When the very rich and über-famous start to notice tell-tale signs of ageing, most will pick up their cellphone and speed-dial their surgeon quicker than you can say 'nip tuck'. But the problem with most types of surgery is a) it's hugely expensive and b) it doesn't always look that great - trout pout, anyone? Thankfully, though, premium cosmetic companies are spending a lot of time and money on creating effective alternatives to going under the knife. This is obviously great news for us mere mortals who don't have bulging bank balances to rival the likes of Hollywood A-listers, but who still share many of the same concerns when it comes to getting - and looking - older. Although these new 'Botox in a bottle' creations may cost considerably more than your average beauty regime lotions and potions, they're certainly a lot cheaper than surgery and are, thankfully, a much safer, more natural alternative to cosmetic 'enhancement'. Here is a round-up of the best age-defying, wrinkle-ridding, lip-plumping, cellulite-smoothing creams around on the market today:
Eyes
If you disagree with those who say laughter lines add character to a face, get your eye-contour area looking smoother and firmer courtesy of these miracle products:
NV Pericone's Eye Area Contour, £150 (020 7329 2000)
Boasting highly scientific-sounding ingredients such as neuropeptides and DMAE, this expensive yet highly effective cream really does help to de-puff your peepers and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Use nightly for best results.
Själ's Orbe Eye Cream, £88 (www.sjalskincare.com)
The key components in this buttery soft cream help to boost elastin and collagen production, which in turn helps to eradicate fine lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area, so there's no need for a surgeon's syringe.
Agera's RX Nano Eye Lift, £48 (www.agerarx.co.uk)
This silicione-based wonder product reaches the areas that Botox can't, thanks to the fact that it's made up of patented ingredients that are not harmful to the delicate eye area - unlike Botox.
Face
This is the first place people look when you walk into a room, so if you're ageing and not looking after yourself or your skin, you'll look wrinkled and withered in no time. Although you can't stop Mother Nature completely, you can delay her activities a little by nurturing your skin with plumping and firming treatments.
Sisley's Sisleya Elixir, £195 (020 7491 2722)
Helps to prevent signs of ageing by stimulating the facial muscles, but also repairs, protects and plumps the skin with malt, white willow leaf and algae extracts.
Shiseido's Future Solution, £130 (020 7630 4224)
Drenches the skin with moisture so you positively glow and also encourages elasticity, which in the long run will leave you with a glowing, younger-looking complexion.
Crème De La Mer's Lifting Face Serum & Lifting Intensifier, £210 (0870 034 2566)
This duo promises younger, brighter skin and does not disappoint. Containing protein-rich rare blue algae, these products work in tandem to encourage skin-cell renewal and a clearer, more radiant you.
Crystal Clear's Mini Lift Mask, £18 (08705 934 934).
If you're dashing from boardroom to bar and need to look like a supermodel instead of a secretary - but fall short of the former's salary - then apply this luxurious hydrating and deep-cleansing mask to pep up the skin instantly. It may be a rather expensive one-off treatment, but the results are brilliant.
Body
The days of having cellulite-free, super-smooth skin may seem like a distant memory, but you can do something to reduce the dreaded dimpled orange peel and bingo wings by massaging in a rich, firming body cream on a daily basis.
Natura Bissé's Diamond Body Cream, £140 (020 7730 1234)
Boasts a blend of botanical and precious maritime ingredients that help to kick-start any dormant skin cells into renewing themselves, leaving you with skin that looks and feels more taut and toned.
Guinot's Nutrizone Lift, £39 (01344 873123)
Smooth this nourishing retinol-based cream onto troublesome areas such as buttocks and thighs to firm the skin and improve texture.
Nuxe's Tonific Minceur Anti Cellulite Cream Gel, £21.50 (0845 070 8090)
Containing natural extracts of fat-reducing caffeine, firming Brazilian mimosa and bamboo, which makes the skin smooth and supple, this is a quick and relatively cheap way to get better-looking and feeling skin and to diminish dimples. It also smells delicious!
Lips
If you're after a perfect plump pout, but have super-skinny lips, then cheat by using a naturally plumping product that'll transform your lips from puny to pneumatic.
Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide Plump Perfect Lip Moisture Cream, £19 (available nationwide)
Once you've dabbed on a little of this product, which contains collagen-boosting ingredients, your lips will look and feel fuller in a matter of minutes.
Vit Vit Extra Volume Lips, £14.95 (020 8559 8244)
This three-step treatment guarantees you a cute Cupid's pout in 15 days, thanks to its natural collagen and micro-circulation-stimulating ingredients. Firstly, dab the day cream onto your lips in the morning, then slick a little of the Lip Gloss Flash over your lips a couple of times throughout the day. Lastly, apply the night cream onto freshly scrubbed lips before you go to sleep.
Gatineau's Beautifying Lip Care, £19 (0800 731 5805)
This luxurious cream is rich in vitamin E - known for its antioxidant and healing abilities - and protein microspheres, which help to plump up your lips. After just three weeks you should see a marked improvement in your mouth's texture and volume.
Line fillers and wrinkle erasers
Banish those unsightly lines and wrinkles and create a picture-perfect complexion courtesy of miracle products that'll literally erase your 'character' lines overnight.
Prescriptives' Magic Invisible Line Smoother, £27 (0870 034 2566)
If you're worried about wrinkles, then reach for this skin-smoothing wizard beauty product. Simply glide on the skin to 'erase' those worry lines and crow's feet temporarily.
Philosophy's Fine Line Filler, £26 (020 8740 2085)
It's a fact that as the skin ages it gradually loses its structure. This little gem of a product will help to rebuild that all-important scaffolding by filling in cracks and lines around the mouth, eye and forehead areas.
Mary Cohr's Intra Derm Lift Express Wrinkle Eraser, £35 (0808 100 3102)
The rollerball action of this product helps to massage in the age-defying ingredients of hydrolysed collagen and rehydrating acacia and stimulate the skin's natural renewal process, leaving you with a smoother, more youthful-looking complexion.
