Micromini Reviews (and I am back)

Hi everyone. I'm here again posting a bunch of teeny tiny reviews of some products I have used since my last review, because I feel bad for not making use of my experience to help other skin care addicts.

And yes, even if I got too busy, I was able to continue taking care of my skin!

Here are the various items I used from October 2014 til today:

Nature Republic Bulgarian Rose Emulsion - If only my nose was not that sensitive to fragrances, this emulsion will be a holy grail day moisturizer. It is cheap, moisturizing, and it works well under the hot and humid Manila weather. If you have a very tolerant sense of smell, I highly recommend this emulsion.

Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Essence - a very easy to find AHA exfoliator in the Philippines, which works as intended. It made my skin plump, soft and smooth, although it did not make my pores look refined. It looks expensive at a price tag of more than 1000 pesos, but this 50 mL bottle will last a while. The only problem with this AHA is it warrants a bigger obsession for sunscreen as it is quite strong (glycolic acid), and it made my face very irritable against the sun. I had to abide by sunscreen reapplication, or else.

The Face Shop Herb Day Cleansing Cream (Green Tea) - I used to LOVE this line, now I totally hate it. Although I used the Mixed Fruit variant before, I noticed that the main ingredients between my Green Tea and Mixed Fruit aren't the same. Reformulation? Highly probable, which is why I will not repurchase.

Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil (Sensitive) - typical cleansing oil with a very runny texture and strong but tolerable scent. Cleans well but it left my skin feeling dry immediately after use.

Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil - the apple aroma was weird and seemed very synthetic, but the texture is glorious! Ah, but it did not clean my face properly and was too gentle, it left my sebaceous filament sticking out and begging for extraction (which I still left alone).

Missha All-Around Safe Block Waterproof Sun - it may not have titanium dioxide, but I do not recommend this sunscreen. Unless you're a fan of very thick creams and all lined up for a geisha makeover.

Aaaand that takes care of the 8 months worth of skincare hits and misses.

I realized I CAN update this blog, although not as vigorously as I did prior to my freelancing work. So I am back and will check in from time to time, especially in cases like this - I just couldn't bear it!

Review: The Face Shop Super Perfect Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA+++

The rains may have started in the Philippines, but my sunscreen obsession will be unhindered. I still use sunscreen regularly, so I go through them the fastest than any other product type in my skincare stash. Now I am about to review another one, The Face Shop Super Perfect Sun Cream, with an SPF 50+ and PA+++.

Review: The FACE Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Light Oil

After weeks of not doing any review due to my ridiculous supposedly light "freelancing" gig (which turned out to be a handful), I'm back with one, and with a happy note. As to why, we might as well get to it then - here's The FACE Shop's Rice Water Bright Cleansing Light Oil.

By the way, since I'm too busy nowadays, expect concise reviews - like it or not, there will be less rambling from now on.

Review: The Face Shop Face It One-Step BB Cleanser

I've just ran out of my favorite cleanser which is gold but unfortunately hard to purchase here in the Philippines. So I had to find a quick replacement and found one from The FACE Shop. They only had one of such oil cleansers at the branch I went to - Face It One Step BB Cleanser.

According to the SA, it's an oil that will become soapy upon addition of water, which is what I was expecting it to do. I wanted a one-step cleansing method to save time - but for such to work, the cleanser has to be workable, and it should clean well.

So how did it perform? 

Review: TheFACEShop Arsainte Eco Therapy Extreme-Moisture Daily Moisturizer

Happy Holidays to all!

I've been out of blogging for a while due to my Skyrim spree. But as promised, here is the review from probably my most favorite Korean product I've ever used. I could gradually replace all of my skin care stuff for cheap local/drugstore equivalents, but this one will never be replaced as long as it works so well for me. Presenting TheFACEShop's Arsainte Eco Therapy Extreme-Moisture Daily Moisturizer.

First Impressions: Random Samples from MISSHA, The FACE Shop and Etude House

I find it not fair to review skin care products based on samples as I believe not enough time is given to allow for the ingredients to take effect - it's just like taking a prescription medicine just once despite of the recommended trice a day intake and saying the drug is useless.

