First of all, I would like to say that I have only been using this set for a little more than two weeks. I am only 32 years old and have a few wrinkles-minor ones around my eyes mainly. I affectionately call these my “smile lines” because they show their selves when I smile. What I was mostly interested in this product for was my pores. I have pretty decent-sized pores and quite a few blackheads on my nose. I also have some discoloration to my skin due to previous acne outbreaks that I was hoping that this product would relieve.
Step one is the refine part of this set. It is an exfoliator that includes the finest granules. Mary Kay claims that it “immediately energizes skin and reveal more radiant, healthy-looking skin.” (1) The immediate energy is evident by the rosy glow you obtain from using it. The product says that it can be used either in the morning or in the evening, but I have found that it is best for me to use it in the evening because of the redness that it left afterward.
Step Two is the replenish part of this pair. This is a moisturizer of sorts that is allegedly full of vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-irritants. It nourishes the “fresh skin” that is left after the exfoliation.
The suggested retail price on this set is $55. If you just need step one, it is $30 while step two is $25. (One thing that I have found with Mary Kay is that their suggested retail price gives you no discount for buying a set instead of individual pieces. It just simply adds the prices up so you do not have to.) I find that this product is best used in the shower as the granules are much easier to wash away with a flood of water instead of a splash or two. The instructions are as follows:
1. Remove eye makeup before stepping into the shower.
2. Wash your face thoroughly.
3. Step 1: Pour about a quarter-sized amount into the palm of your hand. Spread this on the different areas of your face, avoiding your eyes. You are supposed to rub in to the skin using your fingertips for one-to-two minutes. (My fingertips tend to go to numb from rubbing the granules. This does not last afterward, though.) Rinse and pat dry with a towel.
4. Step 2: Use a couple of squirts of this and apply to your face.
Next, I follow with the TimeWise Night Solution (but if I was doing this in the morning, I would follow with the day solution). You are supposed to use the moisturizer again, but I find that in the warmer temperatures, I have enough “natural” moisturizers in my skin (that is, oil). In the wintertime, however, I do moisturize in the evening as well as in the morning.
This product claims to get “instant results” that “fight fine lines, refine pores and achieve beautifully smooth skin – immediately – with this simple, two-step set.” (1) Supposedly, “85% saw improvement in skin texture; 73% saw a reduction in fine lines; and 71% saw smaller-looking pores” – all this after just one week. (1)
The instructions that came with the product stated that you need two days of rest for your skin in between uses. My consultant told me to use it two days a week and that she uses it once on the weekend and once on Wednesday. That first week, I did it every 3rd day (to give my skin 2 days rest). This week, I did it twice.
My opinion of this product? While my skin does feel a lot smoother, I have yet to see any other effects that I’m supposed to see. My dark spots, as well as the blackheads are still there and I do not see any difference in my “smile lines” or my pores. So unless I start seeing better results, I will not buy more of this product. Then again, I have only used the product for about two weeks but the instant results that it claimed I should have, I did not have.
Mary Kay. (2007). Mary Kay ® America’s Best-Selling Brand. Retrieved April 18, 2007, from http://www.marykay.com/skincare/antiaging/timewisemicrodermabrasionset/default.aspx
