I'm a skincare junkie, I really like to try new skincare products and trends or even hypes - whether it's the new snail ingredients, splash mask, derma-rolling etc. Bring them on!
Recently years, I have grew more conscious and paid much more attention to the ingredients list on the products. There are a few reasons to this:
1- I'm tired of wasting money on products that won't work
2- There are really effective ingredients that shouldn't cost a fortune
3- Some of the products sold in luxury department stores actually contain ingredients that are harmful to the skin
4- Fragrance (synthetic) is one of the products that might damage and shut down the skin's collagen production - skin's natural healing process.
I've been better but I must confess, it is extremely hard to resist the temptation to make a purchase after seeing all the advertised benefits from various products that promise miracles no more dullness on the skin, erase all dark circles, instant brightening, reduce lines, stop aging, and even looking 10 years younger instantly. Nothing but a total transformation on the skin. Who doesn't want that? Read the reviews and you'll always find at least one lucky lady who hit the jackpot because she 'has tried everything but this is the only thing that works' her skin. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly possible that the product works so well on her. But the question is: will this finally be my turn?
Should you pay premium for products with the claimed benefits that you're looking for?
Sephora recently started carrying
La Mer products. I was pretty excited. Going down the memory lane, I used to spend a fortune on department store brands in my earlier days and La Mer was one of them. I tried the signature Creme de La Mer, as well as The Cleansing Gel, The Exfoliator, The Eye Concentrate, The Regenerating Serum, The Treatment Lotion, and The Concentrate. (Notice how every product starts with 'The' like it is The one and only product in the category you'll ever need) My recollection was that I felt okay about the Creme-it kept the skin moisturized; the cleansing products were not the most effective; the Eye Concentrate smelt like sushi roll (seaweed + soy sauce); and The Concentrate made my skin very smooth. My skin did not look worse so I guess it was defying aging (But I was in my mid 20s at that time so collagen production was abundant too). However, for the hype that everybody was hoping to get from the products - the miracle broth that heals wounds and scars, neither the Creme nor the Concentrate was able to heal the small scar near my lips as they claimed.
I was debating getting it again, somehow I even tried to convince myself that maybe I would see more result now that I'm older, or maybe I should take advantage of the April VIB Rouge sale and give it a try again. What about the fragrance in the products? Who cares...
I decided to just do a few more research before making up my mind for the purchase. Thanks to the power of the internet, I searched for a substitute for The Creme, and
NIVEA Creme come up. Yes you read that right, the NIVEA creme that you can buy from a pharmacy store for as low as $1 for the 1oz tin. Really? Yes, because the base ingredients between the two products are pretty much the same! (except the fermented seaweed aka the Miracle Broth). NIVEA (a century old German formula) does not need to be 'activated' by rubbing the products on your fingers until clear (or 20 seconds) like Creme de La Mer requires, but the texture supposed to be very similar.
Between all the comparisons and claims, I decided to try it out myself. I know it is jar packaging which means lights and air can shorten or deteriorate the life of the ingredients, and yes I'm aware that both products contains fragrance. I got the 6.8oz (a little bigger than I'd like but nothing smaller) NIVEA creme from a nearby pharmacy and started my little tests. I carefully opened the package seal to expose only a small amount of the jar, used a skincare spatula to scoop up products into a 0.5oz empty jar.
I tested on face and body. It was pretty easy to put it on the body and even though the consistency was thick, the cream spread out smoothly and absorbed quickly on the body. For face, it was a little hard to apply, so I got creative and borrowed the La Mer method: warm it up first by rubbing it. It did turn a bit lighter and I patted the creme lightly onto my face. It felt a little thick like I had jelly on the face. I left the NIVEA creme on overnight and the next morning I woke up to a pretty good sign: the lines on my face were a bit less visible! I don't think it was collagen production overnight (It takes a while to generate it) but the thick paste probably did the work (prevent further creasing). Now I'm really excited!
I read online that if you can apply some rosewater with a cotton on your face after putting on NIVEA creme, which can help getting rid of the thick layer and greasy feeling. I tried and it was okay. I think what would have worked better is to make the creme lighter, so I added a drop of
Tarte Maracuja Oil (other face oil works too) onto the creme on my hand to make a light cream. It worked wonderfully and I was able to apply it onto my face with circular motion. Easy to apply and did not create a thick layer on the skin. I also tried adding the rosewater toner, it worked too but was a bit harder to mix them up evenly.
So I'm pretty happy with NIVEA creme and will continue to use this nightly before bedtime. I will add more updates as necessary. But I'm pretty happy that I found a much more affordable alternative before spending a good amount of money again.
Disclaimer: No compensation has been received in exchange for writing this article
