Review (5/5): Great product! Detailed review and pics.
This product basically asks you to take a three-day vacation from your normal skin-care routine and only use the contents of a total of nine pretty small (0.05 ounce each) foil packets. You follow the three step process each night for three nights then only use a wet cloth to "wash" your face in the morning.
Because this product makes great promises in a VERY short period of time, (and for $20 for a small amount of product, let's be honest!) and because I read reviews before I make purchases, and because I was able to purchase this product at a discount in exchange for evaluation and my HONEST review, I have swallowed my pride (uhm, ego??!!??) and am not only going to share the process for this product but also, several of my "naked face" photos - before, during and after. This way you, my fellow Amazon buyer, may not only read my opinion BUT also decide for yourself how much difference this product made in at least this instance for me.
BASICS- I am a woman, former Marine and (ugh!) a smoker. I will be turning 50 in June 2016 and although I have (so far) not found any actual wrinkles, other than a couple of minor horizontal lines on my forehead (thanks Dad & grandma for the genetics!), I DID have fairly prominent acne from about 13 until after 30 (& even a couple now!) leaving scars mostly on my cheeks and chin. I also was a serious sun worshipper, getting as brown as I possibly could, including tanning beds, outdoor activities, the Marine Corps and beach/pool lounging (anyone my age group remember baby oil and iodine? The worst thing you can do for your skin?? Yep! That was me!). It honestly is a miracle I don't look like a raisin. I do have discoloration & brown patches all over my face. I stopped actively tanning just after my 40th birthday and now always wear sunscreen at least in my facial moisturizer. I do have a pretty good routine now because I want to try to preserve what I have and fight Mother Nature and gravity as much as possible, but my face needs some work.
ALL PHOTOS WERE TAKEN AT APPROX THE SAME TIME, IN THE SAME PLACE WITH CAMERA AT APPROX THE SAME DISTANCE FROM MY FACE (too close!!) AND IN THE SAME LIGHTING. NO FILTERS OR PHOTOSHOP USED.
BEFORE PICTURE- The "before" photo,
(hopefully these will show up in the proper order but in it I am wearing a grey t-shirt with black "squares" and a pony tail) shows the brown spots, scarring and general lack of "glow". This was the night I began the process.
THE PROCESS- Three steps/Three days
STEP ONE "Gentle Prep Cleanser"- The cleanser is a pearly white color (see photograph) The directions say it removes makeup, but as you can tell from my "before" pic, I did remove my makeup with a makeup remover cloth. I did this for two reason: 1- Because I didn't trust that the small amount of cleanser would actually remove makeup and clean enough and 2- Because I wanted naked skin to evaluate the cleanser itself. I need not have worried. The cleanser cleans the skin and prepares it for the "peel" product at step two. The cleanser was very pleasant "clean" smelling and although it foamed very little (see photo of this step) it amazingly did a great job of further cleansing the skin and removing every trace of makeup (I know this because I used a white wash cloth to rinse my face - no I didn't photograph the dirty cloth!). My skin felt quite clean, but not "squeaky/stripped", which is good, IMO.
STEP TWO- "Non-Irritating Pro Peel". This is a clear gel (see pic) which had a slight astringent smell to it. This is applied to the now clean and towel dries skin using fingertips. The directions say to keep it on for 5 minutes, or 2-3 for sensitive skin rinse them pat dry. I felt no tingling or burning at all, just the alcohol smell which is no big deal. This product does not dry like a mask and it doesn't turn white like some chemical peels are supposed to do. In fact, on the second night, I got distracted and left this on for over 10 minutes and still had no discomfort at all. When rinsing, be careful to avoid the eyes. After this step, my skin did feel kind of tight but not in an uncomfortable way at all!
STEP THREE- "Radiance Renewing Deep Moisturizer"- OH MY GOODNESS!!! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this moisturizer!!! I am going to try finding this alone for use as a night cream. As you can see from the photos of the "dots" of moisturizer on my face, there was not a lot of the cream in the packet & I thought it would not be enough (I ALWAYS treat my neck all around and my chest area with the same process as my face!) but - again - I was wrong to be worried. This moisturizer feels so very good! I honestly wanted to use it all over. When I find the moisturizer alone, I will edit this review and add the name of the product! This cream was the perfect way to end the process.
All three steps took less than 15 minutes per night.
The "after" photo was taken this morning because I wanted to allow the third night's process to fully work, so the lighting is a bit different. If anything, the daylight is harsher than the night photos and I took this picture even closer so I could really see.
RESULTS- It is usually difficult to be objective about your own appearance. At least it is for me. I look at this face each day and see all my faults. However, I honestly can say that I have noticed smaller pore appearance and brighter, smoother skin. Putting on my makeup this morning was so much easier and to my great surprise, the makeup actually lasted well the entire day without the blotchy, tired appearance I usually find by the end of the day (the photo of me with makeup shows that my hair has definitely fallen and my eyes look tired but the foundation held up pretty well!). I did do an informal survey of a few friends, texting only the before and after photos for their candid opinions. The feedback was quite good! I am an "average looking" woman, and this product did not make me suddenly a Cover Girl, but in my honest opinion, this product is a clear winner! At the $19.99 price point, I am definitely going to be repeating this "Three-Day Vacation" again... Perhaps up to four times a year!
I do enjoy testing products and sharing my experience, and hope the information I share helps other Amazon customers decide if a product is right for them, so if you find my review at all helpful (either good or bad for the product) please let me know by selecting "yes" in response to the question "was this review helpful?" At the bottom of this review. Also, please feel free to ask me any additional questions you may have. I am happy to help as much as I can!