Pore favors

One heartbreaking myth is that certain treatments or products have the ability to reduce the size of our pores. Sadly, the pores we are born with will always stay the same size — making them less visible is a matter of keeping them debris-free. Dilated pores, a condition I myself have suffered from since hitting puberty (rashes, bumps, pimples, you name it), can appear at any age as a result of different causes. Sometimes it’s because of hyperseborrhea, the excessive production of oils on the skin, or parakeratosis, which is linked to skin aging. Keratinocytes — nucleated cells that have abnormally kept their nucleus after differentiation — accumulate around the pores and cause their walls to become rigid, resulting in stretching and roughness. Both sound scary, but are no more than nuisances. They make it impossible to perfect putting on makeup, but at the same time it makes me think I need more.

It’s always been a tug-of-war for me between concealing and allowing skin to “breathe” (which apparently is also a myth, because pores do not have lungs, says Refinery29). Still, despite discouraging revelations about the implausibility of pore-size reduction, I remain steadfast in my quest for finding the perfect product. The latest ones seem promising.

French skincare brand Sisley’s Global Perfect Pore Minimizer is a face-saver. “Global” seems to be an “it” word in skincare these days and it seems to be present in products that address skin issues with a 360-degree approach, that is, upward and outward, and within the cells. Sisley’s Global Perfect Pore Minimizer targets sebum and treats dilated pores linked to hyperseborrhea by inhibiting the enzyme involved in sebum production with Java tea leaf extract, a new star in Sisley’s lineup of active ingredients. It purifies pores and when pores are purified, they become less visible and the skin’s surface is more even. Its second function is targeting deformed pores caused by aging. From the age of 40, skin starts to slacken, which makes pores appear hollow and deformed. The green lentil extract in the Global Perfect Pore Minimizer re-establishes the normal process of cell differentiation to prevent nucleated cells and improve cell turnover. When it is applied, the surface of the skin is immediately hydrated and tightened, all with Sisley’s trademark cushy and refreshing texture. On the inside, it melts into the skin and forms a smoothing mattifying film while tightening and purifying pores.

Bottled-up youth

They say prevention is better than cure — which is why the beauty magazines of my youth strongly urged me to start applying eye cream even before I needed it, or take anti-aging seriously at the tender, innocent age of 17. They opened my eyes to all the horrors that my face may encounter in the future, but I was in denial that I was going to age until I started noticing that it’s already begun, which was sometime last month. Quickly I gathered every bottle of anti-aging miracle serum I could find and tried every last one.

Sisley Youth is the only product that reassures us that it’s not too late. Meant for women in the age of excess (25 to 35-year-olds), it claims to maximize the skin’s youthful potential by protecting the stem cells of the epidermis. Adult stem cells are encased in protective bubbles that enable them to function optimaly. Sisley makes use of pea extract, which reinforces this protective space. On the surface, Sisley Youth uses soya peptide extract to stimulate the synthesis of collagen fibers to combat sagging, and adenosine, a popular weapon agains crow’s feet, along with vitamin E to energize skin. During the age of excess, stress, fatigue and dietary imbalance makes skin vulnerable to free radicals. Sisley Youth compensates for our lack of self-control and misplaced priorities while stimulating the senses — so we feel as alive and refreshed on the inside as skin feels on the outside.

Bright eyed

Pinterest keeps me up at night and it’s becoming a problem. I get home, tired and ready to sleep, but the minute I hit the sheets my instinct is to pick up my phone and start scrolling and pinning. I find myself planning DIY projects, making to-buy lists, and mentally creating the following day’s OOTD at three in the morning. And then I wonder how the bags under my eyes could have gone from Tiny PS11’s to giant Birkins. Concealer is my best friend. The triangle method of application works best for me because it gives me even color and brightens the entire face, instead of just hiding my Birkins.

Sisley Phyto Cernes Éclat is an eye concealer with botanical extracts. It fights circulatory and lymphatic deficiencies, which cause darkening and puffiness, with caffeine and soya peptide extract. It also pampers the eye contour, a very sensitive area that we almost always end up tugging and pulling at while applying makeup, with carrot extract and natural alpha bisabolol. It doesn’t use essential oils that tend to irritate sensitive eyes, is fragrance-free, and comfortable to use. The fun part is the packaging — the tube is a metal application that is meant to be pressed gently onto skin to soothe and decongest the area. It also comes with an applicator brush for easier application and blending. Store in the fridge for best results.

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Sisley is available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.