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Archives for September 2017

Review: Avène Thermal Spring Water Facial Spray

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Several blogs ago, I reviewed the Evian facial spray and mentioned that I’ll get the Avène Thermal Spring Water to compare. Between the two, Avène’s spring water facial spray is more popular. In fact, I can tell you that at least 5 people recommended this product to me. This was back when I posted a picture of the Evian facial spray on Instagram (review here). Of course, I’m intrigued!

Essentially, both products are canned spring water that you spritz all over the face. You can do this to freshen up the skin during a hot day, remove powderiness from makeup or to prep the skin for skin care. So, without further ado, let’s review!

What is it: Avène Thermal Spring Water

Here’s what the brand has to say about this product:

Originating as pure rain mixed with sea-spray rich in mineral salts, Avène Thermal Spring Water makes its 50-year journey through the Cévennes Mountains in Avène, France.

It gradually becomes infused with trace elements and silicates, and comes in contact with an ancient microorganism Aqua.Dolomite, which was first identified by Avène in 2001. This remarkable biological property combined with the well-known mineral properties of Avène Thermal Spring Water ensures gentleness and tolerance, creating a unique double signature that does not exist anywhere else in the world.

At PhP800+++ per 150 ml. spray bottle, the Avène Thermal Spring Water is a little steep for what it is but the product earned rave reviews so I suppose the premium you pay is worth it. Also, anything French made isn’t dirt cheap.

Performance

Judging by the spray bottle alone, you can tell that a lot of thought went into the packaging. Just like the Evian spring water facial spray, the Avène Thermal Spring Water comes in a spray can, albeit a better looking and feeling container. Avène’s facial spray bottle looks and feels heavier.

Avène’s facial spray feels more robust and the overall quality of the spray can is impeccable. The spray delivers a fine mist of spring water better than the Evian’s facial spray, which can be a little splotchy.

As far as the ingredients go, the Avène Thermal Spring Water is more mineral-rich than Evian’s facial spray. These nutrients – calcium/magnesium bicarbonate – help soothe skin irritation and improve skin texture. My skin does feel smoother after I started using this although I’m still unconvinced that this product has anything to do with that.

This product works great as a pre-skincare prep. I mist my freshly washed face with Avène Thermal Spring Water before I apply my moisturizer and serum. And then I spray again once I’ve applied my skincare products just because. It cools my skin instantly!

Final Thoughts

Although I’m still unconvinced over the benefits of Avène Thermal Spring Water on my skin, it made a great addition to my skincare routine. My moisturizer and serum glide easily when I spritz my fez with this product. It hydrates my skin ever so slightly.

The Avène Thermal Spring Water complements my skincare products too, which is something that my dry skin appreciates. Yes, it’s expensive but it’s French and it’s fancy.

Will I repurchase? If my local Watsons doesn’t carry this product, I’d say no. I noticed that my local Watsons only carried Evian facial spray so I bought this product when I visited the city. But a few weeks ago, I saw that Avène Thermal Spring Water is now available here in the province so there’s that. I now have more excuse to burn cash on a bottle of water.

Review: Mumuso White Camellia Water Petal Flower Toner

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Korea is a treasure trove of beauty products and I’m quite happy that some of the best Korean beauty brands have entered the local market. I’m a fan of Korean makeup but not much when it comes to skin care.

As you know, I can be pretty particular when it comes to things that I put on my skin. This makes me a bad skin care reviewer if I’m being honest. Since I know what works for my skin, I have a set of products that I use on the daily.

Introducing a new skin care product could either enhance or ruin my set routine. This means I can’t be too adventurous in terms of what skin care products to use. Otherwise, I’d get a bad breakout. I get downright batty when I get a pimple.

I’ve tried different Korean skin care brands but the only skin care product that I liked is the Missha BB cream.

My problem with Korean skin care products is the consistency of the formula and how it sits on the skin. Most Korean skin creams are so thick, they are made for cooler climates. Even the gels aren’t really light enough for every day, in my experience. Most do not sink well into the skin, they have a certain tackiness to them that do not go away completely.

This is okay if say, it’s daytime. You could always use a finishing powder to reduce the tackiness. But at night, it’s a different story. Have you tried sleeping with your face all sticky and shit?

Yes, I am cautious when it comes to skin care but I do like experimenting sometimes. This is where Mumuso White Camellia Water Petal Flower Toner comes in. I was in Pampanga a month a go and went to Mumuso for a look see. This is one of the products that caught my eye. I was actually hunting for the rose toner – Mumuso’s most popular product – but alas, it’s out of stock.

What is it: White Camellia Water Petal Flower Toner

Mumuso is a popular Korean brand that sells everything from bathroom bins to eyeliners. The shops are quite similar to a dollar store except the aesthetics are quite minimalist. Seeing the beauty aisle for the first time, I went bug-eyed with excitement. I didn’t know what product to get because it was my first time visiting the store.

