Look What Came in the Mail Today

After 10,000 years or 37 days to be exact  my Nose Magic has finally arrived. I thought I would never ever get to receive it. I don't know why it took so long since on their website it says it takes around 7 days for it to be delivered in the Philippines. 

Anyway, I decided to order this because of the raves I've read in a beauty forum. I wanted to see for myself if it really does work. You can get one for yourself online and you can pay for it thru your credit card or thru Western Union. I payed for mine thru the latter method and it costed me Php851.50.


For more information on the product you can visit their FAQ page by clicking here.


I'd give an update after using it for a month.
Till then!

Purederm Deep Moisture Hand Mask

I got this hand mask at Watsons weeks ago since they were buy one get one free. Normally, a piece would cost Php79.75 but since it’s on promotion a piece would only cost less than Php40. I would not have bought it  if it weren’t on promo as I find it pricey and I’m pretty satisfied applying my Aveeno lotion on my hands whenever I need some moisturization. Anyway, I went and purchased 3 and got myself 6 pieces. Yey!

Here’s what Purederm has to say about this Deep Moisture Hand Mask:

The Purederm Deep Moisture Hand Mask Almond is an intense moisture treatment that restores suppleness to dry, rough, overworked hands. Enriched with Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Camellia Japonica Oil,Opuntia Tuna Extract and other natural antioxidants and emollients, this newly designed sheet type hand mask penetrates quickly & deeply to protect, nourish, and moisturize skin. After just one use, you will feel dramatically improved skin tone and texture!    

Directions on how to use the hand mask as printed on the back of the packaging:

1. Wash your hands with warm water
2. Open the pocket and wear hand masks
3. Wear vinyl gloves over hand masks
4. After 20-30 minutes put off the vinyl gloves and hand masks

I recommend preparing the vinyl gloves first before putting on the hand mask since it would be hard to put the vinyl gloves when the hands are already soaked with the essence of the hand mask. Trust me, I wasn’t able to put on the vinyl gloves at my first use since my hands are already soaked. Oh well at least I’ve learned the trick for my 2^nd use.

The mask had a faint smell of almonds which I like as it was very soothing. The tapes that came with the mask are very practical. It secures the hand mask and gloves in place so you would be assured that it wouldn’t slip off your hands. You can multi-task by typing on your computer or reading a book with the hand mask is on.  The Purederm hand mask can be a great D-I-Y hand spa treatment at home. You can try to use your favorite hand scrub first to exfoliate and put this mask on next. Then, afterwards you can apply your favorite hand cream/ lotion but you can probably skip that since this mask has really great moisturizing properties. It really does make a difference after one use on the moisturization department though don’t expect anything about the improved skin tone part. I’m amazed as I wasn’t expecting much from the mask. My hands were moisturized for the whole day. It would be great for pampering yourself or for use during special occasions like going on a date, perhaps? You wouldn’t know if you’d be holding hands with your date after all.  You better be prepared and leave a good impression, right?

Oh and this hand mask is also a great treat for moms since they do a lot of household chores. Their hands need all the TLC they could get. I gave one to my mom and she loved it as much as I did. 

Veet Sensitive Skin Hair Removal Cream

I have been using this product for a long time already that I've lost track of how many tubes I had consumed. I am balbon and I prefer to be hair-less as skin appears neater and smoother looking that way. Veet hair removal cream has three variants and I use the one for sensitive skin since I have that skin type. The 100ml tube lasts me for a month and I use it once a week for my arms and legs. I apply it first on my arms and then on my legs and leave it on for about 8 minutes then take the spatula that comes with it to remove the cream.  Veet for sensitive skin can be left on for a maximum of 10 minutes. The 100ml tube costs Php224.75 while the trial sized one costs Php99 and has 25ml. If you're new to the product I suggest picking up the 25ml tube to test whether you like the product or not but if you're already a regular user of veet then buying the regular sized product is a much wiser option as it is more cost effective.  With a little bit of math, it only cost around Php56 per usage to get rid of unwanted hair. That's pretty inexpensive IMO. Though it is made for sensitive skin I still get some red spots in my arms or legs after using the product however fret not as it disappears by itself after less than an hour. I suggest not using any scented lotion after using this as it may irritate the skin. I love that this doesn't give me chicken skin or ingrown hairs. However, I find the scent is weird. It doesn't bother me much than before though because I've gotten used to it.

