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~!
^_^

Soap Review: Acne-aid Cleansing Bar

When i reformatted my pc i thought that i saved everything on my portable hard drive. I make it a point to make a back-up of it on my portable HD & my flash disk, but for some reason i can't find it. I know that i saved it but now it's gone.. Maybe the years has just caught up on me already for it seems that i've been forgetting a lot of things lately. *sigh*

Sadly, the pics that i have of Acne-aid bar is lost.. same with all the personal photos that i've accumulated... argh! So im saying sorry in advanced if this post doesn't seem like how i do product review. I hate that i post incomplete details..but since i won't waste my money on this so i think it's better to just let this out of my way already..

Well, even if there are no pics, i can still do the review. Though it may not be as fun as it is supposed to be.

On my quest for finding a good substitute for my fave soap, i stumble upon this soap. At first i was hesitant since i find it to be a bit expensive, but since i can't go home empty-handed i decided to give it a try. With the price that i pay, i sure thought that this would be the perfect substitute.. but WAS I WRONG!

Again, since i don't have the box with me already i won't be able to show you the ingredients list but as far as i remember it says that it is Dermatologist-tested & recommended....making it sound like a dream-come-true-for-acne-sufferer. I can't go into details so i'll just share my experience...

When i use Neutrogena acne-prone facial bar on my zits, i find that they disappear the next day without leaving any marks at all (this is why i'm still simmering up for it is THAT effective to me & it's already phased-out!!!!).

When i use Acne-aid bar on my zits, i find that the zits stayed on my face like forever for it doesn't do a fig.

I know that Neutrogena doesn't really have any pimple-fighting ingredients, but it's sure as hell effective in getting rid of the dirt deep down inside the pores therefore minimizing zits & eventually gets rid of them. While Acne-aid might not have pimple-fighting ingredients (i think...correct me if im wrong,ladies), it's not effective in cleaning my pores.

What the?!
Safeguard soap is even better in getting rid of pimples than this one!

On the other hand, this one is not as soluble as Neutrogena because i have been using this for quite sometime but it still looked full. It's like i can use it for the whole year.

When using this one, it leaves my skin felling squeaky clean & it's not good because any soap that does that means that it strips away lipids that is essential in your skin.. So thumbs down for that..


I'm not satisfied at all... but i notice that this work for body acne. I have 2 zits on my chest & i tried using this & it reduce the size. Though it didn't really dried up, after using it 2-3x unlike just using an ordinary body soap. But since i don't suffer from body acne, i don't have any further need for this.

I find this expensive compared to other facial bars out there... i think i bought it for Php 172.

PROS:

• the bar is huge so it will last for sometime
• locally available

CONS:

• didn't work for me
• expensive

Needless to say that i won't be buying this again...

What facial bar are you using?
Any recommendations for me?

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Jaa ne~!
^_~

ps:
If you know any store where i can still buy the Neutrogena facial bar acne-prone please let me know. I'm dying to get my hands on it & i'll buy everything out to make sure that i have enough stock..LOL

oil cleansing method (OCM) ~ a natural way to clean your skin~

After 2 months of being a draft, i finally finished this! *whew*

This post would be another installment for my home remedies post. As what i said i prefer to use natural ingredients on my skin rather than buy all those expensive stuff...especially if natural & organic is way better than them..

Did you ever ask yourself why Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil is such a great cleanser?
We have heard so much about it...lots of raves about how it really cleanse the skin. But have you've ever stopped & think what is the major ingredient on it that made it that great?

I did!
& guess what...it's oil! (yeah...as if the name didn't indicate that it IS oil!)
ok....i know..i know..olive oil removes makeup..i use it too..
most of the eye makeup removers out there have OIL on them to help remove "even the waterproof mascaras"..sounds familiar,eh?

Now that i got your attention, let me tell you first the boring detail of how i found out about this one...

