The last time I got this excited about a moisturizer was the super cheap Nivea Creme. Lancôme Absolue Revitalizing & Brightening Soft Cream is much pricier, so of course, my expectations are much higher. Let’s find out.

What is itA soft cream facial moisturizer with a unique, transforming texture that visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles, while rejuvenating skin with firmness, radiance and 24-hour hydration..

How I use itIn the evenings as the final step of my routine. A generous pea sized amount is enough for my face, with a focus on my cheeks and drier under eye areas. I don’t use this in the morning only because I’m testing out other products, plus it’s on the heavier side.

Best suited forDry and/or mature skin types. Combo/oily skin types or those living in a humid climate may find this too rich.

Things to noteContains fragrances and alcohol in low concentrations, neither of which I found irritating nor drying.

PackagingA luxurious and heavy gold jar. The 2oz jar is reusable, and you can purchase refill pods at a lower price.

ScentA beautiful floral scent that I find oh-so-dreamy! It’s definitely noticeable but dissipates after the product is applied.).

TextureA silky rich pink cream that feels extremely emollient. It’s not thick or oily and spreads easily. It does leave this sort of protective sheen on your skin, similar to a facial oil.

FinishA noticeable glow, similar to that of a facial oil. It’s not uncomfortable or suffocating in anyway though.

Where to buy$120/1oz or $212/2oz from Lancome (multiple BOGO sales per year), Harrods, and LookFantastic; $180/2oz from Nordstrom; $185/2oz for refill pods from Lancome

ingredients explanation

At first glance this ingredient list, much like most high end brand ingredient lists, is mostly disappointing:

And friends, this is the danger of us average consumers trying to decode ingredients.

The efficacy of the formula is so much more than what we can see from this list, and I would’ve missed out on an incredible product if I judged it on this list alone.

Going into this my expectations were high. I didn’t know what exactly to expect, but I expected to see results, and boy I was not disappointed!

The texture, as I mentioned earlier, is in one word: luxurious. The way it melted and absorbed so beautifully, my dry skin was in heaven. A little goes a long way too, but it’s hard to be stingy with this one: it’s so beautiful that I just wanna lather this on thick.

It absolutely has the usage experience of a high end product and it quickly became the product I looked forward to using the most. No complaints. None.

As for the results, I’ll let these photos speak for themselves:

This is a moisturizer where I saw immediate and long term results. Immediate is obviously the glow it gives me, hence I call it my “glow in a jar”. But long term results I’m also seeing smoother, plumper, and generally healthier skin. It’s the kind of results I don’t even see from some serums, so to get that from a cream is incredible.

There are no dupes that I’m aware of, which is why this cream leaves me shook. However here are a few products I found that also feature Pro-Xylane and similar emollients:

I haven’t tried any of the above, but here’s how the Lancome compares to the other cream moisturizers I have tried:

Price aside this is without a doubt my holy grail moisturizer and perfect for my skin in every way. However does that mean it's perfect and a must have for everyone? Of course not. For mature and dry skin types I definitely recommend checking it out when it's on sale. The glow you get from this will leave you shook!