I can’t get enough of these oils! I wasn’t done yet with my bottle of green Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O when my brother Joe bought the pink Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil (for oily skin) for us to share. When my friend Aretha sold her barely used bottle of the White Recovery Ex+ for much lower than it retails locally, I couldn’t resist. So now we have three bottles.

My favorite of the lot is White Recovery for brightening/whitening. It’s the best-smelling, too. I hope this will help me achieve the fair, glowing skin I want for my wedding. I’m happy with this impulse buy.

I’m just so in love with Shu cleansing oils, I’ll probably be using these oils for as long as I can afford them. My skin has never been better since I started using my first Shu Uemura oil four months ago.

Skincare products are my ultimate vice, and I won’t mind paying a premium if the products deliver. Besides, you can’t really put a price on the confidence that comes with having good, clear skin. Also, by taking care of my skin, I don’t have to spend for derma treatments, I have never had a facial, so I guess I can afford to spend a little bit more on my beloved beauty products.

Some people splurge on shoes, some on gadgets, some spend their money on michael kors watches. What extra I have goes to skincare products, and Shu Uemura is at the top of my list.

While a large crowd flocked to Megamall yesterday for the Megasale, I was there to pick up a package I’ve been eagerly waiting for at Johnny Air: my Estée Lauder stuff.

I feel that I already need anti-aging products — I’m seeing lines on my face that I swear weren’t there last month — so I got myself the Time Zone Anti-Wrinkle set.

Uma was as excited as I was to open the package:

These are what I ordered:

# Time Zone Line and Wrinkle Reducing Creme SPF 15 for Normal/Combination Skin, 1.7 oz. (full-size)
# Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum, .5 oz.
# Time Zone Anti-Line/Wrinkle Eye Creme, .17 oz.
# Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser, 1.7 oz.
# Travel Bag

Luckily, there was a promotion when I placed my order. Since I spent more than $60, I got lots of free items including makeup pouches, cosmetics, and more skincare products (but no acne home remedies). I was so giddy with my freebies! Lookie here, I only paid for the items in the box, everything else is free.

* DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme SPF 15 (0.5 oz.)
* Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex (0.17 oz.; a 10-day supply)
* Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10 (0.33 oz.)
* Pure Color EyeShadow Compact with shades Sandbar Beige, Sepia Sand, Ivy Envy and Lavish Mink
* Two Full-Size Pure Color Lipsticks in Nectarine and Sugar Honey
* Full-Size Cosmetics Bag
* Gentle Eye Makeup Remover (1.7 oz.)
* Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black (0.1 oz.)
* Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer SPF 10 in Light/Medium (0.06 oz.)
* Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil in Onyx
* Mini Cosmetics Pouch

It’s quite a deal, isn’t it?

I gave my mother some stuff as an early Mothers’ Day present: the kits, the facial wash and makeup remover, the serum, and the eyeshadow palette. She loves them.

To whoever thought of value sets and gifts with purchase, God bless your little heart!

One of the things I regularly thank my lucky stars (and my ancestors’ genes) for is my skin. I have generally good skin. I don’t need facials or natural acne remedies, and on the rare occasion that I do get a pimple, a little Mario Badescu Drying Lotion is all I need. My skincare is basic, and so are my beauty products. Most of the stuff I swear by are cheap: Cetaphil for my cleanser, Myra-E for my moisturizer, etc. I rarely spend on pricey skincare products because I never really felt the need.

Two weeks ago, I did splurge on a bottle of Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil for two reasons: 1) as a reward for my face for all the practice makeup looks it has endured; and 2) I need a very good makeup remover.

I first tried the Shu Cleansing oil when one of my makeup school classmates gave me a sachet of the regular variant during our field trip to Shu and MAC in Rockwell. The MAC makeup artist did a demo on me — a bridal look with two layers (liquid and powder!) of StudioFix foundation — and my face was heavily caked with product. I used the oil to clean my face afterwards, and everything just came off easily! The oil melted all the gunk on my face without tugging and pulling. I wanted a bottle of my own.

The oils come in several variants, but the one I chose was the anti-oxidant one, simply because I need all the anti-aging help I can get. This oil, which contains green tea and other anti-oxidants, is the best-selling of the bunch.

Here’s what I think about it:

(+)
- makeup removal is a breeze. Waterproof mascara, waterproof gel liner, even the very pigmented MAC Russian Red lipstick have nothing against this oil
- leaves skin soft and squeaky clean
- a little goes a long way, I’ve had the 150ml bottle for two weeks now and I use it twice a day, and at the rate I’m going I predict that this will last me 2-3 months
- no sting
- no tightness

(-)
- EXPENSIVE!!! The green oil costs P2,200 for the 150ml bottle, around P5,500 (not too sure) for the 450ml bottle. The regular variants cost less.
- I’m not too fond of the scent, it smells… oily
- if you get product in your eye, you’ll go blind. Kidding! But seriously, if the product gets in my eye, I get cloudy vision for a few minutes

TIPS:
- the Shu website instructs to use 3-4 pumps on dry skin, I think it’s too much, 2 pumps should be enough for face and neck
- it’s better to get the big bottle, it’s more economical
- if you can get someone to buy this from the US or Hong Kong (maybe even Japan) or even Duty Free (like mine), you can get it cheaper

Overall, I love this product. I’m already saving up for my repurchase, I’ll just alternate it with Cetaphil as my skin cleanser so that my bottle will last longer, but for makeup removal I’ll definitely be reaching for this and only this.

