Tama Lung

The Beauty Blog | Face time: establishing a skincare regimen with Kate Somerville

Hollywood's "guru of glow" gets us back on track

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Why you can trust SCMP

Tama Lung

Published: 2:46pm, 5 Nov 2014

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my recent hiatus from The Beauty Blog – to focus on the SCMP’s re-launch of Destination Macau – it’s the importance of a consistent skincare regimen. The best products in the world won’t do you any good unless you actually use them, day in and day out. With that in mind, I went to skincare expert Kate Somerville for advice on how best to look after my skin and get it back in balance.

Kate Somerville offers a wide array of products, so we began by narrowing down the choices to suit my lifestyle and skin type (dry, ageing and prone to sensitivity). But according to my consultant, we can all benefit from twice-daily use of a cleanser, toner, serum and moisturiser. Read on for a review of my prescribed products, and click here for more skincare advice from Somerville herself.

1. KateCeuticals Moisture Milk Cleanser
This creamy cleanser (HK$530) has a nice thick consistency and faint floral fragrance. After being massaged into the skin for a few minutes, it can be removed with a tissue or rinsed with water. Despite my sensitive skin, I usually rinse if off with water. It does a good job of cleansing without stripping away moisture, although those who wear a lot of make-up may want to use it twice or after a make-up remover. I follow this with KateCeuticals Replenishing Toner (HK$530), which my consultant advised would help remove any residue and gently exfoliate dead skin cells.

2. ExfoliKate Gentle
Having used Somerville’s legendary ExfoliKate before and experienced a bit too much tingling and redness, I was hesitant to try it again. But this time I opted for the Gentle version (HK$595) and found it did a good job of deep-cleansing the skin without causing any flare-ups – as long as I didn’t use it too frequently. Just be warned – it has a pungent herbal scent, which may take some getting used to.

3. DermalQuench Liquid Lift
One of Somerville’s hero products, this innovative booster (HK$870) is designed to deliver pure oxygen deep into the skin. It should be used after toning and before a serum. I can’t say whether my face is more “oxygenated” or not, but this is a fun and easy addition to my skincare regimen. Just spray the light, foamy liquid over the face and massage gently, even around the eyes – it sinks in almost immediately and the best part is you don’t have to wait for it to dry before moving on to the next step.