We all, to a certain extent – suffer for fashion. But for this particular review, I suffered for beauty. Okay, it was accidental, I admit – I went through a phase where I just couldn’t be bothered to be as diligent as I normally was with my skincare regime. And so, out came the facial wipes – as in wipe off make-up and go (to sleep). I know, I know … horrible of me for even admitting this out loud.

Anyway, turned out that it was – in a rather twisted way – a good thing, because after a couple of times of doing this, it was beginning to take its toll on my poor skin – I started to break out, and my skin got dull and tired looking. Nothing, nothing could’ve helped it the way The Regenerating Serum from La Mer did!

So you know I love La Mer products, but they’ve not all worked on me. But yes, I will gush about this product.

This anti-aging product is the loveliest-smelling La Mer product ever, kinda like a combination of the ocean and the sun. Its texture is silky, milky and light – and because of this, spreads on really well on the skin (three drops for my entire face, and one more for my neck). It dries on beautifully too.

The bottle cradles a dropper dispenser, and this is my only gripe – it can get things a little messy because you have to balance and negotiate carefully when you’re done. And no matter how careful I am, my dropper (dripping with some serum) ends up touching the outside of the top of the bottle. And after a few uses, I have to wipe down the mouth of the bottle. It’s messy and you get quite a bit of wastage. Not only that, I’m not looking forward to when the serum finishes, because for the life of me, I’m not sure how I’ll get the last bits. Dropper dispenser – not great.

But the efficacy of the product? Great. 

Such lightweight texture also means I get to use it during the day, which I do. It helps my make-up stay put, and I hardly need to powder. It minimises pores, and helps control sebum production as I don’t shine the wrong way, y’know? The first time I used the serum, I woke up with amazing skin. And with continuous use, my fine lines are now less visible, my nasolabial folds aren’t as saggy, and my skin feels like velvet all the time.

To explain the science behind the serum, I’ve also extracted a short Q&A from the press release with the lovely Loretta Miraglia who is La Mer’s Senior Vice President, Product Innovation for your reading pleasure.

What is inflammation and how does it age the skin?

Inflammation is caused by anything from over-exposure to ultraviolet light to environmental aggressors to the ingestion of unhealthy foods, and is basically a stress reaction in the body. Inflammation triggers immune cells, which can damage healthy collagen and elastin. Once collagen and elastin are compromised, skin can develop “micro-scars”, or tiny wounds beneath the skin. Long term inflammation can lead to deeper wrinkles, stubborn age spots, skin redness and sagging.

How does The Regenerating Serum ‘interrupt’ the appearance of premature skin aging?

The Regenerating Serum combines the original Miracle Broth with another powerful plant-based anti-aging compound called The Regenerating Ferment and an antioxidant rich Lime Tea.

While the Miracle Broth helps soothe the skin and fight the appearance of irritation, The Regenerating Ferment incorporates the powerhouse cell of the plant, the stem cell. These Marine Plant Stem Cells are nurtured in a lab specifically to enhance their ability to help support skin as it naturally produces collagen and elastin. The Lime Tea gives a further antioxidant boost. Together, these components give a new vitality to the skin. It’s a multi-pronged approach designed to support and enhance the skin’s natural ability to renew its appearance.

What exactly is a Marine Plant Stem Cell?

Plant stem cells typically come from bud or the root of the plant, where the plants generate new growth. Some scientists describe a plant stem cell as an energetic seed – a pure concentration of life. These are the cells that are the very basis of the plant’s growth, and have the ability to become any part of the plant – a stem, a leaf or a petal.

We started researching marine plants with self-regenerating and stress-resistant properties and discovered a unique marine shore plant on the Brittany coast in France that had an amazing potential for anti-aging called Eryngium Maritimum. This plant is incredibly rigorous – the more it is attacked by its natural environment, the more it thrives. The plant is found along coastal areas, and its roots reach deep into the sea water while the top part of the plant grows out of the ground. As a result, the root structure is continually stressed and therefore forced to be adaptable and perform at a high level. We harvest the plant stem cells in a sustainable way without killing the plant. Once the cells are harvested, we nurture them in the lab to grow them in a larger scale before they go through La Mer’s transformative bio-fermentation process. The resulting ferment, which we call The Regeneration Ferment, helps skin trigger its natural production of “youth proteins”, collagen and elastin to rejuvenate its appearance.

