Overnight sensations
Sleeping Beauty is the fairest of them all. With all that quality rest, her body’s perpetually in repair mode. She’s got all her Human Growth Hormones, accelerating skin's repair and cell regeneration. During deep sleep, her cell turnover rate is three times faster.
For the rest of us, sleep doesn’t always come. An idea can bloom at the most ungodly hour, and you must write it down, paint it out, or you’ll end up missing it. A surge of inspiration can you keep you up from dusk ’til dawn. Sometimes, it’s a book that you can’t put down, or a Netflix binge that turned out to better than you expected and you can’t stop pressing “next.”
Come morning, your indulgence shows — and as long as you keep late nights to a healthy minimum, that’s fine. As if encouraging us to keep burning the midnight oil, top beauty brands recently improved their iconic offerings, either with a reformulation, a new format, or completely new products that give the skin a helping hand when it needs it the most. These newcomers deliver vitamin-enriched hydration, no matter what time you make it to bed.
‘Everything must change for everything to remain the same.’
The quote refers to the changes in Sicilian life and society during the Risorgimento in the novel The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, but it can also apply to how La Prairie improved its first gravity-defying serum, Skin Caviar Liquid Lift, first conceived in 2012, by merging its two most potent and advanced caviar ingredients, Caviar Premier and Caviar Absolute. The face can appear gaunt after a series of all-nighters; this is an elixir that helps lift it all up.
Caviar Premier is developed by La Prairie’s scientists as a mimetic fingerprint of natural caviar’s chemical composition by using a mix of biomolecules, including lipids, proteins, peptides, DNA, carbohydrates and their building blocks, such as amino acids, nucleotides and sugars. These are blended with La Prairie’s biomimetic Caviar Peptide that has been designed based on the amino acid sequence of a specific caviar protein. Caviar Absolute is a highly concentrated form of caviar that helps restore volume to the face. It is obtained using an extraction process that isolates caviar oils and caviar proteins to ensure the integrity of the fragile molecules.
Inspired by Swiss surgeon Dr. Paul Niehans’ pioneering work on cellular therapy conducted at Clinique La Prairie, this Exclusive Cellular Complex targets essential cells and components of the extracellular matrix for a rejuvenated appearance.
The reimagined product is housed in a revisited design: the luxury house’s signature cobalt blue vessel punctuated by a silver frame displaying the iconic caviar beads and milky emulsion. Twice a day, before moisturizer and/or sunscreen, massage it gently into the skin. As with all La Prairie products, it melts with an immediate tensing sensation. Instantly, skin feels lifted, and you wake up to tighter pores, no matter what time you called it a night.
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La Prairie is in Rustan’s The Beauty Source in Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La, Alabang, Gateway, Cebu, and online at rustans-thebeautysource.com.
Improving a classic
For the past seven years, Estée Lauder scientists delved into the scientific field of epigenetics and researched over 80 micro-signaling molecules found in skin cells to better understand their role in skin aging. Their findings reveal that only around 25 percent of the aging process is predetermined by your genes, while the remaining 75 percent is influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors. They identified a specific micro-signaling molecule present throughout the body that communicates external changes, including the renewal of skin cells and boosting collagen production. In vitro research also shows that the level of this micro-signaling molecule in skin cells declines as part of the aging process.
It’s with this research that the brand remade their cult-favorite “ANR,” Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex to include a new patent-pending micro-signaling molecule activator called Chronolux Power Signal Technology, powered by a proprietary blend of yeast extract (Bifida Ferment Lysate, Faex Extrait De Levure, and Lactobacillus Ferment), a peptide (Tripeptide-32, a synthetic peptide made with three amino acids: proline, serine, and threonine), and plant-derived ingredients (Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Kola Seed Extract, Chamomile Flower Extract). It maximizes skin’s natural night and day rhythm of repair and protection and supports the skin’s natural purification process.
The apothecary-inspired brown bottle is now in recyclable glass. Contrary to its name, the brand recommends it be used during the day, too, before moisturizer.
