Products: Organic Skincare - Human Heart Nature, Queen Helene, Lush!

Hello everyone! ~

I am so glad to have some time today to share more about the organic/natural skin care that I use day after day. These are a product of my experiments, tests and from there I finally found some great things that I could use! Being a fan of Human Heart Nature products that I purchased online, I now moved on to incorporating more of their product lines ;)

There are quite a bunch, right? I'm not crazy, these are mostly sample sizes. Also, I am hoping to trim it down sometime soon... I'm just trying out a variety to be sure what products works for me :) 

Human Heart Nature Products (Left-Right) Reviews:

Tomato Extract Nourishing Facial Wash (PHP 79.75 / USD 1.90)- This is a clear, runny gel-type wash that does not produce suds. It cleans so well but does not leave the face 'squeaky dry'. It has a gentle, fresh fruit smell that I really love, and helps me get rid of oiliness and dirt without a harsh feeling. This is a keeper until I try the Blemi & Orange Balancing Facial Wash and see if I like it (Balancing Wash is currently sold out all over!)

Tomato Extract Nourishing Face Toner (PHP 99.75 / USD 2.30)- A wonderful toner that leaves the face dewy. It is clear and watery, with a bright, fruit scent that is not overpowering. I prefer the Balancing Toner over this, though, but this is still good if I need an extra boost for dry parts of my face and especially my neck area.

Citronella Bug Spray (PHP 99.75 / USD 2.30) - I bought this because of the alarming incidences of dengue all over nearby towns. I purchased one for my little nephews and for myself as well--can't be too careful! This is oil-based and heavy. It has really potent citronella herb smell which mosquitoes hate but I like! I usually just apply this on some parts of my body like arms and legs. It definitely keeps bugs away, I stopped getting bitten! :)

Blemi & Orange Balancing Face Toner (PHP 99.75 / USD 2.30) - Amazing, amazing, amazing! I can't rave about this product enough. I love it because after toning it creates a soft, non-dewy, natural feeling on my face. It keeps my oiliness low throughout the day. It works so well for me that I want to purchase the big bottle as soon as it is available. The scent of smooth citrus perks me up! It is easy to spread using a square cotton.

Moisturizing Day Fluid  (PHP 149.75 / USD 3.50) - A light and easy-to-spread moisturizer that lives up to the "a little goes a long way" hype. It is filled with 15 vitamins and minerals for the skin to enjoy so you can't really go wrong with this. Makes the face dewy but I don't mind, it makes you look glowing and pleasant! Scented with some natural herbs, it gives me some energy, somehow... I dunno :)

Sunflower Beauty Oil - I have the large (PHP 249 / USD 5.90) and travel-size (PHP 129 / USD 3) variants. I keep the smaller one in my bag all the time. It is a clear oil which is amazing for almost everything skin-wise and it has no scent, too! It made my elbows smoother and somewhat evened out the tone (usually elbow areas are darker than other skin areas) I also apply this on my legs and feet at night. I take the small bottle with me to our very cold office so in case my lips get chapped I dab a small amount. I also use it as a hand cream hahah~ My skin definitely gets a lot of boost! I give credit to SBO for my smoother skin!

Healthy Lotion in Berry Bliss - Tried the small sample size and LOVED IT SO MUCH that the next day I got the big bottle. I use this night and day, and it is so light and dries so easily on the skin (no greasy feel what.so.everrrr.) The lotion is not creamy as much as it is runny and has a white color with a strong zing of candied berries! No harmful chemicals, a lot of skin-friendly nutrients: This is my lotion for life!

On the left side are my DAY products which consist of the face wash, toner, and moisturizer (if I'm really lazy I skip this which is probably bad!) and a light lotion for my arms, legs and body to keep the skin healthy.

On the right side are my NIGHT stuff which mostly is the same but the Sunflower oil is heavier than the day moisturizer, and I have some Citronella natural bug spray and the Mint Julep mask (which I use 2x a week only or as needed.)

I know that the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask is not 100% organic but it does have Kaolin Clay. I have wanted to try this product for so long. I used to be a seller of Queen Helene before, but I stopped because the product gets sold out almost all the time that I didn't even own a tube of it myself.

I just recently applied Mint Julep mask last week because my face took a huge hit. Due to my very irregular sleeping habits and stress, my face is a wreck. Here I am with a lot of my pimples (very icky, sorry!):

First application: Monday

Well, thankfully my consistent application of HHN products and a follow-up reapplication of Queen Helene (Thursday) helped my skin recover fast! I still have some zits but not as many as before.