What kind of results can you expect to see after initial, and then continued use of the Regenerating Serum?

We’re seeing phenomenal results instantly and over time. The Regenerating Serum starts to work on contact. You actually feel it. You put it on and you feel something is transformed. It’s absolutely ephemeral, so lightweight, it imparts an immediate dewiness. The four to eight weeks out, something has really changed: Tone and texture are markedly improved; skin looks firmer, stronger and healthier. It works beautifully in combination with Creme de la Mer, The Moisturizing Lotion, The Moisturizing Gel Cream and The Oil Absorbing Lotion. We say that you see the difference in a day, but with continued use it’s really remarkable.

Sounds almost too good to be true, huh? All I can say is that this serum saved my skin. Now all I need to do is stop being so lazy!

Like all La Mer products, expect it to cost.

The Regenerating Serum costs RM950 (30ml) and is available at La Mer counters in Metrojaya, Mid Valley Megamall, Isetan Suria KLCC and Parkson Pavilion KL.

As I’m typing this, I’m having serious issues with my throat. It’s been feeling parched all day, and I have a nagging feeling that it’s not because I haven’t been drinking my fluids. But don’t you just hate sore throats? It feels like your throat is constantly being scrubbed with sandpaper, and no matter how much water you drink, it doesn’t seem to quench that parched feeling.   

But moving on to better things – let’s talk hydration for the skin.   

There’s no denying the importance of keeping skin well-hydrated, and here’s the clincher – even if you might not have all the usual signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles and dark spots, dehydrated skin is more prone to signs of premature aging!    

This month sees new products that fight this problem – the first is the new Estee Lauder’s Hydrationist Moisture Barrier Fortifier serum, and Hydrationist Maximum Moisturizer.   

Now you know this – one of the best ways to keep skin healthy and youthful is to keep it well hydrated. According to the scientists at Estee Lauder, Asian women have a thinner moisture barrier (woe for us), and because of this, it is vital to keep it strong so that the skin’s moisture level isn’t jeopardised. Weakened moisture barrier not only causes dehydration, but will also lead to damage that will accelerate the appearance of visible aging.   

The Moisture Barrier Fortifier serum targets this – and repairs and restores the skin’s weakened moisture barrier, while the Maximum Moisturizer boosts and maintains the skin’s optimum moisture level.    

The secret is an exclusive Bio-Mimetic Water that, according to EL, infuses skin with moisture right up to 24 hours. Then, there’s an exclusive Sustainable Moisture Complex to strengthen the skin’s existing moisture barrier. There’s more – a Ceramide Activating Complex to help the skin boost its own production of ceramides to keep that barrier strong.   

Next we have Biotherm’s hydration solution, which promises glow in a jar! The latest additions to Biotherm’s wildly popular Aquasource range (more than three jars of the Aquasource Non Stop is sold every minute since its launch in 1997!) are the Skin Perfection moisturiser, and Eye Perfection.   

The line’s claim to fame is that applying the cream to your skin is similar to having the goodness of 5,000 litres of thermal spring water!   

Skin Perfection comes with a sorbet-like texture that delivers an instant cooling sensation the minute you apply it on. In fact, Biotherm claims that your skin temperature will decrease by 2 degrees Celsius for a full 16 minutes! I must admit, that this got me wondering if I would be comfortable walking around with my skin tingling that long.   

Lastly, there’s the Eye Perfection is packaged with a tri-ball nozzle that is now a familiar sight with eye products that reduce dark circles and eye bags. All that same goodness is there, and this also moisturises the skin around the eyes to keep your peepers perky!   

The Hydrationist Moisture Barrier Fortifier is RM275, while the Maximum Moisturizer is RM190. Both are now available at Estee Lauder counters nationwide.   

