Random Pics and Favorites

First Shopping:  I bought 3 tops from Forever 21 two of which are on sale and Nature Republic (Philippines) masks and aloe stuff since they mark down their prices this February.  And oh it's almost a year since I had my GEX500 camera but it's only now that I discovered that it has a fish eye effect.  Three first picture have the said effect.

I'm still hiding so I can't show you the entirety of the tops

I just love the details of my tops from Forever 21:  the beige one has the perfect combination of femininity and masculinity because of the black circle synthetic leathers that are attached in the shoulders and the blue one has the versatility feature that can be worn in a formal or dress down way.  For those who will shop for sale in Forever 21 in North Edsa ask first for the sale items because not all items that are on the sale area are on sale some are just..lost!  The tags also have codes like mine have 231 scribbles on the tag.  The SAs don't know the meaning so ask in the cashier area.

love the new packaging of the masks

this is the freebie that  I got , I gave it to my niece since she likes it

As for Nature Republic, yep they finally mark down their prices like around 20%.  I hope it's forever since the original mark up is 100% when compared to Korea.  Some items are on 50% sale too.  Ask for the new prices with the SAs since the tag on the shelves are the old ones.

Next Fooooooooooooooood.

Hansel Premium Cheese Sandwich

I love cheese.  Although I don't know the types of cheese I can say that I love cheese.  Some find this cookie sandwich filled with cheese weird but I just can't help munching it especially when paired with tea.

Tetley English Breakfast

Already tried green tea, white tea, black tea, earl gray tea. teas with mint, teas with peppermint, with lemon, ginseng, caramel and with flowery taste and milk teas.  Now it's time for english breakfast.  Love it!

Red Sky and everything else.

And I will be leaving you with red sky, planners and a cute mirror that I will give to someone.

Sunset from my window

planners from coffee shops

cute pocket mirror

  Happy Sunday!

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

Nature Republic Botanical Cover BB Cream

Two things to remember when using this BB Cream: one, use it sparingly (as in sparingly!) and two be fast.

Nature Republic Botanical Cover BB Cream SPF 40+++
photo by my sister who is experimenting

I got this Nature Republic Botanical Cover BB Cream in No.2 with an SPF of 40 PA+++ as a gift from my colleagues (hmmm they really want me to become a lady hahaha).  Below is the clearer photo of the product.

photo from naturerepublic.biz

photo from naturerepublic.biz

According to this site: http://vivianbeauty.com/nature-republic-bb-cream-vivianbeauty/

• Product Information


Nature Republic BB cream contains a camomile herb extract to give plentiful moisture.
Nature Republic BB cream also has a organic flower components to soothe a harmful skin and
removes a dirty skin wastes.
Nature Republic BB cream covers skin softly and perfectly from external skin defect.
Nature Republic BB cream has a strong UV sun protection effect.


Nature Republic BB cream has 3 functional effects.
1) Strong UV protection : protects a skin from external damaging stimuli,
2) Perfect  Skin Cover : covers softly and adheres pand adheres erfectly to a skin, 
3) Whitening effect : makes vivid and young image

I use around 6 pea size of this bb cream: one dot each for forehead, nose bridge, left and right cheek, chin and neck.  After putting the dots I go gaga on spreading them because the bb cream dries easily and turns a little powdery once spread.  And maybe because of it's high SPF of 40, it gives a ghastly effect when I apply/put too much so I use it in pea size amount.

with and without sample photo and how it covers my freckle

Botanical Cover BB Cream has medium coverage: I can still see my freckles but makes my pores less visible.  It also gives my face a natural silky, soft, somewhat pinkish with a little shine/glow finish.

The smell is on the flowery side: simple and not irritating.  A tube which is in lilac color has 45 grams of bb cream that I think will last for a year to me since I use it sparingly.

When I go a little over the pea size amount, I use my powder brush to blend the bb cream but have to wash my face when I put too much:  I don't want to have a lot of lines at an early age just because of too much dabbing and pulling my face for this bb cream to blend  to the natural tone of my skin.  Speaking of washing, water alone of course can't remove the bb cream:  I double cleanse (cleansing cream+facial wash) in order to remove it.

This BB Cream I guess is perfect for those with fair skin (I think I have fair skin and this bb cream in no.2 is just right fore me) and also for those who wants high SPF.

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

Aloe Vera 90% Body Shower Gel

So I got this body wash/shower gel by mistake.  After just one and a half hours of sleep and a long travel going to a place where almost all skincare products are present, my friend and I decided to visit Nature Republic (me because I need an Aloe Gel and friend because of JGS) after attending an event.  It's August, it's rainy yet I'm having very dry skin so I decided to also to grab an aloe body cream and I did, well that's what I thought because when I got home I found this body gel in my shopping bag instead.

