Product Review: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Hello everyone! I hope all of you had a great week. =)

Today, I will review the very popular Urban Decay Primer Potion eyeshadow base. I was able to get a deluxe sample together with my Urban Decay Smoked palette when I purchased it last year. I was so excited because the only time I was able to try it was when one of my friends gave me some on a pot but that didn't end up well so I thought it might be because it was already exposed to the air. So now that I have one in its proper container then I would definitely be able to test it out. 


Now, I have oily skin & my eyes are hooded plus I live in a country that is always humid so I really need a good eyeshadow primer that will help my eyeshadow to stay put & not crease on me. I am always for a lookout for the best one whether it is high-end or drugstore.

*photo credits to owner .. I don't have my own photo because I threw out my tube when it broke.

According to Urban Decay website:
"Eyeshadow Primer Potion is coveted by makeup artists and makeup junkies alike because it guarantees more vibrant eyeshadow that lasts for 24 hours and NEVER CREASES! Once you experience its powers (plus how smoothly it glides on – an added bonus) you'll never want to live without it."
  

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT:

- Makes eyeshadows stay longer on my oily lids without creasing.

- Makes eyeshadows more vibrant compared to if you don't use any base.

- Dries translucent so it won't affect the color of your eyeshadows.

- Texture is good for making pigments cling to your lids.

- No drying time needed before you apply your eyeshadows.

- I think the price is okay if this will work for you. It is pricey but I think you will get a lot of good use for it since you don't need to use a lot for every use.

- It now comes in a squeeze tube. Very easy to squeeze out product & you have good control on the amount you want to dispense.



WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

- This clumps so bad on me. I really can't have a smooth surface especially on the outer edge of my eyes. It looks like dead skin cells and I can't blend it out & just looks worst when I try.

- This is not good for dry & mature skin. This clings to dry patches & wrinkles. 

- I can't use this on my lower lashline under my concealer as it clumps together.

- Very hard to spread out. I always end up tugging my eyelids whenever I apply this.

- My tube broke around the tip area after a couple of months. I'm not sure if the quality of the packaging is poor because this is only a sample or if the full size is still like this.



OVER-ALL RATING: 3/5

This is an average quality product for me. I like my Etude House Proof 10 eyeshadow primer over this & that's like half the price. If only this spreads better & doesn't clump I would have loved this and give it a 4/5 as it did make my eyeshadow more vibrant and increases the longevity of my eye looks. I guess this is better for those that doesn't have any dry patches around their eyes.

WILL I PURCHASE THIS AGAIN? Nope. This is the same issue I had when I tried it years ago. I rarely reach for it because of my struggle to smooth it out all over my lids. I would prefer not to use any primer at all and that's saying something. I'm just lucky that I didn't get the full size coz that would be a waste of money.

I know this is a cult favorite and you might like it. I also don't know if I just got a bad batch. Nevertheless,  we'll all have different opinions about certain products because of different conditions. I would suggest if you haven't tried this yet, go ahead & buy coz it might work for you. But if you are on a budget & doesn't want to spend too much, I really believe the one from Etude House is really comparable and it spreads a lot better too.


What are your favorite eyeshadow primers? Please let me know so that I can try them out. =)


Until next time. Thank you for dropping by!

A quick purple FOTD =)

I just wanted to share my makeup look yesterday during the Go Association event :)

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE

- Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream #1 + Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream #2 (50-50)

- Ellana Sheer Velvet in White Chocolate

- The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in 02 Rose

EYES

- LA Girl HD Concealer in Creamy Beige

- MakeUp Forever Star Powder in 927 (all over lid)

- The Body Shop Eyebrow Powder (both for eyebrows and light brown for crease)

- Tony Moly Backstage gel liner in Black 01

- Yves Rocher Mascara in Black

LIPS 

- Watsons tinted lipbalm in Cherry

- Lancome lipstick in 284 

*If you're interested to read my review on the individual products I've used in this FOTD, I included some links on those that I have reviewed already so just click away :)

Disclaimer: As you might have noticed, even though I am now going for cruelty free products, I am still using my previously bought makeup from brands that do test on animals (like Lancome and Etude House). It would be a waste of money if I throw them away or don't use them so I am trying my best to use them all up lately so I can clear my makeup collection sooner. However, I did stop purchasing from these brands last year and will continue to stay away from brands that do animal testing.

