Beauty

4 Hours Later… New Hair, Who Dis?

July 24, 2021 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

It took a good 3-4 hours but I finally had my hair straightened. It was an ordeal, let me tell you. And my hair was so fragile, it almost burned too.

Here’s a picture of me all smiles while my hair is being treated:

… and after:

I get my hair straightened every damn year but I always dread the entire process because I just don’t have the time these days. But I’m very happy with the results! And I miss having short hair too. What do you think?

The next plan is to have my pits lasered off to get rid of the post-partum hyperpigmentation – yes, bothered enough with the discoloration to laser my pits off. I found a really nice skincare clinic here in my little town and I will be dropping by soon for a consultation.

Starting a Zoya Nailpolish Collection

June 29, 2021 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

My website feels a little abandoned, isn’t it? I know I definitely disappeared for months but don’t worry, I’m still here!

I got a bit busier the past few months because I just had a baby (Rocky’s almost 10 months old!) and am managing a couple of family businesses with the hubs. That, and I have been juggling several writing jobs — I got my hands full, obviously.

Speaking of hands, I find myself regressing lately. I’ve gone back to gardening, I am enjoying getting my hands dirty, hahaha! That, and I decided to go back to getting my nails done on a regular basis.

I stopped getting my hands done when I had my first son simply because I was so busy thinking about shedding the baby weight lol Now that I have a second baby, I feel like I’ve been neglecting myself. My husband actually pointed out to me, that I tend to spend all of my time working and taking care of the kids and that I need to go back to my hobbies to relax.

Wendy

While in quarantine, I missed having my nails done. After most businesses opened up, I decided to let go of my old nail tools and start a new collection. I started with a set of nail trimming tools by Mr. Green. I got the set at Lazada for PHP1600 or something. Love the quality!

I also bought several bottles of Zoya nail polish. I chose this brand because I’ve tried it back when I was still in the city many moons ago and I remember how amazing the staying power was. The first time I bought these, I think I went for 7 bottles. I have 10-ish now I think and I bought the ones below yesterday:

L to R: Hudson, Maya, Clementine, Happi, Flora

So far, I tried Wendy, Tinsley, and Olivera. I LOVE Tinsley so far, the staying power is amazeballs! Olivera is a really unique color but not something I’d like to wear all the time. The color is exactly that of an oil slick, greenish with a dark base. I like my nail polish bright and happy or glittery and festive. I bought Olivera because it’s unique but so far, not so crazy about it. It has the shortest wear too. Two days and already a chip.

I’m so excited to try Clementine and Hudson! I will be expanding my collection by adding more mauves and taupes real soon. Oh! And metallics, I LOVE GLITTERS!

Anyhoo, that’s what I’ve been up to lately. Shall I tell you about my updated skincare routine? I will soon!

Review: DR. Ci Labo Labo Super-Keana Lotion [You NEED This in Your Life]

December 27, 2019 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

Hey guys, I’m back doing beauty reviews! Apart from having my hands full, I stopped using makeup after giving birth. I don’t feel my best most days and was not motivated to beat this face any further. But I’ve slowly dropped the extra weight and started feeling like my old self again.

No, I haven’t piled on the makeup but I focused on skincare even more. After giving birth, my skin was a sad mess but slowly, the dry patches were gone (I will write a separate post on how I restored my skin post-pregnancy). But my skin looked lackluster, the pores are larger, and I feel like my skin has become blotchy. That’s why I’ve been searching for the right product to even out my skin tone, brighten my skin, and minimize the pores.

Thankfully, my sister, who is an even better skincare junkie than yours truly, gave me this toner as a pasalubong: DR. Ci Labo Labo Labo Super-Keana Lotion!

Darlings, I say this with no exaggeration at all, you need this is in your life. The results are the reason why I felt compelled to do these product reviews again. This product also inspired me to take better care of my skin and shop for similar products.

