Believe in B.liv's Dump Off Drawn! I do!

I was contacted by B.liv weeks ago to try out their products. I have been so lazy in applying any skin care products lately that I can already tell. I mean, I can feel how my skin lacks something & it just feels different too. It was the perfect opportunity to try out something new since I think my skin had been pretty neutral already.

So, I guess it's high time now to tell you all what I think about the products that they've sent me. It's been 2 months (i got this 2nd of May this year but I only started using it a week after that) now so I can safely tell my opinion about this compared to people who had just used this in such a short time.

I have to be honest, I don't use all of them. In fact, I am only using 2 as of the moment, the Dump Off Drawn & I'm Wrinkle Insulator. I hate piling products on my skin because it just suffocates my skin. I feel like there's a lot going on in my skin so I try to use as little as possible. I might give some thoughts on Soothe & Matte, Off With Those Heads, etc.. but I prefer to do a separate post on them in the future once I've really gone on using them.

The products that I chose are mostly anti-aging because I'm already 28 & I want to be able to prevent any fine lines & wrinkles as much as possible. With that said, it would be pretty hard for me to really show you any dramatic change in my skin because I'm a firm believer that anti-aging products should work slowly & not shock the skin into changing it. If the anti-aging products that I am using cause a dramatic change in such a short time (like Olay's claim of 7 days wonder!) I will automatically ditch it because it would be scary to see the effect if I'll be using it for such a long time.

This first post will be about my favorite anti-aging product of all~ (Yes, I'm saying that it's the best I've tried so far!) This deserved a separate post because of its awesomeness!!! I didn't even realize how visible the results are until i did the side-by-side comparison of the before & after.

In that case, Bliv is doing pretty well. Let me start by telling you about my experience...

Isn't the packaging cool?!
This ampule-like packaging is just simply the best! It's so hygienic & very easy to use too! I love it!

It makes me feel like I'm applying something formulated by genius people who have already found the solution to all skin problems.

But of course, this is just not about the packaging, right?
Let's take a look at the box description

You can take a look at the website description too. Click HERE.

Now for my verdict...
I am really trying hard to find fault in this product but I can't! It broke the image of serum that I had. I've always thought of serums as heavy & sticky, something so concentrated that it suffocates your skin. But this one doesn't!

This is just like water!

It feels so light it's really just like you applied water on your skin. It is absorbed really easily. No need to wait for minutes especially if you're on the go. I hate it when my skincare takes too long to be absorbed by my skin. It makes make-up application really hard & troublesome too. You think everything is ok then once you applied your powder on... boom! Immediate caking happens! argh!

I like how this product doesn't give that "visible results" look immediately because the effect of this is giving you more of a younger feel. It just feels like my skin is firmer within a few weeks.

Now, this stuff is not really moisturizing. I mean, if you are the type who needed additional moisture then you will need to apply your favorite moisturizer on top of it. This is applied prior to your skincare routine, as most serums usually are. So don't go thinking that this would substitute your usual moisturizer.

Very skin-friendly & easily absorbed by the skin. I can't stress enough how important that is to me since i sweat very easily. I can't abide heavy products because they make my skin sweat instantly which is just useless because my skin hasn't even absorbed it fully yet to reap the benefits & it's already on its way out.

You wouldn't really see/feel anything after a couple of days of use. I think the effect of this can just be felt over a long period of time, on which I'm just so happy that I waited until 2 months until I made this post because this is a very nice product to try.

Let the picture do the talking now...
I zoomed it in, go ahead & click to your heart's content & tell me if my skin didn't look younger with continued use of this.

I forgot to just put the word before & after but I think you know how this works... Left is before & Right is after as usual...

How awesome is this?!
It just looks (& definitely feels) younger!
-Smaller pores (seriously?!)
-Smoother skin (close to baby's butt! lol)
-Lessens redness (whoa!)
-Look at my tiny acne scar... it doesn't look as deep anymore!

This is definitely a must-have for me!
I think the picture just told you why even without me enumerating it, no?

You might ask me, are you using anything else?
I know serums are supposed to work together with another product to act as a vehicle but I know my skin & my skin produces oil almost as soon as I wipe my face dry after washing.
But nope! When I use something, I don't use anything else. No creams or even sunblocks (i know it's bad but I just can't abide it), no facial soaps or anything too because I only use Safeguard (you all know that soap, right?) for my face so any changes that you see is all because of this serum.
A-may-zing!!!

Look, no need for make-up already!
W00t! w00t!

I use it 2x a day, morning & evening only together with an eye 'cream' & that's it.
With all that, I guess the only thing to do is to tell you the pros & cons, right?

PROS:

• true to what they claim. I'm living proof!
• feels so light like you're not even applying anything at all
• cute & hygienic packaging
• fast & free shipping (they use DHL!)

CONS:

• not locally available (online only-visit their website)
• expensive ($49 each)

Will I recommend it?
I think you only need to look at the picture to tell you that I highly recommend it.

