Hollywood's proclivity for Botox, fillers, and other under-the-needle procedures yielding magically smooth, line-free complexions is at an all time high. And I'm not afraid to admit that as a beauty editor, and pop-culture-devouring woman in 2017, it's fed a beautiful dark-twisted fantasy of staying wrinkle-free forever. I mean, I have yet to see any semblance of crow's feet on a Kardashian. I have nothing against cosmetic surgery. In fact, by nature of the job, I'm up on every cutting-edge procedure and toy with the idea of them daily. But as of now, I'm looking to topical solutions to ward off the early signs of aging I'm dealing with.
While my regimen used to be comprised of a myriad of different products, lately I've been looking to one: La Prairie's new Line Interception Power Duo. Two weeks in, it's worked better than anything else so far and I've got the litmus test to prove it—my very first wrinkle! Or rather expression line, which is one of the three types of wrinkles one can have. The other two are sun-induced and gravity lines. The latter being vertical and the hardest to counter. Thankfully, the combination of a day and night cream found in the Power Duo address all three in Botox-like fashion—but *sans* needles.
"The day cream focuses on expression lines," explains Dr. Jacqueline Hill, director of innovation and science at La Prairie. "The three peptides we use in our day cream work on expression lines by interfering with the signaling process that leads to muscle contraction at three different levels."
To put it in perspective, Botox injections cause muscles to refrain from contracting by inhibiting the signaling pathway a bit later in the game (the second level, as opposed to the first). The day cream acts earlier on and in more complementary ways in gentler fashion—i.e. no weird facial expressions.
In addition to collagen-stimulating peptides and moisturizing hyaluronic acid, the formula also contains SPF 30, offering broad spectrum protection with UVA and UVB filters that prevent future damage from sun exposure.
Good News: At night, the skin is in a regenerative mode, meaning skin renewal is accelerated and repair processes take place. Bad News: These processes slow down with age. The silver lining? The night cream helps to compensate for this decline by regenerating the skin at several levels, counteracting the impact of daily aggressions.
"It helps stimulate the production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid," says Dr. Hill. "Thus, helps to optimize skin renewal to fill wrinkles from within and strengthen the extracellular matrix. The appearance of wrinkles, even vertical, is visibly reduced."
The biggest claim of the La Prairie's groundbreaking duo is that it can visibly decrease the appearance of wrinkles after 14 days and 14 nights. Because I look at my face day in and day out, I knew the only way I'd be able to really tell is with the receipts. i.e. photographs of the expression line on my forehead in question. So I snapped a photo of myself pre-Line Interception, then after I used the day cream and night cream daily, along with my normal routine of cleansing, toning, and exfoliating for 14 days. As you can see in the before and after, my fine line is *technically* still there. However, it's far less perceptible in the hi-res shot, let alone with the bare eye. To me, that's a win.
A few other notes: Despite being packed with SPF, the day cream is ultra-lightweight and melts into the skin, making it imperceptible beneath my makeup, which cannot be said for most moisturizers with sun protection. The night cream is equally lovely to slather on before bed. Another thing I love about the duo is that it's two different creams housed in one airless—no oxidation 🙏—carry-on-friendly tube that just makes life easy. I can take it anywhere.
As far as the price tag, $350 is a precious amount of change, but when you consider that it's a non-invasive alternative to pricey procedures, as well as something that can complement and even prolong the need for cosmetic procedures like Botox, it's a worthwhile AM/PM investment for the woman that doesn't mess around when it comes to skincare.
La Prairie Line Interception Power Duo, $350; laprairie.com.
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