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Sparkle (1)
Hello!
My name is Roxanna. I think it's important that we get one thing out of the way: I love beauty products - fiercely. I like them so much that I spent my marketing career in the beauty industry and enjoyed every minute of it.
You probably should also know that I use it all: High-end to drugstore brands, I don't discriminate. I just care that it works.
I believe that makeup should be fun, but skincare? I take that seriously. Which brings me to today's post: Anti-aging creams. (Yes! I'm starting with the big guns.) I thought it would be fun to discuss two of the most hyped creams on the market - a "prestige" brand with a devoted cult following and another one that's beloved by dermatologists but you can find at the corner CVS.
Our contenders? Cult fave Creme de la Mer vs dermatologist darling Olay Regenerist Microsculpting Cream.
Which is better? Let's find out!
Creme de la Mer
Retail: $125 for 1 oz
Texture: Hard and slightly tacky. Must be liquefied before use by rubbing vigorously between your palms. Definitely not for the lazy or the busy.
Scent: Expensive-smelling (as it should be!) subtle powdery floral.
Sales pitch: From the La Mer website:
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?
Because something has happened that cannot be explained. If miracles are defined as unique events that appear inexplicable by the laws of nature, then surely Crème de la Mer is a miracle. For here is the Crème that will truly change the way you see yourself, the Crème that has inspired a devoted following...
From there the story goes on to talk about how Dr. Max Huber, an aerospace physicist, was disfigured in a horrible lab accident and medical science was of not help so 6,000 experiments later he came up with the super secret seaweed formula that needs to ferment for many months before it turns into the Miracle Broth(TM) which is greater than the sum of its parts. Phew!
(Right. So the Creme "cannot be explained" and it's actions are "inexplicable" and "a miracle" - you simply have to BELIEVE. Uh-huh.)
My experience:
I actually like the La Mer Creme, despite the "BELIEVE!" marketing and the hefty price tag. I'm the type to have a night-time beauty routine, and having to warm up the cream before use makes you feel like you're doing something special for yourself. It's also an excellent moisturizer, and it certainly makes my skin look rosy and fills in some of those fine lines. I first thought it was too greasy for my combination skin, but I eventually figured out that I only needed to use a little bit. It does make my skin look dewy, though I suspect that the healthy glow is partly due to the physical effort needed to liquefy the cream.
How does it do that?
As much as I like the creme, and as much as I want to believe that a magical antiaging broth exists, there's a very good reason the cream works (i.e. moisturizes and plumps up the skin) - in addition to the seaweed broth it includes mineral oil and petrolatum, two very common and effective occlusive moisturizers. I'm not saying that the magic seaweed is useless, but we all know the wonders of baby oil and Vaseline (petrolatum) - they're pretty hard to beat. (Just ask Tyra - or better yet, watch her!)
Olay Regenerist Micro-Sulpting Cream
Retail: $25 for 1.7 oz
Texture: Light and moisturizing. Delightful.
Scent: Heavy floral scent. Very retro - if you like Chanel No. 5, you’ll like this fragrance.
Sales pitch: From the Olay website:
Regenerate your skin's appearance at the cellular level.
The result of over 50 years of Olay research, this luxurious cream has the highest concentration of our signature amino-peptide complex infused with intracellular fortifier and a touch of precious marine proteins.
Intracellular hydration regenerates volume and shape across skin's 10 million surface cells, progressively lifting and micro-sculpting...
The rest of it reads as if this cream is the medical achievement of the century. You practically need a PhD to understand it, which is the point.
My experience:
I hate the scent (Olay? I may be old enough to need an anti-aging cream, but I don't need to smell like it, thankyouverymuch) but I absolutely adore the light texture - my skin drinks this cream right up. It didn't take long for it to "work" - I woke up to
