MFO’s Verdict on: The Olay Regenerist Night Ritual

I admit it, I’m a skincare snob. To say that I invest in my skin is an understatement. I don’t mind spending on derma treatments, expensive skincare products, even my shampoo. Everything that has to touch my face, even just the periphery of my face (case in point: shampoo), has to pass my scrutiny, and I don’t mind the cost as long as it is justified.

That said, when it comes to my skin, I’m willing to pay the price if it means it won’t bring back the horror of my late teens/early 20s. So yes, I spend on skincare. They’re no longer luxuries but a part of my regular basket of goods.

You see, I had a really bad breakout then, inflamed zits and little bumps all over, that really scarred me for life. Literally and figuratively. I have no pictures of maybe 2 years of my life because it was so depressing for me to see my skin at its worst.

I guess the beauty of that horrible experience forced me to not take my skin for granted. I’ve learned to be happy with good skin, that being able to face the world with my bare skin, was enough for me.

The thing is though, while I’m quite happy with the general state of my skin, there is still room for improvement. Olay recently launched their new breakthrough products, which make up the Olay Night Ritual, last June 15 together with their newest face of Olay, Charo Santos-Concio and I was lucky enough to try them out.

After all, when Olay Regenerist says they can help boost the skin’s repair process to reveal youthful skin in 5 days, hey, I’m down with that! Here’s my review.

The Product: Olay Regenerist Miracle Boost Youth Pre-Essence + Micro-sculpting Cream

The Promise: Night is the “Golden Time” for skin repair. In 2012, Olay initiated its largest ever ongoing trial research program exploring the links between gene expression of skin and its physical changes with age.

The study led by Dr. Alexa Kimball, Professor Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, discovered that natural skin repair decreases as we age, requiring a boost in skin renewal at night.

With this golden timeframe in mind, Olay formulated the Overnight Miracle, consisting of Olay Regenerist Miracle Boost Youth Pre-Essence + Micro-sculpting Cream to help boost skin reneawal at night.

When used together, they deliver 2x Advanced Anti-Ageing actives penetrating up to 10 skin surface layers deep.

In just 5 nights, it boosts skin renewal by 60%, renewing millions of skin cells. Skin looks firmer, plumper with visibly reduced wrinkles.

Put to the Test: The Olay Regenerist Miracle Boost Youth Pre-Essence is a boost that allows the serum and moisturizer to work its magic deeper into the skin.

It is meant to be used after cleansing and toning, and spread all over the face avoiding the eye and lip area. It is recommended two apply two pump dosage per use.

I like it for the following reasons

• It’s not greasy and it absorbs into the skin without any sticky afterfeel 
• The packaging is quite novel and secure. When you screw the cap back on, it locks the pump button. 
• You know you’re using just the right amount of product because when you unscrew the cap, it automatically draws up enough into the dropper 

The Micro-sculpting Cream is thick and rich with a blend of PAL-KTTKS (Amino-peptide that helps reduce wrinkles, helps firm up and repair skin), OliveM (anti-oxidant), Niacinamide (accelerates renewal of skin surface cells and reduces wrinkles), Lyslastine (increases elasticity), Hyaluronic Acid & Glycerol (moisturises) that works together to help skin perform at its youthful peak. 

It is recommended that we massage it unto skin in an upward circular motion, focusing on the brow and jaw line which are the first areas that tend to sag as we age.

I did use these over a course of two weeks and I did see results. There was a huge improvement in terms of the state of my wrinkles and skin texture, based on results of the Olay Visia machine, which is not bad given the short time frame. See my results, HERE.

Passing the Verdict: For somebody accustomed to using expensive skin care products, I’d say the Olay Regenerist line is quite the miracle product. It works just as well, maybe even better, in delivering its promise of hydration and less visible wrinkles.

A closer, unfiltered look at my 40 year old skin 

The Miracle Boost Youth Pre-Essence feels light and is a delight on the skin. It’s a skin care step I am willing to add to my routine, given that it helps absorb the cream into the skin better. It would be perfect if it were unscented though.

The Micro-sculpting Cream is a tad thicker and greasier on the skin compared to my usual night cream, I’d prefer it unscented too, but given that it costs a small fraction of the cost of my cream, it’s great value for those who want the same results without spending a fortune.

SK-II on the left, thicker Micro-sculpting Cream on the right 

Price + Point of Sale: Php1,499/set at Lazada, Php3,000/set in drugstores, grocery stores and supermarkets.

Ageless Beauty with Olay

“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty. Life shapes the face you have at thirty. But at fifty you get the face you deserve.” - Coco Chanel

I wonder what Coco Chanel would say for a woman in her 60s. Would she say, "Be happy with the face you have at 60?" 

Not that looking 60 is something to be afraid of. Because if you look like Charo Santos-Concio at 60, my gosh, that's something to celebrate!

Olay Philippines recently announced Ms. Charo Santos-Concio as their newest Ambassador for the Olay Regenerist Line. Which is not only well-deserved for Ms. Concio but also a casting coup for Olay.

At 60, Ms. Concio has just retired at the top of her game, as President and CEO of ABS-CBN, which made her one of the most powerful women in media. Her show, Maalaala Mo Kaya is the longest running drama anthology in the world, and to this day, never fails to get our yayas shedding a tear or laughing out loud with every episode.

We got to see her up-close and personal at the event hosted by Olay Philippines a few weeks ago, and as Boy Abunda interviewed her, I couldn't help but be in awe of what she has accomplished for herself. She seemed shy and a tad self-conscious, admitting her nervousness to the crowd, which in reality belied the strength within her. 

To be able to manage the whims and the demands of the cast of characters in the entertainment industry is no small feat. To take a powerhouse like ABS-CBN from strength to strength requires balls and she has it, no doubt. 

She makes success look so easy. The way she makes looking beautiful at 60 look easy too. Her beauty secret of course, is no secret. 

While she has been a long time Olay user, she recommends using the powerful duo of Olay Regenerist Miracle Boost Pre-Essence and Micro-sculpting Cream as part of one's night time ritual. This is because, and to think she only found out about this recently, night time is the best time for skin repair and renewal.

Lucky for us, we know this early on, and that natural skin repair reduces as we age. Not to fret if we are late into the skincare game though because the Olay Night Ritual fills this gap.

Dubbed as the "Overnight Miracle", it promises more youthful skin after just 5 nights of use. Together, it has 2x the advanced anti-aging actives that penetrate the skin 10 layers deep to provide 1.5x hydration. It also has PAL-KTTKS peptide and Niacinimide to help minimize the appearance of wrinkles, increase skin elasticity and strengthen skin resilience.

I've tried it myself and I can attest to the fact that my wrinkle situation has considerably improved in two weeks (which was the length of time I had the chance to compare using Olay's skin imaging system)

June 1, 2016: In my age group, 82% of women had less wrinkles than me! 87% had better texture than me! Wah!

June 15, 2016: Two weeks later, my stats improved. 68% have less wrinkles than I do (down from 82%) and 68% have better texture than I do (down from 87%).

I'm continuing the Olay Night Ritual and can't wait to see better and improved results in the weeks to come.

Try the Olay Night Ritual for yourself too! To purchase online, click HERE.