Supposed FOTN for Kpop Night

Supposed because I was unable to attend last night's event at Candyshop. I was so excited to attend a clubbing event for all Kpop fanatics because 1) I have only been to 2 bars ever and 2) It's gonna be filled with music I enjoy and people that's just like me.. BUT My ankle started hurting again yesterday morning so I can't go out to dance the night away :'(

Anyway, I've decided to prep up and do my makeup anyway hehe just so I can take some pictures. Actually, I'm the only one happy with it coz my parents and bro doesn't like seeing me with full face makeup LOL ^_^

PRODUCTS:
FACE
Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream Bright Fit #2
Allue Girl Next Door Pretty Cheeks in Pink DelishThe Body Shop Shimmer Waves #02 (white highlighter only)

EYES
Etude House Surprise Essence Concealer 
Clinique e/s - champagne color (all over lid)
Matte black e/s (upper n lower lashline)
Matte white e/s (brow highlight)
The Body Shop brow powder in brown
Tony Moly Backstage liner in Black (cat's eye line)
Clarins Eyeliner pencil in Soft Plum (waterline)
MUFE star powder in 902 (lower lashline and inner corners)
Yves Rocher Mascara extra volume 01 Noir
The Face Shop falsies in XNS

LIPS
Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Pinkberry
Clarins Color Quench Lipbalm in 00

And here's some shot of me trying to look ulzzang haha pardon me for not acting like my age :)

I hope you didn't barfed with my pics haha :)

Thanks for dropping by!

Review: Etude House Be Clear Moisturizer

Hello! I'm alive! I am so glad my health is almost back to normal. I am still coughing but at least I don't have fever, body malaise and asthma anymore. Thank you for patiently waiting ^_^

I will review another Etude House product today -- Etude House Be Clear Moisturizer. This is actually owned by my sister but I also uses it every morning since she got it last year (June 2011). I don't know why I haven't reviewed it yet but it's better late than never. This review might be of help to some of you :)

According to Etude House Philippines' website:

Be Clear Moisturizer SPF30/PA++ has the paper mulberry extract, which makes the skin clean and transparent, and the patented ingredient of whitening beauty expenses composite containing natural vitamins. It removes dead skin cells with dark tone and wastes effectively and supplies plentiful moisture. So, it is a double functional moisturize (whitening + sun protection) which makes the skin clean and fair.

Features:
-For Skin Whitening
-Moisturizing
-Sun Protection

PRICE: Php 578.00

I got this picture from the net. My bottle is so dirty already and the box is already gone so I decided to just grab a picture instead hehe ^_~

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The product comes in a white plastic pump bottle that is angular in shape. It consists of 120ml of product or 4.05 fl. oz. The moisturizer itself is white in color and the consistency is liquidy which makes it very easy to spread on the skin. It contains SPF 30 PA++ but it doesn't have a sunblock smell which is great.

According to the label in the bottle, this moisturizer acts as a whitening lotion too. It says it contains Brightening A Complex (Arnica, Pineapple, Kiwi and Lady's Mantle) which will give skin a brighter appearance.

PROS:

- Has a good amount of sun protection

- It's a good moisturizer for oily skin girls because it didn't made me too oily during the day.

- It has whitening properties that can help even out the skin tone. I haven't noticed any long term whitening but it does give a whitish cast on the skin once applied and blended. This made my skin look fresh and bright so I didn't mind that it's temporary. Here's how it looks like on me without flash and under natural lighting.

- Since it's liquid in form, you only need a pump to cover your whole face and neck. 

- It is very easy to blend and get absorbed.

- This looks nice as a base under your powder coz the moisturizer already evened out your skin tone.

- It has a nice mild scent that I like. As I've said, it doesn't have a strong sunblock scent.

- I can apply a thin layer of this over my eye area and it doesn't irritate my eyes.

CONS:

- It doesn't look great on rough skin. I happened to have a akin asthma attack last year (around November) and my skin became rough on the touch. This product didn't looked good and it emphasized those rough spots :(

- Can easily be over applied and then it will look cakey. I haven't experienced a moisturizer looking cakey but this does.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4/5

I would give it a 5 but there are times that it works and times that it doesn't but whenever it works, I love it :)

What about you guys? What's your favorite day moisturizer? Please do share them here. I would love to try them out coz I'm in need of one. If it has sun protection, it would be better. Thank you in advance! ^_^

Thanks for dropping by!

