Shisei-dewy Finish

Rating: 5/5

After ten million years I am back.

I have run out of the Olay Regenerist Day Moisturizer and while I was really planning to get a new tub of Olay I decided against it and opted for a more indulgent *thwaps self!* Shiseido The Skincare Day Moisturizer with SPF 15 *wahaha*! I got an unxpected bonus okay?! I have been using this for three weeks already and I am loving it!

This is not the first product from The Skincare line that I have tried. I have been using the Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam for years now and I still love it to the last drop. I have also tried the Purifying Cleansing Foam from the same line but I think the scrub is too harsh for my skin so I stay away from this. The Day Moisturizer has the same lovely scent of the cleansing foam so my face smells lovely in the morning... up until I put on the Shiseido Waterproof Sun Block SPF 50 *paranoid!!!*. I like how it leaves my skin dewy and not oily. I have tried this brand years ago when I was still in college and it left me super oily. Gosh, this means I have aged and my skin is drying up! My oil field is dry! *wah!* It is very easy to apply and I find the formula very light. Also, I think it gets absorbed easily as well.

This costs 1,300Php at Shiseido. I am not sure how long the bottle will last though. It has a very hygienic dispenser so you will not be grossed out *hehe* I feel this way when I have to put in my fingers in the tub of gunk. I feel like I am contaminating the contents. *eww...* I also think *or am I delusional?!* this product has softened my laugh lines, the curse of the people who love to laugh. :)

Bizarre Bazaar

Since it is the season of going to bazaars and us trying to find the best bargains around, I figured I might as well get give a review about a beauty gunk's kind of bazaar stall.

I was able to catch them a few years ago at a bazaar at World Trade Center. This bazaar was especially for cosmetics and beauty so most of the stalls then were about beauty products however, this bazaar highlighted brands like Lancome, Shu Uemura, L'oreal and Maybelline among others. I went crazy then and bought five thousand peso worth of cosmetics! I know I am crazy! Most of those things I did not even need and to this day have not really used outside the house. For one, the shades were not flattering. When you go to the bazaar, there are no testers, so you just buy these based on looking at the box, sometimes they let you open the box. I do not know if this is true with all their products but most of what I bought were not very good anymore. For one, the Shu Uemura eye brow liner that I bought would not write anymore. I mean, if you really insist on using that, you can hurt yourself. They are lucky because we do not live in a litigious society or I am sure they would have been sued already. The Maybelline lip glosses had funky smells already which of course I did not notice at first because I have not owned Maybelline lip glosses prior to this. It was such a waste because I got so many tubes to give away as gifts but after, I was so embarassed to give them away! The Lancome Juicy Tube was totally not usable anymore and I have to throw it away one of these days when I think of cleaning my stuff *sheepish grin*. I also got a Maybelline mascara which was still okay fortunately. I got a Lancome lip lacquer and this was also good but the color is a bit crazy, you have to be bold to use it. I got two Shu Uemura lipsticks and the color just won't appear on my lips. I am not a fan of Shu Uemura, all my lipsticks are either Estee Lauder or Shiseido so I thought this bazaar was a great way of trying out Shu Uemura, much to my demise, the colors just won't run on my lips. Nada. I tried my wrists and no sign of color too. I had to wonder if I was six again and was applying plastic lipstick!

After my experience I really do not trust bazaars for make-up anymore but if you cannot help it, here are some tips.

• Just buy products that you have used before

At least you would know if the product is not good anymore.


• Do not go shopping crazy
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If possible, buy a few items first and test if they are still okay. You can buy one item and go to the comfort room and check if the quality is still okay, if it is, then go ahead and buy more, if not, then at least you already know and you can stop yourself from buying more. Check the smell and consistency, if it's funky, it must be expired.


• Know the actual prices of the products

Make sure you know the actual prices so you are sure you are indeed getting a deal. I mean if it is just a few hundred bucks, stick to the newer stocks at the mall, at least if that is no good, you can always return them.

If you have other bizarree bazaar experiences, do share them here. We can learn from each other.

Oh and yeah, if you are wondering which bazaar this is, I am not really sure of the name as I have forgotten but some of the products still had Rustan's price tags on them. I am not saying they were Rustan's but they could be the consigner too, come to think of it, all brands I got are all L'oreal brands.

BTW, did you know that L'oreal already bought The Body Shop?

My Kind of Sunblock

Rating: 5/5
Sorry, I have not been posting for the past few days because I have been very busy trying to do all the work that I can this week because I won't be around this Friday. I will be going to Boracay with my husband! *yey*

Anyway, since we will be going to Boracay and I just got back from the mall to buy two fresh bottles of Shiseido waterproof SPF50 PA+++ for the face and body, I might as well review this. This is my nth bottle. I have lost count already of the number of bottles I have consumed. I used to collect them just in case there will be promos in the future *wahaha* you know, the kind where you exchange containers for goodies, but alas, this is never to be for luxury cosmetic brands. Shiseido is midrange, I mean there are far, far more expensive brands by the way but still, it is more expensive than umm... Coppertone. I like this particular sun block because it is not sticky and not smelly. It has a distinctive smell but it's not a stinky smell... I actually like it now. This is also very effective. I mean, I love beaches and I love being under the sun and whenever I do get out into the sun, I always use Shiseido. I have never gotten sun burn and my skin does not darken as much when I use Shiseido. When I got back from my honeymoon people could not believe I actually went to the beach. :)

Since this is waterproof you can get their Sunblock Remover which I can review next time. I do not bother with the remover because... I shall reveal this in due time *hehe*.

