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“I’m sorry, you’re older than me?” the girl next to me squeals, leaning across her friend on the sofa to get a closer look at my face. Admittedly, we’re several hours into a friend’s birthday party and multiple drinks have been consumed, but I’m still quite flattered that the twenty-something sat across from me thinks that I’m in the same age bracket. In fact, I’m 32 – and despite loving being in my thirties more than any other decade so far, I’m still enjoying the assumption.
“OK, so tell me more,” she continues. “Have you had Botox?” I shake my head. “What work have you had done then, and by who, so I can get it?” I’ve had a couple of other similar interactions recently, and my response has been the same each time: “No work, good genes, and this great new serum.”
The game-changing position in question is the Emma Lewisham Supernatural Vitale Elixir, a facial serum which launched earlier this year, and has been touted as ‘Botox in a bottle’. And so, being perennially afraid of needles and at the same time reluctant to accept the lines beginning to creep across my forehead and around my mouth, I have turned to slathering this magical formula across my face and neck, morning and night, for the past month and hoping for the best. Here’s how it went…
I was long overdue a skincare shake-up. I’d noticed that my skin had been looking tired, to say the least. I’m post-30, have been through a prolonged period of stress and I live a pretty fast-paced lifestyle, in a highly polluted city, and more often than not I go to bed without taking off my makeup. So it’s unsurprising that my overall complexion had begun to dull, and fine lines had started to make themselves known – ones that weren’t just caused by dehydration and easily fixed with an emergency sheet mask.
So, I was looking for something to plump, brighten and make me feel less of a need to keep my forehead-hiding fringe and apply glistening highlighter across my cheeks several times a day. Enter, the Elixr.
I’ve tried many serums that have boasted bold claims of youth-boosting, and few of them have lived up to the hype. So trust me when I say that Supernatural Vitale Elixr is genuinely one of the best products I’ve slathered across my face.
How does it work? There is a lot of science behind this formula – and I have an English Lit degree, so I turned to a professional for a proper explanation. “It’s preventative and corrective skincare in one simple step,” says Melanie Grant, skincare expert and celebrity aesthetician, who explained that the product took four years to develop, including research and development with biochemists. (She also uses the Elixr, and one look at her glowing skin is surely enough to convince anyone of its powers.) “It contains neuroinhibitors to relax facial muscles to provide an instant filling effect, while supporting the skin structure for long-term line and wrinkle resistance.”
As Grant explains, one of the most intriguing aspects of the serum is its ability to limit the movement of your facial muscles – during lab tests, scientists found that it reduces the muscle contractions responsible for wrinkles by 91% after just 24 hours of use. Sounds too good to be true?
Well, someone thought I was 25. Another, 27. And I’m still getting away with my, ahem, 26-30 railcard. So something must be working.
I’ve noticed – for me – a dramatic change in my skin. I say ‘for me’ because, disclaimer, I do have what you might call ‘good’ skin (not particularly oily, I only tend to get hormonal spots and I’ve not experienced any conditions such as rosacea or scarring). As a result, most skincare sits on my face just fine. So it takes a great product for me to notice a real difference.
After six weeks of use, the faint lines across my forehead have nearly disappeared and the deeper expression lines around my mouth (which were causing me the most ‘concern’, for want of a better word) have significantly reduced, to the point where I’m happy they’re there as a tiny marker of my smile. I’ve also noticed a general improvement in my complexion – it feels a little brighter, and definitely plumper.
It might be helpful to point out that despite its claims to reduce muscle contractions, this serum won’t freeze your face like some injectables will (great for everyday expressions, less so for my permanent-yet-never-intentional Resting Bitch Face). And yes, it's expensive, but a little goes a long way – and there's a lot less needles involved.
As for how I used it? The official advice is to use it morning and night for those optimal results – though you can apply it just to targeted areas to make the product go further (it is a rather steep £85, after all). Grant suggests easing it into your routine – she “incorporates it into my nightly routine, applying a pea-size amount after cleansing and before [moisturiser]”. For the record, I aimed to stick with a dedicated skincare routine, cleansing thoroughly at night and using the Elixr morning and evening, but let’s be honest, life sometimes gets in the way, so more often than not I applied it once a day for these results.
6 more (affordable) skin-boosters to try…
Here are six more tried-and-tested formulas that help to brighten and plump skin, without breaking the bank…
The first step in any skin regime? Check your moisturiser. Particularly as the weather begins to cool, a rich formula such as this one will hydrate and replenish tired complexions. Apply a good layer before bed and wake up to soothed, glowing skin.
If you’re looking to boost your skin’s appearance, peptides are the ingredient to look out for – and this peptide serum packs in plenty, using both the brand’s Matrixyl 3000 peptide and a further dual peptide (so many peptides) to minimise the appearance of fine lines and add hydration. Tap onto cleansed skin morning and night for maximum results.
If you’re after a brighter complexion, (gentle) acids might just be for you. This cult Paula’s Choice formula contains BHA salicylic acid to remove dead skin cells and reduce blemishes in one swipe.
If you get dehydration lines like me, then hydrating hyaluronic acid serums will be your best friend. This gel-cream formula locks in moisture, boosting your skin’s natural hydration levels for a plumper finish – providing the perfect base for makeup.
This gel-to-foam face wash gently exfoliates the skin as you cleanse, thanks to a mix of lactic, mandelic and salicylic acids targeting uneven texture, fine lines and dull skin – a two-in-one product that leaves skin feeling super clean and fresh, but not squeaky.
Retinal delivers youth-boosting superhero vitamin A to the skin more directly than retinol – and this affordable formula from The Ordinary is a great one to start with. Apply sparingly to skin, starting with once a week and building it up to avoid any reactions – and enjoy the line-reducing effects of vitamin A with regular use.
After more serums content? Shop the best niacinamide serums and best vitamin C serums.
