THE A, B, AND ESSENTIAL-C OF MY BEAUTY JOURNEY
Alittle over a month ago, Murad brand managers Aiem Ong, Cristina Dizon, and Rustan’s ad and PR manager Mica Agdamag approached me with a tempting proposition: I’d use Murad’s Essential-C line for two months, in conjunction with biweekly “Even Brighter” facials at Rustan’s Murad Spa, and write about my beauty journey.
What’s not to love, right? As a longtime Murad fan, I immediately said yes.
Though my complexion ranges from medium to fair depending on the season, years of being under our tropical sun and occasionally forgetting to put on sunscreen (despite my derm mom’s warnings) have taken their toll and resulted in dull, patchy skin and spots on my face that won’t fade, no matter what I do.
So I was a good candidate for EssentialC. All Murad ranges are color-coded for ease of use, and Essential-C is part of the orange Environmental Shield line anchored on protecting your skin from damagers and agers (like the sun and pollution), and the skin-brightening benefits of vitamin C. Ong and Dizon say it’s Murad’s bestselling line in the Philippines, while Even Brighter is Murad’s most popular facial. Guess I’m not the only Pinay who wants radiant, more even skin.
I’m now a month — or halfway — into my regimen, which consists of six products. In the morning, I wash my face with Environmental Shield Essential-C Cleanser. I love how thick and rich this gel feels, and how it smells like orange, which wakes me up first thing in the morning. It also has exfoliating beads that help smooth my skin without being too harsh.
Then comes Essential-C Toner, which I like because it’s not your usual toner that you have to apply with a cotton ball, but a refreshing mist that preps your skin to absorb the benefits of the coming serum. Plus, it’s charged with antioxidants and comes in a big bottle, so I spray it on liberally over my face, neck and chest.
Next comes the newest weapon in the Essential-C arsenal: Rapid Age Spot Correcting Serum, which has been clinically proven to reduce the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation in just one week.
To test this product, I’m focusing on how it affects two dark spots in the corner of my left eye. After one week I noticed a slight fading and blurring at the edges, but the really dramatic effects were visible after a month: one spot is nearly gone while the other has been reduced to a pinprick.
DAYTIME PROTECTION
During the day I follow the serum with a pump of Essential-C Eye Cream, which I divide between my two ring fingers and massage under the eyes and over the brow bones. This cream has it all: caffeine to deflate puffiness, avocado oil to smooth fine lines and wrinkles, light-diffusing microspheres to reduce the appearance of dark circles, and broad-spectrum SPF 15 to protect from further sun damage. Wish I’d had this when I was pulling all-nighters in college.
The last daytime step is sunscreen. My new fave is Murad’s City Skin Age Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50, because it’s a mineral sunscreen that doesn’t just protect from the sun but also blue light from devices, pollution, and infrared radiation — all rampant accelerators of aging in our benighted metropolis. It even has color-correcting tint. I can’t think of a more complete sunscreen — just wish it came in a bigger bottle (I am already on my third).
NIGHTTIME DETOX
My evening routine consists of cleanser, toner, serum then City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer. The name says it all: while you sleep, it detoxifies your skin from all the blue light and pollution you were exposed to during the day with antioxidants from Marrubium plant stem cells. It also has brightening vitamin C and skin-plumping botanicals.
I notice that no matter how tired and lackluster my skin looks the night before, I wake up to skin that looks revived, with a bit of a glow. So pleased with the results that I’m already on my second jar.
So, to sum up, after using Murad’s orange line for a week I noticed that my most stubborn spots had started to fade. After 12 days my skin looked significantly more even and radiant. Now, after four weeks on my Essential-C regime and two Even Brighter facials (which I will write about next time), I feel like my skin is in such good condition that I can get away without wearing foundation. Can’t wait to see what my skin will look like a month from now.
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Murad is available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.
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