Review of The Entire Olay Total Effects Anti Aging Skin Care Line

At the age of 30 I was introduced to Olay and after reading many reviews that were very helpful in deciding what line to go with. So many people said the Total Effects line was the best and I thought I would give it a go. I was determined to find if any drugstore product can do a good job, especially after being let down by a few very expensive products from a local department store. Since Olay is even more affordable than L’Oreal skin care, I purchased the entire line, which included a smoothing serum, a day cream and a night cream. I know there are more products in this line in the US, which include also a day cream with a touch of foundations (Max Factor),, day cream with gradient self tanner, and a “cooling” day cream. I believe there are also a few eye creams, but since they are not available in my area, I had to make do with just the 3 basic products I managed to grab locally without going into the hassle of online ordering.

Before I begin a more detailed review, I also must mention that all creams are designed for ages 30 to 55, which, in my opinion, is a VERY large segment. The needs of a 30-years-old skin are undeniably different then the needs of a truly mature skin, which does not produce collagen anymore and has nearly no oil produced in the oil glands. In my opinion, this skin care might better server those with dry skin, or those approaching their 40’s, but still I used it at my 30’s on my combination skin, and here is my experience.

Instant Smoothing Serum – Was perhaps the biggest disappointment, since I tried quite a few serums before (Yves Rocher 7.9 – which was awesome) and this was by far the worst. First of all, I noticed absolutely no effect when using it , not in the short term, not in a long term. On the contrary, it felts terribly heavy on my skin, I felt as if my skin is unable to breathe and I do sense it clogged my pores a little. I still have the bottle with remains of the serum and never get to finish it. It was a wasted purchase, but I believe — like I previously mentioned, if you have mature skin or a very dry skin, you might appreciate it, though again, I didn’t see any smoothing effect (no pores tightening, no wrinkles smoothing), so I guess that is individual factor.

Night Cream – Now, hands down, this a true masterpiece. It  retails for under $20 in local drugstores, but if anyone told me that this a high end expensive miracle skin transforming substance – I would really believe it. This is awesome, honestly. I woke up the next morning after the application and noticed that the face in the mirror is significantly, and I repeat – significantly younger, and more radiant. The pores are tight and the blackheads are nearly invisible because of this strong effect. The wrinkles are smoothed  and the skin has a very fresh pink pone, looking rested and glowy. WOW. I am not the only one to report this kind of astounding effect but what many others will not tell you, is that the effect has no (unfortunately)  long lasting results. Once you wash your face in the morning with warm water and rub it with a towel, the pores open back again and the shiny young look vanishes. If you need to look good in the morning, my advice is to apply this cream at night and then don’t wash or tone your face, but apply the make up on your face as it is in the morning. Not sure if it’s the best technique, but it may work in a short turn, because washing the night cream off and then applying the day cream (even with the above mentioned serum) doesn’t bring even remotely close results. I have been using this night cream for many months, repurchasing occasionally and I do love how it works, but I do wish the results were more long-lasting.

Day Cream – Now, much as I love the effects of the night cream, the day cream is just as weak as the serum. Kind of a “meh” product.