Review: Sheer Indulgence Facial at Living Nature

So Chiharu and I spent a rather substantial amount of money at Living Nature (East Point Mall), and as a result, I got to try out a complimentary Sheer Indulgence Facial as part of their Privileged Customer Programme (because Chiharu is such a dear so she let me have the membership privilege lawl).

As a result, ugly facial pictures ahead. o A o I hope you guys had your meals already.

For those of you who haven't heard of Living Nature yet, it's a New Zealand based company that uses 100% natural ingredients in their products. Absolutely no alcohol, no synthetic chemicals and artificial preservatives! The Sheer Indulgence facial is their signature treatment, consisting mainly of a warm Manuka Honey mask massaged into your skin with Rose Quartz Crystal wands, as well as other natural products personalized for your skin type.

Before the facial commences, you will be given a short survey form to fill in (with questions about your skin concerns, beauty regime, etc) so as to better determine your skin type. It's actually my first time having a facial, so I was kind of nervous, but the staff were friendly and polite, and that alleviated the nervousness a bit (plus Chiharu was right beside me lol). #scaredycat

Changed into their robe and awkwardly lied on the bed, while Chiharu on the other hand...

*coughs* was munching away lol. (_-ω-)

Since I was wearing BB-cream, firstly Catherine removed it and then cleanse and tone my face.

Applying pressure to pressure points.

She was really gentle with my face, and took care to explain the process to us step-by-step. The music in the room was very soothing as well -- instrumental music overlayed with sounds of waves. I think if Chiharu wasn't there making me laugh every five seconds, I would have been lulled to a sound sleep already.

Unfortunately I had my eyes closed half the time, so I don't really know what this was supposed to be. But notice the sachet in the background. All the ingredients for the facial was selected after determining your skin type, and then prepared on the spot (which means it's fresh and hygienic). A lot of their products contain Manuka Honey, hence the yellowish tint (and though you can't tell from the photos) and sweet scent.

After cleansing & toning.

Then a thick layer of kaolin clay mask was applied on my face. I was laughing and moving around a lot but fortunately the mask didn't crack. It doesn't feel heavy like clay masks tend to be too.

The mask draws out all the blackheads and whiteheads which facilitates the extraction process later on.

Freaking huge whitehead/ blackhead honestly idk.

The extraction process was somewhat painful, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Catherine cut her nails short especially too. : 0

The Manuka Honey mask was then gently applied to my skin for its soothing and antibacterial properties. It's warm and smells really yummy - made me kind of hungry even though before the facial we just ate!

The mask was massaged in with the Rose Quartz Crystal wands, which was also heated up to moderate warmness. They were really smooth to touch and the procedure itself was quite tranquilizing.

And they look super pretty~!

Afterwards, another mask which smelled like some childhood candy which I don't know the name of (you know, the stack of chinese candy that comes in gold foil in a cylinder shape that tastes like plum or something?).

Conclusion: My skin was significantly brighter and fairer after the session (compare to neck to see the difference). Though it was reddish for a while because of the extraction process, the redness was alleviated in a few hours, and skin felt smoother and softer for days. The days after that when I religiously applied their Rescue Gel and Balancing Lotion, were the clearest I had been in a while (and then the monthly period came : c).

At $138 per session, the Sheer Indulgence Facial is a bit of an indulgence on the purse, but thankfully first-time customers get a whooping 50% off! I think at that discounted price it's really worth a try, since their products are really quite good. And it's a great way (albeit pricy) to unwind after a long week of work. They're open only till 7pm though, so the only time I can go there is on the weekends. I really wish they were nearer! (They're at Simei, so for those living in the East, good fer ya!)

Overall it was an extremely pleasant experience, and I would love to go again (if I had the means to).

Signing off,
Ringo

Review : Living Nature "Illuminating Radiance" Facial

I did post a little hint on FB that I was going to a facial and I have went for it already. I'm sure everyone'd love to know what it was like and how it felt. So as usual, I'm going to share just because sharing is caring!

On one fine day, TWOOS invited me to try their newest "Illuminating Radiance" Facial.

You can click on the picture to further enlarge it.

I've never been to a facial as I've mentioned my phobia before. Yes, I'm a coward with many phobias. But since this one's all organic, I decided that it couldn't do much harm to my face.

BEWARE, LONG POST AHEAD.

Arrival at Living Nature!

The entrance of the store

The counter, and yes that is my BC, Veronica. I proceeded to explore the place afterwards so as to take picture for all of you! Below, you can see the various rooms they have.

Relaxing bed no. 1

Relaxing bed no. 2

Pretty wallpaper no. 1

Pretty wallpaper no. 2

This one is one of my favorite pictures taken. It looks so mysterious yet calming.

This is "my" room and that red cloth is my facial robe!

Totally makeup-less and in my facial robe!

