SK-II Review - Facial Treatment Essence

Now I know this add is airbrushed to infinity and beyond... but Cate Blanchett has gorgeous skin! Refinery 29 wrote about it here.  Cate is the spokesperson for the Japanese skincare line SK-II, and apparently has been using it for more than 10 years.  She is definitely doing something right!

from SK-II's website:

"SK-II's signature product, the much-loved and most awarded bestseller, Facial Treatment Essence has over 90% Pitera™, the miracle ingredient discovered over 30 years ago that remains essentially unchanged till today.

Its irreplaceable formula gently exfoliates the face and helps moderate the skin surface renewal cycle.

• SK-II Facial Treatment Essence helps to improve the appearance of 5 dimensions of beautiful, crystal clear skin: spots are less visible, appearance of wrinkles is reduced, skin texture is more refined, firmness is improved, and radiance is beautifully elevated.
• Skin becomes breathtakingly crystal clear.

Texture:

This pure and lightweight miracle water is quickly absorbed into the skin."

So I decided that it SK-II works for Cate, it just might work for me.  I found a three piece set at Sephora that included toner, the facial essence, and a mask.  For some reason, it looks as if SK-II products are no longer available in Canada through Sephora?  Weird!

First I decided to try the mask.  I noticed immediate improvement in my skin.  It was softer, and somehow the quality of my skin felt and looked more refined (smaller, less visible pores).  I would definitely consider the mask for a special occasion.

Next the toner and the Facial Treatment Essence.  The toner is 'meh.'  It really didn't feel any different than the micellar water that I use.  Certainly not a game changer.

But the Essence...  The Holy Grail Product that so many beauty addicts refer to?  I have been using the Facial Treatment Essence for 2 weeks now, and my skin has never looked or felt better.

I am 43 (aging skin with oiliness in the t-zone).  My skin feels much more balanced with SK-II... no more mid-day oil slick.  My skin tone is much more even, and feels moisturized but not greasy.  My pores appear smaller, and I haven't had the patchy dryness that I sometimes get between my eyebrows.

It would be an ideal product, aside from a few issues:

1) Unfortunately there is no way I can continue to feed my children and use SK-II.  It's incredibly expensive and once I have run out of this product, I will have a tough decision to make.... buy more... or sell a dependant?

2) I spent 2 days at the cottage without the Facial Treatment Essence and in that short time of stopping use, I had tons of tiny whitehead appearing around my nose and chin.  Two days later with regular use and that problem has completely resolved.  I am afraid of what will happen if I stop using this stuff!

Sadly, (because I cannot afford SK-II!) I really love this product.  I don't really know why it works so well.  Paula Begoun, my guru of beauty product reviews tells me there is no science backing this product... and essentially it is quackery, but my results have been really great.  Please Maude, let me win the lottery so I can continue using SK-II!  I would absolutely love to try more products from this line but not in my current income bracket!