It’s golden hour in beauty land.

Late last year, almost every Victoria’s Secret model cloaked their faces in sheets of crackly gold and posted their annoyingly glamorous shots on Instagram (honestly, who looks good in a mask?). This flood of gilded faces on social media spawned a newfound preoccupation with the precious metal, this time for skin. The Pure Gold Leaf masks, by Mimi Luzon, became an instant hit (with a sizeable price-tag) and contained a “blend of cell-renewing ingredients that have been proven to improve skin’s elasticity, texture, and tone and peptides such as Hexpeptide8 — a unique peptide that helps to reduce wrinkle depth as well as relaxing facial tension.” Used in the antiquated beauty routines of Japanese, Roman and Egyptian women, this ancient element – one of supreme status and prosperity – now had a newfangled place in the world: beauty.

Beyond its appealing aesthetic and prosperous status, gold was heralded as a miracle-worker for our skin. Boasting a myriad of skin-healing properties, it firmly found its place in the beauty realm; acting as a preventative, restorative and anti-ageing agent. And of course, brightening a complexion in need of some sparkle. The influx of gold was far and wide in the skin-sphere. VERDEM salon in Sydney’s QVB now even offers a 24K Gold Facial, the epitome of skin luxury. Head Facialist, Magen Darel, speaks so highly of the metal, she notes there are seven benefits to the topical application of this precious cargo:

THE 7 GOLDEN VIRTUES 
1. No one in the world is allergic to gold – it can be used on all skin types
2. Gold works as a very power anti-inflammatory
3. A powerful antioxidant
4. Gold has the ability to filter sun rays
5. It increases the ability of your skin to absorb product ingredients for better absorption
6. Gold works as a conductor for energy, which in turn helps to energise the skin
7. Gold promotes cell renewal and prevents pigmentation

But, searching for that pot of skin gold needn’t be restricted to salons. There is a plethora of products worth their weight in gold, quite literally. From balms and serums flecked with sparkling particles, to moisturisers and masks infused with the golden stuff, the metal has been captured anew in all kinds of beauty. There’s even a revolutionary tanning mist by James Read Tan, imbued with a dusting of 24K gold for a brilliantly radiant and forever burnished guise.

Add some 24K magic to your skincare routine with the following…


Mimi Luzon 24K Pure Gold Treatment Mask, $420.
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Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Prism Cream, $42.
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Farsali Rose Gold Elixir 24K Gold Infused Beauty Oil, $72.
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James Read Tan H20 Illuminating Mist, $54.
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Chantecaille Nano Gold Firming Treatment, $433.
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Alpha H Liquid Gold, $60.
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La Prairie Radiance Cellular Concentrate Pure Gold-Infused Serum, $865.
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Nuface 24K Gold Gel Primer, $57.
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Tatcha Gold Spun Camelia Lip Balm, $44.
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Guerlain L’Or Radiance Concentrate With Pure Gold, $119.
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