Intense Whitening?! Introducing Sheens Whitening Candy Bar

There are thousands of whitening soaps in the market but only a few of those that I have tried (and I've tried a ton) actually lived up to their claims. One of my favorite whitening soaps that really delivered was the Monte Luxury Perfumed Soap. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, they were discontinued. BUT here's the good news! Monte soaps are back but with a whole new look and new name, too!

Introducing, Sheens Whitening Candy Bar.

Short Review: DR. COCO Natural Hand Soap in Natural Lavender

Hey, guys! Happy Friday!

I just want to share with you this short review on a hand wash that I recently got.

A few days ago, I received the DR. COCO Natural Hand Soap via Sample Room. It's one of the newest products that they're offering and I decided to get a sample since we all know how products like this are very essential in these times. I got the Natural Lavender one but it's also available in Green Tea variant. I don't know, I've just been loving lavender scents lately. Check my previous blog post, it's another lavender-scented product. :)

Anyway, I know there are a lot of hand soaps in the market but what interests me the most about this DR.COCO Natural Hand Soap is that it is packed with CocoMCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) which is a natural anti-viral and anti-bacterial ingredient extracted from coconuts. In fact, 91% of its ingredients came from coconuts.

It is also clinically-proven to kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses and it provides protection up to 4 hours after wash. Isn't it nice? Plus, it gives extra care and it is mild on the skin since it is made from nature-derived ingredients. This hand soap is not really a moisturizing one but it definitely is not drying on the skin.

You can surely smell the lavender scent but it's not as intense as I thought it would be and that's just based on my preference, okay?  But overall, I think this product is a great buy. The features and qualities are promising and it's very affordable, too! This 250ml bottle only costs Php114.75 and the 500ml bottle only costs Php214.75. Not bad, right? Next time, I will try the Green Tea scent naman.

DR.COCO is available in Lazada and Shopee.

RAVE-IEW: BENCH/ Organics Lavender Castile Soap

A few years back, a friend who had an online shop at that time gifted me some of her products. Her items were all hand-made and made of natural ingredients such as body scrubs, shampoo bars, castile soaps, etc. That time, I didn't know yet that castile soaps can be used in different ways and I didn't really care about it at all so I didn't use the one my friend gave me right away.

One day, I was cleaning my makeup brushes and I decided to use the castile soap just so that I could finally use it, you know? I was so surprised and amazed on how well the castile soap was able to COMPLETELY get rid of the makeup off my brushes including the cream-based ones which are absolutely difficult to clean off. Oh, and it was peppermint-scented so it's a bonus for me! After that, I researched more about castile soaps and learned that it's actually a multi-purpose cleaning agent which you can use on almost anything.

What's good about castile soap is that it is made from vegetable oils so it is all-natural, biodegradable, and cruelty-free. Since the time I experienced its goodness, I began searching for castile soaps that are locally available but most of the ones that I found are quite pricey for me. Then just last year while I was randomly browsing inside a BENCH/ store, I discovered that they have their very own castile soap which is unbelievably affordable!

Product Name: BENCH/ Organics Lavender Castile Soap

Price: Php259/450ml

Available at: BENCH/ outlets, BENCH/ website, Shopee, Lazada

Cleansers I Have Recently Emptied! (Drugstore)

 If you're going to look at my blog archives, you'll see that my last post was dated January 2020. Yes, it's been over a year since I last posted an entry here in my blog. I have neglected it over and over again because I focused more on vlogging and my job as a makeup artist.

Recently, I felt somewhat stuck again and whenever I feel that, I usually go through my past posts both here in my blog and in my YouTube channel. I get motivation from that and makes me want to work hard as much or even work harder than I used to do. Now, I decided to go back to my roots and go back to blogging. Of course, I will continue creating contents in my YouTube channel and accept makeup gigs but I want to blog again since everything started in this platform anyway.☺

Enough with the somehow emotional intro, I thought I'd share with you something about skin care. As a beauty blogger/vlogger, you know we always try out various products, right? In this post, let me share with you the facial cleansers that I have recently emptied.

