Product: Happy New Things! Etude Precious Mineral BB + Princessy Stuff

Happy new year, everyone!
I sincerely hope that everyone is having a really good 1st of the month of the new year, because I sure am :D

It's the time of the year when everything feels really fresh and new! A clean slate for the new year, as they all say. So today I'm going to post about what are the good, new things I have make-up and skincare wise.

First up, I've finally purchased an Etude Precious Mineral BB cream

Precious Mineral BB Cream from Etude which has SPF! Will my Kose Sunscreen become redundant? 

Priced at around PHP700-PHP800. I commonly use BB cream or foundation whenever there's a special event, or if there's anything that I'd like to correct i.e. pimple spots or scar spots, or a darkening undereye area :( Instead of a concealer, I'd rather really choose a liquid foundation/bb cream to cover the spots because it's easier to blend, and I felt like I don't look so weird if I use this because it's close to my skin color. :)

A couple of days ago I also bought a really really superbly cute powder container for only PHP149! It is my second purchase and was quite a steal, because it certainly looked realllllyyy good for its price. I have quite a bit of refill powders from random compacts so I strained the powder to make it finely milled enough to house in this princessy container.

So far, my 2013 is looking good, literally! :D

I'll update more on the BB cream and also I have a skincare/makeup stash update for all of you soon so do come back.

Thanks for reading!

DIY Skincare: Homemade Glutinous Rice Powder Mask vs Sheet Masks

A lot of girls are very much into keeping their skin healthy by using face masks. Whether it's a leave-on mask, a rinse-off kind or opting for the no-fuss sheet mask. It's also a great way to feel like you're being responsible about your skin, but it's not so rigorous since you get to do it 2-3 times a week. Great for the lazy bones!

I always feel relaxed when I have it on because it means I get a lot of reading done! But I got to thinking that despite the nutrients within a mask, we can read in the ingredients (for some brands that carry English translation) there is a lot of extra stuff like chemicals and artificial ingredients that are inside a sheet mask.

Image credit from Cosmetic-candy.com

Somehow it's kind of comforting that we can't read the ingredients list of some brands (Cant read Korean/Thai!) so we only see a bright fruit featured at the cover so makes us think it's from 100% fruit nutrient or concentrate, but I'm sure that somehow there's something inside it but at the same time leaves us in the dark! Good for you if you can read CHINESE:

Image credit from DiaryofAProductJunkie

ETUDE HOUSE SHEET MASK: ME AND MY MASKING HABITS


I am an avid fan of face masks. I've tried quite a few from different big brands like The Face Shop, Etude House, Missha, FaceQ and My Beauty Diary. I use it once or twice a week if I have some masks stocked inside my compartment.
 
Here I am with my mask anyway, because I needed a boost to hydrate my skin which has been dulling so terribly due to me always being under the sun, staring for 8 hours infront of the PC and not having enough fluids everyday!

  

 

But I got to thinking that I should really stop depending on commercial masks. I googled some DIY face mask but I always find the ingredients kind of expensive (hello, strawberries are not in season all the time, lemons are terrible to be wasted and it costs pretty high these days, and we don't have pure/raw honey sitting prettily in our kitchen cupboard, okay?)


GOING FACE MASK D-I-Y (Do It Yourself)!

So what I did was first raid the pantry and saw a good deal of GLUTINOUS RICE POWDER left over from New Years! It wasn't expired yet so I was wondering if I could do something with it! :D

Image credit here.

I tried it out myself! This is a DIY Mask that was so basic and so elementary that it doesn't make sense why I don't make it into a weekly skin treat!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RICE FLOUR AND OTHER RICE PROPERTIES:

* Rice Flour is really good for blemishes, wrinkles and pigmentation. It is also known for its soothing and softening properties. (source)

* Its emollient and exfoliating properties keep skin cells healthy, while its Ceramide increases collagen production to make skin more supple and free of wrinkles. (source)

* You don't have to buy in to SK-II or other high end skincare brand which are expensive because it has Pitera properties. Rice naturally has Pitera. And according to SK-II's About Page, Pitera is "...derived from a unique yeast's fermentation, Pitera is a blend of vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and organic acids that work together to allow the skin's natural surface rejuvenation process to function at its prime, enhancing the renewal of the skin's outer layer.  Continued usage of Pitera leads to clearer looking, smoother skin."

So those are the reasons why I am definitely making my little Glutinous Rice Powder mask a weekly habit! It seems that it helps with my oily face somehow. I chose Glutinous powder because it was readily available, but not only that because it sticks on the face better than an ordinary rice powder. Glutinous is more sticky, so it tends to be like that.

Below is my findings:

	SHEET MASK	RICE MASK
Moisture	Very Moisturizing; Highly due to the lotion-like serum. Light feeling, watery.	Moisturizing but the rice powder is mixed with water so it feels thicker but it provides moisture continuously.
Fragrance	Has fruity scent	Has earthy, rice scent that is pleasant
Feel of the Mask	Very cool on the face, breathable.	It has some micro-scrubs but feels so good. Breathable.
Ease of Application	Easy to apply, though some masks may be drippy. The masks, even if they are soaked, the fabric remained strong.	Hard to apply since you will use all your hands and fingers. Make sure that your hands are EXTRA clean.
Removal of Mask	No problem removing; especially when the masks really dry on the face.	Easy to remove with washing it off with water. Very little trouble since it dissolves the second water touches it.

The RICE MASK gave me clean, fresh and clear looking skin!

I had blushing cheeks too, maybe from the powder which felt like micro scrubs.

