Lancôme Youth Indulgence

I am not going to lie, I do have my fear-of-aging moments from time to time myself, but hey, who hasn't ? If in fact you never have, good for you, you must be a notch wiser than I could ever be ;) I mean, I am not making a case out of the situation but I am human too, and growing up/working within an industry that values youth over maturity, at least on a physical aspect, does bring along its concerns and questions. That said, I am human, but also realistic; At 23 years-old, aging should be an awareness, not a worry.

Editor's note: I am definitely considering working on a 'Girl's Guide to Aging' within the next few weeks since I find it is such a complex field of knowledge. And what's a better way to deal efficiently with a situation than to actually understand it, right ? All hopes up, if this article today does speak to some of you guys, it'll be a GO! for me ;)

Very briefly, this is how I would summarize skin care when it comes to aging:

- 25 years old and under; You want to take good care of your skin which means cleansing, toning, treat, moisturize and protection from the sun on a daily basis.
- 25 to 40 years old; You want to start preventing the signs of aging by treating your skin with more potent, active ingredients while still taking good care of it on a daily basis.
- 40 years old and over; You want to start incorporating anti-aging skin care products that will target the visible signs of aging that concern you to your daily beauty regimen.

Fairly simple, yet, there is so much more to tell on the subject ! Today, however, we're here to talk indulgence, french touch, parisian flair and of course, one of our beloved makeup and skin care brand, Lancôme. The new Généfique Youth Activating Second Skin Mask is the brand's entry into the sheet mask race currently taking over the beauty world; a trend that is already super popular within the eastearn-Asia cosmetics market ! In a nutshell, it's an intense 20-minute facial mask that'll help you achieve a more radiant, smoother skin without causing any harm to your skin with harch chemicals like parabens, sulfates, phthalates. Now, Lancôme's first sheet mask is primarily marketed to target anti-aging skin concerns however, going over the ingredients list made me realize that there isn't that many active anti-aging components in it. Not that it wouldn't be of any good for more mature skin, au contraire; it does offer the skin a great quench, high quality serum treatment that will help brighten it, treat it and firm it up, and the power of a start ingredient called Bifida Ferment Lysate, a probiotic that has been traditionally used internally to strengthen the immune system. When applied topically, it’s been shown to reduce skin sensitivity and increase the skin barrier’s ability to repair itself. That said, as it remains a good anti-aging masking option for some, it is definitely not a bad choice for younger skin looking out to prevent early aging signs.

Going over some of the other key ingredients in this face mask, I noticed Lancôme also made good use of Salicyloyl phytosphingosine which is a brightener, glycerin which acts as a moisturizer and adenosine, a well-known anti-inflammatory. Again, three components that would cause any harm to a 20-something years old skin. So my best guess is that this mask can as equally fall under the aging signs prevention category, as it can fall under the anti-aging skin care's. Certainly not twice a week as recommended, of course, if you haven't reached out your 40's yet; I personally like to use is once every month ! This face mask definitely is pricey, especially when on a newly grad. budget(!) but I like to think of it as an investment into a healthier, more balanced skin and complexion.

To use over an already cleansed skin, right before toning, treating and moisturizing. For ultimate result, use is at night, before going to bed as your skin will be less exposed to outside's impurities.