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Sisley Sisleya Radiance Anti-Aging Concentrate
by springtide
About six months ago I was in a rather nice perfume shop talking to a very helpful assistant trying to learn a little with a view to writing more useful reviews.As I know very little about the higher range end of the market I asked her to explain why it was that some cosmetics lines cost so much more than others. She explained a little ... about three ranges, La Prairie, Sisely and Sheishido, saying that the price reflected the years of research that had gone into their products and the quality if the ingredients that they used. She then gave me three samples to take home and it was only when I looked up online for the prices that I realised what a little treasure trove she had given me. In fact they are so expensive that I only had enough courage to try one, La Prairie and it has taken me all this time to get enough courage to put about 50 pounds worth of cream on my unexceptional face!
Sisley was founded in 1976 by the d'Orano family and specialise in cosmetics and beauty care products for the VERY high priced part of the market. They started to use botanical extracts long before they became fashionable and the quality of the extracts are reflected in the price . A 30ml pot of Radiance Anti-Aging Concentrate will set you back around 400pounds,which is more than my car insurance! so you can see why I hesitated to slap my little 3ml sample on all at once!
This outrageously expensive cream promises to restore the luminosity of youth and give you a fresh complexion characteristic of a youthful skin. It also regulates the synthesis of "black" melanin which causes brown age spots. Really what it is saying is it is meant for oldies like me!
My sample comes in a white and gold box bearing the name of the product on the front and the ingredients on the reverse. The plastic tube inside is also white and gold which reflects the colouring of the full sized product.
Open the little white screw top and have a sniff and you will get the scent of, wait for it, marshmallows! Well that's how it smell to me, with a curious metallic scent in the background. The elixir itself is thin creamy coloured fluid which when applied to your face is instantly absorbed. It does not sting or irritate as did La Prairie, nor is it overly scented. You are reccomended to apply it day and night to your face and neck,( possibly whilst sipping champagne on your yacht or private jet). Or maybe like me after shopping at Morrisons.
Mirror Mirror on the Wall!
I am a sceptic and somehow never want these really expensive samples to work, but, after stretching my sample to 4 nights use my skin felt like it had been resurfaced and looked brighter as well. I cannot say that it reduced any age spots as they recommend using it for four weeks to see a reduction in these marks and that would involve nicking a lot of samples!
My Opinion.
I just cannot get over the price and can safely say I will never buy the full size product but I thought it would be fun to share my experience with you. It did make me feel nervous using a product that expensive on my face, but if you get the chance just ask for a sample and you might get lucky like me! Out of interest I have listed the ingredients from Sisley website
Alkekengi's Calyx:protects from free radicals
Nasturtium: lightens
Prickly Pear:boosts cell renewal
Rosewood (oil): stimulates micro-circulation
Geranium (Oil):purifies,
Lavender (Oil):purifies, soothes
White marrubium:soothes, anti-inflammatory
White Mulberry:lightens the complexion, inhibits tyrosinase
Scutellaria:inhibits tyrosinase, lightens the complexion
Vitamin A:regenerates
4 stars from me, I would rather pay my car insurance!
Thank for reading my review which may aslo be posted on Ciao under splishsplash
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Sisley Hydra-Global Intense Anti-Aging Hydration
by luxuryliner
As a poor student, I'm used to basics products and toiletries from the pound shop, so whenever I find myself on a day out in London, I like to treat myself to free samples from high-end beauty counters in the big department stores. On my last samples collecting trip I was lucky enough to be given a couple of weeks' supply of this Sisley ... Hydra-Global Intense Anti-Aging Hydration, which is essentially an anti-ageing moisturiser given an extremely fancy name. I was keen to try it as I'd heard so much about Sisley being a fantastic skincare brand - not to mention being intrigued as to whether the extortionate prices actually meant the products work better!