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Available in 20ml (P2,850), 30ml (P4,350), 50ml (P6,200), and 75ml (P7,900) at Rustan’s The Beauty Source and LazMall in the Lazada app.
Retinol for the eye area
The ultimate telltale sign of a late night is always in the eyes, and that’s on top of the many expressions you make and all the times you forget to blink when you’re in the zone, so you wake up with eye circles and eye bags.
If you’re a night owl, your eye area requires some heavy-duty stuff, and retinol is the single best-studied and most recommended anti-aging topical treatment by dermatologists. The fat-soluble derivative of vitamin A is upheld as the gold standard since 1971, and Shiseido’s Vital Perfection Uplifting and Firming Express Eye Mask delivers these benefits to the eye area without any potential irritation or requiring the skin to acclimate to the powerful ingredient.
The secret is the combination of Shiseido’s proprietary complexes. Pure Retinol supports the skin’s natural production of hyaluronic acid for greater resilience against signs of aging and fatigue. The Japanese company's exclusive MATSU-ProSculpt Complex with Matsu Extract encourages microcirculation to target the appearance of age-related under eye bags as well as signs of fatigue. KURENAI-TruLift Complex and Renoir Technology++™ harnesses the power of Benibana flower to strengthen skin’s natural support, plus VP8 Technology (olive root, tea, and angelica root extracts). ReNeura Technology++ and Phytoconnect prolong the efficacy of the treatment.
I’ve been using this mask for over a year, and Shiseido recently improved its sheet shape to treat more of the under-eye area and the temples. The new cotton blend material holds and releases more of the essence to the skin. It has a soothing effect to the eyes, and I always wake up with a more rested look even with just one use. It gets better after three times a week.
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Shiseido is available in Rustan’s The Beauty Source and LazMall in the Lazada app.
Nocturne in B, C, E, F
It took four years for Aesop to develop the first overnight masque in its range. Aesop Sublime Replenishing Night Masque is deceptively lightweight, yet nurtures the skin with anti-oxidant Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (vitamin C), evening skin tone and appearance, in concert with Tocopherol (vitamin E) for effective fortification. Both skin-strengthening Niacinamide (vitamin B3) and Panthenol (provitamin B5) are renowned for their humectant and soothing properties; while Linoleic and Linolenic Acid (vitamin F) also help to support barrier integrity and relieve dryness.
I like to prep the skin with a deep cleanse, such as a clarifying toner and exfoliating mask, before slathering a generous amount on my face and neck. I leave it on overnight and rinse in the morning.
The nourishing formulation offers sustained hydration with a soft, non-greasy finish. Ingredients known for their hydrating and emollient properties like Sodium Carrageenan, Saccharide Isomerate, and Squalane augment the skin’s barrier function, promoting moisture retention. When applied over a serum or moisturizer, I find that it aids absorption, too.
Application is an experience for the senses with the warm, woody, resinous scent of Frankincense. The key ingredient is not only anti-inflammatory on stressed skin; as aromatherapy, it clears the nasal passageway and diminishes feelings of stress and anxiety while improving concentration and memory. When chasing your dreams keeps you awake, this is the perfect companion.
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P5,900 for a 60mL amber glass jar with a screw cap. Aesop is at Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Email aesop.greenbelt@wwi.ph or call (02) 7746 1858 for shipping and curbside pickups.
Skincare you can’t wash off
If you still have eye bags or dark eye circles even after turning in early, and constantly look tired and sleepy despite proper diet and skincare, fillers are your next line of treatment. Restylane is the world’s first stabilized non-animal hyaluronic acid filler. First launched in 1996, it now has a wide range of gel technologies, such as Restylane NASHA and Restylane OBT, which can be tailored to any individual look. Due to the high flexibility of these products, they move with the animation of the face, are better suited for finer lines or the delicate tear-trough area — the under-eye area that gets shadowy when you lack sleep. The difference can be as dramatic or subtle as you’d like to be. Partnering with leading dermatology and beauty clinics and with over 200 doctors in Metro Manila, with the right hands, they always look natural. A lunchtime procedure, you are in and out of the clinic in 30 minutes with immediate and visible results that get better in a week.
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