Weekly Obsession: Phytomer’s Pionniere XMF – Your New Fountain of Youth? @PhytomerUSA #skincare #spa #weeklyobsession

Beauty products that promise astounding results have been around for generations, but now, technology really has helped companies develop some that could be seen as true “hope in a jar.”  If you have the budget for creams that cost hundreds of dollars, and you don’t want to do anything seriously invasive and perhaps even more pricey, to your skin, some of these new products could possibly make a big difference in how your skin looks and feels.  One of the newest and one that is exciting, is from Phytomer. Their new and impressive,  PIONNIERE XMF Perfection Youth Cream ($230.50 1.6 fl. oz.), is not just full of youth-preserving ingredients, it is also full of a 100% natural and advanced ingredients.

On a personal note, I have always admired Phytomer products. The company is  based in Saint Malo,France and distributed throughout the world. Phytomer means: “plant of the sea.” The company is known for using seawater, seaweed or seaside plants in every retail and professional product. Their labs have produced over 50 patented ingredients in France, research grants and unique high yielding extraction technique. Impressive!   Phytomer and the new Pionniere XMF and Facial Treatment are our new Weekly Obsession!

Pionniere XMF claims to visibly smooth wrinkles and plump the skin in just one hour. with exceptional youth preserving properties. Featured in this luxurious and comfortable “second skin” cream, it instantly smooths wrinkles and plumps the skin. Inside the attractive and elegant looking silver and glass jar is a rich cream with something called: ” EPS XMF, a concentrate from a plankton micro-organism that makes its home off the coast of Brittany in the Iroise Sea (part of the Atlantic Ocean, in France).  This little organism produces a natural sugar that smooths the skin and also stimulates collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid production.  All of these are essential for keeping skin looking and feeling youthful. The end result should be a reduction of fine lines after an hour with more event skin tone, and after a month of continued use, even a reduction of hard to treat, crows feet lines.

There really is practically nothing written online about this cream yet, but I am eager to tell you all about it. The cream looks and feels very rich and silky on the skin, but it absorbs very quickly with no residue. You can’t even tell you applied something important. This is really great, especially right now when the weather is steamy and you’re wearing more sun screen (you are, aren’t you?).  The packaging is unisex and the scent is so light it is nearly imperceptible. This makes the product good for men as well (although Phytomer has excellent products just for men, which the Advice Sisters will be reviewing later in the season).

If there is a downside, it’s in the packaging. I admit this is a personal pet peeve of mine, but I dislike pricey products in jars.  If there is one thing I dislike (and this is personal), it’s expensive creams that are packaged in a screw-top jar. Don’t get me wrong — the jar looks expensive and you feel pampered opening it, but the minute you expose a jar of something to light, air, pollutants, and your fingers, it begins to deteriorate and can become contaminated. The Pionniere XMF cream comes with a plastic spatula, but these are easy to misplace before the cream is finished. I am aware that there are arguments for keeping creams in jars, including the fact that oxygen-free packaging doesn’t work with every products. But when you’re paying over $200 for a face cream, it would be nice to know that it won’t give out, before you finish it.

That issue aside, while I didn’t use it long enough to dramatic results, I did use it long enough to see smoother skin that looked a bit plumper and refreshed in a way many other face creams, can’t deliver. I didn’t feel the kind of annoying tightening that some creams produce, but my skin looked good. And, of course, it is 100% natural, so for those who really care, this is a big plus. When I experienced the cream along with other Phytomer products, in a Phytomer Spa Treatment Facial (more on that, below) my skin really did look amazing and improved.  As someone who has reviewed many, many, many skin care products in my two decades+ online, I can say with some confidence that EPS XMF appears to have a powerful cocktail of good-for-your-skin ingredients that should make a big difference in how your skin looks and feels. Anything that can stimulate collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid are skincare youth-enhancers.  But the best cream in the world won’t give you the results you crave, if you don’t use it regularly (that means, morning and night for at least a month), and then, maintenance.  The price isn’t out of line anymore with other high end face creams, but if I hadn’t been sent a jar to try, I might balk at the yearly cost of keeping it on my skin. However, what it a luxury for some, will be a must-have for others.

Pionniere XMF Plus SPA-AHHH!!  Another completely blissful and indulgent Phytomer exprience is the Phytomer Youth Revealing Facial Treatment –– and there really is a TREAT in this treatment, the Pionniere XMF cream.  I was delighted to be among the editors that experienced the 90 minute version of this treatment,  it at the elegant Waldorf Towers in New York, back in April (the normal treatment is 80 minutes).   One can’t help but feel literally, reborn, after it.  Anyone who wants to focus on anti-aging, from repairing advanced signs of time to early intervention (20-65+). will adore it.  The treatment was created in celebration of Phytomer’s 40th year as the leader in marine cosmetics and combines advanced biotechnology, exclusive manual massage techniques,  and several new Phytomer products and professional steps for visible wrinkle-smoothing and skin firming results.

Along with the use of marine biotechnology in the Phytomer products, this  Youth Revealing Treatment includes a  face and décolleté massage to stimulate microcirculation and oxygenation of the skin, encourage muscular relaxation and increase skin’s elasticity and tone. Part of this treatment includes use of a Massage Roller tools that is supposed to smooth and diminish lines by gently stretching and toning the tissue while a tool called the “Face Shaper” supposedly  mobilizes muscles and works on specific wrinkles. I can’t determine if it was the blissful massage, the products, or the use of these unique tools on my face, but the end result felt like I’d had a week in a spa, not just 80 minutes!

There are many steps to this massage, beginning with a back massage and application of a Self Heating Mud masque applied to the back, followed by a Spray Sea Mist over the face (sounds good already, doesn’t it)?  But there are so many steps you’d be here all day, reading about them.  I’ll just list some of the Phytomer products used, some of which (like the Pionniere XMF) that you can purchase for home use: Sea Mist, Relaxing Serum, Resurfacing Multi-Exfoliant, Exfoliating Radiance Gel for Lips (love this product)!; Enzymatic Exfoliant (for face and neck); Massage Concentrate oil with massage roller, then the face shaper and massage roller, youth mask for lips, 2nd Youth Wax Mask, Moisturizing hand cream, Rosee Visage, Plumping Nourishing Balm, XMF Youth Perfecting Cream, Final Skin Refiner VMR.

In the more technical description for this treatment, it says “help the client to sit up..” trust me on this, I was like a wet noodle by the end of the treatment. I had no will to move, I was just lying there, smiling, and hoping the moment would last, forever. When I finally did get up and get dressed, my face was smiling back at me in the mirror!

If  you want to try this treatment, you can find it at a number of spas.  The cost of the treatment will  vary from location to location, but is approximately $260 for an 80 minute version.  Here are just a few, suggested spas that are currently carrying this amazing experience: Devachan (NY, NY) , Gurney’s Inn (Montauk, NY), Sun Valley Resort and Spa (Sun Valley, ID), Four Seasons Las Vegas, Wentworth by the Sea (New Castle, NH), PGA National Resort and Spa (Palm Beach, FL).   Find more information about spas and treatments, learn about products and find out where to purchase them at: www.phytomerusa.com