Review of SK-II facial clear lotion and SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

I used to be one of those girls that hate to use toner. I just don't see the point of doing it (more like laziness I think..haha). In addition, I haven't found the right toner for me. Most toner either dries my skin out (from too much alcohol) or add another sticky film on top of my face. If I want an extra moisture, I just use heavier moisturizer or serum. My last toner was Estee Lauder Pore Optimizer. I don't like this toner because it feels sticky on my face and my makes my skin oily. So, I only used it like 2-3X/week.Gave it to my mum and she loves it. Just not for me I think.

I had minor breakout from Avon Rejuvenate last few weeks, so I'm desperate to find something that can help with the breakout. So, I decided to try SK-II. I bought 150ml Facial clear lotion and 75ml Facial treatment essence. The essence come in a Pitera set that consists of 75ml Facial Treatment Essence and free 40ml Facial clear lotion, one piece of facial treatment mask and a box of cloth pad.I've used this after cleansing my face. At first I used Dermalogica Pre-cleanse and Special Cleansing gel and then applied the clear lotion and essence. To my suprise, there was still few traces of makeup. I thought by using only precleanse and cleanser were just enough. So, I've been very disciplined since then to include toners in my routine. Not only one but two toners.

Facial treatment essence is the SK-II's signature product and the best product from this line. Its damn expensive but so worth it.It has more than 90% Pitera that is isolated from sake/yeast (Saccharomycopis Ferment Filtrate) fermentation process. So, what is Pitera? Pitera is a naturally- occuring liquid that consists of vitamins, minerals and amino acids to help stimulate the skin's natural renewal cycle. As I mentioned in my previous post, P&G is so obsessed with the lucky number 7. So, Pitera also has number 7 assigned to it.

7 benefits of Pitera includes:

• Helps moderate the natural functions of skin
• Replenish skin moisture
• Smoothens skin surface
• Help make skin crystal clear
• Helps skin achive a good balance of sebum
• Helps sooth sunburned skin
• Helps balance the skin's pH level

So, the Facial treatment essence is more than just a toner. And by using Facial Treatment Clear solution, more Pitera is absorbed on the skin. The clear lotion contains AHAs that gently removes dirt and dead skin cell to condition the skin for maximum absorption of tbhe essence and moisturizer.The clear lotion is not exactly a lotion. It has a consistency just like water and the color is obviously clear. The essence has a bit of yellowish color and has stronger scent. For those with dry skin , I think the whitening source clear lotion is a good option because it has a bit more moisture added to it. After using the lotion and essence for almost 2 months, it helps with my breakout and give a healthy radiance on my skin and sort of 'normalize' my skin making it less oily.

The clear lotion has also Pitera in it but less than the one in the essence. It has hyaluronic acid (act as moisture-binder and plump the skin) and AHAs such as Citric acid, Malic acid, Lactic acid and Salicylic acid. The essence on the other hand has Pitera (9O%) and Sorbic acid in it. This two does sting a little bit upon application and even make your usual moisturizer to sting especially for those skin that are not used to AHAs. I also don't have any problem mixing my products with these toners.

I'm going to continue using these duo because I think these might be my HG. The clear lotion come in two size, 150ml (RM154) and 215ml. The essence also come in two size, 75ml (RM187) and 150ml (RM338)