| Review | Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer



| Review | Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer

Let's travel back to 2017 when Victoria Beckham released the Morning Aura Illuminating Cream with Estee Lauder. This pearlescent priming moisturizer was all the rage and people we're going crazy for it but while it was a nice product, I didn't find it worthy of the price. You can read my full thoughts on it here. Victoria Beckham is taking another shot at formulating a priming moisturizer, this time, with a skincare powerhouse!

While illuminating priming moisturizers aren't a new thing, what makes this formula particularly special is the collaboration with Professor Augustinus Bader. Known for his extremely pricey luxury cream, Augustinus Bader, is one of the top stem cell specialists in the world and one of the most renowned skincare professionals in the beauty industry. Because of this revolutionary formula, the beauty industry and beauty enthusiasts are touting his creams as miracle creams! I can't disagree with this claim because after trying them for myself, I believe that they're a miracle! You can read my review on the Augustine Badger The Cream and The Rich Cream here.


Victoria Beckham deciding to collaborate with Augustine Bader is the biggest selling point for me when it came to purchasing this product. Because of Augustinus Bader's amazing reputation and products, I was very excited about this launch and I came in with the highest expectations. I must say, I was not disappointed.

PRICE & PACKAGING

The Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer retails for $95.00 USD for the 30ml and $145 for 50ml. This priming moisturizer is housed in a heavy and very luxurious glass bottle with the classic VB tortoiseshell pattern. The bottle is extremely luxurious, more so than the Augustine Bader creams and they cost significantly more than this cream. The bottle is very sleek and heavy, it feels so luxurious and looks so chic. Like the Augustine Bader creams, this priming moisturizer is dispensed through a pump.




FORMULA 

This illuminating priming moisturizer has a lightweight yet, very hydrating texture. It falls somewhere between the Augustinus Bader The Cream, which is extremely lightweight and lotion-like and The Rich Cream, which is a very hydrating balm-like texture. I know that Victoria is a huge fan of The Rich Cream and has been using it for quite a long time. She has spoken about using ti as a primer for makeup. I can see why she went for a formula in between The Cream and The Rich Cream because not every skin type will suit the richness of The Rich Cream. I think the in-between formula is beautiful because it is rich enough to hydrate but doesn't make the face greasy and it's light enough for makeup to sit very well on the skin and last throughout the day. I find two pumps is perfect to cover my entire face, occasionally, I will add an extra pump if my skin is feeling particularly dry.

When the product is initially dispensed, it looks like a white lotion, a very similar-looking texture to The Cream. The illuminating particles in this moisturizer are extremely fine. When blended into the skin, you can't see any visible shimmer at all but your face appears very healthy and luminous. The glow is very natural and fresh. Because the particles are so fine, they don't emphasize any texture or pores. The illuminating pearl is a golden pearl but again, since they are undetectable on the skin, it will suit every skin tone.



INGREDIENTS

This list of ingredients was found of the Augustinus Bader website:

WATER / AQUA / EAU, GLYCERIN, TRIETHYLHEXANOIN, ETHYLHEXYL POLYHYDROXYSTEARATE, ISOSTEARYL ISOSTEARATE, SACCHAROMYCES/XYLINUM/BLACK TEA FERMENT, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, OCTYLDODECYL MYRISTATE, PERSEA GRATISSIMA (AVOCADO) OIL, SILICA, SODIUM ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), POTASSIUM CETYL PHOSPHATE, TFC-8, SODIUM HYALURONATE, PAPAIN, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, CHLORELLA VULGARIS EXTRACT, LECITHIN, SODIUM POLYACRYLATE, PANTHENOL, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, CITRIC ACID, CETYL PALMITATE, SORBITAN STEARATE, TOCOPHEROL, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CARBOMER, N-HYDROXYSUCCINIMIDE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM BENZOATE, TIN OXIDE, ALGIN, O-CYMEN-5-OL, POLYSORBATE 80, POTASSIUM SORBATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, PALMITOYL TETRAPEPTIDE-10



SWATCHES

You will see in the swatches below how subtle the gold reflects in this moisturizer is because even when captured close up, you can't detect any individual particles. You only really see a subtle gold sheen and when blended it just adds a glow to the skin.


A drop straight from the bottle. You can see a slight gold sheen where the cream touches my skin. 


When I swipe my finger through the cream, you can see the soft gold reflect on the skin.