Second application: Thursday (You know you love my clothes-clip-turned-hair-clip!~LOL)

I haven't been applying face masks both sheet and DIY face mask regularly like before since I practically have no time at all and I can't find a 100% organic sheet mask brand yet! But I am thankful that Queen Helene really works at keeping zits dry as fast as possible.

An addition to my organic bathcare routine is the Lush Dirty Body Soap that Mike bought for me during our trip to Manila. I made sure that I used up my other organic soap before using this. It is a cute blue soap that smells of the cleanest fragrance of spearmint. It not only keeps your body dirt-free, it leaves a nice scent that settles nicely for quite some time!

All these products are bought by me (or given as a gift!) Quite an aggressive switch from last year's old skincare regimen, don't you think? I'm trying to really make a stand that we should do away with a lot of irritants and chemicals in skin care. It is important that we use products that NOURISH and make our body happy and free from danger! Let's do our best~

Whew!
That was a long post; but that was for being away all the time and not being around more.
Thank you for reading! See you~

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~

Skin Care Regimen Update

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Thought I'd share what's new with my daily/weekly skin care routine. I have been taking extra measures about using skincare products now, even more cautious than before. I've stopped using most of the old brands I used in my previous skin care routine. I have made a lot of discoveries along the way when it comes to drugstore brands (with a little Korean/Japanese products on the side of course!) and I'd like to think I learned a lot during those experimental times.

I'm currently following the Pond's Flawless White series. You may have heard of The Pond's Challenge; several of their products have found their way to me. Personally, I am not an advocate of artificial skin lightening at all, but I'm not one to judge anyone. If they want to, they can. I just think that we have to love the skin we have and just take care of it, and not alter it to make it appear something that it is not. I love my "golden" skin! Some call me morena, which is a skin color classification, but some people also told me that I look a bit more fair. Maybe it depends on whether I had a lot of time to go to the beach! For me, I just want to achieve a "golden, sun-kissed" color all over! I think the golden color suits me and highlights my facial and body structure well! :)


Here is my daily skin routine!

Face Wash - I use the Pond's Deep Whitening Facial Foam. This is a great face wash! I love its creaminess and the very light scrub particles in it! It leaves my face really clean but never dry. It smells wonderfully floral. I've about emptied my current tube, but I already purchased another one a week before.



As for the "Whitening" aspect, I am kind of glad it didn't work on me as much as it did for the other contestants of the Pond's Challenge. What it did is to even out my face and help lightened several freckles and spots, as well as the deep pimple scar on the left side of my face. It's not so much as whitening but brightening. I'm still in my natural skin color.


Face Moisturizer - This is an old staple in my bureau, the Skinfood Peach Sake Emulsion. My very oily face loves this refreshing, incredibly light moisturizer that makes the skin soft and moisturized. I apply it generously on my neck area and sparingly on my face. This also helps in applying foundation, as it helps even out the spread and glide.


My Skinfood Peach Sake has just run out. It's a very sad thing. It's good thought that Abreeza Mall in Davao has just been built a lot nearer to where I work, instead of me going all the way to the end of the city to get to the SM Skinfood stall.


Face Sunblock - Got started on a light sun blocking cream just this summer. It's painful to have sunburns and get dark freckles. I'd like my skin nice and golden and even, and I think this Pond's Blemish Prevention UV Cream does what it says exactly! It's lightweight although it leaves my skin really oily, but I think I need something that doesn't make me oil so much... I believe I need to replace this!!!
Night Cream - This is the culprit for the skin clearing aspect of my entire regime. It has made my skin overall brighter and amazingly clearer. Pond's Re-Brightening Night Treatment is a medium-thick cream that glides on so smoothly when applied. The floral scent is nice and calming. There's about 20% left on the big tub so I purchased another one last week as well. What I like most about this is the softness that it brings in the morning.

The product does not leave an ugly "white-cast" despite the cream having a white color, but it is like a thick, clear moisturizer. Upon spreading on the face, it feels non-comedogenic and my face felt softer, clearer somehow upon a week of usage. I don't think this is for sensitive skin though, since it's pretty thick. My face is not White after using this...! Which I love! It just brightened my face wonderfully, like I had a good nights sleep! (Even if I didn't)

All in all I love this product very much, and coincidentally, so does MszJackieChu, one of my favorite YouTube personalities! Click below to take you to her Pond's Flawless White review!



