Christie Brinkley was basically your quintessential swimsuit model in her day. Coming into fame in the later 70s, she gained global recognition (and adoration) after landing three consecutive Sports Illustrated (Swimsuit Issue) covers. She was CoverGirl's it girl for 25 years, and has appeared in over 500 magazines in a career spanning over three decades. Today she's 60, looking not a day over 40. And whilst you may suggest that someone with her level of success probably has the money to dish out on every anti-aging product or treatment in our world, it's quite possible that Brinkley has her own secrets. And she'll be sharing them with the rest of us come March 2015 through her own skincare range, Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare Collection.
I won't lie. This whole notion of "the war against aging" really confuses me. We aren't supposed to look 20 forever, and I personally wouldn't want to. Getting older is a natural part of life. Wrinkles mean wisdom and saggy bits mean experience, right? Of course, I say this now -- at 23 -- whilst my face is still clear and my hair is still thick. And I have no way of knowing how I'll feel a few decades down the line. For the time being, though, I am always skeptical of anything that tells me I will look five years younger within weeks, or that I'll be able to remove all my scars with the help of a 3-ounce tube of fancily-labeled goop.
Brinkley's skincare line seems a bit different, though. According to Fashionista's Eliza Brooke, "The line is meant to protect against UVA and UVB rays, with a particular emphasis on battling the effects of the sun's less publicized infrared radiation -- a nice way to differentiate itself from everything else in the anti-aging creams vs. the sun market." So often, products geared at combatting the harmful effects of the sun go hand in hand with combatting anti-aging (with the exception of your basic sunblock, obviously). But they are very different things, that overlap from time to time.
To fight aging is to fight life's natural process (albeit an often disheartening process, at times). To fight against the sun's UVA and UVB rays is to fight against something we can possibly control. We can try to prevent melanomas, just as we can try to prevent excess sun spots or wrinkles that we wouldn't have if we had just protected our skin better in the summer. But far too many products are so geared at fighting anti-aging that they seem to forget there are more harmful factors at work here, like the depletion of the ozone and what that means for us.
To come across a skincare range that fights against the genuinely harmful consequences of sun exposure, rather than the wrinkles or facial creases that don't hurt us in any way, is (to say the least) rather refreshing. And to my mind, combatting the negative effects of the sun will undoubtedly help our skin all around. It's no secret that part of why we aesthetically age is down to how much time we spend under the sun (something Brinkley -- as a swimsuit supermodel -- will be quite familiar with). So the way I see it, this collection is a win all around.
Brinkley's range will be sold at Kohl's and HSN come next spring -- with products ranging from $23-80. I don't know about you, but as someone who loves spending summers in the hot, sweltering sunlight, I'm going to check this one out.
