2014 Beauty and Nonbeauty Favorites

This post is long overdue but I just finished uploading videos for both my beauty and nonbeauty favorites today. I thought it was a good idea to just make a single post for both so that you can see what are my favorites for the past year on a single post.

This post will mostly focus on my beauty favorites. I'm gonna list them all down below but I will also embed my nonbeauty favorites for those who are interested in what my favorites are in the anime, k-pop, drama, book, apps, etc. category.

Tony Moly Bubble Tree Green Tea Body Lotion: Review

I have to be honest with you. Since 2013, I've closed all my doors (and windows) to different kinds of lotions out in the market. Ever since I was diagnosed with urticaria (rashes), I've always just reached out to one lotion prescribed to me by my dermatologist. I did try switching from that lotion to other brands but the rashes come back and I just have to buy the prescribed lotion again. Last Christmas, however, I got this body lotion (Thanks Lyle!) from a good friend of mine.

 

The Tony Moly Bubble Tree Green Tea Body Lotion is just described simply as "enjoyable shower time with refreshing green tea-scented lotion". This is short to say that this lotion claims nothing but great scent. However, I must point out that even with having sensitive skin, I can use it 5-7 times in a week. That's saying something!

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Masque: Review

Today's review will focus on a favorite product of mine for the year 2014. I got it on the last quarter of the year but I still consider it as one of the bests I've tried last year because, well, it is. The product I'm talking about is the Tresemme Keratin Smooth Hair Masque.

   
If you didn't know, I make it a habit to deep condition my hair at least twice a week. My usual schedule is Tuesdays and Saturdays. I don't have a preferred product to use for that because frankly speaking, my hair was healthy. Yes, it was. Past tense. It was healthy until my perming experience. if you want to know what happened, just click here.

After getting the perm, I noticed that my hair is a lot drier and it feels a lot more coarse than before. I was using my Monea Power Dose Hair Supplement then but since that hair treatment wasn't exactly fit for permed hair (It weighs down curls), I decided to try the Tresemme one instead.

Sophie Lipstick (Ice Pink/ SLPK01): Review + Swatch Comparison

Lately, my posts have been mostly skin care related so I decided to squeeze in a makeup review for a small change. Actually, this post is something that I actually planned to make  more than six months ago but due to a lot of backlogs, this has been pushed back until today.

Last March 2014, I joined Real Asian Beauty (Kristine)'s Meet and Greet in SM Aura. Kristine has always been one of my favorite Filipina bloggers/youtubers so when I came across an opportunity to meet her, I grabbed it. During the meet up, she gave us small gifts as token of appreciation for our support and it included a Sophie Lipstick. (Isn't she the sweetest?) I got the shade SLPK01 or Ice Pink, which I will be reviewing today.

 Simple black packaging with pink details and print

Expiration date is printed on the shade sticker

Current Skin Care Routine (Acne Control): January 2015

One of the biggest problem (for me) that a beauty blogger can have is being plagued with acne on various parts of the face. As a beauty blogger, there are expectations one must meet. One of them is having (almost) perfect skin. It's like an unspoken rule for beauty bloggers to always look flawless. I know this rule isn't absolute but sometimes I feel that the struggle is real. The case is also true when I try to film beauty videos. I feel pressured to do something about my problematic skin. Most of the time, I am ashamed of my skin condition.

The thing is, we don't choose what kind of skin we have from birth. Unfortunately, I have oily, acne prone, sensitive skin. This means I get greasy easily, I get acne (sometimes cystic) and that my skin easily reacts to different skin care products. Just because it works for someone else, doesn't mean it'll work for me too. It also doesn't mean I don't take care of my skin. I am very religious with skin care. I take a shower everyday and wash my face at least twice a day. Despite all these, I still can't eradicate all my skin  problems.

Today, I will be sharing with you the products I am currently using to help with my current skin condition. These are all products prescribed to me by my dermatologist from Skin 101. If you didn't know, I regularly get facials and treatments at Skin 101 SM Muntinlupa. After trying to manage my skin on my own for such a long time (but not getting the results I want), I finally decided to consult their in-house dermatologist and was prescribed with a whole new skin care routine.

THEFACESHOP Backryuncho Wrinkle Stop Eye Cream: Review

If there's a product I always rave about, it's this. My skin care changes from time to time, but my favorite eye cream doesn't. I admit to have tried switching to different brands a couple of times before (twice last year) but I always find myself going back to this brand. No other eye cream has surpassed the satisfaction I have with this Wrinkle Stop Eye Cream from THEFACESHOP.

I've been using this product since 2011 from the original Abyssine variant. Now, the formulation has changed with its key ingredient changing from abyssine (as mentioned) to backryuncho extracts. Nevertheless, both performs as good as the other.

Jane Be Pure Mineral Correcting Concealer (#61 Light): Review

 

I admit. I'm not the person to ask about concealing. For one, I do not conceal on a daily basis. Even if I have bad dark under eye circles and acne marks, I just rely on whatever coverage my BB cream has to offer to at least brighten up problematic areas. Last year, however, I decided to make a change. I tried integrating concealing into my everyday makeup. Because of that, I got this Be Pure Mineral Correcting Concealer from Jane when I saw it was on sale at ebay (forgot the seller, sorry).

Olive Young Half False Eyelashes (Crisscross Type): Review

One thing that I actually forgot to consider when I was in Korea is how people there actually took care of themselves and cared how they looked. Not that I didn't bring makeup or anything, but whenever I'd go out, I'd see people withtheir barely there makeup and be amazed. Most Koreans have flawless skin! I find comparing myself to them most of the time and I'd lose confidence with my skin condition. So I got myself false lashes. You may be like, "What??!!". I know, I know. It may seem like my thoughts are incoherent but they are. Just read on.

It may seem like buying a pair of falsies has nothing to do with losing confidence on my current skin condition but the thing is, while I was in Korea, I couldn't do anything about my skin. One quick way (that I thought of) to at least increase my self confidence is by buying this pair of lashes. I thought, if I can't make my skin better during my trip, I'd rather just make my makeup look better.

Tony Moly Changing U Magic Mask Sheet Box: Review

There are times, when I roam around drugstore beauty sections or boutiques, I stop and ask myself, "Which face mask should I buy? Should I get the Aloe one or the Green Tea one?" After a long pause, I choose one over the other and end up buying two more variants lying around the display. It sounds stupid but the dilemma is real, at least on my part.

Just as I previously said about face masks and face packs, I rarely find significant result differences in most face masks/packs of different brands and of different variants. They just moisturize my skin and leave it soft and smooth after application. That is why whenever I look for a new face mask to try, I like to experiment with new variants I haven't tried before or I just randomly get whatever catches my eye. Bottom line is, I like the variety. It's the main reason why I was happy when I saw this face mask set box from Tony Moly Philippines.

Premier Dead Sea Aromatic Mineral Body Treatment: Review + New Year Message

Before anything else, I would like to greet everyone a Happy New Year! I don't know how your celebration went, but our family's was great. 2014 has been good to me although it was mostly uneventful for the most part and it ended really nicely with some unexpected surprises. I am very thankful for that. For 2015, I have bigger plans, not just for this blog or my youtube channel but also for my nursing career (but I won't go into that in this post). I'm sure you, guys, have plans too and I have no other wishes than for your plans to turn into reality.

For the review, let's first talk about how I got to try this particular product. While my mom was going through her stuff, she saw a skin care set from Premier that contained this. It was given to her as gift and because there was just so much stuff in her drawer, she instructed me to take it and make good use of it. So I did.