Which is why rather than a review, I'd rather share my first impressions on the samples I got from my sister who lives in Korea. Nothing too descriptive, but just enough to give an idea is worthy of further Googling for prices, suppliers, and ingredients.

Here goes!

Skin care products I cannot go without + Life updates

Again, let me apologize for the lack of attention on this blog the past week - my partner and I got married last Saturday, and we were very busy before and after the wedding.

I do have a skincare entry on this, but first, a short background on wedding trends here in the Philippines.

Having a photo shoot in a hotel during the bridal makeup and prior to going to the church is the trend here nowadays. Obligatory family photos, groom pretending to get ready for the wedding, bride pretending to be sentimental while being actually nervous because I might trip while on the aisle are common.

I mean, is such photo really needed?

So I had to stay in a hotel a day before the wedding. After the wedding, the husband and I went to Tagaytay for the honeymoon, which was more like a 3D/2N food tripping spree. During these times I was out of my home, I had very little room for skincare in my luggage. I wanted to keep my load minimal and I only bought along with me the very very important skincare products.

Review: The Face Shop Sake Nourishing Body Lotion

For body lotions, I usually prefer brands which are on the mid-range price: St. Ives brand comes into mind. Failing to monitor the amount of lotion I have left and running out of supplies, I decided to try one of The Face Shop's many body lotions. This product has been on the brand's line for years, so I thought it might be a good product to make it onto the shelves for that long. Nope, you're right, it's another unplanned, expensive buy.

On to the review of yet another shopping whim, The Face Shop's Sake Nourishing Body Lotion.

Review: TheFACEShop Clean Face Oil-Free Sun Cream

I am a sunscreen addict. I started about a year ago, thanks to reddit's /r/SkincareAddiction. That subreddit convinced me that the best anti-aging regimen I can do now is to protect my skin from sun damage. This sunscreen I'm about to review was my second sunscreen, which was bought on a whim (I was too lazy to check ingredients at that time) because I had no sunscreen and I was desperate to have one. On to the review of TheFACEShop's Oil Free Sun Cream.

Product vs Product (PvP): The Face Shop Herb Day Cleansing Tissue vs. Too Cool for School Gazagaza

Because I'm not sosyal enough to commute to work by taxis or private car, I usually go by bus, MRT or jeepneys. By the time I get to my night class, my face feels like it is caked up with sweat and grime from all the exhaust floating around in EDSA. Which is why I regularly purchase facial wipes so I can quickly freshen up for my class. I've used several drugstore brands (Waston's, Kleenex), but today I'll be doing a product versus between:

TheFACEShop's Herb Day Cleansing Tissue (upper left, from a
picture of a TFS haul months ago)

and,

Too Cool For School's Gazagaza.

Review: The FACE Shop Herb Day 365 Cleansing Foam Acerola

I never checked out this cleansing foam until my sister brought home The FACE Shop's Herb Day 365 Cleansing Foam. She bought the peach version and I liked how my skin felt when I tried to use her cleanser. But for curiosity's sake, I bought a different variant of the Herb Day 365 cleansing foam line, Acerola.

Review: The FACE Shop EAU de L'ÂME Perfumed Body Shower Gel

Today, I'll be reviewing a body cleanser I bought for those special times when my regular Safeguard's scent won't cut it -  The FACE Shop's EAU de L'ÂME Perfumed Body Shower Gel.

Review: The FACE Shop Clean Face Anti-Trouble Spot

So two days ago, I had that occasional, very huge pimple. Normally, I would have not cared much for it, however as I had several other zits, I decided to give acne spot treatment a try again - even after having a bad experience with such (story here).

I decided to buy TheFACEShop's Clean Face Anti-Trouble Spot in the roll-on tube form as it was less concentrated and because I wanted to be careful with these kinds of treatments. It was my payday, so I was able to buy a few more products that I need.

The haul. Clockwise, from left corner: Herb Day Cleansing Tissue, EAU de L'ÂME Perfumed Body Shower Gel, Herb Day 365 Cleansing Acerola, Clean Face Anti-Trouble Spot, Flebeaute White Crystal Diamond Peeling, Blueberry and Lemon masks. Exfoliant and masks were freebies.