The bottle is great because it is light, sporty in color (same color as the Shiseido waterproof SPF 50 PA+++ for the face) and best of all, it does not spill. A little goes a long way and it is not difficult to apply. This does not leave a white mask like other hideous sunblock formulae out there. I have tried other sunblocks and well, I will review them next time *hehe*! You might be wondering why I use a Shiseido sunblock for the face and another for the body. The other one is creamy while the one for the body is not as creamy, it's a bit runny actually. The creamy one is easy to apply in the face and goes on thicker. The one for the body and face is more runny so that when you apply it on the face, the danger is for this to get in your eyes, also it does not go on the face as thick as the one especially for the face. Finally, the face is more compact to carry around.

The Shiseido sunblock for the face and body SPF 50 PA+++ waterproof fetches for 2500 Php. All Shiseido outlets are giving a 10% discount to all Citibank Credit Card holders. Also, make sure you get a record because if you accumulate fifty thousand worth of purchases you can then be part of the Shiseido Circle and you can get free facials among other perks! :)

Squeaky Clean

Rating: 3/5

I am a big fan of Estee Lauder but I am not a big fan of Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser because I think their main objective is really to give you perfectly clean face. I feel like it cleans my face too much that I end up with a dry face. I was never a fan of squeaky clean skin. I do not like my skin to make the sound a plate makes when it is very clean.

It has only been two days since I switched back to Shiseido the Skin Care Gentle Cleansing Foam and my skin has improved. I just tried this facial wash because it came free with my Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrate. I have another tube which I gave to my husband because he was getting a breakout for a reason still unknown to us. I asked him to try this for the night and then I applied him some Shiseido SPF 50 PA+++ and the following morning all bumps were gone. Why the sunblock? I heard that this dries your skin too. So I figured without a moisturizer it should help him get rid of the bumps. It might have been a fluke but the following day all bumps were gone!

In any case, the tube is still with him but I have no idea if he uses it still. I will have to ask him later.

Another thing I do not like about this is that you have to use a great amount just so you can have a nice lather unlike with the Shiseido, just a little amount makes a nice lather already.

The plus of this product though is the wonderful scent. You can choose to try it, who knows, the formula might have been made for you. The price of this facial wash is cheaper than the rest of the other Estee Lauder products.

Fee, Fi, Fo, Foam

Raing: 5/5

Shiseido Pureness Gentle Cleansing Foam is very effective for those who tend to have oily skin and even those who tend to have pimples and other blemishes caused by oily skin. This has worked for me in my oiliest of years. I only wished my mom could have discovered this earlier in my life *haha*. My skin was never extremely oily however, it did have its way of making my face shine like an oily pan.




I have used Shiseido Pureness Gentle Cleansing Foam for years until that fateful year when I went to a Shiseido bar in Hong Kong. The sales associate told me not to use the Pureness line anymore as my face is absolutely dry already. I attributed the scaling from the cold winds of March but the woman refused to sell me the Pureness line! (I was shocked and was forced to believe her!) She gave me the samples for the Skin Care line after I also bought the SPF 50 Sunblock (yes the one that I have admitted to being addicted to!) After I tried the Shiseido Skin Care Gentle Cleansing Foam, there was no turning back. I even got to a point where I saved all my points in the SM Advantage Card so I can get myself some of this product for free! Of course the price of this product does not come cheap too. *hehe* Darn these cosmetic companies! :)

The texture of this facial wash is so nice when you lather it up, the bubbles are so small and soft to the skin! I know you might say, aren't all bubbles? But you have to try this to believe it. The scent is really nice too! I am still using this and I really drain the tube up to its last drop because I do swear by this gunk.

And yes, this was my facial wash in the one year that I was preparing for my wedding. :)

Loco for Lotion

Rating: 5/5

I know there are so many gunk for lotion out there. However, I have tried one that actually makes you skin soft as soon as you apply it. There is even a ten-day promise. I cannot vouch for this promise because I was not able to follow the routine religiously for ten days. It's not the lotion, it's me! I am always in a hurry in the morning that putting on lotion is the last thing on my mind. It is nice to use however, for moments when you actually have the time to slather some.

The effective lotion? Kiehl's Creme de Corps lotion. There is a light formula if you do not want the thick one. I bought the thick one just so I am sure I am not getting shortchanged. I want all the moisture the big bottle can offer. The downside? It's a bit more creamy, hence takes a bit more time to get absorbed. You have to let it sit on your skin but it is worth it. You can apply it on dry areas and you will surely notice the difference as soon as you apply it. At least, this is how it is for me.

