Golden and glistening, the translucent capsules look so enticing in my hand, like magic beans or jewels.
I choose one and pierce it with a needle, before squeezing some of the elixir on to my finger and caressing the unctuous liquid into my face.
Finally, I take a deep breath and am hit, not by the alluring scent of an expensive perfume, but by a strong pong of fish. It's at this point I realise just how challenging this month-long cod liver oil assignment is going to be.
According to a vast number of nutritionists, beauty editors and online mothers' forums, cod liver oil is the world's best-kept beauty secret. Not only will massaging it on to your face help soften and even erase lines, its rich content of vitamins A, D and omega 3 fatty acids should keep skin looking hydrated and youthful for longer.
Better yet, the advocates insist, these same nutrients can help plump skin from the inside. At 40, with the lines around my eyes, mouth and on my forehead multiplying at an alarming rate, the prospect of a cheap anti-ageing alternative to expensive face creams and serums is very appealing.
So I decide to put cod liver oil to the test. For a month it will replace my usual Lancôme day moisturiser and night cream, which cost £84.15.
I'll apply it to my face after showering in the morning, and after cleansing at night. I'll also take one capsule a day orally.
I'll monitor how my skin looks and feels and, for a more independent assessment, will have my face scanned before and afterwards using a Visia machine. This machine measures wrinkles, sun damage, redness and pore size.
Nicolas Miedzianowski-Sinclair, of The Cosmetic Imaging Studio clinic in London, gives me my initial scan results and they're a mixed bag: extensive UV damage on my face and below-average skin tone, but wrinkles and fine lines better than average for my age.
Ready to begin, I head to my local health food shop and spend £7.45 on 90 high-potency 1,000mg cod liver oil capsules. I choose 1,000mg over the 400mg alternative on the basis that 'high strength' must equal 'more effective'. I'll take one capsule orally per day and rub the oil of another into my skin.
So what's it like to apply my new 'moisturiser'? The oil comes in innocuous-looking capsules that don't smell of anything. But once opened, you are reminded that cod liver oil comes from . . . cod.
The oil I squeeze out feels pleasant to the touch - light and almost silky - and is easily massaged into my skin. It doesn't make my skin look greasy, but as I work it into the crevices of my face, I feel as if I am basting myself with the contents of a fishing trawler.
It's so repulsive, I seriously wonder if I will be able to continue with the experiment for four weeks. More important, will I still have a husband by the end? Thankfully, the smell fades over the next five minutes and I proffer a cheek to my spouse, Sam, for his opinion. He admits 'there's something of the sea' about me, however, he says it's not offensive.
But throughout the day, I become aware of an odd odour emanating from beneath my nostrils, which I can only liken to the oil from a fish fryer and it even impregnates my pillowcases. The effects on my skin are harder to evaluate. For the first couple of days there's no change. On the fifth day my chin begins to flake and I wonder if this is due to the vitamin A in cod liver oil.
Some anti-ageing products use derivatives of vitamin A as an ingredient because of the way it promotes cell turnover in skin (acting a bit like a chemical peel), thereby helping to 'erase' lines. But stronger, prescription-strength formulations of Vitamin A sometimes cause redness and dryness for the first few weeks.
After I've been using it for a
week, several people tell me my skin is looking more 'glowy'. Thankfully
no one comments on the smell, or my slightly dry chin. But I'm still
not convinced.
While some days I think my skin looks great, on others I think it looks terrible - with increased redness and enlarged pores and even a small pimple next to my nose. I hardly ever get spots, so it's a very unwelcome visitor.
The lingering smell is also starting to put me off my food. But, gradually, as the final week approaches, my skin miraculously seems to calm down and - as long as I hold my breath while applying the oil - I become inured to the pong de poisson.
I learn that it's better to pierce a capsule with the point of a pair of tweezers than a needle because it makes a slightly larger hole and you can squeeze more out at a time. Also, one capsule can last for two applications.
I'm amazed at the number of people who suddenly tell me how good my complexion is. When I go for lunch with friends I've not seen for months, and who know nothing about my experiment, they all say how young I look.
'After I've been using it for a week, several people tell me my skin is looking more 'glowy'. Thankfully no one comments on the smell, or my slightly dry chin. But I'm still not convinced.'
