically for mature and dry skin and removes the daily grime! Intensive Day with SPF 15 The day cream is really rich and creamy – in fact, I would be very happy to use it as my night cream as well. It’s soothing and my skin feels amazing after using it. With high level of antioxidants to help reduce the visible signs of ageing, it boosts the skin against environmental stress. Hand & Nail Cream This hand cream smells amazing (think Fynbos and Rooibos) and has an SPF 15 in it. You know how they always say that you can tell a persons age by their hands? Well, that’s true. We always forget to put sun cream on our hands and by the time we hit 40, the sun spots and damage start to show. This hand cream, not only has the bio-active Rooibos extract but also milk thistle extract, vitamins A and E and UV protection help reduce the visible signs of ageing. It also absorbs really quickly and doesn’t leave my hands feeling oily.