
Nine gifts that can help you turn back the clock
That could mean an adult upgrade of a classic skateboard from Hermés, or a private skin-care consultation with the scientists at La Prairie in Zurich.
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There’s nothing wrong with wanting to turn back the clock a bit. Whether that means an adult upgrade of a classic skateboard from Hermés or a private skin-care consultation with the scientists at La Prairie in Zurich, we have something here that will help you look as young as you feel.
## Roe versus age
Price: US$25,000 ($A33,300)
When La Prairie unveiled its caviar-based facial treatment 30 years ago, it was a revolutionary concept that harnessed caviar’s rich protein to nourish and revitalise the skin. It set a new standard for using precious ingredients in skin care and quickly gained a cult following. In celebration of its anniversary, the Swiss brand is offering an immersive 2-day Skin Caviar Experience in Zurich during which the gift’s recipient can learn firsthand the benefits of caviar for the skin and the senses. The recipient and a guest will enjoy a 2-night stay in a suite at the Dolder Grand hotel and a caviar dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant as well as a specially prepared caviar tasting menu.
The skin experience starts with a thorough evaluation and consultation with La Prairie specialists who will analyze your skin and design a customised skin-care regimen, followed by a unique opportunity to learn from the company’s director of innovation and director of science how your new products will help improve your visage. On the second day, at La Prairie’s incredible spa within the Dolder Grand, experience a series of customised facial and body treatments that use the brand’s range of caviar-based products. The spa can be totally privatised for you on this day, if you wish. To maintain your fresh and revitalised look, La Prairie will provide a year’s worth of skin-care products that specifically target your needs, delivered in quarterly installments. That includes La Prairie’s newest and most exclusive cream ever: Skin Caviar Luxe Cream Millésime, which was created using a special blend of caviar water, caviar extract, and caviar DNA. Only 300 jars have been produced; this gift’s recipient will receive no. 30 personally engraved.
## Becoming Benjamin Button
Price: US$1.1 ($A1.46) million
Bulletproof cult-coffee entrepreneur Dave Asprey has spent decades creating hacks to his own health — targeting weight loss, increased energy, improved mental and physical performance, and especially longevity. This past fall, he made it possible for others to try to age backward too with the launch of his first Bulletproof Labs. In these “bio-hacking” centres, members can use cutting-edge equipment in short increments to improve muscle tone, brain power, and cellular health.
As a special gift for Robb Report’s Ultimate Gift Guide, Asprey is offering to curate the installation of a Bulletproof Lab in one reader’s home. The equipment includes an atmospheric cell trainer, a cold HIIT machine, a virtual float tank, a Breathe EZ hypoxic stationary bicycle, a neurofeedback brain charger, cryotherapy, and a Cheat Machine — a unique weight-training apparatus that maxes out muscles in just a few reps.
Certified Bulletproof Labs technicians will come to the recipient’s home, install the equipment, and provide him or her with proprietary protocols and 2 weeks of personal training sessions. The gift also includes a year’s supply of Bulletproof coffee and a copy of Asprey’s book Head Strong.
## Be Royal-portrait-ready
Price Upon Request
New to the U.S., Royal Fern skin care was created by German dermatologist Dr. Tim Golueke and is based on compounds found in the humble fern. The fern has incredible anti-aging properties, and its extracts have been found to protect skin against the effects of UV light, stimulate the production of new collagen, renew skin cells, soothe and moisturise through its anti-inflammatory properties, and reduce hyperpigmentation. The neutral scent and minimalist packaging make this collection ideally suited for either men or women.
## A better body in a bottle
Price Upon Request
Skin-care line Kayo offers body creams that you’ll want to use on your face. Until now, multiproduct routines have dominated the realm of face care, but Kayo takes that level of quality attention to the skin on our limbs and torsos. The debut line, free of harmful preservatives, includes layering serums and rich creams to both protect skin from aging and help it recover from environmental onslaughts such as pollution and sun damage. The daily vitamin boost, which includes vitamins B3, B5, C, D3, E, and K, is like feeding fresh-pressed juice to your skin and should help fade spots of sun damage. The Body Beautiful Crème is luxuriously silky and hydrating without being greasy and has a mild, pleasant scent. Layer that over the daily skin serum, which skin soaks up thirstily. Skin feels velvety and looks radiant after just a week of use. The whole set makes for a luscious gift that will keep giving all year long.
## Art board
Price: US$3,850 ($A5125)
An unexpected combination of 1970s California youth culture and refined French equestrianism, Hermès’s take on the skateboard is as whimsical as it is luxurious. Handcrafted in the house’s French Sur-Mesure atelier, the board’s maple deck features a mandala-esque pattern of Hermès’s signature bridles. Printed using a special sublimation technique, the bridles’ bright pigments will remain in place for years to come — even if the recipient is brave enough to take it out for a spin or two.