I was supposed to get the rose water gel toner but alas, it’s not available. I settled for the Mumuso White Camellia Water Petal Flower Toner instead. Right off the bat, I have mixed feelings about the texture. It’s a gel so it should be lightweight, right?

The Mumuso White Camellia Water Petal Flower Toner has pretty packaging. It looks more expensive than it really is. The toner has bits of Camellia flower petals. I believe I paid PhP 130+ for a bottle so I wasn’t expecting much from this toner.

Performance

The Mumuso White Camellia Water Petal Flower Toner applies the same way as an ordinary toner. But in Korea with its famed 10-step skin care routine, there are different types of toners. Mumuso White Camellia Water Petal Flower Toner’s gel-like texture is similar to an emulsion or a skin softener.

The flower petals weren’t dispensed together with the toner even when you give the bottle a good squeeze. I apply this toner in the evenings, before applying my moisturizer and serum. I’ve used this product for only a week or so, which I know is such a short time to test skin care. That’s because my skin started getting rougher a few days after using this toner.

I disliked how sticky my face was after application. Thankfully, the tackiness goes away after applying my moisturizer. The product sinks into the skin but not as fast as I’d like.

It’s hard to say if it softened my skin or it brightened my skin tone because of the short testing. I will say, however, that it made my skin slightly bumpy and noticeably rough. That’s pretty much the reason why I stopped using it. I didn’t see any positive result on my skin.

Final Thoughts

The Mumuso White Camellia Water Petal Flower Toner might work for some people but it’s a no for me. It’s an affordable product, no doubt about it. But the formula, I’m just not “hiyang” (a Filipino term that literally translates to “compatible.”)

Do I recommend it? It’s hard to say. I don’t recommend this for those with sensitive skin but this might work for those with extra thirsty skin looking for a good bargain product.

Review: Belo Intensive Whitening Extra Moisture Bar

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I don’t use whitening soaps to get fairer skin but more to brighten my dull complexion. This goes especially after a trip to the beach when my skin gets really ashy. I only go to the beach once or twice per year and this is the only time I allow my skin to be exposed to the sun.

Since I actively avoid sun exposure (I work from home, much of my time is spent indoors), I’m quite fair. In the rare occasion that I do head out, I always wear a sunblock with at least SPF 50. That’s how serious I am about avoiding the sun.

You can imagine how positively vampiric my skin tone has become since it’s the rainy season here in the tropics.

I picked up the Belo Intensive Whitening Extra Moisture Bar because 1) I had great experiences with its older sibling, the Kojic Acid + Tranexamic Acid Intensive Whitening Soap (review here) and 2) plain curiosity.

What is it: Belo Intensive Whitening Extra Moisture Bar

According to the brand, the Belo Intensive Whitening Extra Moisture Bar is:

An intensive whitening bar with glycerin that deeply moisturizes and nourishes dry and dull skin.

Proven to moisturize 42% better that regular Kojic soaps.

Dermatologist-tested. Hypoallergenic.

With glycerin – a powerful moisturizing agent that prevents moisture loss and restores the skin’s firmness and elasticity

The soap is orange in color, just like all of the whitening soaps sold here in PH. However, this one is translucent and this is the reason why I wanted to try this, never tried a glycerin soap before!

Performance

Right off the bat, I noticed that the Belo Intensive Whitening Extra Moisture Bar doesn’t lather up as quickly as the brand’s older whitening soap. It takes a while to work up a lather and the lather itself isn’t as dense. This doesn’t bother me although it meant using more of the product to get a decent lather.

This is the first time I used a whitening soap all over the body, I typically use whitening soaps on my face. I do feel that this soap is much gentler on the skin.  My skin doesn’t feel too dry and itchy compared to the old kojic soap.

When I used the old whitening soap by Belo, my skin felt tight the first time I used it. I did not feel any skin tightness at all. Initially, I was wondering if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I feel that the new formula wasn’t as potent as the old formula but by the second day, my face started drying up a bit. This is a sign that it’ll start peeling soon so I suppose the new formula is just as potent.

By the third day, my facial skin took on a darker, shinier tone. The sides of my nose and my inner cheeks started peeling. A week and a half later, the skin all over my body started taking on a much lighter tone. There was minimal peeling, almost imperceptible. My skin became radiant too. As for my facial skin, it was still peeling even after 2 weeks of use.

Anyhoo, the Belo Intensive Whitening Extra Moisture Bar is tinier than most whitening soaps I’ve seen so I felt that this won’t last for a month. FYI: I use the soap every single day since I got it. I did not cut the soap into smaller pieces to extend usage.