I know it’s quite expensive, but Shu Uemura’s Cleansing Oil really is worth every peso. Some things are just worth paying premium price for.

I never thought I’d ever say I need whitening. I’m a pretty fair gal, but not in in the last few days. I got major sunburn. I attended a beach wedding, and for reasons I don’t know since I’m OC with sun protection, forgot to put on sunblock. (Ria and Web’s wedding where I got burned was so totally worth it, though.)

The first two days were terrible, I was in so much pain I was probably eligible for a disability appeal. I had two nights of bad sleep because it hurt to lie down, and it hurt to move about in my sleep. The burning sensation has subsided now, but my back is peeling. So gross. I haven’t had a peeling back since I was a kid.

Anyway, what I’m most concerned about is my face — my skin color, that is. I used to be a MAC NC 30, I’m probably NW 45 now. I don’t have issues against dark skin in general, but I have issues about my skin. I don’t turn dark or tan, I turn madungis. Right now I look like I have a thin layer of dirt on my face. Thus, the need for skin whitening, just to get my natural color back.

Oh, well, just one of the drawbacks of being tisay. :/

My face has endured so much abuse in the last month. Poor face.

I need to practice doing different makeup looks for school, and I practice the most on the face that’s most accessible to me: my own. I pity it, really. On a good day when I’m on a roll, I’ll do up to three looks in a row. I’ll do look#1, take my makeup off, do look#2, take my makeup off again, and then finish with my last look. I’ll have to take the makeup off one last time afterwards, of course.

It’s actually the removal of makeup that’s cumbersome. Don’t get me started on removing mascara and the glue used for false eyelashes. I’m afraid I’ll get wrinkles from all the tugging and pulling and squinting that comes with removing full makeup. Also, I read somewhere that over-cleaning/over-washing can cause pimples. If that is true, I might end up needing the best acne treatment because I end up washing my face several times in a day.

I feel like my face deserves a reward for everything it has been through lately. I’m going to get a nice eye cream this weekend, or maybe even the Lancome makeup remover I’ve always wanted. I’ll get whatever it wants, as long as I can afford it.

It is going to be my mission in the next few months to find my Holy Grail of the following:

1. moisturizer

- I just filch from my mother’s bottle of Olay. I’m too old not to have my own bottle of moisturizer. Besides, I’ll be moving out next year so that’s about it for my beauty freeloading.

2. eye cream

- I am turning 28 next month, and my age is  starting to show on my face, particularly under my eyes. There are lines under my eyes today that I could have sworn weren’t there yesterday! I need eye cream, stat!

3. sunblock

- I’m currently using Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Complete UV Waterlight Lotion SPF50, and it’s fine so far (inexpensive, too), but surely there must be something less shiny, less stinky, and less sting-y out there?

I’m not the type who keeps trying out and keeps switching beauty product, I’m extremely brand loyal, so I’m really keen on finding the perfect products I can stick with.

I have already found the  best cleanser for my skin, Cetaphil, which I will use until I’m old but hopefully not too wrinkly. I also don’t need any kind of acne product, so that’s two less things to worry about.

If anyone has any suggestions, do hit me up.

The last time I used a face mask was in high school. It was my dad’s (yes, my dad’s) St. Ives Mineral Clay Firming Mask, and I only tried it because caking my face in minty baby-blue gunk looked fun (I certainly didn’t need any firming then). Back then, I realized that face masks were something I could do without.

A few months back, I read a review of the Montagne Jeunesse Chocolate Face Masque on Liz Lanuzo’s Project Vanity, and of course I got interested. It’s chocolate! That you put on your face! The product is supposed to be “anti-stress,” so I made a mental note to try this out when I do feel stressed.

The time to try it has come, as I’ve had a crazy week last week that involved sleep deprivation, extra tasks at work, and my taxi conking out on Macapagal Ave. in the middle of the night in the midst of Typhoon Basyang. (Shout out to the Peace and Order Unit of Baranggay Don Galo, Parañaque, by the way. They were my guardian angels that night.) The stress took its toll on my face, and by this morning, I didn’t like how dry and sullen my skin looked. And before I panic and start checking out acnepril reviews, I decided to try this chocolate face mask. Good thing my mom sent me out to the nearest supermarket to buy some Pride and Downy, I was able to pop into a Watson’s to get a pack.

Of course, you couldn’t do a face mask review without posting a photo of you using the product, I think that’s illegal. Before I scare you, here’s how I look when I’m not looking like a swamp creature:

And this is me de-stressing on a Saturday evening:

Ain't I the glamour girl?