When it is further blended more gold begins to show. 


When it is completely blended, you can only see a very subtle, barely-there golden glow. 

COMPARISON 

I had to do a comparison swatch of the Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer next to Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder Morning Aura Illuminating Cream (review here). Since clearly, Victoria wanted to recreate Morning Aura with some upgrades, including advanced skincare technology, it's only appropriate that I compare the two. I thought that Morning Aura was nice but not really worth the hefty cost, it felt a lot like many illuminating creams I owned but this new Priming Moisturizer is actually something special.



VB Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer (left) vs. VB Morning Aura (right)

You can see that Morning Aura has a very strong sheen compared to the Priming Moisturizer. You can actually see the particles of shimmer in the Morning Aura and the shimmer is more of a white gold glow, whereas the Priming Moisturizer, had more of a yellow gold sheen. The Priming Moisturizer has a much softer and more natural glow on the skin.


PERFORMANCE

I'm not one that often believes in this type of "all-in-one formulas" because they're often lacking in some area. I find that this is the case with all products that claim to do too many things or try to be multiple products in one. When you claim a product can do multiple things, there are more and higher expectations for that product and even when they perform just slightly below expectations, it can be a bit disappointing. This priming moisturizer is no exception, however, it does a pretty good job in all the areas. That makes it a pretty impressive product!


As a moisturizer...

This product's performance as a moisturizer is good for someone with normal to dry skin. I believe it has a nice balance of being hydrating and nourishing without being greasy and heavy. I think this product as a moisturizer will work for all skin types but for a dry skin type, I don't find it to work well as a stand-alone moisturizer. It is very reminiscent of the Augustinus Bader creams but unlike the Bader ones, I feel that I need other skincare underneath because my skin is so dry.

That being said, while it is similar, this product is not the Augustinus Bader creams. It has the same technology but, of course, the formula is different because it is meant to be a priming moisturizer. Taking a look at the ingredients, it is a very close formula and it does include the iconic cell-regenerating technology, TFC8, which makes this moisturizer so special.

I have noticed that when using this priming moisturizer, my skin stays very hydrated and fresh but it also seems to balance my oils, so I don't get too oily in my t-zone throughout the day. Additionally, it gives me baby soft skin, which is an iconic result of the Augustine Bader creams! This baby soft skin tells me that the TF8 is active and in a high enough concentration that it is working to create healthier and renewed skin!



I am, however, very skeptical about how this formula is supposedly comparable to the Augustine Bader, yet it is significantly less expensive. This leads me to believe that the Victoria Beckham cream contains less of the skincare benefits, which makes sense since it is supposed to be a primer as well. I believe that the priming moisturizer is a significantly diluted version of the Augustinus creams, which is great for the wallet but a bit of a compromise for the skin.

Despite what they may try to convince you, this formula is not an equivalent of the Augustine Bader. It s a very good formula and contains some of the benefits of the Bader formula but it pales in comparison to the Augustinus Bader creams when it comes to both the look and feel of the skin. However, when it comes down to it, it is not solely a skincare product but a skincare-makeup hybrid that is meant to prime the skin just as much as it is meant to treat it. With that in consideration, it is an above-average moisturizer.



While the brand touts this as a stand-alone product, I don't find this to be the case. On my dry skin, used alone, I feel my skin starts to get dry throughout the day and it feels a bit tighter. This is not caused by the cream but it is just my skin type. If you also have a dry skin type, I recommend using another moisturizer beforehand and use this product as just a primer.

As a primer... 

I'm quite impressed with the priming abilities of this moisturizer. This is the area where I thought this product would really fall short but it surprised me in its ability to increased the longevity of my base. I tested it with my Chanel Fresh Water Tint (full review here), which is a base product that doesn't last a long time on the skin because it is so lightweight. However, with this priming moisturizer on, I would it kept my base on beyond 8 hours and it still looked very fresh beyond 8 hours!

This product doesn't have a gripping or tacky formula but seems to still work very well as a primer. It doesn't really have smoothing or pore-filling properties. However, fine illuminating particles do help blur lines and texture. It also gives the skin a beautiful and healthy glow. I find that a variety of foundation types apply beautifully over this priming moisturizer and it doesn't cause the makeup to pill or apply patchily.

While I have noticed it balances the oils on my skin type, it doesn't claim to be an oil-controlling primer. If you happen to be an oily skin type, you may find yourself wanting an oil-controlling primer in your t-zone and you can use this product on your cheeks.

