I have had this uneasy impression that organic products, owing to their lack of synthesized chemicals and special ingredients ("chorva complex"), don't work as well as the usual drugstore brands. Sure they're good for the skin and the environment but I don't want to sacrifice instant comfort and efficacy for something as vague as those things. Besides, organic products tend to be more expensive than what we can find in drugstores.

Thus, I had very minimal expectations for the Human Heart Nature Natural Feminine Wash in Chamomile Fresh (50ml/ P60 and 200ml/ P160). I've been using this drugstore brand for almost ten years now and I'm completely happy with it, so why take a chance with a new - and oh no, organic - product? Simple, I ran out, and this HHN wash was there waiting to be opened. :P

I'm glad I tried it!

What I love about the product

• The citrus-chamomile scent is not overwhelming and disappears after rinsing. 
• Gel lathers very well even if you use only a small amount. Area feels clean and fresh after washing.

I'm not a huge fan of overall body whitening simply because I think that Filipina skin is beautiful. It has a golden warmth to it that can never compare to the pale complexion of the Japanese, Koreans, or Caucasians. Why whiten when you're already born with a gorgeous shade? That's just me though. I also believe that a girl (or guy) should do whatever makes her feel most confident and most beautiful.

That said, while I'm not into whitening, I think it's essential that we try to lighten our darker areas. Mosbeau presents some possible solutions with some of its best-selling products: the Underarm and Inner Thigh Cream and the Placenta White All-In-One Set.

The Mosbeau Underarm and Thigh Cream (P980) is supposed to lighten the aforementioned areas by inhibiting the production of melanin.

It's a little mind-boggling for me that there are so many lip balm brands out there. You see, at the end of the day, they're all made of the same stuff and does more or less the same thing. The only differences are the packaging and how light or waxy they feel on the lips. 

No, scratch that. There is another important feature that oddly enough not all lip balms do well - that is, healing chapped lips. I had high hopes for Vaseline Lip Therapy because the balm feels light and cushy on my lips. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much for chapping.

Then again, it's also a matter of being "hiyang" to lip balm. In any case I don't often get chapped lips, so Vaseline Lip Therapy is nice to use for normal lip days.

What I love about the product

• Feels satiny and light on the lips; there is none of that icky waxy sensation when I wear this.
• Cherry tastes nice! It's slightly sweetish. It also smells nice - lightly scented, it doesn't have that strong chemical cherry fragrance.

It's always a treat to hang out with fellow beauty bloggers, no matter where or what for. You see, most of us have day jobs that are worlds away from what we gab about online, so getting together is the best opportunity to actually talk about makeup and skincare as true-blue hobbyists. It's not like we talk beauty - in-depth - to our bosses and friends, no?

Bambi, me, Kira

The House of Obagi dinner was one such opportunity to get together. The best beauty and fashion bloggers, as well as members of the press, got to hang out and of course find out more about the brand's new skincare line called Obagi 360. It's hard to explain thoroughly in just a few sentences, but I'll try (and you can always refer to the document below for more information)!

Obagi 360 is a collection of HOO's best selling individual products that are put together to work "synergistically" with your skin. It carries the Obagi Nu-Derm Foaming Gel, Toner, Clear, Exfoderm, Blender, Physical Sunscreen SPF 32, Pro-C 10%, Elastiderm Eye Cream, and TR Complex - HOO's dream team. Obagi 360 also recommends its treatments to go along with 360 for your best skin yet.

Here are more photos of the event!

Lissa Kahayon, Marj Sia, Sophie Uy

One product I've only recently tried is the Dove Foaming Makeup Remover (P350). It was introduced to beauty writers just last Tuesday at the Watsons Beauty Lab so it's literally fresh off the shelves.

It's a great product, but I have to say that it's not new. Pond's has the same thing called the Gold Radiance Boosting Cleansing Mousse which they launched last October. I'm a fan of it alright (I finished off a 150ml bottle), but it has limitations - it can't take off eyeliner or mascara so it's really more for removing face makeup. The Dove Foaming Makeup Remover has no such limitation! It comes with a couple of caveats though.

