I first became aware of Jillian Dempsey’s Gold Sculpting Bar — a 24-karat, T-shaped, vibrating facial tool that allegedly lifts, contours, and depuffs the skin — back in September, when Jennifer Anniston claimed it was her secret weapon. Over the next few months, I began seeing it everywhere — Reese Witherspoon said it was her go-to tool for keeping her skin lifted, bright, and smooth, as did Alicia Keys, Kristen Stewart, and Gwyneth Paltrow. When I started seeing it pop up on my Instagram discovery page more or less every time I looked, I decided I should investigate this device, but a quick Google search revealed it was nearly $200 — too much for me, a noncelebrity, to spend on a tool, even if it seems like a literal magic wand.
A few weeks ago, I was watching Tracee Ellis Ross’s Vogue beauty tutorial when she whipped out what appeared to be Dempsey’s gold bar, but was, in fact, not. Much to my delight, Ross said: “I bought this on Amazon — it was very inexpensive.” It was, she said, the thing she relied on most to get her skin camera-ready in the morning. Naturally, I sprinted to to Amazon, only to find that there are a plethora of Gold Sculpting Bar look-alikes available, for a fraction of a fraction of the real deal’s cost.
After scanning reviews of several of the options, I ordered an $11 Gold Sculpting Bar dupe that people seemed very enthusiastic about. I removed it from the box, popped in a AA battery, and was (and remain) deeply impressed. When I apply oil before I use it, the slender tool is capable of pushing that oil deeply into my face’s every nook and cranny. But more impressively, it gets my blood moving and pushes and massages my skin upward, immediately making it appear more chiseled, lifted, and awake.
[Editor’s note: The Angel Kiss Beauty Bar has sold out, but this $12 tool appears to be similar, if not identical — though Rio has not tried it.]
The gizmo also works wonders on my under eyes. The vibrations help to lift sleepy, swollen skin, immediately taking down any puffiness. (Unfortunately, it doesn’t do much of anything for my dark circles: I still have to reach for my beloved RMS Uncover Up Concealer every day.) Still, it has rendered my jade roller — which feels nice, but doesn’t make my under eyes and cheekbones look markedly better within minutes — basically useless. At just $11, I’d definitely recommend to anyone who has a face.
What I Use This With
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