Too Faced Sweet Dreams Make-up Collection

The Christmas season is my most favorite time of year. It is when we have parties, family reunions and gatherings often. Food is abundant especially during Noche Buena (Christmas Eve). It is the time when I get to eat a lot and eventually gain some weight, but I do not worry much about it and just happily celebrate with ease. Spending Christmas with my family is a very significant moment to cherish. During holidays, gift givings are common. We have exchanging gifts at school with classmates and friends and we also give gifts to our relatives and goddaughters and sons.

Most brands like Urban Decay, Tarte, Lorac, Stila, Smashbox have released their own make-up collection for the holidays. Most of them come in set that are perfect to give as a present. What stood out to me the most among all these palettes is the Too Faced Sweet Dreams Make-up Collection. The packaging is gorgeous and in one glance I was attracted to it. For $52 you get 15 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 bronzer, 1 highlighter, and 1 full size eyeshadow insurance. The quality of the bronzer, highlighter and blushes are good. They are not chalky and not difficult to apply. The eyeshadows are my favorite, they are very pigmented with less fall out. I think this is a good value for money and you get a lot for what you will pay for.

I can say that this would be a great present for yourself this Christmas or to someone who is just starting her own make-up collection. Happy Holidays to you all!

Etude House Darling Cream Review

Snail creams are a fad in Korea last year and until now. Almost all Korean cosmetics brand have their own snail cream line. From the most expensive It's Skin PRESTIGE d' escargot to the more affordable Tony Moly Intense Repair Live Snail cream and Etude House Darling Snail Healing cream. To learn more on how snail creams work click HERE.  I believe that most of them claim to repair damaged skin caused by sun and stress, prevent wrinkles, heal acne and erase dark spots. As for me, I tried the the Etude House Darling Cream because it is the only one available here in Cebu. We do not have Tony Moly and It's Skin here. 

I have been using this cream for almost 3 months now and I am about to finish my first jar. But before I discuss the effects of the product on my skin here is a background of my skin type:

Skin Type: normal to combination

Additional information: I get breakouts when my period is about to start and after it ends, I easily get post acne hyper-pigmentation. I have some blemishes on my cheeks and temporal area. 

Product information:

Nourishing facial specially formulated to regenerate and protect skin cells damaged by stress and environment. This product is void of artificial dyes, paraben and alcohol.

Usage: Dispense onto toner pad and use the pad to wipe facial surface.

This product has a spatula that comes with it. I use it to get a good amount of product for my whole face then apply and spread using my hands. I did not buy some toner pads. I do not even know if the Etude House near me carry them.

Consistency: thick and sticky. You have spread it on your face continuously until all areas are covered.

Scent: mild peachy smell. It does not irritate my sensitive nose.

Price: Php 1,198 for 50 ml

Thoughts: This cream moisturizes and hydrates my skin very well. Since I started using it, I have been getting less pimples even though I sleep very late. I also did not get as many pimples, before and after my period. I have observed when I have a new acne it heals faster and becomes flat the next day. I also noticed that my pores are getting smaller and my skin smoother. As for the post-acne hyperpigmentation on my cheeks and temporal area, this did not erase them completely but they have become lighter than before. I guess it really takes time before blemishes get erased completely. Despite of that, I really like this product for what it does on my skin. I will continue to use this as my night cream until I find something better.

PROS: Can be used by people with various skin types, very moisturizing, helps heal new pimples

CONS: A little expensive, not recommended if your sole purpose is to erase dark spots

Will I buy again? Yes

My Favorite Hand Cream

There are times when we feel that our hands are getting rough and the softness that it once had are lost. Especially when our work entails us to do a lot of handwashing with soap or betadine solution, we are exposing them to harsh chemicals that can be really drying on skin. During my student nurse days there were times that I washed my hands more than 15 times per day because, ideally you need to do it before and after handling a patient to prevent transmission of microorganisms. I immediately realized that I need to have a good hand cream so that I cannot further damage my hands. 

On my first visit to Etude House, this product had caught my eye for its cute packaging. I also love that it contains 5% Shea Butter that can help hydrate skin. It is also a dual purpose cream because it can also be used on the heels. The color of the cream is white and the consistency is thick and creamy. I feel this moisturizes my hands and heels very well without feeling greasy and heavy. The smell is like an after shower smell after you placed some baby powder on your body. It smells fresh and not irritating for my sensitive nose. I am very pleased with this product and I feel that I am getting my money's worth. This is already my second tube and I will continue to buy when I run out of the product.

