You glow, girl!

How would you like to have skin so clear you don’t need to wear foundation? That’s what we all strive for with our peeling, pricking, and slathering-on of creams that cost as much as a great pair of stilettos.

But right now there’s a quick fix that will give you a falling-in-love glow sans makeup, and all it requires is an hour of lying flat on your back. Yes, sometimes life is fair.

On the third level of Rustan’s Makati, Institut Clarins is about to undergo its own makeover. This beauty oasis, popular with Japanese tourists in search of perennial porcelainness, is moving to an even more exalted spot on the fifth floor, though you’d never know it from the tranquil atmosphere.

There is a hush that descends as you enter the institute – enhanced, perhaps, by the plush red carpet – but it’s the silence of true luxury; a sign that serious pampering is going on.

Clarins launches all its treatments at the same time worldwide, and today is no exception. Using the White Plus range introduced last year, Clarins has designed the new Pro-Active Whitening Facial, which combats uneven skin tone, freckles, and signs of aging.

After studying the needs of Asian skin, an intensive, hour-long regimen was devised that rejuvenates tired skin three ways: first, an anti-pigmentation action reduces dark spots and slows down the formation of new ones; second, an anti-dull complexion action restores luminous, translucent skin; and third, an anti-aging action smoothes out wrinkles, leaving skin fresh, clear and soft.

Whatever the case, I was just happy to lie down in one of the five treatment rooms and gaze at the blue sky and white clouds painted overhead. "Clarins aims to treat all the five senses," said my facialist Dang, Institut Clarins’ head therapist.

While my sense of sight rested on the ceiling mural, my ears took in piped-in ambient music while Dang doused her hands in Clarins’ Relaxing oil and treated my sniffer to the mind-clearing aroma of petitgrain.

Then she applied what’s called "The Clarins Touch" – a complicated system of manual massage involving over 84 different hand movements – designed not only to contour your face but also induce a state of melting relaxation.

"What makes this treatment unique is its two-phase exfoliation and skin refining," says Andrea Dumancas, Institut Clarins’ manager. "All the whitening products have Vitamin C derived from raspberry and the patented Lock-Around system to fight hyperpigmentation."

Indeed, Dang applied a cooling succession of cleansers as a prelude to the Plant Peel, which removes the dead top layer of the skin and is strong enough to zap whiteheads, if not more deep-seated blackheads. After applying the Renewing Gentle Exfoliator, which also controls oil and tightens pores, she did a dry rub, sloughing off the dead skin along with the product.

My newly bare skin was covered with Clarins’ Pro-Formula Whitening Essence, which is seven times stronger than the retail version to achieve the quickest visible result. Dumancas says all the White Plus products contain a new generation of Vitamin C, and at fairly high concentrations, from the feel of it. The essence tingled on my face the way fruit or alpha hydroxy acids normally do.

Next came the pièce de résistance, the 10-minute Intensive Whitening Mask. Dang expertly massaged in the ultra-creamy botanical formula, then left me to nap while the mask did its magic.

What I love about this facial is that they don’t neglect the rest of your body. Your hands get massaged and whitened as well with the Thirst-Quenching Mask, which, left to stew under mittens, softens even your cuticles. This was so effective that all my hangnails disappeared, I noted afterwards. Other favorites were the Replenishing Lip Balm, which got rid of the flakies and left a smooth, plump pucker; and the Purifying Whitening Body Mist, which refreshed the rest of me.

The final touch was a splash of Eau Dynamisante, Clarins’ energizing fragrance, which practically had me bounding off the massage table. In all, Dang used about 20 products on my face, and it showed. Everyone who emerged from the treatment rooms exclaimed over each other’s glowing countenances, and the effect lasts for two weeks. Physically it’s the equivalent of getting a lunchtime peel, but the results aren’t just physical: the glow also comes from within, thanks to all the wellness extras Clarins packs in.

At the lounge we sipped herbal tea, which treated the last of our five senses: taste.

If you’re the type who’s insecure about going out with bare skin, you can put makeup on immediately after the facial, but judging from our radiant, blissful expressions, none of us needed to.

With its gratifying results, the Pro-Whitening Facial looks set to become even more popular than the current favorite, the Age Defying Facial. Soon, a Tummy Trim will also be added to the menu, complementing the sought-after Body Slimming Treatment.

In mid-August, Institut Clarins will move to a 150-sq.m. space on the fifth floor, which, with its lounge, café and brand-name beauty centers, will become Rustan’s wellness floor. "The architecture will be very modern, keeping the signature white and red colors, dark wood and more glass and silver," says Dumancas. Debenhams and H Salon will take over the vacated space.

But that’s still not the end of the story. A few days later, an observant friend, noticing something was up, said, "You look good. You’re blooming." I smiled to myself. If only she knew.

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Institut Clarins is on the third level of Rustan’s Department Store, Ayala Avenue, Makati. To book an appointment, call 813-3739 local 271, or 817-8414.