ARTISTRY is sold via Amway here in Malaysia and is one of the Top 5 selling prestige brands globally (the other 4 being Estee Lauder, Lancome, Clinique and Shiseido). The brand believes that Beauty is their reason for being, Women are the soul or their brand and Science is the foundation of everything they do.
The brand is quite low key I must say despite being amongst the top ranked brands in the market. I am very much familiar with the other 4 brands mentioned above and am personally a fan of all of them in one way or another. However, I decided to give the session a go and a full review of the treatment will be in Part 2 of this post. Below is my general outtake on the products that were used during last night's session.
Make Up Removers
First is the essentials Eye & Lip Makeup Remover which is a clear dual layer formulation which is said to be gentle enough for contact lens wearers and suitable for all skin types. Unfortunately, this product didn't work for me. I only had mascara on my lashes (no liner and shadow) and I could still see mascara residue still stuck on to my lashes.
The beautician (Vivien) then proceeded to remove the rest of my face makeup -- excluding the brows for some odd reason -- with the essentials Gentle Action Makeup Remover which she claims to lift up all the dirt and makeup clinging on to the skin. I wouldn't say the results were fantastic but they were OK in my opinion. Has the same effect as my L'Oreal Dermo Expertise De-Maq MU remover (review here). Actually, I felt that the L'Oreal one worked better for me.
1-2-3 Sets
Honestly, there were way too many steps and products used I can't remember which came before which. Anyways, as per any skin care line, they have the basic 1-2-3 sets. For Normal to Dry Skin, there's the essentials Hydrating System (pictured right) which contains unique phytonutrients and essential fatty acids (Sunflower Oil, Macadamia Oil, Olive Fruit Oil, Tamanu Oil & Rice Bran Oil). These blend of ingredients is supposed to lock in moisture in the skin as well as nourish it with Vit E. I believe the cleanser was tested on me (I have normal skin) and again, I wasn't able to see the wow factor yet. My face looked clean and somewhat hydrated but it didn't feel entirely clean.
Now, if you have Normal to Oily Skin, there's the essentials Balancing System (pictured left) which again contains unique phytonutrients but now it's combined with natural micro-sponge technology (Acerola Fibre Cherry to control shine and reduce oil and sebum production) without stripping moisture from the skin. The combination of these ingredients supposedly balances the water to oil ratio in the skin.
I tested the toners from both ranges and although it was a good thing that my skin did not feel tight due to the hydrating properties in the formulations, but it didn't give me the fresh clean feeling my L'Oreal Pure Zone toner gives me (I'll talk about my skin care journey in a future post). Like most toners that I've tried, it made my skin feel a tad too 'moist' for me.
I don't recall getting to try the moisturizers from these ranges though. I believe it's because they were more day creams/moisturizers and had some SPF in them (my facial was at night). I did however manage to try the Time Defiance Night Recovery Lotion though. Unfortunately, again I was not impressed. My skin felt and looked oiled.
Scrub & Refinisher
I've always been a fan of facial scrubs simply because I love the idea of sloughing off dead skin cells and allowing new skin cells to generate. Here I tried the essentials Polishing Scrub which was a clear gel with tiny blue hydrogenated Jojoba (pronounced ho-ho-ba) beads. It also contains Ginseng extract, acting as an astringent, and Chamomile for it's soothing effects. The smell of this scrub was delicious, the product description cites it as tangerine-berry. The first product in their line that I actually liked despite it working similar to my L'Oreal Pure Zone Gel Exfoliating Cleanser. The beautician recommended this product be used 1-2 times a week. After using the product, my skin finally felt clean and got rid of some of the whiteheads at the tip of my nose.
Another product that was introduced to me was the Time Defiance Skin Refinishing Lotion which was not tested on my face but was demonstrated on the back of my hand. The product is claimed to smoothen out fine lines on the skin and from the comparison I made between the back of both my hands confirms this. The product has a similar effect to a face primer except the effects do not wash off like a primer does. The product contains Oat Extract, Sugar and Algae which assists in promoting cell renewal and skin re-texturization. I would say this is comparable in function to Estee Lauder's Idealist.
Masks
This is probably the first time I attended a facial and got to try two different types of masks in one session. The first being the essentials Pore Cleansing Masque (pictured right) which is technically a clay mask (yes, it will harden slightly) and works to absorb impurities deep within the skin layer and remove accumulated toxins. It has a sweet honey dew scent with a touch of florals and has a mild minty cooling sensation when applied to the skin. It contains minerals (Zinc, Copper & Magnesium) as well as Ginseng extract. I would recommend this mask for those who have Oily Skin as it will help to rid the skin of impurities and reduce the frequency of acne and pimples. Clean skin layer = lower acne/pimple occurance.
The second mask which was applied in the end of the session is the essentials Moisture Intense Masque (pictured left) which I immediately detected to have a cucumber scent (cucumber and honeysuckle to be exact). This is a pretty creamy mask to aid in moisture restoration to the skin. It consists of ingredients such as Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Aloe Butter and Chamomile. Since I have normal skin, this was too hydrating for me. My skin felt too moist. However, I would suggest it for those with Dry Skin to give skin a boost of moisture.
Essences
As with every other skin care line, there are specific products targetting specific needs. Since the beautician noticed that I had been developing a few dark spots on my cheeks, she applied the Pure White Essence and the Time Defiance Vitamin C + Wild Yam Essence to my face. The Pure White Essence is suppose to treat hyperpigmentation but I can't opined on the product much since it would require a longer usage period for me to provide a review. The latter product however underwent a product demo on a freshly halved apple and I will indulge more on that in Part 2 of this review.
Blemish Gel
I also got to test their Time Defiance Lifting Eye Creme. I won't be able to review the product though as it will take more usage time for me to give it a proper review. The product description however indicates that it is suppose to prevent and repair visible signs of aging by restoring communication in 3 phases (Stimulate, Connect, Protect).
My overall opinion, personally I don't believe that I will be swapping my current skin care products for this range simply because I find that my current regime gives me better results (or at least the results that I prefer). Having said that, my friend Fara has had some wonderful experience with the products (she has the complete set) and has been raving about it. On that note, I leave it to my readers to decide whether they would like to give the products a try or otherwise. My favourite product from the range if I had to pick, I would have to say is the Polishing Scrub.
If you want to check out more information on the products mentioned or just curious about the skin care range, do browse through the Amway website listed in the source list below.
In Part 2 of the review, I will be walking through the overall facial experience (from the experience during the facial session to the day after) as well as talking about the Qua Sha technique and the little apple demo I mentioned earlier.
Sources:
1. Artistry (Cosmetics) on Wikipedia
2. Amway Malaysia website
Photos courtesy of Amway Malaysia ARTISTRY Online Catalog.
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