THE BRAND
Sisley is a French cosmetics, skincare and perfume company, reputedly one of the best in the world. It was started in 1976 by Hubert d'Ornano, who, according to their website, "understood very early on that the plant world offers an extensive field of research" and was one of the first people to pioneer the concept of "botanical active ingredients and essential oils" in beauty products. Basically, they market themselves on using plants and technology to offer the most cutting-edge cosmetics.
PACKAGING
I was given four 4ml sachets of Hydra-Global moisturiser, beautifully designed in silver and with a picture of the bottle of product on the front (as with so many of these high-end brands I do think you spend a lot on the packaging). The full-size product comes in a tall pump-action dispenser, pale blue in colour and with the Sisley fleur-de-lys logo and the name of the product in French and English.
On the back of the sachets is a list of ingredients and a step by step promise as to what the product is going to do: it says that it will "plump up the hydro cushion", whatever that means, "activates water circulation in the epidermis" and "keeps water in the stratum corneum". Sounds like pseudo-scientific guff to me, if I'm honest! According to the website, the cream contains a number of active botanical ingredients, which I'll list here so you can see the extent of the pseudo-science and just how big the company's claims are:
Chestnut: activates cell renewal, regulates barrier function of epidermis
Lavender: purifies, soothes
Marjoram: stimulates
Sage: stimulates
Malachite: reinforces the skin's defences against free radicals
Padina Pavonica: stimulates the production of glycoaminoglycans
Wild Pansy: boosts the synthesis of aquaporines
Stevia: moisturizes
Sunflower: nourishes, softens, revitalizes.
I'm going to admit it, after all these claims I was expecting this cream to give me a new face. Maybe even Angelina Jolie's face, who knows?
THE PRODUCT ITSELF
Sisley Hydra-Global itself is off-white and fairly thin, more like a serum or runny cleanser texture than a thick moisturiser. It smells vaguely plant-like and a little bit medicinal, not particularly unpleasant but not all that special. It rubs in easily and sinks in quickly without leaving a greasy residue which is my absolute number one turn-off when it comes to moisturiser. I put it on my face before bed and also on my hands, which are the driest part of my body and as such are a good litmus test for the efficiency of creams and such.
RESULTS
Well, my face is reasonably moisturised but I don't notice much difference to my hands at all. I haven't come out in spots or become particularly greasy but at the same time it hasn't made much impact on me at all really. I gave this a fair trial and used it for about two weeks until all the samples ran out, but seriously, I haven't noticed any significant improvement in my skin. Perhaps it has magic anti-ageing properties that I'm just not going to be able to see at 22; but then again, call me suspicious but I suspect not. I'm also not keen on the fact that although it doesn't leave a greasy residue, it does kind of 'seal' your skin with a definite layer of something - it's a bit unpleasant and for that reason I'd be wary about using this on my face before I went out.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
Here's the really insulting bit: Sisley Hydra-Global is £126 for 40ml. Yes, you read that correctly. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX POUNDS. And it didn't even give me Angelina Jolie's face.
If you're still keen, Sisley products are available anywhere with a concession, such as Selfridges, Harrods and other big department stores. You can also order online with Selfridges. I'd recommend trying to get some samples before you take the plunge - Sisley counters are usually very good about giving out samples so get hold of a few and see if this works for you.
OVERALL
Frankly, I've had better results from my trusted Simple light face cream. I was prepared to give this a try, but I must admit that I'm always going to be suspicious of something which costs this much and promises such over-inflated claims. Also, while it markets itself as being full of botanical ingredients, I'm not happy about some of the OTHER ingredients that aren't publicised so loudly: it contains mineral oil, which is basically a paraffin by-product and is really not great for your skin, plus it's also got silicones in it, which act to seal the skin and everything under it - these can cause spots and irritated skin.
It was a perfectly nice moisturiser to use at night, but I wouldn't use it in the day and I'm not keen on the sealant aspect of this product. There's no way you'd catch me shelling out £126 for a bottle of this - I can only conclude that they're banking on people having more money than sense! Two stars.
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