Review: Garnier, Desert Essence, Ellana Minerals, Estee Lauder

Just sharing some random products I received and hauled over some time.

(For product info, just click on the product name)

1)      Garnier Pure Active Spot-On Roll-On

            Price: PHP199  (Watson’s)          Size:15ml

          What it Claims:

·   Helps dry pimples

·   Immediate pimple relief roll-on

·   Heals and clears pimple marks

My Reviews:

       The only reason why I bought this is because Garnier only release this to our market this year and I think this is the only spot on treatment I haven’t tried in Watson’s. The two main ingredient of this product are Salicylic Acid and Herbarepair. I’m not really a fan of Salicylic Acid anymore as I think SA works great only for teens. I don’t know what the heck is Herbarepair but it’s probably made with some herbal extract or so(not quite sure).

Anyhoo, here are my initial inputs upon trying this roll-on for around 5days:

·         I love the rolling thing because it’s very easy and convenient to apply but some might think it’s quite unhygienic due to the rolling ball. But for me, I think it’s not much of a big problem as long as you make sure you have a well cleaned face before using this.

·         The initial application might sting a little (just a tiny bit), the rolled on areas might turn a bit reddish but would fade the next 3 days

·         This is quite effective to those tiny pimples (not yet erupted) and white heads because I literally see improvement in just 2 days! (but not completely gone..)

·         If you have big cystic acnes, then I suggest skip this as this would NOT do any help at all

Recommend: Those with white heads might find this helpful

Rate it: 1/5

2)      Desert Essence: Blemish Touch Stick

Price: USD 15 (Healthy Option)      Size: 9.3ml

          What it Claims:

·   Reduces oil that lead to blemishes

·   Improve and maintain skin clarity

·   Soothes and nourishes skin

My Reviews:

       The main ingredient of this product is Tea Tree Oil which I’m not really fond of as I used the Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil before and works nothing. Anyhoo, here are my inputs after using for around a week and so:

·   Same as the Garnier Roll-On above, it is in rolling form which I find it really convenient and hasstle free. (though some might think its unhygienic but that’s not really a problem for me)

·   It stings like hell once applied/rolled on to the acne affected area. I have quite a high tolerance in pain but this thing hurts so much! But you would only feel the pain for around 5-10seconds and would go away eventually

·   For big cystic acne, the areas applied becomes extremely red and swollen

·   On the next 2-3 days, the areas are still reddish but has become dry and flaky (note: I did use a moisturizer but it still dried and flake my skin out)

·   On the next 5 days, the areas are turning pinkish but still dry and flaky. I noticed that the cystic acnes has flatten a bit

·   For whiteheads, small/tiny acne, 1-2 days becomes reddish and on the third day it just vanish completely

 

Recommend: If you have big cystic acne, you might experience redness and swollen for the first few days/week but eventually you’ll notice improvement as days goes on. If you have small zits, this will be a great help as it would zap away those zits in just 3 days!

Rate it: 3/5

3)      Ellana Minerals- Light Roast Bronzer Powder

Price: USD 4 (Ellana booth)      Size: 2.5g

My Reviews:

I bought this because I’m running out of my Etude House V Line Slim Maker and I thought that the shade of Light Roast is quite similar to the V Line Bronzer.

·   It is in deep matte caramel brown and it really does the contouring quite nicely

·   You have to be really light handed when applying this as it might turn out really dark. Unlike the V Line’s bronzer, the shade itself is quite subtle so there’s no need to worry even if you have accidently applied too much as it will still turn out very natural

Recommend: The price and shade is not bad, would be great alternative. But I still prefer the EH’s V Line Slim Maker

Rate it:3/5

4)      ELF- Natural Radiance Blusher

5)      Free Samples from Estee Lauder

a)      Perfectly Clean: Splash Away Foaming Cleaner

·     Love how my skin feels after washing squeaky clean!

·     Perfect for normal/combination skin

·     Might feel a bit tight after wash

           Is it worth buying the original size? No! I think other drugstore cleanser can also achieve similar results.

b)      Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex

·     My eyes are always puffy early morning and would see some fine lines near the corner of the eyes. I applied this every night, around the areas near my eyes and I noticed in the morning that my eyes were no longer puffy and those fine lines visibly reduce but still has!

