If you have been loving Lancôme, you all know about Dr Macrene as she's the skin care adviser and expert for the company. Once you check her background, you can totally see why she has come up with her own skin care line.
From the surface, her skin care line to me feels quite like a healthier version of La Mer with the concept of One cream does it all. It's natural, fragrance and nasty-free. This was the main reason that I had to try it out as I like to experiment and analyze to see if it actually works.
To be honest, what I love the most about it is her careful yet decisive approach on 37 ACTIVES or 37 EXTREME ACTIVES. I really love the fact that she actually cares about one very effective product for skin health. Less is More, which ultimately stops all the sensitivities caused by different active ingredients being bombed onto your skin from different products. And I've noticed that quite a lot of people forget about the importance of letting skin fully absorb all the goodies that you apply. You also should know the fact that your skin has a limit to handle all the layers that you put on and/or all the active ingredients that you apply hoping that they will work just as good.
1. Macrene Actives High Performance Anti-Aging Cleansing Treatment (Formerly, 37 ACTIVES)
In fact, you only need simple steps to have healthy skin, which helps skin to age gracefully. Respecting skin's own barrier is the very first step for healthy skin. Over cleansing and exfoliating is a big NO NO. I personally believe that providing nutrients to skin has a certain limit, so I don't normally buy the marketing around it.
Regardless, 37 ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Cleansing Treatment is packed with nutrients, and it actually gently cleanses skin without stripping off any oil. It's also PH balanced, so it will be a great cleanser if you don't normally put on a toner after cleansing. It's skin friendly and in a soft gel cream type consistency, so it doesn't lather much compared to other sulfate contained cleansers on the market, but it cleanses pretty good. After rinsing off the cleanser, my skin felt just clean without feeling particularly hydrated or dry. There's no oily residue, so I think that every skin type can enjoy it without any complaints unless you are a rich cleanser lover.
If you wear a waterproof make-up and heavy foundation or even a mineral sunscreen during the day though, I recommend you to pre-cleanse before using 37 ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Cleansing Treatment as it doesn't seem to work very well on those. It also hydrates skin for 24 hours, but to be honest, who doesn't wash their face for 24 hours, right? XD Most of us wash our face day and night, so I don't think whether the cleanser hydrates skin for 24 hours or not matters much.
2. Macrene Actives High Performance Anti-Aging Cream & EXTRA RICH High Performance Anti-Aging Cream (Formerly, 37 EXTREME ACTIVES)
And here we are with Dr Macrene's moisturisers in a very interesting formula. The moisturisers contain more than 50 anti-aging active ingredients, which is actually quite rare to find especially for a natural / dermatologist's brand. And the exciting part is that those ingredients cover almost every aspect of skin aging, and even better, it's an all-in-one product or serum-in-moisturiser. I was very skeptical initially about the serum part, but you never know until you try it out XD.
Consistency & Scent
Although 37 EXTREME ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Cream and EXTRA RICH High Performance Anti-Aging Cream are fragrance-free, they have a non-irritating unnoticeable scent. I would describe it smells slightly warm coconut or baby formula-like, which isn't overpowering at all, so you won't need to worry it as I loved the plain-ish quite delicious scent XD.
Regular Cream (Left) & Extra Rich Cream (Right)
Texture-wise, I honestly didn't notice much difference between those two O_O. They have a very lovely soft creamy consistency, which actually feels very luxurious for a dermatologist brand :3. It's neither thick nor light on the face although the texture feels quite light when you test it on the back of hand. As you might expect, the moisturisers are very easy to spread and massage in.
Regular Cream (Left) & Extra Rich Cream (Right)
The finish is simply beautiful. It's velvety smooth without any greasiness. It just creates a perfect canvas that you won't need to worry about what to put on next in terms of formulation, it won't peel off :).
Regular Cream (Left) & Extra Rich Cream (Right)
Effectiveness
They are fast-absorbing, and you can actually feel that all the active ingredients penetrate into the skin while you apply. That moment when you realise that you are actually putting on a serum-in-moisturiser <3 I've experienced quite different products giving a quenching/deep hydrating sensation in hydrating moisturisers, but what 37 EXTREME ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Cream and EXTRA RICH High Performance Anti-Aging Cream give feels quite different. They give you that firming feeling around the cheeks and eyes not superficially, but deep within as skin absorbs all the active ingredients.