This is the best body lotion I have tried so far. The scent? Do not ask me about the scent! Haha! It does not have a strong scent, if it even has any at all. Then again, you got lotion so your skin will be softer, if you want to smell nice then you would have used perfume instead. I think a lotion without scent is actually good because this means you will not have to layer your perfume with another scent.

This lotion is more expensive than the usual lotion you can buy in other shops but it is worth it.

My Favorite Shiseido

Rating: 5/5

I started using sunblock a bit late in life because my mom used to believe that sunblock will just make me burn more. Fortunately, Shiseido made her change her mind! She is now a certified sunblock SPF 50 addict and in the process, she has also made me into one.

Now, I can no longer go out of the house without this sun block. Worse, I once tried another formula but the formula was too thick and oily. Shiseido Sun Protection Cream SPF 50+ UVA/UVB for Face is nice because you can easily blend it on your skin, especially when I you have moisturizer on. This comes with PA++ unlike other sunblocks which protects you from aging. It is not too thick and it is certainly not sticky. It has a different smell but it's not bad smelling at all.

Another bonus of this product is that it is waterproof so you can sweat it out and still know that you are protected. I have used this on a very sunny day on the beach, under the glaring heat of the sun while we worked for Habitat for Humanity and it has not failed me yet. I use this with some exfoliating formulas to keep me from having unwanted skin maps on my face.

I love this product so much, that on my wedding day, I put on some even though my makeup artist insisted that I do not put on anything at all. The result? Very nice dewy finish. My make up stayed in tact and beautiful all day! When I say all day, I mean from 8am to 12 midnight!

The packaging is light as it is just inside a sporty blue and orange plastic tube. I never go for overnights or out-of-the-country or out-of-town trips without this thing. As I have said, I too, like my mom, am hooked!

The price of this sunblock is not cheap, I admit that but a tube can last me for several months and I love that it really does its job. It protects my skin round the clock!

If you are wondering how long I have been using this sun block, it has been six years and still counting. :)

Miracle Cream for the Bride To Be

Rating: 5/5
Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Concentrate is indeed a miracle cream. It made my skin glow in just 21 days before my wedding! My then fiance got a great photographer and a great videographer for our wedding and I did not want to waste the money he was investing on them so I wanted to look like the radiant bride I am expected to be.

I did my research and contemplated on diamond peel. However, as I browsed the site of Estee Lauder, I found out about Estee Lauder's pre-wedding program. It comprised of ANR Repair Concentrate and the right moisturizer. I immediately wanted to try this, and so, while this beauty miracle cream is a bit on the pricey side, I took my risk.

I was glad I took the risk because the results were dramatic. I would buy this again if I had too. In 21 days, I was not able to finish it. I only had to apply this before sleeping. I think I have enough to last me another 21 days which I will use 3 months from now. I love this product!

The applicator is a dropper so it's very economical, you do not get to use more than what you need. As any Estee Lauder product, the packaging is also very elegant and luxurious. This is something you want in your cosmetic bag. :)

The price? I'm still glad though that it is not as pricey as La Mer still... Though I have not tried this product. Perhaps someday when I have more moolah to spend! :)

Result: Radiant and glowing skin!

Hydra Complete Me

Rating: 3/5
When I bought an Idealist and ANR Eye Recovery Complex, I got for free two jars of Hydra Complete Multi-Level Moisture Creme, one small and one big. This smelled great and felt fabulous on my skin as I apply it. The texture is just wonderful. I wish I could say the same about the long term effect though.

The thing is, it did not do much for my dry skin. When I went to Murad, which I will also blog about next time, to have my skin checked by a resident dermatologist, she said that my skin is a bit dry. I knew that too, since the lines were starting to appear and I just turned 28! Okay, so maybe, partly I am to blame for not drinking enough water...

The nice thing about this product though is that it does not make my face shine like a greasy plate. Plus, it feels like it gets absorbed easily by the skin because the skin does not feel greasy for a long time. I apply sun block after moisturizer and after this, I can almost immediately get the sun block on my face.

I used this moisturizer on my wedding day and my makeup did not melt on my face though it was a really hot day. My face remained dewy.

The packaging is a jar which some people might find unhygienic. There are no special paraphernalia for applying this so essentially, you just stick you fingers into the jar and apply the glop directly on your face.

I did finish up my stock before I switched brands. I actually planned to get the very same jar when I considered the price. *grin* And of course the not-so-dramatic effect. And once more, my expectations were a tad bit too high for reality.

Result: Change was not very noticeable. Skin was not oily at all.

My Idea of an Ideal Idealist

Rating: 5/5

The Idealist Micro-D Thermal Refinisher from my last post has a partner. This partner though, can be used everyday. It is simply called the Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher. I love this product because after two 50 ml bottles, I could really see the difference! Others also seem to notice the difference. I use it all over my face before my moisturizer in the morning.

My idea of the ideal Idealist? Cheaper. :)

Result: Visibly smaller pores and smoother skin. :)

Downside: The container does not allow you finish off all the contents *hehe* Can you blame me if I want to use every last drop?