Do Facial Firming Creams Really Work and Why Do We Need 'Em?

Ever look in the mirror and not recognize yourself?  It’s easy to blame bad overhead lighting, or the distorted filters from the Instagram lens but eventually you might need to consider that your skincare regimen might not be pulling its weight. 

When you think of toning and firming, it usually requires hours at the gym, but adding a firming cream to your routine is like fitness for your face.

The most basic explanation of a wrinkle is to think of your skin as a bunch of pieces of tissue paper laid on top of one another.  The more you expose the delicate layers to wind and sun (or more realistically to smoke, stress or late nights at bars) the more the top layers get crinkled, and eventually the crinkles get deeper and become wrinkles. 

Instead of taking extreme anti-aging measures (à la preventative Botox), try a daily firming cream to smooth, hydrate and calm the skin.  Essentially you can transform skin into a healthy, more elastic condition, making it impervious to the external elements of aging and more forgiving to the internal factors (such as smiling or raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at the cute Starbucks barista).

How Are We Always Right?!

To prove my point, I took a 7-day skincare challenge with Clarins Extra Firming Day Wrinkle Lifting Cream ($80) and watched my skin get progressively more luminous.  A few highlights from my week:

Monday – DAY 1: No excuses, time to kick off the challenge (blah, new challenges remind me of my New Years Resolution to stop drinking Diet Coke…any day now!)

Skin Status: As usual, my skin was smooth and dry, but today I was ready to get my glow on.

Wednesday – DAY 3: Fashion Week was on in full force - four fashion shows at three different locations, which meant stress, sweat and schlepping around the city.

Skin Status: I noted my skin wasn’t as dry, plus my post-gym glow seemed to be lasting longer into the day.

Friday – Day 5: A surprise weekend getaway in Los Angeles (yay!) meant I had to look great without ANY TIME TO PREPARE – plus air planes are notorious for causing deep skin dehydration (ugh).

Skin Status: Clear skies ahead – I slathered up pre-take off and felt no tightening or dryness during the flight.  Plus I noticed my skin felt much softer upon landing.

Sunday – Day 7: Such an amazing weekend – so great to see friends in Cali, plus it was a huge ego boost that we spent most of brunch talking about how healthy and bright my skin appeared.

Skin Status: I didn’t even need to apply a blush or highlighter today because my skin appear more naturally radiant.

Overall review: Being a busy beauty gal, I can only make time for serious skincare.  This beauty sensation is the real deal because it is formulated with healthy ingredients – like organic green banana, lemon thyme and oat sugars – that naturally enhanced my good complexion to an even richer, radiance.

Want to try it for yourself?  Starting April 2012, head down to your nearest Clarins counter for a 7-day sampling program and let the transformation begin.