Hair Product Recommendations for Heavily Damaged Hair by HairMNL

When I was in college, I was so frustrated when it comes to my hair color because I wanted to explore and be more adventurous. I wanted to try almost every color but I couldn't because it was prohibited! 2016, I finally graduated from my second course and that was also the time when I started going crazy and dyed my hair in various colors! Every month I'd sport a different color. I did all of the coloring by myself or with the help of my sisters. Of course, at first, I did not know better. I bleached my own hair, experimented on my own, used hair dyes that require oxidizing lotion which greatly contributed to my damaged hair. However, as time passes by, I learned how to DIY better and I discovered greater hair products as well. Even so, since 2016 I've been dying and bleaching my hair so imagine what my hair went through all those years. And even though I take good care of my hair by using hair treatments, conditioners, following meticulous hair regimens religiously, damaging the hair could not be avoided. Such products and hair routines could help, but the hair will still get damaged.

Last Summer 2019 was the last time I bleached my hair and that was really the time I decided that I would stop with all these harsh chemicals for a while and just let my hair rest. I still dye my hair with different colors but for the past 2 years, I've been using colored hair treatments which are way better than boxed hair dyes. Anyway, since I've bleached and dyed my hair tons of time already, the very last time that I did it took a toll on my hair. My hair became very brittle and everytime I comb or brush my hair, the strands would break like crazy because the texture of my hair became so weak that it stretches like rubber whenever it is wet. So to avoid breakage, I would not brush my hair while it is still wet and would wait until  it dries before I begin to properly style it. It's frustrating and sad but that's what you get for wanting to be adventurous when it comes to your hair. Something of too much really results into something bad.

Now, here's some good news. Last month, I had a free consultation with HairMNL. HairMNL is an e-commerce platform or a website that made best salon exclusives and a wide array or professional hair products easily available to more customers. They made professional salon care even more accessible by making expert hair and scalp advice and recommendations available through free online consultations. Please keep reading to see the hair products they recommended for my heavily damaged hair.

PLAY LINE FRIENDS First Store in Manila

ARMYs went crazy when a pop-up store of BT21 opened in Manila last year. As a fan of LINE Friends, I also went crazy when I visited the LINE Store and Cafe in South Korea a couple of years ago. Now, we'll even get crazier as the very first store of LINE Friends has opened here in Manila!

LINE Friends store is located at the ground floor of Robinson's Place Manila and it is dominated by various BT21 (characters by the famous KPop boy group, BTS) products. If you are an ARMY, then this place is heaven for you! Well, even if you are not an ARMY, you will surely enjoy this place if you love cute stuff and anything Korean.^^

The store is filled with super duper adorable items. Check out some of the things you will find here and what are the stuff that I got.

BRTC Introduces 'Skip-Care'

BRTC is now in the Philippines! The famous Korean derma-cosmetics brand, Bio Remedies Therapeutic Cosmetics (BRTC) was officially launched in the country a couple of weeks ago. The brand is not actually new to some local consumers as BRTC is already well-known here and a lot of skin care enthusiasts, especially K-beauty lovers, have tried some of the brand's products. Well, it just became more interesting because BRTC carefully curated its initial line-up with products that are made for Filipino skin.

What you first need to know about BRTC is that all of their products contain Blue Phyto Complex™ which is a patented vegetable ingredient from lavender, chamomile, and other blue plants known for their soothing and healing power. This is actually one of the reasons why I admire the brand. Their products are made with natural ingredients combined with the power of Science. I personally enjoyed the talk of Mr. Jason Park, General Manager of Global Sales & Strategy Team from AMI Cosmetics, during the launch. According to him, they give keen attention to research and development in their centers in Jeju. They produce products using only natural ingredients and they now have 130 more registered patents.

REVIEW: VNM Naturals Toners | Rosewater + Aloe Soothing Toner and Cucumber + Guava Leaf Skin Clearing Toner

Ever since I consulted a dermatologist years back about using toners, it made me use them less. She said that if your skin doesn't necessarily need a toner and if you don't see much of a difference when you use it or not, it's okay to skip it. Well, not totally ditch it but if you use a toner everyday day and night, you can use it every other day or if you want to use it everyday, do it only once in a day.

