Bloom & glow
July 18, 2004 | 12:00am
Ma’am, your skin doesn’t have that glow," tactfully says Essenses beauty therapist Jenny Bagsic in response to my question about my skin. Honest, no-nonsense answer to my question. I liked that. And she knows what she’s talking about, as I chatted with her while having a Murad Clarifying Enzyme facial treatment, which I first thought I wouldn’t enjoy.
See, I’m not fond of facials. Especially the sloppy, highly invasive kind that you get in salons where an overeager staff mercilessly drills holes into your nose to get out those blasted blackheads and whiteheads. Never mind that your eyes have turned bloody red from the pain, or that tears have begun to flow copiously, or that your nose has started to run. Indeed, the flawless path could be such a torture.
But not at Essenses at Glorietta 4. And particularly not with the Murad facial treatments. From experience, you get immediate results when trying out Murad Inc. founder and CEO Dr. Howard Murad’s products, minus the pain. Radiant is the word. You really do get a certain glow that lights up your face after having, say, a Murad Skin Repair System. Being the perfect specimen for such kinds of treatment, I tried out its Skin Repair System a few years ago when Murad products were just being introduced in the country. Insomnia, poor diet, stress, pollution all led to my having occasional breakouts, blemishes, uneven skin tone and attacks of the killer blackheads and whiteheads. And Murad came to the rescue; I went out of the treatment room with glowing, rejuvenated skin. But years of neglect caught up with my skin which prompted me to seek out Murad’s magic once again. So off I went for that much-needed clarifying enzyme treatment.
Murad Spa’s Clarifying Enzyme Professional Treatment is specifically meant to reduce skin damage, like redness, hyper pigmentation and fine lines. It also helps treat blackheads, clogged pores and acne breakouts. The great thing about it is that it does its job the natural way. No pricking, no drilling, no pain yet it gives you all the gains you could ever imagine.
If you’ve been following a natural beauty regimen then you very well know the good that fruits can do for your skin. And we’re not even talking about eating those juicy treats here. We’re referring to the peeling, crushing and application of these fruits directly on our skin. Kinda messy and labor intensive but well worth it. Well, naturalists have a good reason to cheer, for Murad’s enzyme treatment offers the same benefits, minus the hard work. The treatment uses natural papaya and pineapple enzymes, along with anti-oxidants, antiseptics and anti-inflammatory ingredients, which not only cool irritated skin, but also help in dissolving dirt and minute debris trapped within the skin (read: blackheads). These ingredients help exfoliate the skin resulting in a smoother, softer texture. Though skin naturally sheds off dead surface cells every 28 to 35 days, the process slows down as people age, says Dr. Murad, a board certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA.
The key is having a regular skincare regimen (which unfortunately I haven’t been doing lately). When dead cells don’t get dislodged, they end up clogging pores and dulling the skin. Guilty, guilty, guilty. I knew I badly needed that treatment for my skin’s sake. From the highly refreshing, minty cool Murad clarifying cleanser and toner to the 10-minute enzyme treatment and the sulfur-infused clarifying mask, to the soothing cellular serum, age eye cream, oil free skin perfecting lotion and sunblock SPF 15, I knew I was in good hands.
People suffering from acne breakouts will be glad to know that this clarifying treatment reduces excess skin cells, excess oil and bacteria, as well as redness and inflammation. With Murad acne products, you can say goodbye to products using drying agents such as benzoyl peroxide, which is known to inflame, and irritate the skin. For Dr. Murad, it’s important to address the cause of acne, and that is getting rid of bacteria, exfoliating dead surface cells, moisturizing and protecting the skin. "Leaving it alone or drying it up will not make the acne go away," he says.
Apart from the Clarifying Enzyme Professional Treatment, Dr. Murad says it’s important to follow the Murad Acne Regimen, which one can easily do at home.
This home regimen starts off with a clarifying cleanser, which has salicylic acid that deeply cleans pores, and triclosan which is found out to sweep away 99.9 percent of surface bacteria in one minute. Black cohosh and green tea extracts – considered anti-inflammatory agents – soothe and hydrate dry skin. Next is the clarifying toner with witch hazel to tighten pores, menthol that refreshes, as well as calendula, cucumber and grape seed extracts that soothe and hydrate. The exfoliating blemish treatment gel has alpha and beta hydroxy acids, retinol, zinc, amica and hydrogen peroxide. Don’t let these ingredients scare you. Simply put, these ingredients are responsible for exfoliating your skin, controlling oil, reducing bacteria, soothing skin redness and preventing new breakouts. According to Dr. Murad, this gel is "clinically proven to reduce blemishes by 40 percent in four weeks."
