La Prairie · White Caviar Illuminating Pearl Infusion & Crème Extraordinaire

Ever wonder what a $690 serum feels like? How about a $900 moisturizer? For Day 5 and to wrap up my Skincare Week of posts, I’m taking you over to the realm of über-luxury via this White Caviar duo from Swiss brand La Prairie. Jaw-dropping factor aside, I have a confession to make: I was actually a little hesitant to begin testing these products out, mainly because I was afraid I’d wind up really, really liking them. Spoiler alert: I should have listened to that inner voice …

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Just by looking at the well-crafted silver outer boxes, you know you’re holding something special and while I’m not a fan of excessive packaging, there’s a side of me that really loves attention to detail like this.

This collection is all about harnessing the power of light — obviously not in a literal sense, but you get the concept. The entire White Caviar range is infused with rare Golden Caviar Extract and aims to brighten & firm the skin while helping to banish discolourations, providing you with the most even-toned complexion … and thus effectively bringing ‘light’ to your skin.

White Caviar Illuminating Pearl Infusion (CAN $690.00) | Created with rare golden caviar, this serum targets 3 signs of discolouration: age spots, redness, and greyness (I actually didn’t even know that this last one was a thing, but now I get it). Housed in a clear bottle with a pump dispenser, the visible little pearls are filled with the beneficial active ingredients and come suspended in a transparent film — their precious contents released onto your fingertips only at the point of application (this maintains their integrity right until first contact, thus preserving the serum’s effectiveness). One pump is actually all you need, and after warming it up slightly between fingers, you then apply it all over the face, neck, and décolleté. The texture has a lovely slip to it, spreading easily along the skin and is quickly absorbed, leaving no residue behind.

TIP: after dispensing one pump onto my fingertips, I press them together to warm up the serum and then using a patting motion, I literally ‘press’ the product onto my skin — going in first with the cheeks, forehead, and lastly the neck/décolleté. Once that’s done, I quickly massage the entire product into my skin, using an upward motion.

White Caviar Crème Extraordinaire (CAN $900.00) | Housed in a luxe jar that opens via a hinged cap — and which closely resembles a jewelry box complete with a mirror on the inner lid, no less (this is such a convenient touch; no fumbling around unscrewing a lid), this cream comes with an airless pump dispenser system; one firm press on the round inverted button yields enough product which then pops out through the sealed opening on top. This system ensures you get the amount needed per application, while preserving the integrity and complete effectiveness of the ingredients on the inside.

Following years of research that included sifting over 50,000 ingredients to find that single most powerful brightening active, La Prairie zeroed in on Lumidose, a patented molecule that has proven to be most effective in supporting the inhibition of melanin, the pigment that’s the culprit behind dark spots and discolourations. According to the brand’s research:

“Melanin production is controlled primarily by one key enzyme for melanin synthesis: Tyrosinase. Of all the ingredients La Prairie screened, Lumidose has the lowest IC50-value, the concentration required for 50 per cent inhibition of Tyrosinase activity — making it the most powerful inhibitor for human Tyrosinase known. The potency of Lumidose lies in the extremely efficient disruption of melanin formation, leading to a more even complexion”

Apart from the brightening effect, this cream has also been designed to help firm the skin at the deepest level, effectively contributing to a healthier looking — and feeling –complexion. Paired with the brand’s Smart Crystal White, a delivery system that is a powerful brightening active that further works to interrupt the signalling pathways of melanin production, it is also formulated with the rare Golden Caviar Extract found only in this collection, providing an excellent firming benefit. Lastly, this cream is also enriched with La Prairie’s exclusive Cellular Complex which uses cutting-edge biotechnological research to ‘give new life and energy back to the very cells where beauty is born’

When testing skincare, I know going in that you need to give things time to work – but there was still a part of me that wanted to see immediate (as in, magic) results using these products right from the get-go. Let’s just say that expectations are high when dealing in this price range. That said, after the first week of twice-daily testing, the main thing I noticed was that my skin felt well hydrated and while there may still have been something going on that I couldn’t detect with the naked eye, the results weren’t wowing me … yet.

Then midway through the second week, I began to notice a few changes; my skin began to feel smoother and somewhat firmer (I often do the ‘pinch & jiggle’ test along the jawline area to see how my skin is doing. Sounds odd, but it’s a great way for me to know what’s going on) but the biggest change I noticed, was that my entire complexion definitely appeared much more even-toned and — dare I say it — brighter. And that was after just 2 weeks! I don’t usually see such clear & visible results in such a short period of testing, which leads me to feel that there really is something amazing at work here. Dammit.

I’m under no illusions: this is a luxury brand with a luxury price tag, and while there may indeed be lower priced products that have shown results, I still can’t help but be blown away by what I’ve seen using just these two items alone. I consider investing in my skin a no-brainer, particularly since I’d prefer to keep more invasive treatments at bay for as long as I can … so is La Prairie’s White Caviar Illuminating Pearl Infusion and Crème Extraordinaire worth the cost? The answer, unfortunately for your bank balance, is a resounding YES. #dontshootthemessenger

Available at Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom (Canada)