There’s little denying some level of dermal demise with age. How we feel about it, and approach it, though, makes all the difference. When asked, I say I’m comfortable with the ageing process (of course, better than the alternative!), but it doesn’t mean I don’t do everything I can to keep my skin plump, fresh, clear and - you guessed it - glowy. As a single mother of two kids, a dog and a house mid-reno, it’s not always easy. I kept being asked if I was sick, tired or angry. Full disclosure: sometimes I was one or all of these things, but a lot of the time I wasn’t!
My go-to solution was to book myself in for botox. In the interim between booking and the appointment itself, however, I went to visit my grandmother and a revelation occurred. I noticed more than ever that though wrinkles mapped her face, she never looked tired and aged in that sense, yet clearly in her senior prime, because of her fanatical appreciation of good skincare practices. I realised that wrinkles themselves do not make me/us look and feel older than I am/we are (my age begins with an f…). Instead, it’s the health and texture of the skin around them that keeps us youthful. Enter: strong attachment style relationship to highly effective skincare.
With that, consulting with the Beauticate crew for their favourites, I stocked up on the clear front runner ‘You have to try this!’ brand, Skin Physics, with their new-look Advance Superlift range and gave them a run before hitting the cancel appointment button…
I’m not unfamiliar with Skin Physics, and am a displayer of skincare in the bathroom (easy access, doesn’t get lost in the drawer of Bluey toothpaste and school-branded scrunchies, so I was particularly excited to see the new-look packaging of this range: think glass serum bottles and minimalist jars that you would be more than happy to display on your bathroom vanity. But, it’s what’s inside that I’m interested in.
The products I’m using are:
I apply them in this order for day, and the face and neck creams at night additionally. The eye contouring serum is lightweight but not runny, and it melts in when I dab it around my eye area. The serum only requires a small amount (this was trial and error for me, going overboard on the first try. However, I just massaged residual product into my neck). The texture of the face and neck creams is rich, but not too thick (I find I break out with formulas that are heavy) and soaks into the skin easily without any stickiness or residual sheen.
This range specifically targets hydration and elastin breakdown concerns (hello, yes, this is me), helping sagging and drooping with active botanicals, minerals and peptides. This is where my interest piques the most… While active ingredients such as edelweiss flower cellular extract have some evidence of high efficacy in blind testing (noting 10-56% improvement in triallers after three weeks), this range is not burning my face off in its pursuit like harsher ingredients can do (my skin can be a sensitive little thing). And look, I was a tad sceptical… A non-burning topical skincare routine that actually works?
Hand on heart, after three weeks of use, I have significantly less people enquiring as to if I’m sick and/or very tired (a daily occurrence prior, when I was neither…) and a general look and feeling of freshness (even on days I am, indeed, tired). While it does promise to eliminate wrinkles, I have not experienced that. However, given the improved texture, smoothness and tightness of my skin in such a short period of time, the next three weeks (and onwards) is filled with informed and rational expectation that this range comes through with the goods.
I do want to give special mention to the Advance SuperLift Neck Lifting & Firming Cream here. The neck is often forgotten at worst, or a face cream afterthought at best. It’s also one of my most significant indicators of elastin loss (and a dead giveaway of premature ageing despite how much botox one might inject in their face). It has improved percentage-wise the most significantly of all the products, and it’s a calming way to close off the night routine before heading to bed, giving my neck a little massage as I apply.
I’m genuinely impressed with this range. Yes, there is an anti-wrinkle component to this formula, but I’m advocating more for its ability to give me incredible skin when my biological age is working hard to counter that goal. This is what youthful skin is, in a genuine (not obviously manufactured) way. I haven’t worn makeup (well, foundation) since about day five of week one, and there’s a great deal of freedom and confidence that comes along with that (not to mention saved time). I feel like I’m catching and pausing my skin’s age process at exactly the right time, ageing gracefully, but not bowing to a sallow, lifeless complexion.
For me, ageless beauty comes in looking and feeling healthy, and I can confidently recommend this range for taking care of the skin’s look and health on this front.