The glow shines through nicely with a natural finish or dewy finish foundation but the matte you go, the less glow you will get. The glow is very subtle and while it clearly has golden reflective particles when you swatch it, it isn't apparent when blended into the skin.


As a mix-in to a base...

This priming moisturizer actually makes a lovely product to mix into foundation or base products. It doesn't thin out or sheers out a product as much because of it's slightly thicker and balmy texture, which means you get a glow without compromising too much coverage. It doesn't dramatically change the texture of a product and still allows the base to blend into the skin seamlessly. Because of it's priming properties, it also enhances the wear of the base. While I haven't tried it with all base products, I have had very good luck mixing it with the liquid foundations that I own.

As a highlighter... 

It is said this product can also be used as a highlighter but I find that it doesn't work for me as one because the formula removes and moves about the makeup underneath. I just end up with a missing streak of foundation on my cheekbones. However, if you want to use it as a highlighter on bare skin, it does have a beautiful natural golden reflect that does enhance the cheekbones and makes them shine.

As a touch-up product...

Victoria Beckham, herself, has said that she likes to use this product to touch up makeup at the end of the day. However, when I tried it, it just ended up removing my makeup, instead of refreshing it. This moisturizer texture really isn't the ideal product to be touching up your makeup with. It doesn't sit well on top of powder products and it doesn't blend on top of foundations well.


FINAL THOUGHTS

While Victoria Beckham touts this product as some kind of all-in-one miracle cream, it is not! It is very good but not a miracle. I have watched countless interviews where she claims this is the only skincare product she uses and this is how she gets her skin to look so amazing but do not be fooled by her beauty and milk-and-honey-voice.

While this priming moisturizer is very good and contains some pretty incredible anti-aging technology, it is not going to reverse time or make you look any closer to Victoria Beckham. It will, however,  prime and hydrate your skin beautifully for makeup. Compared to other primers you could be using on your skin, this one is extremely high quality and I do believe that the skincare properties in this primer will make a difference in your skin over time. Don't get me wrong, it won't transform your skin but it will maintain its suppleness, softness, and smooth texture.

The illuminating finish is absolutely beautiful and makes your makeup look incredible. It does help with the application and overall look of your base. It is a stellar priming moisturizer and I will be repurchasing it! I highly recommend this product because I really do enjoy the formula and what it does for my makeup. As for the skin, I believe in the Augustinus Bader technology and any product that is designed by the man himself is something I want to continue to use in my routine regularly. I don't think it will dramatically change my skin but I do think every little bit helps.

If you've been wanting to try the Augustinus Bader creams but you're hesitant because of the cost, this is similar but won't give you the same effect at all. It will give you just the tiniest taste of what the formula is like and I think it's a beautiful everyday product to incorporate into your routine. Again, I can't recommend it enough! Give it a try and get glowing!


2 comments:

  1. I bought both. My wallet is angry, but that being said....The Rich Cream to me is worth it because I just could never find a cream that I was 100% in love with for my dry skin. I am bothered by scent, and I love a dewy look all day. I produce zero oil, and a lot of creams/moisturizers that I thought would like break me out. (Drunk Elephant). It is a must for me, and not sure if I will switch to The Cream in warmer months yet. I love it though. Price tag, not so much. I have to hunt for a sale on this when someone has their 20% off, or figure out a way to be okay with spending that much. I'm not okay with it yet. I guess I have to see how long it takes me to run out. Maybe use it morning only. Ugh....not sure yet.
    VB moisturizer: I love it as a primer. Not a stand alone. I actually don't use The Rich Cream as a stand alone either. Not sure if I will repurchase VB again. I love my Marc Jacobs primer pretty much just as well. I am happy that I purchased it though. It is a fabulous primer, but I am looking for 100% holy grails. Thanks for the review!

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    1. I 100% agree with you on The Rich Cream! I was extremely skeptical but I'm converted now that I've tried them! They are definitely dry skin game-changers!

      I also don't love the price tag but it is nice when you can get the occasional 20% off or even 15% off on these creams. I like the VB moisturizer as a primer but I also own many primers and I don;t know if I'll get around to buying another one. Honestly, I'm pretty terrible at remembering to apply primer... haha.. Thanks for reading and leaving such a lovely comment!

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