Photo: SkinLab
No, it’s not some Halloween joke when I say my skin glowed because of the pumpkins. At least, not with SkinLab’s Pumpkin Glow Facial. It’s two-hour long treatment that’s specially concocted to revitalise, and re-invigorate dull skin using pumpkin-based products.
Why pumpkin? Apart from being the star ingredient in everyone’s favourite PSL (pumpkin spice latte, FYI), the cheery-coloured veg is also packed with fruit enzymes and alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs). All these help to slough away dead skin cells and impurities on the skin to brighten and smooth, through increased cell turnover. It’s also rich in Vitamin C, another famed skin-brightening ingredient, and Vitamin A, to boost collagen production.
Photo: SkinLab / @skinlabsg
So why the need for a brightening facial when the market’s chockfull of brightening products? My therapist Yeon explains that the products you can use at home are good for daily maintenance to keep your skin in good shape. But for times where the late nights hit, and you don’t get quality sleep – your skin can “go dull” overnight. And once that happens, Yeon says, it can be difficult to get skin back to its original state without something more potent.
Here’s when an intense brightening facial comes in handy. The treatment takes away the dullness layer by layer. After cleansing and toning, a pumpkin peel will be used to “peel” away the first superficial layer of dead skin. A layer of Pumpkin Amino formula that contains pure pumpkin extract, 17 amino acids and niacinamide (calms blemishes) was then smoothed over.
Moving on, Yeon goes on to do an extremely thorough extraction on my face, which resembles a minefield of blackheads. Blackheads cause the skin look dull too, and while it’s normal to have blackheads forming on your skin every other day, stress and environmental pollutants cause even more to form. They may be small, but they still cast small shadows on your skin (because of the tiny protrusions) that – you guessed it – result in dull-looking skin. Yeon was skilful with the extraction process; it was relatively painless, but my skin felt so clean and smooth right after.
Photo: SkinLab / @skinlabsg
This is where things start to get fun. Yeon coats my face in the Pumpkin Hydro Boost 24k Gold Infuser – a cooling, refreshing gel for an intense shot of hydration for the skin. It’s a hearty concoction, made of a hydration booster with pumpkin enzymes, and gold minerals. When used together, it replenishes any lost nutrients from the skin that causes it to look dry and sallow. She massaged it into the skin with a massage tool that has blue LED light – great for calming sensitive skin post-extraction. My complexion looked significantly brighter and more supple after.
A different gel is used next. It’s called the Pumpkin V-lift detox, a cream that firms the skin, especially in areas that tend to sag easily (read: cheeks and jawline). Remember how I said pumpkin can also boost collagen production? The cream is massaged into the skin using SkinLab’s signature V-shaping technique. This “deflates” any puffiness in the skin, nixing any residual water retention.
Photo: SkinLab / @skinlabsg
Finally, to seal the deal, a jelly Pumpkin Mask is layered on to lock everything in. Yeon added a Pumpkin Hydrating Ampoule into the mix for an extra shot of hydration. As the mask sets, she gave me a neck and shoulder massage that really added a nice touch to the entire treatment. She let the mask set for about 20 minutes, and upon removal, my skin look visibly more radiant than when I first started.
As the facial is two hours long, Yeon took her time with every step, meticulously perfecting them for the best results. It’s not going to be an express lunch time treatment, or a quick fix – so if you’re looking to really pamper yourself and let your hair down, the Pumpkin Glow Facial is the treatment to try.
SkinLab is located at the following places: Causeway Point, Junction 8, Jurong Point, Plaza Singapura, Tampines 1, Westgate, and Wheelock Place. More information can be found at www.skinlabmedspa.com
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