Update: As of writing this, I’ve been using the soap for 16 days and I still have a bit of the soap left. I think the soap will last for another week or two, which certainly exceeded my expectations. Now to illustrate its whitening and brightening effects, here’s a before and after picture. On the left was the day I started using the soap and on the right is a week or so after using the soap:

At a glance, it seems as if there wasn’t a lot of changes in my skin tone. Well, I was at my fairest even before using the soap but my skin has a sallowness to it, a strong yellow undertone if you look closely. On the right, my skin looks brighter and whiter.

Also, my face was breaking out. Not sure if the soap was the culprit because I’ve made changes in my skin routine during testing + hormones issues, maybe. As you can see from the picture above, my skin tone is uneven and the sides of my nose look extra dark. That’s because my skin is still peeling almost 3 weeks after using the soap.

Update: I’ve been using the soap for 22 days now and here’s a before and after picture:

As you can see, my skin has become even fairer on the right. You might think how my knuckles were positioned differently between pics affected the color of my skin but zero in on the skin below the wrist.

This was taken exactly 8 days apart and the difference speaks for itself. I stopped using the soap on my face after the 2-week mark because I’ve been breaking out heavily. Again, not sure if the soap is the culprit since I’m also testing out different skin care products.

Final Thoughts

So I used the soap for a total of 23 days, not bad for a whitening soap this tiny. I had a teensy bit of the soap left but it is no longer usable so I threw it away.

The whitening effect is gradual and the results are quite subtle. But it does work and that’s the most important thing about the Belo Intensive Whitening Extra Moisture Bar.

However, at less than PhP 100 per tiny bar, I thought this product is a little steep. I saw other brands offering similar products in packs of 3s that cost PhP 120! And each bar was massive! Sure, you’re probably paying for the extra glycerin and other manufacturing costs but I wish the Belo brand would give more of the product at a reasonable price.

This is the same issue I had with another Belo product. I wish the brand would charge less if you’re getting less product. I’ve no problems paying more if I’m getting my money’s worth.

Will I repurchase the Belo Intensive Whitening Extra Moisture Bar? Probably not, it doesn’t really stand out from all the other whitening soaps I’ve tried before. That being said, I’ve only tried, like, a couple of other whitening soaps in the past so take that for what it is.

Clinique Moisture Surge Mini Haul

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As you know, aging sucks and I’m borderline obsessed with skin care because I’m holding onto what little youth I have left. I thought I’d show you a smol skin care haul!

I’m a huge fan of the Origins brand and the Make a Difference+ gel moisturizer is my go-to. But I was about to run out of moisturizer and I felt like trying something different! I’ve always been curious about Clinique’s Moisture Surge line, which is a cult favorite that’s been known to moisturize deeply and effectively. I suppose I wondered if this is a better moisturizer than the one I’m using right now so yes, I went right back to Clinique albeit temporarily. Also got the serum to go with it because again, aging sucks.

Clinique Moisture Surge

In the past, I was using Clinique’s famed 3 step routine for better skin. One of my faves from the line is the classic dramatically different moisturizer, the gel kind. Unfortunately, the gel just wasn’t enough for this Sahara-dry fez. The classic Dramatically Different face lotion isn’t any good because it broke me out.

Around that time, Origins was making a comeback in the PH and after trying out the Make a Difference moisturizer gel, I never looked back… till now.

Now the Moisture Surge extended relief moisturizer, I’ve always been curious how it compares to my other gel moisturizer. This product was always listed as one of the best in its class. In addition, I’ve always read glowing reviews so yes, I was pretty excited to try this out.

Clinique Moisture Surge

I got these at Robinson Galleria’s Clinique kiosk. Would’ve preferred to get these at Rustan’s but it was raining hard and I was stranded, haha!

I think the serum from the line just launched here in the PH. I was searching for the availability of this serum about two to three months ago and I couldn’t find a trace of it. And then, the serum was announced on Clinique’s Facebook page last July and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

Clinique Moisture Surge

The serum contains about 48 ml. of the product and it costs PhP2,800+, a little pricey compared to the Make a Difference serum, which costs the same but you do get 50 ml. of the product. I also got an eye cream, which I’m not quite familiar with. I got that on a whim.

With my purchase, I was gifted with a pouch of goodies. The pouch contains classic and contemporary products from the brand (all for dry, combination skin), including the Dramatically Different lotion, foaming cream cleanser, toner, a serum, and 2 pots of face and eye gel moisturizer from the Moisture Surge line)

Clinique Moisture Surge

My skin is in the perfect condition for road-testing a moisturizer because 1) I’ve been testing a new whitening soap so my skin is a dry, peeling mess and 2) air conditioner+ electric fan always on full blast. I’ve been testing these out for a couple of days now and right off the bat, I’d say I’m liking both products.

And that’s it for my mini haul, I hope these products will take my skin back to the mid-90s!

#SYLOSUCKS: The Ending

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You remember how I went on and on about the whole #SYLOSUCKS issue last year (You can check out these posts here, here, and here)? I may have found closure.

