Garnier Pure Pore Unblock Foam

One of my HG facial soaps is Garnier's Pure Unblock Foam from their Pure line. I started using the trial size a few months ago which I got for less than Php 50. I really liked it's effect on my skin and now I am onto the 100ml full size which I got for around Php 130.

Just like my other HG Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser, it has salicylic acid which helps keep my skin clear especially from blackheads in the nose area. Even if it says "foam" it's not really a foaming cleanser. The texture once squeezed out from the tube is like cake icing. It is a pale blue soap with tiny blue beads. The "purifying microbeads" don't really do anything for me since it's not a scrub and there is a different product for that (which I haven't tried). The scent is refreshing, not floral and not fruity either but a light clean scent.

It does sting the eyes like hell so I keep my eyes closed while washing my face. It doesn't dry out my oily skin and doesn't leave a greasy film either. I use this in the morning and my Aveeno one at night.

I will continue using this because it is easy on the pocket and works for me.

Dreamworld Minerals Haul

I thought I scheduled this post but looks like I haven't coz I saw it in draft form. Well, here's myDreamworld Minerals haul which I got a few weeks ago. I took advantage of their sale (I think it was 20% off) and I needed a few things.

First off the finishing powders in clay/silica. It's probably the upteenth time I've said that this is my HG finishing powder and it still is that's why I got back-ups. I got Creme Toppings To Go Duos in Peanut Butter, Angel, Peach (all back-ups) and Raspberry which I haven't tried yet.

Another thing I got is the Foundation Pigment Base which is untinted. I needed it to lighten the foundation mix I did. I accidentally put in too much Amenti base (yellow/olive base) and the shade ended up a bit too dark for me.

Because the shipping took a bit longer due to personal stuff going on, Ellie of Dreamworld put in gifts for all her customers. In my package she gave a full size blush in Tabby and sample pigments in Other World and Noir.

blush in Tabby

Swatches:

Tabby is a beatiful shade of peachy-pink blush that is not shimmery or sparkly. It has a sheen that is very pretty on the cheek and I've used it a few times. Buildable if you want it darker but otherwise a light hand should be used. Other World is a very light blue when applied and Noir is a very nice purple. Both have shimmer in them although I haven't tried them on my lids yet.

I guess I will never tire of their Finishing Powders. I still aim to get all the shades even if I currently have 8. I don't have a full size Butter Creme and Chocolate Creme yet. Oh, and I still haven't tried the Whipped Strawberries either. Next time.

Dresser all filled up.

Hi everyone. It's been a really eventful week for me, ups and downs as usual. The latest of which was my disappointment after watching the latest Harry Potter film.

I loved the books and the other movies (although the books are much much better than the films) and I am by no means a film critic but it was a bit boring for me and too dark. I almost fell asleep in the middle part of the film. I watched it yesterday early afternoon all by myself because my hubby and daughter didn't want to watch it with me. I got "violent reactions" when I asked them to accompany me. So they just waited until I was done with the movie and they went on their father-daughter bonding session.

Anyway, here are photos of my dresser all filled up. I got lots of comments asking for photos once I've filled it up but just haven't had the time to post them up.

Here's the upper half. The first 2 shelves in the cabinet contains most of the skincare items I have. The ones I use on a daily or weekly basis I put in baskets I got from Daiso so it would be easy to pull them out and get what I need. Behind the baskets are back-ups, stocks and other items I occasionally use.

The 3rd shelf is where I put all my brushes. I don't like to leave them outside because they'd just get dusty/dirty. I didn't change their container anymore. They have small blue stones at the bottom of the boxes so I could just stick the brushes in them. Behind the brushes are some odds and ends for my DIY mineral makeup stuff that I keep forgetting to do.

The 9-drawer box on the desk is my mineral makeup collection of foundations, finishing powders, concealers and glows. They're mostly full-sized items and back-ups are kept somewhere else.

The pull-out cabinet at the bottom of the picture is where I keep all my primers, lippies, blushes and palettes.