What I love about the product

• Melts off face makeup (foundation, concealer, powder, blush) quickly and efficiently. It dissolves eyeliner and non-waterproof mascara with gentle rubbing so it's a one-stop makeup remover for the whole face.
• A little goes a long way. I use three pumps for my whole face.

This year has played host to a few successful beauty brand debuts - and it's only August! This time, let's take a break from Asia and give the floor to an intriguing French brand that has been around since 1959.

Saw this big store-to-be last weekend when I visited SM Southmall

Yves Rocher has different skincare lines for myriad concerns (aging, blemishing, even slimming among other things) as well as everyday natural makeup for the uncomplicated woman. Yves Rocher sets itself apart from other brands by being in charge of harvesting natural ingredients used in their beauty products, manufacturing them, and distributing them. That is how the brand can maintain the quality they claim while keeping the prices down. Yes, it's not super expensive!

It's 2 am as I'm writing this. I am starting this week with a feeling of anticipation, mixed with a healthy dose of dread - I'm going to need a lot of patience and energy to get through it! Today, Monday, is going to be dedicated to meetings so I need to finish my tasks as early as humanly possible!

So anyway, let's talk about moisturizers (again). Body moisturizers don't need to do a lot of things to impress me. I just require three things: that it moisturizes, feels comfortable, and smells good but not overwhelming. One product that I am loving right now is the Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion because it delivers these three requirements exceptionally well. I am pleasantly surprised because it's unlike the other Nivea lotions I've tried before!

Texture and feel. The Nivea Express Hydration is, hands down, the lightest body lotion I've tried to date. It's watery and absorbs almost immediately on skin without any sticky or greasy residue. It doesn't feel "thick" even when it's super hot and I'm all sweaty. Plus plus plus points - I can't stand greasy lotion.

You'll remember that I liked the Nivea UV Protection Body Lotion because of its lightness compared to other Nivea lotions. Well, the Express Hydration is considerably lighter than UV Protection!

Fluffy, watery texture

Someone over on Facebook asked me about tinted moisturizer brands to try. Since I knew that my answer is bound to be pretty long, I decided to blog it instead! I included BB creams in this list because they are actually tinted moisturizers just called differently - they work on the same principle of providing sheer, natural coverage and moisture in one product.

I made a list of all the TMs/BB creams I've ever tried according to budget and what they're best for. Please note that it's a given that the shades are very, very limited plus TMs/ BB creams in general are not designed with morena skin in mind. Sad but true - still, I have a couple of TMs here that might have a shade for darker skin!

Click the links to see the detailed review!

Super affordable

Myra Vitaglow tinted moisturizer (P150)

Pros: Incredibly cheap at P150 but still works pretty well for the price. Provides natural coverage and comes in two Pinay skin friendly shades (they're light but they blend in nicely). Has SPF15 and Vitamin E.

Let's face it, we're all much too young here to be using heavy-duty anti-aging products like the Filextra Facial Revolumizing Treatment with Collagen (P2,800) *wink*. But I'm sure you know an aunt, grandmother, or even your own mom, who might need something like it!

Filextra is a face moisturizer that is designed to "revolumize" a face that has devloped sunken cheeks or eye sockets due to loss of collagen over time. As we age, we produce less collagen, thus resulting in sallower, thinner skin that sags. Filextra targets that particular sign of aging by providing instant brightening with light-reflecting ingredients. In the long term, it's supposed to rebuild the skin using collagen boosters, refill by replenishing H2O levels in the skin, and revolumize by using an advanced lipid filling complex.

Of course, I can't use and review this for you since I'm quite young, but I can tell you about how light and easily absorbed the texture is.

I bought the Mario Badescu Special Healing Powder (P795) on impulse. It looked and felt a lot like T. Le Clerc's famous Loose Powder so I was interested in trying a cheaper version. Now, the MB powder is pretty good at oil control and quite helpful in fighting pimples because of its disinfectant properties. It also has very basic non-comedogenic ingredients - all four of it! It's practically mineral makeup.

