Elizabeth Arden’s Prevage has gotten a little make-over. For one, they’ve changed the way their active ingredient, mega-antioxidant idebenone* gets delivered into your skin. To use an analogy, they’ve kind of wrapped it in a ‘bubble’ that only bursts once it’s deep inside your skin so it won’t irritate the surface. And it works! I was never able to use their range before as two days in I’d start to get teensy little red bumps, almost like razor burn, pop up around my mouth and chin. Totally weird because my skin’s like leather in regards to how well it responds to other potent ingredients, things like retinol and AHA, but ja, what can you do. Now, however, I’m experiencing absolutely no bad reaction whatsoever. None. Zip. Nada.

They’ve also upgraded their packaging a bit in that the night cream, despite being in a jar, has a clever little pump dispenser so you don’t expose the active ingredients to air which degrades their efficacy.

Alas, the heaviest day cream (the one that comes in a jar) doesn’t do that same thing, God knows why, so if you plan on buying it I’d advise that you decant it immediately into an opaque pump dispenser. Hardly something you want to do when you’ve just spent so much money on something, but necessary if you want to get maximum bang for your buck.

Anyway, I’ve been using the day lotion, Prevage Day Ultra anti-aging moisturiser SPF 30, R985 :

It’s still a teensy bit too rich for my oily/combo skin but only just; I can get away with wearing it if I regularly break out my blotting powder. For the record, Prevage have also just introduced an ever lighter formulation, Prevage hydrating fluid, R850.

Texture-wise, this sheer silky-textured lotion was my perfect match. The only reason I wouldn’t use it is that it doesn’t contain a sunscreen. Drat. I’m big on sunscreen but very minimal in my beauty routine and try and avoid multiple layers; as it is I already have a retinol serum I have to squeeze in. Still, if you don’t mind using a separate sunscreen, this fluid’s a winner. And speaking of sunscreen, Arden’s have created a very nice one in Prevage Triple Defense Shield SPF 50, R485.

Aside from a seriysas heavy duty broad spectrum sunscreen, Prevage Triple Defense Shielf is infused with both idebenone and thiotaine, another good antioxidant found in all Prevage products. It squeezes out through a brush which makes for fun application but don’t forget to give the bristles a good wash every few days so they don’t become grungy and harbour bacteria.

Ultimately, of all the new Prevage products, I’m most enjoying their best seller, the night cream, Prevage Night anti-aging restorative cream, R1085. Again, I love its clever ‘pump within in a jar’-ness. Also, aside from the idebenone/thiotaine blend, it also makes use of a (mild) retinol derivative, vitamin E (yet another antioxidant) and brightening lemon peel extract. If I was big into idebenone, I’d buy either this or the serum as both contain it in nice, high levels and are packaged in a way that’ll keep it potent.

Are you a Prevage fan? If you’ve tried any of the new goodies I’d love to know your thoughts.

Love, love

Leigh

*Idebenone, for those that don’t know, is a man-made ‘super antioxidant’ that’s related to Co-enzyme Q10. What makes it better than Q10, however, is that it’s 60% tinier. This way it can penetrate deeper into your skin and combat oxidative stress. Personally, I feel an idebone-infused product is a nice addition to any anti-aging skin care routine but would want to use it alongside an array of other anti-agers that do other things; think collagen-enhancers and cell communicating ingredients like retinol or adenosine. At the end of the day, your skin is like your body in that it needs a varied diet, not just one thing.