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 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: Skin Food's Wildberry Milk Cleansing Foam (moist)

Have you ever been in a situation where you think you're contented with everything, then something comes along and takes you by surprise? I had this happen to me weeks ago when I started using Skin Food's Wildberry Milk Cleansing Foam - and  it's THE best foaming cleanser ever.

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: Kracie Naive Deep Cleansing Oil (Olive)

Hello! I've been too busy or very sleepy (to the point I cannot work or write) so I was unable to finish a review from my pending reviews list. Anyway, as promised, I am going to review a product I brought along with me which I will not forget since I used this on my wedding day to take care of my wedding makeup - Kracie's Naive Deep Cleansing Oil, the Olive variant.

Deep Clear Oil Cleansing, says the big Japanese text
(if I still recall the kana)

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: Too Cool For School O2 Bubble Cleansing Pack

Chicken.

Whenever I touch my face, I can't help but feel tiny bumps on it, and I hate it. My office mate even commented on how scaly my face looked. I figured I might have dry skin, or I simply lack exfoliation (because I am afraid of exfoliating as I get damaged capillaries very easily - and I am being gentle). 

So I decided I should moisturize more often (even at work, during breaks.. definitely buying a handy moisturizer) and I should get an exfoliator. I was in TCFS's North EDSA branch and the SA recommended this cleansing pack when I told her I was looking for an exfoliator. 

So how did it perform?

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.

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: Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil

Before I go on I would like to really point out that I am not in any way sponsored by the manufacturers or sellers of the products I review. Why the reminder, you ask? It's because I do not want to sound like an endorser for this superb product.

I absolutely love Kose's Softymo Deep Cleansing oil.