Amore Pacific: Why I don’t mind spending $500 plus on my skincare routine

Beauty

I should clarify, I am not a baller, but there are some things I like to splurge on, if I can justify it. I should also add that this is NOT a sponsored post, and albeit I get gifted a lot of product, I have not made it to the big leagues yet. I would faint if Amore Pacific sent me their products to review. But really why should they? I am already sold on it and dishing out the Robby Bordens (i.e. Benjamins) to make this face look flawless and ever youthful.

How did I discover Amore Pacific? I was invited to a beauty event at Nordstrom Ottawa in the summer and gifted a luxury Amore Pacific facial. The young lady was super sweet and informative. She walked me through all the steps of the facial and tried almost every product on me. When we were done I was like “I’ll take everything!”, then I asked how much it was and almost fainted. I settled with half the products, but regret the hand cream until this day, it was divine! Expensive, but divine. My purchases sat in the Nordstrom bag in my office for a good month, before I used any of it. You know, the buyer’s remorse had to dissipate before I unboxed it all. Finally, the products made it in my medicine cabinet and are now a part of my skincare routine.

Because I am constantly in product testing mode, I’ve been sporadically using my Amore Pacific ritual when I have time, but I really love treating myself after my shower. My face is super clean but feels dry and only the concentrated formulas of Amore Pacific can quench its thirst. And I say ritual because Amore Pacific has purposefully broken down all their products into individually highly-concentrated hard-working formulas that are meant to be applied in layers. See, layering beauty products is just as trendy as layering for Fall!

My friend Dom, from Style Domination, made me laugh in her post “The Art of Getting Ready” when she admits to being lazy when it comes to her morning routine. In her ideal world, she would “be able to enjoy the 10-step Korean skincare process that goes directly against her lazy North American sensibilities.” So much wisdom in that statement, we do need to slow down, don’t we?

So, what does my Amore Pacific ritual look like?

Some of these products I purchased and some I got samples of. But for the most part, I do the following:

  1. On a dry face (if I have makeup), I cleanse with the oil and work up a foam with a dab of water. Then rinse! I know cleansing with oil seems counter-intuitive, but it actually breaks down makeup and pulls more dirt out of your pores, without drying your skin! If you’re not sold on cleansing with oil, you would love the foaming cleanser.
  2. On a clean face, I use the eye cream. You can go up really close to your eyes with this very gentle formula. It’s highly concentrated and known to work miracles on fine lines when used consistently.
  3. I then moisturize my entire face with the Age defying creme.
  4. Then I apply the serum all over my face. I can’t tell you how much I love serum!
  5. Lastly, I spray my face with the hydration mist. You can use this after your makeup is done to set it on your skin. Apparently, this is a #1 seller at Nordstrom.

The rest of the products like the neck cream and tea oil, were given as samples and the toner and eye essence (rolling ball) were used on the trail. I am sharing them because I truly do love them and are worth sharing. There is also a nice starter kit available, which is a great way to get introduced to the brand. And as I said, I will be back for that hand cream!

My final disclaimer is that I was blessed with healthy skin, on the normal to dry side, and do not rely on product claims to keep my skin looking great. I use what finishes I like, what smells yummy and what makes me feel happy. If you have a troubling complexion, I would strongly suggest getting samples of products to see if your skin agrees with them, before splurging.

AMOREPACIFIC All Day Balancing Care Serum • Amore Pacific • $200
AMOREPACIFIC ‘Time Response’ Intensive Hand Renewal Crème • Amore Pacific • $90
AMOREPACIFIC ‘Future Response’ Age Defense Creme SPF 30 • Amore Pacific • $195
AMOREPACIFIC Green Tea Seed Treatment Oil • Amore Pacific • $195
AMOREPACIFIC ‘Moisture Bound’ Skin Energy Hydration Delivery System • Amore Pacific • $60
AMOREPACIFIC ‘Time Response’ Eye Renewal Crème • Amore Pacific • $260
AMOREPACIFIC ‘Moisture Bound’ Rejuvenating Serum • Amore Pacific • $100
AMOREPACIFIC ‘Time Response’ Skin Renewal Toner • Amore Pacific • $180
AMOREPACIFIC ‘Time Response’ Introductory Regimen • Amore Pacific • $175
AMOREPACIFIC ‘Treatment’ Cleansing Foam • Amore Pacific • $50
AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Cleansing Oil • Amore Pacific • $50
AMOREPACIFIC Intensive Vitalizing Eye Essence • Amore Pacific • $95

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Tummy Talk: an open letter to our healthcare system about my endometriosis

Health Journal Life

I haven’t blogged about my endometriosis in a while, despite the fact that it has been a huge part of my life in the last few months.

