Queen Gold Collagen Cream

QUEEN Gold Collagen Cream is a face cream in a black box printed in gold. The front shows the QUEEN crown, a band of hieroglyph-style signs with a winged scarab and an Eye of Horus, the portrait of a woman in a gold pharaonic headdress, and 24K GOLD in a gold band along the bottom.

What it is for, in the words on the box: an anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle cream. In plain terms, it is a cream for face and neck, sold to soften the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

Use it the way you would use any face cream: morning and evening, on clean, dry skin. Smooth a small amount over the face and neck with gentle upward strokes until it sinks in, and keep it away from the eyes. If the directions on the pack differ, follow them.

The difference from an unboxed cream in a bazaar is what you can check for yourself: a brand name and a printed box. It reaches you unopened, at the price on this page, with nothing to haggle over. When it arrives, look on the pack for the size, the ingredient list and the expiry date.

It is for external use only. Try a little on the inner arm first and wait a day before using it on your face. Keep it away from the eyes and from small children. It is not a sunscreen, so in the Egyptian sun you still need one. If you have allergies or very sensitive skin, read the ingredient list on the box before you start.

Keep the lid closed and the jar in its box, out of direct sun and heat, and take the cream with clean, dry fingers so no water gets in. Creams count as liquids at airport security: a jar of 100 ml or less can fly in the cabin inside the clear liquids bag; a larger one goes in checked baggage. Tape the lid, seal the jar in a zip bag and keep it in its box.

Who it suits: adults who want a face and neck cream sold to soften the look of fine lines, and anyone looking for a striking, ready-boxed present to take home from Egypt. Skip it if you have very sensitive or allergy-prone skin and cannot check the ingredients first.