On Facial Cleansers

For me, one of the most important part of taking care of my skin is the way I clean it. Therefore, I find it very important to use a facial wash that cleans but doesn’t dry my skin.

Some of the products that I’ve tried are the following:

Neutrogena Acne Wash

Initially, Neutrogena Acne Wash seemed to be the answer to my prayers. Within a week of using it though, my skin went from super oily to super dry. It didn’t really irritate my skin nor cause any breakouts but I don’t recommend it for normal or dry skin. Even those with oily skin should use it only 2-3 times a week. $

Avene Cleansing Gel

This is a soap free gel cleanser so it’s not very drying. It has a pleasant smell and is also suitable for those with sensitive skin. I still keep this as one the staples in the line up of  the facial washes that I use alternately. I use this only during the summer months because I find it to drying to use during the –BER months. $$

Celeteque Oily Skin

If you have oily skin, then Celeteque Oily Skin is not for you. This product is too mild and doesn’t seem to wash away the excess oils in my skin. The only good thing about this product is that it doesn’t dry up my skin when I use it during the months with cold weather and it’s suitable for oily skin as well. $

Avene Deep Pore Foaming Cleanser

When I used this product, I noticed that my skin cleared up a little bit. The sad part is, it also became a bit dry. This is less drying than Neutrogena Acne Wash but still drying nonetheless. I use this 2x  a day when the weather is too hot that my skin becomes too oily. During those months with temperate weather, I only use this once a day. $$

Dermalogica Clay Wash

Though my skin didn’t react negatively to this product, I don’t think I’d be purchasing another one of this when my current one on hand runs out. It has a minty scent that makes my skin tingle after use but I don’t think that this product removes excess oil. $$$$

Awake Deep Purity Clay Wash

As written in my previous review, I’m totally in love with Awake Deep Purity Clay Wash. It has exfoliating properties but won’t be too harsh on dry or normal skin. I can even use this 2x a day without drying up my skin. The texture of the wash is similar to okra – a little slimy but not disgusting. $$$

* The number of $ signs is indicative of how expensive the product is. The more $ signs, the more expensive it is. 

On Sunscreens

One of the top 10s in skin care dos is applying sunscreen daily. While I have been guilty of often skipping this during my daily morning routine, I do believe that it is important that we apply sunscreen daily. I have semi problematic skin so a small mistake of putting on something on my face which I shouldn’t could have catastrophic effects. 

Clinique Sunscreen

I tried this a long time ago and forgot its complete name already. It’s too thick and clogged my then teenage pores. Don’t use this unless you have very dry skin. $$

Neutrogena Sunblock

Same with Clinique, this is a major poreblocker. It used to give my dermatologist nightmares. $$

VMV Armada

I can’t use this. This also blocks my pores but my mom uses it and has no problems with it. It’s good for very dry skin. She usually hoards the stuff when VMV goes on sale (25% off). She usually grabs this in SM department stores. $$

Heliocare Gel

My first experience with heliocare gel wasn’t really very good. At that time, I was looking for a non oil based sunscreen because my pores are easily clogged up by oil based sunscreens. My dermatologist suggested that I try heliocare gel. It’s the first time that I heard of this product because the brand is sold mostly in clinics and not in the malls or drugstores. The product looked promising. It was white and looked like whipped cream- made my mouth water. It had a pleasant smell too. Now, spreading it is another thing. It’s really hard to spread the stuff and after awhile white stuff appeared on my face as if I didn’t wipe my face after breakfast.

The company reformulated the product, released an improved version and I got a free tube of heliocare gel when I returned the old tube (which was almost empty anyway).

I think that I finally found my match with the new batch. It didn’t make me break out, didn’t clog my pores and gave me the protection that I needed. The damage done was PHP1950 but well worth it. Besides, a tube can last me 1 year. $$$

Avene Emulsion

I will be using Avene when I move to a cold location for work. Heliocare might be too dry for me in extremely cold weather because it’s gel based.  I’ll be keeping a tube of heliocare gel with me though for the summer months. Since I’ve tried Avene and had no problems with their products, I think that this sunscreen won’t be causing any problems for me. $$

* The number of $ signs is indicative of how expensive the product is. The more $ signs, the more expensive it is. 

Tips to Have Wrinkle Free Skin

1. Drink a lot of water.
2. Eat fruits and vegetables.
3. Apply sunscreen. (I’m guilty of not doing this)
4. Get enough sleep.
5. Substitute fish for red meat in your diet.
6. Avoid alcohol.
7. Don’t smoke nor hang out with smokers. Smoke can dry up your skin prematurely
8. If you have dry skin, moisturize. If you have oily skin, moisturize if needed.
9. Don’t rub your skin. If you have to, use upward strokes.
10. Have a healthy disposition. Smile. Don’t frown.

