The €8.99 skincare routine that is the best thing I have done to my face

Being in the business of writing about beauty and skincare for a living, and having been doing so for years, these days, it takes quite a lot to impress me.

As in, I don't give a toss about fads and hypes if the results are not living up to their promise. This means, when I was sent a jade roller a few weeks ago, to test out, I was not just sceptical, I even mocked the idea of rolling a crystal across my face to anyone who would listen. If you haven't heard of jade rolling yet, allow me to catch you up: Crystals are having a big moment lately (Victoria Beckham carries hers around with her at all times, apparently). Some argue you should keep them dotted around your house (for energy, protection, better health – just to name a few). In your purse (helps with everything from anxiety to heart aches, don't you know). And now, also, you should be using them as part of your skincare. Yep, it's true. Crystals are all sorts of magical for our complexion, it seems, and hence the buzz around the phenomenon known as jade rolling. Now, it's not a new fad, to be clear. Jade rolling has apparently been used for centuries in ancient Chinese medicine, where the gemstone was believed to draw out negative energy and balance your ‘chi.’ What's more (and what got me interested) is that according to skincare experts, jade rolling actually has some incredible benefits – as proven by scientific research. Basically, what you do, is use the device above on you face – either on its own, or after you have applied your serum or facial oil or day cream, to allow it to penetrate even deeper into your skin. Using a particular pattern, you roll the stone over your face, and let its cool, hard surface work its magic. "By moving the stone across your facial muscles you increase blood circulation, assist lymphatic drainage, and diminish the appearance of fine lines," explains NYC skincare guru, Ling Chan, to beauty website Byrdie. It also helps relax our facial muscles, something which can actually help reduce lines and wrinkles (whoo-hoo!). "Our facial muscles stores a lot of tension," Chang explains. "This tension can cause wrinkles and fine lines, especially around our forehead and eyes." And guys – having tested it for a month now I am sold. Hook, line and sinker. I literally wake up these days and reach straight for my jade roller – and you have no idea how quickly it hides my "I'm a mum so I barely slept" puffy eyes and literally seems to iron both little lines and dark circles. Another benefit I have discovered when using it to help apply my face oil or serum is that I actually end up using less product, as my skin seems to absorb what I put on it so much better when I use the jade roller to do so. Which, in time, is actually saving me money – always a good thing, no? My skin is looking so much glowier (like, I actually had someone ask me the other day if I was pregnant – which I am NOT – just because she thought I had a certain glow!) and I somehow struggle to understand how all this can be down to this €8,99 device, but it looks like for all my reservations, jade rolling actually is all it's cracked up to be – and I for one am not planning on giving it up anytime soon! Have YOU tried jade rolling, ladies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or tweet us at @Herfamilydotie