I've always been skeptical of the über-high-priced skin care lines. And when I say high-priced, I'm talking about hundreds and hundreds of dollars per jar. Like La Mer, with their $140 dollar 1-oz, $265 2-oz, and of course the bargain-priced 16.5-oz for a mere $1800 (holy crap, why would you need that much face moisturizer?! If you need to apply that much product, it must not work that well, y'know?)
But as is usual for me, I got sucked in at the counter and decided to give some samples a try. One of them was for the Hydrating Infusion, a thin, almost watery gel tonic meant to be applied to the skin under all other treatments. According to La Mer, the Hydrating Infusion is aimed at balancing drier skin types. It's also rather ludicrously priced at $95 for a 4.2-oz pump bottle. Of what amounts to a glorified toner. Yikes.
The Hydrating Infusion relies on the magic of dark green algae to do its magic. According to La Mer, this algae is a miracle-worker that can clarify, tone, firm, and hydrate the skin. The entire La Mer line relies on algae, actually, so if you have an issue with it, this isn't the line for you. However, if you don't mind rubbing ingredients of the sea on your skin, I can tell you this product does work. I fight a constant battle with flaky skin around my mouth and chin. I haven't been able to figure out the cause, but the result is not pleasant. I've tried everything I can think of to get it to go away...serums, lotions, creams, exfoliation (manual and chemical) and nothing has worked. Until the Hydrating Infusion. Simply apply a couple of pumps to the skin after washing and before adding any other treatment, and you're good to go. The directions advise to use a cotton pad for application, but I pump it directly onto my fingertips and press it into my face. Dousing a cotton pad seems wasteful to me. Besides saving product, my method makes it easier to spread product across the skin, and it feels as if I'm adding something rather than swiping it away.
Within a day of starting the Hydrating Infusion. my flakes disappeared. My skin was also overall less reactive and didn't flush as easily. It stayed comfortable and smooth all day long, without feeling tight and dry by afternoon. It was like magic!!! I fell in love with the results and scraped together the moola to purchase a bottle of my own. Will wonders never cease.
Bottom Line: If you've got dry, flaky skin and an extra $95 sitting around, this may be the product for you. Based on my usage, the bottle should last me at least 4 months, which is really only about $25 per month...not as painful when I think of that way! However, as happy as I am with the Hydrating Infusion's performance, I still intend to sample other products to see if I can knock some more off the price. Fact is, $95 for a glorified toner is hard to justify, no matter how you look at it.
4 comments:
See. SOME high priced products actually DO work! YAY! Unfortunately I have found a new cream that is even more than La Mer. It's from Natura Bisse and it is $335 for 1.7 ounces. Ugh.
May 24, 2012 at 8:58 AMI was trying out some more expensive product lines but when I was looking up reviews I ended up on Beautypedia.com, which naturally led me to Paula's Choice products. They're relatively inexpensive and, for the most part, they seem more effective than anything else I've tried. I've been using them for several weeks now and I am amazed at the transformation in my skin. Every now and again I'll amp up the Paula's Choice with Dermalogica's hydrating booster or some pure argan oil.
May 24, 2012 at 11:00 PMI can justify some serious cash for my beauty products, but apparently even I have to draw the line somewhere (seems to be at the very arbitrary number of $200 for face/eye creams and serums). At that point, I just don't believe there is anything in the cream that could validate the price. The combination of ingredients may be more effective, but the ingredients themselves are only worth so much...therefore, the price becomes more about hype and exclusivity than about actual production costs of the product.
Now, saying that, a few years ago I never could have justified $30 for a lipstick, yet you know where I stand on that one now. So don't be surprised when I'm reviewing Natura Bisse next winter when my skin gets drier!
May 28, 2012 at 2:27 PM
The only issue I have with Paula is that she tends to denigrate most other products while simultaneously touting her own. Seems like a conflict of interest to me. I took a lot more stock in her opinions and reviews before she launched her own line. She now has too much invested in pulling people away from her competitors and pushing them towards her own products, and it seems disingenuous to me.
However, if they are working well for you, definitely keep using them! Can't argue with success, KWIM? I've actually seen a few products from her line that intrigued me. Maybe I'll check them out again, based on your comments.
May 28, 2012 at 2:31 PM
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