  Is it worth buying the original size? Maybe.

c)      Hydrationist Moisture Barrier Fortifier Serum

·     Super love this serum as it provide maximum hydration to my skin and feels extremely light on the skin

·     I have fine lines near my lip areas but somehow I haven’t seen any improvement yet

Is it worth buying the original size? No! it simply provides hydration on skin doesn’t do anything else.

d)      Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Crème

·     I’m using ointment to fight against acne thus sometimes might lead to dry patches/flaky of skin. This crème does the job very well on securing enough moisture on the skin to refrain from having dry patches and flaky skin

·     Easily absorbed on the skin and feels quite light too

Is it worth buying the original size? YES

That's all for now, Next post will be all about Benefit products! =)

Reviews: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque & Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

 
Hellos, just wanted to share some awesome products I hauled over sometime and been using for quite a while. (Just click on the product name for more info)

1)    Queen Helene: Mint Julep Masque

Bought at Healthy Options for PHP350

 What it claims:

·         Help dries up pimples

·         Rinse away blackhead

·         Shrink enlarged pores

My Reviews:

I’ve been using this for a month already and I super LOVED this mask!! It really does what it claims effectively! On a side note, upon my first 2-3 uses I experience burning stingy feeling but would go away after 10-20seconds. At first I was really scared because I thought my skin might be sensitive to the mask thus the reason why I experience “burning” sensation. But I calm myself down and leave it for a couple more minutes and it just goes away and now I don’t experience that “burning” sensation anymore.

Recommend: If you are acne prone, then I suggest try using this as it really helps dries up and heal pimples effectively.

Rate it: 4/5

2)    Estee Lauder: Advanced Night Repair (Synchronized Recovery Complex)

Bought at Rustan’s PHP4800

 What it claims:

·         Repairs appearance from past damages (scars, sunburn,wrinkles)

·         Prevent Future damages (dark spots)

·         Provide high level of hydration

My Reviews:

I’ve been using this for around 2 weeks and so and I do see a huge improvement on my skin already. I applied around 5 drops of this and massage it using a germa roller(see below) and voila I would see my face looking so dewy soft and smooth every morning.

As you all know, I just suffered from bad breakout here and was able to clear up a few so now I’m concentrating on healing those brown patches and ugly scars that I got after the breakout. This serum really works in terms of repairing the appearance of my skin. I noticed that after using this serum my skin is more radiant and has this healthy glow unlike before which is pretty much dull and rough. As for fading dark/acne spots, I have yet to see a huge difference but I do notice that the brown patches are somewhat fading a (just a tiny) bit. I know this is not an overnight miracle, so I’m hoping that I get quite visible results after using the entire bottle and will keep you updated on it

            Recommend: Those who needs to rejuvenates their skin

Rate it: 4/5

3)    Miona: Germa Roller

This is just given to me by my brother and he told me that someone just gave this to him because he think I’m more suitable to use this…(-___-)”

 What it claims:

·         Slim Face

·         Promote facial blood circulation

·         Reduce eyebags

·         Restore Skin radiance and firmness

The instruction is really easy, simply roll it up, down, back & forth and you’ll have a slim face, no eyebags and radiant skin in no time! (if that is really true >_<)

My Reviews:

I’ve tried this for around a week and so, rolling it up and down/back&forth for 3minutes every day and have yet to see any improvement at all. But the massaging itself is really relaxing and comforting. I have a friend who uses this for around 8-9months and I did see drastic improvement on her face. Her face has become slimmer and more contour. I guess I just have to be patience and kept using this and will update you after a year! Lolz..

            Recommend: To those who are patience enough to see results in a long run

Rate it: 3/5 

                                          Ending it with a shameless vain selca >_<

No, its NOT OVER!

AaaaaaaaArgh!!!! I HATE MY FEZ! I HATE MY SKIN……WHY? THIS IS HOW I LOOK LIKE:

                                                    (3 weeks ago)

Actual pics

 

These stupid acnes kept haunting me every now and then; they just won’t let me go. If you are curious about my “oh- I-thought- my-acne-journey-is over” entries click here, here, here and here.

I know the main reason of me leading to this kind of dilemma is due to my super UNHEALTHY lifestyle. My everyday routine starts with waking up at 5am, eats junkfood for breakfast, fastfood for lunch, instant food for dinner and sleeps at 12MN. Yeah, I tried to change that but it’s easier said than done. Really I have TRIED, but failed ALWAYS….

I think the most that I could offer is to intake plenty of water just so I could at least well; contribute a little advantage to my skin, but by then I’ll look so bloated due to water retention (-__-)”

Anyhoo, enough of those nonsense blabber stuff lets move on to the real deal on how I’m treating this current breakout.

Here are the products I’ve been using currently for around 3 weeks which kinda help me clear my BAD cystic ACNE quite effectively. I’m simply going to state out my reviews, if you want to know more about the product just click on the product name.

1)    MARIO BADESCU: SPECIAL HEALING POWDER

·          a sulfur based powder that claims to help control oil and reduce redness.

