Photo: Jim Fiscus

If Val is brave enough to have botulinum injected into her face, the least I could do was rub a little snake venom on mine. Several skin serums—Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle ($120; PeterThomasRoth.com), Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum ($160; RodialSkinCare.com), and Dianne Brill All Day Temptation ($82; DianneBrill.com for stores)—contain a synthetic peptide called Syn-ake that was designed to relax lines by mimicking the expression-paralyzing effect of an enzyme found in the venom of the Brazilian temple viper. When I blended the serums over the lines on my forehead, my skin, mercifully, did not become paralyzed. (Nor did the concoctions cause any burning, stinging, or otherwise rattling effects.) The horizontal grooves were, however, slightly smoothed for the next several hours—a result I credit more to the line-filling silicone in the products than any pricey pseudo-venom.
— Executive beauty editor Jenny Bailly

Next: A facelift without surgery?