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Is $1000+ Face Cream Really Worth It?

Why you should consider making gold, platinum and diamonds part of your skincare routine.

Skin
Is $1000+ Face Cream Really Worth It?

It seems as though a buzzy new skincare ingredient comes along as frequently as Mercury goes into retrograde (it’s finally over—hell to the effing yes). From prickly pear to placental protein and bee venom, we've heard (and slathered on) it all. The newest formulas, though, are infused with something we can really get behind: precious metals. Yeah, that means the latest crop of beauty products are infused with gold, platinum and diamond (okay, so while not technically a metal, it's every bit as luxurious, non?). You’re probably thinking the same thing as us: exfoliating with finely crushed, precious diamond dust sounds a whole lot more appealing than the drugstore beady apricot scrubs we’ve been using since grade school. 

It’s pretty obvious that rubbing your face with things typically exclusive of fine jewelry is about as extravagant as it gets, but there are a hell of a lot of actual skin health benefits, too. Like, say how diamond exfoliation leaves you with the brightest and smoothest skin EVER; platinum resets your skin cells — A.K.A undoes those years of laying out in the sun sans SPF; and how insanely hydrating gold can be. From 24-karat sheet masks to platinum peptide serums, we turned to the experts by the likes of Peter Thomas Roth (yes, the dermatologist of the namesake skin care line), Dr. Lisa Kellet (a dermatologist) and Dr. Daniel Stangl (La Prairie’s Director of Innovation): to find out if this crop of products, and the accompanying price tag, really make your complexion shine bright like a... don't make us say it.

 



 GOLD

Not just for your dainty Catbird ring stack


 

Rumor has it that Cleopatra, the OG queen of flawfree skin, slept in a 24K gold mask every damn night. She also basically invented the cat eye flick, the sea salt scrub, and inspired every milk cleanser sitting on your vanity. So it’s no surprise that skincare companies have jumped (okay, so it took them a few centuries) on adding the metal to their ingredient list... and to the price tag. They’ve gotten a bit creative too; fusing the metal of different forms — flaked, particle and liquid — into everything from overnight masks to oils to lip balms, and more. 

 

— THE PRODUCT 

We’ve developed quite the mask addiction here at TC HQ — just read our K-Beauty story and you’ll understand exactly why. Clay masks, enzyme masks, gel masks, sheet masks, you name it, we’re into it. So you can imagine that when a gold one started floating around the market, the very first thing we thought of was which wine we were going to sip on while we bask in gilded glory for 20 minutes tonight. Peter Thomas Roth’s 24K Gold Mask is a favorite — it pairs perfectly with a glass of Pinot, in case you were wondering — and has crazy-good benefits. The gold calms skin (in general, gold has major anti-inflammatory properties), while hyaluronic acid and glycerin lock in moisture. Add that to caffeine for some lifting and toning action, and gemstone peridot to minimize stress. If it's good enough for Cleo, it's good enough for us.

RATING: :clap: :yellow_heart: :ok_hand: :relaxed: :fire:

 

— THE TREATMENT —

 

In our opinion, there is nothing more luxurious than slathering your face in gold, unless you get someone else to do it for you. Thank god for The Ritz Carlton Spa in New York (a sentence best uttered clad in a mink coat, dry martini in one hand and Bergdorfs bag in the other), which offers La Prairie’s Pure Gold Radiance Facial on their menu. Picture this: after your incredibly relaxing, rejuvenating facial, the pièce de résistance (that would be 24K liquid gold) is gently massaged into your face, with the iridescent dust gentle absorbing into your skin leaving you with a golden (literally) glow. If it also helps to turn back the clock, we’re game. Plus that's one hell of a Snapchat story.

RATING: :star2: :raised_hands: :zap: :heart_eyes:

 


PLATINUM


It's not just for Kim K’s hair during Paris Fashion Week anymore!


 

The first thing we think of when we hear ‘platinum’ is of the blonde variety, (okay, and the occasional sighting of sparkling left-handed finger). The former more of a rarity than the latter— you can thank Kim K for that. When it comes to platinum as skincare, it does a pretty damn good job at restoring balance to your cells. “We are constantly overloading our skin with new products and ingredients, platinum deletes cell information in skin cells just like rebooting the system on a computer,” explains Julius Eulberg, founder of Julisis. 

 

— THE PRODUCT —

To put it simply, La Prairie’s Platinum Rejuvenating Cream is the byproduct of technology and luxury coming together. Even the bottle screams $$$. But it’s not all about looks: the cream works on a cellular level to enhance firmness, reduce wrinkles and improve skin elasticity. The kicker here: when standard anti-aging ingredients are combined with platinum, they work way more effectively. “Skin that is not balanced is more vulnerable to damage from free radicals and more susceptible to dryness, resulting in a look of premature aging,” explains Dr. Daniel Stangl, who innovates at the La Prairie labs. Especially in its colloidal form, platinum establishes electrical balance in the epidermis. Bottom line? Platinum = skin harmony. 

RATING: :cupid: :boom: :metal: :blue_heart: :money_with_wings:

 

— THE TREATMENT —

 

When it comes to OTT spa experiences, it’s a given that La Prairie hovers at the top of the list. They’ve pretty much perfected the art of using materials previously only used for fine jewelry in their beauty treatments. Take for example their platinum rare facial, which used the entire fleet of La Prairie’s Platinum formulas to restore balance to skin, which in turn holds in moisture and protects cells from damage. Cha-ching!

RATING: all the :+1: :+1: :+1:

 


DIAMONDS

Rihanna said it best...


 

When it comes to diamonds, bigger is always better, right? Not here, guys. Bear with us for a second; finely crushed diamonds stimulate skin cell turnover and collagen through exfoliation, adding a serious brightening aspect to scrubs. In serums, diamond particles bond to good-for-you ingredients like vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, allowing them to penetrate deep into the dermis. And, BB creams have added light reflecting diamond dust that sits on top of skin, giving you that post-steam bath glow. It’s like your usual routine, but better— way, way better.

 

— THE PRODUCT —

Full disclosure: our beauty cabinets can look like the 'before' of a Marie Kondo-inspired makeover (spring cleaning just never really gets that far). Hence why we’re making room, scratch that, prime real estate on our top shelf, for just about anything that contains this stone. We would slather that ish on every. single. morning. La Mer’s The Refining Facial pairs fermented sea mud with diamond particles to instantly polish skin and stimulate circulation, leaving skin extra soft. The uber-fine precious dust buffs away debris, leaving skin ready and willing to absorb all the serums we’ve been hoarding. See what we did there?

RATING: :blue_heart: :exclamation: :pray: :information_desk_person:

 

— THE TREATMENT —

 

By now, chances are you’ve heard or tried microdermabrasion. Y'know, it’s that little diamond tipped suction-y pen that sandblasts away your post-apocalyptic winter dry skin. But a diamond peel? Let’s just say, it’s an evolution of sorts. The diamond peel treatment is similar to microdermabrasion in the sense that it gently removes the outer layer of skin, but its diamond tip (no loose particles like microderm treatments) is way more effective on delicate areas like under the eyes. In addition to being a great way to remove dead skin cells, diamond peels “stimulates collagen production and by shedding dead skin cells, allows topical products to get deep into the skin,” explains dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett, a specialist in diamond facials. Plus, the peel is great for targeting adult acne (yeah, we feel you) and the dark spots it leaves behind.

RATING: :angel: :gem: :ok_woman: :two_hearts:

 

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