When Val and I met up for tea, we talked quite a lot about skincare (typical beauty blogger talk :p), and this was something she highly recommended. As I was already using (and really loving) the Turnaround Visible Skin Renewer serum, I couldn’t wait to try this out too.

I searched high and low for it at many Clinique counters, but they were always sold out. It was only later that I found out that the Clinique was discontinuing the 15-Minute Facial to make way for the Instant 5-min one. I decided to check it out on Strawberrynet instead. Lo and behold, they were selling it, and at discounted prices too. I immediately snapped myself a jar (daren’t buy more in case it didn’t work for me).

Description:

High-potency mask delivers all the radiance and smoothness of microdermabrasion – with significantly less irritation and stress. Our advanced cocktail of gentle, natural exfoliants triggers an efficient “letting go” of surface flakes, promoting surface cell turnover on multiple levels. And its targeted delivery system seeks out driest patches to bring benefits where needed most.
Immediately gives skin a vibrant, luminous, radiant look.
Minimises the look of surface imperfectons, fine lines and pores.
Instantly retexturises, leaving skin feeling velvety soft and smooh.
With continued use, fine lines seem erased.

This is a microdermabrasion mask. It’s such an in thing these days, isn’t it? Simple exfoliating just isn’t enough anymore, so it seems. Sarcasm aside, I did have high hopes for this product, and boy, did it deliver.

The instructions state to leave the mask on for 15 minutes or longer, until dry. I’d put it on, set my mobilephone’s alarm for 30 minutes, and then go about with my things. It did sting ever-so-slightly when I applied it with my spatula (not provided), but it didn’t bother me. When 30 minutes were up, I’d gently wash it off with two cellulose facial sponges. The results were fantastic – smooth and radiant skin. Amazingly enough, I can actually see the results immediately, something which I do not see in almost all of the skincare products I’ve used.

I’ve been using this for over a month, and my skin is now brighter and smoother. This and the Visible Skin Renewer serum gave me the skin I really wanted. Needless to say, I’m absolutely hooked on it, and will get a jar or two more on Strawberrynet before it (and/or the discount) runs out.

There aren’t many skincare products which I would highly recommend, but this and the Visible Skin Renewer, I highly do. I use this at the most of twice a week.

This is no longer available at Clinique counters at Myer or David Jones. You might still see the tester jar on display, but chances are it will not be available. I don’t understand why they still keep the jar on display though if they’re no longer selling it. Hmm. Anyway, it’s still available at Strawberrynet if you’re interested. The 65ml jar is selling at AU$73/RM184.50.

What I like about it: Gives me smooth and radiant skin in an instant boost.

What I did not like about it: It’s a discontinued item (although still available at Strawberrynet).

I was reading Ollie‘s post on budget makeup starter kit (spot on recommendations, girl!), and the first paragraph caught my eye.

A few months ago, I was chatting to a colleague of mine when she mentioned that she didn’t know the first thing about skincare and makeup and asked what I used. I was a very surprised to learn that at 26 years old, she had yet to start a daily skincare regime. She uses soap to wash her face and has never used moisturizer. Giving her face a closer inspection I realized that she indeed had a problem with acne, her lips were chapped and she wore no makeup. Something you’d expect on a teenager.

For someone who started their skincare regime when she was 11 years old, I admit I was flabbergasted to hear someone say she washes her face with soap. And I’m assuming a typical cake of bath soap, not facial bar soap. Then again, I wasn’t entirely surprised to hear that, because I’ve heard the same thing from other ladies too, who did not begin their skincare regime until their mid- to late twenties.

Now before you think I’m a snob for getting an early start on skincare, do hear me out. I thought I’d give you a bit of background on my skincare routine and how it came about.

I started using Kao Biore’s facial wash (it was in a blue/green and white tube) when I was 11, when my mother saw me sprouting pimples left, right and centre. I loved using it as it smelt very good to me at the time. I learned about toner and moisturiser from a family friend, Auntie M, when I was 13. I didn’t understand the concept of a toner then, but since she said that I should get myself familiarised with the 3-step skincare, I thought, eh why not? My mother gave me one of her GWP (Gift-With-Purchase) Clinique Clarifying Lotion and a tiny travel-sized bottle of Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion to try out.

