I find the idea of skin lighteners a bit shady. What’s wrong with a few freckles? Admittedly, I am of the Asian group that spends a day under the sun and comes home with a smattering of fresh freckles. And does it mean my face is going to come out several shades lighter than my body? I liked Memoirs of a Geisha, but not that much. Being that I usually cover fashion, a round of the Fall/Winter 09 collections later and my airplane-wrecked skin was not happy with me. Spring is the time of renewal and I figured my skin should be in on it too. I was guinea pig to the latest skin brighteners and the results were much gentler (and user-friendlier) than I expected.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam: This is skin brightener-lite. The texture is nice and foamy and when I used it every day, there was a gradual, subtle effect. For the commitment-phobic. $34

Clinique CX-15 De-Aging Formula Probably unfairly, I tend to associate Clinique with the 1-2-3 step teenage skincare. Once in awhile though, they have a genius product that shows their laboratory prowess. The serum is powerful, goes on lightly and uses a Vitamin C powder that you mix with each vial so you can have your own mini-lab at home. But the price point isn’t for your teenage bank account or perhaps ours either. $250

Clarins Bright Plus HP Intensive Brightening Mask I used this after a peel that I do periodically and it beautifully intensified the brightening effects and soothed my skin with the creamy texture. They say each tube is single use, but I’ve been getting at least two usages out of each which makes me doubly happy. $32

Euoko W40 White Moisture First off, bonus points for the sleek packaging. Inside the neat (and hefty) glass container, was a serious dose of the highest grade hyaluronic acid from Denmark. It also contains what is defined as “the latest generation of UV blocking particles” or aka sunscreen. The product went on nicely and was a power moisturizer, but the brightening part was subtle and I had the feeling it was more of a preventative. Time to rethink my sun-indulgent lifestyle. $110