SK-II Stempower Essence Review - Two Months Impression

On my return to Australia, I purchased a bottle of the SK-II Stempower Essence from Pudong International Airport, Shanghai. I paid RMB829 for a 30ml bottle, which is equivalent to roughly AUD$150.

I have been a loyal fan of SK-II for over 3 years now, ever since my first bottle of the famous Facial Treatment Essence. The Facial Treatment Essence and the Cellunimation Essence have been my all-time favourites and staples in my daily skincare routine. Therefore I have no hesitation to try the stempower essence.

Here is a little description of the essence from the SK-II Singapore website:

"New SK-II Stempower Essence contains the new ingredient Stem-Acanax-ES, which boosts your inner resilience to give you poreless bouncy skin."

This essence is relatively new and only being officially launched in Singapore around mid-year this year I believe. Hence, there are still limited information on the web so far.  

Package

The essence is housed in the signature SK-II red glass bottle, with a plastic dropper, just like the Cellumination essence. This is super hygienic and prevents bacteria from our hands getting into the product. The dropper also controls how much product that gets dispensed, thus, not wasting any product (as it's really expensive!).

The glass bottle is sturdy and heavy, and will not be travel-friendly.

Texture

It's a semi-transparent gel-liquid consistency with no visible shimmer. The consistency is thicker than the Cellumination essence, but is still very runny. 

The product is extremely easy to spread and blend on the skin. One to one and a half drop is enough for the whole face. The product is so smooth (almost slippery) and spreadable that you can massage your face while applying the essence.

When first applied, your skin feels quite tacky. If you then gently pat your face for a minute or two, the product will be fully absorbed and leave your face feeling moisturised with a little bit of sheen.

My skin is combination - normal cheeks and oily t-zone. This essence is not heavy on my skin. Applying this alone after Facial Treatment Essence provides adequate moisturisation for the night. If you have drier skin, it is best to follow with a cream or lotion to lock in the moisture. 

Effects so-far

As I stated earlier, my skin is combination with oily t-zone. I don't really have serious acne  pigmentation or any visible wrinkles for now. My main concerns are dullness on the face, pores on my nose and black/whiteheads. 

I use the stempower essence every alternating night and I don't apply this in the morning as I think it will be too heavy under my makeup for my combination skin. 

This essence, in my opinion, is not a miracle-worker which is what I expect. I have only used this for two months in alternating nights and hence have not seen full or visible results to-date. I believe for any skincare product, a three-month period with daily application is required for a product to show any visible results, and therefore I do not consider the fact that I have not seen drastic results as a con for this essence. 

However, after my two-months experience, my impressions of this product are:

- the texture is very nice and elegant;
- it plumps up the skin slightly after application;
- it provides adequate moisture for my combination skin;
- it leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth after application;
- it leaves a healthy sheen on the skin after application;

- it doesn't break me out.


I hope to finish my 30ml bottle and write an updated review to discuss whether the stempower essence lives up to its claim of 'poreless bouncy skin' and it's price-wise justified.