I have combination skin which tends to get greasy when it's humid. It has always plagued me because even with powder and make-up the oil still shines through and I look horrid in pictures. A lot of the time I have to Photoshop the oil away from my face.

Anyways I read about Awake Sebum Regulating Lotion in one of Marie Claire magazine's Tried & Tested features and was lucky enough to have bought a bottle at 50% off during Rustans' employee sale some weeks back. I must say it really works. I applied the lotion at around 11am and I still wasn't shining come 5pm. My face would usually shine like a mirror a couple of hours after applying face powder but not with Awake Sebum Regulating Lotion.

I've always preferred loose powder to pressed powder. I don't like the fully made-up cakey look and I just use powder sparingly to keep my face from becoming a shiny spectacle.

Incredibly light and fine, Shu Uemura Face Powder gives your face that fresh and natural look. It's like you're not wearing any powder at all. It looks and feels so good! I got the sheer colorless variant because that's what the Shu girl in Tokyo recommended, my mom bought the matte darker-shaded variant and got addicted as well.

Shu Uemura Face Powder comes with a powder puff you can use for application. You can also buy one of their luxurious face brushes to go with it if you prefer.

There is one problem though... L'oreal Philippines' pricing for Shu Uemura products is akin to highway robbery!!! I bought my face powder in Tokyo for about 1,200 pesos. My mom bought hers in the US for about 1,500 pesos. Here in Manila, it costs way more than 2000 pesos. If I'm not mistaken it's around 2.7 or 2.8k, about double the prices in Japan and the US.

Our family first experienced Ilog Maria products when our neighbor sent us a Christmas basket filled with their natural products and concoctions (soaps, honey, propolis, etc). We've used up every single item in that basket and now we want more!

Ilog Maria's Propolis Ointment is perhaps their most in-demand item in our family. Our two children are prone to mosquito bites and they scratch like crazy when they feel the itch. Over-the-counter medication reduce swelling and help keep the bites from getting inflamed but do nothing about the itchy feeling.

That's the beauty of Ilog Maria's Propolis Ointment. It's made of propolis and beeswax so it's all natural -- no chemicals, drugs, nor preservatives. It smells like honey and mint. When you apply it to the bite, its mentholated properties relieve the itchy feeling and my kids stop scratching pronto. My kids love it so much every time they have a bite they come running, asking for "Ilog Maria". Since it stops them from scratching, the bites disappear after a few days without getting infected or inflamed.

The ointment costs 192.50 for 45 grams. You can order it (along with other Ilog Maria products) from http://ilogmaria.com and they'll ship it to you via Air 21.

Celeteque Facial Moisturizer can be considered almost perfect -- it's extremely cheap and effective plus it's perfect for the summer since it's light and leaves no greasy feeling.

Celeteque is a clear, fluid gel which is absolutely fragrance-free and hypoallergenic. My face gets very dry after washing to the point that my cheeks are rough when you touch it. After putting this on, my face is suddenly soft, smooth, and supple. It doesn't feel like you put on anything. The product is absorbed so fast nothing is left -- just your beautiful bare skin.

The best part is, Celeteque is really cheap. It's about 200 pesos (190+ from Mercury Drugstore) for a 100ml tube. Now if only they could find a way to incorporate some SPF into it...

I'm not really the type whose face gets acne-infested, in fact I've never been to a dermatologist. The closest was a couple of free sessions at Facial Care Center and that's that.

I do get a pimple every now and then though. Ever since 1998 I've been using Origins Spot Remover to get rid of it... fast. This little baby is a lifesaver. I just apply it on the pimple and it disappears in a day or two. No scar, no dark mark... it's as if it never happened.

I made the grave error of trying Pan-Oxyl by Stiefel on a zit on my chin a couple of weeks ago. As usual, I got it for free as part of Stiefel's gift pack from Health Today magazine. It succeeded in drying the skin all around the pimple but the pimple was still one big living bump. It was darkening to boot! Oh the horror! In fairness though Pan-Oxyl worked for a tiny little zit on my forehead, but I guess that's the extent of its effectivity -- tiny little zits that are more like visible whiteheads and not a full blown pimple.

I quickly switched back to Origins Spot Remover for that big bumpy pimple on my chin and just after two nights it's significantly smaller. By Monday I guess it's going to be history. It only lasted this long because I tried to get rid of it via Pan-Oxyl... it's back to Origins Spot Remover for me.