At home, it's a different story. While Sam said he barely noticed the smell at the start, he's become more sensitive to it. As he comes in for a kiss one evening, he grimaces then says: 'Definitely fishy.' The scent of cod liver oil is not an aphrodisiac.
By the time my month is up, applying the oil - and taking one a day with a meal - has become an integral part of my routine.
But has it made any difference? I return to Nicolas and his Visia machine. Incredibly, it appears the compliments do have some basis in fact: according to my second lot of scans, cod liver oil has significantly improved both my skin tone - that is the evenness of my complexion - and also reduced the fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes. On the left side of my face, the texture of my skin, which was always good, hasn't changed, but my uneven skin tone has improved dramatically, taking me from being on the 45th percentile among my peers to the 69th (in these skin tests, high numbers are good).
There is a slightly increased redness around my nose, but the lines around my eyes have reduced, with most lines appearing less intense or having disappeared altogether. Nicolas estimates it's taken four to five years off my face.
Intriguingly, the results on the right side of my face aren't quite so impressive. Nicolas suggests this is caused by me being left-handed and applying creams more vigorously to the left side of my face.
So why did applying cod liver oil work? Cosmetic dermatologist, Dr Sam Bunting, says the results are more likely down to the fact it's rich in omega 3 fatty acids, rather than vitamin A. 'It contains a high percentage of omega 3 fatty acids and there's no doubt your face would benefit from these as they bolster the skin's barrier function, improving texture and may provide protection from the damaging effects of UV,' she says.
She adds that taking cod liver oil orally might also boost results if my diet had previously been low in vitamin A, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D. These can work from the inside out to improve hydration and plumpness, protect skin cells and boost elasticity.
Whatever the science, it's working and I am delighted with the results. In fact, even though the experiment has ended I carry on rubbing on my crow's feet.
Until Sam gives me a kiss, sniffs, and asks suspiciously: 'Have you been using the cod liver oil again?' I confess I have. 'Would you like me to stop?' His reply is unequivocal. Sadly, it seems, he prefers me wrinkly to whiffy.
I choose one and pierce it with a needle, before squeezing some of the elixir on to my finger and caressing the unctuous liquid into my face.
Finally, I take a deep breath and am hit, not by the alluring scent of an expensive perfume, but by a strong pong of fish. It's at this point I realise just how challenging this month-long cod liver oil assignment is going to be.
According to a vast number of nutritionists, beauty editors and online mothers' forums, cod liver oil is the world's best-kept beauty secret. Not only will massaging it on to your face help soften and even erase lines, its rich content of vitamins A, D and omega 3 fatty acids should keep skin looking hydrated and youthful for longer.
Better yet, the advocates insist, these same nutrients can help plump skin from the inside. At 40, with the lines around my eyes, mouth and on my forehead multiplying at an alarming rate, the prospect of a cheap anti-ageing alternative to expensive face creams and serums is very appealing.
So I decide to put cod liver oil to the test. For a month it will replace my usual Lancôme day moisturiser and night cream, which cost £84.15.
I'll apply it to my face after showering in the morning, and after cleansing at night. I'll also take one capsule a day orally.
I'll monitor how my skin looks and feels and, for a more independent assessment, will have my face scanned before and afterwards using a Visia machine. This machine measures wrinkles, sun damage, redness and pore size.
Nicolas Miedzianowski-Sinclair, of The Cosmetic Imaging Studio clinic in London, gives me my initial scan results and they're a mixed bag: extensive UV damage on my face and below-average skin tone, but wrinkles and fine lines better than average for my age.
Ready to begin, I head to my local health food shop and spend £7.45 on 90 high-potency 1,000mg cod liver oil capsules. I choose 1,000mg over the 400mg alternative on the basis that 'high strength' must equal 'more effective'. I'll take one capsule orally per day and rub the oil of another into my skin.
So what's it like to apply my new 'moisturiser'? The oil comes in innocuous-looking capsules that don't smell of anything. But once opened, you are reminded that cod liver oil comes from . . . cod.
