Award-winning Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung and Inquirer Lifestyle columnist Tessa Prieto-Valdes agree on how they choose the beauty products on their boudoirs: They should be no-nonsense.

A laborious skincare regimen and fussing over wrinkles are not an option for both women who would much rather spend their time and effort on  their careers, advocacies and families. Just like other busy women balancing work and home life, looking good and presentable is still a must for their juggling acts.

“A sign of a wrinkle is not the end of the world,” said Cheung at P&G’s Beauty Debate held on January in Singapore.

Cheung, dressed in a navy sleeveless jumpsuit and accessorized with a chunky gold choker, layers of necklaces, and bangle, revealed her beauty secret is “giving and creating a meaningful life.”

In 2010, she became the first Chinese ambassador for Unicef China and is working to increase literacy rates among young Chinese women and girls.

To free up her time to pursue things she believes in, Cheung leaves her prettifying to good makeup artists, hairstylists, and skincare.

“Erase the word pressure. If you have good skincare and clothes, where is the pressure?” Cheung advised women. Olay’s brand ambassador since 2003, Cheung said, “Don’t put anything you don’t like. And when you’re trying products, try one jar or give it even another jar before you move on [and say if it doesn’t work].”

These days, Cheung trusts Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream to take care of her wrinkles because “it does what I need it to do. It nourishes my skin.”

Valdes, the Philippines’ local ambassador, said at the press launch last Wednesday, “with Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream, I don’t need to resort to ‘drastic’ measures to address fine lines and wrinkles. With just one application, you can reduce the appearance of wrinkles.”

Valdes, who calls herself “Sea Princess” in her Sunday column, said,  “Imagine, in just the time it takes to finish reading a magazine article or fixing your hair, you will already have smoother, younger-looking skin.”

Miracle worker

How do you get results in just one application? Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing cream fills in the gaps and valleys of wrinkles with micro-fillers. So after applying it, finish up your hair, then apply makeup to evidently smoother skin. It also works great as a makeup primer.

In formulating the Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing cream, Olay found light reflects differently between younger and older skin. On younger or smoother skin, light is diffused, while in older skin, it gets trapped in the wrinkle gaps and deep lines causing skin to appear less radiant. Apart from filling the gaps to refract light, the micro-fillers also create an optical illusion that makes skin reflect more light, the reason it’s called a “wrinkle relaxing cream.” Olay senior skincare scientist Dr. David Khoo said at the P&G Beauty Debate that the appearance of wrinkles decreased by 28 percent 10 minutes after application.

But it’s not just a temporary fix, it also contains a combination of B3 complex and advance biopeptides to strengthen skin’s moisture barrier, which then causes skin to retain its moisture and regain elasticity after continued use for 14 days. Intense hydrators also found in Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream will prevent further development of wrinkles and expression lines. Khoo also said that after long-term use, wrinkles decreased by 20 percent.

Elle Magazine’s international editors dubbed it as the “essential quick-fix moisturizer” and Khoo revealed that through a blind test, Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream outperformed a $350 cream. “We were nervous about it going in, but you have to stick your neck out.” In the end, the results proved to be worth the risk.

Valdes, who was won over when they visited her and let her try the product, said, “After I was done talking, which I do a lot of, it worked! How nice is it that everyone can afford beauty [with its price]? It’s affordable enough to use every day.”

Valdes attributes her youthful look to her fitness activities, especially yoga and running. Guests at the media launch were surprised to discover her eldest son Bryan is 26. “It’s no nonsense. The stuff you do every day, you can’t have to think about it,” Valdes said.

Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream is exclusively available at Watson’s and SM Department Stores for P1,499 for 50g.