Beauty on a Budget: Olay Professional Pro-X

After months of hearing the phrases “global recession” and “economic downturn” I finally decided to try out the Olay Professional Pro-X line ($42 each, drugstores), which claims to offer results as effective as a prescription or luxury brand--at a fraction of the cost. For 28 days, I locked away all of my anti-aging products, most of which with $100+ price tags, and adopted the Olay Protocol, which includes the daily use of three Key Products: Age Repair Lotion with SPF 30, Wrinkle Smoothing Cream, and Deep Wrinkle Treatment. In clinical studies, the Olay Professional Pro-X Intensive Wrinkle Protocol was shown to reduce the appearance of wrinkles with no increased skin dryness and “provide significant improvement in facial stratum corneum barrier function after six months of treatment." Other products in the line, such as Hydra Firming Cream, Eye Restoration Complex, and Discoloration Fighting Concentrate, offer targeted solutions to individual skin needs. The Bottom Line: I found that my skin maintained the appearance provided by much more expensive anti-aging regimens, however my deep-rooted luxe-ist mentality left me with serious withdrawls from the big three: La Mer, Obagi and SkinCeuticals.