St. Ives Blemish and Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub

picture taken from the St. Ives site

Product claims
Oil-free - 2% salicylic acid • dermatologist-tested • 100% natural exfoliants • 100% natural extracts

I've been buying this product even before it's packaging had changed. This is my favorite face exfoliator. It's inexpensive and lasts for ages as only little amount is needed every time. It's pretty abrasive so I suggest using this on your face with gentle circular motions as I bet you do not want to end up scrubbing your face raw. I use this scrub twice a week and I think it really helps my skin. On the label, it says that you can use the scrub 3 to 4 times a week for best results. This is an indispensable product on my skincare regimen together with the Benzac wash and Benzac gel.

I don't limit the use of this scrub on my face alone though as I also use it on other parts of my body --particularly the chest, back, and the bum area. These areas of the body are prone to pimples too and I think the salicyclic acid in this scrub helps those nasty blemishes under wraps. I use this on my body once a week or even more sometimes.  :)

Iwhite Whitening Pack

I haven't posted anything for the past couple of days in this blog as I've been a little bit busy. For today's post I'm doing a review on the iWhite whitening pack. I was inspired to write a review about them while I have the mask on at the very moment I'm writing this. 

Old iWhite packaging

Php 20 a piece

Iwhite whitening pack removes deep seated dirt, whiteheads, blackheads, dead skin, and other impurities as it whitens to reveal a radiant, glowing, younger-looking skin. Especially formulated with Morus Alba root extract to whiten dark skin and evens out discolorations, Panax Ginseng root extract to revitalize and improve skin condition and vitamins A,C,E and B5 to prevent premature aging.

The Story

After trying out and loving Iwhite Skin Whitening Vita Aqua Moisturizing Cream, I wanted to try out more products from iwhite. Since I already ran out of my Neutrogena Fine Fairness Mask, I went in and bought the iwhite mask. Keep in mind thought that the Neutrogena mask is a sheet type mask whereas iwhite is a peel off mask.

The Verdict

It smells a little weird. I was expecting the same scent as the iwhite cream but it’s not a major deal breaker as its not strong or irritating at all. The mask has a thick consistency but its not hard to apply on the face though its quite hard to wash off your fingers after applying the mask. The mask takes about 30 minutes to dry. Some may not have the patience for that but I don’t really mind it as I usually just let it sit on my face as I watch some random tv show. Once the mask is hard it is easy to peel it off the face. I was even able to take it out in one piece. It removed some of my facial hair (the ones in the sides of my forehead) Don’t ever put this near your brows unless you want them yanked out. My face felt smoother afterwards especially on the nose area. It can definitely take out whiteheads. 

They had changed their packaging quite recently. To the left is the old packaging and to the right is the new ones.  

Monea Powedose Hair Repair

Following my disappointment with L'oreal Powerdose, I chanced upon the Monea ones on Watsons. I figured what the heck and just give it a try since it's inexpensive at only Php190 for 250ml. Monea Powedose comes in three variants and I purchased the one that's for hair repair. The bottles come in bright and eye catching colors. They would definitely stand out in a sea of  different hair treatments but too bad these babies were placed on the bottom shelves of Watsons.

I don't like the scent of this product. I can't even describe the scent of it but it's really weird. There's also a bit of a problem with the packaging as it's hard to get the product out but storing the bottle upside down solves that problem.

Well onto the performance ofthe product, shall we?this product does make my hair soft. It doesn't make my hair greasy unlike other treatments I've tried before. After consuming a bottle, my hair was still in the same condition-still  brittle on the ends with split ends.  But overall it's a pretty decent hair treatment for the price but I reckon there's better hair treatments out there. I'm still on the lookout for my HG hair product. 

Iwhite Skin Whitening Vita Aqua Moisturizing Cream

Php 20 for a 6g sachet and Php169 for a 50g tube

I don’t know why the Neutrogena Fine Fairness lotion and cream are not doing much for me in the moisturizing department; well it wasn’t advertised for moisturizing in the first place anyway but more as a whitening solution. Those two products are not enough for me when I have my dry skin days. (I don’t know what’s up with my skin but usually when I’m at home it’s oily and when I go out its dry) One day when I’m about to go to class I noticed that my skin is flaking everywhere (like on the cheek area, nose area, mouth area, and heck even on the brow area!) and of course I did not want people to see me in that state so I made a quick stop to 7-11 and went to their mini section for personal care and grabbed one sachet.

The Verdict
I hurriedly applied it on my face, it smelt really nice and clean. But did it work? Oh yes! It did a good job in moisturizing my parched skin. The flakiness was gone after I have applied and massaged the cream on my face. I’m glad it worked otherwise I would not have gone to class on that day. From that day on I made sure to check on my face after leaving the house from time to time to see whether my face would start flaking up.

