At the end May, I embarked on a 2 week journey with the creme de la creme of skincare – La Prairie with a focus on their latest innovation, the Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster ($335.00 CDN/50mL). At such a luxurious price point, I am expecting luxurious results, but let’s have a look at the rest of the products I was using too because I definitely had my favourites!
My La Prairie routine consisted of the: Water-Activated Foam Cleanser, Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster (AARRP), Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Dry Oil, Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Cream and the Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream. I treated the AARRP as a serum as it is oil-free and spreads easily all over the skin with just a small amount.
The Foam Cleanser is very thick and feels very luxurious to use. It reminded me a lot of the Guerlain Blanc de Perle Cleanser (review) in terms of consistency. This is a cleanser that definitely requires damp skin or else it doesn’t glide across the skin very easily. It did a decent job of removing face makeup without drying out my skin or causing me to cry out for moisturizer right away. According to the La Prairie website, it also makes a fantastic shave cream, but I don’t know if you’d want to use it for that seeing as how it is such a luxurious product! I’d rather save it ALL for my face!
The AARRB (50mL/$335 CDN) is where things get serious in the routine! I would show you guys a sample of it, but my supply was limited and I needed every mL for my face! This is a lightweight serum that smoothes easily over the skin and is designed to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and preserve firmness, elasticity and tone of the skin all using a specially targeted delivery system that goes to where wrinkles are at their worst. The promise is that beginning with Day 1, wrinkles appear diminished within 2 weeks, skin looks smoother and younger. There are a number of botanical extracts including ginseng root, horsetail extract and glycoproteins that together act to revitalize, moisturize and give skin a new lease on life! I should also mention that dimethicone is the fourth ingredient in a very long list (most serums have ingredient lists that are as long as the Bible because they are the most active) which can be an issue for some. I tend to only use silicone-based products during the day as I treat them like makeup, but I prefer to eliminate silicones in my nightly skincare routine.
Now, does it work? I know I just turned 32 and anti-aging products should be working on me now, but I don’t have significant wrinkles just yet so in terms of wrinkle reduction I really didn’t notice much. Skin texture though? Definitely smoother. No bumps or uneven texture.
Let’s get to my favourite product the Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Dry Oil which is a blend of sweet almond, jojoba and sunflower seed oil along with calendula, arnica montana and rosemary leaf extract. Firstly, I just ADORE the scent of this stuff. Just smelling it makes me feel better and the consistency is well…DRY. It is an oil that does not leave a sheen to the skin and seemingly absorbs into the skin instantly! You will want to keep stroking your skin because it becomes so soft and smooth. I thought this oil was amazing on it own until Becky, the La Prairie Lead Educator, told me to mix a few drops with the Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Cream! I mean, WOW. If you suffer from dry skin this gel-cream formula will make your skin SO HAPPY as it is rich in consistency without making your skin feel sticky.
I was originally using the Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex in addition to the Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream because I liked the gel consistency and how light it felt. Unfortunately, I had not read the ingredients beforehand and within two days started to experience dry, itchy patches around my eyes including my eye lids. I had a look at the ingredients and lactose is third on the list. I am lactose-intolerant and I know that dry patches can be a symptom even though I’ve never experienced them until now. Whatever the cause was, this eye essence was not working for me and although I stuck with it for a week even though I was itching, I eventually had to stop and stuck with just the Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream which turned out to be a wonderfully plumping eye cream that is safe enough to use even on the eye lid. This eye cream takes care of practically every concern you might have from fine lines and dark circles to loss of elasticity and while I can’t attest to the anti-aging aspects of it yet, my eye area felt hydrated and perky.
Final Verdict: In every product category there is always a prestige version and this is it. There is something about reaching that point in life and being able to have a La Prairie product in your skincare regime. While I can’t say that I would ever be able to justify owning an entire regime of La Prairie products, I could see myself making a splurge or two on a favourite like the Dry Oil and buy no other skincare for the rest of the year! The eye cream is also something I would consider once I start seeing more fine lines. This brand does use a lot of botanical ingredients in combination with synthetic ingredients which I actually kind of like. Working for a natural skincare company has definitely made me appreciate the efficacy of plants, but I do also believe in the technology of synthetics. This fusion of the two is what La Prairie does really well and although I could never say to you that you HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE THINGS, I guarantee that if you were to just try a few products at the counter, you will fall in love with at least one product and find a way to justify having it in your life.
Thoughts on luxury skincare purchases? What would you make a splurge on?
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