However, I don't use this much mainly because I'm anal about how finishing powders should look like on my face

I declare this week as impromptu Body Lotion Week! Yes, I have slowly but steadily accumulated body lotions and moisturizers these past few months. I am not complaining, but I can be stubborn when it comes to this type of product! I stick to only a couple of favorites until they run out - that's the only time I consider trying something new, and even then, I usually just stick to my good ol' best friends.

But these latest products need to be reviewed, hence the relative deluge of body moisturizers lately. The next in the series will be two products from Nivea: the UV Protection Body Lotion and Extra Whitening Inner Cell Repair Body Milk.

The Nivea UV Protection Body Lotion does not claim a specific SPF number, but it can help ward off some of the UVA and UVB rays that can cause skin stress/damage and accelerated aging. It's really more of a daily sun protection product than a heavy duty sun care thing. Nivea has a different line for that. 

I like the scent of this one - it's not too strong, and has a bit of jasmine mixed with the powdery smell.

These days, there are a ton of products old and new in the market that it can sometimes get confusing for an average consumer to find something worth buying. There's also a deluge of enticing promises that can get us off kilter once we're in a department store - it's more difficult when there are actually good products that deliver. So how should we deal with it? 

The best way to go about is to find out for yourself what you need exactly. What are your skin concerns, if any? Dry skin? Blemishes? Eyebags? Oily lids? Chapped lips or do you just need something moisturizing with SPF? Once you have your needs specified and in order, you can start choosing the products that can help you. Believe me, there is probably something for whatever beauty concern you might have! You just need to do some prioritizing and research.

Now I've put that thought bubble out there, I'd like to talk about an institution in the world of body moisturizers. The Body Shop Body Butters (P695) have been around since the 80's and has consistently been the brand's best-selling line. It's not surprising, really, since there is something that sets these Body Butters apart from all the others: the scent. 

It's a given that these body moisturizers are moisturizing, but their scent is quite unique, and not in a fake chemical way. If the cap says Cherry, it will probably smell like cherry. If it says Pink Grapefruit, you can reasonably expect grapefruit wafting from the creamy lotion. The scent can be overpowering when you start applying it, but it mellows down into something softer after a couple of hours.

Vitacreme B12 is a relatively new skincare brand here in the Philippines, but I hear that it's been making a name for itself since 2006. The Vitacreme B12 Regenerative Cream is popular in Asia and the US, with users claiming that it moisturized and evened out their faces pretty well.

Nonetheless, when the brand contacted me for a review, I requested to the Vitacreme B12 Body Milk (P2,495) instead. I have too many face moisturizers as it is! Anyway, I've been looking for info about the body milk online with little success; the product packaging doesn't help much in specifying what it actually does. I did find a useful product description on Sasa.com:

It corrects the skin suffering from fatigue, dehydration, aging or dullness.

It enhances skin’s resilience and firmness.

It prevents premature wrinkling.

It smoothes away fine lines and wrinkles.

You know, I just realized that I don't use any food-themed skincare product in my daily routine. It's really more of a personal preference since I enjoy florals and fresh scents more than those resembling food. 

However, I do like Inovitelle's latest skincare line called Skin Cravings. It features the Smooth Over Body Lotion (P240) and Scrub Me Pretty Body Scrub (P255) in two flavors each. I enjoy using the scrub because it's not drying, while the lotion absorbs in the skin immediately.

What I love about the Scrub Me Pretty Body Scrub:

• The smell! It's not too strong and doesn't have that fake chemical odor. All variants smell exactly as they promised: Cranberry Yogurt, Dewberry Yogurt, and Strawberry Yogurt.
• The scrub beads are not abrasive on skin. It cleans very well nonetheless.

• After scrubbing, the skin doesn't feel raw and dry.
• Package design! I love the milk bottle concept, plus the image layouting. Tres cute.
• Price is very friendly. Only P255 a bottle which should be good for at least 5 uses, depending on the amount you use.

It's no big secret that I have an ongoing love affair with Clinique. The brand is quite pricey locally, but the products I use work extremely well on my skin. Again, it's always a matter of being hiyang, so I'm really lucky that I found my skin's "soulmate"!