I actually hated the moisturiser at first. I found it greasy on my adolescent face, smelt like bad cheese, and resulted in more pimples. With my saved-up pocket money, I bought a small tube of moisturiser from Biore. As I grew older, I went back to using the Clinique yellow moisturiser (nicked-it-from-my-mum-since-I-was-too-cheap-to-buy-my-own). By then, the three-step skincare was routine for me. When I was 23 years old, I started using sunscreen, as recommended by my mum.

In retrospect, I have my mum to thank for introducing me to skincare. It’s never too early to start, and you’ll have a lot less problems to deal with when you’re older, because then it’ll be difficult to fix any skin problems you have. If budget is the problem, then I can boldly tell you to forget buying makeup, because if the canvas is not good to work with in the first place, makeup alone will not fix it. Okay, temporarily perhaps, but once the mask is taken down, you’re back to the original canvas.

Basic skincare does not have to be expensive. If you hardly wear makeup (or not at all), then a toner is not necessary. Facial wash, moisturiser and sunscreen. That is all you need if you’re on a tight budget. My grandmother’s been using Olay for over 60 years, and her skin’s beautiful. Sunscreen is the best anti-aging product around.

If you know someone – a colleague, a friend, a cousin, a sister, etc, whom you think should be on skincare and are not, gently give them a nudge. Lend them a helping hand into what you think they’d need to suit their skin and budget. You may not be an expert, but if you’re caring for your skin too, they’ll appreciate your advice.

Let’s continue to spread the love and work on caring for our canvas, shall we?

Kia wanted to know what my 5 ins and outs are right now, i.e. what I’m into currently (and not). Some of these have been an “in” for quite some time now, and not all of them are beauty-related. Here goes.

What’s In For Me

1. Cute environmental bags, like the ones from Envirosax. Beats carrying plastic and paper bags around.

2. Turquoise eyeshadow, matched with yellow eyeshadow and highlights. I’ve always loved using this combination of colours on my eyes. I first saw this used on one of my dear friends, Hester, several years ago when we were in Japan. Goes very well with dark brown eyes.

3. Fragrance diffusers. Perfect for areas in the house where you don’t want to leave lighted scented candles unattended. I put one in the kitchen and one in our bedroom. I love the ones by Aspley & Company Melbourne Scented Space.

4. Crisp white men’s shirts. You can’t go wrong with these. You can dress them up with trousers, pencil skirts, or dress them down with jeans. I’m currently on a lookout for another shirt or two. My, err, Padini linen one is looking a little worse for wear.

5. Oroton bags and accessories. Geekchic got me hooked on this. The leather bags are oh-so-gorgeous, and I really like the silk scarves too. I call it the Coach of Australia 😀

What’s Out For Me

1. MAC Hello Kitty collection – okay, I know this is going to annoy a LOT of MAC lovers out there, but it just isn’t for me. I reckon it’s because it’s been far too publicised, compared to other collections. No thanks for me. On a slightly different note, I prefer the original Hello Kitty when she was red and white, not pink.

2. Purple eyeshadow. As much as I love the colour, I just can’t wear it on my eyes. Still can’t perfect this without looking like I’ve been punched in the eye. Dammit!

3. The first three seasons of How I Met Your Mother were hilarious, but the fourth went way down. It’s as though they’ve run out of things to talk about, and so they’re just adding in any old funny bits which, in my opinion, aren’t funny. Either introduce the mother already, or quit while you’re ahead.

4. Movie titles with two words – “The Something“, e.g The Ring, The Teacher, The Matrix, etc. It was nothing at first, but more and more movies are titled as such these days. Running out of inspiration, oh movie makers? I’m not surprised if I see these movie titles in the future – “The Chair”, “The Table”, “The Horse”, “The Cat”, “The Bird”, “The Car”, etc. Oh y’know what I mean.

5. Bookstores not stocking Enid Blyton books for children. Her books are classic children’s stories, not Harry Potter or Hannah Montana. Sigh.

And … that’s it!

I wasn’t tagged for this, as this was a question from Kia (thanks for the Q, Kia. Hope you weren’t asking for all beauty-related stuff though :P), but I’d love to know what your 5 current ins and outs are. It can be beauty related or not.

Geekchic
Ollie
Beetrice
Jess of Ohh … Pretty
Indulgent Reviews

For those whom I did not tag, feel free to do this too if you like. I look forward to reading your ins and outs 🙂

Enjoy!