Available as both a shortboard and a longboard, the skateboard makes the ideal gift for the art-savvy adrenaline junkie in your life. And since it is made in the same workshop where all of Hermès’s special orders are completed, the design of the deck, wheels, and hardware can be customised to suit the particular tastes of the recipient. Moreover, the vibrant, slightly psychedelic design dreamed up by Hermès artistic director Henri d’Origny is sure to make a stylish statement in just about any space.
The board can be ordered at Hermès boutiques throughout the United States.
## Alpine edge
Price: Starting at US$6,745 ($A9000)
The slopes are infinitely sweeter on a board made especially for you. Enter Franco Snowshapes and its founder, Mikey Franco. A seasoned snow sports coach, Franco has more than 35 years of experience on mountains from Jackson Hole to Japan.
For this gift, clients will have a “Franco Experience” in which Franco will meet them in person at his Wyoming workshop at the base of the Teton Range and take them through 4 days of one-on-one coaching and analysis on the slopes of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. From there, a distinctive Rider Genome Profile will be crafted based on a series of specific questions that will assess what kind of board will best meet clients’ needs. This profile touches on “biometric, psychometric, and envirometric” factors. “The biometrics will seek answers to questions regarding data such as height, boot size, weight, and physical fitness. Psychometrics ask what motivates a rider, such as why you like to ride, how fast or slow, and overall feelings about a day on snow,” explains Franco. Finally, envirometrics refer to terrain, weather, favourite conditions, and preferred resorts. Franco will then go to work on the board, which can be made from a wide range of woods, including white pine, poplar, and maple. It’s also outfitted with vibration-dampening materials like basalt fibres and curve-supporting aluminum alloys. Franco uses hand-cut wood stringers taken from the slopes of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and the GPS coordinates of the exact site from which the stringers were sourced are etched on the board. Toward the end of the process, custom artwork of the client’s choosing can be added. The bespoke snowboard takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete.
Franco Snowshapes, 307.690.3732.
## The eyes have it
Price: US$210
The rich emulsion fights dark circles and under-eye puffiness, as well as fine wrinkles in the delicate skin lining the eyes and lips. This new addition to the line includes a clever Ridoki massage tool to prepare skin prior to application.
## Two-wheel transmutation
Price: Starting at US$8,300 ($A11,000)
Founded in Denver just under a decade ago, Alchemy Bicycle Company — which offers premier bespoke and off-the-rack road, mountain, and cyclocross bikes all
constructed by hand from carbon fiber, titanium, or steel — has quickly become recognised as the producer of some of the best frames in the world. The go-anywhere Helios is Alchemy’s carbon-fibre flagship, a road bike with slightly oval-shaped aero tubes inspired by triathlon models. The bespoke beauty’s hybrid design lets it climb, descend, and sprint in Tour de France fashion while offering the plush comfort needed for a long charity ride or an idyllic wine-country tour.
Like a Savile Row tailor, Alchemy starts the bespoke build process with a custom fitting that takes personal preferences into account. The company uses that information to create a computer-aided design and then build a scientifically advanced yet charmingly artisanal carbon frame from precisely machined, digitally plotted parts. Alchemy’s endless custom options include fade, mask, pearlescent, and tri-coat finishes, and buyers can cherry-pick the best components to complete their truly one-of-a-kind ride. A complete bike comes fully equipped with top-shelf components and a drool-worthy paint job.
## A facialist’s secret weapon
Price: US$110 ($A150)
We love summer — but not the fine lines those sun-soaked beach days leave in their wake. Sonya Dakar’s new SuperLift eye serum helps counteract your time in the sun. Its collagen-boosting formula aims to replenish tired skin around the eyes, improving radiance and diminishing lines. The serum is made with Dakar’s Copper Complex, a proprietary combo stocked with energy-restoring edelweiss plant cells; tamarind, which helps to create a barrier between the skin and the environment; and maca root, to enhance the skin’s youthful firmness.
Dakar, a clinical esthetician, began treating patients out of a converted guest house in 1984. As her following grew, she launched a product line and later opened the legendary Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic in Beverly Hills. The facility’s devoted clientele includes many in the entertainment industry, from actors to executives. Presently, Dakar applies the SuperLift serum in her clinic at the end of every facial for a final dose of luminosity.
Here’s a tip from Dakar: Tap on the serum (morning or night) as if you were wearing large sunglasses — start at the inner corner of the eye, work your way below the eye to the top of the cheekbone, continue out to the hairline and around and above the brow, and then apply directly to the upper eyelid.
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