Wednesday night was the first Seder of Passover, so I didn’t have a chance to post yesterday. My cousin Ellen and her husband always host, and there’s a big crowd, 20 people or so. It was a long evening, but I was happy to get to see my cousins and my aunt. And I cooked: I made a potato kugel that would have been really delicious, but it was cold by the time we got to eat. It was still tasty.
Paula’s Choice Resist Intensive Repair Cream
My Situation
When I used up my favorite Theraderm Flawless Neck Creme a couple of months ago, I needed to get another neck cream. Theraderm had increased its prices rather alarmingly (it was already expensive), and I thought I should explore other options. I’m laughing because I ended up taking Marcia’s advice and buying the Theraderm Flawless Neck Creme on HerAnswer.com, a website where they were selling it at the old price.
Paula’s Choice is one of my favorite brands to check out when I am paying for skincare products myself. Their products are efficacious and cost-effective. I remember it was on a Sunday evening that I went to the Paula’s Choice website and looked around for a neck cream.
Finding A Neck Cream and Is It Really Necessary?
I have absolutely no idea what distracted me, but I settled on Paula’s Choice Resist Intensive Repair Cream and ordered it right away.
The entire Resist anti-aging collection is a good one, and I’ve used several Resist products in the past. When Intensive Repair Cream arrived in my mailbox, I was surprised to discover that there was no mention whatsoever of “neck” anywhere on the packaging or bottle. Huh?
I went back to the website to see what went wrong. Intensive Repair Cream does mention the word “neck”, but it also mentions “face”. In fact, Intensive Repair Cream is a concentrated anti-aging moisturizer designed primarily for nighttime use on the face and neck. What I discovered is that Paula’s Choice doesn’t believe in using a separate product for the neck and chest. They say that you can feel good about using whatever you use on your face for your neck. Hmmm.
There is some disagreement about that with other skincare sources because the neck has fewer oil glands than the face and thus is drier and more delicate. I tend to fall in the latter camp, and I often like to use a separate neck cream. However, there is nothing wrong with using the same product.
Intensive Repair Cream
Paula’s Choice Resist Intensive Repair Cream is described by the website as:
“A concentrated anti-aging moisturizing cream infused with skin-restoring ingredients to significantly improve skin’s texture, smoothness, and hydration, renewing a beautifully youthful and healthy glow.”
It’s really a rich yellow-y cream that promotes hydration, firmness and a healthy skin barrier. It’s perfect for me as a night cream. When I first got it, I did use it as a neck cream as well as a face cream. (These days, I can’t use anything on my neck because it’s still swollen.)
It contains emollients, peptides, antioxidants, and a small percentage of retinol (0.01%). In sum, it’s a wonderful moisturizer for dry or very dry skin like mine. In case you avoid certain ingredients, it does contain dimethicone (which gives you smooth skin) and petrolatum (an oil-derived ingredient that many dermatologists still recommend to seal in moisture).
Ingredients: Water, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Retinol, Adenosine, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ceramide NG, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Lentil Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Glycine Soja Sterols, Tribehenin, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Pullulan, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tridecyl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Carbomer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Benzoic Acid
Paula’s Choice Intensive Repair Cream comes in an airless pump and contains 1.7 fl. oz./50 ml. It’s regularly priced at $37, but it’s often on sale as it is now (15% off) on the Paula’s Choice website. It’s also sold at Sephora (that’s having its spring sale very soon) and other online retailers.
Allison, I am glad that you reviewed this product. It’s one of my Paula’s Choice favorites. I think I mentioned previously that I always try more expensive products and then go back to the Paula’s Choice product. It’s the same with this cream. It’s wonderful in the winter. I plan on testing another retinol serum with this to increase my retinol intake a bit. It’s interesting that PC says this can be used on your neck as I read somewhere that you shouldn’t use retinol on your neck. Maybe that’s not true?
Oh, that’s a wonderful coincidence, Denise, that Intensive Repair Cream is one of your favorites! I agree with you: it’s perfect for winter and for our chilly spring that’s a continuation of winter! I think Paula’s Choice recommends using it on the neck because the amount of retinol is relatively minimal. I often use it at night after applying a retinol serum or retinol cream – now I’m using PCA Intensive Age Refining Treatment 0.5% Pure Retinol (it comes in a tube). Do you have a retinol serum that you like?
It sounds really super. Thanks for the tip, as always. You always know the best products.