Nature Republic Soothing and Moisture Aloe Vera 90% Body Shower Gel

here's a closer look

If you are familiar with Nature Republic's Aloe Gel (review here) then this shower gel is almost the same with the aloe gel only this one lathers though not as bubbly as Nature Republic's Morning Fruits series.  It has an aloe smell, it has the aloe cooling effect and also have the light moisture just like the aloe gel (so lotion/body cream is still needed if you have dry to very dry skin).  It has a California Certified Organic Farmers seal meaning the aloe used is organic and I also don't see any kind of paraben in the ingredients' list.

description + directions on how to use + cautions + ingredients

I always have to used body sponge for me to get some or use a lot of this shower gel to produce lots of bubbles so 150ml of this product is good for around 1 to 1 and 1/2 months. Also; although the container is better than the Morning Fruits', the gel is leaking.  Really, Nature Republic should fix the caps of their shower gels.

just in case you are curious as to how this gel looks like

It's a good product and I'm thinking that this is perfect for summer together with the aloe gel and body cream.  The lightweight and freshness it gives makes it perfect for hot weather.

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

DIY Cotton Mask

Last week while reading and watching Etude House Philippines website and Michelle Phan's vblog, I decided to recreate their DIY masks.

Mask 1: 2 ingredients

a freshner + at least 6 cotton pads

peel and place the soaked cottons pads all over the face

Soak the cotton pads in freshner (a kind of toner that is a little thick than normal).  Here, I used my Etude House' Skin Mal:gum in Deep Moist.

Mask 2: 3 ingredients

toner + emulsion + at least 6 cotton pads

combined the toner and emulsion

Unfortunately I don't have a skin conditioner so I improvised.  I mixed 1 part of toner and 1 part emulsion.  Mixed well then soak the cotton pads then stretch, peel and apply all over the face.  Here, I'm using my Etude House's Skin Mal:gum in Smooth and Nature Republic's Aloe Emulsion.

The result is lovable as it made my skin soft, smooth, bright and refresh.  If you have been given with different kinds of toner and emulsion samples from your purchases, then I think it's the perfect time to use them with this DIY masks.  I'm going to use The FaceShop freebies next time.

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

All the Way Down: September Empties

I've emptied quite a lot this month, yehey and at the same time huhuhu, I have to throw some cute containers.

From left to right then center.  Link to my reviews are in [here] or [review].

Human Heart Nature Baby Lotion
I like that it's liquidy so it easily glides to my skin but it's not hydrating enough for me.  Let's just leave this to the kid's.  Click [here] for my quick review.

Snoe Body Softener
Anti-Aging, Whitening and Collagen in one product is really wow but is so small at 100ml I finish the product in just one month which is okay for those who wanted to try all the variants and troublesome for those who love using it because purchasing it every now and then is really troublesome (ahahaha redundant) and if you stock a lot in the closet then it will take a lot of space.  I hope Snoe can make different sizes to their products.  Review for this softener can be found [here].

Innisfree Green Tea
Used these two samples when I had a huge (as in huge with pain) pimple.   I sometimes like the smell because it smells clean but sometimes hate it because it reminds me of my brother's perfume (which I hate).  You can find my quick review to these two [here].

Nature Republic Collagen BB Cream
My goodness, it took me months before finishing this 10 ml BB Cream and have to give the other to my sister (I should have just ask for the mask as a GWP instead of two BB Cream).  Anyway, It's a good product that goes a long way.  Together with the Whitening Mask, check my review [here].

Etude House Milk Talk in Apple
Don't be fooled by the packaging's cuteness (because it is small).  This body wash although the packaging is small still contains 200ml of milk-apple goodness.  Of course I already made review about this.  Click [here].

Human Heart Nature Strengthening Shampoo and Body Wash
The reason why I ordered this is because it's also a body wash.  Doesn't produce a lot of bubbles though.  Quick review can be found [here].

TonyMoly Peach Anti-Aging Hand Cream
In other country it's TonyMoly but here in the Philippines it's Tony Moly.  What do you prefer?  Anyway here's my [review] on this hand cream.

Etude House Moistfull Collagen First Essence
It's just a sample but it took me 3 months to consume this essense.  I haven't revised the pictures in this post but all the important details about this product are in [here].

Random Haul

Here and there I've been buying stuff.  Some are needs, some are stocks but most are just some things that I feel like grabbing.