On Eye Creams

Last week I had a girl’s day with my unit mates Kris and Raina. We were always very busy with work and other stuff so this was the first time in 2 years that the 3 of us actually got together. I showed them some of my skin care stuff and gave them some tips on keeping their skin healthy and wrinkle free. Since I can’t list everything that they wanted to know on paper, I promised them that I would blog about the products that I’ve tried and will try instead.

This is for Ra and Kris… to delaying the aging process and growing old gracefully. I hope that this will be helpful to other ladies as well.

I just can’t help but stress the importance of applying eyecream every night to prevent the wrinkles from forming. Now the effects won’t show until 5-10 years but when wrinkles start forming or not forming, you’ll be glad that you took the time to go through the hassle of applying eyecream every night.

My mom is already 53 and I can honestly say that she looks like she’s only in her 40’s . Her secret, moisturizing and night creams. Except from some laugh lines, her skin is still wrinkle free even though she already had her menopause 2 years ago.

Right now, I’m using Awake Sign Revolution Eyecream and I don’t think that I’d be switching to another brand any time soon.

So far, I’ve only tried three eyecreams. The first that I tried was Body Shop’s eye cream. Since I don’t know anything about eye creams that time, I thought that it was a pretty okay brand and not too expensive at  around PHP800. At my age though (late 20s) , I don’t think that it’s enough to keep my eye area hydrated.

The next that I’ve tried was Shu Uemura Beta G. This is way better than Body Shop’s and is also affordable. I think that I got mine for around PHP 2250.

I’m now using Awake Sign Revolution. It’s a lot more expensive than Shu Uemura at approximately PHP3950 but it’s also a lot better. Shu Uemura’s Beta G is more watery and you have to use more of the product to achieve the same effect as Awake’s Sign Revolution. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination but putting eyecream also seemed to keep dark under eye circles at bay.

When you already signs of wrinkles forming, don’t fret. As long as you put eyecream, you’ll be able to slow down your aging process. Whether or not it goes away completely depends on your age and how supple your skin is.

There are a lot of good eye creams out there if you don’t have cost considerations. You might want to try La Prairie and similar brands if you really want to splurge. In my case, I’m happy with Awake and Shu Uemura. 

My Makeup Tools

Here is a pic of my makeup tools. I've limited it to a few since I get confused when a lot of brushes are laid down in front of me. I always use my trusty swirly bowl when applying minerals. I am a klutz and tapping minerals onto the lids of my makeup is very messy for me.

Aromaleigh URFP

After the long wait, my Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder has finally arrived :) I've tried Earthen Glow Minerals' Hi Def Pro Powder and  Aromaleigh's URFP would be more or less the same in texture. 

This product is known to give a soft focus look and a poreless appearance.

Majority of this powder is pure silica. It has a strange smell but don't worry it's not unpleasant. The white URFP looks like drugs hahaha it would be quite scary to pack it in my makeup bag when I travel.

*** These powders need to be transferred into small pots. Everytime I use it, I accidentally sniff some of the stuff. Before I know it, I'll become an accidental druggie...

Awake Cosmetics

Awake is my favorite skin care company, probably along with 3 or 4 others. Its products, at least those that I’ve tried are very hypo-allergenic and doesn’t cause my skin to breakout or form rashes.

Among the Awake products that I’ve tried are:

1.      Sign Revolution Eyecream

2.      Deep Purity clay wash

3.      Ex bright lotion refresher

Sign Revolution Eyecream  

Before I switched to Awake, I was using Shu Uemura Beta G eye cream. I noticed that Awake eyecream is a little thicker and when I wake up in the morning, my eyes looked more hydrated.

Deep Purity Clay Wash  

I was hesitant to try this at first. However, since the lady at the counter gave me free samples of this with my Awake purchase, I decided to give it a try. I am always on the lookout for good facial washes because I have very oily and sensitive skin. Some facial washes cleans well but leaves me with blemishes, others are gentle but doesn’t really remove excess oil from my face. I was surprised that Awake’s facial wash was just right. It smells good too.

Ex Bright Lotion Refresher

This is really a toner and not a lotion. I really love it because after several uses, it left my skin glowing. It tones my skin without drying that’s why this one’s gonna stay in my cosmetic box for a long long time.