Also the topmost part of the dresser serves as storage for other stuff. As you can see it has a clock and 2 sets of plastic containers. The beige one contains skincare items again and the blue one contains office stuff like papers, labels, recipes I cut out, etc.

This is the bottom half of my dresser. Left side is the pull-out chair/cabinet where I put some of my bags. Well, those that are cluttering my other cabinets so I just stuffed them in here. I haven't fixed my bags yet.

The right side cabinet, top shelf is for the rest of my mineral makeup. The pink tackle box houses all my back-ups and full sizes of foundations, powders, blush and glows. The green tackle box houses all my mineral shadows. The printed box contains some DIY stuff again and mostly empty jars.

In the bottom shelf, all my nail polishes are in the blue box. I still have to buy more stackable baskets from Daiso so I could put the polishes in them instead. It's so hard to pull out this huge box and it's not very sturdy.

So there you have it. I still need a bit more organizing but so far, my dresser is serving me well. I hope I can blog more often now. Actually I can but I have been side-tracked by my addiction to Farm Town and the new fishing game of Pet Society both on Facebook. LOL! See you soon.

A note from me.

Just got back from the hospital.

My little girl got sick of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever since last week and she was just discharged today. She still needs to stay home and rest though. I haven't slept for more than a week now and I am exhausted and stressed out. My nephew was in the ICU in another hospital also due to dengue and he was also discharged today. Plus, my relatives flew back to New Zealand today and much as I wanted to be with them on their last days here, we were in the hospital instead. They visited last night but as soon as they left I started to cry. I hate goodbyes ( who doesn't?) so I just called them up this morning again.

Anyway, I'll blog when I'm ready. I just realized a lot of things during all these times and my priorities as well.

Finally, my own dresser

Two weeks ago, I asked the carpenter to make a dresser for me with my own measurements and specifications. I put together ideas from different dresser pictures I saw. Since my space was very limited I had to maximize it with lots of storage. Here's what it looks like, unvarnished:

Before:

It was made in just 3 days! It's been sitting in the garage for more than 1 week coz there was no available person to varnish it :-(

Photo above with all compartments open. It's only 5ft. tall. The mirror wasn't attached yet as it hasn't been varnished. There's only a single light since the mirror space is small (cord is on top). The lower left is a chair with wheels and it can be opened for more storage space. I don't have a foam to put on it yet.

Total damage for the dresser(labor and materials): less than P3,750 (around $75).

******

At last, my dresser is now done! I found someone to varnish it as I almost made it a DIY project. I thought it would be simple to do. The expert did it in 3 days! The varnishing cost more than having it made.

Cost of labor and varnish materials: P4000 (around $80)

Total cost: P7,750 ($155)

Here's what it looks like now:

I still haven't put in all my stuff coz I need to figure out where and what to put in.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Waterlight Lotion SPF 50

My new HG sunblock! What can I say? I loved Olay Complete but they phased out the one I use. I discovered Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 50 but this new one is even better.

The new Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Complete UV Waterlight Lotion SPF 50. It only costs P460 per 30 ml bottle. It does seem a bit more expensive than the the Dry Touch one which is 3 oz at P509 but I use this one whenever I wear mineral makeup. It is a very good base, it even says so in the bottle.

While the Dry Touch is a cream type, this is more watery. You need to shake the bottle well prior to use. The tip opening is small though so you get control on how much product is dispensed. It smells like the Dry Touch one, not really a sunblock smell but is more refreshing and not too floral.

It dries quickly to a matte finish on my oily face. Again, no breakouts at all and no itchies. Regarding the sunblock properties, I've used it on very sunny days and my face did not darken. My face wasn't an oil slick after a few hours either (which often times happened with Olay Complete right after application).

There are 2 variants of this new product. First is the one I mentioned and second is the Ultra Sheer Complete UV Moisture. It is also in a 30ml bottle much like the former and costs the same at P460. My mom got this one and I tried to see what the difference between the 2 are.

