Skincare

SK-II Skincare Pop-Up Studio!

May 2, 2014

It wasn’t until recently that I’d heard of the Japanese skincare line SK-II, via Cate Blanchett. How could you resist skincare endorsed by Cate Blanchett’s creamy visage? Girl’s gotta be doing something right. SK-II opened a pop-up studio in San Francisco where you can stop by and receive a complimentary digital skin analysis and try out their Facial Treatment Mask. I took one for the team (women everywhere) and stopped by to check it out after work Tuesday night.

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I was greeted at the door by a friendly SK-II skincare professional who offered me a beverage and took me to a have a seat at one of their stations. She asked what I like about my skin and what I’d like to improve. I told her that overall I’m pretty happy with my skin but would like to work on texture refinement and dryness. She recommended a few different products like the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, which is a moisturizing facial treatment that you apply like a toner. The main ingredient in their products is Pitera. Derived from a strictly controlled natural fermentation process, Pitera is a clear liquid rich in vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and organic acids. This combination of nutrients work to dramatically improve the skin’s natural surface rejuvenation process.

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The coolest part of the whole experience was the digital skin consultation. She snapped an image of the left side of my face with her fancy camera. The left side statistically gets more sun/weather exposure (driving habits, etc.) than the right side, so there’s usually more damage. She pulled up my photo on her tablet and the computer analyzed my skin. Surprisingly, even though I’m only 23, the computer concluded that I had a “skin age” of 29! This was determined by a combination of factors such as skin hydration, sun damage, firmness, and prevalence of wrinkles. I was able to see both the visible and invisible sun damage on my skin, my visible and invisible pores, and micro-fissures where wrinkles were starting to form (scary!). The whole process was definitely enlightening and made me want to proactively care for my skin.

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Lastly, I got to try SK-II’s Facial Treatment Mask, which is 30 days worth of Pitera essence in one treatment. It felt cold and wet on my face, which was a refreshing reprieve from the California heat wave we’ve been having this week. The mask makes you look like The Mummy, but at least I wasn’t the only woman there with one on! She removed the mask after 10 minutes and my skin instantly felt more refreshed.

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I even snapped this CUTE selfie after leaving (don’t mind the smudged eye makeup – this photo is not retouched…) to see for myself. I definitely felt my skin looked healthier and more radiant. These masks are very pricey for us twenty-somethings, but they’d be great to use before special occasions. The Japanese like to use these Facial Treatment Masks as a bridal skincare ritual 90 days prior to the wedding day.

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Singing Satellites necklace by MJXL Jewelry.

 

I also walked away with a goodie bag of free SK-II samples and a voucher for a free deluxe sample of their products at Sephora. Everything that they did was completely complimentary and free of charge.

If you’re in the San Francisco area, you should definitely check it out! The pop-up studio runs until May 23rd, 2014. For more information, check out their website.

XO, J