Seems to have worked wonders so far... (Estée Lauder Idealist Skin Refinisher)

Member Name: Kittykatss

Product:	Estée Lauder Idealist Skin Refinisher
Date:	28/04/09 (474 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great result in very little time

Disadvantages: Expensive

Most people love the spring/ summer but for one reason I dread it! I am 35 yrs old , when I was a teen I suffered from acne which left me with scars on both cheeks and really large pores in the cheek area amongst the scarring.There is also an uneven skin tone with some redness around where the scarring is.

Normally I have to wear a lot of foundation all the time, which in the winter is ok , but in warm temperatures and good weather - liquid foundation looks oily and unnatural and clogs up and collects in the pores looking terrible. ( I have oily T-zone too!!!) Almost bad enough to not want to be seen out in the natural light! On the one hand the foundation is a cover up for the scars , but it makes the skin look terribly artificial and greasy. I don't mind people seeing my scars as it is now part of my personality after all these years ! but what I hate is huge pores as it makes it seem like I must have poor facial hygiene and don't bother cleansing my oily skin! ( which is soooooooooo not true!)

I have spent so many years being depressed about the skin on my cheeks, I have a pretty face and an attractive figure , which makes me more sad , we all know how superficial society is these days and it's easy to get depressed about these things. I know I can't do too much about the scarring, but if I could improve the pores/ redness/ and texture it would make a huge difference to my confidence.

I was browsing the net for makeup primers etc etc ...and I came across a lot of reviews about Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Refining Skin Refinisher. The reviews all seemed so positive that I thought it is definitely worth a try. I gathered that the product was rather pricey to say the least, however no price is too high for me if I can improve my skin and the way it looks. I read a review where a user suggested getting a free sample to try from a shop first. I trotted off to Selfriges in my lunch hour and the lady at the Estee counter was very helpful and gave me 5 sachets to last me the whole week. She also told me that even if I purchased the product and if it didn't suit me I can take it back for a refund - this was news to me and the first time I heard of a brand having this policy - excellent!

The first time I tried the Idealist it didn't seem to do very much for me at all. I was really disappointed as I thought that after all the positive reviews I had at last found something that would be a ' breakthrough' . However ....I decided to give it another go, so last night I did my usual cleanse and tone routine and applied Idealist before I went to bed. I made sure it was soaked in and dry before though, as I didn't want my pillow to benefit from this expensive potion more than me ! As I lay in bed I could already feel the tingle which I thought was a good sign the cream must be doing something.

Oh my God !!!! What a surprise...this will sound like I am lying but trust me I'm not... I woke up this morning and reached for the little pocket sized mirror on my side table - wow - I could not believe my eyes..the pores had drastically reduced in size, even from stubborn areas like amongst the scarred tissue. All the redness had disappeared from my cheeks and even some of the scars looked as if they had been tightened. My skin looked so much better, and I was so much in shock that I spent ages looking at my face - I even got late for work!!! Trust me , any improvement in my skin towards normality is worth more to me that losing weight or anything!

I even looked at my face up close in a magnified mirror standing by the window and it looked great. I was so pleased with it that I didn't even want to wash my face and ruin how it looked. I made sure I didn't let my face under the hot shower and washed my face just with plain cold water this morning to keep the pores tightened up.

It's the first time in over 20 yrs that I have left the house without foundation and felt confident. All I did was put on some mineral powder which gave me enough cover and does not sit in the pores like liquid foundation can do.
This morning I've actually come to work with just powder on my face - oh my God ! I have never done this in my life.I am so pleased with this - it'll make my summer so much better! Sometimes I don't even feel confident to go to outdoor events because of my skin - but hopefully this will make a big difference.

Another product I really like is the Clinique Pore Minimizing Serum, though this can look a bit chalky if you apply too much and though its excellent at closing pores it isn't designed for redness and other surface irregularities. The Idealist actually made my scarred skin look much smoother too.

I'm really glad I read all the reviews and tried this product - thanks everyone and hope it continues working for me and increasing my confidence. Still cant believe I'm at work with no foundation ...yipeeee....

Summary: Will be worth it for sure if makes me feel this good every day!