You can 'C' the difference
MANILA, Philippines - People are obsessed with vitamin C nowadays — they drink liters of it to boost their immune systems and stave off illness. (Maybe not the best idea because too much can cause kidney stones — look it up.) But when vitamin C is the major ingredient in a skincare product, it has myriad benefits as well.
It’s a powerful antioxidant that can improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin. It promotes collagen production, reduces inflammation, lightens dark spots, and protects from UV-related damage. In short, vitamin C could be called the “radiance vitamin” because it renews and brightens your skin, giving you a more youthful glow.
Famed dermatologist Dr. Howard Murad is such a believer in vitamin C’s power that he made it the cornerstone of his Sun Undone Radiant Skin Renewal range. The newest product, Active Radiance Serum, is so effective it’s been clinically proven to show results in just one week.
Eager to showcase this star product, Rustan’s incorporated Active Radiance Serum into the Murad Medi-Spa’s Vitamin C Facial, to give clients an instant preview of what vitamin C can really do.
At the spa, my therapist Tess begins the facial by turning the steamer on my face before taking off my makeup with Murad’s Essential-C Cleanser. With tiny beads to gently exfoliate, this product feels and smells wonderful, like a freshly cut orange. It washes away environmental impurities but doesn’t leave skin dry, instead restoring moisture to parched skin like mine.
After the usual extraction of whiteheads comes the vitamin C infusion treatment, a professional, highly concentrated version of Active Radiance Serum. Tess whips up a powder and gel mixture that she leaves on my face for 10 minutes. There’s a definite but not unpleasant tingle that lets you know the active ingredients are at work, clarifying your complexion and smoothing your skin to a more youthful texture and tone.
Glow giver: Murad’s Active Radiance Serum, clinically proven to brighten and renew skin in one week, is available at Rustan’s. A cream mask follows to soothe any lingering sting. This is also left on for 10 minutes while the therapist massages away the tension in your shoulders.
After removing all traces of the cream and mask with moist cotton pads, Tess applies Murad’s Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30, which protects and strengthens your skin against environmental aging by blocking UVA and UVB rays to prevent sun and free-radical damage. It also improves the skin’s barrier function to maintain optimal hydration.
Personally I am a big fan of Murad moisturizers, which also double as sunscreens. Their texture is just liquid enough to be easily absorbed and they rarely leave my face oily. I always put a layer on to shield my skin before applying makeup.
Tess then turns her attention to my eyes with the Essential-C Eye Cream SPF 15, which protects, brightens, firms and hydrates the eye area. Benefits include increasing elasticity and smoothing the appearance of lines, which I’m hoping will blast the half moons under my eyes.
With this facial, even your lips get loving treatment. As a final step Tess slicks on Murad’s Energizing Pomegranate Lip Protector SPF 15, which instantly smoothes my lips to a glossy finish free of lines and creases. I felt like I didn’t even need lipstick to top it off.
After seeing the immediate results I was loathe to cover my new glow with any powder or foundation. To continue the regimen at home I would definitely buy full-sized bottles of the Essential-C Cleanser and Active Radiance Serum, both of which I fell in love with after “C”-ing the difference.
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The Vitamin C Facial is available at the Murad Medi-Spa on the fifth floor of Rustan’s Makati. Murad Active Radiance Serum is available at Rustan’s.
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