The skin game changer: A high-powered moisturizer

Sometimes, the best things in beauty start with a spark of imagination and a bit of DIY – for generations, women have had to get inventive when they couldn’t find exactly what they were looking for. Take YSL’s iconic highlighting concealer, Touche Éclat, which makeup artist Terry de Gunzburg created to bring luminosity to dull skin. Or Charlotte Tilbury, who was blending her own cream backstage to create the perfect moisturizer – now known as her famous Magic Cream. The latest addition to this list comes from American beauty developer Jami Morse Heidegger, who began her quest for effective, glow-restoring skincare after she sold the family business, Kiehl’s, in 2000. Unable to find what she was looking for, she asked a cosmetic chemist to formulate a potent, ‘private’ collection just for her. She gave out samples to friends who then clamored for more, and Retrouvé was born.

The collection’s standout star is the Intensive Replenishing Facial Moisturizer, aka your new skin 9-1-1. More of a luxurious, balmy gel than a cream, it is designed to be worn overnight whenever your skin needs some TLC. A mix of plant-based vitamins including soothing lavender oil, antioxidant-rich white tea and anti-aging pomegranate, it nourishes skin that’s feeling dry, flaky, sore, irritated or tight.

The texture may seem rich and heavy at first, but don’t be put off – when massaged in, it virtually disappears. Plus, it has so many uses: keep it on hand when you’ve exposed your skin to extremes, such as post-skiing, post-sun, post-flight (it’s a little bit rich for in-flight unless skin is ultra-dry) or after cosmetic procedures.