Archive for October 2013

I have been at The Face Shop the other weekend because I have ran out of my sample sized powder and I thought of getting one from The Face Shop again. *I'll blog about that powder soon.* Anyway, while looking around at the other stuff at the shop, the SA recommended me this lip balm. Maybe she noticed I have semi dry lips (because I always do ;) ) which is why a lip balm is what she recommended out of all the products there. *Sometimes I feel that way when an SA recommends something, like she noticed something wrong with me, lol!* This Sweet Kiss Balm comes in two flavors: strawberry and chocolate, and I was really leaning towards the chocolate but the SA dissuaded me, saying that one's for men. Lol! I was really disappointed hearing that, I even asked her if it won't be effective if a woman uses them. :D

Anyway I had been thinking of getting a lip balm that I could wear under lipsticks. Don't get me wrong, I am totally happy with my current lip balm, the Maybelline Baby Lips (review here) but that one is thick and waxy so I don't like wearing it under my lipsticks at all, because it feels too weird and heavy. That is why I included this item in my purchase as well.

The box it came in has the feel of a watercolor painting on recycled paper, with pink and brown text. There is a huge flap with a drawing of a girl leaning out to kiss. The chocolate version has more brown than pink, and the drawing is of a boy leaning to kiss on the left part of the flap. If you put the two side by side, the boy and girl would be kissing. *Ayii!* The SA actually showed it to me, to illustrate that the chocolate was the boy's. :D

Here is how it looks from the back. It has a "To & From" part so you can give this as a gift as it is. Maybe gift the chocolate one to your guy if he's suffering from dry lips?

*Sorry pictures are blurry, I forgotten to take them and remembered on a rainy day.*

The packaging of this lip balm is like any ordinary lip balm twist up tube. It has the same design as the box', with the fonts and the drawing. The cap is in pale pink which is similar to the balm itself. I have noticed that there are patches of darker pink in the bullet. I thought this is consistent all through out but on the part where I am now, the bullet has an even pale pink color. There is no difference is scent, flavor and texture between the two colors anyway.

Speaking of scent and flavor, it's obviously strawberry. It smells nice, nothing too overpowering. As for the texture, it applies thinly and isn't waxy at all. I am actually loving this lip balm. For the purpose I bought it, this proves to be a great product.

Hand swatch: shows a wash of pale pink plus some slight sheen.

Lip swatch: I love how the sheen and the tint of pink makes my lips look healthier (compared to a clear balm's dead slug lips effect).

Anyway, as for the moisturizing/nourishing factor, I find that it isn't as moisturizing as the Maybelline Baby Lips. It does prevent my lips from chapping, but once it's already chapped, it doesn't really do much to heal it.

I would also like to point out that since I am using this under lipsticks, I would have been happier if this has SPF. It's funny how I use a non-SPF product during the day and keep the one which has SPF just to use at night. Lol.

And another thing to comment about: this retails at P395. That's expensive! Baby Lips is only at P79. O_o

So, would I repurchase it again? Maybe. If I can't find anything better. But this is already very nice.

I've got a new lipstick y'all! And this one is from Etude House, a lipstick from their Dear My Blooming Lips Talk line. I have always been saying I love Etude House, mostly because of their very adorable packaging, but I've never really bought anything cosmetic from them yet, only skin care items and some tools.

Anyway, I have been wanting to buy a lipstick from Etude House ever since I discovered them 2 years ago while I was here at Manila for my review and exam. I've never really gotten around to buying anything that time, even this year when I came back, because there were just too many choices that I couldn't decide which one!

I finally found time (and money) and I went with this color. :)

It's a red, right? But the label says BE104, so it's a dark beige to them. :) Their reds starts with RD##. It actually isn't a true red. It has brown/beige undertones and fades into a nude color after a few hours or after eating and drinking.

Etude House's lipsticks have this trademark engraving on the bullet. It's so cute! The problem is, you won't get to see that engraving every time you apply lipstick because you have to twist the entire bullet out to see it, and no one applies lipstick that way. Be that as it may, it is still very cute! Makes you feel secretly special. ;)

If they made the effort to make the lipstick bullet extra girly, then I don't think you'll be surprised to know that the outer appearance is just as sweet. Some girls/ladies may not be into this kind of sugary sweet appearance of items, but I am not one of them. I love everything feminine!

