4u2 dreamGirl Lovelight BB Powder SPF 15 PA++: Review

Oily skin, dry skin, they all have problems to deal with. Dry patches for dry skin and greasiness for oily skin! I personally have oily skin and true enough, greasiness is one of the main problems I have to deal with. I can't ever go out without applying a good powder on my face. It's not a requirement, it's a necessity.

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 Very affordable at PHP 194.00 only.

A couple of months ago, I was using this local brand powder that I got from Watson's- 4u2 dreamGirl Lovelight BB Powder. I first saw this with Say Artillero's videos. I remember how she used to rave about this powder. She's one of my favorite gurus so when I ran out of the current powder i'm using (Clinique), I went for this. It was particularly hard to find back then. Most 4u2 counters claim it's out of stock but thankfully, in SM Makati, there were a couple of reserved bb powders that were unclaimed. Hence, we got both- one for me and one for my sister. And don't worry, the date of reservation was long overdue that's why the saleslady gave it to us instead. (Thank you for not claiming, reservee. ;))

Confidence Builder through All Day Complexion Perfection. Exclusive formulation for even and natural skin tones and oil control. With sun protection too!

This is a pretty good find considering its price and its packaging. I love that the powder has it's own mirror, that the packaging is pink and compact and that it works as it should. I bought it to mattify my face and it does. I don't actually go out with just this. I usually use this to set my base makeup (bb cream) but either way, it does what I'm hoping for, which is to keep my oil production at bay. It doesn't, however, last for a whole day, so you might wanna bring some oil control sheets because the need for it might arise in about 3-4 hours after the powder has set. This is pretty standard for my oily face, under the humid Philippine weather.
All in all, I would recommend this especially for people who are in a tight budget. It isn't anything extraordinary but it does its job quite well. If, you are, however, more into the light coverage type of powders, I suggest you get the Tony Moly one, which is a little bit more expensive than this. Otherwise, I think it's okay to stick with this.

THEFACESHOP Flebeaute White Crystal Diamond Peeling: Review

Let's face it. Not everyone can afford diamond peel on a regular basis. It could be because we don't want to spend money or we don't have the time to do so. But the thing is, diamond peel is really good. I don't know about you but diamond peel has been a part of my monthly routine now, along with a good old classic facial. Not only does it help remove dead skin cells, but it also helps in keeping my skin free from blemishes. I noticed that when I don't go for a diamond peel in so long, I get cystic acne and suffer painful bumps on my chin. This is probably because dead skin cells tend to build up and dirt and oil get stuck inside the pores and eventually gets infected. I used to get the treatment done twice a week but ever since I got ahold of this product- THEFACESHOP Flebeaute White Crystal Diamond Peeling, it has been reduced to once a month. This saves me money, time and effort.

This is just a sample bottle but it also has a foil seal. :)

THEFACESHOP Flebeaute White Crystal Diamond Peeling is a product that I got for free after spending a certain amount in THEEFACESHOP boutique in MOA last year. They gave me this small tube and it has been with me for quite some time. I'm not sure how much it costs if you buy the regular size. I know I've asked a saleslady before but I just can't seem to remember. If you do know, then please be a doll and comment down below.

Anyway, what exactly is it? Here's what the short description says: Exfoliator with fine powders of diamond and natural mineral buffs away old flakes and debris. Translation? It's basically a face scrub which claims to have diamond powder in it, hence its name.

How do you use it? Instruction says you have to apply it onto dry skin, and massage it for about a minute or so. The diamond powder is so fine compared to a regular scrub so you don't actually feel it as much as the beads on a regular scrub. I like that because it doesn't feel as abrasive but after a few seconds, the product would start to get dry and massaging gets a little bit tougher. This will then start the actual exfoliation. I always follow the instruction to massage it for a minute, even if the scrub has started drying up. After which, I rinse it with water. I feel that even though I used an exfoliator, my skin doesn't feel dry at all. Also, I feel that it brightened my face and smoothened my skin surface. I use this product once a week, except on the week where I would actually get my diamond peel. This routine works for me in removing dead skin cells and avoiding oil build up that causes my cystic acne. I would love to recommend this product to people looking for a good exfoliator. If your face isn't that problematic, this product may even replace actual diamond peeling! How great would that be, right?

Tony Moly Coloring Brow Cara in Light Brown: Review

One thing that must be considered when coloring your hair a lighter shade would be your eyebrows. I've been coloring my hair a lighter shade for a few years now. Don't worry, though, I only color my hair thrice a year and I've never bleached my hair. This way, it doesn't damage my hair that much. But basically, I've been using shades like Lightest Golden Brown and Medium Ash Blonde. Well, it does lighten my hair (like I wanted to) but it leaves my eyebrows looking darker than usual. Instead of coloring my brows, I like to use a coloring eyebrow mascara to lighten them up-- Tony Moly Party Lover Coloring Brow Cara in #1 Light Brown.

 Sealed. PHP348 from SM Makati Watsons. When are you going to open a boutique in Ayala Malls, Tony Moly Philippines? I want to have my own membership card!

Here's how the actual color of the product looks like and the applicator.

It works well, not only in lightening, but also in keeping my brows in place. I particularly like to use it after filling in my brows, either with a pencil or brow powder.

