Archives for June 2012

I’ve been searching high and low for a great BB cream with high SPF. Usually BB creams just hide blemishes, even out blotchy skin and not much else. But I saw L’Oreal newest offering, the UV Perfect BB Max with SPF 50 (!) and was instantly intrigued. At only PHP595 a pop, it’s relatively cheap so not much harm trying it out.

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And tried it out I did. The consistency is creamy and spreads easily on the skin as long as you moisturized first. The cream’s color is two shades darker than my own skin color and I was a bit worried that this will be a problem but the counter girl told me it will adapt to my own skin color. I tried it the first time and was a bit disappointed that the coverage is very sheer, it didn’t even hide a couple of fading pimple marks on my jaw so I suppose I have to use this with a concealer. Granted, BB creams should not be used as foundation but some brands do offer BB creams with remarkable coverage. That would’ve been a nice extra as it eliminates the need to pile on more gunk on the face.

However, it did brighten my face and evened out my blotchy skin! My pores are barely noticeable and I achieved the illusion of great skin. Best of all, the high SPF offers ample sun protection, it’s fabulous! Because I rarely break out, a little pat of powder is all I needed to prep my skin for make up. Overall, despite my apprehension about it being a tad darker than my skin color and not giving enough coverage, I love it and I have a feeling this won’t be the last time I’d purchase this particular cream.

I finally caved in. After weeks of hearing nothing but good things about Snoe cosmetics, I bought myself one of their signature beauty bar (their bestselling product, from what I gather) and their much vaunted clay mask. Snoe got several soap variants, most of them for whitening the skin. I have fair skin, to the point of looking absolutely vampiric since I rarely go out when the sun is up (didn’t even go to the beach this year because I couldn’t take the heat). I never purchased whitening soaps in the past since they tend to dry out my already shriveled mug (my sister loves them though). But why did I buy a whitening soap now?

Well, I get stubborn blemishes, especially when I’m PMS-ing. Pimple scars tend to look even more obvious when your skin is as sallow as mine (even under heavy concealer). I don’t break out easily but when I see a pimple or two, I tend to fuss over it and pop ’em so I got a couple of scars on my cheeks. They fade slowly too and with this complexion, they stick out like a sore thumb.

I wanted to get fast result but I really didn’t want to buy random Papaya soap sold in the local supermarket so when I caught wind of Snoe, I did my homework and got me the Kojic + L Glutathione combo soap. It was the perfect time to try it out since I got a couple of pimples in the chin area, I heard it dries up pimples and removes blackheads, two of my persistent skin problem.

From the looks of it, the soap tends to melt easily, so I plan to cut them to smaller pieces so there’s less waste. Tried it out last night and the experience is interesting. First, the scent, it’s milky watermelon, I quite like it.

It does lather well for the first few seconds but foam disappears completely after you leave it on for half a minute. Some people who reviewed it claimed it doesn’t sting but it does sting, very tolerable though. I felt my skin got super tight after rinsing off. I then applied the Calamansi clay mask to detoxify, I love this product. It had mild cooling properties and refreshing smell. It’s goopy which makes application fairly easy. Rinsed the whole thing off after five minutes and my skin was instantly brighter!

I bet things will get even better as I cleanse every day using the Snoe beauty soap and the clay mask twice a week. I can’t wait to use all these up and get rid of my unsightly pimple scars.