I wouldn't have known this up til i started using Castor oil for my lashes. I first heard of it being used by Karma Cee's post on why her lashes are long. And i believed her because you can see the results! Her lashes are great!

I forgot all about it up until i went to Watson's & saw the bottle of Castor Oil..so i grabbed it as a gift for my lashes. Before i actually started using it, i made a research about it, which then lead me to the OCM - which stands for the Oil Cleansing Method.

I know that some of you uses Olive Oil to remove makeup..which i guess is actually better for its more natural rather than makeup removers. But i guess its pretty hard to remove all the traces of it unless you put a gunk of facial wash or soap then scrub your face hard, which would just result in doing more damage to your skin.

You can click HERE for the full info.

Ok, after the lengthy introduction, its time for the how-to's (i know you've all been waiting for this..sorry about all the blah blah XD) in doing the OCM

Here's the how to:

• castor oil
• olive oil
• small bottle to store your oil mixture

The mixture should depend on your skin...
if you have a normal type of skin, then it should be 50-50 (50%olive oil, 50%castor oil)...
if you have dry skin, add more olive oil than castor oil..like 70%Oo & 30%Co...
it should be the opposite for oily skin...add more Castor oil..like 70%Co & 30% Oo...

This is a trial & error sort of measurement...see what works for you...

Now this is how i prepared mine...

• i measure castor oil & put it on my empty bottle, i just used the cap.

• i put 7 capfuls of castor oil on it

• then olive oil...

• this time i put 3 capfuls of it

• then i added tea tree oil too (though this is optional)

• this would be how it looks like

number 1 - olive oil - is lighter & more runny in texture than castor oil
number 2 - castor oil - is thicker than olive oil
number 3 - tea tree oil

• then shake it!

Now for my opinion...

OCM is a good natural way to cleanse your skin., but remember you are applying RAW OIL. If you did not rinse this completely, you'll end up with blocked pores that can become cystic acne later on...

yikes!!!!

Maybe you'll ask me what was the effect of this on my skin.
Did it really made my skin clear like how some sites advertised this?
Is this a fool-proof way to achieve clear smooth skin?
Is it really like how people raved it?

This is MY own opinion:

When i tried this out, i massaged my face for a long time because you can really feel those beads of dirt coming out of your skin...like the blackheads. I can really feel my face being cleansed, grime being removed, skin feeling soft... So i 'rinsed' it out based on how IT is supposed to, that I have to put a hot towel on the face so to open up the pores & the oil will be removed (you can click the link here to read more about it, i won't add it here because it will just make my post longer than it already is.hehe).

Big mistake!
Why?

It's been said by OCM too that oil can only be removed naturally by oil.So why did i expect that putting a hot towel can actually remove it?! But i still did & i ended up having cystic acne! eekkkk!

A couple of reason can be the culprit:

• i have super oily skin (ill let you know how on my upcoming posts)
• i live on a very humid place
  
• i was not able to remove all of the oil completely
• i did not 'close' my pores right after opening it up

I stopped doing it because i wanna work on my cystic acne first, that's why i used Kojie-san. After realizing all of the reasons, i try to see if i can make it work out on me. I found out that i have to do all of the steps, but

• NEVER forget to wash my face with soap, just to make sure that there are no traces of oil left on my face.
• 'close' my pores by rinsing my face with cold water
  

I still used the mixture everytime i feel some blackheads on my face & it does help remove the blackheads which is good.. I don't use this as my regular cleanser anymore.

Now on my research i found out that this works better for those who lived in cold places. For those who lived in humid places, you have to be careful...do some researches. You might find my 'opinion' as lacking, it's because i have so many things to say but don't know where to start. But feel free to ask any questions on the comment section.

Each of us have different skin, what works for others might not work on you.

Now, ill try to answer your questions as much as i can, but im no pro.

excess:
I haven't updated my hairstyle101 section yet. I'll try to update it with this big bun

XD

Hope y'all have a nice day!

