Zenutrients Besties

Ohhh I'm missing the cold weather months of MNL.  Laying in bed full of pillows and covers and wearing boots and layered outfits is not overkill but I can't deny that my skin is greatly suffering from the cold and dryness of the wind and layering of moisturizing products is a must to save it from its cracking and itching state.

Here are my skin's besties last sweater weather season (I hope the coming rainy season will be nice and not brutal).  There's a phase in my life that I go all organic in my skincare and Zenutrients has been a familiar brand (and still) to me. I'm happy that I'm supporting a local brand #supportlocal (and

The Body Shop Shea Body Whip and Olive Shower Gel

Lately, my skin has been very calm: there's no itchiness, no new wounds and scars...it's just silently recovering and I think part of this nice recovery is these two from The Body Shop.

The Body Shop Shea Body Whip
This is a kind of lotion that I can wear on summer days without worrying that I'll be greasy because it's light just like the whip cream version of heavy creams.  My skin easily absorbs it but doesn't compromise the moisturizing goodness of shea making my skin really soft and smooth (I know I already reviewed tons of lotions and say the same thing but this one tops them all).  I also like that this one has a lighter nutty smell compared with it's body butter sister and most of the time last the whole day/night.

The Body Shop Olive Shower Gel
It cleans and bubbles well without making my skin feel tight after every bath but why does it smell like moringga with olive...I just hate the combo and it's too overpowering.  Aside from the "bad smell", my skin loves it and use it alternately with the Cetaphil cleanser.

This is very short, but at least I think I covered the basics :)  no need for extra schmanciness.

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Hair Mask. Coffee Milk Scrub. Cocoa Glow Lotion

There are just times that I wanted to pick up things just for the sake of going home with a plastic bag on hand.  I usually go to Watsons when those times happen, luckily most of the products (or food) that I pick works!

Naturals by Watsons Olive Hair Mask - P229 (around $5)
I used this again last night, fan dry my hair and went to sleep.  When I woke up, my hair looks fantastic...it's as if I went to the salon:  it's shiny, it's straighter (my hair is straight in the first place) but with body (I hate the walis ting ting/broom style, I like my hair to have that natural semi curve ends), it's soft and definitely less frizzy and my hair feels lighter as if the gunk accumulated for the week went bye bye.  If I don't dry my hair when I used this, I still get the same result sans the straighter effect because well when I commute, my hair just flies in every direction making the ends semi curled which is not bad, right?

The product itself is light (lighter than conditioner), a bit like whipped and my hair just absorbs it quickly that the first time that I used this I thought I'm not putting the right amount but a tablespoon is enough to cover a shoulder length hair.  About the scent...I don't think it has an olive smell, it's more on the flowery side which I sometimes hate...I like subtle olive rather than a flower-y scent on my hair.

Obviously I love Naturals by Watsons Olive hair Mask.  I will love it even more if by the time that I will get another one, it'll be on sale and maybe I'll also get the shampoo and the conditioner from the line.

A Bonne Spa Coffee Milk Creamy Salt - more or less P120 (around $2.60)
My first ever scrub is from A Bonne - the milk salt scrub which makes the skin soft but the hellish feeling when I apply the scrub makes me use it only once in a while so when I saw this creamy variant (plus it's in coffee) I thought it's perfect...I was wrong.

First of all it's not that creamy, it's more like semi wet salt scrub.  Second, the coffee smell is a joke to me...it's like I ordered a black coffee but got a mug filled with sugar with just a hint of coffee.  Anyway, it still works like the milk salt scrub (I hoped you tried it already).  It does exfoliate and makes the skin smooth and radiant and I like that it's in tube but I won't buy it again because the applying it on the skin hurts.

Vaseline Total Moisture Cocoa Glow - P99 (around $2.20)
Ah my savior last December 2013 (when my skin got so dry and itchy), it beats my body butters and oils in terms of performance and price.  This lotion simply moisturizes dry skin and gives it a glow (I can't believe its claims are all true).

The only con that I can think of is that it makes me sweat more than normal during daytime so I usually use this at night.  When the weather is colder and dryer than normal, I use this after patting some dry oil on my skin.

Oh did I mention that it has a yummy chocolate smell?

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

Enprani Whitecell + The Body Shop Vanilla Bliss

Back when I'm obsessed in brightening my skin (I give up now), I bought this foam cleanser that promises to brighten and helps skin tone become clearer.  Aside from that I'm also curious because it's my first time to see this brand (bought it from an online seller named Hipstyle) and the packaging seems classy and sophisticated.  According to KoreaDepart:

info from Korea Depart

So here's the foam cleanser together with my newly acquired Ecotools brushes.  As you can see it's so plain but really classy plus the box of this one has this glistening silvery effect that looks a little magical and thought I paid a little for the product (sorry I forgot how much but it's less than 300 pesos).

Enprani Whitecell Foam Cleanser

Description:
Brightening foam cleanser which removes dead skin cell and helps your skin tone become clearer.