Oh yeah you can actually get Origins products at Rustans Makati. Their price is almost the same as the US price, if not just a little higher.

I've been using this moisturizer for 2 years now. Although I am in the habit of trying out a wide variety of skin care products, I always go back to my trusty Origins Perfect World Moisturizer.

This moisturizer glides on like a dream. You can feel your skin's texture improve the moment you put it on. It's rich but it's light -- I never would've thought such a combination was possible. It has a refreshing and natural citrus scent that does not come across as perfume (it seems rather herbal in nature), so going to sleep with this on your face is just lovely.

Origins A Perfect World moisturizer also provides protection against free radicals and anti-oxidants that can make your face age before it's time. I guess it works because a lot of people say I look young for my age, ha ha.

Moisturizing, aromatherapeutic, and maybe about quadruple the price of drugstore brands like Olay and Ponds but well worth the investment since one jar can last 2 years if used only at night. It takes little to get a lot of coverage since the product is so rich.

It's still the best of all the moisturizers I've used, and I've used a lot...

With the full media coverage it's getting, it's time for Animetric to review Olay Total Effects.

I got to try this way before it was released in Metro Manila. I was given one whole bottle to sample by a survey group and all I can say is it ain't as cracked up as it's supposed to be.

The first thing I noticed about Olay Total Effects is the strong make-up-y scent. The lotion/cream is thick and flesh-colored as well so it not only smells like foundation, it also shares the thick and cakey feeling of foundation. Being the adventurous type when it comes to beauty products I still applied it on my face. There was a strange stinging sensation, and then a flash of hotness and itchiness until I was practically fanning my face. I told myself maybe it's just a coincidence and proceeded to use it for the next couple of nights, always getting the same reaction. I then concluded that this product is not for me.

Maybe I was allergic, but whichever the case I really can't stand the scent and the heavy make-up-y feel of Olay Total Effects. I can't imagine using this before going to bed. I'll stick to my Origins White Tea moisturizer for now thank you.

Sometime late last year I submitted a photo to Health Today magazine. They said something like "Send us your plain jane photo and get the chance to win a free facial from Facial Care Center!".

And so I did. Health Today emailed me back acknowledging receipt of my photo and letter, and informed me that Facial Care Center would be the one to choose which person to give the treatment to. Last December, they told me I was chosen but that there was no sked yet.

Early this week Health Today associate editor Criselda Irish Uy texted me to tell me we were pushing through with the "Facial Care Center / Marie France" makeover. What the??? I didn't sign up for this...

So anyways we met the Facial Care/Marie France/Svenson group PR Manager MJ Torres at Heaven n' Eggs in Tomas Morato yesterday. MJ said she was the one who picked my photo out of all those who submitted. I was going in for consultation and treatment right after our brief meeting.

To make a long story short, I ended up undergoing one Endermologie treatment at Marie France (you're supposed to undergo 7 of these to lose an inch all over your body), and a basic facial with lasertone and firming mask for my never-been-treated face at Facial Care Center.

For Endermologie I ended up wearing some sort of body stocking while lying down and having my picture taken for the purposes of illustrating how treatment is done. I was just about ready to die of embarassment because I definitely did not sign up for this!

For the facial I also had my pics taken but I was prepared for that because Health Today did say that they were going to cover the whole facial for the magazine.

Ugh I dread the future issue of HT where these photos are appearing. In fairness though my face feels so fine. All the little bumps on my forehead, nose, and chin are gone (they are supposedly whiteheads and blackheads). My skin is sooo nice!!!

 

It's really oil! I was skeptical about this US$60 product when I first squirted some on my palm. I have combination skin so the T-zone gets really greasy but hey this is Shu Uemura the ultimate cosmetic so I unquestioningly rubbed the oil all over my face. I followed the instructions to the letter and after I rinsed it off voila! Incredibly smooth, clean skin without that taut after-feeling. Even hubby was amazed and couldn't resist trying some of it himself. Smells heavenly too. It's supposed to have a delicate sakura scent... and I noticed my T-zone's not as shiny as when I use another facial wash. Shu cleansing oils supposedly melts waterproof make-up too... can't wait to see how that goes but as I hardly ever wear make-up it's gonna be a while.

Oh yeah, I got to try the classic version (gold colored oil) in Japan in November 2006 and yuck! It felt like I was slathering on cooking oil. It was so greasy and did not feel the least bit refreshing. Next time I'll try the green tea anti-aging version of Shu's cleansing oil...