Murad’s skin perfecting lotion oil-free moisturizer boosts healthy cell growth with retinol. Amica, willow herb, grape seed and green tea extracts soothe and protect inflamed skin. Don’t let the sulfur odor turn you off when using the blemish control formula for it does a great job in reducing the severity of breakouts, with the able help of salicylic acid, which helps clarifies pores. Grape seed, zinc and licorice extract also soothe any skin irritation and lessens those unsightly red blotches. Next comes the clarifying mask which has kaolin and bentonite clays to reduce the "shine", among other ingredients that soothe and keep the skin cool and clean. The purifying face scrub, meanwhile, acts as a scrub and deep cleansing mask that boasts natural corn meal and jojoba beads to exfoliate and restore softness.
As if these weren’t enough, Dr. Murad has also anticipated the needs of his "older" clients so he came up with the Murad Anti-Aging Acne Treatment. Targeting 25 to 45-year-old women, this treatment features palmitoyl peptide-3, a new wrinkle-fighting agent, squalane which keeps moisture on the skin, as well as hydrogen peroxide, triclosan, salicylic and azelaic acids.
Now, if your acne has invaded your shoulders and back (blame it on oil, sweat and dead skin cells) and is preventing you to wear those tube tops and bikinis, Murad has come up with a clarifying body spray. A quick-drying formula, the body spray has salicylic acid (deep cleans pores to reduce breakouts), retinol (opens up clogged pores), triclosan (an anti-bacterial agent), and allantoin (conditions, soothes and hydrates skin). It’s so easy to use, just point and spray. The gentle mist formed will take care of the rest.
As for Jenny, the beauty therapist who was only too willing to give me a crash course on basic skincare, she was able to allay my fear of facials by gently coaxing out the blackheads from my face (no cold, glinting metal instruments here thankfully), giving me a shoulder and back massage with a Murad firming lotion, and urging me to go back to a regular skincare regimen. With soothing music playing in the background, eyes covered in a cool cotton patch, facial and shoulder muscles relaxed with all those pampering, I suddenly had a change of heart. Facials are really not bad, provided you choose well. When I looked in the mirror after the one-hour session, I liked what I saw. Was it my imagination, or did I just see my face glow?
See, I’m not fond of facials. Especially the sloppy, highly invasive kind that you get in salons where an overeager staff mercilessly drills holes into your nose to get out those blasted blackheads and whiteheads. Never mind that your eyes have turned bloody red from the pain, or that tears have begun to flow copiously, or that your nose has started to run. Indeed, the flawless path could be such a torture.
But not at Essenses at Glorietta 4. And particularly not with the Murad facial treatments. From experience, you get immediate results when trying out Murad Inc. founder and CEO Dr. Howard Murad’s products, minus the pain. Radiant is the word. You really do get a certain glow that lights up your face after having, say, a Murad Skin Repair System. Being the perfect specimen for such kinds of treatment, I tried out its Skin Repair System a few years ago when Murad products were just being introduced in the country. Insomnia, poor diet, stress, pollution all led to my having occasional breakouts, blemishes, uneven skin tone and attacks of the killer blackheads and whiteheads. And Murad came to the rescue; I went out of the treatment room with glowing, rejuvenated skin. But years of neglect caught up with my skin which prompted me to seek out Murad’s magic once again. So off I went for that much-needed clarifying enzyme treatment.
Murad Spa’s Clarifying Enzyme Professional Treatment is specifically meant to reduce skin damage, like redness, hyper pigmentation and fine lines. It also helps treat blackheads, clogged pores and acne breakouts. The great thing about it is that it does its job the natural way. No pricking, no drilling, no pain yet it gives you all the gains you could ever imagine.
If you’ve been following a natural beauty regimen then you very well know the good that fruits can do for your skin. And we’re not even talking about eating those juicy treats here. We’re referring to the peeling, crushing and application of these fruits directly on our skin. Kinda messy and labor intensive but well worth it. Well, naturalists have a good reason to cheer, for Murad’s enzyme treatment offers the same benefits, minus the hard work. The treatment uses natural papaya and pineapple enzymes, along with anti-oxidants, antiseptics and anti-inflammatory ingredients, which not only cool irritated skin, but also help in dissolving dirt and minute debris trapped within the skin (read: blackheads). These ingredients help exfoliate the skin resulting in a smoother, softer texture. Though skin naturally sheds off dead surface cells every 28 to 35 days, the process slows down as people age, says Dr. Murad, a board certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA.
