Some women find beauty rituals a tedious necessity. They want to look good but wish there were faster ways getting there.

My usual five or more steps to great glowing skin have earned a lot of groans from those who feel they would rather sleep longer in the morning or drop to bed as soon as possible after a long night than spend long hours beautifying.

For those 35 years old and above, a comprehensive anti-aging system is Neostrata Skin Active; its products have active ingredients that work synergistically to address visible signs of aging.

The NeoStrata Skin Active system is made up of four high-performance products, each formulated to deliver outstanding rejuvenating effects, including significant improvement in the appearance of deep wrinkles, crow’s feet, sagging and uneven pigmentation in that order.

The best thing about it is that there are only three quick and easy steps in the daytime and at night. The Exfoliating wash cleanses thoroughly while removing dull or dead pores clogging skin. It also removes light make-up and even sun block without leaving a sting, sticky residue or a tight feeling on the skin.

The Intensive Eye Therapy serum’s forte is dealing with puffiness as well as preventing and smoothing out wrinkles and crow’s feet. I wish the sunblock were higher on the day treatment though as SPF 20 will only do if you are indoors away from a window or in a heavily tinted car. I would advise an extra sunblock of SPF 40 or more otherwise.

The star product for me is the Cellular Restoration (P3, 600). It is a non-greasy serum gel-type of formula that doubles as a treatment and moisturizer applied on the face and neck at night. I wake up with soft hydrated skin, rosy tint on cheeks and firmer facial contours.

Clinical study participants noticed benefits after four weeks of twice daily use. The results:

Matrix Support SPF treatment: 91 percent reported skin had smoother texture, increased firmness and elasticity.

Cellular Restoration Night treatment: 97 percent reported smoother texture and improved overall appearance on face and neck.

Intense Eye Therapy: 87 percent reported reduced puffiness.

Downside: Only available at select dermatologists.

For inquiries call: 2446992, 2424242, 2423636, 243-2234.

Acne et al

Chat 2% (P375 and P575 for small and large bottles) is available only in skin clinics.

Chat stands for C-lindamycin, to disinfect and treat acne; H-ydroquinone, to fade dark marks; A-lum, to dry up pimples, lighten skin and fight oiliness; and 2 % T-retinoin, to promote skin renewal and hydration, and refine pores.

Just wash your face with an anti-acne wash and douse this liquid solution on a cotton ball and apply on face and curves of ears or anywhere you have acne outbreaks like the back, shoulders, neck, and chest.

No need for a separate astringent, exfoliant, pimple cream or oil-free hydrator as this does the job for all duties except cleansing and sun protection for day.

Important: Make sure to apply sunblock of SPF 50 and above during the day as this solution will make your skin sun- sensitive and more prone to darkening and sun damage.

Most acne sufferers apply this only at night and use a pore refining astringent under the high SPF sunblock for daytime.

Recommended non greasy sunblock: Kiehl’s SPF 50, Belo SPF 60 for Body or Sunplay SPF 130 from Watson’s.

Call 899-3643 or 809-8021. Also available at Flawless and Belo clinics.