I'm a fan of the Clinique Moisture Surge because it gives me a nice glow and more supple skin without the oiliness. However, it's not designed to help much during and after a big breakout. I try a lot of products for this blog so something always ends up giving me pimples - I need something that can help clear them and deal with the pesky blemishes that crop up afterwards. That's why I wanted to try the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer (P1,600/50mL).

It's pretty good. Here's why!

What I love about the product

• Helps dry up pimples faster, especially the smaller ones. It has salicylic acid, a key ingredient that targets acne. It has no parabens and has very little comedogenic ingredients. (See here for reference)
• It lightens blemishes, but this takes time, two weeks at least. I'm very happy with it nonetheless.
• Blackheads and whiteheads are no longer a problem whenever I use this.

Super light gel texture

Last Wednesday, I met up with Kira, who was incidentally meeting up with Mira (the Marketing Manager of Clinique). Haha. It was great seeing my girls since it's been quite a while! I also got to shop a bit (more Ferretti shoes and some Forever 21 pieces - more of that in the next post) so overall a nice Wednesday even though I got a ton of work then.

Yes, I'm wearing glasses here. I look kind of...off now with spectacles outside the house. I actually meant to buy a new set of contacts but I got sidetracked! 

Thrifted chambray polo/ Redhead skirt/ Ferretti tan wedges/ SM hat and necklace/ Parfois bag

So anyway, even though I was just sabit that day, Mira generously gave me a cute gift. I already have a number of Clinique pouches lying around the house but I swear, I will never get tired of that stuff. The brand makes some of the best cosmetic bags out there (great fabric, high-quality make) so if you have the chance to get one, don't hesitate. You can usually get them during promos since they are not for sale.

Curious to see what's inside?

I visited Rustan's Makati yesterday for my regular "what's up" checkup. Guess who I ran into! Why, Carrot of Bobbi Brown! She was doing her usual counter visits at La Mer and Bobbi, looking all fresh and pretty even though I know she's probably already mega stressed by that time (as all the Estee Lauder girls are!). I asked her if there's anything new, so she told me about Bobbi's latest product: the Bobbi Brown BB Cream with SPF35 PA++.

Developed by Bobbi Brown for customers who want a product with serious skincare and makeup benefits, this all-in-one cream perfects and smoothes skin’s appearance—instantly and over time. Its easily buildable formula evens out and gives skin a lit-from-within glow. Skin is filled with moisture as oil and shine are kept at bay. Plus SPF helps protect skin against UVA/UVB damage.

In a short while, fine lines and wrinkles appear less noticeable, visible redness is reduced and pores appear more refined.

This new BB cream is so popular that it's already sold out within the month! According to Carrot, they will restock by the end of June or early July so BB cream fans, you have to wait 'till then. In the meantime, I have swatches and first impressions for you.

There's a keen demand among women nowadays for more "natural" skincare solutions. But what do we mean when we say "natural"? Usually, a product is considered such if its ingredients are from natural and unrefined sources. For example, the ingredient list must mainly consist of water, fruit and plant extract, oils, combined with naturally occurring preservatives, humectants, surfactants, and emulsifiers (link). Natural skincareproducts do not contain synthetic chemicals.

That said, Pond's new line called White Beauty Naturals does not claim to be natural. But it does feature one of nature's beautifying agents: the Camellia Leaf. Why that particular plant? Dr. Sona Pushker, Head of Research at the Pond’s Institute says, “...The Camellia leaf extract is known to reduce the formation of melanin deep within your skin, and the proven skin lightening technology of the Pond’s White Beauty range inhibits melanin being released to the skin’s surface, reducing skin darkening and imperfections.”

Nature’s most potent skin-lightening secret! With Camellia Leaf Extract, Pond’s White Beauty Naturals works double time – it reduces the formation of melanin at a cellular level and inhibits melanin from being released to the skin’s surface, thus effectively fighting skin darkening, diminishing imperfections and delivering beautiful, pinkish-white skin.

Okay! Basically, the new line is a new formulation (upgrade?) of Pond's existing White Beauty products. What sets it apart is the inclusion of camellia sinensis, which is actually known as the "tea plant", because green tea is traditionally made from its leaves!