Jaa ne~!

mini haul

Weekend was good...
in fact i love it for i was able to see the sun for the whole day...yay!
Yesterday & also today is very sunny...yay!so fun

It was raining for the past couple of days...it was cool & wet

Anyways, something is making me break out...i dont know what is causing it, but i have to find it fast...argh! its frustrating because when i was a teenager i hardly ever breakout...& now that im an adult i got this zits popping every now & then...

So i figured i'd change the skin care that im using...i decided to try Nivea first...

I purchased a few Nivea stuff...a toner, eye cream & a whitening day care...

I got the whitening cream because that is the only one that got oil control...& my skin is so oily so oil control is the first thing that i should look at when purchasing face creams...I dunno if it will be effective though, but i like the fact that they have carnitine on it, "to regulate the skin's oil production deep within the skin cell"...hmmm...

The Eye Cream would be for diminishing fine lines..because if you notice..whenever i do mascara reviews, my lines would say hello to you...ekkk!
& to think im just 24.... :O
this is my first eye cream ever...i don't count Garnier Eye Roll Lightening as one...i dont even think it has an effect...

The 4 big bottles would be what i will be using as a brush cleaner...
its actually just a hand soap, but i know that its gentle because when i brought a bottle the other day & put it near the sink, there was a time that i used it to wash my face (im serious!) & i was surprise that i didn't even feel that "squeaky clean", skin tightening feeling (which could indicate that it strips the skins moisture)...plus it smells nice....so i had to purchase it a few bottles...
its on sale at Watsons! yay!

The Celeteque skin care (i bet you can't even see it clearly,huh?) ....i brought it too...but i just used the toner & moisturizer...can't continue using it because it doesn't do a fig about my oily skin...but what i like about it is that its so light!...so i don't think ill be using this anymore..tsk..such a waste...

Then the other stuff was from Laura of P4L mascara haul again...plus 2 wet & wild lippies...& she gave me a freebie again..yay!

As for now im keeping my fingers crossed that Nivea will give me good results..
I'll let you ladies know about it after a couple of weeks...

How about you?
Have you bought anything this weekend?

Hope y'all have a lovely week!

my cheap eye make up brushes

I know that to apply good makeup you need the right tools...same with artist..to create a masterpiece you ought to use quality brushes. One that doesn't shed, one that isn't too stiff & one that would last long (at least up until you've finished your work..XD). I did paint before so i know that quality brushes are definitely a must-have...so i guess same with putting makeups.

But that doesn't mean i'll fork a lot of money on brushes..(i guess i will in the future but since im out of job, so that's out of the question)..so for the meantime, i use brushes that i brought & use for eye makeup application.

Lilly Girl asked about cheap brushes & with me, being a penny-pinching individual, said that ill just make a blog entry about it. (hiya,girl! thanks for reading my blog!)

These are the brushes that i used for eye makeup application:


shoot! it looks blurry..i wonder why?..is it when i labeled it... =_="....i think the next set of pictures will be a pain to look at considering that i wrote an explanation on them... *crosses fingers*

Anyways, i numbered the brushes so that you would be able to distinguish them. The brand of this brush is Life & Companion & what's great about it is that each brush cost from Php 37-44 (less than a dollar) just the brushes from numbers 1-5. Number 5 is a Kinepin brush (though i think its still the same with Life & Companion. The last brush (6) , the eyeshadow brush is from Watsons. It costs at around Php 65 (approx $1.50).

I use this every now & then...(i don't have an extensive brush collection). No, actually i use this every time i apply makeup. I prefer this over my Lancome brushes! (im serious!).

For the explanation of the brushes, i did a little on the next pic. Ill just provide a few on the others that i did not mention (the angled brush & the eyeshadow brush). The black angled brush is what i use to define my brows. I don't use liner pencils in defining my brows but i actually prefer using powder. An eyeshadow powder that is a shade or two lighter than the color of my brows. I love that brush!