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay

Price less than Php500 (I can’t recall the exact price since the last time I purchased this was last February)

Size 1lb

     I found out about this product through a random video I have watched on YouTube. I got curious about it thereafter and started to search reviews for it on the internet. All reviews I’ve read seem to be raving about this product so I immediately wanted to try it out for myself.  To my surprise it is even available in our country! So I went in to the nearest healthy options store to purchase one. (This review is long overdue as I am on my second tub already!  And btw a tub lasts for more than 6 months on me. This is such a good deal.)

The Verdict

     I have been religiously using this for more than a year and I think it really does a good job at deep cleaning the face. I love how the mask feels on my face especially when the mask starts to harden (that’s the time when you really feel like your face is pulsating). I use the mask twice a week and leave it on until it’s completely dry. I really don’t know how long I leave it on since I watch TV or tinker with my computer while I’m on it.

     According to the directions written at the back of the tub, use a non-metal bowl and utensil. I use a plastic spoon to scoop product out on the tub and put it on a plastic bowl to mix it with water to form the mixture that I put on my face. Usually I scoop out a tablespoonful of clay and mix it with about 2 tablespoons of water. The consistency should not be too thick or too watered down otherwise it would be difficult to apply.  I use the e.l.f. foundation brush to apply the mask on my face. I apply a thicker amount on my nose and cheeks as I feel that those areas need more deep cleaning than the rest. Washing off the mask can be messy and difficult.  It’s hard to get the whole mask off with just water alone so I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub to scrub off the bits and pieces that’s left on my face and as well as to help remove the blackheads and whiteheads. There might be slight redness after use but it will disappear in no time. The final result: I am left with soft and smooth skin.        

Olay Total Effects Ultra Nourishing Shower Cream + Body Butter

Price:Php 250  BOGO
Size: 295ml
The breakdown
Php 0.42 cents per ml




     We live in the tropics and when it's summer time we experience twice the heat. Our skin suffers from the scorching heat making our skin extra dry. My skin is no exception so when I went out and saw this bottle of Olay marked with ultra nourishing I immediately grabbed one as my skin needs the nourishment and it's also a good deal considering it's buy one, get one. 

The smell
     I can't describe the scent but all i can say is that It smells divine. 

The consistency
     It has a thick cream consistency with a bit of sheen to it. Definitely not your ordinary shower gel. Oh yeah that's why they call it a shower cream plus body butter, no less. 

The verdict
     It's rich and thick and at the same time it lathers pretty well. I wasn't expecting that but anyway it's a plus for me since I like my products to lather well.  This product did nourish my skin as my skin did not feel tight after having it washed out.  I love it! I gave the other bottle to my mom so she could test the 7-in-1 anti-aging claims of the product. Heck even if this doesn't have any anti-aging claims, it's still worth buying. It's perfect for the summer and for people with dry skin. But even though summer is already over, I still continue to use this body cream to pamper my body. 

Final thoughts

     My only gripe with this product is that the printed year in the bottle is 2009 and I'm hoping that this is the manufacturing date and not the expiry date otherwise I would have used an expired product (that is, assuming that the product's shelf life is two years) maybe that's why they have it on buy one take one promo.

Carmex Original Flavor Moisturizing Lip Balm

Price Php100

Size 7.5g

I have dry lips and I suffer easily from chapped lips to wind burns. After searching the internet for a good and inexpensive lipbalm, I found out about Carmex and decided to purchase it based on the positive reviews I have read. It is available in 3 kinds of packaging: the one on the squeezable tubes, sticks, and jars. I chose to buy the one on the jar as it contains the most product out of three, all at the same cost. (the most bang for my buck) The ones on the stick packaging contain 4g of product but it has SPF 15 though.