The key is having a regular skincare regimen (which unfortunately I haven’t been doing lately). When dead cells don’t get dislodged, they end up clogging pores and dulling the skin. Guilty, guilty, guilty. I knew I badly needed that treatment for my skin’s sake. From the highly refreshing, minty cool Murad clarifying cleanser and toner to the 10-minute enzyme treatment and the sulfur-infused clarifying mask, to the soothing cellular serum, age eye cream, oil free skin perfecting lotion and sunblock SPF 15, I knew I was in good hands.
People suffering from acne breakouts will be glad to know that this clarifying treatment reduces excess skin cells, excess oil and bacteria, as well as redness and inflammation. With Murad acne products, you can say goodbye to products using drying agents such as benzoyl peroxide, which is known to inflame, and irritate the skin. For Dr. Murad, it’s important to address the cause of acne, and that is getting rid of bacteria, exfoliating dead surface cells, moisturizing and protecting the skin. "Leaving it alone or drying it up will not make the acne go away," he says.
Apart from the Clarifying Enzyme Professional Treatment, Dr. Murad says it’s important to follow the Murad Acne Regimen, which one can easily do at home.
This home regimen starts off with a clarifying cleanser, which has salicylic acid that deeply cleans pores, and triclosan which is found out to sweep away 99.9 percent of surface bacteria in one minute. Black cohosh and green tea extracts – considered anti-inflammatory agents – soothe and hydrate dry skin. Next is the clarifying toner with witch hazel to tighten pores, menthol that refreshes, as well as calendula, cucumber and grape seed extracts that soothe and hydrate. The exfoliating blemish treatment gel has alpha and beta hydroxy acids, retinol, zinc, amica and hydrogen peroxide. Don’t let these ingredients scare you. Simply put, these ingredients are responsible for exfoliating your skin, controlling oil, reducing bacteria, soothing skin redness and preventing new breakouts. According to Dr. Murad, this gel is "clinically proven to reduce blemishes by 40 percent in four weeks."
Murad’s skin perfecting lotion oil-free moisturizer boosts healthy cell growth with retinol. Amica, willow herb, grape seed and green tea extracts soothe and protect inflamed skin. Don’t let the sulfur odor turn you off when using the blemish control formula for it does a great job in reducing the severity of breakouts, with the able help of salicylic acid, which helps clarifies pores. Grape seed, zinc and licorice extract also soothe any skin irritation and lessens those unsightly red blotches. Next comes the clarifying mask which has kaolin and bentonite clays to reduce the "shine", among other ingredients that soothe and keep the skin cool and clean. The purifying face scrub, meanwhile, acts as a scrub and deep cleansing mask that boasts natural corn meal and jojoba beads to exfoliate and restore softness.
As if these weren’t enough, Dr. Murad has also anticipated the needs of his "older" clients so he came up with the Murad Anti-Aging Acne Treatment. Targeting 25 to 45-year-old women, this treatment features palmitoyl peptide-3, a new wrinkle-fighting agent, squalane which keeps moisture on the skin, as well as hydrogen peroxide, triclosan, salicylic and azelaic acids.
Now, if your acne has invaded your shoulders and back (blame it on oil, sweat and dead skin cells) and is preventing you to wear those tube tops and bikinis, Murad has come up with a clarifying body spray. A quick-drying formula, the body spray has salicylic acid (deep cleans pores to reduce breakouts), retinol (opens up clogged pores), triclosan (an anti-bacterial agent), and allantoin (conditions, soothes and hydrates skin). It’s so easy to use, just point and spray. The gentle mist formed will take care of the rest.
As for Jenny, the beauty therapist who was only too willing to give me a crash course on basic skincare, she was able to allay my fear of facials by gently coaxing out the blackheads from my face (no cold, glinting metal instruments here thankfully), giving me a shoulder and back massage with a Murad firming lotion, and urging me to go back to a regular skincare regimen. With soothing music playing in the background, eyes covered in a cool cotton patch, facial and shoulder muscles relaxed with all those pampering, I suddenly had a change of heart. Facials are really not bad, provided you choose well. When I looked in the mirror after the one-hour session, I liked what I saw. Was it my imagination, or did I just see my face glow?
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