What is it: DR. Ci Labo Labo Labo Super-Keana Lotion

According to the brand, Super-Keana Lotion “tackles the pores from all fronts, to make them tight, upright and invisible to the eye. This is a lightweight toner that unclogs the pores, refines the skin texture, and hydrates the skin:

UNCLOG – with AHA and Lactic Acid

TIGHTEN – with Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid SHIELD – with Pore Care Complex Blackheads are formed when the pore is clogged.

The DR. Ci Labo Labo Labo Super-Keana Lotion is enriched with water-soluble collagen and hyaluronic acid that give the skin a youthful, smoother appearance.

It has a refreshing orange scent and a cooling effect on the skin. I typically steer clear off orange-scented products because the fragrance triggers my migraine but this one has a light, pleasant smell.

The toner itself (the Japanese call it a “lotion”) looks like your average toner. It feels and looks like water. Just soak a cotton pad with the stuff, spread the product all over the skin after cleansing, and then leave the cotton pad on your problem areas. In my case, it’s my nose and chin, I have blackheads and whiteheads on these areas. I just leave the damp cotton pad on for a good 2 minutes and then follow up with my moisturizer.

Quality and Packaging

My sister got me one in a limited release packaging. She said that the product is often paired with other skincare products. The lotion came with a full-sized Neutrogena sunscreen spray, which I thought was so cool!

The product itself is housed in a simple plastic bottle with a silver screw cap. It feels so high in quality, the packaging. It’s not eco-friendly but I am a sucker for great packaging and the Labo Labo brand looks so luxe with this kind of limited release packaging.

Performance

I know this will come across as an exaggeration but guys, I’ve only used the DR. Ci Labo Labo Labo Super-Keana Lotion 3 times and already saw results. This is the truth.

I hate posting unflattering pictures but just to show you the difference, here is an unintended before and after (I say this because the BEFORE pic was not intended to be compared with the after pic, it was a random close-up photo that I took in two different times but of the same month) The lighting was the only thing that’s different between these photos. One was taken indoors and the other at the mall.

In the first image, my skin looks rough and dry because it is. It’s not so obvious but I had dark spots also. The sides of my nose, for instance, are discolored. In the other picture, my skin looks smooth, clear, and bright. No makeup on both images, no retouching, no editing, no filter. These are all un-enhanced images.

I was so elated by the results, I literally scoured the four corners of the internet to buy a couple of bottles as a backup. This product is not available in the PH and I didn’t want to get this on Lazada for fears of getting fakes. I got extras from yesstyle.com. If you can hook me up with a local seller, that would be lovely.

A 200 ml. bottle of DR. Ci Labo Labo Labo Super-Keana Lotion retails for PHP1,400+, which I thought was reasonable given that you’re getting a big bottle of the product. A bottle is supposed to last a month or so when it’s used twice daily. I am only using this at night because the stuff is drying.

DR. Ci Labo Labo Labo Super-Keana Lotion has AHAs so it will speed up cell turnover and promote collagen production. The downside is that, it causes dryness, at least initially. Right now, the sides of my nose are peeling but this should go away once my skin has adjusted to the toner.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been dealing with the troubles that come with skin-aging, if you have dry, rough, and blotchy skin, you NEED this in your life. I’ve been using this toner for more than two weeks now and the effects have been consistent. I saw and felt the effects just a few days of using this toner, applied once every night.

What the Heck is a Beauty Fridge (and Why You NEED One Right Now)

November 8, 2019 by Tina Lee 2 Comments

Let’s talk about something totally frivolous but surprisingly useful: a beauty fridge. Also known as a cosmetics fridge, a kikay fridge, a car fridge, or a skincare fridge, a beauty fridge is exactly that: it’s a small fridge for your skincare products.

My dwindling passion for self-care was all fired up once again after trying out this really good Japanese toner, which I will review very soon. This led to me, going on a shopping spree, for more beauty products because, you know, why not.

As I was going through product after product, I realized that skincare products feel nicer when they cool the skin. This isn’t a unique idea at all, in fact, I know most beauty junkies store their skincare products in the fridge.

But I thought, I know some Asian beauty junkies use an actual mini fridge for their skincare products and perhaps, I should get one too. For, you know, research. What followed was a fervent, two-hour e-window shopping on Lazada looking for the most perfect skincare fridge and when I found ~THE ONE~, I shamelessly asked my husband to get it for me.

