REVIEW: Chanel Mattifying Fluid

                                                       PRICE: 

I roped myself into getting this Chanel Mattifying Fluid because I needed something that could control my royal oiliness. I figured that my hardworking oil glands were the root cause of all my acne and the reason why my makeup could not last longer than 4 hours (if lucky). Also, I needed a moisturizer catered to oily skin that would actually work! I loved the Chanel Eau Douceur so much that I felt this would deliver the same way. In short, I wanted a 2-in-1 product and the Chanel Mattifying Fluid fit the bill. The only bump in the road was the price tag. PhP3950 for a 50 ml bottle. That’s roughly USD88! I initially left the counter, thinking there was no way I’d fork over that much (that was then—I’m better at squeezing the trigger now. Ha!) My wavering was short-lived. Briskly walked back rationalizing: it’s a 2-in-1 product so, really, I was paying for 2 products.

A GREAT PRIMER, TOO:

Initially, I used it merely as part of my night routine but when I started using it as a makeup base, it made my makeup last so much longer. It makes a really great primer! The feeling it gives is similar to the Makeup Forever HD Primer. Spreads easily like thin lotion and dries down to a very slight tacky finish, leaving your skin feeling moisturized and looking supple. My skin, oily as it may be, absorbs this pretty quickly. This also layers well with any foundation formulation—be it cream, gel, silicone or powder. I apply it second to sunblock. Instead of looking oily at the 4-hour mark, this made my skin look dewy. It smells sooo good, too! The usual Chanel scent is very much present in this. Duh.

SHELF-LIFE:

Packaging indicates 6 months but this lasted a really loooong time. Not because I was saving it but because 1 single pump (comes with a very convenient pump) was more than enough for my face—often times there’d even be enough product left on my fingers to spread down to my neck. 

DRAWBACK:

This did not permanently regulate my oily skin. Also, I mentioned the price of this, right?

 

WILL I REPURCHASE? MAYBE:

The reason why I am thinking twice before repurchasing this boils right down to its price. There are so many other mattifying products out there that I would like to experiment on---cheaper, I might add. And besides, if other products fail, there is always the Combos Skin Tea Tree Balancing Mask ( http://kalfafarasia.blogspot.com/2014/11/combos-skin-tea-tree-balancing-mask.html ) that similarly does the job, when needed.`

First Impressions: First Snow by Lush

 I WILL REPURCHASE:

I bought this twinkly, sparkly, fragrant dusting powder in a Lush store in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. I actually saw this first at the Venetian’s Lush store in Macau. I didn’t get to buy it then because I got distracted by the fresh batch of Christmas bath bombs and by their new body conditioner, African Paradise. I was very disappointed when I got back to Manila to find out our local Lush store didn’t have First Snow on their shelves yet. I’m hoping they get this in time for Christmas 2014—this would make perfect gifts!

PRICE and PACKAGING:

First Snow costs HKD 85  (roughly PHP 485 and is listed in the LUSH US Website at USD 8) for 30 grams of powder. It comes in a clear, squeezable plastic bottle with a flip top cap. Dispensing product is easy.

EXPERIENCE:

This is not like your average baby powder. For one, just like all of Lush’s powders, it is moisturizing and leaves a silken feel to your skin. And also, the scent lasts. I don’t know how Lush does it but the staying power of the scents of all their powders is pretty strong. When you take off your clothes at the end of day, the scent is still very much present. Who doesn’t love that?! The smell of First Snow (from Lush’s Christmas collection) I can best describe as light, sweet and citrusy fresh. I find it so refreshing that putting it on makes me feel as if I had just stepped out of the shower. Lush itself has listed the following as some of the ingredients: sweet orange oil, and lime oil.

First Snow sets itself apart from Vanilla Puff and Silky Underwear (both by Lush) because of the sparkle and noticeable twinkle it leaves on your skin. You do not need an enormous amount to spread all over your body to have it sparkling like a star. Really. So, if you are one who frowns upon a bit of glimmer on skin, this product won’t be for you because you’ll definitely see the glitter. I do have to say though that you will not feel the glitter on your skin at all, even when spreading the powder.

