I remember when Victoria Beckham launched an unexpected collaboration with Estée Lauder some five years ago. I was a fresh beauty writer at the time and I could tell from the office hype when the press kit arrived that it was a big deal. Beckham, who had to me always been Posh Spice, had pivoted from 90s pop icon to fashion designer and beauty maven – putting her name to a capsule collection of skincare and makeup products developed with one of the biggest beauty brands in the world. It sold out in weeks – proof that VB was the beauty icon we never knew we needed.

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Fast forward to last year, and Beckham launched her own eponymous brand. It started with a curated selection of makeup products that aligned with her dewy-skin-smudgy-eye aesthetic. But unlike so many other celebrity beauty endeavours, it was luxurious… an extremely considered project. Something you would invest in not because you were a Spice Girl stan back in the day, but because you valued quality makeup. It was a runaway success, so it made perfect sense when skincare followed soon after, formulated by none other than Augustinus Bader (a lauded skin expert and the creator of celebrity favourite, The Cream).

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I was dying to get my hands on it (I still have some dilapidated relics from the Estée collab buried in my vanity – BIG fan over here), so you bet I squealed in excitement when it became available in Australia via Net-A-Porter’s beauty offering a few months ago. The product I decided to properly review was the Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer in Gold – a skincare-makeup hybrid that contains Bader’s TFC8® technology to support cell turnover and activate the skin’s own regenerative process. It’s designed to renew and soften skin over time – according to the brand within six weeks, pores are tighter, fine lines are diminished and radiance is boosted (it also contains black tea ferment, papaya to exfoliate and avocado oil to hydrate). BUT, in a world where instant gratification is paramount, it delivers immediate glow too. It’s lightweight but dewy, so when massaged in leaves skin feeling plump, bright and luminous – as if you’ve just slept eight hours and woken up to a day of annual leave.

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I personally trialled the Golden iteration – a divine, bronze-tinted version of the original. The shade was warm and flattering, just light good lighting. It noticeably added dimension to my skin but not in the same way a cream bronzer would – it wasn’t obvious that I had tint on, just a subtle “glow”. It’s also quite sheer and seemed to blend seamlessly onto my neck and chest (I have medium, olive-toned skin so can’t comment on lighter or deeper skin tones – my thoughts are that it would be really complimentary on skin deeper than my own – it’s not grey or ashy in the slightest – but if in doubt, go for the colourless option).

As for the texture, it’s heaven: light, luminous, but still very emollient (I want to use the word sticky but that isn’t right… it just feels moist – sorry, I had to). It left my skin radiant but not shimmery; dewy but not greasy. It’s divine under makeup but even better when mixed with a touch of tinted moisturiser – the closest I’m going to get to vacation skin mid-pandemic. It’s only been a month of semi-regular wear, so TBC in regards to long-term results, but as far as low-fuss summer skincare, I don’t think it gets much better than this.

Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Golden Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer
Emily Algar wearing nothing but the Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer in Gold.

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Victoria Beckham Priming Moisturiser ReviewVictoria Beckham Cell Rejuvenating Priming MoisturiZer in Golden, $224 via Net-A-Porter. SHOP NOW