Have you tried the products above? Some people have bad experiences with some Pond's products but for me I find it perfect! :)

Thank you for reading.

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!

Quick Question: Skinfood Peach Sake

I just acquired Skinfood Peach Sake Toner and Emulsion and I love love love them to pieces OMG YOU GUYS YOU ALL SHOULD GET IT!!!!!! Everybody has to have Peach Sake series from Skinfood!

I have a dilemma with my night time routine:

Is it -----

a.) Toner + Emulsion + Whitening Cream

or

b.) Toner + Whitening Cream + Emulsion

??????

Many sites give me varying answers! I turn to you now people, what do I do!?
Pictures to follow.

Thanks for visiting!

My Morning Skincare Routine

Hello! Just thought I'd like to share my daily skincare regimen. I kind of do something different for both day and night, because I have products that are good for daytime and some products are best when applied at night.

A little background about me, I work online full time that's 9-6pm staying in my room all day so I don't get much sun exposure! I don't do strenous activities too because I just sit all day and type, get up to eat or take some 10 minutes off away from the laptop (a must) and at night my recreational activity is when I go out with friends or have alone time for myself during the weekends. I kind of stay up pretty late if I go out. But most of the time especially on weekdays, I stay in to finish the book I'm reading.

So here is my morning skincare routine:

1. Nivea Sparkling White Face Wash- This is my current favorite face cream because it does the job of cleansing and clarifying very well. It smells really calming and it's perfect for my budget!

In the morning, I don't like scrubbing my face at all so this is perfect. I use this in my morning shower and it feels creamy and rich and has a nice lather. What I like about it is that after washing my face looks really clear and smooth! This does not whiten (which is good, I love my "golden girl" face color! Hahahah!)

I've had creams in the past that is pretty hard to rinse off because its too moisturizing, but this product is very easy to rinse off and gives your face quite a tight feeling afterwards. It makes my face less oily during the day.



2. Biore Oil-Free Shine Control Moisturizer - This is my staple moisturizer! I can't go on a day without this on my face. I love it because the moisturizer cream is so light but not totally watery and goopy. I sometimes think that this product was designed with me in mind (haha lol!) because it keeps my face hydrated without the oily, icky shine.

The one thing I don't like is the smell... I like it when my products smell nice, but this one isn't floral or fruity and what not, but it's not exactly smelly.

I like it enough because it keeps my skin soooo smooth ever since I started using it.

3. iWhite Skin Whitening Vita Facial Cream - Again, I am not trying to whiten! :( I mainly use this for the SPF 15 it provides when I'm just at home away from the sun and working infront of the PC.

Before, I was using Clean and Clear SPF15 Moisturizer with Vitamin C for the sunblock but I kind of observed that it was oxidizing and making my face look pale-purpleish. I didn't like the cream as well because it wasn't very absorbent and sometimes left streaks.

I was going through Watson's and was open to try the iWhite products. I first bought a sachet of this and tried it for 3 consecutive days. It settled nicely on my skin and I've been using it for almost 2 weeks now.


4. When I go out during the day I ditch the iWhite in my regimen and use Skinfood Aloe BB Cream SPF 20. I like it well enough because it helps me achieve that flawless look I love.

I use BB creams and I consider them more on skincare than makeup. Other people can say otherwise but well... I love it because it helps cover AND reduce the blemishes in my face. I especially love it when I am photographed and some of my friends wonder why I look flawless. It has helped reduced my darkspots gradually, too.

My full-sized tube is running out so I really hope that the Skinfood Mushroom BB Cream SPF 20 comes next week! You might be wondering why I'm going to use a different product when the aloe is already good to me. Well, I am going to try out a new one and see how it fares. Aloe makes me kind of oily after 3-4 hours and I have to blot and apply my Ellana oil-absorbing finishing powder again.

Well, that's just about it for my morning skincare routine! Basic products, and they really work well for me. I'm actually looking into Skinfood products and Innisfree products. I'll try some testers out if they sit in well with my skin. I have yet to branch out my line but I don't like to experiment with my face very much. That's why some of my friends who are into makeup and skincare have what they themselves call a "wonky face" because they apply various kinds or products and finding out a little later that it doesn't work or worse, they have bad side effects like redness, tiny pimple-like bumps or give them breakouts.

I love my skin because it doesn't give me much acne (except 1-2 pimples at the onset of my menstruation, lol TMI) though it has little bumps and craters but I think they are pretty normal anyway, everybody has them.

Thanks for reading you guys! See you around!