[Thank you to my dashing benefactor for giving me all the useless, most ridiculous things that I ask for]

Two days later, my beauty fridge came, behold:

I chose the white one because I’ve plans of filling the door with stickers. The stickers are taking too long to arrive but whatever. I ordered this from Lazada via Latest Gadget and honestly, this is the same model that some insta stores are selling but is much, much cheaper from this store. There are even cheaper ones but I chose this model because the side door has a tiny shelf for more beauty stuff. See?

Setting up this baby is easy because it’s essentially a plug and play device but it does have a cooling/heating option so you have to choose the right setting first.

Once plugged in, it works quietly, I couldn’t even hear it humming. This beauty fridge comes with a removable horizontal divider but I took it off because some of my skincare products are tall. Filled it with stuff and waited for the mini-fridge to do its magic (the orange bottle is the toner I was talking about!)

Don’t expect the mini-fridge to be freezing cold though. It won’t produce ice at all. On the manual, it says that this is more of a cooler than a mini-fridge and I agree, it will just leave your stuff cool to the touch. I love how it cools my toners, the application feels so nice and refreshing.

The body of the mini-fridge itself is made from hard, durable plastic. It’s not gonna survive WWIII but I think it’s durable enough to withstand a few bumps. There is a handle at the top of the mini-fridge so you can tote this baby around like the badass that you are, lol It also comes with two types of electric cords, one for home use and another for car use.

The white mini-fridges are currently sold out but the pink ones are still available in case you’d like to score a beauty fridge [NOT A SPONSORED POST, just helping a sister out]. So ya, I suggest you get one. It’s not expensive at all. I know cooling your skincare products won’t extend the shelf life of the products but it does make application even more pleasant.

BTW, My website is in the midst of a migration process so not sure if everything’s showing right.

Review: Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum

May 5, 2019 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

Some skin care products are good, others just leave you speechless. When it comes to the results, the Origins Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum just leaves you speechless. It’s so good. If it wasn’t for the steep price, I would add this to my skin care regimen, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

What is it: Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum

This potent serum by Dr. Andrew Weil is fortified with Sea Buckthorn plus skin-repairing Reishi, irritant-soothing Chaga and Cordyceps mushrooms, long used in Chinese medicine to heal, promote longevity and improve health. Used faithfully, skin is transformed from reactive to resilient and from stressed to soothed to reveal a healthier, more radiant appearance.

This is a lightweight serum that skins in the skin within seconds. It has a light, herbal scent that dissipates quickly.

Quality and Packaging

The Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum comes in a green plastic bottle with a compact pump. I love a skin care product that comes with this kind of pump because you have more control over the amount of product as you pump. Also, the pump has a twist lock so it’s travel-friendly! Overall, the packaging is top-notch. We go to the city fairly regularly and I’ve zero problems traveling with this serum, it’s so handy.

The quality of the product itself is equally amazing. The serum is formulated for stressed skin, which is pretty much the kind of skin I have post-partum. I use this serum in conjunction with the FRESH Vitamin Nectar Moisture Glow face cream.

Performance

I know I mentioned the current state of my skin after giving birth, but FYI, my skin took on a leathery, rough texture post-partum. It’s been like this for weeks! I’m not sure what happened, but my skin has never been this dry before. And I am drinking a lot of water these days!

I use the serum at night after washing and patting my face dry. I then apply a layer of moisturizer over the serum.

Because this product is not designed to hydrate the skin, it’s not really doing much about my dry patches. However, using this serum consistently made my skin bright and bouncy. My skin is not prone to redness although it can get splotchy sometimes. With this, I don’t have to worry about discoloration at all. My skin looks even toned.

Final Thoughts

I love this serum! It works so well, especially for skin that’s prone to irritation, redness, and/or inflammation. It’s hella expensive, but it works and I highly recommend it if you have the extra dough to spare. I suggest getting this as a part of a gift set so you could save more. I got mine from Origins’ holiday gift set and the serum came in full size, which was awesome.