From The Straits Times    |
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Use this, look like this. © Yoo Inyoung for Elizabeth Arden

Here’s the deal. Like the cough, cosmetics connoisseur I fancy myself to be, I rarely, if ever, rave over anything, plied as I am with product after prosaic product. (Come now, don’t be jealous.)

Which is why major props are in order to Elizabeth Arden for slipping the mask right off my face, if you will. The first time I tried the brand’s Ceramide Boosting 5-Minute Facial, I squealed like the giddily excitable adult child I secretly am. 

In the speedy spirit of the “express” two-step superheroine product, let’s just jump straight into the “whys” of its awesomeness:

1. It’s the only mask I know that’s supposed to be used on scummy skin. Get this, you’re expressly encouraged to slather this onto your cruddy complexion in the evening, day-old makeup, grime and all.

A beautifying mask you can apply straight after work? Beauty brains completely blown. As Angeline Lim-de Silva, Elizabeth Arden’s Regional Training Manager, puts it, this treatment is so potent, it more than doubles up as a heavy-duty cleanser.

2. Virtually instant gratification, guaranteed. It’ll be prudent at this point to explain exactly what you’re getting yourself into. The two-piece kit, helpfully labelled for fool-proof application, comes in two reassuringly solid ivory bottles; very posh and pretty nigh perfect for the marbled top of your vanity chest.

To use, simply dispense a pump-full of the Self-Foaming Mask – the gel is gorgeously velvety in texture, but that won’t matter much, as you’ll soon discover – and glide it all over your dry or damp uncleansed face, steering clear of the sensitive eye and lip areas.

(#BeautyTip: The “rule of thumb” when it comes to skincare instructions admonishing the use of the product on the eye is precisely that – about a thumb’s width above and under your lids. Now you know!)

Kick back your kitten heels, relax for just two minutes, rinse off, and follow up with a generous gloop of the Replenishing Serum. You should be done in under five minutes, and that’s a conservative estimate!

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3. It’s a bubbling wonder of skin know-how. As the name suggests, the Self-Foaming Mask works itself into a fine froth with no elbow grease on your part – incredibly cool and impossibly fun.

You’re probably thinking what I’m thinking: Mother of mascara, how on earth? The good folks at Elizabeth Arden say that the self-foaming suds are courtesy of a careful concoction of oxygen-activated surfactants.

This ain’t spectacle for spectacle’s sake, either: The frothing action is said to sop up excess oils and gunk while driving the good stuff, which include mild lactic acids, purifying peptides and a deeply exfoliating blend of botanical extracts, deep into your pores.

Neat tidbit: If you have flaky skin, you may notice a more lusty lathering effect, in part because the pockets of air trapped between papery layers of dead cells serve as fuel for the fizzling ingredients.

Now, there’s just a wee caveat to note. I’ll be lying if I said the mask doesn’t sting: It does, just a little. All of my fellow beauty scribes agree that the foaming also comes with a not entirely unpleasant tingling, but this warm flush is nothing that will have you foaming from the mouth!

Once your allocated two minutes are up, splash off with warm water, pat dry and follow up with a soothing salve by way of the Replenishing Serum. This is a serum in the truest sense of the word, being jam-packed with anti-aging vitamin A derivatives, skin-brightening aloe vera and marine algae extracts and a comforting ceramide complex.

A quick skin science detour: The lovely ladies of Elizabeth Arden say that so-called ceramides in the Replenishing Serum are lipids which serve as scaffolding for the skin, and are absolutely crucial components of maintaining the fishball-ey bounce of Lolita-esque complexion.

In any case, I’m told this second step is de rigueur for deactivating the peeling agents of the first; don’t skip it!

4. You get all the pluses of chemical peels with virtually none of the minuses. The claims? A flurry of figures just ahead, so brace yourselves: Elizabeth Arden says that a good 98 percent of consumer testers agreed that their skin “looked and felt refreshed” immediately after; 96 percent said their skin felt immediately softer; and 94 percent felt it imbued their complexion with a “healthy glow” … you get the idea. 

In short, think of this mask as an in-home salon-grade session. Recommended for use twice weekly or the night before a Very Important Event, the Ceramide Boosting 5-Minute Facial is also formulated for all skin types, particularly if you’re starting to fret over fine lines and such.

Interest piqued but not entirely persuaded as yet? If you’re one for personal endorsements, then consider this a “glowing” testimony, so to speak, from yours truly.

Here’s a suggestion. Do as any Elizabeth Arden lady would and stash this in your weekender, ring up your HR department and take a few days off, then enjoy this mask in the caftan-cloaked, champagne-clinking comfort of a sun-drenched tropical villa. Only the best for one of the best beauty products to hit the market!

Now, your turn. What’s your go-to mask of the moment?

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Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Boosting 5-Minute Facial, $149, consisting of Self-Foaming Mask (30ml) and Replenishing Serum (15ml), is available at Takashimaya Shopping Centre from May 29, 2014 and at all Elizabeth Arden counters from June 2014. For more information, visit www.elizabetharden.com.sg and follow Elizabeth Arden Singapore on Facebook.