Before and after: After a rocky start, Clare becomes inured to the pong de poisson
The oil I squeeze out feels pleasant to the touch - light and almost silky - and is easily massaged into my skin. It doesn't make my skin look greasy, but as I work it into the crevices of my face, I feel as if I am basting myself with the contents of a fishing trawler.
It's so repulsive, I seriously wonder if I will be able to continue with the experiment for four weeks. More important, will I still have a husband by the end? Thankfully, the smell fades over the next five minutes and I proffer a cheek to my spouse, Sam, for his opinion. He admits 'there's something of the sea' about me, however, he says it's not offensive.
But throughout the day, I become aware of an odd odour emanating from beneath my nostrils, which I can only liken to the oil from a fish fryer and it even impregnates my pillowcases. The effects on my skin are harder to evaluate. For the first couple of days there's no change. On the fifth day my chin begins to flake and I wonder if this is due to the vitamin A in cod liver oil.
Some anti-ageing products use derivatives of vitamin A as an ingredient because of the way it promotes cell turnover in skin (acting a bit like a chemical peel), thereby helping to 'erase' lines. But stronger, prescription-strength formulations of Vitamin A sometimes cause redness and dryness for the first few weeks.
Result: Clare's wrinkles (highlighted in green on a computer scan) are less obvious
While some days I think my skin looks great, on others I think it looks terrible - with increased redness and enlarged pores and even a small pimple next to my nose. I hardly ever get spots, so it's a very unwelcome visitor.
The lingering smell is also starting to put me off my food. But, gradually, as the final week approaches, my skin miraculously seems to calm down and - as long as I hold my breath while applying the oil - I become inured to the pong de poisson.
I learn that it's better to pierce a capsule with the point of a pair of tweezers than a needle because it makes a slightly larger hole and you can squeeze more out at a time. Also, one capsule can last for two applications.
I'm amazed at the number of people who suddenly tell me how good my complexion is. When I go for lunch with friends I've not seen for months, and who know nothing about my experiment, they all say how young I look.
'After I've been using it for a week, several people tell me my skin is looking more 'glowy'. Thankfully no one comments on the smell, or my slightly dry chin. But I'm still not convinced.'
At home, it's a different story. While Sam said he barely noticed the smell at the start, he's become more sensitive to it. As he comes in for a kiss one evening, he grimaces then says: 'Definitely fishy.' The scent of cod liver oil is not an aphrodisiac.
By the time my month is up, applying the oil - and taking one a day with a meal - has become an integral part of my routine.
But has it made any difference? I return to Nicolas and his Visia machine. Incredibly, it appears the compliments do have some basis in fact: according to my second lot of scans, cod liver oil has significantly improved both my skin tone - that is the evenness of my complexion - and also reduced the fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes. On the left side of my face, the texture of my skin, which was always good, hasn't changed, but my uneven skin tone has improved dramatically, taking me from being on the 45th percentile among my peers to the 69th (in these skin tests, high numbers are good).
There is a slightly increased redness around my nose, but the lines around my eyes have reduced, with most lines appearing less intense or having disappeared altogether. Nicolas estimates it's taken four to five years off my face.
Cod pong: Unfortunately, Clare's husband prefers her wrinkly rather than whiffy
Intriguingly, the results on the right side of my face aren't quite so impressive. Nicolas suggests this is caused by me being left-handed and applying creams more vigorously to the left side of my face.
So why did applying cod liver oil work? Cosmetic dermatologist, Dr Sam Bunting, says the results are more likely down to the fact it's rich in omega 3 fatty acids, rather than vitamin A. 'It contains a high percentage of omega 3 fatty acids and there's no doubt your face would benefit from these as they bolster the skin's barrier function, improving texture and may provide protection from the damaging effects of UV,' she says.
She adds that taking cod liver oil orally might also boost results if my diet had previously been low in vitamin A, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D. These can work from the inside out to improve hydration and plumpness, protect skin cells and boost elasticity.
Whatever the science, it's working and I am delighted with the results. In fact, even though the experiment has ended I carry on rubbing on my crow's feet.
Until Sam gives me a kiss, sniffs, and asks suspiciously: 'Have you been using the cod liver oil again?' I confess I have. 'Would you like me to stop?' His reply is unequivocal. Sadly, it seems, he prefers me wrinkly to whiffy.
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