Product Revew: Chu Lip

Chu Lip

I first came across this trendy Japanese lip balm called Chu Lip during our visit in Tokyo. My sister and I couldn't resist its cute design so each of us bought one for ourselves! Unlike a regular lip balm, it's bigger and rounder. It comes with a variety of flavors. They have a fruity smell, which we both love! They are all colorless. This product does a great job on keeping my lips moisturized. Since it's bigger than a regular lip balm, it can last for several months. We loved it so much that we bought another one on our next visit to Japan!

Product Review: The Face Shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream

BB cream has been a part of my routine since it became a hype. BB cream got me covered during the many mornings when I am in a hurry. It's a great starter product if you're hesitant to try heavy duty makeup. It is also great for lazy girls who want to look good minus the hassles. If you're still not a BB cream user, why don't you give it a try?

In this post, I am going to give my impressions about a BB cream I've purchased months ago. My old BB cream, The Face Shop Face It Aqua Tinted BB Cream, was already used up. I was planning to purchase it again but the store ran out of the light beige shade. Instead of going home empty-handed, I bought another product from the same line, The Face Shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream. Unlike the Aqua Tinted BB cream, Power Perfection BB cream comes in two sizes. The larger size is a bit more expensive than my previous BB cream so I bought the smaller size (I was feeling very frugal). Let's see how this product fares.

Product Review: Laneige Light Balancing Emulsion

I"ve been using Jason Natural Soothing 98% Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel for my daily skin care routine. In general, it works fine, but the texture is too tacky for my liking. So I decided to go to the mall to hunt for a new moisturizer. I decided to go for a bit high-end type of product, so I chose Laneige Light Balancing Emulsion, which has many positive reviews across the net. However, the emulsion is supposed to be applied before the moisturizer, which is being sold separately. Knowing that Korean skincare routine requires tons of products (FYI, Laneige is a Korean product) as compared to my preferred routine, I neglected to buy the moisturizer as a combo to this. Instead, I would just use the emulsion as my sole moisturizer.

My New Dermatologist and Some Updates

Early this January, I decided to visit a new dermatologist. I had previous experiences with a dermatologist. Although I saw a lot of improvements after those visits, I realized how costly it could get for maintenance. Simply put, my original dermatologist caters to well-off patients. Each tiny bottle of skin care product costs 300-400 pesos. His cleaning sessions alone costs 800. I just didn't feel I was getting a great value for my money.

Acne, Air Pollution, Poor Diet, and Suggested Solutions

Source: Danilo Rizzuti | Freedigitalphotos.net

Lately, I've been having serious acne flare ups on the face and I am not proud of it. It must be the air pollution or the poor diet I'm having. For some reasons, the vehicles passing by our neighborhood has increased, making dark smogs to be a frequent sighting whenever I go outside home. Ice cream and dairy products have also become more frequent in my diet.

Ingredients that Whiten the Skin

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Image Source: stockimages | Freedigitalphotos.net

any women, especially in the country where I live, yearn to have a lighter complexion. We are constantly being bombarded by advertisements of these products to convince us that having a fairer skin is desirable. Thus, many whitening products exist in the market to address this demand. 

Several creams, lotions, soaps, BB creams, and other skin care products contain whitening agents that may or may not work. In this post, I will be giving you an overview about the different substances (arranged alphabetically) found in our products that are known to whiten the skin. I will keep adding to this list in the future so stay tuned!

The Danger Triangle of Your Face

I have a habit of popping my pimples despite hearing and reading several warnings against this. It is said that the act may infect the pimples and or leave permanent scars.

When the news about a boy getting hospitalized due to an infected pimple was relayed to me, at first I couldn't believe it. The "danger triangle of the face" sounds absurd and illogical. But research made it clear to me that it does exist.

Hormonal Acne and Diet

Image Source: Simon Howden | Freedigitalphotos.net

Although the myth about eating chocolates can cause acne has already been debunked, other foods can still trigger acne breakouts.

Recent studies show that foods high in glycemic index (simple carbohydrates that are high in sugar content) can worsen acne condition. 

6 Quick Tips for Dry Lips

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Photo Source: marin | Freedigitalphotos.net

any people might experience having a dry and chapped lips at one point in their life. It's not surprising, as the skin on the lips is very thin, making it more sensitive than any other skin parts of the body. Low humidity environments, such as air conditioned rooms, make our lips prone to drying. Sun exposure can also risk the lips to being sunburned.

Even though our lips consist of a small part of our skin, it is no excuse to skip lip care. Long before I started this blog, I am guilty of neglecting my lips. Not only were my lips dry and chapped, they were also very pale. When I discovered lip gloss, I saw the huge difference between beautiful lips and dull lips. Of course, I later learned that lip gloss is only a quick fix, not a cure, and therefore switched to lip balms.

Product Review: Jason Natural Soothing 98% Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel

I had been using Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream for several months already, but decided to buy a different moisturizer before setting out for a December trip to Hong Kong. The reason was Kiehl's product is lightweight and moisturizing enough only during high humidity days. I was afraid that it wouldn't be enough to protect my skin from the harsh cold wind of Hong Kong.

My Recent Skincare Routine

I used to follow dutifully the ever so popular trend of skincare regimen: wash, tone, moisturize. Now, I'm becoming less convinced of this trend's necessity. For the past several months, I've been trying to revamp my skincare routine into a much less complicated regimen. During some periods, my skin repaid my modifications with a lot of breakouts. But as I adjusted slowly, my skin eventually improved. I learned that I need not use a lot of products in order to have a healthy skin.

