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^The photo above is used with love from The Muppets' Youtube account.
I hear they have a movie coming out that you should see if you're into that sort of thing.
Big fat "No" from me... followed by a few expletives and many, many detoxifying face masks in an attempt to counteract the negative side effects.
First, what is Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Serum?
This is a 1oz anti-aging serum from the UK that costs $20.99 per ounce, available at Target and other drug stores. Boots describes this as: "Powerful Prevention. Supercharge your skincare regime with this clinically proven serum. No7's highly acclaimed Protect & Perfect technology has been re-engineered to deliver even better anti-ageing results. Independently tested and proven to work. This serum is powered by Matrixyl 3000 PlusTM, a combination of the most powerful form of Matrixyl plus a next generation peptide that work together to help restore more youthful skin. With our patented antioxidant complex it helps protect skin from future signs of aging, keeping it looking younger for longer whilst salicylic acid promotes clearer, more radiant skin. After 2 weeks skin looks younger and more radiant, and by 4 weeks skin looks clearer and fine lines are visibly reduced. Results keep getting better with continued use. 80% of women said this serum provided the best anti-ageing results they had ever seen."
That sounds great! How in the world can this be anything short of wonderful?!
At first I thought that I was one of the unlucky 20% of women who just didn't get the hype with this product. Then I went to the Beautypedia from Paula's Choice (PaulasChoice.com) and realized that I very likely am in good company. Paula's Choice does an exceptional job identifying the flaws with both the scientific study and the ingredients. I can tell you from my own experience that this did nothing for me. In fact, my fine lines and pores were thriving. This product did not reduce any fine lines, did not make my skin feel more radiant, or do any of the other claims that the back of the box leads you to believe. In fact, it clogged a lot of my pores (I'm "blessed" with particularly porous skin BTW) and led to some significant breakouts by the end of my self-induced 4-week trial. I will say that I did notice a bit of a tighter feeling (my skin is fairly taut to begin with) around week 2. It was downhill pretty quickly after that, though.
That was dismal. Is there any hope?
If you have small to nearly non-existent pores or if you already know that you like (or don't have negative reactions to) silicone-based products, this might work for you. Albeit, according to Paula's Choice, if it does work, it would likely be mediocre.
Best of luck, ladies (and gentlemen), and a big congratulations if this happens to work for your skin. If you have any good skincare or fine line elimination/prevention, let me know! To borrow from my favorite pirate:
^The photo above is used with love from Drumble007' Youtube video, "Jack Sparrow, Captain Jack Sparrow."
It's a montage of classic Jack Sparrow moments; check it out if you have a moment :)