Where Lush's Lustre gives you a pearlescent golden sheen, First Snow gives a scattering of teeny tiny silvery twinkly sparkle. (Both are beautiful but let's save Lustre for another post.) The sparkle First Snow gives is most beautiful when sunlight hits your skin. If you’ve seen the movie Twilight, recall the scene where Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) steps into the light—this gives a similar effect. Not your average, daily look but beautiful just the same. Another great thing about this? The sparkle stays long enough until the end of a party.

DOWNSIDE:

The sparkle/glitter transfers to your clothing- but it easily washes off when laundered.  Also, your hands get the bulk of the sparkle that you’re going to have to wash it off if it bothers you or if you don’t want any on your face. Lastly, although it lasts long enough for me, the sparkle does not stay all day-- my solution is to just add some more.

 FAMILY CORNER:

This is my little girls’ new favorite. My girls were immediately taken by the silvery sparkle First Snow gives. They have used this quite a bit since I got this and none of them have developed allergies or rhinitis to it (unlike other baby powders that make my 4 year old’s nose run!). My eldest daughter (10) used this when she danced ballet on stage and the sparkle of the powder kept on catching the light. Soo beautiful!

My husband likes the scent but won’t use it because of the glitter. Understandably so! He is sticking to his favorites, as they are part of his daily ritual: Silky Underwear and T for Toes (both by Lush). 

INGREDIENTS:

REVIEW: Chanel Eau Douceur

I WILL REPURCHASE:

I got Chanel’s Eau Douceur from the Chanel counter in Rustan’s (much like your Neiman Marcus, Harrods or Galeries Lafayette). It set me back around P2,250 (roughly USD50) for 150 ml of product. It is cleansing water formulated for both face and eyes.

BACKSTORY:

My story with make-up removers started when I began putting more than just powder. A couple of years ago I woke up one morning to a pair of pimples. This pair multiplied (exponentially) that by the end of the week, one could arguably say I had acne vulgaris. Waking up every morning to zits, scars left by zits, emerging zits and healing ones was literally and figuratively speaking, a pain in the neck (and face!). Anyhow, this urged me to begin my love affair with makeup. Brightside. Thank you, zits! I was successful covering them up with liquid and cream foundation but taking it off at the end of day with Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser was sooooo tiresome and time-consuming---had to repeat massaging-in and rubbing off with tissue that my face felt raw every night. I knew then that there was an efficient way of cleaning face and I was right.

EXPERIENCE: 

I discovered Chanel’s Eau Douceur when I was trying out Chanel foundation. The beauty assistant gave me a cotton pad soaked with it to remove my existing makeup and I was impressed! One gentle swipe and the cotton pad was loaded with gunk. Not just that, the quintessential Chanel scent it left behind made me feel really luxe and sophisticated. A woman of the world; as if I was part of old Hollywood glamour--may be eye-roll worthy to some but that’s my truth.  Long and short of it, the escapist side of me brought a bottle home that day.

TAKES MAKEUP OFF EFFICIENTLY: 

This cleaned my face efficiently and gently. No need for rubbing or elbow grease, as was required by Cetaphil when taking makeup off. This also removed eye makeup, including waterproof mascara, easily without stinging. Plus, you have an option of not having to wash your face after. This isn’t fragrance free but my skin does not take issue with this. On the contrary, like I said earlier, the scent just added a layer to the lovely experience. And! And! My pimples calmed down. Yes, it did!

PACKAGING FORM and FUNCTION: 

The sleek packaging graced my makeup table so beautifully. More importantly, this comes with a pump that makes dispensing very convenient. I found that 2 pumps per cotton round (I’d use 5 to 6 for a full face of makeup) were enough to soak the cotton.

LIFESPAN: 

The package indicates 6 months but I used this waaaay beyond that. I admit in a small voice: a little over 2 years. I know! I know! But I assure you, it was still as good as day 1. No change in scent, color or efficacy. No breakouts, too (acne had already been managed at this point). I saved it as long as I could by using it sparingly. I used it on those days when a pick-me-upper was needed. Stretching this out to last for this long was made possible because not very long after, I discovered and became totally dependent on Bioderma’s Cleansing Water.