MY REVIEW:

·         It’s a light yellowish powder which tends to conceal the redness of my skin immediately after application

·         It also helps heal the redness and swollen acnes gradually

·         In my case, I noticed a huge difference in just one application. I applied the powder to those acne erupted areas and leave them overnight. Those overly swollen and reddish acnes tuned slightly pinkish and not that swollen anymore

MAIN FUNCTION:

·         To HEAL and CONTROL BREAKOUT

2)    MARIO BADESCU: ENZYME CLEANSING GEL

·         This contains Alpha Hydroxy Acids thus the reason why I bought it and Mario Badescu also states that this is their BEST SELLING CLEANSER.

MY REVIEW:

·         Even though my face is all RED, BLOTCHY, and SWOLLEN with pimples this cleanser is GENTLE enough to remove all the dirts and still provide adequate moisture to my face

MAIN FUNCTION:

·         TO CLEANSE skin; REMOVE DIRT AND RESIDUE

3)    MARIO BADESCU: SILVER POWDER

·         Main function is to remove stubborn blackheads

MY REVIEW:

·         I don’t have that much blackheads but whiteheads instead. Upon first application, I noticed that my white heads were not completely removed. However it tends to soften the outer skin of the whiteheads and would come off naturally after I scrub my face.

MAIN FUNCTION:

·         TO EXFOLIATE SKIN; REMOVE BLACKHEADS

4)    PHILOSOPHY: HELP ME RETINOL NIGHT CREAM

MY REVIEW:

·         I already made a short review on this click here

·         Just to add on the note, this cream will not makes your skin red, dry or peel badly as long as you apply a SMALL amount to AFFECTED areas ONLY

MAIN FUNCTION:

·         TO HEAL existing ACNES/PIMPLES

5)    MARIO BADESCU: VITAMIN C SERUM

MY REVIEW:

·         I love this serum as it makes my skin soft and smooth instantly

·         The serum is easily absorbed to skin and won’t feel greasy at all

·         2-3 drops is enough for the entire face, would last really long

·         I noticed that my skin becomes more glowy and refresh

·         Definitely a MUST HAVE! Super love this!

MAIN FUNCTION:

·         PROVIDE MOISTURIZE and HEAL existing ACNE SCARS/MARKS

My 3 Week Routine:

STEP 1: (Morning and Night)

Cleanse Face using MARIO BADESCU: ENZYME CLEANSING GEL  then PAT DRY

(sometimes I alternate it with EUCERIN Cleanser)

STEP 2: (only once or twice a week)

Apply a thin layer of MARIO BADESCU: SILVER POWDER to a damp cotton pad and place firmly to areas with black/white heads. Wait 10 minutes and rub off using DICKINSON’s Toner (any toner will do, as long as it is gentle enough)  and rinse face using MARIO BADESCU: ENZYME CLEANSING GEL

(if I’m too lazy to apply this I would sometimes use the Chella Mask instead)

STEP 3: (2 drops every night)

Apply 2-3 drops of MARIO BADESCU VITAMIN C SERUM all over the face and massage gently with fingertips until it is all completely absorbed by the skin

STEP 4: (every night)

Apply a very thin layer of PHILOSOPHY: HELP ME RETINOL NIGHT CREAM to those acne spots and apply a thin layer of TERRAMYCIN ointment to those swollen/erupted acnes.

STEP 6: (morning and night)

Pat on MARIO BADESCU: SPECIAL HEALING POWDER to those acnes affected areas

This is how my skin exactly looks like after 21days of using above products and routines.

Though it is not completely cleared but hey at least it has improved a lot and the redness has been reduced as well.

My advise to those people who are also struggling for acne problem, NEVER giveup! Try and try until you succeed. My mom once told me to just consult a derma so that it will be easier for me.

But in my case, the one who clearly knows and understand my skin is only me so I’d rather walk this journey on my own =)

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Sharing some basics:

I know there are a lot of products and it is quite a confusing therefore I’ll just enumerate the necessary things you need to do in order to fight acne:

1)    CLEANSE

·         This is important because dirt and bacteria is one of the reasons why pimples/acnes grows

2)    TONE/EXFOLIATE

·         This step is mainly to rejuvenate your skin such as unclogging pores etc

3)    MOISTURIZE

·         Lack of moisture can also be one of reasons why pimples/acnes pop out

4)    TREAT

·         Very important to apply suitable ointment/cream to heal the acne related areas/spots

5)    PREVENT

·         Applying serums wherein it act as a shield which help prevent skin to bacteria

Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert, I am simply sharing my experience (for over a decades) on fighting acne.