I read that it smells heavenly, that it’s good enough to eat, so I had high expectations of the scent. I expected it to smell like the chocolate dip of Yan-Yan, but it smelled like… Sustagen. Still, it’s chocolate-scented, so no complaints here. The consistency was yummy and luxurious and goes on smoothly on skin, like Choki-Choki but watered down a bit:

You decide what it reminds you of.

The results are almost immediate, I kept the mask on for 15 minutes as per instructions, and when I rinsed it off, my face was softer and brighter than before I applied the product.

I loved it! And putting on the face mask was fun, so it was indeed a good stress-reliever. The only thing I didn’t like was that it was quite messy to rinse off.

I still think that face masks are not something I’d use on a weekly basis, but I’d definitely buy this again when the need arises. It’s pretty affordable at P79.75 a pack, so it’s perfectly all right to indulge in this chocolate treat every once in a while, it has zero calories anyway. I’ll also check out the other Montagne Jeunesse products next time, there are several variants that I want to try.

Oh, and this cracked me up when I read the back of the package, since I’m a pretentious vegetarian right now:

Vegetarian standard! Perfect!

I’m one of those who are genetically gifted to have good skin in general (thank you, dear ancestors). I very rarely get a pimple — maybe once every four months? — and I don’t break out right around my period.

There was one time when I was 22 years old, though, when I got a bad case of pimples on my forehead for about a couple of months. It was so bad that I had to see a dermatologist. I was stressed as hell then, it was the first few months of my first job (at a call center which my worst job ever, I bolted after a few months).  But that was about it, my skin cleared up as soon as I got out of that hell hole.

Anyway, I do take good care of my skin, something I learned from my mother, but my skincare regimen is basic. I swear by the good old Cleanse – Tone – Moisturize routine plus weekly exfoliation and spot-treatment when necessary, and my regular products are relatively low-key. In fact, aside from that one derma visit, I’ve never had a facial yet.

Let me share to you the five products I swear by:

1. CLEANSE: Cetaphil

This cleanser is my Holy Grail of all beauty products, I will wither if this ever gets discontinued! I have been using this since I was 11 years old — even way before puberty hit — thanks to my Auntie Celia. I’ve seen its packaging evolve and its price double.

You can use this like soap (lather & rinse), but I take the product off with cotton before rinsing. All the dirt and grime comes off my skin and onto the cotton. And here’s a secret: I use Cetaphil on my entire body once a week (can you imagine how much cotton I use up?) because I love the absolutely libag-free feeling but I can’t afford weekly body scrubs.

I can not say enough just how much I love this product. It’s gentle enought to cleanse baby skin, you can bet my future kids will be Cetaphil babies. This can even be used as eczema treatment. Wonderful product, eh?

2. TONE: L’Oreal Pure Zone Pore Tightening and Clarifying Toner

I’ve been using this product (its predecessor, actually) since 2005, during the time of my pimple breakout. I just tried this out because it says on the label that it contains salicylic acid, and my mother and brother Mako liked it. We’ve been buying it regularly since. (My mom uses Clinique toner now, though.)

3. MOISTURIZE: Olay Beauty Fluid

This has been on my mother’s dresser for as long as I can remember. Back then, it came in a glass bottle and was called Oil of Olay. It must really work, because my mom is gorgeous and doesn’t look her age. I actually don’t have my own bottle of this, I never have, I just get some from my mom. Hers is from the US, I tried the local one, but the Asian formulation is inferior and watered down. Best to get this from the US.

4. EXFOLIATE: St. Ives Apricot Scrub

My best friend Jemima made me try this during a sleep-over at their house back in high school, and I’ve been hooked right away. I’ve been using this for over a decade now. I use this just once a week to slough off dead skin, revealing the younger, softer skin beneath. I love the deep-clean feeling the coarse grains give me, and the apricot scent is yummy, and I love its latest packaging.

5. SPOT-TREAT: Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

On those days when I do get a zit, this tiny bottle comes to my rescue. I just dab a bit of the pink sediment at the bottom of the bottle using a cotton bud before I sleep, and by morning the zit is barely there. What I don’t like about it is the smell and the price, but this product really does work for me.

There you have it, the five beauty products my face and I can’t live without. I think it also helps that I eat fruit like a fruit addict on death row, I insist on 7-8 hours of sleep each night, I have a happy love life (oh, yes, very important!), and I’m not stressed at all with my work. And I slather on SPF 50 sunscreen before I go out (but I haven’t found my perfect product yet).

Let me tell you a little story. Abet and I met at that time when I had my worst skin ever, when my forehead had more pimples than the night skies in the province has stars. Oh, the timing! But he says I was already his dream girl that day he first laid eyes on pimply me. He’s the sweetest! So now I make sure to look extra-pretty even if I know that my horrible skin isn’t enough to scare him away, I want look even better than his dream girl!