Review: Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Pencil

Hello everyone! As promised, here's the review of Etude House Eyebrow Pencil that I got from my mom (who got it as a gift from a friend who came back from Korea). I've been testing this out for a couple of months now, but I don't use this on a regular basis because I have naturally thick brows and I don't actually feel the need to fuss with my brows that much. I decided to try this because Nayoung of Oiseau88 at Youtube loves this eyebrow pencil and it looked great on her ^_^

It looks like this and it comes in a gray color.

It has 2 ends. The first is the slanted retractable eyebrow pencil which made it easy to apply because of the angle and there's no need for sharpening because it is automatic...

 

...and the spoolie end to brush the hair in place and also blend the color in the eyebrows. 

Here's a swatch of it on the back of my hand:

It gives a very light grayish brown color which is not too harsh and it looks natural on me. Here's what it looks like applied on my brows :)

Sorry for the dark circles...I had a troublesome sleep the other night and it's still obvious until now hehe ^_^

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT:

- It gives a very natural finish on my eyebrows. No one can see I have done something on them even if I applied too much. 

- The shade gray is perfect for those with dark brown hair coz it doesn't add any darkness like when I tried the dark brown eyebrow powder form The Body Shop. This color didn't made my eyebrows look harsh.

- This lasted well on me and it fades nicely.

- Didn't caused me any allergies or breakouts.

- I love the angle of the liner because it made filling up my brows easier.

- This can be blended easily too by the use of spoolie. I love the brush end ^_^

- Doesn't need to be sharpened.

- Perfect for travelling coz it's very compact and you don't need to bring a separate brush with it.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

- It's easy to over apply because you can't actually see how dark your brows are unless you looked in the mirror and see your whole face....but you can blend it easily and it would look normal again.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5

I love this eyebrow pencil. It makes my eyebrows look polished without making them too harsh. I really recommend this to those girls who are looking for something natural looking for their brows ^_^

Thanks for dropping by!

Update: Korean Cosmetic Brands & Animal Testing

Good morning! It's Monday again and I hope everyone will have a good start for the week :)

This will be just a quick update. If you visited KARA (Korea Animal Rights Advocates) website, you will also see a list of Cruelty Free brands just like in PETA...Their list is shorter coz they are still starting but it helps customers like us.  To see their list of certified cruelty free brands, click here and here.

I even hope PAWS or CARA can do this too for local products in our country :)

 

I also have contacted KARA too through email to clarify some Korean cosmetic brands that I love but are not on both list and I already have received their reply so I will share them with you. 

Dear Gale,

Thank you for contacting KARA regarding Korean cosmetic companies and our apologies for the delayed reply due to the waiting time taken to hear back

from each company about the inquiry.

Here is a brief answer to your question.

Tony Moly – still in the process of confirmation

Nature Republic – still in the process of confirmation

Baviphat – has not gotten back to our inquiry.

Holika Holika – has not gotten back to our inquiry

Skin Food – refused our request for further confirmation about animal test on ingredients.

Lioele – do test on animals.

When the companies do not reply to our inquiry, we assume that they may carry out animal test on at some stage of the production or they do not care the importance of checking with their individual ingredients suppliers whether they test on animals.  

If there is a new company added to the list, we will let people know through our Facebook page.

Hope this helps you for cruelty free shopping.

Thank you again for your interest and support.

Kind regards,

Korea Animal Rights Advocates 

In addition to this email, here are some locally available brands that are still on the fence (have not received any confirmation from the company) according to the website home page:

1. Missha - Animal testing done on certain products but not all...They use animal by-products too like deer antlers on a certain line of their products. So personally, they are on the DO TEST and NON-VEGAN list.

2. Etude House - Regular staff says it's cruelty free but since Amore Pacific (parent company) is testing on animals, I can conclude Etude House tests on animals too. 

 

Check out Amore Pacific's statement here about their stand on animal testing. According to them, they are still on the process of researching about alternative non-animal testing but for the meantime, they are doing animal testing to ensure the safety of the products. For the complete list of brands under them, click  here 

I actually commend Amore Pacific for being transparent about their stand on animal testing. Just last month, they explained in their website that they do conduct animal testing for safety reasons but they will do research to find alternative methods. And now, they already changed their statement on the website and had given updates on the progress of their research. I hope before this year ends, they will accomplish their goal of finding a good alternative for animal testing and will declare they are cruelty-free by year 2013. But until then, no Amore Pacific products for me. Personally, I will patiently wait for them because they do value their customer and they have the heart to improve the ethics of their corporation :) 

*** If you want to inquire about a certain brand you love you can email KARA through their website. They do reply to your inquiry as soon as they get info on them.