Smell

It smells menthol-y which sort of reminds me of the smell of Vicks Vapor Rub. Some people may shy away from the product because of the smell but to me I don’t really mind the scent. I actually like it.

Consistency

It is waxy and slightly thick.

Verdict

I’ve been using this twice a day for over six months and my pot is still half-full. I love the cool, tingly feeling when I apply it. It does a good job in moisturizing my lips however there are times when it’s moisturizing capabilities are not enough for my lips (it happens rarely so it’s almost negligible ). I think the only thing lacking in this product is SPF. I’m guilty of not having any lip products with SPF (I know it's bad) but when I finish this pot, I’d probably purchase the Carmex Original stick with SPF 15.

Neutrogena Fine Fairness Cream

Price Php774.75 for 50g (That’s about 15.50 per gram)

I purchased this cream last May since I felt like my face needed a little more moisturization. Like the Neutrogena lotion, it looks sleek and the bottle is quite heavy as well. Both products have the similar smell-light and not overpowering. The cream has a thicker consistency compared with the lotion. 

It comes in a tub packaging so some people would have hygienic issues with this since you have to use your fingers to dip into the product over and over again and bacteria might transfer into the product and contaminate it. This of course can be prevented by making sure your hands are clean when dipping your fingers into the tub. By the way, I use this as my night cream but you can use this during the day if you need heavier moisturization (if you use it during the day, make sure to use sun protection since this one doesn’t have SPF). I suggest going easy on the application and don’t over apply since it can sting especially on the nose area and make skin feel heavy and oily.     

Neutrogena Fine Fairness SPF 30 Lotion

(Picture  was taken from yesstyle.com. My bottle is busted so I didn't bother posting it)

Price Php720 for 40ml (that’s 18 per ml)

Neutrogena Fine Fairness lotion is a daily moisturizing whitening lotion that helps protect skin against the appearance of melanin and uneven pigmentation for a healthy, fair and translucent glow.

I’ve had this product since December and I have been using it daily during the daytime after I’ve cleansed my face. It’s been more than six months and I still have about 30% product left so it is really economical and easy on the pocket. The packaging looks really sleek but a little heavy. I accidentally dropped mine and the hard plastic case got broken and chipped like crazy but good thing the product didn’t spill the over. That would be such a total waste. So I guess the heavy bottle has a good purpose especially for clumsy people like me.

Plus I could pull out the product from the plastic bottle and see how much is left. (You probably couldn't if your bottle isn't broken like mine)

I love that it has SPF 30 so I need not use anymore sun block. It has a faint smell but it is not at all irritating to the nose. I also love how it instantly brightens my face after application. It’s not like WOW but there’s definitely a difference when I use this Neutrogena lotion.Although I don’t know if I became whiter after using this product as I am already on the light side to begin with but it does help on the brightening side. We don’t what to look white and dull, don’t we?  And like other Neutrogena products I’ve used before, this one also didn’t break me out. (Yay! I ♥ Neutrogena! ) But one thing that I didn’t like is that it is not moisturizing enough. Even with that, I’d still repurchase this product as the pros definitely outweigh the cons. But I wouldn't be reaching for a new one soon as I still have some product left that would probably last me for one more month. 【ツ】

Oilatum Shower Gel

My other aunt sent a couple of tubes of Oilatum Shower Gel for me to use for my eczema a couple of months ago. The main ingredient of this product is light liquid paraffin and it is supposed to soothe and moisturize skin all the while relieving it of itchiness and irritation caused by eczema. I think you can also use this too if you have dry skin. It’s fragrance-free and can be both used by children and adults.

