New Discovery: Alcogel Aromatherapy Hand Sanitizer from Bench

As I was buying some things in the mall today I noticed this small bottle in Bench. At first I thought it was a body spray as it was nicely packed in a spray bottle and I initially read the word 'aromatherapy' on it. I sprayed it on my hand and initially fell in love with the soft smell. The I took a double look and saw that it was a Hand Sanitizer.

Bench Alcogel Aromatherapy Hand Sanitizer in Jasmine Blossom

Antibacterial Kills 99.9% of germs with Chamomile extract as anti-irritant and moisturizer

I really like how its small and handy. It also fits perfectly in my bag and inside my make up kit. Another thing that this is perfect for is for sanitizing my hands before I put make up on clients. Instead of using alcohol, I can use this and it has a nice soft scent too. :)

The best part of it all, its consistency is just like water and there is no sticky feeling I usually get when I use the alcogel.

This really is an awesome find for only PHP36!!!!!! I am so gonna hoard on this next time. :) They also have 2 more varants but this scent is the one that got me hooked. :)

Toodles! :)

Revlon Colorstay Foundation with Softflex in Toast

I have read nothing but great reviews for Revlon Colorstay Foundation. Most beauty bloggers and You Tube gurus like to compare this to MAC Studio Fix Fluid minus the occasional breakouts and the expensive price tag. So who won't want to try this foundation right? Right. Hehe So I did, I got my sister to get this for me in Singapore since here in Manila, their darkest shade available is so light that people with skin tones NC30 and up, won't even be able to use it. So anyway, I decided to get the Shade Toast. :)

The foundation comes in 1 fluid o.z full size in a twist open cap and a glass bottle. This is the same size as other full size foundations out in the market, although this product would be so much better if it had a pump, since tendency is to waste more product.

The consistency of the product feels thick, but once blended becomes very lightweight. This is a medium-full coverage and is buildable, even though you keep building and packing on the foundation, it still manages to feel light on skin. :)

Initial swatch of Toast at the back of my hand

Fully blended at the back of my hand

The shade Toast looks perfect for my skin tone since it disappears right away. But what I didn't anticipate was that, since I got the Combination/Oily variant for my acidic face. Once the foundation oxidizes it becomes 1 shade darker. So I should've gotten a shade that was lighter than this. But otherwise, I am very happy with the finish the foundation gives, it's light and silky.

I will probably just get one of the lightest shades of this foundation so I can just do my own mixing to mix and match clients too. :)

The only thing I don't like about this is how the shades in MANILA ARE SO LIMITED.


Btw, in 2 weeks I will be leaving for the States for a vacation. I will be hoarding on make up like crazy I'm sooo excited. So more reviews and blog posts then! :)


Toodles! :)

Pond's Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam wih Activated Carbon +B3

I am a guilty perfect target for advertisements. Whenever there is something new I see on commercials, especially shampoo and skin care, I get excited and try them ASAP. This Pond's Facial wash was no different. What first attracted me was its Black packaging. Initially I thought of how sleek and classic it looked in black with pink accents. It was beautiful, I needed to have it. Haha Yes, I'm pathetic, but when I watched the commercial again, I knew why I needed it even more, This Pond's Facial wash has Activated Carbon +Vitamin B3.

New Pond's Pure White Facial Foam is formulated with Activated Carbon. The Activated Carbon is known to easily absorb and lift away the dirt and impurities from skin surface and deep within pores. Cleanses your face thoroughly to reveal your natural pure white looking skin.

After reading this description from the packaging, I picked it up right away. Since my lifestyle allows me to wear make up all the time, taking it off can be a thorough job. The steps are usually as follows, Make Up remover, Facial wash, Toning then moisturizing. Usually when I tone, I still see and remove some dirt from my face (amidst the fact that i already removed make up with a remover and washed my face with facial wash). So the activated Carbon was just perfect to help me remove more dirt from my face. :)

The color of the facial foam is like a pearly gray color. :) It would've been cool to be pure black eh? :)

Anyway I just started using this product, and i'll see if this will work for me. From the first wash though, it gave me a clean feeling but not too tight like all moisture was stripped off. :)

Have you guys tried this product? Let me know what you think. :)


Toodles! :)

Favorite Make-Up Remover: Lancome Bi-Facil

We all love creating those dramatic eye looks with the different products we use. But at the end of a fun night, taking the eye make up off can be such a pain, and we must take it off so our sensitive eyes won't get infected. I have gotten a stye once since I slept without properly taking off eye make up, so I made sure after that I thoroughly removed the make up especially for my eyes. Therefore, I would like to share with you all my favorite eye make up remover, it works fast and leaves your eyes make up free! :)

Lancome BI-FACIL eye makeup remover

All Skin types
This Double-phase liquid is fresh as water, yet removes even waterproof eye makeup. Gentle enough for sensitive eyes.