It's very interesting because that kind of sensation is normally obtainable through firming serums, not commonly from moisturisers. It isn't a very uncomfortable feeling, it actually makes you rather feel that the product is really working. Whether the moisturisers works or not, it's just ingenious that those moisturisers can give you a sense that it's actually working.
The surprises don't stop there. In general, if there's that kind of firming sensation on skin upon application, there's a tendency that skin may feel a bit dry or dehydrated, which leads to putting on more products on top. But with 37 EXTREME ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Cream and EXTRA RICH High Performance Anti-Aging Cream, it won't be a problem at all. In warmer seasons like spring and summer, those moisturisers did their job brilliantly although I would say that people with dehydrated / dry skin won't find them sufficient for colder drier seasons.
Having said that, I haven't seen much of a wow factor in regards to around my eyes. The creams do seem to work on puffiness, but not much on dark circles and fine lines. And I've found them a bit dehydrating as my eye area is extremely dry. If you like a lighter feel in the eye cream and have an oily eye lid issue, then you will probably be fine with the cream. It never stung or made my eyes watery, which is quite nice. An added bonus! The creams work really well on very sensitive dry lips like mine, I used the leftover on my lips after putting on my face before putting on a lip balm. OMG. Wow! Love, love, love <3
Verdict
To be honest, I've found very little difference between 37 EXTREME ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Cream and EXTRA RICH High Performance Anti-Aging Cream, just that the latter one is very slightly a more hydrating without any oily residue. I also found that the moisturisers are layerable, but then, you will end up using them much quicker.
Regardless of its great formulation and active ingredients, I haven't noticed any major difference in my skin other than looking more even toned and balanced. In fact, the moisturisers did seem to bring a healthy glow back, and the exciting news is that they work pretty good to soothe redness and sensitivities that I get from outdoor activities. They didn't break my skin out, but they initially gave me little bumps here and there, which was gone a week or two later and only left velvety smooth skin. I think my skin was getting used to the active natural ingredients.
I wouldn't say that those moisturisers are the ultimate solution for correcting the problems such as deep wrinkles and sagging, but more for maintaining skin in a healthy condition. In terms of keeping healthy skin, yes, the moisturisers can be the ultimate skin supplement for the long run, which helps with skin related aging. Considering them as topical skin care treatment, now it makes sense to be one good cream, right? :)
By the way, when I've used them together with Dior ONE ESSENTIAL range, I've seen pretty amazing results in regards to skin texture, brightness and fine lines.
3. Macrene Actives High Performance Anti-Aging Neck And Décolletage Treatment (Formerly, 37 ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Neck And Décolletage Treatment)
37 ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Neck And Décolletage Treatment has a much lighter emulsion / lotion-like texture.
37 ACTIVES High Performance Anti-Aging Neck And Décolletage Treatment goes on and absorbs into skin very fast and easily like the creams. It doesn't really have any typical scent, but it certainly doesn't smell like the creams.
I thought it wouldn't do much because of how light it is, but I was wrong. It's indeed way lighter than the face moisturisers, but wow, it's very hydrating. A little amount goes a long way and it just makes my neck and decollete area very smooth without any oily feeling upon touch. There's no potent firming sensation unlike the creams, but it really seems to firm those delicate areas gradually. It isn't very lifting, but it does feel quite toned.
Overall
I think Macrene Actives products are very convenient to carry around when it comes to holiday seasons like summer and winter as they are all-in-one products packed with healthy nutrients for skin. Whether you are a skin care minimalist or not, if you want to have a bit of a skin care diet or detox, you definitely should try the Macrene Actives range as they pretty much cover everything.
If you have oily skin though, you might still test the texture first before purchasing the full size as I found the creams still quite hydrating and the creams have no sebum control properties. For very dry / dehydrated skin types might need to mix a few drops of facial oil in the cream or apply an additional boosting serum underneath.
Where to buy
- Lookfantastic (Worldwide shipping & discounts)
- SkinStore (Worldwide shipping & discounts)
Recommendations
- 37 Actives High Performance Anti-Aging and Filler Lip Treatment
- 7 Luxury Beauty Tools that Boost Efficacy of Your Skincare & Make-up (My Beauty Secrets/ Gift Ideas)
- Kahina Giving Beauty Prickly Pear Seed Oil (Dry/ Sensitive/ Eczema Skin)
- High-end Hydrating Serums (La Mer VS La Prairie VS Sisley VS Chanel VS Guerlain)
- La Mer Moisturisers/ Crème de la Mer
- Sisley Face Masks
