8 Products That Are Worth The Plunge

One of my husband’s pet names for me is “poule de luxe”, which roughly translates as luxury chicken. I think it basically means that I have expensive tastes. Naturally, I vehemently deny this. I would never, ever spend $80 on what is basically a pot of petroleum jelly by Lancôme (it’s called Renergie, if you are curious). I can justify my splurges in the beauty department; if a beauty product is worth the splurge, it has jumped the everything-counts bar. In other words, pretty much everything about it has to have value and make a beneficial contribution to our skin. Here are my justifiable splurges:

Trophy Skin Rejuvaderm MD ($199 in the shop). All you have to do here is consider how much you are saving on visits to an esthetician. Plus, this microdermabrasion device is a quality act. Professional microcurrent machines are as much about suction as the quality of the diamond tips, but this rarely makes it to the at-home devices. Rejuvaderm has four levels of suction to control the power of the device. I’m seeing an impact on both hypo- and hyperpigmentation and in six weeks I have used it more than enough to justify the price.

Innarah VenoDefense Treatment Crème ($300 in the shop). After finishing two sample pots of this, I found myself missing it greatly and I did fork out a full $300. I have to disagree with our reviewer Emily, who proclaimed it a nice moisturizer, but not much more. It is an amazing moisturizer that I would challenge the most malnourished and parched skins to try. In addition to botanical oils, there’s Innarah’s signature peptide, marine extracts, resveratrol and the amazing snow algae. Along with TIA community members, Anne and Diane, I have to say that I love it.

I Pekar Facial Cleanser ($65 in the shop). Although many people have the view that a cleanser is just something to be rinsed off, hopefully taking makeup with it, I regard a good cleanser as the most essential skin care item. The perfect cleanser improves the skin’s texture and ensures the skin is a healthy and receptive foundation for the beauty ritual to come. Made by my esthetician Ildi Pekar, this cleanser has been in the works for years as she has perfected its natural formula. 100% raw honey is the key ingredient and there’s fatty acids from sugar beet and aspen bark.

LiftLab Lift+Perfect ($250 in the shop). For an ingredient nerd a roll call such as this is like catnip: Cell Protection Protein, Gwennis & Belides, X-50 Anti-Aging, Rubixyl and Dermaclarine. These include fish proteins, marine enzymes and peptides. In addition to these cutting-edge actives, there are 16 botanical extracts. This is one of our heavy hitters that repairs wrinkles, lightens dark spots and irregular pigmentation, brightens skin and calms inflammation.

Stemulation Hi-Impact Serum ($185 in the shop). Stemulation has really pulled it off with this, their latest serum. I love it for the velvety texture my skin gets. The key ingredient is a stem cell that is not the same as the one used in the rest of the range. It is sH-oligopeptide-1 and has the same chemical structure as an epidermal growth factor. The focused ingredient list contains Madonna lily leaf extract for hyperpigmentation, vitamin C, niacinamide and a collagen-boosting marine bacteria.

Benir Beauty BV-9 Platinum Provectus Super Serum ($249 in the shop). I love the Benir bee venom and copper peptide cream ($136 in the shop) and the serum is more than worthy of being its big sister. In addition to bee venom and copper peptides (such a winning combination), Provectus has several expression line-inhibiting peptides, as well as collagen-boosting Matrixyl 3000. Green and white tea round it out. Users report that sagging skin is lifted and marionette lines softened. Well worth the buzz.

Truth Vitality Lux Renew ($279 in the shop). This device has been a labor of love for me and I am proud that it is the only FDA-cleared device with ultrasound and red and blue LED lights. It is also less expensive than other FDA-cleared devices with only one functionality. I recently invested in independent clinical trials and even I was wowed by the results: 88.9% showed collagen improvement, 79.3%-100% showed firmness improvement, 86.2% showed improvement in lines and wrinkles. And it’s about the cost of one trip to the derm’s office.

E’shee Clinical Esthetic Elixir of Life KI Therapy Serum ($189 in the shop). I had to throw this in as I have lost count of the number of bottles that I have bought. I never last more than a few months without succumbing to hitting the buy button. KI just suits my skin and gives my cheeks a radiant dewiness that I don’t get from anything else. The key ingredient is one that you won’t come across very often, cFIR (or Far Infrared Ceramic Powder). It is a wound healer ad collagen regenerator. Although the bottle is Lilipution, a couple of drops is all that is needed and it can make it last about three months.