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BEAUTY

#BEAUTYSCAN – NEW RADIANCE NOCTURNAL BALM

Posted on by the CODE Magazine
LA PRAIRIE R

#beautyscan

The brand new Radiance Nocturnal Balm by La Prairie made me reconsider my night beauty routine.

People who know me personally know that, although I generally take good care of my skin, I’m far from being a skincare nazi. I wear cream and serum, but if a day passes and the only thing I wear is sunscreen, it’s not the end of the world as my skin knows it. I put on beauty masks, but not every week. I use tonic waters and vitamin-infused essences, but only when I remember to do so….Overall, I’m somewhat carefree about keeping up with several beauty habits—all but two: make-up removal and night care.
Starting from my very first years in taking care of my skin, when my knowledge was limited and far from my current expertise, I instinctively knew that the skin benefits incredibly from the use of night treatments: during the night, the skin calms down, changes its rhythms, repairs the damage inflicted to it by stress, weather and environmental conditions during the day and rebuilds its forces. After 22 years as a professional beauty journalist, I can confirm it beyond doubt. Night skincare is precious -and largely irreplaceable.
That said, I must admit that, especially in recent years, my habits are somewhat consolidated: after cleansing, I would wear (often in a hurry), a serum, a night cream would follow, without much thought -I can hear you say that we are all short in time, and you are probably right – and that’s about it. Result: I have been noticing, it’s been a while now, that my skin would wake up rather tired most days. I knew I had to change something, but I didn’t know what…
La Prairie Radiance Nocturnal Balm

Radiance Nocturnal Balm (RNB) is the latest addition in a line I love, the Pure Gold by La Prairie. Officially presented by the brand a few days ago, at a beautiful event on the most Acropolis-friendly roof of the city centre (Athens, Greece, that is!), it probably came at the right time to convince me to perform a much-needed update to my routine.

It is an amazingly textured balm* that draws inspiration for its creation from the solar energy that accumulates in the rocks of the mountains around the Swiss lakes. RNB transforms this power into energy for tired cells, making it the ideal skincare for any damaged, fragile, dry, dull and/or energy-deprived skin that needs more than a simple product to “wake up”.

*texture richer than a classic cream, but velvety, with the property of being absorbed faster by the skin.

THE GOLDEN HOUR

The inspiration for the product is the dawn, which, on one hand scatters a golden light in the environment, on the other infuses the rocks with the energy of the sun, allowing the accumulated energy to diffuse during the night.

If you find it too confusing, just think of the keywords: restoration, replenishment and energy. The first two concern the skin, the last is about the strengthening of the cells.

The whole composition of the product is based on gold, and specifically on the Pure Gold Diffusion System, a complex – exclusive creation of the brand: right after the application, the immediate deposition of gold particles on the surface of the skin gives the appearance of instant radiance, while the intense infusion of active replenishing ingredients in free form initiates the process of “awakening” the self-preserving mechanisms of the skin itself. Gradually, the composition releases active components that bind to gold nanoparticles, and day by day, the cells recharge, visibly improving their function.

After 2 weeks of use, nothing is the same.

NIGHT SKINCARE…WITH A TWIST

The different element -the twist that I was looking for, anyway- in this night balm is the smooth piece of clean, luxurious marble that accompanies it and is recommended for a signature massage suggested by the brand, especially for these products aka the Pure Gold line.
Be careful, though! Perform the massage before applying the Balm, not simultaneously. La Prairie recommends using the Pure Gold Radiance Concentrate after cleansing, massaging in-between and completing the routine with the application of the Balm.
This sequence is such for one simple reason: the proposed movements are inspired by lymphatic massage, which promotes self-cleansing of the skin (elimination of toxins through the lymphatic system). Therefore, after the stone massage, the skin is far more ready to accept the Balm and take good advantage of its ingredients.
Finally, you know my soft spot, so I can do nothing but confess: despite its impressive claims, I wouldn’t continue to use it if it didn’t smell good… Well: the scent of Radiance Nocturnal Balm is the closest to paradise I can think of. There are no flower notes (none distinct, at least), no resins, no wood, but something between green fresh and cleanliness. A luxurious sensation with a smell that “opens up” when applied to the skin you can’t grasp it by smelling the Balm from the jar.
It would be no exaggeration to say that during the last few days – probably thanks to the smell – I do sleep a little better.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…

I couldn’t possibly wrap up this review without saying a word about the unique packaging that the brand designed especially for Radiance Nocturnal Balm: a heavy, luxurious matte gold jar with engraved details… which, however, is not thrown away like other similarly priced products, but can be reused, thanks to the refill, a transparent glass package which contains the balm itself and is sold separately.

In addition, the lid has a sliding part at the top, enclosing the piece of marble so that it doesn’t come into direct contact with the balm and always stays clean.

The packaging truly is a masterpiece in every dimension and in perfect harmony with the brand’s commitment to sustainability and environmental protection.

And a tip before I call it a day: if you’ve had relatively recently a micro-invasive procedure on your face (e.g. fillers, threads, etc.), the parallel use of RNB will leave you speechless: gold has very strong regenerative properties, and daily use of Balm will speed up the skin’s healing, highlighting even faster the result of the procedure.

CREDITS:

Words:
Charitomeni Vonta

Photos:
the CODE Magazine

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