Not much information but according to again Korea Depart (I'm no way affiliated with Korea Depart by the way, it's just that they have the information I need):

Exclusive ingredients  (Smart Radiancell™)、YouthCell™、Moist Activator Complex™、enzyme (Papain and pro-melanin)

Product Description:
-Controls melanin production to create clean and transparent skin.  

-Through white cell science system, blocks melanin step by step to maximize whitening effect. 

-YouthCell™ ingredient creates dense and smooth skin texture both inside and outside.

-Takes care of lack of moisture to remain moisture for hours.

-Capsule that contains Vitamin E derivatives creates clean and smooth skin texture.

-Enzyme exfoliates old to brighten skin tone refreshingly.

Very promising right?  So I bought this in an instant even if it's out of my budget.  So, I started using this foam cleanser around June by just taking a small amount (it easily creates foam so no need use a lot) making sure that the yellow beads are included then rub it in my hands then I gently massage it on my face.  The yellow beads pops into smaller-tiny pieces and act as a gentle scrub.  Then I wash it off with tepid water (although the instruction said with warm water).  I feel that my face is totally cleansed (as in squeaky clean) with this but since I have dry skin, I also feel the need to put my face essence immediately so I think this is best for those with oily to normal skin type.

I also use this cleanser to wash my brushes as it easily removes my basic make-up (bb cream, lip and cheeck tint, blush, lip balm) without taking away the fluffiness.

the yellow beads pops!

Although this one didn't brighten my face the way I wanted it (I guess my face is just really dead pale), Enprani Whitecell Foam Cleanser did help in making my skin tone a little clearer, I mean there are some parts of my face that looks a little darker and they look like patches (cause by my skin asthma) and they somehow lighten and not as visible as before.  I also like how this one makes my skin squeaky so I sometimes used it as a body wash whenever I feel that my body accumulated all the dirt in the world.

I really don't know what they are

Next is a Christmas/Holiday season body polish edition from The Body Shop.  I know it's not yet Christmas but again, I can't resist 50% off sale plus I like Vanilla, plus (yup another plus) after August, it's the start of Christmas season already (well in the Philippines, whenever the  ~ber~ months starts, we somehow feel the feeling of Christmas that some already start planning on how to hang their Christmas lights and parol and how to decorate their Christmas tree).

Nothing much to say actually because it's the same as the other body polishers from The Body Shop (you can read my post of the Gingerbread Polisher variant here) the only difference is the smell and the beads.

The Body Shop Body Polish in Vanilla Bliss

As you can see it's almost empty in the picture and while I'm doing this post, the container is already in the trash bin.  So the below picture shows different kinds of beads.  There's these smaller black seeds that I think are from kiwi and there's this big seed which I believe to be from vanilla (based on the ingredients list) and I don't know what the rest are made of (maybe debris from these seeds, not sure but they still gently scrub my skin).

not sure what particles these are but the big one easily pops

The vanilla smell is overpowering so it's a good thing for me that the smell lightens a lot after I shower and by the time that I put my clothes on, the smell totally disappears which makes me love the Gingerbread variant better (the small is more relaxing and more clean). I'll use the raspberry soon, let's see if the Gingerbread will still be my favorite.

And of course the ingredients lists.

I see kiwi seed and vanilla seed

Can't wait to hoard The Body Shop stuff after the holiday season :)

That's it.  Share your thoughts below and hope you continue to support my blog by following me via bloglovin, email and other social media networks that I'm still cleaning up but do share my posts if you like them :) (pathetic much?).

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

Baby Foot Peeling Pack

Definitely a bed weather but my body won't let me sleep.  The things that are keeping me half alive is a cup of mint green tea, fita crackers with slightly failed homemade truffles and the sounds and music of Up Dharma Down (filipinos out there, do you still remember them?  I hope yes because they are really very very good great band).

yummy yet sinful

Blurred and doesn't look appetizing food photo but trust me, the  combo is perfect.  Anyway, I'll be talking about a foot peeling product (the i-r-o-n-y hehehe).

This will be the third foot peeling product that I tried.  This time it's from a Japanese brand Baby Foot.  I only bought this online from Hipstyle though I dream of going to Japan someday ever since I watch a series of documentary about Japan when I was a kid.

Baby Foot Easy Pack
Foot peeling pack for a baby feet
Made from Japan

goodbye cracked heels?  I want goodbye kalyo

It seems like I was born with kalyo (callo/corn).  It just been a couple of months since I've done a foot peel and my feet have callos again.  Since it's not okay to use a foot peel more than twice a year, this will be my last and it will be in 2014 that my feet will be reborn like a baby's.