Aquasource Skin Perfection is RM165, and the Aquasource Eye Perfection is RM150. Both are available at Biotherm counters nationwide.     

So, do you sink, or sag?

Before you go “huh?”, let me explain. We all have aging issues – but wrinkles and age spots aside, our skin will either sink (in) – or sag.

And if you’re Asian, chances are that you’ll probably sag. The reason for this is that research has shown that Asian skin tend to have thicker and more compact dermis than white skin. So our wrinkles and fine lines don’t look too obvious. This also explains why a 50-year old Asian will look younger than a 50-year old Caucasian woman.

This is also one reason why Asian skin sag, while Caucasian skin sink.

The sad truth, I know.

The skin sags when it loses elasticity, which happens as we age. And the most obvious reason for this is the decreased production of new collagen and elastin fibres – the bits that keep skin firm and “up there”. More sad news – while all this is part of the skin’s natural rejuvenation process, this process also slows down with age.   

There’s more bad news.

The skin’s level of hyaluronic acid – the substance that holds the skin cells together – also decreases with age. And this happens when an enzyme called hyaluronidaise starts breaking down the skin’s natural hyaluronic acid.   

A bad diet also helps contribute to sagging skin. A vitamin C deficiency can cause weak collagen fibers, and a lack of protein can leave your system without the necessary bits it needs to produce new elastin fibers and skin cells. And of course, if the skin’s moisture content is low, the epidermis will start to sag.

We tend to sag around the eye area, and the side of our nose – so we get ginormous eyebags, and our nasolabial fold is even more noticeable than our noses!

So, if these are your issues – this month’s launches from L’Oréal’s Revitalift range just might be your new best friends.

Consider the Revitalift Double Eye Lift your all-in-one eye cream – it’s promising that much. This “double action” eye cream targets lines, wrinkles, and sagginess and loss of elasticity.

The product uses a unique double pump system that contains – on one side, a gel, and the other, a cream. Each contain different ingredients that target different issues – but work in synergy for best results. The cream contains caffeine and Pro-Retinol A to work on wrinkles and dark circles, and the gel is packed with Latexyl, a mineral tensing ingredient that literally tightens the skin above the eyes for an instant eyelift!  

The idea is to use the cream below the eye and on your wrinkles, then the gel on the upper eye area. The only thing is that “double action” also means “double the time”. But then again, I’m too intrigued to care too much about that.

To counter more sagging, L’Oréal also presents the Revitalift Serum Inside Liquid Foundation SPF20/PA++. This foundation promises to give skin an immediate lifting effect, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines with the help of ingredients like elastin and Pro-Retinol A. While they’re already doing good things for the skin on their own, together, these two ingredients do great things like sculpt face contours and even out skin tone, adding radiance.

Oh – and it works as a foundation too! The texture is light, yet it offers enough coverage to conceal dark spots.

Use it regularly, and your skill will never look better.

I’m just thinking right now … “younger eyes … yes … no more sagging skin … oh yes!” ….

The L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Double Eye Lift 15ml is priced at RM 52.90, and the L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Serum Inside Foundation is available in four specially developed shades for Asian skin tones for RM59.90. Both are available at all L’Oréal Paris counters nationwide.

Hands up – how many of you know how many UV rays there are from the sun?

We all talk about why sunblock is so important in our daily beauty regime – to offer protection from the sun’s damaging UV rays – but do we really know why? What do these rays do?

There are three to worry about - UVA, UVB and UVC:

• UVA
• As recently as two decades ago, UVA rays were thought to be safe, when in fact, it does the most damage to the skin. Unlike UVB rays, which has its moments in the sun (its strength varies with season, depending on how far away the sun is from the earth), UVA stays the same all year round. It is strong enough to penetrate light clothing, windows and wind shields, which is why you’re recommended to wear sunblock even if you’re indoors. A little depressing, right?     
• UVA is able to penetrate right through to the dermis, the second layer of the skin, accelerating the aging process by damaging collagen and elastin – all the necessary bits required to keep skin supple and firm. It dilates blood vessels, which is why you’ll look flushed. It over-activates melanin, causing brown spots.