The box is in 2 shades of pink, with black and white text, adorned in doodles of hearts and a sketch of the lipstick it contains. The top flap has the label with the swatch of the color. The back is written in Korean but one of the sides is in English.

"Smooth textured lipstick supplies vivid color and moist shine."

As for the lipstick packaging itself, it has this pink porcelain-like casing (it's plastic though) shaped like what I could best describe as a pitcher (or a pitcher plant? lol). It is tied around the middle with a metallic pink bow. The cap part of the lipstick begins right above the bow. The inner casing that holds the bullet is a usual metal tube.

Here you can see the only thing I am not happy about the item I received. Whenever I twist up the bullet, the side gets mushed into the contraption inside the tube. It such a waste of product, and it messes up the engraving. :( I think the lipstick bullet isn't standing straight, that's why this happens.

Swatches and Review

Hand swatch

Lip swatch

The lip swatch isn't showing the true color. It looks a bright pink here. The hand swatch shows how it actually looks in person. It's reddish with brown undertones. This lip color looks good with those with yellow/warm skin tones. And because it is a dark shade, it could suit a vast range of skin colors as well.

As for the application, it glides smoothly on the lips and doesn't settle on the chaps and lines. I should know, I easily get chapped lips. And even when choosing this shade, I tried a few others from the store and some of them accentuated my dry lips. This one doesn't though. Which is one reason why I chose this shade.

The lipstick's pigmentation is good. I get that color with 1-2 swipes. As for the staying power, it fades after eating, but without eating and drinking, it lasts about 3-4 hours. The scent is this lipstick (and the entire line from Etude) is sweet, like candy. I just can't pinpoint exactly what candy it is. :D

This lipstick costs P478. I can't decide whether it's expensive or just about average. It is expensive for me, especially since I know there are a lot of other lipsticks that are way cheaper. But then again, there are a lot more lipsticks that are way more expensive, so just average priced right? ;) And even if you stay it's expensive (as most Etude House products are), I would have to defend with - It's worth it. :D

Misc

Tadaa! The cashier asked me if I have a membership card. I said no, then asked how to avail. She said for a minimum purchase of P500 I would receive a card, so I immediately took something from the nearest shelf to add to my purchase. That something was an oil-control film priced at P128. So now I've got an Etude House Pink Membership plus she gave me a sample size CC cream freebie. Hurray!

Privileges for the pink membership includes a 2% rebates for every P100 purchase. :D Exciting!

Verdict

I love Etude House! :D

As for the lipstick, I love it too. The color is perfect (for me). It is a red/dark lip without being too dark or too crazy or too conspicuous. It's a very wearable color. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. :)

That's it for my long post. I hope you enjoyed it. :) Have a nice day!

This is my first time trying sheet masks, as I believe they've grown quite popular just a few years back. I always see them being used by beauty gurus in their skincare routine posts, and I think it's awesome that it's so easy to use. No hassle like using a peel-off mask. I have also noted that beauty gurus love them and use them, not the peel off masks. :D

What I have here is the Beauty Buffet Feed Your Skin Everyday Charcoal & Cypress Facial Mask. It is for purifying the skin and for controlling the oil. I bought this at Watsons at P59 for 2 pieces (Watsons is known for their Buy One Take One promos). Each piece is sold at P44, not exactly Buy One Take One but big savings just the same. Beauty Buffet has a lot of sheet mask variety being sold. I picked this one out specifically because of the oil-control claims and because I heard charcoal is good for absorbing toxins in the skin.

Each pack contains 23 ml of essence. It was dripping when I pulled out the sheet on my first use. That was a waste, so the second piece I used a week later, I squeezed out some of the essence into the pack before pulling it completely out. The remaining essence I then transferred into an empty container so I have some essence to use the following days. ;) Idea right? Essences are pretty expensive to buy by the bottle.

Yehey! The first sheet mask to grace my face and I'm sharing it with you all. Lol. So as not to seem so ignorant, I'll talk a little more about sheet masks. A sheet mask is a very thin piece of cloth shaped to fit most faces with cut holes for the eyes, nose and mouth. It usually is kept soaking in essence or a liquid filled with nutrients until the time you put it on your face. These nutrients and other ingredients will then sit on your face, trapped between your skin and the cloth. It has no choice but to be absorbed by your skin. The mask's close contact also creates a warmer temperature which allows your pores to open so the essence will penetrate further into your skin.