Nice packaging, the box is sturdy and well packed.  It has english texts too plus the illustrations are understandable.  A box contains a plastic that contains the plastic socks plus a comprehensive instruction/manual  on how to use and other facts about the product.

well wrapped plastic socks

santa socks again

The peeling solution is already in the socks so just cut the broken lines then wear them.  Also included in the pack are adhesive papers to secure the plastic socks if it's too big for your feet (they are big for my feet, so I just those adhesive).  Then wait for 2 hours.  Take note, if you have sensitive skin, try the solution first to a small portion of your feet and also don't use it if you have broken skin.

all the information you need at the back of the box

It says that it's made with natural ingredients but it smell so chemically plus I also experience slight itchiness.  After washing the feet thoroughly, I also feel a little numbness (from the long soaking time I guess, hmmm I even don't know why I type that).  Anyway, it took 7 days after before I saw some signs of peeling then another 7 days or more for the peeling. On the 7th day I already helped in the peeling process by soaking and scrubbing my feet.  I also applied lotion to help soften the dead skin cells on the 4th day of the peeling process.

The peeling really takes time but what I like though is that the peeling of the skin is by area.  It also peel even the thickest corn/callos of my feet and around my fingertips and the skin too so my feet brighten after using this particular foot pack from Baby Foot.

effective di ba?

After the peeling, my feet looks pink and became really soft.  Uggh, I hope I can maintain it's current baby foot state.

Now what peeling foot pack to used next?  Suggestions?

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

The Body Shop Peach and Sweet Lemon

Whenever I hear summer, fruits always come to my mind.  So I waited for summer before I can use 2 fruit theme products from the The Body Shop even if I bought them 6 months before.

It's now rainy season now in the Philippines but the peach lotion and sweet lemon body butter became my dryness buster (combating the el niño of my body) during the summer season.

Surprisingly, the Peach Body Lotion (not the vineyard peach which I think made this lotion extinct from the shelves of the body shop) is light and is absorbed quickly by my body.

I initially thought that it would be greasy under the heat of the sun which made me used it at night the first time but it seems one swipe is not enough so I used it during daytime and well my daytime body liked it.   The peach scent is heavenly too, not too sweet not too strong and doesn't easily fade away.

The only con I can think of is that when I'm out under the sun for too long, it makes me sweat more than usual.  Color is subtle pinkish orangey peachy.

my body moisturizers over the summer

The Sweet Lemon Body Butter on the other hand is perfect for summer nights.  Not too greasy too and the consistency is like of that Olive variant only it's light yellowish in color(my post can be found here).

Smell reminds be of frutos or sugus candies but it also has a plastic-like smell maybe because I stock it for a very long time and the one that I got is the old version.  But if I disregard that smell and focus on the fruit part then it's very refreshing.

While it's perfect for summer nights, I think it's moisturizing effect is not enough on colder weather (better use the Shea or the Olive variant).

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

Bench Mini Haul

A memory I remember when going to Bench when I was still a kid:  my sister would look at the clothes while she let me get rummage the sweet/food section and let me get an item to eat while waiting for her.  Now Bench doesn't only offer clothes, accessories, scents and food (and Bench also hire great endorsers like Adam Lavine and Lee Min Ho) but also some skincare products.  And look what I found, a coffee scrub and an argan oil both at a very affordable prices.

Moroccan Argan Oil P199.75
Coffee & Honey Body Scrub P149.75

just another shot

I can't choose between the two shots of my sister so I put them both :)

Very happy with the argan oil; although it's not concentrated, since they are very expensive in other stores.  I love coffee scrub. I remember using the beans from Starbucks as a body scrub and it really made my skin soft and smooth.

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

As a continuation of my love for body butters, I opened another tub of The Body Shop's in the variant of Shea.

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

According to Green Living National Geographic: "The fat of the nut of the African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is the source of Shea butter. The traditional use of the butter is to reduce the appearance of fine lines, scars and stretch marks, and to ease a variety of skin irritations, such as psoriasis, eczema and sunburn. Makers of cosmetics also mix this natural substance with other botanical ingredients. Shea butter is ideal for the topical application of cosmetic and medicinal formulas, because it melts on contact and is readily absorbed into the skin, without leaving a greasy residue."

The shea butter is from Ghana

it's for very dry skin

This body butter is creamier than the Olive and has a little froth texture to it.  I don't know if this has been the consistency of the Shea variant but I'll let you know once I open my small tub with the old packaging.  It's a bit hard to spread but is still quickly absorbent and doesn't leave my skin greasy.
The smell is really intoxicating and I've been sniffing it every now and then.  I haven't seen or smell a real shea  nut so I don't know if the vanilla~ish+nutty+a kick of a delicate flower is natural.  Nevertheless, the scent is elegant and classy to me though may not be liked by those who prefer a crisp scent.

has an off-white/pearly color

 The Shea Body Butter does really provide 24 hours hydration so during daytime, I just use a light or body gel.  I dare not use this during daytime because I commute and I don't want to attract dust and other pollution.  Anyway the SAs of The Body Shop Philippines are honest enough to tell their customers not to use this during daytime; unless you are in a cold place, as it will make the skin sticky because of the heat and daily activities.

24 hour hydration for very dry skin

I'm very happy with Shea Body Butter especially on cold nights since I do not have to bother myself reapplying to my dry, itchy skin.  My legs and hands benefited a lot from it:  less scratches for my legs and softness for my hands.  What's more to be happy about is that I got this at half the price!

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!