The lotion is more watery (hence the need to shake the bottle)) while Moisture is like Dry Touch, a more creamy type. You also don't need to shake this one. The Waterlight Lotion, I presume is more suitable for oily skin like mine since it is lighter and less creamy. It does not say for what skin type on the bottle so I am presuming any skin type can use both. I am just basing it on how the sunblocks feel on the skin. Also, since it says "Moisture" on the other bottle, it probably works better on those with dry to normal skin or those who want more moisture to their face. I can't comment on the moisturising properties of both because I have oily skin and I use a different moisturizer that's why I got the Waterlight Lotion.

Both have a satiny feel on the skin leaving it soft and matte (or semi-matte). Foundation went on smoothly, too. I just wished they came in a bigger bottle. Well, it would still last long if I don't use it daily. I have the Dry Touch for that.

This is available at all leading department stores and supermarkets. I had a tough time finding mine initially 2 weeks ago. I couldn't find it in Rustan's Supermarket or Essences, not at Robinson's Dept. Store. Instead I got mine at Robinson's Supermarket. I also found this at bigger Watson's stores.

Mineral Pigment Swatches

Swatches of some of the pigments from my previous hauls.

All with no base, applied dry.

1. DW Ambera

2. DW Melpomena

3. DW Under the OOT

4. MMBB Wild Mushroom

5. MMBB Khaki

6. MMBB Amethyst

7. MMBB Wine Berry

8. Joppa Blissful

9. Joppa South Pacific

10. Joppa Cherish

11. Joppa Crazy In Love (blush)

* DW - Dreamworld Minerals

MMBB - My Minerals Bath & Body

Eyeko Face Off Cleansing Wipes

Ever tried this? It's the Eyeko Face Off Cleansing Wipes. These pre-moistened towelettes come individually packed so it's very handy to bring along for travels.

I used it to remove all the makeup I had on (foundation, blush, e/s) and everything came off easily. There is no smell as far as my nose can sniff. Eyeko website says it can also be used to remove waterproof mascara but I haven't tried that (coz I don't have any waterproof makeup). It's very gentle on the face and contains a cleansing formula made from coconuts plus Vitamin E.

A box of 20 sachets only cost 5GBP.

Use code E120 at comments box upon checkout with a minimum order of 10GBP to get a FREE full sized item from Eyeko. Don't forget...shipping is FREE anywhere in the world.

Buff'd Haul

I got my Buff'd package in just 5 business days. Woohoo! That's because I ordered the refill kit which was sent in a medium sized brown envelope so I got it fast.

The refill kit I got is Ginger (light with heavier yellow undertones) in Original formula. I already have the shade Buff (Medium with subtle yellow undertones) but it eventually turned dark on me and lacked yellow. My exact shade is Moccasin (medium light with heavier yellow undertones) but I got Ginger to add to Buff and end up with Moccasin (if that makes any sense).

I prefer the Original formula (full-coverage foundation with fantastic oil absorption and natural UV protection) because of it's medium to heavy coverage.

Ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica, iron oxide, ultramarines

In fact it is already heavy enough for me and is still buildable. I've tried the concealing formula from a sample someone gave me and I could already feel it on my face. Others who are looking for really heavy coverage would love this. I'll just use mine as a concealer.

I played around with the foundation powders yesterday and mixed my shade. My package also included samples of a mineral eyeshadow in Mushroom and a mineral bronzer in Toast.

Swatch:

Toast looks more like a blush for me and is really pretty. It isn't too shimmery but gives just enough sheen for the cheeks. Mushroom is described as a "shimmery light tan".

EOTD: Mushroom on my eyelids. No primer.

FOTD:

What I used:

Buff'd foundation mix of 50/50 Ginger + Buff in Original formula

Buff'd bronzer in Toast on cheeks

Buff'd Mushroom on lids

Silk Naturals Rare Berry gloss on lips

Miessence Organics and M.'s MMU

I got a lovely package from my friend M. of Canada a few weeks ago. She sent me samples from Miessence Organics of which she is an independent representative. She also sent me samples of her own mineral makeup creations so I could try them out as a fellow mmu addict.