Now, one thing that you have to be aware of is that since this is available online & will be delivered straight to your house by DHL, you might have to pay customs taxes, which I did. I can't remember the exact amount but I think it's somewhere at around Php 550, I think ($12+). So just be ready to pay for any additional expenses that you might incur though.

I so love this product!
I can't wait until I finish the whole bottle!
What anti-aging products are you using?

I'll be reviewing the other Bliv products that I've tried but they're not as exciting though. This is the only one that deserved a separate post because of its awesomeness! hahaha!

Hope you all are having a great day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:
Product sent as sample. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Opinion shared is personal view & is no way influenced by the company. Use at your own discretion.

Collagen by Watsons Hydrating Facial Gel Preview

Sorry for not being able to blog for a week, i have been so busy with my new schedule.
Lots of students... isogashii, isogashii! (busy, busy)
But it's good... i have to make sure i have enough money to invest on my make-up kit anyway.

I have been using this for almost 3 months now so i guess it's high time i do a review about it. I'm sure you have seen this on the aisle of facial moisturizers in Watsons. I initially bought it because at that time my skin is feeling a little bit dry because i temporarily switched to a different soap.

Since this one has hyaluronic acid & is cheap so i thought to myself, why not? What have i got to lose?
I bought it, been using it since mid-July, & im glad that it didn't broke me out so i used it regularly. I'm glad because even if it has dimethicone, it didn't give me a bad skin reaction.

Yay!
I hope that i'll be able to overcome my problems with silicones.

This will just be a pre-review. I figured that it's better to do a pre-review then do a post later so that it'll be easier in the end.

This is what it says....

I'm sure most of you have heard of collagen. You see it in most anti-aging skin care. I think that it's better to start using collagen earlier rather than at a later age. 

Moreover, by the age of 25, collagen levels would start deflating about 1.5% each year. This is the reason why the skin gets wrinkly and nonetheless, old. -by collagencreams.org

What exactly is a collagen?
Collagen.org gave an easy definition of what it is.

Our skin is made mainly of collagen, which is a protein. More than 80% (dry weight) of our skin is made of collagen. There are three major parts to our skin: collagen, elastin, GAGs, Glycosaminoglycans. 

Collagen is a main structural protein found throughout our body. Collagen provides the strength our tissue and organs require while elastin provides the ability to stretch and recoil.

Just like what they said, it provides the strength our skin requires to keep it firm & smooth. It's like thin fibers underneath which supports the skin. Take a look at this picture. Those white strands are collagen.

pic taken from pchi-china.com

As we get expose to the sun's damaging rays, the collagen in our skin begins to degrade. That's when you start seeing those fine lines on your skin. That's why most of anti-aging creams these days have it because it enhances the production of collagen beneath the skin therefore promoting a vibrant & younger-looking skin.

But keep in mind that this doesn't work instantly,ok?
I remember reading an article before saying that you can just feel the effect of collagen creams (or most topical products) after 6 months of continued use.

What, with all the hype about collagen you can take them in several forms like as topical creams, as injectables, & also as supplements.

Now that you have an idea about the wonders of collagen, let's get to the product itself.

It's packaged in a big tub, so you have to use a spatula every time you use it. It's in gel form (as what it says).

I was expecting that this won't be heavy on the skin since it's in gel form, but it's a bit heavy & sticky. So don't get a big scoop when you use it. You can get away with just a small amount (just the amount that you'll be able to get if you dip the tip of your finger). It will go a long way! It will make it easier to be absorbed by the skin rather than slathering a think gunk on.

Just apply it how you put your regular moisturizer & wait until it sets before you add another product (if you like to layer on different products). You can either apply this as your last regimen, that is if the other products that you do use are way lighter than this.

I like that the expiration date is included at the bottom so i'll know when to ditch it.

As of now, i am liking it so far, but have not seen/feel any obvious effect. As what i said, it might take more than 6 months before i'll be able to see any results. But currently, i find it an OK product.

One thing that turned me off of it is the scent, it has this weird scent that i find a bit disturbing but it just grew on me later on that i don't pay attention to it like before, anyway, the scent will disappear later on.

I have to say that this is quite cheap!
I think i bought it for only Php 150, more or less ($3).
To think that it is already 100g, you get a big amount of product for what you pay for!
*update*
I went to Watsons today & saw that they are having a promo for this.. it's Buy one get one free for only Php 219.
^_^

PROS:

• locally available
• affordable
• has hyaluronic acid
• large amount of product (it's full to the brim)
• one tub could last you for a long time (when applying, less is more)
• really moisturizing! (best for dry skin, but i am able to use this even if i have combination skin)

CONS:

• no spf
• heavy & sticky on the skin (less is more)
• has dimethicone (silicone)
• somewhat strong scent
• packaging - have to use spatula pa!
• only available in Watsons (obviously)

I'll let you all know what i think about it once i'm finished with this tub. Currently, i'm halfway done with it!
^_~
No bad reaction so far!

Hope you all will have a great October!
This is my birth month....
I hope that this will be a lucky month for me.

Have a great week,hunnies!
Jaa ne~!
^_^