I hope this post is helpful to all of you who cares about animal cruelty and loves Korean brands. Until next time, bye! ^_^

Thank you for dropping by,

Review: Etude House Collagen Moistful BB Cream

Hello everyone! I found a review of a product that I was unable to post so I've decided to just post it now even if it is quite old. I don't know why I forgot to upload this before but anyway, it's better late than never right? :)

NOTE: This review was done months ago and I did not edit it out even though I found out that they do test on animals ..I did love Etude House but I'm sad I can't purchase anything from them anytime soon..Hopefully Amore Pacific will push through with their promise that starting 2013 they will eliminate animal testing in their company *crossing my fingers*

***

Hello everyone! You know how much I love Etude House because they provide great and cute products at a very affordable price. I tended to grab a lot of stuffs whenever I drop by their SM North EDSA branch even if I didn't plan on getting anything. This BB Cream that I will be reviewing is actually bought by my sister Mei and I just borrow it whenever I want since we share the same room haha ^_^

This is called Collagen Moistful BB Cream in #1. 

It has whitening, anti-wrinkle and SPF 30 PA++ properties.

The back part doesn't have any English translation so I don't know the exact ingredients. But it does have a part where it says it is FREE of mineral oil, ethanol and paraben which is good. It contains 50g or 1.76 oz of product.

This comes in a plastic pump bottle and you need to actually store it upside down so all the products will go down to the pump at the bottom of the bottle. I actually love this pump because it dispenses the right amount of product. I usually pump once to cover my whole face.

 This is how it looks like on the skin:

MY REVIEW

PROS:

- This contains anti-aging and whitening properties.

- This has a high sun protection-- SPF 30 PA++ -- which is quite perfect for everyday use

- I love the packaging so much because I can control the amount of product I'll dispense and since it is in a pump bottle it is quite hygienic.

- The scent is very mild so it doesn't bother me.

- This is very easy to spread on the face. I prefer using my fingers and then blend with a brush afterwards.

- I believe this is a medium to heavy coverage so you only need a tiny amount for your entire face. One pump is actually more than enough for the face and neck.

- Gives a very smooth finish on the face.

CONS:

- It is quite sticky on the face and makes me so oily. I guess since this is actually meant for dry skin and I have oily skin so it doesn't work. My sister have very dry skin so she tends to buy products that have a lot of moisture and this is too much for my skin type.

- It also oxidizes on me and I end up looking tanner and "dirty" after 5 hours. Not a good look if I have a long day event.

- It can look cakey and settle on pores and scars..I have a couple of ice-pick scars on the cheeks and it settle on those and emphasizes them =(

- Doesn't actually matches my skin tone. This is pale for me.

- I break out from this if I wear it at least 3 days in a row which sucks.

OVER-ALL RATING: 2.5 - I can't love this BB cream because we don't match at all. I just love using it during the times when my skin is flaking due to dryness from acne meds or something. But I definitely can't wear this on an everyday basis.

WILL I RE-PURCHASE? Nope. I'm glad I didn't bought this because this is not meant for my skin type. I was just attracted because it has anti aging, whitening and a high SPF hehe. It also breaks me out due to too much moisture and I guess dirt that gets attached to the oils I produce.

This is really meant for dry and mature skin so oily skinned gals should stay far far away from this unless you wanted a dewy and moisturized look. 

TIPS:

- Don't use a kabuki brush to apply this coz it can get cakey and streaky

- It is very easy to apply too much since this is thick so start thinly then build it up to the coverage you want. It is easier to add more products but you can't "subtract" when you applied too much.

- If you are oily, apply an oil control primer first and set the BB cream with an oil control powder like Ellana silica powder (HD primer powder)

 What about you? Have you tried using this too? Do you love BB Creams? Please share your favorite BB creams so I can check them out the next time I buy.

Thanks for dropping by! Till my next post. Bye! ^_^

The magic of makeup

Hello! I have tweeted earlier today that I will be doing a makeup tutorial and upload it tonight but something went wrong during the whole process and I decided to try again another day... I really wanted to film a tutorial to see if I have improved since the last I did it so yeah.