Saizen everything at P85

I used to visit Saizen during my alone time.  It's fun to look at cute things and finding an item that is worth more than P85.  I love the scrubbing pad and also think that I will love Coenzyme Q10 Face Mask and Charcoal Natural Pack.

The Body Shop at 50% sale

Hooray for 50% off sale of The Body Shop.  I'm loving the Olive Body Butter so I bought another one together with Shea Body Butter which is also for very dry skin.

Nature Republic

I'm supposed to buy an Aloe Body Cream so I got surprised to find the Aloe Vera 90% Body Shower Gel in my shopping bag when I got home.  Oh well, lesson learned, don't buy when dead tired ahahaha and of course the Aloe Gel which is getting pricier!!!

Snoe

I like the Exfoliation Soap so I'm enticed to try other variants.  I chose Vitamin C rich Calamansi because calamansi is sooo~ effective to me.

Tony Moly

My feet is in love with calluses and blisters (ahahaha my goodness).  I blame my flat footed~ness.  Hope that this is as good as the Maxii Power Foot Peeling Liquid.

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

All the Way Down: July Empties

 

1 Nature Republic Morning Fruits Peach Shower Gel and Body Lotion

After almost two months I finally finished with these two. Click here for my review.

2 Nivea’s Nutri Sensitive Milk Wash

I used this most of the time as a facial wash.  It says it gently cleanses and protects sensitive skin and scalp though my face feel stingy whenever I use it.  It also have two kinds of parabens:  Methyparaben and Propylparaben.

3 Nature Republic The Salon Body Esthe Sensitive Hair Remover (what's with the long name)

This one is in an elegant box, but mine got wet and have to be thrown away.

Quick review/Notes:  It effectively removed the hairs from my legs and leaves it with some moisture.  Don't use this when you have newly healed wounds or cuts as it will reopen them.  A tube can last up to 5 sessions. The smell of the cream is on the chemical side though it is more tolerable than Veet.  Everything is going well with the first tube and so I bought another one and I regretted doing so.  The hair remover cream in the second tube dries out so fast that it only removed a few strands of hair from my legs. I also had an allergy with this though I never heard of any reformulation to the product so I really don't know what went wrong.  Good thing that I like some of other Nature Republic's products or else....: ) nevermind.

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

To Soothe & Moisturize: Nature Republic Aloe 70% Emulsion

After using baby cream and over commercialize moisturizers that doesn't really work, I finally decided to switch to something Korean.

Nature Republic Soothing & Moisture Aloe 70% Emulsion

"Aloe 70% Emulsion contains 70% fresh aloe vera that effectively soothes and moisturizes the skin"

Nature Republic's Aloe Vera Gel was love at first try and so I give this a chance to prove itself  as what I really wanted to have in the first place is the Tea Tree Trouble Zero Emulsion (not available :( the last time I visited Nature Republic) for me to avoid breakouts.  But, hey I have dry skin so I guess this is the right product for me.

white and liquidity

It's my first time to try an emulsion and I didn't know that it's more on the watery side.  So with all my might, I gave the bottom part of the bottle a jolt and I ended up having a lot ( so for the first timers out there, be careful hahaha).  The emulsion is white in color and has an aloe and...bamboo??? I really do smell something bamboo~ish.  It really does what it promises to do: to soothe and moisturize the skin.  So if your looking for an all in one product that have anti-aging, anti-wrinkle and so on and so forth effect, then this is not what you are looking for.  This also has Paraben.

Directions:  After using toner, gently spread over face

P290 for 150 ml is already affordable for me because it goes a long way.  It's already been 2 months since I started using this day and night and the bottle is still half full.
I like this product but I hope Nature Republic would also have or would release something with collagen (I'm currently addicted) that has the same price as Soothing & Moisture Aloe 70% Emulsion (what a long name).

Nature Republic! When are you going to open your Megamall branch?  I'm getting impatient to hoard masks!

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

Nature Republic Freebies

I think one of  the generous giver of GWP (gift with purchase) is Nature Republic.  For my P1500 purchases, I got 2 BB Creams and 2 Masks and (ahem) a standee...it's for a friend, okay???

collagen bb cream

The first ever BB Cream that I tried; the Collagen BB Cream Age Slick.  It's only 10ml but goes a long way (using for a month now and still counting).  I like it because it adapts to my skin tone giving my face a natural looking finish, though it doesn't totally cover my frickles (well in the first place it's a bb cream not a concealer).  I have dry skin so reapplication is not necessary.

~with the face of this korean guy~

This Brightening Mask Sheet is no joke!  It really did brighten my face after use.  The mask sheet itself is thin but doesn't break easily.  The combination of thin mask and just enough essence; for me,  is perfect as it sticks to my face, making me free to move around without the mask falling.

