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: Nature Republic California Aloe Sun Block SPF 50 PA+++

Back again from a very long slumber from blogging, and with me, I bring yet another sun screen review born from haphazard purchases and what-not. So while I have the time to write this, here's a quick review on Nature Republic's California Aloe Sun Block.

Not to be confused with the Sun Milk version. That one's
for next time, as soon as my sunscreen stock runs out.

Review: Mizon Mela Defense White Multi UV Sun Block SPF 50+ PA+++

Hi everyone! I'm back again with another sunscreen review! I've recently jumped into the Mizon AHA bandwagon on reddit, and in effect I also bought their only sunscreen available (in Suesh, at least) here in the Philippines. So here it is, my review for Mizon's Mela Defense White Multi UV Sun Block.

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: Mentholatum Sunplay Powdery White SPF 47 PA+++

I used to dislike sunscreen with white cast, but now from a work-at-home person's perspective, I'd have to say I am okay with a bit of it, as long as it will not irk my husband. And so I have began exploring sunblock with Titanium Dioxide, the compound pretty much responsible for the ghostly look.

Here's a look at one of such that will obviously leave a white mask - Metholatum's Sunplay Powdery White. The name says a lot and while it may get attention from the whitening-crazy ones, here's a review that will leave them with second thoughts.

Review: TONYMOLY UV Sunset Aqua Sun Gel SPF30 PA++

Ever since I started working from home, I have been using less powerful sunscreen on days when I do not go out. The curtains may be blocking out a lot of light, but when it comes to skincare and the sun, one cannot be so carefree - so sunscreen stays. But I do not like the heavy feeling of my usual high protection sunscreen (SPF 50 and PA+++ ones) especially since I'm at home, and I'd really like that bare, at-home, light feeling on the skin. And so I tried looking for a light sunscreen and it led me to TONYMOLY's UV Sunset Aqua Sun Gel.

Review: Nature's Gate Sport Broad Spectrum Dry Finish Sunscreen

After a couple of posts waaaay off topic from skincare, here's a review of a sunscreen I bought on a whim months ago because I was looking for an affordable, alcohol-free, and white cast-free sunscreen. To see if Nature's Gate Sport Broad Spectrum Sunscreen really has all of these criteria, read on.

5 skincare products to beat the heat

With the peak of summer and an impending El Niño, the daily temperatures here in the Philippines can very uncomforable, even scary at times, that skincare is sometimes set aside to just survive the heat. But fear not, as there are skincare products which can help keep your cool - literally.

Mercy! Mercy!
(Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Presenting five tried and tested products that will surely beat, or at least lessen, the harsh Manila sun.

Dead stars, rainbows and skin

If you're a frequent visitor of Pas-Sosyal, you've probably noticed I have not been very active this month. It's because lately, I have been playing around with images of stars for reasons partly therapeutic and philosophical. Here's the very first one I've done. 

Thank you, openFITS, for this new hobby!

Review: Mentholatum Sunplay Clear Water SPF 50 PA+++

Summer or not, I am adamant with sunscreen use, and recently, a local drugstore is finally selling one of the sunscreens I've been dying to try. Surely, the wait was totally worth it and I'm happy I can share this product with everyone. Here's my review for Mentholatum's Sunplay Clear Water Sunscreen, with SPF 50 and PA+++.

Do you need a separate sunblock if your moisturizer has SPF?

Summer is near so I am often asked by my friends if they need a separate sunscreen or sunblock for their faces if their moisturizer already has an SPF (an example of such moisturizer with SPF is this cream from TONYMOLY).

Short answer: YES.

Long answer: NO - you don't but there are conditions that must be fulfilled.

No one's too old to start with sun protection.
(Image By Bill Branson, via Wikimedia Commons)

Review: It's Skin 2 PM Sunblock

In my quest to find a no white cast, can-be-applied-every-two-hours sunscreen, I've searched high and low thru COSDNA (here's how I use COSDNA to find products with a small, pre-determined ingredient list), various Korean cosmetics shops in malls (while shamelessly reading ingredient lists and not buying if I did not like the UV filters) and blogs. I was looking for a sunscreen which does not contain titanium dioxide and had no denatured alcohol in it. 

Thanks to COSDNA, I was able to find a sunscreen from Korean skin care brand It's Skin. It's Skin's 2 PM Sunblock fits the bill of not having white cast and alcohol, but can it be more than just a pretty ingredient list? 

Image from en.koreadepart.com

Review: Too Cool For School Jean George Llong Sun Block

In my quest to find a new, alcohol-free sunscreen, I've chanced upon Too Cool For School's Jean George Llong. And on this quest, I've realized that some things are easier said than done.

Image from testerkorea.com

Do BB and CC Creams provide adequate sun protection?

You may have seen on the packages of BB and CC creams their SPF and PA ratings. The friendly sales assistant from your favorite cosmetics store even swears you can forgo sunscreen since the product has enough SPF. Heck, even this Yahoo article says there's no need for sunblock. So would this mean BB and CC creams, along with their light concealing properties, make sunscreen obsolete?

Read on to find out.

Image courtesy of Amy Nguyen (absolutelyfobulous.com) 

Review: Etude House Sunprise SPF 30/PA++ Water Jelly

Hello! Back again for another sunscreen review, this time it's Sunprise (Aquamoist) SPF 30/PA++ Water Jelly. Before I begin, let me remind you how important it is to keep calm and inspect your product before buying.

Let me also stress how important it is to first make sure a sunscreen can adequately protect. That is, it has to be at least at an SPF of 30 and PA+++. And photostable.

Behold, my mistake!

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: 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: Bioré UV Bright Face Milk

For those who have been following the blog, you may already know that I am a regular sunscreen user. Much as I hate their pore strips, I adore Bioré sunscreens. They're cheap, not greasy, and wearable.

To add to my Bioré sunscreen review collection, and also because I am about to run out of this product, I will be reviewing Bioré's UV Bright Face Milk (SPF 50, PA+++). It looks very much like the Perfect Face Milk which I've already reviewed, but will the Bright Face version live up to the performance of its white-bottled cousin?

Review: Innisfree Eco Safety No Sebum Sun Milk

Along with my return from the All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day commemoration, I am back with a sunscreen review. I normally would have access to this product, thanks to my sister, who "gave" this sunscreen to me, we can review it: Innisfree's Eco Safety No Sebum Sun Milk (SPF 50, PA+++).

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!