From here onwards, Veronica proceeded with the facial so I couldn't possibly take pictures anymore. Initially, my heart was pounding in my chest because I was kind of afraid. I was praying I wouldn't be sensitive towards any products used and that I wouldn't break out like mad afterwards. However as you can see too, the room is quite dim and relaxing so the ambiance really does helps in making me more calm.

Firstly, she cleansed my face thrice with these...

A gentle makeup remover first. I also provided the ingredients in any case would someone wish to read it. You can click to enlarge it further.

After removing my make up, she used this vitalising cleanser on my face. Because they do not add any chemical fragrance into their products, you might not like the smell. In my case I was alright with it except that the scent was slightly overpowering. A little sour but I believe that's because of the Manuka Honey.

The third and last cleanser was this Purifying one. I love love love this cleanser. I'm not sure why but it smells a little like chocolates with a tinge of a more woody scent. I quite like this scent because it makes me feel more at ease. This one foams really nicely and I loved the feeling of this product on my skin.

After cleansing she patted my face dry and proceeded with the facial I was there for. This point onwards, I am more confused and would not be able to explain as well because the products used are "secretly formulated" so if they revealed it to me... I WILL COPY THEM AND DO IT ON MY OWN. I'm joking. Don't take me too seriously.

She cleansed my face again and massaged thoroughly with what they call "Beauty Water". It's actually just water with pH 5.5. This is supposed to be our face's natural pH level so this beauty water is to return our face back to it's very most original pH of 5.5.

Afterwards, it was time for exfoliating. Now this exfoliating scrub thing is made with their secret formula made with mineral salt and their own products so I might be a little messy at explaining here. She also used a rose quartz crystal stick thing to massage and exfoliate my face. Sounds really pretty right? After exfoliating, there's the secret blend of essential oils and their own products! I'll be showing all of them below and I'm sure they were used somewhere along the way but I'm not sure which comes after what. 

This is the Mineral Salt.

This is their Deep Cleansing Mask. It comes in little sachets and I'm sure I heard the ripping of the sachet at some point of time during the facial but I forgot which part!

The secret blend of essential oils!

She massaged my neck, shoulders and the area above my chest with the essential oils too so you don't have to fear for those part of your body! None is neglected :D She also asked me constantly throughout the facial if I was feeling alright and I think that's really important because you wouldn't know if the person was feeling uncomfortable unless you asked.

After finishing the facial, she proceeded to use some skincare products on my face.

She toned my face with their special Hydrating Toning Gel that serves to balance the oil and water in the face. This felt really soothing and I don't think there's a scent to this as far as I can remember.

This is the Rescue Gel that she plopped on my inflamed / problem areas, pimples to be precise. I also had a sensitive spot that turns red whenever I try new stuff so this rescue gel went there too. This one smells quite strong and sour but fades away after application to a very soothing scent.

They were OOS for this product that day so I couldn't take a picture of the ingredients list. Like all the products with Manuka Honey, it smells a little sour but it's pleasant to me? This was the last product used to seal everything in, a Balancing Day Lotion.

These are all the Living Nature products used on my skin! And before I forget, here's a picture to teach you how to read the ingredients list.

Once again you can click on it to enlarge!

Now after all the talking, pictures are important to show the effectiveness of this facial!

Can you see the difference? This was taken in the same lighting. Can you see how much brighter my face is after the facial? Also my skintone is more even throughout and my nose isn't darker than my cheeks. If you see the before picture, my face is somewhat darker than my neck. It got a lot better in the after picture! Also note that this is my bare naked face. My face felt literally like a Tofu after the facial and I really loved my skin. This isn't all!

I was a little hesitant to put this up and show my bulbous nose but for the sake of my blog I will. Despite the difference in lighting, you can see that blackheads are reduced. Squint at the picture and you'll be able to see it! It's not a drastic change but it's still an improvement. I didn't cheat with any make up, what you see is my bare nose! Weirdly, although this facial was more about brightening skin, lightening pigmentation and lifting skin, many little bumps on my cheeks were gone! I'm not complaining, I'm really happy.

I went home a really happy girl. There was no hard selling of products which I loved but usually when I go for sponsored spa / facial, there'll be products for me to bring home so that I can review them. A little sad that I didn't get any! I would have LOVED to be able to try out more products from their range! ( > . < ) So I had to buy one for myself which is of course the rescue gel because everyone wants to be blemish free right?

Sorry for the really long post though! If you have the cash to spare, do try this treatment and pamper your skin! If I had more Ka-ching I'd definitely go for more sessions!!! *Palm face*

Ends with a happy girl that has nice skin!

Cheers,

Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : Everything I've said in this review is true to my words. Pictures are not photoshopped to make my skin look more flawless whatsoever except for the last picture where I removed my eyebags. I did however adjust the lightings because most of the product shots were taken in dim orange lighting. Only the watermarked pictures are my own. The rest were sent to me by TWOOS to aid in writing this post. I am in no way related to TWOOS nor do I speak for their brand.