MANILA, Philippines--LYD, RTA and GWP. These are codes for three anti-aging cream products that a PR firm recently made me try.

One is a mass-market brand backed up by extensive studies and confident enough to be pitted against two of the best-selling prestige anti-aging brands in the market. To prevent brand bias, the brands were not divulged to me before the test.

To prepare for the challenge, I had a Diamond Peel, so whatever good ingredients there were in the products would penetrate my skin faster. The downside to this was, any allergenic ingredient would also have an easier time giving me allergies and breakouts.

Except for a cleanser suited for my oily skin, I did away with all my other skincare products?toners, eye cream, serums and sunblocks, to avoid product contamination.

I imposed on myself a strictly-no-makeup policy, with only oil blotting paper in my hands to deal with the shine. This was to ensure that nothing would enhance the natural appearance of my skin during the two-week test.

The left side of my face has always been the better side with clearer and firmer skin, while the right side has small brown spots and tends to droop more.

Identical results

For the first seven days, I was instructed to use a different cream for each side. I assigned LYD to the left side and RTA to the right side, applied twice a day?morning and before bedtime.

As a whole, the results were identical. On the fourth day alone, people I saw already commented on how beautiful my skin was. My face had become even-toned, dewy, smooth, lifted and plumped up.

Upon closer inspection, the LYD side of my face had a brighter glow, while RYT offered a more matte but whiter skin finish. My puffy eyebags and fine lines had also significantly subsided.

However, seven days did not seem to be enough for RTA to make a dent on my small brown spots on the right side.

LYD?a rich white cream with a very strong lemon smell?felt sticky when initially applied, but would blend into the skin after half an hour, giving it a translucent pearl-like luster. It removed the redness and swelling from an insect bite in a few hours.

RYT?a powder pink cream with a velvety texture and clean floral fragrance?whitens skin the moment you apply it. It served as a great eye cream for me as well, though my oily skin would get shiny after a while.

Great performance

At the end of Day 7, RTA was revealed to be Pond?s anti-aging cream. I was told to continue using it, but to change LYD with GWP, the second prestige cream, for Days 8 to 14.

RTA/Pond?s maintained its great performance, and on the 11th day, I did notice that my stubborn brown spots had lightened and one side of my face felt tighter and firmer. The lines along the sides of my nose were now less prominent, and my facial contours seemed more defined. The slight smile lines around the eyes were totally eliminated.

The porcelain tone and matte finish of my skin was very much appreciated by people, although some thought it looked dull compared to the finish of the other two.

GWP?a camel beige cream that has a texture between those of a serum and cream?spreads and is absorbed easily by the skin. After two mornings, I noticed a lifting of my cheeks and eyelid area, and that side of my face lost pillow marks almost instantly. I looked like a rested woman.

By Day 11, my pores seemed gone on that side, and my cheekbones and jaw line more defined. My skin stayed even-toned, and the eye bags never returned. I suspect the cream contained caffeine to bring down any swelling and to improve skin circulation, hence the glow of my skin.

Oil control freaks, though, felt it looked a little too shiny on me to be perfect. RTA and LYD also left a lighter skin tone finish than GWP.

During the 14-day testing period, I suffered no breakouts from any of the creams, and had the skin quality of a preteen in terms of firmness, clarity and texture. The identities of LYD and GWP were not divulged to me afterwards.