So I decided my skincare routine needed more thirst-quenching products to bump up the hydration.
The only thing left that I didn't have was a serum. So after days of searching for an ideal candidate, I decided to stick with the brand and get the Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum.
As usual, I was excited to try this new addition after purchasing a huge bottle. But as I sat down to begin my ritual -lo and behold!- I found two samples of the serum from previous hauls. Even more exciting! So I tore into the sachets and quickly squeezed out the contents.
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| Slightly runny, has a weird smell like the Daily Exfoliating cream |
Common sense says that you should always read the instructions before putting anything on your face. Yet in the throes of my eagerness, I had forgotten this important step. Too late. I had squeezed out enough product to slather on my face thrice and to cover my neck as well.
And then my face burned like the fiery bowels of hell.
Ok it wasn't that bad, but it stung pretty badly. I had to wait a good 5 minutes before the feeling dissipated and I felt normal enough to apply the next product. At least I know there's really potent stuff in there.
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| Oops that dedinitely wasn't 1-2 pumps' worth |
But when I started massaging my Skin Balancing Oil in, gross balls of stuff started coming off my face! Think of a gommage or face peel - I was rubbing off gunky yellow bits and it didn't feel nice at all. I had to pat the rest of the oil and my moisturiser in, which I just wasn't used to.
After such an unpromising start, I was dreading the feeling that I would regret buying this very expensive product. But after 15 minutes of letting everything sink in (literally and figuratively), I discovered that my face felt heavenly and I couldn't stop touching it. It was so smooth, with the finishing effect not unlike that of a silicone cream, and the bumps on the left side of my face were less palpable. Wow! What is in that thing?
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| Ingredients |
My guess -and I'm really taking a stab here- is the magnesium silicate, which is really just talc. That's probably why it got gunky when I tried applying the oil after the serum. Lesson learnt. But what's the proper sequence to apply these products then?
I had never bothered to ask the salesgirls as they had always looked somewhat clueless. I had also tried to search online but to no avail. So I had simply decided to follow the Korean method of skincare, which is basically to apply products based on consistency, starting with the thinnest and finishing with the heaviest. While this method worked with the old routine, throwing the serum in obviously derailed the entire system.
So I trawled through the net one last time and chanced upon a blogger who had experienced the Jurlique facial and had shared the proper sequence as used by the beautician. Prepare for a moment of epiphany...
1. Cleanse
2. Massage with oil, remove excess
3. Toning mist
4. Eye cream
5. Serum
6. Moisturiser
What?! My step 4 was actually supposed to be step 2? Dammit. But even with the 1-yr plus of wrong application, I still get compliments on my skin. Which really attests to the quality of Jurlique's products.
So I started the next day anew, following the proper sequence and using the serum sparingly. Great results, no more clumping goo.
Verdict: Rave (ish)
I haven't used this long enough to say anything definitive about the long term effects, but I do like the short term results. The drawback, though, is the cost, even though per volume it is cheaper than the one I used previously. The biggest bottle, which is 100ml, burned a 3-figure sum through my pocket. You could get the 30ml bottle for around $130 but the bigger bottle is only double that price. I suspect that once my skin goes back to normal, if it ever does, this pricey addition may make an exit from my routine.
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