No, Steve Hammond didn’t pay me but one of his ex-employees got in touch with me and revealed quite a number of information related to the issue’s aftermath. It was an enlightening conversation I have to say:

The issue was not about the payment that was never made  – let me be clear, I got over the fact that I was duped a long time ago. I am not expecting to be paid at all, especially now that it’s been a year since the issue started. It was the fact that the unpaid posts were posted under a different author and published without consent that I have issues with:

Let me also stress that Steve Hammond took down the posts 2 months after I found out that my articles were published. That means, the moment I lost contact with the guy, I didn’t know my work was posted for two whole months. The damage was already done. Kudos to my coworker for having the decency to get the author name dropped.

I deleted some parts of the convos because they were sensitive information. Below, my former co-worker said she thought I got paid after ranting about the issue online:

We had a long conversation and it made me feel better. At that time, we were an all-Filipino team and weirdly enough, I felt betrayed that none of them helped, none reached out. It was silly, thinking that because I’m pretty sure I was being selfish, they have their own problems.

Anyhoo, yes, all questions since this dramz started have been answered. Still feeling pissed about my stuff being stolen but at some point, I need to let this go. Thanks to you, my dear, for filling me in. Let’s hope no freelancer would be duped by this scammer ever again. To you, Steve Hammond, I cannot wait for karma to slap you where it hurts.

And to freelancers out there, always keep the convos so if things go awry, you have all the receipts. Now let’s get back to all things bright and sunshiny!

Review: Belo Baby Talc-Free Powder

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The Belo Beauty brand is killing it with every product launch. But I pay no mind to Belo’s skin care products because the thing I’m eyeing on is the Belo Baby Talc-Free Powder. So why am I reviewing baby powder when I don’t even have a spawn? It’s because I’m one of those weird people who still use baby powder.

Yes, I admit it, I still use baby powder but only when I don’t have foundation on. It’s how I was raised, okay? You’d be surprised at how nice baby powder is when setting concealers.

What is It: Belo Baby Talc-Free Powder

The Belo Baby Talc-Free Powder is, as the name implies, a talc-free baby powder made with maize and rice powder. According to the brand, the maize and rice powder are finely milled to achieve that silky, velvety texture.

As you know, talcum powder’s been quite controversial as of late. In fact, A Los Angeles jury recently ordered Johnson & Johnson – the maker of the most popular baby powder in the world – to pay an eye-watering $417 million to an ex-customer who developed ovarian cancer after using their baby powder on her genital area for years.

Sure, it took decades for the victim to develop cancer but this is a grim reminder that the stuff isn’t 100% safe. The Belo Baby Talc-Free Powder is a safer alternative to talcum-based baby powder because the ingredients are 100% safe and non-irritating.

Performance

Right off the bat, I’d say the powder isn’t as fine as your average baby powder but it’s definitely finer than your basic cornstarch-based baby powder. It has a mild powdery scent that I don’t really care for. I wish the Belo Brand made this fragrance-free so it’s even less irritating for babies but we can’t have all the things we want in life so that’s fine.

The Belo Baby Talc-Free Powder comes in a round plastic dispenser and with a puff included. I thought that was a nice touch. Just pop the cover, give the dispenser a good shake and you got a fair amount of the product on the puff.

Just pat the puff all over the face and you get a surprisingly smooth finish. I was expecting the powder to be grainy as hell but I was pleased to learn that the product being finely milled is not just lip service at all.

Since this powder has zero pigment, it does nothing but set the foundation or concealer. It does surprisingly well in terms of reducing oiliness throughout the wear. The wear time is pretty short at 2 hours or so. You have to keep reapplying the product to cut the shine.

Final Thoughts

Kudos to the Belo Brand for developing a safer alternative to talc-based baby powder. I wish other brands would follow suit. The Belo Baby Talc-Free Powder surprises with its smooth, velvety texture. In terms of keeping skin fresh, the product does surprisingly well considering that it’s not meant to be applied on the face.

My only issue is the price versus the amount of product you get. The Belo Baby Talc-Free Powder costs PhP 219 at Watson’s it contains about 65 grams of the product. A medium-sized bottle of regular baby powder contains about 100 grams of the product for PhP 30+++ so you’re getting way, way less from the Belo baby powder for the price.

I know the ingredients are expensive since the Belo Brand was not using talcum, which is a cheap material for baby powder. The milling process could be expensive too so that factors into the final price. Still, 200 bucks for a small container of baby powder is pretty steep. If you have a baby, you’ll use up a tub in a heartbeat so I’m unsure if this will be a hit among regular consumers. But if you’re all about quality, this is a terrific baby powder!

Will I use it for my future baby? Who knows man. If the brand comes up with a larger sized version of this product and the price is reasonable, I don’t see why not. Overall, highly recommended.