Indulgent Ingredients for Luxe Looks

Georgie Gordon tracks down some of the cosmetic world’s more extravagant offerings and then advises on how to get the look for less.

Luxurious beauty products aren’t always expensive, but more often than not if a product is deemed a luxury it will also have a price tag on the higher side of ‘reasonable’. Caviar, diamonds, gold and champagne might sound like the key players in an indulgent night out, but they are so much more, besides. All these things, that epitomise luxury, are found in beauty products – skin care, make-up or fragrance, many with a cult following, and all with a hefty price tag. Here we take a look at whether they are worth it.

Diamonds

If rubbing smashed up diamonds onto your face for exfoliation purposes sounds like the equivalent to cleaning dog poo off your shoe with fresh dollar bills – i.e. completely mad – just stick with us for a minute.

Diamond powder (and yes, this is a thing) exfoliates so gently and effectively that professionals use it for microdermabrasion in salons, and cosmetic dentists use it for removing stains on teeth. Does this mean that at-home products containing diamond powder is worth the money? Not really, no. Firstly there’s no way of knowing exactly how much magic diamond dust is in that expensive little bottle (assume very little) and secondly, there are plenty of other perfectly good exfoliating products on the market for a mere fraction of the price.

Beauty brands are also partial to using diamond powder as an optical diffuser (buzzword alert!). This translates as something that provides luminosity and brightens the skin, usually by sitting on the surface and disguising fine lines by reflecting light.

Celebrity approved: Mila Kunis once famously treated herself to a US$7000 diamond and ruby facial peel to get her skin in tip top shape for the Golden Globes.

Pure indulgence product: Natura Bisse Diamond Life Infusion, $1006, net-a-porter.com

Luxe for less: Beauty Lab Black Diamond Eye Serum, $62, amazon.com

Caviar

In terms of food to beauty ingredients, nothing is more decadent than caviar. The eggs contain concentrated doses of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which have long been used to fight the signs of ageing, and it is this, in addition to high levels of vitamin B12 and many other beneficial nutrients, that make it an effective skin care ingredient.

Since Swiss brand La Prairie launched its Skin Caviar Dermo Beads in 1987, numerous studies have been done on its caviar extract (sourced from sustainably farmed Siberian sturgeon, no less) with results that prove it to be an even more effective tool in the fight against ageing than first thought. The company first began using caviar as an ingredient because it is so nutrient rich, they have since discovered that not only does caviar enhance the production of collagen it also boosts the skin cells production of ceramides. In short, all these things lead to smoother, suppler, younger looking skin.

Celebrity approved: Angelina Jolie is a fan of La Prairie’s Skin Caviar Luxe cream and the actress is said to have had full body caviar wraps to tighten her skin after losing a lot of weight.

Pure indulgence: There are many brands that make effective products containing caviar extract but it’s hard to go past high tech and results driven brand La Prairie. Our pick is the White Caviar Illuminating Pearl Infusion, $775, laprairie.com

Luxe for less: Alterna Caviar Replenishing Moisture Shampoo, $50, sephora.com Or if you’re lucky Aldi’s notoriously hard to get Lacura Caviar Cream at $19 – it sells out within minutes

Gold

A few years ago, gold face masks popped up on every selfrespecting supermodel and beauty blogger’s social media and then promptly faded away, as most internet fuelled beauty crazes tend to do. But were they on to something? Yes, and no. Gold is an anti-oxidant so applying products that contain the metal may give your complexion a glow but so will many other, arguably more effective, antioxidant-rich ingredients, such as green tea and vitamin C.

Celebrity approved: Kate Hudson posted a gold-faced selfie on Instagram in preparation for the Met Gala in 2017.

Pure indulgence: Rodial Rose Gold Serum, $308, cosmeticsnow.com.au

Luxe for less: Skin Inc Soothe-n-Purify Black Gold Mask, $16, sephora.com

Champagne

As far as we know the bubbly stuff has no beneficial beauty properties, in fact, drinking a lot of it can have a decidedly un-beautifying effect. There are some beauty products that do, inexplicably, contain actual champagne, such as Cuvee Beauty, but most are champagne-inspired, relying on its celebratory nature for their allure. Jonathan Adler’s Champagne candle, for example, emits an appealing pink grapefruit, champagne and raspberry fragrance. And Yves Saint Laurent has a rather lovely perfume called Yvresse with sparkling top notes of lychee and nectarine.

Celebrity approved: Marylin Monroe took the occasional champagne bath. Fun fact: it takes 350 bottles of champagne to fill a tub.

Pure indulgence product: YSL Yvresse, $148, yslbeauty.com.au

Luxe for less: Burt’s Bees Champagne Lip Shimmer, $10, priceline.com.au

All prices are in Australian dollars unless otherwise stated.