I feel REVITALIZED! Ohyeaaa! XD



I am really more into organic skincare rather than commercial and chemical-dependent products that tend to be on the pricier side. But it's more than just a matter of having money to pay for it, but it boils down the things I want and don't want to put on my skin. I think I am going to be more adventurous in this new process of discovery!


Thank you so much for reading!
Stay healthy and safe~

Etude House in Davao

Sorry for dropping in and out erratically but I've been surprisingly busy because of work, travel, school and moving!

Even though I've been a bit busy I made sure to drop by the new ETUDE HOUSE in Abreeza Ayala Mall! I was so excited when they announced that they would be opening in June 10, but then the opening got move to June 16! It was a bit frustrating for me and my friends but it was alright since we were given more time to save money :)

I must say that I LOVE Etude House! And I just came to post some good cheers about the new products I bought.

Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring in Deep Black is something that I've always wanted to come by but the Liese Hair color, which basically is almost the same with the EH Bubble, is incredibly pricey. Around P600-900 price range. But this EH Bubble Color is a great steal around P320.00 which I got at P300 because there was an opening sale going on!
And here is the end result after coloring it a day before: (Excuse Greencross behind me, he likes to photobomb a LOT. You will see more of him later XD )

You can see how the color is indeed, a deep black! But IRL it looks a lot more natural! I've grown so tired of my highlighted hair... I have naturally dark brown hair, and the colored highlights made it even browner. As much as I love the brown color, seeing it day in and day out on the mirror is tiring. So I took the chance to do some DIY Hair color! See this before and after pic:


Another product I love is the Dear Darling Tint still from Etude House

I'm pretty used to lipsticks, especially matte ones, to bring a slight hint of color to my lips, but I tend to stay away from gloss because it makes me feel like I ate something greasy! I tend to do lip balms instead to moisturize. But since getting the Dear Darling Tint, I've no problem of swiping the gloss at all! In fact, it dries up fast without chapping my lips. The color is also super nice, because it's so light and so natural.

Before :((( Pouting because I my lips are bare.

Below is also the before and after! You can see the slight pop of color the tint brings! I think you can also enlarge this to see better. (Greencross is now accompanied by my friend, Chloe! XDD They really like photobombs.)

Goofing off!!!! Sorry my face looks really stupid XD

I also got some small things like 5pcs of sheet masks in various flavors but I really don't have the time to rest :( It's sad really...

Have to drop out now and gotta grab a quick lunch and go back to work! :(

Friday is Mask Day!

It's the end of the week and I am feeling pretty relaxed after a bout of non-stop working late hours. My poor skin, with only 4 hours of sleep, hours of being exposed to radiation from computer screen and disrupted skin regimen, it needs all the help it can get.

So as a treat to my face, I took out my Etude House Moistfull Mask to try it out and pamper my skin.



Kawaii packaging! I think that the Etude House logo is wonderful and reminds me of Baroque designs which I'm totally into nowadays.

The liquid on the mask is just very little so there's not much mess or moisturizer dropping when you take the mask out from the pack. The smell is lightly floral and it's not overwhelming for me. But maybe for people sensitive to product that has fragrance they might find this strong. But I really like the smell because it isn't yucky!


Me with the mask on! LOL trying to hide because I look ugly.
The holes on the mask are right smack where it needs to be. It was just a little too wide, but it's all good because it covered my entire face. I left it for around 25 minutes because when 20 mins came and went, the mask still wasn't dry so I left it for an extra 5 mins more.

Very moisturizing! I really really love this mask! It seems very gentle on the face. I will definitely buy again :)

Thanks for reading guys! See you around!

My Trial Packs Have Arrived

"No! No! When a woman isn't beautiful, people tell her. "You have lovely eyes, you have lovely hair..."
- Sonya, "Uncle Vanya" by Anton Chekov

Click for FULL VIEW.

I'll be trying out these starting tomorrow! They're so cute! I also received sample freebies from the the very nice seller: Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint, Lioele Trouble Hunter Duo, and the two Etude House nail polish in Pink & Black.

This made my day :)

Bad Mood - Good Mood

"It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes."
-Sally Field

MY BAD MOOD FRIDAY NIGHT:
My friends are turning a critical eye at my recently-developed taste for cosmetics. They say it's so unlike me to dabble at these things. I can't blame them, though, I mean, I would have the confused and surprised reaction too if any of my dorky, silly friends suddenly wanted to do a spree to shop for high-end clothes and shoes. That's not what's putting me in a bad mood, but the fact that some entity at the back of my mind echoes things. Nagging me, and making me feel discouraged overall.

But I go back to this blog, read my quotes, read all your blogs... and all that makes me feel better and I am reassured again that I have all the right in the world to do whatever I want!

MY GOOD MOOD SATURDAY MORNING:
I ordered not ONE, BUT TWO trial packs from E-Bay this morning. My first order was a Lioele Basic Skin Care sample pack, and the other is a Skinfood Cactus BB Cream Sample set.


The best part yet: FREE SHIPPING!! and I get 2 ETUDE HOUSE NAIL POLISH FREEBIES!! So generous! It's my second time ordering from Ebay, my first one was when I bought a Forgotten Realms book (haha-GEEK!) "Starless Night" by R.A. Salvatore

When I receive the pack next week I'm going to post a review for each one. Hopefully it's all good for me!

Have a happy weekend now, you hear! :)

Etude House Nail Polish

Aaaa, aren't they so cute?! :) If anyone's reading this, please post your own "cutest nailpolish" find, so I can gawk at them too!

You can click on the pics for a larger view. The Photos are taken from from NailPolish Forum