SKII Hydrating Facial

A friend gave me one of her Jusco birthday vouchers, which was for an SKII Hydrating Facial (yes, only recently I found out that SKII has facial booths!) at only RM58 (retail price RM108).

My initial thought when I heard of SKII facials was : "Wah, quite cheap hor, the Dermalogica facials cost more than RM200!" And, whether it's due to excellent marketing or due to really good products, it seems SKII is a superior brand (the price of the products are well-known to be out-of-reach). It doesn't justify a facial at such a budget price.

So when I got that facial voucher, I jumped at the chance :
- To test out the range of SKII products
- To see whether the products can really produce miracles
- And because I could not believe the bargain I was getting (I needed to find out why it's retailing at RM108 and what the facial lacked from other facials)

Actually, an appointment was super difficult to secure. Apparently, they were fully booked for the entire month, even on weekdays. And the waiting list was "very long". But, I got lucky.

So I dutifully turned up at the appointed time at the Jusco BU SKII counter. Got escorted into their "store room". [Ah, factor number 1]. They had nice mirrored cabinets in the typical SKII maroon colours, so it wasn't exactly a dirty cramped spot. But it was obvious that facials is not what SKII emphasizes.

First, the lady put some Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil for me. I had to prompt her to tell me what she was putting on my face. [Factor number 2]. Then she went on to put a "refiner" (Skin Refining Treatment, I think), supposedly to ease the removal of blackheads later, and left me under steam.

The steamer timer pinged, and she started extraction. Ooh, was it painful. [Factor number 3]. I don't know whether it was because she used an ultra-sharp needle (brand new one maybe) or she didn't yet acquire the skills to extract gently or if it was due to some particular timing in my cycle, but my Dermalogica facials are definitely not this painful. Thankfully, the extraction did not take long - for this price, I didn't expect too much thoroughness.

Then she got started on my favourite part of facials - the facial massage. By this time I had already given up that she'd walk me through the products. She proceeded to rub some facial product and massage me (possibly Facial Treatment Massage Cream]. I think I drifted off. And woke up when she was settling the cold Facial Treatment Mask on me. And then I drifted off again :P

A little later, she pulled the mask off, left it on my neck, and then put moisturizer on me. She took off the mask from my neck, and said ok, we're done. I thanked her and changed. Went out to the counter, she wrote me a payment voucher, I paid at the cashier, returned the voucher to her, and that's the end of my SKII experience. [Factor number 4]. The whole process took 1 hour 15 mins.

My face was not red nor blotchy and her extraction worked, face looked clean. Soft and actually glowing from that superb mask. But the mask has a con - the papery remnants of the mask that stick to the fringes of your face and neck, even after you've finished the facial. But that's a small thing la.

Some areas of improvement:

• She did not bother to inspect my face prior to the facial to see what products would suit my face. I guess SKII only has one range of products - they don't categorize according to oily, combination, dry, etc. skin.
• The facial therapist is basically the sales girl at the counter. I'm a little doubtful on her practical knowledge of facials (hence the apprehension during the painful extraction). However, I must add that from her hand movements, she seemed experienced (her light massage put me to sleep!)
• I did not relish doing a facial amidst boxes - even if those boxes are filled with Miracle Water. The lighting in the store room was also not excellent, which is probably why I was allowed to leave the room with remnants of mask on my chin :P
• Special attention should be given to first-time customers of SKII. I specifically told her I am new to SKII and why I was trying the facial. But still it did not prompt her to be more talkative and to tell me about each product. Like hello, sell the brand can or not?
• There must be less painful methods of extraction. I know that for a fact. The SKII therapists should be trained in those methods.
• It was a very basic facial - don't think there was exfoliation. Besides extraction and the massage, you can basically do everything else at home - so I guess that explains the price. Judging from the trolley of products next to the facial bed, it looks like SKII doesn't do complicated facials.

To sum it up, the facial was actually quite good, most especially for RM58. I came out glowing and I could see my skin was really hydrated and supple. And their moisturizer is excellent, not sticky! Maybe when I'm financial independent, I can get a bottle for myself. So I'd say to everyone, go and get your SKII facials as it's really worth what you pay!