To use this shower gel, first wash up using the regular soap that you use. (In my case, I just use the good ole Dove White Beauty Bar. I’ve been using that soap since my high school years. I do try other soaps when I get bored with Dove but I always go back to using it anyways). Then after doing so, use a small amount of Oilatum Shower Gel onto the dry areas of the body or parts affected with eczema and massage it for a bit. Rinse the area/s, pat dry, and you’re good to get out of the shower. This is a non-foaming shower gel. I find it a bit weird because of course I expect shower gels to lather up. I’m not going to complain though as it keeps my skin from flare-ups. (Hmm I guess non-foaming washes are effective on me. First, Benzac for my acne and now Oilatum for my eczema!) I would suggest taking it easy when it comes to application since too much of the gel can make your skin look and feel greasy. A little goes a long way and a tube would last a couple of months. I’m currently on my third tube now.

I don’t know though if this shower gel is available locally but I know we have Oilatum soap here. I have also tried the soap in the past and it is a good product too.

If you’re looking for something that would help you with eczema or dry skin, this product might be of help to you.

L'oreal Absolut Repair Shampoo

Php1500 for 1500ml

I wasn't really going to purchase this product at the salon however the phrase for very damaged hair got me. My poor hair has been colored and straightened plus it also doesn't help that I use various hair appliances once in a while too so very damaged hair it is. 

First thing I have to say is this shampoo is BIG. I share this with my sister and we've been using this shampoo for a little over six months and we still have some left. Loreal Absolut Repair also comes in a smaller bottle but it is cheaper to buy this 1.5L bottle. I wouldn't recommend getting this though if you are the type who changes shampoos frequently. This can last for a year seriously if you use it by yourself. I wish the product came with a pump since it’s heavy and not to mention hard to tilt the bottle especially when you already have wet hands. It’s hard to control how much shampoo comes out from the bottle.  

The shampoo smells nice. It has a creamy consistency however it doesn't lather up as well as I would like it. I've noticed that it made my hair feel harder to the touch that's because it probably strengthens the hair. I don't know but a simple conditioner can fix that so no big deal. For over half a year of usage, it made my hair in better shape but I would say that it wasn't an incredible product. What helped my hair the most though are frequent trims and less use of dyes and hair tools. 

Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner

Price Php276.50 for 150ml (that’s about 1.84 per ml)

Prior to using this Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner, I previously used Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Dual Action Toner but I think it was phased out as I don’t see them in the stores anymore. Too bad I loved that toner so when I ran out I just bought the alcohol-free one and I’m going to do a review about it today.

 Basically, I love that it is alcohol-free—it doesn’t sting when applied on the face plus it is not drying. This toner also keeps oils at bay though the oil control lasts just a couple of hours. I still have to blot my face in the middle of the day. It has a mild scent but I don’t think it can be irritating. I have sensitive acne-prone skin and I have not experienced any irritation and break outs with this. I use this toner every time after washing my face to remove extra dirt or oil off my face before I apply my Benzac gel. I use about 3-4 drops of this toner each time and that’s pretty much all you will ever need for the entire face so this bottle lasts a long time. One bottle lasts me about three and a half months. ツ

 

Careline Lip Gloss Enriched with Vitamin E in 104, 105, and 106

Careline Lip Gloss Enriched with Vitamin E has 4.4g of product housed in a cute test tube packaging . It is affordable at only Php60 a piece. 

I decided to give them a try and I picked out colors 104, 105, and 106.   


I was expecting these glosses be a little bit sheer (something like that of elf plumping lip glazes) but I was dead wrong! These lipglosses are uber pigmented that they could pass off as liquid lipsticks. I ike the scent of the product as it reminds me of watermelons. The consistency is thick and but it goes smoothly on the lips. I don't like that it's sticky, though.    


104 is like a barbie pink color 
105 is a deep red color and
106 is a nude-ish color

104 makes me look anemic (how sad I was so looking forward to trying this the most out of the three, oh well). 106 is way too glittery for my taste. I would have loved it otherwise if wasn't  too glittery. 105 looked pretty good but I don't really see myself wearing red gloss everyday.


