Don’t let people tell you your 30s will be the best time of your life in a tone that suggests your looks will fade so you better find inner peace. Vicki’s Pick is a weekly beauty column that features Vicki’s all-time favourite beauty products and latest discoveries for women in their 30s who plan on staying pretty on the outside for a long, long time. Inner peace is optional.
I’ve had my hands on Clinique’s new Smart Custom-Repair Serum for a couple months now, but I’ve had to wait until today to gush about how insanely awesome this product is because it only officially launched in stores yesterday (July 15th). I don’t know about you, but while I need an intense moisturizer in the winter to combat dry skin à cause de heating and subzero temps, I almost need a stronger one in the summer months. I have a rather tumultuous relationship with the sun that can best be compared to Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love The Way You Lie,” in which the sun is Eminem and I am, of course, Rihanna. Nothing excites me more than rocking minimal clothing on a sunny day and the idea of getting a light sun-kissed tan, but I’m also deathly terrified of the sun because I know it’s hurting my skin even when its warm rays feel like an eternal hug.
But I’m in my mid-30s, so I’m no fool when it comes to knowing that bad things often come in good packages. Like many of my ex-boyfriends, spending too much time with the sun is only going to hold me back in the long-run. All it takes is few bad sunburns to take me out of the “you look good for your age” insult/compliment category and into “Is everything all right with you?” When you stop receiving back-handed compliments from social butterflies, that’s the first sign your looks have gone downhill because no one’s secretly jealous of Tanning Mom.
Enter Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Serum ($69 for 30mL; $99 for 50mL). This breakthrough elixir is formulated to calm skin (there are 37 patents alone involved in protecting the magic formula of this serum, which took five years to concoct) which is exactly what your face needs after a day in the sun – no matter how much sunscreen you’ve applied. Here’s how it works: When your skin’s in trouble, be it dehydrated or overexposed to UV rays, it sends out warning signals. These stress signals apparently alert the serum to work its wonders on the affected areas with its complex mix of vitamins, anti-oxidants, and extracts. It’s called Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Serum because the cream almost has a mind of its own, targeting the most critical parts of your face before wrinkles and age spots start to form.
If you’re having a particularly bad dry skin day, you can actually feel this stuff soaking into the troubled spots and relieving irritation in the process with ingredients like cucumber extract, one of the ultimate hydrating ingredients for summer months. That doesn’t mean you have license to over-tan. But it does mean you have a new best friend for your daily skincare routine. Although it’s not an age-specific or even skin type-specific product, it contains collagen-boosting peptides to regenerate skin firmness and elasticity for those who like to know their skincare products are multi-tasking.
To maximize the serum’s effectiveness, just massage two pumps into your skin in a circular motion to promote micro-circulation twice a day. Yes, this stuff feels light enough that you can wear it under your daily SPF and makeup, too. At night, you can apply your usual nightly moisturizer afterward, but I honestly find the serum feels wonderful just on its own – like I’m 25 and totally care-free about what the future might hold for both my life and my face. Sorry, Tanning Mom, I’ll need at least another 10 years before we team up Grey Gardens-style for any webcam-related projects.
Are you going to try Clinque’s new Smart Custom-Repair Serum? Comment below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.