Although it is said that sheet masks are shaped to fit most faces, it rarely does fit anyone perfectly. Mine cut a little too short around the forehead as you can see in the picture. Evidence that my boyfriend is right, I have too large of a forehead. Hehe. You might have had issues with your face's shape that you have already dealt with, but using a sheet mask shaped for an average face for the first time will force you to open your eyes to how true it is. :P

One problem I encountered with this mask is that it didn't say on the procedure that there is a plastic layer over the mask and I have to peel it off after setting the mask on my face. It was a struggle putting it on the first time because it was so stiff and wouldn't lie snugly on my face. After lying down and holding the stuff down with both hands, I began to feel the plastic layer coming off and the sheet mask falling into place. Taking off that plastic layer was difficult lying down without a mirror to assist but I could just blame that to inexperience. :)

Overall I enjoyed the experience and would love to do it frequently. I'm not sure if I would buy this particular piece since I didn't see much difference with my oil but it does made my face supple and refreshed. There are so many more masks out there I wanna try anyway.

So, what do you think of sheet masks? Is there anything you can recommend? Thanks!

I have been using this for many months and I still can't get myself to finish this small tube. Yeah I know, that's the first thing to come to mind when I see this mask sitting on my table.

"Peel-off mask with cherry extracts to help remove dead skin cells and control excess oil."

This is a peel-off mask from Sophie Paris, bought at P155 for a 60ml tube. It comes in a clear container and you can see the red blob and the orange zest meant for exfoliation. What I'm wondering is how it would exfoliate our skin? Is it meant to be massaged on the face? I'm sure letting it sit there won't do the trick.

As much as I would like to try massaging it on, the product is too sticky to make it easy. That is probably one reason why I hate this. It's like putting glue on the face, that is, if glue smells like cherry. I do like cherry. But this one though, it smells so strongly of it that even hours after removing the mask the scent still remains.

And another thing. Even when I make sure to not put any of the mask near my eyes, my eyes still sting! I checked the ingredients and it has alcohol in the ingredients. Is that suppose to be there?

As to the effects after use, it does make my skin softer and smoother but I don't think it has exfoliated my skin at all, since I don't massage it on my face, and it doesn't help with the oil either. And the softer and smoother effect doesn't last long as well. My skin is back to normal the following day. :/

It has a red jelly like appearance when squeezed out of the tube, but when spread it is colorless. It dries very quickly though, especially when you put a thin coat. The problem with a thin coat is that it is more difficult to spread and it's more difficult to peel off. I have tried putting on a thicker coat but it feels so weird on the face.

Anyway, maybe this is just me and peel-off masks. I think I'll stick to other forms of masks though.

So that's it for my review. If you have a peel-off mask that you love, I would love to hear about it. Maybe I'll change my mind yet about these products.

Thanks for reading!

Remember on one of my previous posts about a facial skincare kit (you can read that post here) I have reviewed and shown proof that the product has done me more harm than good? Well, I have also parted that post with an announcement that I bought something new and praying for better results. Well, the time for that review is now.

That product is the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. What I have been meaning to buy though was the Daily Cleanser as I have read that it is good for oily skin. I couldn't find that cleanser sold anywhere. I am wondering if that was phased out or if it was only available in the US. Anyway, I bought this one instead hoping that it would help with my skin's situation, and it did!

Before: The Celeteque wash/toner/moisturizer kit has left my face rough with some pimples.

After: This photo was taken only about a week or so after I started using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Notice how much my face has cleared up. I still have some hyperpigmentations from the pimples but my face was smoother.

As stated on the back of the bottle, this cleanser from Cetaphil is mild enough to use for sensitive skin and even for babies. I won't question them regarding this matter as I have witnessed first hand how it had calmed my face down. I am not sure though if I would use this for the rest of my body. This is quite expensive at P100+ / 60ml bottle. But those with highly sensitive skin will find this a gem and would probably be happy to indulge.

What I don't like about this is the consistency and that it doesn't lather. It's like putting a milky gel on my face and rinsing it off. It is indeed mild, but I don't think it's doing anything for my oil. I would still get an oily face within the hour after washing my face. That is why I have moved on again. Hehehe. Two weeks ago I bought something new, so stay tuned for that. I will still keep this cleanser though, for times when my face would go crazy. It has it's benefits, I just won't use it for every day use. :)

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