I actually already used this up and I'm already using another brow mascara from another brand, which I will be reviewing later. I don't have much to say because this is a very simple mascara with not much features to talk about. If you have questions, however, I would be more than happy to answer them for you.

If you want to see it in action, you can view a video tutorial that I previously did where I used this particular product. Enjoy!

Etude House Bling Bling Eye Stick #9 (Golden Tail Star): Review

One year ago, I went to an Etude House boutique in Alabang Town Center and I bought this particular product from them. I didn't actually plan on buying any item at that time but this item caught my eye because for the longest time, I've been longing to find the perfect eyeshadow stick that would best be applied on my aegyosal. Aegyosal is that little eye bag you get when you smile. Apparently, applying a shimmery shadow on top of it makes you look younger and makes the makeup look more adoreable. I found out about this trick after watching so many Korean beauty gurus. And being the Korean beauty trend enthusiast that I am, I bought this item to go along with the trend.

About four years ago, using white or silver eyeshadow to brighten up the inner corner of the eye was such a big trend but lately, the use of gold and apricot shades are more evident to use as eye brighteners. Personally, I like using these warmer tones more because I feel that it flaters my skin tone better. This is the very reason why I went with this particular shade- Golden Tail Star.

The color is very pretty. Like the name suggests, it has a very nice gold tone and has the right amount of 'bling' in it. It doesn't come off as a loud glittery shadow, which is a plus for me. Below is a swatch of the product so you can judge it for yourself.

In terms of usage, as you can probably tell, it has a very simple straight to the point packaging. I love that it's a stick type and is easy to store. It glides on pretty smoothly and you can also build up the color intensity as you pack on more product. I don't do this on a regular basis, though, because I find that one stroke already delivers the right amount of product to my liking. The longevity is also superb since it practically just stays on until you actually remove it. It isn't smudge proof, though. So don't rub your eyes when you have this on. No wait, just don't rub your eyes in general because your hands are one of the dirtiest parts of your body and you don't want to contract an eye infection from rubbing them with dirt.

 Best swatch

 How smart am I to cover the actual swatch with my watermark? LOL. Sorry, I'm not redoing it. :p

Honestly, I have no idea on how to end this post so I'm just going to say that for the longest time, this has been a staple in my makeup kit. I just removed it to make way for new items that I have to try but up until this point, I still grab onto this for a simple yet glamorous twist on a simple neutral eye makeup. There are also times, however, when I try to be more adventurous and incorporate it into a smokey look to brighten up the inner corner.

I highly recommend that you get this product. It is still available in stores. I've seen it in Etude House Rustan's Glorietta two weeks ago so I'm assuming it's still out in the market.

Face Masks and Face Packs

Face masks and face packs... What exactly are they? Generally speaking, as I like to think so, face masks or face packs are forms of deep skin treatment for your skin. There are a lot of types and variants to choose from with different functions. Honestly the list goes from moisturizing, brightening, pore care to soothing, revitalizing, hydration and so on. Whatever your skin type is, whatever your skin problem is, these masks seem to always have the variant best suited for it.

Now before anything else, I wanna talk about a trend that has been popular in South Korea which is their 'One Mask A Day' skin treatment. Meaning, they use one mask sheet per day to keep their skin at its best state. I got this idea from WishtrendTV, a youtube channel dedicated to spreading Korean beauty trends. If you want to know more about this trend, just click on the link here to redirect you to the very video where I got this information.
So yeah, even though I know about this trend, I can't actually do this everyday. I only use face masks and face packs twice a week, maximum. My weekly routine goes something like this:
Day 1. I usually use a face scrub to remove dead skin cells. I sometimes use a face scrub mixed with a diamond peel-like cream product from THEFACESHOP.  Day 2. I use face pack to remove deep seated dirt on my skin. I specifically use the Tony Moly Egg Pore Tightening Pack. Day 3. On this day, since my skin feels fresh and thoroughly clean from the treatments of Day 1 and 2, I opt for mask sheets to deeply moisturize my skin. I don't have a specific brand that I go for. I usually use Korean or Taiwanese brands and I also don't have a preferred variant. Depending on my skin condition at the time, I would choose whatever mask would best suit me.
The thing is, though I like to think that these face masks really do bring about different effects on the skin just as the variant description says, all the effects of different face masks I've tried seem to be pretty much the same. After using mask sheets, my skin usually feels moisturized, soft and smooth. Other than that, I don't see any significant difference on the quality of my skin. I made this post because I have a lot of mask sheets to try but I really don't see the need to write an individual review for each one of them because they mainly yield to similar results. I would probably just write a separate post if there is something different about the face mask that I used. Otherwise, I will just randomly insert a photo of the face mask that I've tried and link them back here. Just like what I'm gonna be doing now.

Tony Moly Snail Natural Pulp Essence Face Mask
This face mask is from Tony Moly. Snail-related products are known for their skin repair properties. Tried it back in February. It was as expected moisturizing and all the things mentioned above. It also did NOT break me out.
Do note, though, that even though there's nothing extraordinary about the masks that are going to be linked here, doesn't mean they're not good. There is a reason why I use them- I love how my skin feels afterwards! I'm just a lazy kid, that's why I'm not planning on writing a separate post of every mask I've tried.