 I haven’t read what’s written on the packaging prior to applying it on my face and it was after that I applied it on that I’ve read it has vitamin e. I kinda panicked at that time since I had experienced breaking out with vitamin e. I was thinking to myself if I should wash it off immediately or allow it to stay on my face until after I get home. I dreaded waking up the next morning with a zit or worse, zits on my face. Fortunately, it didn’t break me out. I’ve used it a couple of times but not really on a daily basis since I only use this when I have class or when I go out. I use it with Neutrogena since it has SPF. 

I got about 8 applications in that Php20 pesos sachet. It was definitely worth it and inexpensive so I was very happy with that. I couldn’t resist buying the 50g tube after finishing the sachet. However, I cannot comment on the whitening claim though since I do not use this on a daily basis. Maybe I would be using this after I have finished my Neutrogena Fine Fairness cream. I would definitely recommend this for people with dry skin as it really does a good job in bringing moisture to the skin without the hefty price tag. I love that they come in sachets too so that you could try out the product first and see for yourself if you like it or not before buying a tube. I would even love it more if they were to come in a packaging like that of the Ponds no mess sachet so they can be conveniently stored in a purse without the worry that the contents may leak and make a mess inside your bag. 

Etude House Hot Style Bubble Hair Color in Natural Brown #3

I’ve never tried bubble hair dyes before and as a person who loves beauty products, naturally I got curious about them and wanted to try one out. I’ve been checking out Prettia and Palty on the internet and thought about ordering online but then I found out that Etude House also carries bubble hair dyes so I just went to the nearby Etude House store and got myself a box. I got lucky at that time since the stocks for the bubble hair color runs out fast. The Hot Style Bubble Hair Color by Etude House only comes in 4 colors, namely: Deep Black #1, Dark Brown #2, Natural Brown #3, and Wine Red #4.   The hair dye cost Php378. It’s pretty cheap compared to other bubble hair dyes out there which cost around Php650-700. The box contains the usual things that come in a DIY hair color kit except for the pump bottle, I guess.

It was fun to apply the dye on the hair. I love pumping out the foam from the bottle. I have medium length hair and there was more than enough of the hair dye to cover it. I left the dye on my hair for about 40 minutes (although on the box, I think you’re supposed to leave it for only 30 minutes). I washed the dye off my hair after and I kinda panicked when I felt how stiff my hair was but the treatment conditioner that came with the dye restored my hair back to its normal condition and even made it soft. Plus I loved the smell of the conditioner too.

I was really impressed how it lightened my black hair. Home DIY hair dye kits I’ve tried in the past didn’t really lighten my hair and colored my hair evenly. When I tried Revlon, it only managed to color the roots of my hair so the rest of hair was still dark. With the Etude House Bubble Hair Color, my hair lightened from roots down to the tips!

Here’s how my hair looked after I dried my hair. I looked haggard in this picture so that’s why I blurred out my face. You need not see my face here since this is a hair product review anyway. 
      

**Product pictures taken from etudehouse.co.kr

Beauty Blabber: What's So Good About Oils?

For today let's talk about oils. I just realized that I've been using two oils on a daily basis namely: extra virgin olive oil and rosehip oil. 

Let's first talk about the former. I slather evoo before every bath/shower. I find that by doing this, my skin doesn't dry out when I use bar soaps. I slather a thin layer of evoo before a quick shower while I apply a thicker layer for longer baths. Extra virgin olive oil, after all, is a natural and hypoallergenic way to moisturize skin plus it also has Vitamins A and E that help repair and stimulate skin  to make it smoother and healthier. I also apply a generous amount of evoo once a week on my hair for a good 30 minutes before shampooing as it makes my hair appear shinier. The oil can be tricky to wash off from the hair so I apply more shampoo on my hair than usual. 

The next oil I use is rosehip oil. The one I’m using is by Botany Works. I use this mainly on dark spots on my body left by eczema. Rosehip Oil contains Vitamin A, which assists with cell regeneration. It also contains essential fatty acids and Vitamin E, which promotes healthy skin. I’ve read online that it takes about three months to see a difference on scars so you got to be patient with this. So far I have been only using it for a month. I put a tiny amount on the area and massage it until it is absorbed. I do this twice a day- in the morning and before sleeping. I’ve also read that it can be used on stretch marks. So if you are looking for a natural treatment for stretch marks I suggest giving this a try.

I’d put up an update on the rosehip oil after two months to let you guys know if it lightened my dark spots or not. 

Till then ツ        

Elf Endless Eyes Pro Eyeshadow Palette

This palette retails $10 at the elf website but I got it at a local multiply store for Php800. Not bad, right?