Thanks fro Reading.  Till then.  Bye!

Nature Republic's Body Peeling Mist

Peeling? Intriguing!  Well it's the reason why I decided to try Nature Republic's Body Peeling Mist.

"Remove dead skin cells easily and bring your skin back to life with our Body Peeling Mist."

 -Nature Republic Philippines

I'm curious as to how this product works and it landed on my "products to buy priority list".  Silly me I only realized that I didn't ask the SA who assisted me on how to use the product when I got home (got excited and I'm in a hurry that time).  Aside from the "Nature Republic" and "With Polynesia Lagoon Water (MD 101)" everything is in Korean.  The only instruction that I got from the net is shake then apply all over the body then rinse with lukewarm water.

~MD 101~

So I shake the bottle and sprayed the product on my arm first.  After a few seconds, small white particles appeared.  Rubbed and the small particles clamped together (color changes too depending on the dirt in your skin. Mine's light brownish to grayish) .  It's like the peeling process starts when rubbing.  The mist tend to stick to the dirt of the skin. The dirt will then be removed when skin is rubbed and rinsed.  Result?  The skin immediately get a little fairer or whither and a bit smoother (probably because the dirt was wash away).

I can't find what Polynesia Lagoon Water (MD 101) means but from Nature Republic's website here is the meaning of MD Water:

Just a little warning, rinse immediately after rubbing.  There's a tendency that the clamped particles from the mist will stick to the hair and skin like a bubble gum and can be really hard to remove (it happen to me).  I use the peeling mist once a week on my elbows, knees and other dark areas in my body (hahaha).  Don't worry about spilling or accidental spraying of the product since the nozzle has a lock (^_^).

Close

Open

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Hwaiting!

Nature Republic's Morning Fruits Peach Shower Gel & Body Lotion

Aside from coffee, another way to perk up a morning is the smell of something fresh like fruits.  And so added to my bath buddies are the Morning Fruits Shower Gel and it's partner Morning Fruits Body Lotion.

photo from Nature Republic Philippines' facebook page

There are 5 variants in the Morning Fruits line:  Blueberry, Grapefruit, Orange, Peach and Grape.
 Peach can brighten? That's what the Peach variant claims: "For Brightening the Skin" and so, since my skin is pale and dull it got me thinking that the two can help in illuminating it.

Shower Gel 180ml

Body Lotion 150ml

I use the two in the morning and since I started to avoid coffee, the smell of peach somehow help me to awaken my senses; sweet peach scent but not overpowering.   They both have milky peach color and keeps my skin soft and well moisturize without the sticky feeling.  Not sure though if the brightening effect is instant or will be achieve in the long run.  But I think its more of the former as I noticed some glittering particles on my skin (few minutes after application of lotion) under the light but vanishes at the end of the day.

Not bad for P220 (each).  I'll try the Grape next time.

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

Oh, i forgot about the cap.  I hope Nature Republic fix this.

not properly closing

**Peaches are rich in Vitamins C and A, which have antioxidant properties, and alpha hydroxy acids.  AHAs are well known for their use in the cosmetics industry. They are often found in products claiming to reduce wrinkles or the signs of aging, and improve the overall look and feel of the skin. They are also used as chemical peels.

-sources: Wikipedia and beautywithbrains.com

The Multi-Purpose Gel: Nature Republic's Aloe Vera Soothing Gel

Annyeong Haseyo! I just recently found joy in Korean Products and the first that landed into my hands is this Multi-Purpose Soothing and Moisture - Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel (the name already explained everything about this product hahaha)

photo from Nature Republic Philippines' facebook page

Got curious with this product because it was sold out 39 times (whoah).

photo from Nature Republic Philippines' facebook page

The Gel is clear and watery and has an aloe like smell (refreshing).  I use it everyday as a body moisturizer and as an eye mask (I put the gel on a cotton pad) to soothe my tired eyes.  I also tried it as a moisturizing pack by mixing 2 part of the aloe gel and 1 part of baby oil.

Here are other ways to enjoy this product:

photo from Nature Republic Philippines' facebook page

One tub of this by the way goes a long way (300 ml good for 1 to 2 months).

What I Like:

Soothes and moisturizes skin (lotion still needed if you have very dry skin like mine)
Has fresh and refreshing scent
AFFORDABLE, P220 for 300ml (P295 as of September 12, 2012)
Paraben Free
Mineral Oil Free
Light and Non-Sticky

^_^

*photos are from Nature Republic Philippines' facebook page below is my blurred photo (sorry)

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!