This Works In-Transit Camera Close-Up

Review | This Works In-Transit Camera Close-Up

When your brand has a name like ‘This Works’, you have to be pretty damn sure your products will, you know, work. Otherwise you’re basically just inviting people to respond with, “Er, actually, no it doesn’t”: which is pretty much what my mum said when she handed her tube of This Works In-Transit Camera Close-Up over to me a few weeks ago.

My mum had purchased this product following a recommendation from Victoria Beckham (Not a personal one, I hasten to add. My mum and Vicky aren’t THAT close…), who she has a bit of a soft spot for. Unfortunately, though, she wasn’t particularly impressed. “It makes my skin feel dry,” she said, as she passed it over. “And I don’t look ANYTHING like Victoria Beckham!”

Well, I don’t look like Victoria Beckham either after using this, but that’s OK, because that’s not what it does.

This Works In-Transit Camera Close-Up: the details…

So, what DOES it do? A little bit of everything, really. This is a three-in-one moisturiser, primer and face mask, and the ‘In Transit’ part of the name is inspired by the idea that it’s the perfect product for travel, given that you’re essentially getting three separate products in one single tube/application.

This idea really appealed to me. I’m not much of a jet-setter, obviously, but I AM pretty high maintenance, and when I do travel, I don’t travel light. I’m that person, in fact, who checks a full-sized suitcase onto a short-haul flight, purely because I can’t stand the thought of spending two entire days without my full arsenal of products (And, OK, shoes. Gotta have a shoe for every eventuality…), so anything that frees up space in my makeup bag, and minimises the chances of me having to sprint through Gatwick airport to try to get my suitcase onto the flight is something worth checking out, as far as I’m concerned.

(Oh, and it also contains Hyaluronic Acid to plump the skin, and caffeine, to make you look refreshed. I generally come off even a short flight looking like I haven’t slept in my life, so that sounded promising, too.)

This Works In-Transit Camera Close-Up

This Works In-Transit Camera Close-Up: my thoughts

I tried this for a couple of weeks, and used it for all three of the purposes stated on the tube. And it was fine.

As a moisturiser, it was fine: it absorbs quickly, is non-greasy, and, unlike my mum’s experience, it didn’t leave my skin feeling dry, either. (I should say here that my mum’s skin is prone to dryness, and is more delicate than mine, which is as tough as old boots, and generally untroubled by anything I chose to throw at it. Except TCP, of course, but we don’t talk about that…)

As a primer, it was also fine. It wasn’t in the same league as Smashbox Photo Finish, which is my Holy Grail primer, and the standard all other products must try to live up to, but it left my skin feeling smooth and matte, and although it did take a few minutes to sink in properly, which is a little annoying (I am impatient as well as high-maintenance. It’s not a great combination, to tell you the truth…), it dries to a non-sticky finish, and my makeup went on smoothly over the top of it.

As a mask, it was… I honestly didn’t notice any difference to my skin at all when I used it as a mask. I didn’t really feel there was a visible difference, and it didn’t make me look more “awake” either, so while it was pleasant enough to use, I wasn’t exactly blown-away by it.

And therein lies the problem. This little tube, you see, costs £30, which, while not the most expensive skincare product you’ll ever find, isn’t exactly a ‘budget’ option, either. For that kind of money, I expect to see a real difference in my skin. In this case, I didn’t, so although I was happy to get to try it, it’s not something I’d be in a hurry to purchase for myself.

As always, however, the usual disclaimers apply here: everyone is different, so if you’ve tried this yourself, I’d love to hear what you thought of it!

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