This elf palette has an awesome array of colors from bold ones like pinks, blues, and greens to neutral ones like browns and blacks. There are a lot of colors for everyone's preference. Aside from the variety of colors, the eye shadows also have a variety of finishes-there are matte and shimmery ones.

 
The eye shadows on the palettes are a combination of hits and misses. There are ones with good pigmentation like this and there are of course blah ones. (there would be no photo for that as it would just be a waste)

Overall, this palette is a good one to have if you're new to eye shadows like me and would like to practice your eye shadow application skills and experiment with a variety of colors. 

          

Etude House Welcome to Wonder Lip Land Palette+ Swatches

This lip palette costs Php798 and you get 18 fun and vibrant lip colors (12 are rouge and 6 are gloss). If we do a little math, you only pay 44 for each color, pretty inexpensive, right?

(here's a side-by-side size comparison of the iPhone 4 and the EH Wonder Lip Land Palette)

 

The Wonder lip land palette is compact and can be toted around in your purse. Although it may be small, it houses a variety of colors from pinks, reds, and nudes. The colors are creamy and can be easily applied on the lips. They have nice pigmentation and are moisturizing too. The palette comes with a two-sided brush but I haven’t used it to apply the lip colors as I prefer to use my finger instead (I make sure I have clean hands first before applying of course). The smell of the product reminds me of crayons. It smells waxy. I personally don’t mind but for others this might not be a good thing. The lip colors don’t last on the lips for long especially when you eat or drink. Retouching is a must after doing so.

 

Anyway here are the swatches of each color. I’ve used one lip color each day for the past eighteen days.

Column 1 (from top to bottom)

Column 2 

Column 3

Column 4

Column 5

Column 6

Overall, I love this palette as I’ve pretty much used and abused it for the past month.

 

Have you tried the Etude House Wonder Lip Land Palette? ツ        

St. Ives Skin Firming Lotion

It was March then and I was on the lookout for a product that would help me make my stomach and thighs look firmer and more toned just in time for the summer so that’s how I stumbled upon this lotion. St. Ives Skin Firming lotion claims to deliver visibly firmer skin in 2 weeks. Furthermore, it claims to have exclusive Nutrifirm Complex of seaweed extracts, green algae and collagen and elastin proteins which help visibly improve skin elasticity and restore skin firmness. The huge 18 fl oz pump bottle only costs Php220 which is pretty darn inexpensive compared to the same sized bottle of Aveeno which costs around Php850. St. Ives Skin Firming Lotion is formulated without parabens and pththalates.

The lotion has a fresh and light scent to it which I love. It’s consistency is neither too thick nor runny. It spreads easily on the skin and leaves a cool feeling after applied. For a firming lotion, it does a decent job in moisturizing the skin but is nowhere near the moisturizing properties of Aveeno. (I know, I’m such a hardcore Aveeno fan). Anyway what I’m after for this lotion is the firming part and not the moisturizing part of it. How does it fair on that department you may ask? Well I was disappointed with it since I’ve seen no visible firming of my stomach and thighs. I’ve applied this lotion twice a day for the past four months and my skin looked like it did prior to using this lotion.         

L'oreal Powerdose Mega Supply

My hair has been through a lot and sadly it is showing signs of damage. I've read all over the Internet regarding the Powerdose treatment by L'oreal and how awesome they were.  It comes in 4 variants and the mega supply is supposedly for damaged hair. I went to my local salon and found out that they sell it for Php750. It's not cheap since one vial contains only 10ml. You'd probably need more than 1 vial if you have long or thicker hair. So instead of buying the Powerdose  and having the treatment done in the salon, I scoured the Internet for online shops selling it for a cheaper price. I happen to find one through multiply. With Php750 I was able to by 2 vials. I can't remember the name of the store since I bought my Powerdose last May. 

I followed the instructions on the internet since this product did not have any instructions written on it. I had really high expectations from the product since a lot has been raving about them. But sadly I was disappointed as it didn't do anything for me. It did soften my hair but my regular conditioner would do the same job at a cheaper price. This product is supposed to be so potent that you only need to use it once a month and so I used one last June and the next one last July but I didn't notice any significant difference in my hair. I'm beginning to think that  maybe I bought a fake one since I've read that there are fake L'oreal products online. I don't know. The scent of the product is very reminiscent of the L'oreal Absolut shampoo that I used before that was supposedly for very damaged hair. 

Girls what do you think?  If ever you know a store selling L'oreal Powerdose that's not over Php400 a piece let me know as I'd like to try it again. 