Product Review: Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen SPF 45

I have been using Alba Botanica Natural Very Emollient Sunscreen, which I have written a review about in my past post, for a few months already. I think the said product is fine, and works well as a daytime moisturizer during the low-humidity periods. However, after using it for a few times during my jogging spree, I noticed that my skin has darkened a bit. So I decided to look for another product from the same brand which hopefully would work better, and has chosen the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen SPF 45 because it cointains green tea (Skin care products containing green trea turn me on!). Besides, it contains higher SPF, longer water resistance time (80 minutes), and most importantly, it bears a seal of recommendation from the Skin Cancer Organization.

Facial Cleansers for Oily Skin

Cleansing the face is an essential part of your skin care routine. Even if you spend a fortune on the best creams or serums in town, you wouldn't get the desired outcome without proper cleansing. Cleansing removes excess oil, makeup, sweat and dirt. If you have oily skin, it is a must to prevent breakouts.

A good facial cleanser should be sufficient to remove grime without harshly stripping the skin's top layer. It's a challenging task for cosmetic chemists to acquire since there must be a balance between having enough cleansing power and being gentle to skin. I've recently written a primer about facial soaps and cleansers in general. If you're interested, you may visit this page to read a more in-depth discussion.

6 Ways to Save the Environment with Cosmetics

You don't want to hurt this lovely creature, do you?
Image Source: Bill Longshaw | Freedigitalphotos.net

According to Eurostaf statistics on 2007, the annual turnover rate generated by the cosmetic industries worldwide reaches to USD 170 Billion. With that amount in mind, we can hardly imagine how much raw ingredients and packaging materials it takes to manufacture cosmetic products every year. The accumulated wastes acquired from the disposable plastic bottles as well as the skincare chemicals being washed away from our sinks can leave undesirable impact on our environment.

Facial Soaps and Cleansers 101

Photo Source: dusky | Freedigitalphotos.net

The Basic Function of Soaps and Cleansers

Facial soaps and cleansers are the most basic personal care product we use for our face. They are essential for removing dirt and excess oil from our skin. In order to cleanse the skin, soaps and cleansers must include surfactants. 

Surfactants are ingredients that have special properties of being attracted to both water and oil. This enables the surfactants to bind with the oil and dirt found in the skin while lathering. The act of rinsing allows the water-loving end of the surfactant particles to bind to the water, bringing the oil and dirt along and down to the drain. Examples of surfactants that can be found on facial soaps and cleansers are: sodium laureth sulfate, sodium cocyl isethionate, and cocamidopropyl betaine.

Product Review: Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Wash

Also available from Amazon.

If you're like me who's been reading a lot of articles and forums posts about skin care, you may encounter some product ingredients that we should avoid. Parabens, silicones, and sulfates are some of them. While some warnings may be based on facts, most of them aren't conclusive yet. Majority of these hype remain highly controversial. That is probably why a number of people get turned off into buying drugstore brands, because even though they cost less, they contain certain ingredients that majority of internet articles warn us against using.

Ingredients-wise, this facial cleanser from Clean & Clear is no different from other drugstore brands. It contains parabens that many women try to avoid. I must admit I had avoided drugstore brands before because I also became suspecting against certain ingredients and that's why I had refrained from using them for some time. In my previous post: What are Parabens: The Highly Controversial Substance, I've mentioned that I wouldn't be completely avoiding parabens anymore, especially if the product is a cleanser (something that would be quickly rinsed off anyway). 

Product Review: Marks and Spencer Gentle and Soft Shower Gel

Gentle and soft, just like Duffy bear.

The skin of the body is not as delicate as that of the face, so I usually just ignore body skin care and focus more on my acne-prone face. My skin care for the body is simple, cleansing with a bar soap, scrubbing, and applying lotion. But I must admit guiltily that I only usually adhere to the cleansing step and neglect the rest of the regimen. 

Then one day, I went shopping to Marks and Spencer. I was really into shopping that day, and decided to buy a shower gel to replace my ordinary bar soap. I wanted to have some kind of luxury for shower use but is at the same time affordable, and so I bought the Gentle and Soft Shower Gel.

What is Facial Exfoliation?

Facial exfoliation is an additional step in a skincare regimen, with the frequency depending on the exfoliant used and the person's skin type. The purpose of exfoliation is to remove dead skin cells that we shed over time. Built-ups of dead skin cells tend to clog the pores - leading to acne breakouts - and make the skin look dull. In addition, de-clogging the pores make absorption of other skincare products more effective.

There are several ways to exfoliate the skin, but can be summed up into two types: mechanical and chemical.

Product Review: Kiehl's Epidermal Re-texturizing Micro-dermabrasion

Also available on Amazon.

And so, after months of using the Kiehl's Ultra Oil-Free Gel Cream Moisturizer, I was quite contented with it's performance and went again to the store to buy another jar. The saleslady was nice enough to recommend me some other products within the store. Since she found out I was using a bit of makeup, she introduced me to a facial scrub. I got some samples and was excited to try them out, including the scrub that she was so eagerly recommending.

The facial scrub is actually called a micro-dermabrasion - sounds fancy and expensive right? The product is indeed expensive, but Kiehl's fans seemed to be unbaffled by the high price of this product, as a real micro-dermabrasion session would cost even more. Plus, it's always a wonderful idea to be able to have a micro-dermabrasion session right at the comforts of home. 

Proper Care for Your Skin Care Products

One way to get beautiful skin is to apply good skin care products. Skin care products protect your skin from stress, pollutants, UV radiation (for those that contains SPF), dryness, and free radicals. But skin care doesn't just stop there. Your beauty products degrade over time, and if not taken of properly, may even do more harm than good to your skin. So taking proper care of your beauty tools is a must. 

But how do you take care of your beauty products? First, you need to know what degrades them. Heat, direct sunlight, air, moist, dirt, and germs all contribute to lessening your products' potency. By avoiding these variables, your products will tend to stay fresh and effective throughout their shelf life.