• UVB
• When sunblocks first came out, it was to block out UVB rays, as scientists thought that this was the “bad” one – simply because when you tan or burn after exposure in the sun, it is from UVB rays. This ray is strong enough to penetrate the epidermis, and cause melanocyte overproduction – which means, you get tanned, or develop those dreaded dark spots too.  

• UVC
• This is the shortest ray, and is usually absorbed by the ozone layer. You know all those horror stories about how we’ll burn without the ozone layer? It would be from UVC rays. Just a brief exposure to it will cause sunburn, and prolonged exposure is simply … deathly
  So … now that we know all this, the only thing to do is clear – when the sun is out – slather on sunblock!

Which brings me to Kiehl’s new Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA+++.

According to Kiehl’s, the sunbblock is oil-free, translucent, lightweight, and comes with sun protection against both UVA and UVB rays. It also comes with antioxidant (Vitamin E) and moisturising benefits, and gives off a matt finish.

The Daily UV Defense contains Mexoryl – L’Oréal’s exclusive ingredient and currently one of the most effective US FDA approved filter because it stays stable after exposure with UVA rays. You can read more about Mexoryl here.

So what’s my take?

I think it’s great that the sunblock offers really good all-round sun protection and a high SPF. Texture-wise, it isn’t as lightweight as I had hoped for, but I think it can still qualify as light. It still leaves a slight white, pasty sheen upon application – which disappears quickly enough.

And as for it being oil-free? Not on my normal-combination skin.

I first tried it on a week day, when I was running around because of work. By lunch time I caught sight of my face in the mirror of my office elevator and was taken aback by how shiny I was (I was!). Pretty disappointing, but I figured it was worth trying again on a weekend, when things were less hectic, and my skin wasn’t as stressed out.

Some dermatologists I’ve interviewed in the past have mentioned that if you don’t have major issues with your skin, you can skip the moisturiser, and just get by with sunblock.

So that was what I did. And I was happy I did.  

Because my skin felt nice and supple all day, no oil slick or dryness anywhere. This is where the sunblock’s antioxidant ingredient and moisturising properties really made a difference, and there was no need to powder or blot by afternoon either. I’ve been happy with my Kiehl’s sunblock since!

Available at all Kiehl’s stores for RM140

If you’ve been following my blog since day one, you’d have read about my favourite de-puffing eye product from Garnier. 

I’ve been using the Light Brightening Roll-On for years, and it’s helped reduce puffiness around my eye area during the day.

But I now have a new favourite.

The White Reveal Illuminating Eye Treatment is part of Dior’s revamped brightening DiorSnow range, which is inspired by the brilliance and clarity of diamonds. The idea is to have skin so translucent that it seems to radiate light. The product itself shares the same concept as the Capture Totale Eye Instant Eye Rescue, where you have flat metal applicator attached to the tube.

The texture of the cream is light, and absorbs easily. But it’s the applicator that makes this eye product so much fun to use!

The rounded metal tip has a little hole in the middle to dispense the cream, which smells beautifully of florals, by the way. To use, you basically press the tube, squeezing the cream out, and start massaging your under-eye area. The metal is always cool to the touch, which I believe really helps with circulation and to “de-puff” my eyebags.

I think the concept behind the metal applicator is similarly to that of a chilled spoon. But this one definitely has added benefits, like Dior’s exclusive Transparency Enhancing Complex (T.E.C), which also moisturises and brightens the skin.

I apply this in the mornings just before leaving for work, and 30 minutes later, will look fresh enough to face the day. And on days where it’s just going to be mad at the office, I’ll even slip it in my bag and give my poor eyes a quickie massage every chance I get, just to extend its depuffing action. What a fabulous way to fake eight hours of sleep!  

DiorSnow White Reveal Illuminating Eye Treatment (15ml) is available at Dior counters nationwide for RM218, along with the rest of the DiorSnow range.