In less than a month, Kelly Ripa will turn 55. But just looking at her, you’d never be able to accurately guess the talk show host’s age. She’s got quite a few things to thank — genetics, a stellar crew of makeup artists, and an array of anti-aging skincare finds that are surprisingly affordable for us common folk.

Kelly Ripa has been a cohost on Live for nearly 25 years, but her aura isn’t the only thing about her that’s glowing — her skin is stunning. And as someone who has seen the show in person from the front row, I can confirm that it’s not just a visual effect or flattering on-set lighting.

Whatever Kelly’s doing, it’s working. And luckily for us all, she’s generous when it comes to sharing her skincare secrets. A few years ago, she revealed to Prevention a small little device that had a big effect on her skin’s texture: Jillian Dempsey’s iconic Gold Bar. And I got to test out this little device that Kelly Ripa swears by, so if you want to know if it’s worth it, keep reading.

What is Jillian Dempsey’s Gold Bar?

The gold bar is a vibrating face sculpting tool intended to soothe, de-puff, boost circulation, and sculpt. Its 24K Gold plating certainly lends itself to a luxurious-looking tool, but it isn’t simply for superficial purposes. Gold is known to possess antibacterial and anti-aging properties, which is part of what makes Jillian Dempsey’s design so unique.

The product listing claims the bar can help boost blood flow and lymphatic drainage — both of which contribute to de-puffing. It also claims it can smooth, firm, sculpt, and contour the face. To use it, Dermstore recommens massaging your face with the bar for five minutes, paying special attention to the forehead, cheeks, jaw bones, and between your eyes.

How does Kelly Ripa use the Gold Bar?

“I take a big bowl of ice, and I put my jade face roller, my two rose quartz face rollers, and my Jillian Dempsey Gold Sculpting Bar all on ice,” Ripa told Prevention.

To further the bar’s de-puffing powers, Kelly also suggests putting it on ice (not ice water because this tool isn’t meant to be fully submerged in water). “While they’re cooling, I moisturize my skin, and then I roll.” It’s as easy as that.

Things we love about Jillian Dempsey’s Gold Bar

It works.

Currently, I’m not getting my doctor-recommended 8 hours of sleep each night, which means I’m waking up feeling less than restored — and it shows. I reached for Jillian Dempsey’s Gold Bar to see if it would actually make a difference on my drowsy jowls, and as it turns out, it does.

Every morning, I’ve been setting my pretty little Gold Bar on some ice, just like Kelly, while I slather on my favorite moisturizer. I then spend about 5-15 minutes gently sculpting my face with the bar, and afterward, I look ions more awake than I feel.

The contouring facial massage it provides leaves me with a glowing complexion and snatched jawline. The vibrations are designed to relax facial muscles at 6,000 vibrations per minute (for reference, that’s more than a hummingbird’s wings beat per minute). Then I throw in some contacts, and it’s like I got a full 8 hours. When I’ve got more time, I also like to spend a few moments running it over my neck, gently moving in upwards strokes toward under my chin and jawline.

It’s highly portable.

I’m a mega-skincare girl and love using all the gadgets. But sometimes, it’s not practical to throw a whole LED mask or microcurrent tool into your bag. It’s also easy to break some things in transit, such as a Gua Sha (trust me, I’ve broken several). So what I immediately loved about Jillian Dempsey’s Gold Bar was that it’s compact enough to put in a purse and sturdy enough to withstand getting tossed around. Plus, it comes with a little black velvet pouch for extra protection and easy storage.

It’s easy to use.

Some skincare tools are so complex, featuring tons of functions and an instruction manual the length of a novel. When that’s the case, even if the device is fantastic, I sometimes don’t get what I should out of it because I get discouraged trying to remember how, when, where, and with what product to use it. And if you’re dropping some money on a skin tool, the idea isn’t to have it collecting dust somewhere.

The Gold Bar, however, is extremely straightforward. You can use it with anything you want, such as a serum, oil, or cream. The only thing to remember is that it’s best to slide it over your face, going from the inside out and in upward motions. This will help with lymphatic drainage to de-puff your face. You don’t need to spend a ton of time using it. Even just a five-minute session leaves me with visibly more glowy skin. But if you have more time, you can take your time with it, slowly focusing on each area (cheekbones, jawline, chin, and neck). The fact that it’s so easy and doesn’t require a ton of time or effort inspires me to be more consistent with my Gold Bar sessions.

Things we don’t love about Jillian Dempsey’s Gold Bar

It’s not comfortable to hold for a long time.

The vibration on this thing is intense (that’s the whole point). But I wish the handle had a little shock-absorbing layer or something because after holding it for a while, I already feel my hand tingling. Additionally, the very slick handle makes carrying this pretty precarious if you happen to have some serum or lotion on your hand, as things get pretty slippery.

The power switch isn’t easy.

This problem bounces off what I mentioned above with the handle being made out of slick metal. You have to twist the bottom to turn it on and off. This, to me, feels like an outdated mechanism, like something you’d see on a pocket flashlight. So again, if you have any product on your hands, it’s hard to twist the bottom.

It’s expensive.

At $195, Jillian Dempsey’s Gold Bar is a luxury purchase. It’s a nice-to-have in your vanity, but if you’re not sure you’d love it — and if you already have a de-puffing solution you swear by — the investment may be a little hard to swallow.

The verdict

If you’re looking for a skincare tool that’s simple to operate and easy to remain consistent with, then this is it. The 24K gold plating feels luxurious on the skin, and although the vibrations are powerful, they don’t feel aggressive on my face. This is amazing because when something is too powerful in the wrong way, it can end up causing more harm than good and exacerbate things such as fine lines and inflammation.

However, if you struggle with painful conditions such as arthritis or tendonitis, this may not be for you. The intense vibration could cause flare-ups. But as far as whether or not this works, it absolutely does, and again, the magic behind this is the combined simplicity and efficacy, which, at the end of the day, is what you want. This tool is precisely the thing for anyone with a busy lifestyle who wants something that’ll give their face that extra “Kelly Ripa glow” without requiring lengthy or complicated involvement. I mean, there’s a reason why this thing keeps selling out.

Other skincare favorites Kelly Ripa swears by

If you’re not quite sold by the $195 de-puffing gold bar, you can rest easy knowing that Kelly has about 10,000 other steps in her skincare routine, many of which are far more affordable. Here are a few more Kelly Ripa-approved beauty finds our editors love.