Ancient alchemists believed the secret to eternal life lay in gold. Throughout history, gold has been used in medicine and elixirs thought to bring health and everlasting youth to all who consumed it. In order to get theirs hands on this precious metal, expeditions were launched that led to the discovery of the Americas by European settlers who looked for the ‘Fountain of Youth’ and the city of ‘El Dorado’ where the King and the streets were covered in gold.
Julisis is the modern day continuation of this infatuation with gold and the properties it could hold. The founder, Julisis Eulberg took inspiration from the alchemist Paracelsus who wrote “liquid gold cures all illnesses and regenerates and renews the skin.” Eulberg calls Julisis a 100% Pure skincare line that incorporates organically grown herbs and liquid gold.
Julisis is said to be different from other products on the market that contain gold in that their extraction process ensures the liquid gold is easily absorbed into the skin to act as a cell opener to deliver optimal levels of nutrition to each skin cell.
Gold Wash Day is their gold infused cleanser, which is $93 for 5.1 oz is easily their most attainable product in the line. The fluid is very different from anything I’ve ever experienced. The Aloe and Glycerin base makes this a thicker fluid while the oils/lecithin add an oily subtlety to the texture. It is hard to label this as a gel or a cleansing oil, this hybrid is very interesting. The scent is a delicious, fresh mix of neroli and orange. This is very gentle and mild but due to the presence of oils (Almond & Jojoba) makeup and sunscreen were easily removed. Despite great performance and an interesting formulation, I feel that most cleansers that cost less have out performed this including Intelligent Nutrients, Kahina, and Tata Harper- though I only advise more mature or dry skin types use Tata products, although I do think she has lovely products, they are not suitable for my normal-oily skin type.
Gold Neroli Toner Day ($90/5.1oz) is a little underwhelming. Himalayan Salt is one of the few ingredients in this simple concoction and did make my skin feel dry. This product felt very simply formulated as though they were just looking to infuse liquid gold in a spray on and used neroli for added scent, so I would skip over this and instead opt for the Kahina Toning Mist or YULI’s elixirs that suit the gamut of skin types.
Sun Emulsion SPF 30 ($130, 3.4oz) The actives in this sunscreen are micro-Titanium Dioxide and micro-Zinc Oxide, so for those of you wary about Titanium Dioxide or micro-particles, definitely avoid this product no matter what I say after this sentence ;-). The formula is fairly clean and the botanicals are stellar: Apricot oil, Tree Moss, Calendula, Aloe, there is also vitamin A and E. Wearing it for the few days fashion week has been going on, I noticed my skin seemed really soft and makeup goes on and layers easily. Since I’m mainly outside between shows (I am volunteering and interning for makeup artists backstage), or on my way to class I’m usually good about sun exposure so I can’t attest to the true staying power of this product although Julisis customer service did tell me this is not waterproof. The complaints are: it contains the cheaper and less photostable vitamin A: Retinyl Palmitate, and also contains 2 types of citrus extract which are known to increase photosensitivity which doesn’t make sense for a sun protection product. I get why they did it – to add a lovely scent, but I would rather get a wonderful product than a sunscreen that smells lovely but leaves my skin damaged.
Gold Elixir Day ($285, 1oz) This is a very interesting product. I’ve noticed a few products on the market work through rhythmic alignment. I can’t figure out what this is, part marketing, part frou-frou science? Until I learn more about this process, I’m not going to go into more detail about the claimed benefits. The Gold Elixir Day is a product to be used only during the day and as part of the harmonizing/rhythm dynamic, you MUST begin using this on a Sunday. I felt crazy just typing that last sentence. But I followed it because for $285, I didn’t want the reason I wasn’t seeing the full benefits of the product to be that I used it on the wrong day. Oh and you HAVE to use it Sunday MORNING, not just anytime the sun is out, but when the sun is in the rising stages. I think doing these extra things does make you feel like you purchased something special, but at this point I think it is a little ridiculous. Ridiculous application requirements aside, the product didn’t really do a lot for my skin – I don’t think it is a bad product but perhaps compared to the great, clean skincare I had been using, it was not as good so I didn’t see the perceived benefits. I can definitely imagine a girl who uses La Mer seeing great results because the formulation for the Gold Elixir isn’t bad, with the exception of alcohol as the 2nd highest ingredient. One good thing about this product is that it does moisturize skin, so this product added with the SPF was enough to keep my face full and supple all day. If you want to really see the power of the Liquid Gold, this product has one of the higher concentrations so it might be a good test to see how your skin adapts.
Platinum Night Treatment I ($966, 0.2oz) I received a sample of this product, which really excited me as this is worth more than its weight in gold. As the Gold products are meant for day time, the Silver/Platinum products are meant for night time. As the silver products require syncing with the moon, I was elated to receive a Platinum product which had no such specification, as I didn’t want to make my life about syncing up with two bottles of products. The Platinum Night Treatment reminds me a little of the Dr.Hauschka and Intelligent Nutrients products I reviewed a while back. It is a roll on intensive treatment with antioxidants that stimulates cells to work and boost vital functions. Reading the ingredients list, I believe the Liquid Platinum is probably what makes up most of the cost as everything else is either a herbal extract, essential oil, or alcohol/glycerin/water. I wouldn’t buy this product mostly because unless it is really not worth the cost.
In general I found this line to be very interesting – can gold still carve out a niche for itself as a key active in the skincare market? I remember reading about how gold was a key irritant for many people which is also why I really wanted to try this line since every product has a metal in it. I found the line performed well, but the formulations were subpar for the price. The products ranged from interesting and unusual to lackluster and unnecessary. All this aside, if you have the money, are curious to try something different, and do not mind a few quirky instructions – this might be a good line to put on your next shopping list.