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!

Mini - Review: Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask

Hi everyone! It has been months now since I've first started using this sleeping mask which came with the purchase of the cream from the same Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail line. Since this is a trial sample, it is best to just have a mini-review. Similar in everything with the normal reviews, but no comments on the price and long-term performance of the product.

Today's mini review is for Missha's Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask.

Review: Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream

After two months of dilly-dallying with my opinion on this product, I am now ready to present my review of Missha's Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream. I've used a few other snail creams before, but this one is the best among the group so far.

Missha shopping spree (with thanks to my sister). Missha M Signature
Real Complete BB Cream, Time Revolution the First Treatment Essence and
Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream all for 50 usd

Price and Availability: I asked my sister in Korea to buy this for me because Missha products here in the Philippines can be quite expensive. For example, this reviewed sunscreen costs around 1500 php at Cinderella when I bought it for 9 USD on a roseroseshop sale. Yeah, go figure. Anyway, if not for my sister, I'd probably buy off roseroseshop.com for around 38 usd if not on sale.

Packaging: I have no idea how the stand alone Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream is packed, but the one I bought came with a free Sleeping Pack and a transparent sampling spoon. It also came with a step-by-step instruction on the use of the full Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail set. 

Texture and Scent: I think texture is where Missha's snail cream beats the other brands. It is light and gel-like, which is quite refreshing. It has a floral+cucumber-ish scent to it which may be overpowering to some, but it's fine, at least for me.

Ingredients (from cosdna.com): First, I'd like to be clear that I am still skeptical of the use of snail secretion filtrate as an anti-aging, skin repairing ingredient, although studies about it are already being published, such as this study, hopefully more studies about it will arise.

I made the mistake of setting this cream to act as a moisturizer with infrequent use of the sample Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Moisturizer given as a freebie. Missha's Snail Cream has alcohol in it, which probably is the reason why it did not feel moisturizing enough for me, unless I use the Super Aqua Snail moisturizer or serum freebie. 

Finish: The cream can be a bit slimy at first but once it is absorbed, it leaves a slight sheen on the face which may not be ideal for day use for some. Most snail creams are marketed as products which reverse the signs of aging, but as I have no wrinkles so far, I was unable to confirm its anti-aging effect. 

Rating: This product is somewhat expensive and ineffective in moisturizing when used without the other products from the Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail set. Its anti-aging, wrinkle erasing benefits may not be so suitable for wrinkle-free skin yet, so for yuppies like me, this is a steeply priced gel moisturizer.

Ingredients: 4/5

Value for money: 2/5

Performance: 3/5

Overall: 3/5

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.

Update: MISSHA Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence

Hello! Before I go on with my revisit for the MISSHA Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence as promised on its review, I would like to apologize first for not posting last week for I've been busy with our wedding. I do have a skincare related post coming in relation to that event, so stay tuned!

Now, let's recap where I left off on the review.

Review: MISSHA All-Around Safe Block Essence Sun

Months ago, I purchased three sunscreen types by MISSHA, two of which I have already reviewed, both with above average ratings. I'm going to review the last one, which is a sunscreen reminiscent of flowers, freshness, and fire - MISSHA's All-Around Safe Block Essence Sun.

Review: MISSHA Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence

Following several raves about this product, especially as a more economical alternative to the also famed SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, I decided to try MISSHA's Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. When I first heard of these product as containing products from fermentation, I have to admit my curiosity got the best of me and I haphazardly bought this product without checking the price first. Better make good use of the money by making a review and sharing my experience.

Review: MISSHA All-around Safe Block Waterproof Sun Milk

Back again with a sunscreen review, because I bought a tiny tiny 40 mL bottle of MISSHA's All-around Safe Block Waterproof Sun Milk, and I've used up 3/4 of it. Better review it while I still have some of the product. I just realized that I've just opened this bottle less than a month ago and using the peso-sized amount of sunscreen can be expensive.

Anyway, I bought this from a sale, along with two other MISSHA sunscreen, so my pockets were not burned by this purchase. On with the review then!

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.