Neutrogena Fine Fairness Deep Whitening Mask

Price Php990 per box which contains 5 pieces of mask

Size 30g per mask

Price Breakdown Php 198 per mask

The Story

     I have always wanted to try this product because of the many raves of beauty bloggers both here and abroad however I find the price too prohibitive to actually purchase one. There’s always the risk of this product not working on me and that’s a little less than Php1000 down the drain (and that thought makes me cringe). How I just wish that we can purchase it per piece instead of committing to buying a whole box to see whether it works for us or not since Php 198 is less cringe inducing that Php 990 anyway.

     So I went to the mall, went to the Neutrogena counter and picked up a box. The funny thing is that I put the box back to the shelf not once… but twice. I tried to distract myself by checking out the other beauty products but I find myself going back to the Neutrogena counter picking the same box and putting it back on the shelf then doing the same routine again until I finally headed down the cashier. Bottom line, I ended up buying it otherwise this review wouldn’t be made possible.

     I’m pretty happy with my Aztec Secret healing mask which costs less than Php500 a tub and lasts about half a year or more on me. Though I know that Aztec Secret and this Neutrogena mask are different since well the latter is a whitening mask whereas the former is a deep cleansing mask.  I haven’t tried any whitening masks before so curiosity got the best of me.

The Verdict

     15 minutes have passed but I decided to let it stay for one more minute. The mask felt so good on my face that I wanted to sleep with the mask on. After another minute, came the big reveal. I took the mask off and massaged my face. I took a good look at my face on the mirror, there wasn’t any major change in terms of skin tone but my skin felt really hydrated and fresh. I’ve read on other reviews that after the night they’ve put on the mask, their faces would be glowing the next morning. True enough when I woke up the next morning, my face was indeed a little brighter and hydrated however the effect didn’t last for the whole day. I guess this product is good to use when you have a date or an event to go to as after all this mask leaves the face a little brighter (don’t expect the mask to do anything drastic) and well hydrated for the day.

I’ve used up the whole box already. I used it once a week. I definitely liked the product but I don’t think I would shell out that much money for it since adding a little more amount to your Php198 can afford me a basic facial at the salon already. I would happily buy it if it were 50 bucks a piece though. I know I’m such a cheapskate but that’s the most I can shell out for a mask. 

Dove Go Fresh Energizing Beauty Body Wash

There’s nothing I don’t like about this Dove Go Fresh Energizing Body Wash (and no, I’m not being paid by Dove). This body wash has grapefruit and lemongrass scent. The scent is a faint smell of a lemon car air freshener to me. I don’t know if that is a good thing or bad thing to you but I really like it. I usually use this every morning when I need a pick-me-up and it never fails to perk me up. I also like that it lathers really well. I love to squeeze some on my shower ball and scrub away while enjoying the scent of the body wash. It is not drying because it has ¼ hydrating milk which all other Dove bath products have. What I love the most is the price! It's down to Php85 for 200ml. I love price cuts. Now Dove bath products are made more affordable. 


What are your thoughts on Dove Body Washes?

O.N.E Naturales Haul

 Hi everyone!


For today I will post my first ever haul in this blog. I don't do hauls on a regular basis because as much as I'd like to try out new products, I almost always finish up what I have in my stash first before buying. 

Anyways, I've always been curious about O.N.E. Naturales products but I've never gotten to try them as they are pricey. So when I found out that they were having their first anniversary sale, I thought I would just purchase and try some of their products. What I love about this sale is that all of their items are priced for Php199. What a steal!

Body Butter

                                                       Shea my Body

Moisturize that dry skin with me 7 fl oz. (207 g) 

Original Price: P 629 

Sale Price: P 199

Hand & Body Lotion

                                                     Movie Star Skin

90210 gorgeous 236g

Original Price: P 599 

Sale Price: P 199

Lotion Massage Bar

                                                      Calming Bar 

Simply a relaxing treat, also great for scars & stretch marks 70g

Original Price: P 469 

Sale Price: P 199

After Shower Skin Conditioner Bar

                                                           Nighty-Nite

Relax your spirit for a good night's sleep 85g 

Original Price: P 539 

Sale Price: P 199

Solid Shampoo

                                                       Hair Biscuit 

for yummy looking hair 2 oz (56g) 

Original Price: P 489 

Sale Price: P 199

Solid Conditioner

                                                      Hair Boost

It does it all! 2 oz (56g) 

Original Price: P 489 

Sale Price: P 199

So all in all, I got these products for Php1,194 instead of Php3,214. That's a really good deal as I saved Php2,020!


If you want to try out O.N.E. Naturales products, now is the perfect time to buy them and take advantage of the sale. Or if you're already an avid user, now is the perfect time to stock up on your favorite O.N.E. Naturales products. For everyone's information, the sale is until August 19. 




Have you tried any of O.N.E. Naturales products?
What products would you like to try?