In the battle for younger looking skin we are all playing against time. The aging process is impossible to turn around, even when doing all the right things like avoiding the sun, dealing with stress, and keeping a healthy diet. We turn to different skin care products in a desperate attempt to slow down the signs of aging and to stay looking young as long as it’s physically possible. From lasers to cosmetic surgery to skincare, people are ready to shell out a whopping amount of money to fight aging. No wonder that anti-aging creams and potions don’t come cheap. And some of them cost an arm and a leg.
“You might want to check out SK-II or La Mer instead, they work better and are less expensive” – a pretty girl with a name-tag Becky was smiling at me while I was testing Sisley Supremya Night Serum at Saks. I was just curious how a serum that expensive would feel on my skin. “Aren’t you supposed to lure me into spending more money here?” – I couldn’t believe my ears. Being a long-time La Mer line devotee, I always considered my skin care routine pretty expensive, but even their products are a far cry from the Sisley’s $750 serum price tag. And that price isn’t the highest on the beauty market.
So what makes these youth potions so pricey? It’s mostly because of rare, hard to get, exotic, and expensive ingredients like caviar, gold flakes or crushed pearls, peptides or antioxidants. Usually, the more concentrated moisturizers and serums are, the costlier they get. But do they work? Most of them will improve skin tone, soften (but not get rid of) wrinkles, give skin much needed hydration and make it more supple. Are all of these things worth paying big bucks for? It depends on how you look at it and how thick your wallet is. The only problem is that applying a good moisturizer isn’t nearly enough to fight signs of aging. Your lifestyle, the way you handle stress, and your diet are equally important.
So, how much is too much to pay for a beauty product? There’s no right answer to that, it makes sense to choose your own upper limit. Some people swear by the effectiveness of La Prairie Cellular Cream Platinum Rare ($1,000), others say that Olay Pro-X Hydra Firming Cream ($47) works wonders. It’s all about what you choose to believe in. I think La Mer line improved my skin drastically, while one of my friends refuses to pay more than 50 bucks for a moisturizer, and her skin looks beautiful. The beauty industry grows richer on women’s insecurities and their desire to turn the clock back. Should we stop all these crazy attempts to look younger? Nah, I personally am too deep into it to save my funds, but the newcomers – you still have a choice.