Ophthalmologist-tested



When shaken

Bi-Facil by Lancome has got to be my most favoriite eye make up remover ever. It works so swiftly, and true to its meaning its as fresh as water, no heavy oil feel at all. In just one swipe, it works already! :) To put this to test, I lined the back of my hand with 2 Styli Style Eye Liner Pencils. I chose Styli Style because this is waterproof and rub proof like crazy! Check here for my review on that. :)

Styli Style Semi permanent Pencil at the back of my hand


With a q-tip using only one side, I dipped this in the Bi-Facil to absorb the remover


Taking off the excess since I dipped it too long, you only need a little promise. :)


About to take off the liners in just one swipe

The first swipe, look at how clean and fast it is in removing the make up. :)

After the first swipe, look at the clean area so fast!


My 3rd swipe, take note, I didn't have to go back and swipe the already swiped areas. :)

All clean and all gone, check out the qtip carrying all the removed product. :)

Overall, I don't think I need to stress more on how much I really like this product because the pictures really do all the talking. This product is so convenient and can be used with a cotton square for instant eye make up removal and/or with a q-tip for smaller and harder to reach areas like eye liner.

The only thing that can set you back is the price, It's pretty pricey for a makeup remover but luckily I get mine in small travel sets that are usually included in Lancome Kits. :)


What are your favorite make up removers? :)

Toodles! :)

Abyss inspired EOTD

Hey guys, I made an EOTD while watching TV and was inspired by the Blue hues under the sea. I therefore call this EOTD abyss. Here it is:

Gosh, there's some lash glue on the lash please don't mind that hehe

Here too! haha




What I used:

All color eye shadows from the 120 Palette :)
Prestige Total Intensity eye liner (Upper lashline, Lower and upper waterline)
L'Oreal HIP Color Chrome Eye liner (Blue on lower lash line)
ELF Powder Foundation in Beige (brow highlighter)
Youngblood Brow powder (brows)
MAC Falsies in lash 34

Anyway that's it, I just felt like playing around hehe. :)


Toodles! :)

Fashion 21 Aqualicious Lipstick in Little Mermaid

A new lippie discovery from Fashion21. As I was going around the beauty section of the department stores, my habit is to check out make up that looks interesting and go on a swatching spree. While doing this, I came across an interesting lipstick line from local makeup brand Fashion 21. This lipstick line is called Aqualicious.

It comes in a really cute Aqua colored lipstick case with the word Aqualicious printed on the cover.

The color I got was a cute pink color called: Little Mermaid hehe cute eh? :)

Swatch of Little Mermaid

This Aqualicious lipstick line from Fashion 21 retails for only PHP150 each! The quality of the lipstick is close to that of NYX Round Lipsticks, definitely worth it. It's pigmented and glides on well on lips. :)

I definitely recommend Fashion 21 Aqualicious collection if you're looking for a wide range of colors for an affordable price. :)

Toodles! :)

MAC Morange Amplified Lipstick

I had been searching high and low for the perfect orange lipstick. MAC Morange was always an option and actually my peg swatch for the orange. Although, I was really trying hard to find a cheaper alternative with the same color vibrancy as Morange gave. But to no avail, I couldn;t find any, and I couldn't settle for any less. I went by and forgot about the orange lipstick until I went to my favorite MAC store to Back 2 Mac some items. When Maike assisted me, she told me of the little options for Back 2 Mac, I happily responded that it was no problem since I wasn't really that choosy. Going through the stash, I saw that there was 1 MAC morange up for grabs. I immediately told Maike that I would get Morange. And finally I have it. :)

Check out that bright orange color! :)

The swatch

From the swatch it doesn't look as bright, but once it is applied on the lips, it really is a perfect orange. :) I really can't wait to execute some looks I am cooking up using orange lipstick for my upcoming shoots! Yayy! Finally :)

Toodles! :)

Power Peel experience from Flawless

To have bright and radiant skin, being Flawless is key. We go through our own measures in taking care of our skin yet sometimes it is not enough. There are a lot of factors that causes our skin to break out, have uneven skin and lots more. Some of these factors are beyond our control such as environmental pollution and stress from work. Although there may be factors that we cannot control, we on the other hand can do our part by trying to live a healthier life and having a good skincare regimen. Part of the skincare regimen can and should include regular visits to a face and body clinic for cleaning and clearing those unwanted impacted dirt from our face and to get a little more.

During my college years, I had a bad case of acne that covered my entire face. The worst part is when acne subsided, I was left with dark scars and marks that were just an eye sore. To help clear my skin, I went through my regular facial cleaning and acne treatment, and once my acne was cleared I got myself a chemical peel. The whole process of the peel was dealt with discipline since I really peeled like crazy, had a bunch of derma products to use at specific times of the day for what lasted almost a month of peeling. All this and I couldn't go out under the sun. The result was though Flawless even blemish free and radiant skin. Throughout the years that followed I wanted to get another chemical peel but because of the attention needed and the time for all the meds, my time couldn't afford the high maintenance.