In September, I was on my deathbed. I couldn’t stand the pain I was in and was off of work for one week. My stomach was bloated and cramped up and I couldn’t function. I later realized that my cramps and stomach pain were highly related to my diet. The frustrating part is that no physician will confirm that diet and endometriosis symptoms are directly related, because alas, there are no studies to prove it.

Well I am my own scientist, I do after all have a biochemistry degree! Since watching my diet over the last month I managed to keep my symptoms at bay… That is until last night! It was Halloween. I indulged in pizza night, nibbled on a few pieces of chocolate, had a cupcake for dessert and munched on some chips and dip. The cramps came in full force. Now that I list everything I ate, no wonder I felt like crap. But again diet is not supposed to affect endometriosis symptoms, but it does for me. And I assure you I will never go down that path again. When I see junk food my brain now computes it as “poison”. It could be the salt, the gluten, the sugar… I don’t know. All I know is that it’s all bad for me. I need to stick to my healthy eating habits!

Why the oranges?

As I was mentioning in September, I was in so much pain that I went to Emergency at the hospital. I think frontline healthcare team’s have no idea how to deal with endometriosis. It’s so sad. All they could do was give me Percocet which made me more nauseous and drugged up, but I was still in pain. Useless.

I was then given an ultrasound, to confirm once again, that both of my ovaries contain an 8 cm cyst filled with blood, also known as an endometrioma. This and other symptoms, confirm stage four endometriosis. Not good.

So when people ask me what is wrong, I like to tell them that it’s like having two oranges in your stomach. It’s hard for me to do things like yoga, when I have to either lay down flat on the floor or bend my knees into my chest. But I still do it, because it makes me feel amazing. Ironically, I need to do prenatal yoga poses to make me feel better. When my stomach is bloated and cramping, it is completely extended and once again, ironically I look pregnant. I say ironically, because we’ve been trying to have another baby for two years and endometriosis has rendered me infertile.

When you look at statistics for endometriosis, it affects approximately 10% of all women. But most women have an individual and unique case. The question is why do so few people know about it or what to do with it? There are so little studies to support it, even though it causes pain and infertility in most women. It’s the classic case of “it’s not deadly so let’s leave it alone”. No, I may not be dying but I sure am in a lot of pain.

My plan

Last week I finally saw my endometriosis specialist, I waited three months for this appointment. Together we confirmed that I will need surgery to remove my cysts and go on medication to control my endometriosis. The problem is I need to wait 6 to 8 months for my surgery. “Oh you’re not dying? Get in the back of the line.” This is why I am writing an open letter to our healthcare system, or whoever is listening.

My open letter

Dear person in healthcare who can make a difference,

My name is Chantal, I am an upstanding citizen with lots of potential. I work two jobs, pay all my taxes, make donations when I have the means and try to help others when I can. Other than my endometriosis, I am healthy, I am young, I am married, and I have a healthy three year old boy (who really wants a sibling).

I am writing this letter to you to consider the idea of investing in potential.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we should neglect the very ill. I am asking that we balance our healthcare services, and operating schedule and also help those with a bright future.

So many of our healthcare dollars go towards saving people who have purposely harmed themselves and require seven hour emergency surgery, and here I am having to wait half a year for mine.

I’d like you to recognize that endometriosis is a debilitating chronic disease, that causes physical pain, infertility and therefore emotional pain.

I started my endometriosis action plan this January, and have had to wait three months to see my gynecologist, another three months to see a fertility specialist (which I don’t qualify for because of my cysts) and another three months to see my endometriosis specialist. Now I must wait another 6 to 8 months for my surgery, for a chance to get pregnant.

It’s time to prioritize the healthy and consider a healthcare system that embraces prevention and invests in potential.

I’ll be waiting here patiently until you do.

Chantal

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