SPOTTED: Get Party Ready with Crystal Clear Skin from SK-II!

Hi all! Singapore F1 Grand Prix is happening this week and as we gear ourselves up for it, don't forget to keep your skin glowing and healthy with SK-II's iconic Pitera Essentials range.

For a quick perk-me-up before all the upcoming F1 parties, the SK-II Facial Treatment Mask offers a fuss-free indulgent immersion into the world of Pitera goodness. This miracle ingredient is rich in vitamins, amino acids and nutrients and is responsible for leaving your skin in exceptional radiance and crystal clarity.

Those who seek a more complete routine can turn to the SK-II Mid-Day Miracle Essence and SK-II Mid-Night Miracle Essence. The former holds the power of Pitera in a handy bottle that's small enough to slip into any clutch. It sets makeup and keeps you fresh and photo-ready all day. Night time calls for the latter, which offers a cooling sensation to refresh your skin after all the heat and dust from the race tracks, bringing you trackside in the day to partying at night with ease!

ATM: Post-laser Skincare Routine

After my laser with The Clifford Clinic, I tried to be very careful with my skincare. I carried on washing with Cetaphil (Which I have since abandoned. Another story for another day!) and did as instructed, patting on Skinceuticals's Phyto Corrective Gel for a week and then Foban Cream for the first 3 days. Thereafter, I switched to La Roche-Posay's Cicaplast Baume B5 and Thermal Spring Water. Outdoors called for copious amounts of La Roche-Posay's Uvidea XL Aqua Fresh Gel SPF50 PA++++, the umbrella and a lot of running to seek shade. Lol.

Here are my reviews:

• Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Gel
  This oil-free gel is a concoction of hyaluronic acid, cucumber, thyme, mulberry and other botanical ingredients. It calms, soothes and hydrates sensitive, acne-prone skin and is non-comedogenic. I used this during the first week after laser, stopped for a while and am currently using it again because my skin decided to be naughty.

  With all the herbs in it, it's not surprising that it has a very herbal-ish scent which I love. I pat about 2-3 drops into my skin. It feels a little sticky upon application but it isn't uncomfy. After applying moisturiser, the stickiness is barely noticeable. There isn't any immediate soothing effect but I find that it does calm the skin a little and take away some redness. However, I don't find it particularly moisturising. My sensitive skin hasn't experienced any irritation and I do enjoy using it (only because it smells so good!)... But for a product that costs so much, I do expect some kind of a miracle so it's rather disappointing. :\

• Foban Cream
  This cream is a topical antibiotic to prevent and treat infections. I applied just a thin layer and because it's cream-based, it provided quite a bit of relief for my swollen face. Anyway, this is really effective for infections. I have used this on piercing infections and they all healed nicely. But of course, please use under doctor's directions because it's a medicine after all.

• La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
  This repairing multi-purpose balm contains a triple-action complete formula which helps with skin recovery (Madecassoside, Copper, Zinc and Manganese), soothes dry and irritated areas (5% Panthenol) and protects the skin. It is suitable for sensitive skin and free from parabens, fragrances and lanolin. I used this as a moisturiser throughout my recovery period.

  This cream comes out thick but sinks into skin quite easily and leaves behind a slightly waxy residue. There was a little stinging upon application, but it didn't last and didn't cause any other problems. My skin was kept well-hydrated, soft and plump. And because it's a balm, it actually had a slight BB cream effect where my pores were blurred out and my skin just looked even better after the laser??? I really love this.

• La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water
  This thermal spring water face mist really doesn't need an introduction but anyway, it is rich in Selenium (A powerful natural antioxidant.), mineral salts and trace elements that have been proven to be scientifically soothing. I was spraying this really liberally when the scabs came off sooner than they should and am still doing so.

  This is really an essential for me, especially when our sun has gone crazy. It really soothed my new skin and took away a lot of redness. And right now, it's battling dryness and heat rash for me. IT'S MY BAE.

• La Roche-Posay Uvidea XL Aqua Fresh Gel SPF50 PA++++
  This sunscreen contains an enhanced anti-UVA filtering system with Mexoryl XL and of course, LRP's thermal spring water. It has a gel texture that's lightweight and keeps skin hydrated and refreshed. It is also non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic and is free from parabens and fragrances. I have been using this for quite some time now.

  I'm really not good with sunscreens because they are usually so thick, I feel like they are choking my pores. And usually my foundations have SPF, which I know isn't enough but you know, at least there's some sun protection... *twirls hair*. But anyway, after laser, I wanted to avoid foundations, went through my stash, found this (Yes, my stash is like an entire Watsons store. *cries*) and fell in love with it. It's feathery-light and incredibly hydrating. There isn't any sticky or greasy residue... And it just feels so good on my skin! Top marks, really.

REVIEW: The Clifford Clinic's Edge Fractional CO2 Laser

(All photos are taken straight from the iPhone. No edits have been made. Apologies in advance.)

