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.

Review: Andalou Naturals Turmeric + C Enlighten Serum

From my previous post regarding my hunt for a vitamin C serum, I was keen on finding a vitamin C serum which was better formulated than the dismal serum I once loved. Oddly, Vitamin C serums are not such big fads in the Asian skin care scene even with tons of studies to back its claims as compared to unproven ingredients such as snail secretion. Disappointing, but I never found such serums from the Korean brands here, and all they have were products with lemon extract. Ugh.

After much Googling I luckily stumbled upon Andalou Naturals' Turmeric + C Enlighten Serum. Look, I am a stark critic of the organic and natural hype that has been going around in the food and cosmetics industry, but a skin care addict cannot do without a proper Vitamin C serum!

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: Too Cool For School Rolly Doll Perfume Gel

Last Thursday, thanks to an unscheduled site meeting, I was able to leave work early and go check out Too Cool For School's North EDSA branch. I actually did lose a good half an hour in that shop, thanks to the not-so-girly interiors and packaging, and very attentive sales assistant.

The sales assistant was very friendly and accomodating, that even if all the TCFS merchandise I've bought do not have ingredient lists, I still have a haul.

Clockwise, from top left corner: GAZAGAZA wipes, cotton wipes,
After School BB Foundation Lunch Box, Rolly Doll Perfume Gel,
and O2 Bubble Cleansing Pack

First up for review from this haul is TCFS's Rolly Doll Perfume Gel.

A critique on acupuncture facials

It may have been already obvious that I like to criticize the tons of marketing hooplah made for the beauty industry. From unreliable active ingredients to extracts operating on naturalistic fallacy, there are many ways people can be fooled by unscrupulous businessmen. These people are too afraid of growing old or ugly that sometimes, fear gets the better of them and they take in all the false marketing hype.

And our beauty BS topic for the day: Acupuncture facials!
(Image from The Daily Mail)

Just days ago, I read an article from a local paper's online portal that one of the bigshots of Philippine cosmetic surgery is now offering acupuncture facials. For only P50,000 php (1250 USD) for every six months , a dozen or so needles will be stuck on the patient's face and will be removed after a few minutes. The facial's provider claims that it can cause facial muscle contraction, stimulate energy flow and circulation, toning up sagging facial muscles and thereby providing another very good anti-aging regimen.

Yeah right.

Mineral Oil: An anecdote on how it removed my sebaceous filaments

Remember I had a post where I said the sebaceous filaments really should not be "removed" as they are an essential part of the skin's barrier? But even if it's important for these SFs to stay, I have to admit I don't like they way they pop out, especially when I've just finished showering.

It's not that my cleanser is useless. In fact, it has been helpful in cleaning my skin which made my pores look smaller. My sebaceous filament, in fact, appears only after I shower (after I dry my face) and only when I pinch my nose. Just last night, when I was looking at the mirror, I noticed the cluster of SFs poking out of my nose and felt the urgent need to reduce their height or something.

Then, I remembered one of the very much repeated advices from reddit's /r/SkincareAddition sub: mineral oil is very effective in controlling SFs.

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: Missha All-around Safe Block Soft Finish Sun Milk

As I am about to run out of this sunscreen and on my way to opening my spare bottle, I think it's time to review this nice product courtesy of Missha.

By the way, notice how I often come up with reviews of sunscreen? That's because sunscreen is the product I use and repurchase quite regularly. And following the recommended amount as I've previously discussed (here), I could easily finish up a bottle in a month.

Okay then, on to the review.

Does it work: Snail slime skin care

One big skin care fad from the East is the use of snail mucus. It is believed to reduce pigmentation and scarring on the cute assumption that snail mucus was designed to heal the snail as it moves through jagged terrain. I've personally seen some snail mucin products and they're not as icky as I thought they would be. In fact, I'm thinking of reviewing one famed mucus containing moisturizer for fun.

I first learned about snail slime from Penn and Teller's Bullshit show. It was witty and brutal as always, and I thought the snail mask was a mean yet funny prank. At that time, I had no idea snail creams would be as huge as what they are now.

How to check if a beauty product is FDA approved

Following an advisory from the FDA on the purchase of unnotified products, 13 lipsticks, mostly from China, have been marked as having no market authorization from the FDA. The agency warns that unnotified lipsticks may contain hazardous ingredients, especially lead.

Any of these look familiar? Better check FDA's advisory here (fda.gov.ph).

So how can we know if the product we are eyeing on is FDA-notified?

Review:Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner

Although some people are at an opinion that toners are not necessary, I somehow had a good experience with Floria's Pore Tightening toner. But that toner is always out of stock. So when I saw this 7-in-one "total pore solution" from Etude House, I knew I had to try the Wonder Pore Freshner.

The product claims that it can do the following: deep clean one's pores, maintain a ph of 4.5, control sebum, minimize appearance of pores, refine the skin tone, keep elasticity of pores, and moisturize the skin.

This box set contains the toner and cotton pads

Review: Hadalabo Perfect Gel

I had ran out of my HG moisturizer when I was browsing sasa.com and thought of trying a new moisturizer. Although almost inaccessible, I decided to try a Japanese moisturizer just for the heck of it and after much ingredient scrutiny one product after the other, I decided to settle on Hadalabo Perfect Gel.

Review: Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Gel

Remember one of my recent posts regarding aloe vera as a treatment for burns?

I did mention that I have aloe gels on hand. I bought this to relieve the very harsh Manila sun's heat on my skin. Of course, I still use sunscreen! I use this product only after exposure for moisturizing purposes.

From the product description, this product "moisturizes the skin and helps prevent peeling and relieves sunburn." Let's see if it does that.