Price: Php 400+

PROS: Hydrating and creamy. Skin feels soft and smooth the next day.

CONS: none

Will I buy again? Definitely yes.
 

Forever 21 Purchases

Hi everyone! I am going to share to you the things that I bought from Forever 21. The store just recently opened here in Cebu last November 18, 2011. I heard that so many people went and the store had a problem with their air conditioners. It was probably very broiling and fiery that time. Good thing, I waited for several days before checking out the store and it was worth the wait. I went there on a Wednesday afternoon. Not so many people were shopping so it was a nice experience for me. The whole store's temperature was fine since they added more cooling equipments. The only thing that I would complain about is the fitting rooms to the right side are not yet allowed to be used so you have to go all the way to the left just to fit clothes. I am not really fond of fitting clothes because it takes to much time, but I have to do it even though I already know my size since some or most of their small/petite and XS sizes are sometimes still a little too big for me. That is my biggest dissatisfaction when I shop at Forever 21. I have to carefully choose the styles that would fit me if I do not want to spend for another more hundreds of pesos just to have them altered. Mango, Promod, and Topshop's smallest sizes fit me well. Well enough of my complaints. Here are the clothes that I bought.

I included some close-ups of the prints because I think they are just pretty. I can even use them as background. I cannot wait to create some ensembles using them. I will soon post one as an OOTD (Outfit of the Day). Thanks for reading! =D

Urban Decay Naked 2

I am so surprised with this news! Urban Decay just released the Naked 2 palette. There are some pictures, swatches and review HERE.

I cannot really wait to get my hands on this. Hopefully this would not sell out too quickly. I am going to pre-order this on my favorite multiply online seller. I just kind of want this palette to have the mini primer potion instead, like the old Naked palette since I am not really fond of lipglosses in general. I think they are too sticky to wear especially in a humid country like the Philippines. Nonetheless, I like the dual ended brush that comes with it. I think it is really useful and of high quality. The people in USA are very lucky, they are the first ones to try and buy new product releases. I am envious. =D

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion Review

Hi everyone!

This would be my first post and product review and I decided to make a review on The Body Shop's Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion. I have used this product for 1 month and a half so I am sure that I would be able to share my experiences and the effect of this on my skin.

Skin Type: normal to combination

Additional information: I get breakouts when my period is about to start and after it ends, I easily get post acne hyper-pigmentation

Product Information:

• Best if you want to: Moisturize with a light, mattifying lotion that hydrates skin and controls oil while helping to clear and prevent blemishes.
  
• How it works:
  • Lemon tea tree and Community Trade tea tree oil from Kenya contain properties that help fight blemishes and prevent new ones from forming.
  • Tamanu oil from Madagascar has a soothing effect and helps to calm irritation and redness.
  • Contains powders help mattify the skin and control shine. 

Ingredients:  Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylamide/Ammonium Acrylate Copolymer, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Polyisobutene, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene, Laureth-4, Citral, Leptospermum Petersonii (Lemon Tea Tree) Oil, Tocopherol.

SOURCE: The Body Shop website

Consistency: clear, gel like and watery

Scent: Grassy medicated strong smell which irritates my nose

Price: Php 765 or $17 for 50 ml

The reason why I bought this was to replaced my Vitacreme B12 night cream which I purchased online. I want to switch to something that is easily accessible so that it would not be a pain to wait when I run out of product. I also considered that tea tree oil helps heal acne scars faster. I want to get rid of my hyper-pigmentation so I did not hesitate to try this. Sadly, this product is not the one for me. There were new pimples coming out everyday when I used this and this did not help heal and soothe existing acne and blemishes on my face. I also felt that my skin became dry and rough as I was using this. Although, I know that this is a mattifying lotion, I expected it to work for me because we have humid tropical climate here in the Philippines. After I realized that I had more pimples coming out than usual, I immediately stopped using this and looked for another product.

PROS: good for people with oily skin

CONS: does not live to its claims of healing and soothing blemishes and existing acne scars

            not recommended for those have normal to dry skin

Will I buy again? No

Currently I am using Etude House's Darling Snail Healing Cream and my skin loves it. I am going to do a review on that soon. Thanks for reading everyone! :)