Living in Asia, I am bombarded with SKII commercials wherever I go. I see pictures of Tang Wei or which ever Asian Model/Actress with amazing luminous skin and proclaiming their miracle solution to all their skin woes. That is of course, SKII's treatment essence. Watching all this I have always wanted to give it a try, but it isn't something I can splurge on as a young college student. After saving up, I managed to try out the trail pack with the 50ml Treatment Essence (or miracle water as they call it here), a tiny bottle of the Clearing Lotion and also a sheet mask.

                         
All this for SGD$99. Not too bad because the the 50ml bottle will last you a WHILE. I haven't even used all of mine up yet! But I do continue to incorporate it in my routine as I see fit.

My friend, Diyanah, has AMAZING skin. I barely see a blemish on her ever. But there was a period of time when I noticed her skin being EXTRA awesome. It was glowy and her pores are barely even visible. Obviously, being "kay-poh" I was like, "Okay, spill the beans, what's the secret here". Turns out she was using this SKII trial set and that ultimately made me take the plunge.

First and foremost, let me classify my skin type:

Oily Combination, Blemish Prone. I deal with large pores, cystic hormonal acne from time to time and the odd dryness around my cheeks.

Basically, in summary, SUCKY SKIN.

My thoughts on this: I wished my skin had reacted as well as Diyanah's did, but unfortunately it didn't. The Essence was hydrating and light and it helped with the fading of my acne scars. But it did not really reduce the appearance of my pores and I can't really use it when my skin is acting up. Because then, I will become an oil slick. It has a funky smell... Smells like ass actually. I have to hold my breath whenever I pat this into my skin. But nothing I can't deal with as it sinks in fast and the smell fades. I like using it when my skin is being well-behaved and feeling more "normal". Only then will I notice great improvements in the tone of my skin and it gives it such a great boost of hydration.

The star of the set was to me, The Facial Clearing Lotion. This stuff is used as a toner, so I have to use a cotton pad and swipe this all over my face. Abit saddening for such an expensive product because I tend to use it up faster. However, it is definitely better to use a cotton pad, otherwise, it doesn't work as well, in my experience. This stuff, on top of pitera (the signature ingredient of all SKII products, famous for its anti-aging properties), has AHAs that help gently exfoliate the skin. It feels slightly tingly at first. This product helped me in terms of controlling my blemishes and helping them heal faster whenever they do appear on my face. The gentle exfoliation is great for everyday and the pitera helps with keeping the skin hydrated without burdening it with too much oils and creams.

In a nutshell, this is toner that truly balances my skin. Also, I saw greater improvements in the size of my pores with this treatment lotion than the actual SKII essence. I was so impressed that I even bought the full-size, which I never thought I would with such an expensive price tag.

What I realized was that the treatment lotion is the cheapest in the SKII range and it was the most effective for my acne prone skin.

Perhaps the essence would be better for people who are more concerned with anti-aging. But for me, the Toner is The Shizz. It has teh best of both worlds, pitera for hydration and anti-aging PLUS AHAs to keep my skin clear.

WIN!!

xoxo,
H. Shar

PS: I haven't used the sheet mask. Saving it for a special occasion. ;)

Labels: facial clearing lotion, facial treatment essence, review, SKII, skin diary, skincare

Living in Asia, I am bombarded with SKII commercials wherever I go. I see pictures of Tang Wei or which ever Asian Model/Actress with amazing luminous skin and proclaiming their miracle solution to all their skin woes. That is of course, SKII's treatment essence. Watching all this I have always wanted to give it a try, but it isn't something I can splurge on as a young college student. After saving up, I managed to try out the trail pack with the 50ml Treatment Essence (or miracle water as they call it here), a tiny bottle of the Clearing Lotion and also a sheet mask.

                         
All this for SGD$99. Not too bad because the the 50ml bottle will last you a WHILE. I haven't even used all of mine up yet! But I do continue to incorporate it in my routine as I see fit.

My friend, Diyanah, has AMAZING skin. I barely see a blemish on her ever. But there was a period of time when I noticed her skin being EXTRA awesome. It was glowy and her pores are barely even visible. Obviously, being "kay-poh" I was like, "Okay, spill the beans, what's the secret here". Turns out she was using this SKII trial set and that ultimately made me take the plunge.

First and foremost, let me classify my skin type:

Oily Combination, Blemish Prone. I deal with large pores, cystic hormonal acne from time to time and the odd dryness around my cheeks.

Basically, in summary, SUCKY SKIN.

My thoughts on this: I wished my skin had reacted as well as Diyanah's did, but unfortunately it didn't. The Essence was hydrating and light and it helped with the fading of my acne scars. But it did not really reduce the appearance of my pores and I can't really use it when my skin is acting up. Because then, I will become an oil slick. It has a funky smell... Smells like ass actually. I have to hold my breath whenever I pat this into my skin. But nothing I can't deal with as it sinks in fast and the smell fades. I like using it when my skin is being well-behaved and feeling more "normal". Only then will I notice great improvements in the tone of my skin and it gives it such a great boost of hydration.

The star of the set was to me, The Facial Clearing Lotion. This stuff is used as a toner, so I have to use a cotton pad and swipe this all over my face. Abit saddening for such an expensive product because I tend to use it up faster. However, it is definitely better to use a cotton pad, otherwise, it doesn't work as well, in my experience. This stuff, on top of pitera (the signature ingredient of all SKII products, famous for its anti-aging properties), has AHAs that help gently exfoliate the skin. It feels slightly tingly at first. This product helped me in terms of controlling my blemishes and helping them heal faster whenever they do appear on my face. The gentle exfoliation is great for everyday and the pitera helps with keeping the skin hydrated without burdening it with too much oils and creams.

In a nutshell, this is toner that truly balances my skin. Also, I saw greater improvements in the size of my pores with this treatment lotion than the actual SKII essence. I was so impressed that I even bought the full-size, which I never thought I would with such an expensive price tag.

What I realized was that the treatment lotion is the cheapest in the SKII range and it was the most effective for my acne prone skin.

Perhaps the essence would be better for people who are more concerned with anti-aging. But for me, the Toner is The Shizz. It has teh best of both worlds, pitera for hydration and anti-aging PLUS AHAs to keep my skin clear.

WIN!!

xoxo,
H. Shar

PS: I haven't used the sheet mask. Saving it for a special occasion. ;)

Labels: facial clearing lotion, facial treatment essence, review, SKII, skin diary, skincare