So today, I will be doing a post about what makeup can do to improve our over-all appearance for a party, for example. Here's what I came up with. Guess what I did to make it special ^_^

The other half only has light foundation, concealer and a lip balm. It is very natural and good for everyday but the other side is perfect for parties. It still looks simple and not over the top but I added some things to make my assets more enhanced.

Have you guessed what I used? If you thought false eyelashes, eyebrows and circle lenses then you are correct. Grooming my brows and filling in the gaps to make it look cleaner and frame my face better is one of the steps I just learned last month. I never knew that filled in brows looks better haha I thought I don't neet it coz I have naturally bushy brows but I guess I', wrong.

I also chose to use a brown colored contact lenses instead of the blue or green ones because I didn't want to look too fake. Although I love colored contacts because they are fun (if you noticed from my older posts), but using contact lenses with almost the same shade as my natural color makes it hard for people to guess what I did to look prettier and I learned that I prefer it that way hehe. It actually worked because my mom once told me she can't pinpoint what I did but I look different (We went to a formal event that time) and a lot of people complimented me whenever I use my brown lenses.

Adding false eyelashes also opened up my peepers without me worrying of looking like a raccoon.. I usually don't apply mascara if I have a choice because I have very oily lids and I usually ends up looking like an emo at the end of the day because of that. But I don't suggest using falsies everyday because the glue can make your lashes a lot thinner in the long run coz you can sometimes pull out the lashes during removal.

Products used:

FACE:

Holika Holika Petit Clearing BB Cream

Tony Moly Berry Lovely Tip Concealer in #1

Ever Bilena pink powder blush (no shade name on the palette)

Ellana Minerals HD Powder

EYES:

EO contact lenses in honey (grade 3.50 both eyes...I think I needed to upgrade to 3.75)

Tony Moly Berry Lovely Tip Concealer in #1

MOD Minerals in Splendor (all over the lids)

Coastal Scents white eyeshadow from 88 matte palette (as highlight)

Coastal Scents black eyeshadow from 88 matte paletter (for smudging the liner and on lower lashline)

Tony Moly Backstage gel liner in black 01

MUFE star powder in 902 (inner corners and lower lashline)

Generic false eyelashes

Etude House eyebrow pencil in gray

LIPS:

Victoria's Secret lipgloss in Embrace

You see, you don't need a lot of products to enhance your natural beauty. Just choose one part of your face you want to emphasize and concentrate on that. I chose my eyes coz 99% of the time I wear eyeglasses and whenever I have an event to go to I wanted to show them off hehe. 

What about you guys? What part of your face do you want to emphasize more when you do your makeup? Share them on the comment section below. Thank you for dropping by!  ^_^

Review: Etude House Petit Bijou Body Lotion

Hello! 

Do you love getting freebies with your purchases? I am! I love free items where I can try new things that I won't think of getting myself and then ends up loving it. Well, that is the reason why I love going to Korean beauty stores because a lot of them give out freebies (oh not everyone gives free samples here unlike when you go to Korea wherein all the stores give them out, but there are some ^_^) to try out.

This next product that I am reviewing is a sample I've been given last year. It just took me so long to do a review because I ended up reviewing other things instead. It is Etude House Petit Bijou Moisture Body Lotion in Cotton Snow. 

 It comes in cute white packaging with pastel-colored letters and pictures for babies. The product comes out like a white lotion and its consistency is like any other regular lotion.

According to this blog I read, Lotus Palace, she said that Petit Bijou Line is designed by Espoir Pink and is:

"The range is free of sulfates, parabens, soap, dyes and alcohol. It contains hyaluronic acid, milk protein and chamomile. The products are dermatologist tested." 

Check out her page to see the picture of the actual size of the product and the ingredients list. I only have a sample and there is no information on my tube so I can't tell you guys about it.

This line comes with a body wash, body lotion, intense moisturizing cream and edts ^_^

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS:

- I super love the scent! This Cotton Snow variant smells like a freshly bathed and powdered baby. I swear, after you applied this to your skin, you will definitely keep on smelling yourself :)

- The scent lingers for a couple of hours especially if you used the body wash that comes in the same scent.

- It is perfect for our weather because it is very light and non greasy. I can use it on very hot days and I will not experience feeling icky. 

- It gives just the right moisture for my skin type. 

- It comes with  a body wash and edt so you can definitely layer in the scent so it will last a lot longer.

- Available locally at all Etude House stores.

CONS:

- If you have very dry skin, I don't think this is enough moisture for you.