But that's all changed now because if you have no time for the high maintenance Chemical Peels demand, Flawless has something to offer; POWER PEEL. The POWER PEEL from Flawless is just what is best for me. It's what I'm looking for and need: Peeling, but does not demand the time and the maintenance after the visit to the clinic: product routines to follow for at least 2-4 weeks. Interesting eh? This is perfect for people always on the go like me. :)

In my recent visit to Flawless, I decided to avail of their Power Peel as this best suited what I needed. The procedure starts of with your regular facial (read about it here) and right after the pricking, the actual Power Peel is done.

Me right after pricking, just before undergoing the Power Peel

The Power Peel is conducted using a special machine that is used with a hand held device which is pressed and rubbed onto the skin. This hand held device emits crystals that help in removing dead skin cells and also is the one that aids the peeling.

The Machine Used

Hand held device

The hand held device also acts as a vacuum hence during the facial, there was no need to vacuum the dirt prior to pricking. Here's me during the Power Peel.

Allison my wonderful attendant started around my forehead area and moved her way down my face. Notice in this picture how little the crystals are at this time and only at my forehead area.

Power Peel through the cheek area, look at all those little crystals working to give you Flawless skin! :)

Allison concentrating around the nose area making sure that the peel is even throughout my face and also focusing on areas that need more attention. Look at all those crystals now all over my face! :)

Power Peel done now and Allison is brushing off the crystals using a big soft brush. Notice how from this photo alone, my cheek area is a little lighter and looks healthier from the light rosy-ness. :)

The Power Peel from Flawless is about 15-20 minutes. It is also painless, all you feel with the thousands of crystals rubbing on your face is kind of like having a very fine sand paper rubbing on your skin. Now that doesn't sound as bad as the actual feeling it is very tolerable and safe. Though it may seem that the crystals when rubbed all together may be scratchy for the skin, it absolutely is not because right after the treatment, my face didn't sting therefore there were no cuts. The thousands of crystals just work together taking off layers of dead skin to reveal your most youthful skin. :)


After the Power Peel a Multivitamins Serum is used as the last moisturiser. I super love this since the sudden shift in the feeling or having crystals scrub your face is refreshing when this mosturizer is put on your face. It's like the whip cream to your ice cream. The red bumps you see on my face is from the pricking of the facial and is not caused by the Power Peel. :)

Multivitamins Serum

The dirt out of my face from the pricking (ewww)


The Wonderful Flawless BF Branch where everyone was so friendly and attentive :) :)


Here's my bare face just right after the treatment:
Still bumpy and red from the pricking but aside from that my face felt smoother and fresh right after the Power Peel. :)

The Power Peel is really perfect for those who want to get peels but don't have to think about applying any medicines for the face after. You peel only then and there. No painful skin shedding! For only PHP2000 per session this is best to get at least every 3 weeks. If done continuously with regular facials, you are bound to get Flawless skin. :)

Flawless is really your one stop shop in skincare and making you more beautiful. I'd like to think of Flawless not just as a Face and Body Clinic but more as a partner in helping you achieve your healthier lifestyle. We all want to look beautiful, and remaining beautiful is inspiration enough to keep coming back to Flawless. With their affordable prices, Flawless really brings beauty withing everybody's reach. Anyone can be more beautiful! Let Flawless be your partner in that. :)

Out of all my recent visits to Flawless, what I love about them is the extra mile they go to really make you feel pampered. The hand and shoulder massages, the hand heat packs which I absolutely love and gentle care they have when holding your face. Even If I had experienced those the last I visited, I love getting surprised still with these pamper treats. :) This is their cherry on top, the little ways that make you feel more pampered and special. :)


Drop by the nearest Flawless branch to help you get started on your way to achieving Flawless skin. :)


For more information about Flawless, add them on Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/FlawlessFaceandBody



Toodles! :)

FOTD mood :)

To liven up my mood, I decided to play around with make up for no reason. It has been a while since I did this so yes it did make me happy. :) I decided to play around with purples for this FOTD but ended up adding some blues and black. Here it is. :)

I found out that taking a picture in front of my lighted train case is god send since the light that comes from the train case is amazing. The pictures I took did not need any flash whatsoever. So I can say I now know where to take vanity pics of myself hehe. :)

A closer look at the eye make up:

For the eyes instead of using a black liner for the lower waterline, to open up my eyes more I used white liner instead. :)

What I Used:

Face:
RCMA CP Foundation
Ben Nye Banana Poudre
Graftobian Pro Powder Foundation for setting and contour
Nichido Peachy Glow Blush

Eyes:
Estee Lauder Palette Eye Shadow for the Purple and Blue
MAC Love Lace
MAC Carbon
MAC Liquid Liner
Prestige total intensity liner for upper waterline
White Eye Liner
Ardell Brow Gel
Fanny Serrano Brow Powder
MAC Browset Girlboy
Max Factor False Lash Effect

Since I had so much fun taking vain pictures of myself in front of my lighted train case, here's one for the road. hehe



Toodles! :)