Product Review: Anti-Blemish Solutions Body Spray

Bacne--something that a lot of gals have, but no one seems to talk about. I myself suffer from bacne, so my mom sent this over from the US for me to try: Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Body Spray.

Active Ingredient: 2% Salicylic Acid (to be sprayed on to affected areas 2x a day)

The first thing I noticed with this is that it's quite sticky, so it takes a while to dry up. After using this twice a day, my back did improve a bit but I still find that the best treatment for my back is a lot of sessions of TCA peel combined with medication. The smell is also a little bothersome. This is something worth trying if you have light bacne, but for heavier bacne, I recommend stronger treatments.

Weekend Blogger Meet Up!

Hi everyone! How was your weekend? As for me, I spent my sunday afternoon meeting up with fellow bloggers Thiamere (On Beauty Stuff and What Else's), Arg (The Beauty Bin), Grace (J'adour Rougit) and Gale (Gale Loves Colors). Our first names are both Crystal but she goes by Gale which is good because I go by Crystal! Haha.

I've met Arg and Grace before, and I've also met Gale before but it's been a long time. It's my first time to meet Thiamere.

photo taken from thiamere.blogspot.com

We had dinner at Va Pensiero at Gateway Mall. It was fun spending time with you gals! 'Til next time!

Product Review: Fashion 21 Dip Liner

Hello everyone! It’s a happy Friday as I’m sure most of you are looking forward to the weekend. As for me, I will still be working during the weekend so it’s not really a happy Friday for me L Anyway, today I’m going to be reviewing Fashion 21’s Dip Liner.

My sister bought this one because she wanted to practice using liquid liner and didn’t want to shell out a lot of money to practice. Being the beauty junkie that I am, I tried this out too and I’ve actually used it several times.

Here’s what I find:

PROS

• ·         Once it dries, this thing is REALLY smudge-proof, even without a primer or eyeshadow underneath! And to think that I have really oily lids…

CONS

• ·         It sometimes dries up in patches; some parts sometimes become darker than other parts so you might have to put on another layer
• ·       Since it’s also very smudge-proof, it also means it’s hard to remove
• ·         The pointy end doesn’t feel soft on your eye

Here's a swatch:

Conclusion:  Despite the fact that it can be a little patchy, the fact that it really doesn’t budge makes this a good product especially for students who are on a budget or people who just want to practice using eyeliner. 

How much: P120.

Great Deals from Human Heart Nature!

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that I've had a good experience with a lot of Human Heart Nature products. Our friends from muraito.com have informed me that for a limited time, they are offering two promotions for Human Heart Nature products! First is that they are offering 44% discount on Human Nature Dealership membership and the second promotion is that for P599, you get  P845 worth of Foundation, Blush and Lipstick from Camille Meloto's Human Nature Love Minerals! 

So for the other HHN addicts out there (I know there are a lot) who would like to become a dealer, or for those who would like to try out Love Minerals, here's your chance! Just hop on over and have a look!

Skincare on a Budget

Hello everyone! How are you doing? I'm sorry I haven't been blogging often. I honestly thought that I'd have more time to blog, but summer is still quite hectic, with all the summer programs and all. Anyway, today I'm going to talk about skincare on a budget. Previously, I wrote about how i believe in investing in eye cream. Now how about for the rest of your skin care regimen? Here are my thoughts on what to save on and what to scrimp on especially when you're on a tight budget.

Facial Cleanser = save. I used to think that cleansers are something that you should really spend on, but come to think of it, facial cleansers don't really stay long on your face, so if you're low on a budget, you can save on this. Just choose something that's targeted for your skin's needs.

Exfoliant = save. There are many affordable exfoliants out there that range from non-abrasive to abrasive depending on your preference. Need an exfoliant because of acne? Tretinoin is readily available and won't burn a hole in your pocket.

Toner = save.  Toners are actually meant to make sure that your face is dirt-free and also to clean off residue left behind by soap. So toners need not be expensive.

Sunblock = save. Gone are the days when sunblock felt greasy and left an ugly white mask. Nowadays, there are so many choices available. Just make sure to choose something that's non-greasy, and has both UVA and UVB protection.

Eye cream = spend. I already wrote a whole article on this, so there's no need to elaborate further. If you only have enough money to invest in one product, I suggest that it be eye cream.

Moisturizer = save/spend. I think you can save on moisturizer if you have to, but I honestly believe that you should upgrade your moisturizer as you get older, since our skin gets more dry as we age.

What about you? What do you think? I'd love to read them :)

Unsung Heroes: Brow Mascaras

Around two years ago, my mom bought a brow mascara from Lunasol. And ever since then, I've never looked back. They became even more necessary after I started dyeing my hair. I have yet to commit to bleaching my eyebrows, so brow mascaras are a must for me. My Lunasol brow mascara worked well for a little over a year before it dried out. I didn't repurchase it because it ain't cheap. Then I purchased an ELF Studio brow mascara in medium. Although it took a little longer to apply, I actually didn't mind since it meant that it was harder to overdo it. It dried up in about 6 months, which is okay since it was very affordable anyway.

When I went to Bangkok last November, me and my MUA friend were desperately scouting for a MAC Boy Girl Brow Set, which is always OOS locally. We still scouted around the Watsons there, and ended up testing different brow mascaras: Kate (by Kanebo), Fasio and another brand which I forgot. Kate proved to be the hardest to rub off. Once it dried, it really stayed put! So, we bought one each and our lemming for MAC Boy Girl disappeared.

Brow mascaras don't seem to be getting enough attention. Not only do I use them for people (and myself) who have colored hair, they are also useful to soften a person's overall look. I like to use them on people who have full brows (like mine). Clear mascaras are useful for people who don't need color tweaking and just want their brows to stay in place.

Here's me and my full brows using Kate brow mascara in LB-1. Don't you think it helps soften my look?

Do you use brow mascaras? What do you think?