After my magical encounter with lasers at PPP Laser Clinic, I went on a slight rampage, googling and reading up whatever that I could find on the net about said magic. And even though it's all really scary because you are actually burning your face with 'no guaranteed results', I was really enticed by Jacqueline's very detailed review on The Clifford Clinic's Edge Fractional CO2 Laser. She mentioned that it was also used to remove her skin tags and that got me sitting up ramrod straight (Actually, another laser was used. But more about that later.). My face practically houses (Still a present tense. ): ) a population of skin tags. Big sigh. It's probably because I have very sensitive skin but I try like a gazillion products anyway (No one else in my family has this, so it isn't genetic for me.)...

Anyway, I wrote in to find out more about the laser and got a very detailed reply 2 days later. I decided that the service was good, trial price was good ($200) and promptly made an appointment with Dr. Chow Yuen Ho.

The Clifford Clinic is conveniently located at Raffles City and it's right at the entrance of Clifford Centre. I was actually quite nervous when I went down but then, all the receptionists were friendly and had REALLY good skin (Think: SK-II kind of crystal clarity, completely pore-less... Basically, baby skin! Like what on earth?!?) and I was like 'Okay, I'm just going to pray really hard.'.

I didn't have to wait too long before I saw Dr. Chow. He did a quick examination of my face, explained what the Edge Fractional CO2 Laser was and told me that it was actually a separate laser that got rid of skin tags. For the former, it's zapping your skin in a grid-like manner to stimulate collagen for tighter and younger-looking skin. Your skin will be red for a couple of days and thereafter, scabs will form. They are supposed to fall off naturally and reveal new skin, yay (More information can be found here.)! For the latter, it's just burning the skin tags off. Scabs will form too and when they fall off, the skin beneath will be lighter, like scars, but they will fade off in a few months' time.

Day 0: Bare face, with numbing cream on.

Day 0: Right after lasers.

After consultation, I removed my makeup, had numbing cream applied on me by a very sweet receptionist (Who has the most A-MAZING skin and she's like 40 or something. She has been doing lasers for many years now. Sigh. #skingoals #moolahgoals too. Lol.), waited a while and zapped, zapped, zapped! Dr. Chow did the Edge Fractional CO2 Laser on my cheeks and then, killed some of my skin tags across my entire face. Everything was over within less than half an hour. And boy, was my face red and a tad swollen! But I just slapped on some sunscreen from the clinic's vanity area and after getting my meds, I caught a movie with friends. And I went out the next day too. With my lobster-red face. Yes, there was some staring, especially since the redness ended quite abruptly (Because of the laser.).

For my meds, I was prescribed Skinceuticals's Photo Corrective Gel ($129), which was to be applied only for a week, and Foban Cream ($8), an antiseptic which was to be applied for the first 3 days. I really didn't think the gel was necessary because it's really expensive and it's only for a week, but then, #newproduct #beautyjunkie #wthmightaswell.

Day 1: I woke up like this.

Day 2: Fake freckles.

Day 3: In the evening.

Day 4: After removing my MU, and lots of scabs in the midst of it. MU IS EVIL.

Here's what happened to my skin after the treatment:

• Day 0: Lobster-red and some stinging.
• Day 1: Seemed even redder and scabs formed for deceased skin tags.
• Day 2: Less red and lots of scabs all over face in a grid-like manner.
• Day 3: Wore light MU to work. Lots of scabs came off while removing MU (MAJOR SADNESS. They are supposed to drop off naturally, like all other scabs.) and skin was red again. Sprayed lots of thermal spring water. Skin started to get rather itchy and I scratched some scabs off at night unintentionally (DOUBLE MAJOR SADNESS.).
• Day 4: More scabs dropped off, including those from skin tags. Skin was still itchy and red from unintentional scratching (SAD, SAD, SAD.). Carried on spraying TSW.
• Day 5: Almost free from scabs, save for some from the skin tags. Skin was reddish. Continued spraying.
• Day 6: Even fewer scabs and a lot less red. Old acne scars were flattened out. Went to work with light MU.
• Day 7: Slept late the previous night and old acne scars seemed a little more obvious (SLEEP IS KEY TO GOOD SKIN, PEOPLE.), but very much less than before. Less red. Wore light MU.

Day 10: When all the scabs have left me.

Day 12: Fully healed.

It has been more than a month since I did the laser and I had incredibly good skin. It was smooth, plump and clear, and my pores were sooo miniscule. I barely wore MU and... It was really like having baby skin all over again, something which I didn't think was ever possible. But anyway, I went to Korea and the weather mucked it up so my face is currently experiencing a major drought (Weleda's Skin Food to the rescue.). Joy. Some of the skin tags actually returned, which Dr. Chow did warn me about.

Will I do this again? Yes, definitely. But maybe annually because it won't be at a trial price anymore. ): I think the Edge Fractional CO2 Laser is supposed to be done once a month several times but I'm not sure what the effect will be like then. Like must you keep doing it for the rest of your life to maintain it or will there come a time when you have baby skin PERMANENTLY??? *twinkly eyes* Hahaha. Well, one can dream.

As usual, if you have any questions about my experience, just drop me an email at lovecharlenejudith@hotmail.com. (: I hope this was helpful!