Treatments -SKII - Facial Treatment Essence
mccafferty 9/11/2010 1:54:00 AM
Ever since I moved to HK from London, I had no end of spots. (Haven't had them for more than 10 years!) I got this chiefly to keep my spots in check. It does seem to work, but not brilliantly. I still get spots, but the situation seems more under control. I think it does contribute a little to improving my skin texture. But I am also using some good serums which I believe are more effective on that front. Won't call it miracle, especially for the price. Update: I had a couple of nasty spots that keep coming back. Following another reviewer's recommendation I soaked SKII on a pad and leave it there for 15 minutes. But it doesn't seem to make any difference the next day. Recently I come across a tip - put a thin slice of potato on the spot. I tried this and it worked! The spots are retreating. Apparently it also works for minor burns and pains caused by swelling etc. Just make sure you slice the potato very thinly (or use a peeler), so that it will stick to the face, and change to a new slice after a little while. I change mine as often as I can remember/be bothered, so on average every 20 minutes. The book says you should change once the slice doesn't feel cool any more. I left one on overnight too. I think I will give my skin a break from SKII once I've finished my current huge bottle.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Shiseido - Benefiance Daytime Protective Emulsion
mccafferty 8/31/2010 10:31:00 PM
From a marketing/product strategy point of view, this must be shiseido's entry level product. Sadly its quality reflects this. According to a well-known dermatologist that there are three sides to moisturisers. (I guess we've kind of known this from plenty of moisturizer advertisements around us) Firstly, it's things like hyaluronic acid (and lots of others) whose function is to draw moisture to the skin's outmost layer from deeper inside the skin or from the air when humidity is high. Secondly, it's ingredients like vitamin E (and others) that repairs skin's own moisture barrier. Then there is the oil to stop water from evaperating. When choosing a moisturizer, one needs to find one with the right balance of those three to suit her skin's needs. Based on my experience, this creamy lotion is clearly lacking in the first two categories. The result is, it leaves a shiny, sticky film on top of my skin, which looks awful. Underneath, my skin never gets hydrated. At the end of the day my skin looks tired and desperate, and OLD! Often spots come out because it's so greasy. As for the packaging, it's the worst I've ever seen. It's hard to get anything out at first, but if you really insist, then it gushes out. I don't understand why can't Shiseido screw on a pump dispenser? Cost saving? I had to transfer mine into a dispenser bottle - but had I know how awful the content was, I wouldn't have bothered.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -La Prairie - Cellular Hydrating Serum
mccafferty 8/18/2010 11:12:00 PM
I've just been thought one bottle of this. Lovely light texture, worked wonders on my patch of dry skin, which for a while was red and weepy, brought on by Shu Uemura's primer which contains some agreesive SPF. This serum calmed it down in just a few nights, which is amazing considering it feels so gentle and is oil free. Overall, my face seems a little bit more hydrated since starting to use the serum. Nothing dramatic though, apart from above mentioned dry patch. Don't think I will purchase again. Unless my dry patch returns and no other serum can sort it out. Too expensive for what it does, even though it does last for ages.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Christian Dior - Capture Totale One Essential Skin Boosting Super Serum
mccafferty 8/17/2010 2:17:00 AM
Having tried plenty of expensive products that didn't do much for me, I am devoted to this one after just a week. I had red cheeks since I was a teenager, after using this for just a week, the redness has faded to almost normal. Skin tone is generally more even. In fact I saw the result clearly over the first night - I put it on just half of my face to see whether it's just another over-promising miracle serum, and the difference on the two sides was so clear the next day that everyone was asking what happened! It's a part of my routine now. Finally, you only need a little to spread over the entire face, so a bottle lasts for ages!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Ren - Omega 3 Overnight Lipid Renewal Serum
mccafferty 8/13/2010 9:34:00 AM
Because this serum gets so many good reviews, and I am a fan of Ren products, I bought it without hesitation. But it just did not work for me at all. It makes my face almost dripping with grease (with only one pump). The next morning, I always found my face very dehydrated, as if the oil has combined with whatever moisture that is in my skin and took it away. And sometimes spots will breakout after using this. I really can't understand why it is so loved by so many people. Maybe my skin is just so different from everyone else's?
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No