Poor Pores...

Rating: 1/5

I have always been obsessed with making my pore size look smaller. Fact is, there is no way to make it smaller than it already was when you were born but... if your pores are harboring dirt and grime then they may look bigger and darker than they are. When I heard about Shiseido's Pureness line's Pore Minimizer Cooling Essence I thought it was the miracle that my brother and I were looking for. Not.

It did nothing for our skin. I am a Shiseido fan but this product did absolutely nothing. We never got to finish the tube because it does not work.

You might tell me, I did not use the Pore Purifying Warming Scrub that's why it did not work. Not. We bought the two tubes and much to our dismay, they were both useless. It did not even feel warm on my skin. I really think both products did a lousy job. Its only saving grace (not really enough to save it ) is its smell. It smells nice.

If you want an effective way to reduce the size of pores use the Estee Lauder Idealist line. I guarantee you that it will work because it worked for me. I mean really, the result was fantastic. I used it months before my wedding day and everyone (while I was using the line) complimented me about how nice my skin was. :)

Dove-a-Dub-Dub

Rating: 5/5


I have written so much about soaps but now I realize that I have neglected to write about a soap that I have used for literally, decades now. I am talking about none other than Dove. This choice has been reinforced by my Chemistry teacher who has tested the Ph Level of the soap and found out that it has the PH level nearest to our skin. He also tested other soaps and did not get as favorable a result as in the case of Dove.

I do not use the solid soap if I am traveling or swimming because it can get a bit messy. The soap tends to melt easily compared to other soaps so store the soap in a dry place. When traveling, save yourself from all the soap goo by bringing along the liquid soap. There is also a Dove body wash with beads that you can use for exfoliation. I have tried this and was not so happy with it because there is not as many bubbles and the beads are not as bountiful, I feel they're not even there. :)


Over the years, Dove soap has not failed me and I hope it won't fail you as well. :)

Scrubadabadoo!!!

Rating: 3/5
Since I am into talking about scrubs right now, I might as well talk about another scrub I have tried and did not like unfortunately. I do not recommend this to be applied on your skin although I know quite a few people using this. I think I had a minor breakout when I tried this and so, as a resolution, I am not trying this again... on my face. I used my entire tub on my body instead. *grin*

It's mild enough for sensitive skin on the body so you can do this every other day. It has nice round grains and the smell, though am not a big fan of it is tolerable. This has different beads so you are sure to have different levels of exfoliation.

The nice thing about this is that it is cheap and easy to find. This is available in most drug stores and supermarkets. :) If this works for your face then good for you, if it doesn't you can always use it for your body.

Written on Sandstone

Rating: 4/5
I have confessed my addiction to Lush products before and one of the products that I really loved and benefited from (apart from Dream Cream) is a a yellow soap with a lemon scent that has sand on the other end of the bar. Yes, you heard me right, sand. Not as fine as Bora's, it as fine as ground Graham crackers, it has about the same color too. I am talking about none other than Lush's Sandstone!

The soap doubles as an exfoliator, not for all parts of the body though. This scrub is particularly for your buttocks (for the baby smooth skin :) ), elbows, knees, etc.. I do not want to overload you on personal information but I find that this works. I would like to warn you though, do not overuse the soap as it can dry your skin. If you do, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. It will leave your skin squeaky clean which to me means dry. I really observed how dry my skin felt after consecutive washes. I love, love the lemon scent though *hehe* now I know how plates feel *wide grin*!

As all other Lush soaps, this is sold by the gram and well, it's a bit on the pricey side. Then again, this is not the kind of soap you will use everyday. :)

Just a bit of trivia, in Brazil, women keep their skin soft and smooth by using sand to polish their skin. :)

Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

Rating: 3/5
I have just come from a seminar and it was a bit draining for all of us *hehe*, sometimes I feel it's easier to talk than to listen. I was not born to listen, I fear. As I was zoning out of the seminar, I was wondering what I should review today. I just remembered that I also had a love affair with scrubs, well, it was more of like a fling actually.

One of the scrubs I have tried in the past is The Body Shop Almond Body Scrub. This does not have a delicious smell but it said on the container that it was supposed to be moisturizing. Scrubbing can cause your skin to dry so if your skin is already to dry, stay away first. I got this but later on realized that I should not have. I found out, after I bought it that the ideal grains for a scrub should be round, and this scrub in particular do not have round grains or beads.