Berry Radical - very strong taste of cocoa but a good anti-oxidant

organic foundation samples

I have tried 3 shades of the blushes and bronzers and they are really good. I've used them without primer and foundation but on top of just finishing powder and they applied silkily and lasted a long time. The peachy shades I tried suited me well and weren't shimmery but more on the satiny/ matte side which I prefer. No itchies at all and only very little particles were needed since they were pigmented. Can't wait to try out the other shades.

Hmm, the foundation and bronzer photos are missing. She sent me a ton of foundation samples too.

A week ago I stopped all other stuff I used in the morning except sunblock and started the Purifying skin care line of samples she sent me. I began with the Cleanser. This one didn't lather at all. I used an ample amount and massaged it on my face then rinsed. It smelled citrusy, really refreshing. It didn't dry out my skin.

The Cleanser was followed with the Skin Brightener. This was applied with a cotton pad and put on the face up to the neck. It smelled of vinegar (like the Apple Cider Vinegar I tried out before) but it didn't sting my skin at all. What I liked about this is that after a few days of use, it really did brighten up my skin.

The Skin Conditioner followed the Skin Brightener. This was applied all over the face and neck using clean fingers and is used to prep the skin for the Moisturizer which was applied last. Both of these smelled citrusy. My face was soft after the whole regimen.

I used all these for 4 days when I started to notice small breakouts on my chin and cheeks. So far no cystic zits have appeared except for the small bumps. I think my skin was adjusting to organic products so I suspended use of all these until my skin healed. It's unfortunate this happened because my skin has really brightened. Also, the ingredients are organic and all natural but I guess my skin still needs the power of salicylic acid to prevent breakouts. It does help clear skin of other people though. I have resumed the use of the products yesterday. Will update once I finish my samples.

Cut and Color

A month ago in another post I said I will color my hair and I did. This is how it turned out...dark brown. I like that my hair isn't as red as before and all the grey covered.

I also got a hair cut from the new Korean salon that opened near our house, Tony & Jackey. The stylist, Calvin, looked like he was straight out of those Korean novelas. He's sooo gorgeous! He suggested an above the shoulder bob coz it's so hot right now. My hair grows fast anyway so by the end of the year it will be below shoulder length again.

Photo taken after a few days so my hair doesn't look as nice as it did right after the cut.

Anyway, my birthday FOTD from last friday. It really isn't much coz I fell asleep in the afternoon and by the time I woke up we had to leave so I was in a rush, as usual, and couldn't put on anything else.

What I used:

Avon Magix Face Perfector SPF 20

Lumiere Mineral Foundation in Cashmere Medium Warm- 1 layer only

Dreamworld Minerals Creme Topping in Cocoa

Aromaleigh URFP in Peaches and Cream

Jane Be Pure Blush in Rose Satin

a light wash of Pureluxe Eyez Cream in Vanilla on eyes

lips: in the photo- none

Birthday Haul

I'm back! I probably gained a lot of pounds from all the eating we did. Been bringing our visiting relatives from New Zealand around the metro and it sure is fun but tiring. All we did was shop and EAT! With 2 birthdays (my aunt's and mine) in between, oh, we did some damage, alright. They jumped on a plane to Japan last Saturday for a week but will be back here for another week so we start the food fest again, ha ha.

My birthday haul (all from hubby of course):

-An HP Deskjet F4280 All-in-One. Now I can scan and print my DD's hundreds of photos. (*photo from HP website).

- A purple mouse for my HP Mini which my DD chose. Really cute color.

-a Lacoste bag (surprise gift from hubby)

-clothes from Zara (2 tops, a pair of gray leggings)

-Catwoman shirt from Mango, on sale. DD said it's her gift to me.

-2 pairs of shorts (Billabong and Wetseal), a mint green floral shirt (no picture)

-a pair of jeans from Mango, on sale

-a brown belt

-undies from Topshop (Super Girl print and cute little hatchling chicks)

-an unbranded bag from my mom (lots of compartments inside)

Oh, plus some sale hauls from Lumiere Skin and Beauty Bar (a full sized mineral foundation and Island Sands FS) and Buff'd Cosmetics (refill bag of mineral foundation).

I hope everyday is my birthday.