- If you hate powdery scents, you'll definitely hate this.

OVER-ALL RATING: 5/5. I can't think of one thing that I don't like about this product.

WILL I BUY THE FULL SIZE? Definitely! I will also buy a full size body wash and EDT hehe... I really love smelling like a baby plus it is meant to be for sensitive skin which is perfect for my skin asthma ^_^

What about you? Have you tried any other scent from this line? Which one would you suggest for me? Do share them in the comment section below!

Thank you for dropping by. Till my next post, bye! ^_^

Review: Etude House Skin Malgam Toner in Smoother

Hello everyone! I am back with another skin care product review and this time it is a toner from Etude House. I have already used up half the bottle of this product and I apply it 2x a day since I got it last March 2012.

Etude House had launched a new line of hypoallergenic skin toners called Skin Malgam. Malgam is a Korean word that means cleanliness, clarity and purity. This toners are meant to promote clean, clear and pure complexion with moisturizing and pore cleansing formulas. (info found on the box of the product)

This line of toners have 6 variants that will fit normal, dry and oily skin. They also have a moisturizing serum for all skin types under this hypoallergenic line.

I got the variant for oily, acne prone skin which is called Smoother. Skin Malgam Smoother is an exfoliation toner that contains alcohol for disinfecting the skin...or so the speaker at the Etude House event last month said hehe ^_^

 

 This bottle contains 250ml of product and it comes in an opaque plastic bottle.

You can click the picture to see the ingredients list but the first ingredient is water and the second is alcohol.

 Also on the box, it is stated that this toner can be used 4 ways:

1. As a regular toner

2. As spot treatment - you just put some product in a piece of cotton pad and place that on the problematic area and wait for 30 mins.

3. As a refreshing spray.

4. As a mask to be used once a week.

Of course, I was talked into about getting the mask tray so I can try if this will work great as a mask. 

 You just need to get one piece and put it on the tray. Pour around 15ml of product on the sheet. You will see that it will expand quickly like so.

You will then spread the mask sheet soaked with the product and put it on your face like so.

WARNING: scary! 

I suggest you avoid placing it around your eyes coz it might sting and dry the sensitive skin of your eyes. I got this based from experience.

Wait for 20 minutes before removing the mask. And here's the finish result.

I have not noticed any redness or irritation after the mask. I will discuss the effect on my review.

PROS:

- This is hypoallergenic.

- Cleanses very well. I really love toners that cleanses my skin thoroughly.

- Doesn't sting. Even though this contains alcohol, I have never experienced any stinging on my skin.

- The packaging is very nice. I love that it is not a brittle type of plastic and it doesn't spill if  bring it on trips.

- It helped in smoothing my skin. I have a lot of small bumps on my skin before I used this and it is now gone after 1 month of continuous use.

-  I believe it helps in controlling any breakouts because I did not get any acne or pimples even during my period.

- I love the fact that this line of toner can become essence mask too (the moisturizing variants)

- I love how my skin feels cleansed and refreshed after use.

- I like the scent too. Very very mild and fresh.

- Available on any Etude House store.

CONS:

- Can be a bit drying sometimes because of the alcohol content.

- Do not use the Smoother toner as a mask coz it is very drying especially around the eyes. My skin became wrinkled after I removed the mask sheet so I did not repeat it to test any effectiveness. I think it is better to use the moisturizing variant for mask use instead of this one.

- This is not suitable for someone with normal to dry skin. I have combination-oily skin and my cheeks became a drier with this. CHOOSE THE RIGHT VARIANT FOR YOUR SKIN TYPE.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4/5 - I love how this cleanses my face from dirt and oils that I accumulated throughout the day. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and primed for moisturizer.

WILL I REPURCHASE? I might try another variant to compare. I wanted the one for normal skin if it would work great on me too since I have combination-oily skin. But if I would not like it that much, I will repurchase this for night time use and the variant for normal skin during mornings :)

TIPS:

- Choose the best variant for your skin type.

- Don't forget to apply moisturizer after toning.

- Use just a small amount of product...just enough to wet a cotton pad and not soak it.

I am looking forward to getting the moisturizing serum under this line. I wanted to try it since I am oilier this summer and my current moisturizer is becoming too heavy for me now.