I noticed that it dries my skin and I had to be gentle in applying it lest I will hurt my self. I have not finished this scrub to this day. It has been sitting in our bathroom for years now, gathering sedimentary who-knows-what.

The Mango Scrub smells delish and if the grains are round, you might want to try this out.

More scrubs next time. :)

Beada Beads

Rating: 4/5
While I was in Boracay, I realized that I have left my Clinique facial wash (which I will review eventually *hihi*) and so I used my sample tube of Shiseido The Skincare Purifying Cleansing Foam which is like the previously reviewed Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam except that it is not gentle. It has beads and I was thinking, the beads were not that many and the beads did not feel rough on my skin, I was thinking it was alright if I used it more than twice a day in Bora. I mean I wash my face in the morning, after the beach and before I sleep, that's at least three times a day and I stayed in Bora for four days! *yikes!* No wonder my face got really dry after, I was blaming the Shiseido Suncare SPF50 PA+++ that I use everyday anyway!

Note to self, I must not use the exfoliating facial wash more than once a day. If you ask me, one should just exfoliate twice a week and several days apart. I just thought that... nah... I left my facial wash and I had no other alternative.

To avoid dryness, you can also use the Shiseido make-up remover which I will talk about next time. You can use this product to remove the waterproof sunblock. This is oil-based so this is not for those with oily skin and you must wash again with facial wash after using this product lest you want to look like buttered fish. :)

Peeling, Nothing More Than Peeling

Rating: 5/5

Like all the other brides-to-be, I was also obsessed with the wedding magazines! I read all of them! In one of the magazines, I saw tips on what beauty products to use at a certain age. One of the products caught my attention because apparently, this product is for all ages. I am 28 already so I fear trying products that can tend to dry out my face. I would like to elude the wrinkles for as long as I can. Knowing that this product is for any age, I was encouraged.

I found a reason to go to Greenbelt 5 *wahaha* to lure my then-fiance *wahaha* and when I got there, I was able to get the bottle that promised beautiful, renewed skin in just one night! I think I got it for more than a thousand Pesos.

Being the girl with no EQ, I immediately tried this when I got home. The directions said I should apply it evenly on my face and let it stay there until the following morning. I should wash it with warm water after wearing the gunk overnight. It did not sting at all nor did it itch, though I have heard other people complain about itching. This gunk is colorless and it peels evenly. The downside of these beautiful features though is that it smells like ammonia.

After one night, my skin was indeed whiter (which I did not particularly like, I am worried I might burn my face under the sun), cheeks were rosy and the pores less obvious. Indications on the product are the following: the product is supposed to help dull skin, hyperpigmentation, dark spots and sensitive to chemical treatments.

It's like you scrubbed your face, without having to scrub. The product says you have to use it every other day but when I tried doing that, I noticed my skin being a bit sensitive to my moisturizer so I used it every three to four days. It was really great.

I would recommend this product but remember to put on enough sunblock all day as this is still a peeling product and therefore, you must protect your skin. I have ended up under the sun for prolonged periods of time (like when we went to Laguna to look for my then-fiance's barong) but thankfully, no maps on my face because I used my Shiseido SPF 50 PA+++ UVA/UVB sunblock.

Happy peeling!

Result: Rosy skin and less obvious pores
Downside: This smells of ammonia so remember to ask the Kiehl's sales associate to let you smell it first. It is tolerable for me though and the effects are all worth it.

Idealist Micro-D Deep Thermal Refinisher

My skin is not what you would call fabulous and so when I found out I had 12 months to prepare for my wedding, I immediately got to thinking, I need all the help I can get.

I love reading magazines and I have read wonderful reviews on Idealist Micro-D Deep Thermal Refinisher. It even received a Cosmopolitan Beauty Award. I just had to try it. It is a bit pricey but it is supposed to have three differently-sized grains that helps to exfoliate your face. Also, strangely, it makes your face really, really warm.

It brightens your face the following day. However, it can sting a bit. You also should be careful not to concentrate on the same area too much so that you will not over-exfoliate and end up burning part of your skin from too much friction. The nice thing though is that they provide very detailed instructions matched with really nice animations at Estee Lauder.

I did not use this throughout my wedding preparation but I did use it once in a while. I was afraid I might have a bad break out if I used it every other day as recommended.

Result after using:
A bit reddish skin. Don't worry it fades after and then all you have is renewed skin.

Warning: Make sure though that you wear enough sun block and that you do not go wandering about under the sun for far too long lest your skin might get damaged. You do not want maps on your face.