Anyway below is a picture of the 106 gloss on my lips. Pardon the messy application. Red is a tricky color to apply.

 I'm only wearing the 106 lipgloss in that picture. See what I mean when I say uber pigmented? 


Overall, I like it (1 of the 3 glosses) but I'm not way over the moon on the product. 
Have you tried this product yet? 
I'm willing to try out the other colors though. Any recommendations? 

The Face Shop HD-Perfect BB Cream SPF 30/PA++

     

     I’m not so knowledgeable about BB creams. The Face Shop is the only brand I’ve tried so far. I didn’t want to be too bold and try out other brands as I don’t want the risk of breaking out. The same goes for my skincare; if something worked out for me I’d continue using it for as long as it remains effective on me. Although if I get bored with a certain product, I’d experiment using others from the same brand.  I took a chance once on the Pure Berry BB cream and I was glad that I didn’t break out with it so when I finally ran out , it was a no-brainer for me to go to Face Shop to pick up my next BB cream. This time I chose the HD-Perfect BB cream. It came in two sizes: the trial size which contains 20ml (Php 495) and the full sized one (Php 995). I got the trial sized first to see whether I like the product or not. As much as possible though when it comes to BB creams, I don’t like getting the full sized ones because I don’t feel like I’d be able to use it all up before their expiry. My Pure Berry BB cream lasted about 8 months on me. Anyway going back to the product, I feel like it would last for a couple of months too since you only need a little amount per application. You also don’t want to over apply as you might end up looking like a vampire.

     This BB cream claims to meticulously conceal skin flaws and blemishes while covering widened pores and uneven skin surface to provide smooth HD skin appearance. This one has a slightly thick consistency but it's no problem blending it on the face. It definitely feels a little heavy on the skin since it has a better coverage than the Pure Berry one. I’d say it probably has medium coverage but it wouldn’t totally conceal pores and dark circles so I suggest using a concealer for the latter.  I personally don’t use it on a daily basis as I feel like it might clog my pores. I have used this for a couple of special occasions and top it off with the elf HD powder. The combination of the two products look good on photos. I’d like to try the Hydro Splash BB cream next but in the meantime I have to finish this one first. 

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

Prior to discovering this product, I used to use the lotion that my dermatologist would prescribe me. It is quite pricey at Php500 for 100ml. Since I had to apply it twice a day all over my body, the tube would just last barely a month. I find it expensive for me since I have to use it for a long time to keep my eczema under control plus I also spend on other skin care products. My aunt abroad then decided to send me a couple of bottles of Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion to try since that’s what my cousin, who also suffers from eczema, uses as her lotion.       

(picture taken from Aveeno's website)

It has natural colloidal oatmeal which was perfect since my previous lotion contained that ingredient too. I would have to say that this is not a treatment for healing eczema rather it works to prevent it. I used this cream (which I shamelessly forgot the name of) to treat existing eczema but that was way back in high school when my eczema was full blown. I don’t get new patches of itchy, flaky skin anymore so there is no need for me to use that cream, so hence I forgot what it’s called.

Going back to the product, this lotion is fragrance-free which is very good for people with eczema or sensitive skin. It claims to moisturize for 24 hours but I don’t think it really does but nonetheless Aveeno does an awesome job moisturizing the skin (actually even better than the lotion I used before). Another great thing about the product is that it’s not too thick and sticky which doesn’t make skin feel heavy and greasy. Yay for that!

I am using this lotion twice a day. I have used about 8- 532ml bottles of this lotion up to date. A bottle typically lasts about 3 months with daily use so it’s a lot cheaper than my previous lotion that my derma prescribed me (don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bash my derma it’s just that who doesn’t want to save some moolah). It is available locally and I have seen this product at Shopwise and selected Watson’s stores. The price at Watson’s  MOA is around Php850 if I remember correctly which is not so bad since it can last for months.