Toners are still important because it balances your skin's PH level but since that dermatologist told me I don't really need it that much, I decided to just use toners once a day. Particularly, every night only. I also realized after talking to the dermatologist that not all the toners that I've used really made a difference on my skin. Some did but some? Well, you can say that it was just another added step to my previous skin care routines. I can count with my fingers just how many toners I've tried that actually worked on me and when I say "worked", I meant I really saw a good effect that it did on my  skin.

Recently, I started using these toner mists from VNM Naturals. It's been quite a while since I discovered toners that would make it on my favorites list. I fell in love with the VNM Naturals toners because of its benefits for the skin and the fact that you can use it as a toner and as a mist.

Product Name: VNM Naturals Happy Pores Toner

Price: varies on the toner variant

Available at: www.vnmnaturals.com

Product Review: GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER WITH ARGAN OIL

When buying makeup removers, what I always look for first is its capacity to remove even the stubborn waterproof makeup such as eyeliners, mascaras, and even eyelash adhesives! In my years of doing makeup and trying various makeup removers, I find that the oil-based ones are the best as they completely melt off the makeup. However, some oil-based makeup removers can be quite greasy and sometimes it makes my eyes feel a little heavy because some of the oil can get in.

But yes, I prefer oil-based makeup removers because they are easier to use but I would prefer those that are lighter and gentler on the skin. In my opinion, the best one so far is the Garnier Micellar Water with Argan Oil.

Product Name: Garnier Micellar Oil-Infused Cleansing Water

Price: Php149 (125ml), Php349 (400ml)

Available at: (online exclusive) Beauty MNL, Shopee, Lazada

Product Review: La Doctress Cloud Blush

It seems like people are more and more getting interested with makeup here in the Philippines. What's good is that we seem to be open to try various styles of makeup may it be Western makeup looks, Korean makeup, or even drag makeup! But what I noticed is that the most common looks we are all interested with are glam makeup (the Instagram makeup as what others call it), Korean makeup (with matching glass skin effect), and the natural "gandang pulbo at lip tint" looks.

That natural makeup look appears to be more popular nowadays because first, it's easy to do, second, you'll need less products, and third, it just gives you that fresh and simple look, perfect for everyday. With this makeup trend getting more famous, I also noticed that some people umped up their "gandang pulbo at lip tint" game by doing the drunk blush method. Personally, I love that style, too. It looks cute and makes me feel prettier! :D There are different ways to achieve drunk blush but I find that cream blush is the perfect product to do it. Since water tints set more easily, I prefer cream blushes because you can control the blending and create the perfect drunk blush look.

I've tried a few cream blushes from the beauty market but I recently discovered the La Doctress Cloud Blush Tube.

Product Name: La Doctress Cloud Blush Tube

Price: Php190/tube

Available at: Kalm Cosmetics

Product Review: Maybelline Total Temptation Mascara (I'M BACK!)

Grabe!

I didn't realize that it's been 5 months since I last posted an entry here in my blog. I don't know what to say. LIFE HAPPENED and I won't bore you with the details since I am here to share a product review with you, guys, and I am planning to tell you all about what happened in a separate post.

So, let's get down to business. Yes, it's been 5 months since I was MIA and it's also been that long since I last played with makeup and explored different products. Recently, I'm trying my best to check out new beauty products in the market so I'll have something new to share with you when I finally come back in blogging and vlogging. So, here you go!

When you stopped doing glam and beauty makeup for a while, it could be hard to get back so as of now, I'm just sticking with the basics. I rarely go out with foundation, concealer, or any base makeup at all. My go-to beauty products are sunblock, eyebrow pencil, and lip and cheek tints. On days when I want to look more presentable, I apply concealer, a touch of bronzer, and I sweep on some mascara just enough to open up my peepers. And when it comes to mascaras, Maybelline is one of my favorite brands. Then recently, they released their new mascara called Maybelline Total Temptation and boy! I am, yet again, impressed with the brand.

Product Name: Maybelline Total Temptation Waterproof Mascara (Very Black)

Price: Php399

Available at: Maybelline counters nationwide, Lazada