For the eyeshadow brush, i prefer this one in packing colors all because it holds it better & i have less fallout compare to the others...considering that lately i prefer using pigments...

For the crease brush, although its not like the MAC 219 (i think) that got a fine tip, but it does the job in defining the crease. I can't use it for smudging lines though.. I prefer to use a sponge tip applicator in smudging lines.

Then i did a swatch of the gel liner just so to have an idea of the small angled brush (the number 4 on the above picture compare to the angled brush on top picture (number 5).

Sorry if it looks blurry... -_-"


For those who lived here in Manila, you can find it in Landmark. I brought mine in Ever Grand Central - Monumento, since im near there. The Watsons brush can be brought at Watsons store. I actually did a previous post on this before.

For the whole time that i was using this, i haven't seen them shed yet...especially the blending brush since most blending brush does...even the ELF blending brush sheds..every now & then!

Im pretty sure there are lots more brushes out there that are really good..but for now, im satisfied with what i have & i got my money's worth on them...it even proved to be better than what i expected for such cheap brushes....

ps:
for concealer brush, i actually just use a real artist brush that i have with me...i wasn't able to use it before but i figured that if its good for acrylic & oil painting then a simple concealer application is nothing....& im actually right! The only downside is that the tip is square...but i can live with that. I brought it a local bookstore, the brand is Hans, its number 6, its a sable brush with gold bristles & it costs at around Php 79.50 (approx $1.80)

cosmetic tools haul

I went to just return the PS2 controller that i brought at Drag & Drop because its not working…. >_<

It’s hella annoying when that happens..*sigh* until now, i don’t even know when ill be able to have a controller & i have to wait for the store’s text message…
Anyway, before i go home, i just decided to take a look around the Department Store & of course, i went straight to the cosmetics section. I didn’t plan to buy anything, i just wanted to walk a wee bit.
I was looking at some make-up brushes…i already have a complete make-up brushes but hey, a girl never have enough brushes when doing makeups…lol
I saw a crease brush that looks so soft & the handle is short.

I decided to touch it & when i did, i said to myself that i have to have it. Plus its so cheap…it’s just P44.75 (almost a dollar), which led me to buy 2 more. I also included an angled brush & a lip brush.

I already have a crease brush by Life & Companion too, but mine is a bit stiff & densely pack, which is good for making a more defined look. The one that i bought is loosely packed & is good for making a soft look. Ill post a picture the next time if i have the chance.

The angled brush is soft too & its good for making a thin line. The lip brush,although small works okay too.

Then after paying for that, i decided to go home. But before i can get to the jeepney terminal, i have to pass by Watson’s. So i went in,just to buy a bottle of water & i pass by a roster of cute pink plastic packages of cosmetic tools. The sea sponge caught my eye…& without thinking at all,i just decided to buy it, along with some sponge wedges.

Actually the packaging sold me…lol

Then paid for it & really went straight home…while on my way,i was caught in a traffic jam that i decided to take a peek at the sea sponge. I thought that it’s like a cosmetic sponge like the one that i got from Everyday Minerals, but its not. It’s a sponge that you can use to exfoliate your face…i was like “huh?” then i just shrug my shoulders then put it back & just waited to get home.

Anyway, these are my mini haul:

I haven’t tried everything yet, because ever since i brought it i haven’t had the chance to go out so i don’t need to wear make-ups. I tried the sea sponge & it works great in exfoliating the face (though i still prefer my good ‘ol trusty baking soda to exfoliate).

Soak it first to hot water, then let it dry. Afterward, wash your face using a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil or even a baby milk bath, then use the sponge.

Don’t dump it in water, because if you do,it will just go soft like any normal sponge. With your hands wet, just wet the part where you will be most likely be using then gently massage it in your face in a circular motion.

Then rinse your face….voila!feel your soft exfoliated skin

^_^

*note*

posted february 4, 2009 from my wordpress account