Thank you for dropping by! ^_^

S&R Sale & Etude House Haul

Hello everyone! I was unable to post because I was already up and about at 5am the other day and I can't bring myself up to create a post when I got back home since I was so tired. You might be wondering, "what did she do at 5am?"...Well, me and my uncle and aunt went over to SnR Pricemart at Munoz, QC to wait in line for the 1st day of the sale. S&R is an American membership shopping area and is very popular because of it's great prices and wide varitey of brands that our local groceries don't carry (like Garnier Fructis shampoo, herbal essences, Aveeno, etc). They are also popular for having semi-annual sales that cuts off prices up to 50%! And they put stuff on sale that won't even expire within the year so it's so okay to hoard ^_^

I spent around Php6k that day (combined items with my mom and sis) because I bought items that are quite big like cooking ware set and sacks of dog foods. If you can only see the amount of products piled up on the carts of other people, you'll be wondering how much they spent that day...I'm guessing around Php20,000 to 50,000 coz they are so plenty. Probably for selling or gifts, maybe.

I got 400 gms of pasta noodles buy 1 take 1 for only Php109...Del Monte Four Cheese tomato sauce buy 1 take 1 for only Php99 (that's a big can already), Safeguard bar soaps 8pcs pack buy 1 take 1 (that's 16 pcs!) for only Php350 and the 12 pcs cooking stuff (non stick pans and pots) 50% off for only Php1,400! I think I got great deals with these purchases ^_^

I'm supposed to post a picture here to show you how many people are there but I can't transfer it from my phone to my computer. But when we got there by 5:30am, I think we're already the 250th customer on the line. Some staff of S&R said there's already a line since 1am! Oh my, that's too early for me and the store will only open at 8am. That's crazy don't you think?

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I also wanted to share with you another haul. I went to Etude House last Saturday and I saw their new line of toners. I decided to try the one for deep pore cleansing for a smoother skin (that's what the label say hehe) and I ended up with a thousand pesos worth of products because I wanted to get the invite for the playhouse on April hehe ^_^

Here's what I got for myself:

I will give a detailed review after a month of using the Skin Mal:gam toner in Smoother variant. Oh, and also the masks...I hope I can review them too in detail if they are effective or not :)

What about you? do you like sales? I do! I love getting everything for a bargain especially if the products are good quality ones. Till next time, bye! ^_^

Review: Etude House AC Clinic Red Spot Balm + Whitening

It's a bright and sunny Saturday! I woke up really early around 7 am even though I slept very late last night (I think around 2:30 am) because I finished reading Halo by Alexandra Adornetto. I will post a review later on that one later tonight :)

Now, let's go to business. I wanted to share with you guys this product that I'm using for almost 1 year already. I specifically use it for lightening my post acne scars... it's from Etude House and it's called Red Spot Balm + Whitening. It is under the AC Clinic line that is meant for the acne prone skin.

It comes in a green glass jar and it contains 20ml of product. The lid is made up of plastic and it closes tighly so I don't have any problem travelling with this. The packaging is very sturdy, IMO. It has a medicinal feel to it, which I think is what they intended it to be since this is their line to cure acne problems.

It is a white cream that is very easy to spread on the skin. This is the 4th step in this skincare line. As you can see in the picture, I am running out of the product since I use this 2x a day for a long time. The scent of salicylic acid is quite strong too but I don't mind since I love salicylic based products for my pimples since they work better on me than benzoyl peroxide.

What I LOVE about this product:

- helped lighten my post acne scars slowly but surely.

- non-drying on the skin

- aside from its whitening effect, it also helps in controlling my pimple prone skin..I rarely get acne now on the areas where I put this.

- Affordable. I think this cost around Php600 only and it lasted me for a year.

- Can be found easily on any Etude House stores.

- I love the packaging!

What I DON'T LIKE about this product:

- It is unhygienic since you need to dip your finger to get some product...although this comes with a spatula for a cleaner approach but I lost it so I just use my finger.

- I think its effect on me had plateaud already...It's like that with all skin care products in my case. My maximum would be 1 year to 1.5 yrs and my skin will get immune to a product. So sad, it looks like I need to look for another one :(

- The scent may not appeal to people who have sensitive nose and hates medicine scents.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5 - Super love this product because it is very effective in lightening my scars. I just wished it comes in a tube container for a more hygienic approach.

WOULD I REPURCHASE? I'm not sure. I think my skin got immune to it already so I'll look for another whitening product to use then I'll come back to this if that did not work.

What's your favorite whitening product for scars? Share them with me please. Thank you! ^_^