Inspired By: Medical-Grade Chemical Peels
There are a ton of at-home peel products on the market, but for us, this is one that most closely mimics the experience (and skin-brightening results) of an in-office treatment. After pouring the contents of one of the package's four vials (which include glycolic, salicylic and lactic acids) in a dish and absorbing the liquid with a cotton pad, we dotted the solution along sections of the face. Instantly, we felt the kind of intense warming and tingling that occurs with in-office peels.
After another pass of the cotton pad and ten minutes wait time, we washed our face to reveal the smoothest and brightest skin we've seen in a long time. Just like with professionally-administered peels, our skin felt dry and needed extra moisturization in the few days following our treatment, but a week later, our skin continued to feel glassy smooth.
Inspired By: Cryotherapy
Designed to mimic the freezing temps of cryotherapy (and its skin-firming results) this gel cleanser foams and makes skin feel colder and colder the more it's massaged into skin.
While red algae, sea kelp extract and sea water are included to firm skin over time, we were invigorated by a more immediate effect: an icy sensation felt as soon as we splashed tepid water on our face to rinse the cleanser away. For mornings (in which we can't seem to wake up) and sticky, summer evenings (in which we can't seem to cool off), this cleanser delivers the refreshing jolt of energy we need to recalibrate.
Inspired By: Cryo Freeze Facials
Too often, topical beauty products made to provide a tightening effect suck the moisture out of skin in the process. Thanks to a proprietary marine concentrate, 20 minutes time under this cooling mask left our skin feeling bouncy and looking like someone had flipped its switch from a low dim to a full-throttled klieg light.
Inspired by: For Lymphatic Drainage & Facial Massage
In the hands of a seasoned esthetician, a facial massage geared to stimulate lymphatic drainage not only feels amazing, it can stoke blood flow and make skin look more energized.
The best way to mimic the effect without an ounce of facial-massage expertise? By picking up a face roller. This rose quartz version from celebrity esthetician Angela Caglia produces 6,000 sonic vibrations per minute and feels very close to what you might get in a spa.
For a more affordable option, try one that skips the sonic feature, like Daily Concepts Rose Quartz Facial Roller, $26) Pro tip: put your roller on ice ahead of your session to better bring blood flow to the surface of the skin.
Inspired By: LED Light Treatments
Dermatologists and estheticians pay thousands of dollars for in-office LED light machines geared to stimulate collagen in the skin and act as an anti-inflammatory. This newly launched at-home mask distills the technology in Omnilux's medical-grade machines into a flexible mask that comfortably fits directly on the face.
Though not as strong as in-office machines, the device's light (633 nanometers of red wavelength LED and 830nm of infrared wavelength) and output (73 joules per 5 minutes of run time) proved enough to eradicate redness around our nose and mouth in one 10-minute session. Adding the mask into a weekly routine may offer further rewards: in clinical trials, participants reported smoother, brighter and more bouncy skin after using the device three times a week over a month's time.