DOWNSIDE:

The downside to this is the price tag. For a 150 ml bottle, I paid Php2250 (roughly USD50); compare that to Bioderma’s 500 ml for 125 MOP (roughly Php750 or USD 17).  Another one: although it was safe to travel with it (the pump has a cover), it just took too much space in my beauty case. Decanting it to a travel bottle just didn’t give me the same luxe experience so I stopped traveling with it.

KIDS’ CORNER:

My little girls (ages 10, 7 and 4) play with “real” makeup a lot requiring makeup remover. I shared this with them once in a while and their skin was totally fine with it. No sign of irritation and they unanimously loved the fragrance. However, my 4 year old did complain that it would sting her eyes—especially when the pad was too soaked.

REVIEW: NIVEA In Shower Intensive Skin Conditioner in Almond Oil

I WILL NOT REPURCHASE : ( I heard about this NIVEA In Shower Intensive Skin Conditioner (Almond Oil) a couple of months ago from YouTuber Tanya Burr. I was so excited to see whether this could rival Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner (by LUSH and my top favorite) as they are both rinse-off body moisturizer/lotion, so I immediately checked it out on the boots.com website. I jumped to conclusions that the Philippines would probably get it late, so I was beside myself when I spotted it in our local Watson’s! For 250 ml and 100 ml, you pay PhP189 (USD 4.2) and PhP156 (USD 3.5), respectively. Cheap compared to PhP1200 for a 250 ml tub of Ro’s. I got all three scents/formulations: Camu Camu, Sea Minerals and shown in the picture above (which I like the least and ironically the first tube I finished): Almond Oil.

WHAT IT IS:

It is a body lotion/moisturizer you use inside the shower.  It needs to be rinsed off. For me, this really does not save you any time as it still requires that additional step anyway. You either moisturize your body, in or out of the shower and that decision (might be shallow but it has to be made) will really depend on product preference. I go by how I feel…for the day.

EXPERIENCE:

no, it's not what you're thinking! it IS the lotion.

Anyway, using this product was such an odd experience for me. One should've been there with me the first time—it didn’t help that out of the three, I picked the fragrance I least liked. (I know, I know. I should’ve smelled it before buying. Serves me right.) My face scrunched up because it smelled sooo artificial. Quickly opened the other tubes and was relieved that the other two scents were okay. But the feeling. Ugh. The first time I spread it all over me I was on repeat mode: “oh no!” How was I going to finish all 3 tubes of this slime?! I do not know how to articulate it, so for this reason, buy one and help me figure it out! Please? Okay, just kidding.

I’ll try to explain anyway. Unlike Ro’s, where it still feels like the familiar lotion/oil you’re massaging in, spreading this felt like a useless exercise—in my head I was thinking there was no way this...this thing, was going to be accepted by my skin. It was as if I was spreading molten, slicky, slimy plastic all over me. It did not feel organic. Worse was when I rinsed and toweled off! Without the water for the additional slick, my skin was left with this peculiar rubbery slip to it. This got me scrutinizing the listed ingredients. “Paraffinum Liquidum.” For me, this was its savior. Felt less uneasy because “paraffin” sounds friendly enough. I thought of those paraffin hand treatments my mom used to have and I figured this must be okay. And you know what? It feels less and less weird every time I use it. A good thing as I still have the 2 other tubes to go through.

EFFECTIVE MOISTURIZER:

However, with all that said, I concede that this product did deliver on the primary purpose it was made for. It moisturized my skin and it stayed that way until the end of the day. That’s quite a big achievement. With the exception of my oily face, the cliché, “dry as the sahara,” applies to the rest of my body. It is the kind where a chalky trail is left wherever you scratch it. Take note though, that this will not give you that healthy, glowy sheen other lotions and moisturizers do. 

INGREDIENTS:

 

This product is made in Thailand under license.

Review: NIVEA 3-in-1 Daily Deep Exfoliating Wipes

 

I WILL REPURCHASE.  I bought a pack of this Nivea 3-in-1 Daily Deep Cleansing Exfoliating Wipes (Made in Germany) from our local Watson’s store here in Manila. Choosing the formulation made for Oily/Impure Skin was a no-brainer. My skin is guilty on both counts.  

REASONABLY PRICED. For the price of Php149 (roughly USD3.5), you get 20 WET wipes.  Reasonable! I might even say, a lot cheaper than Neutrogena’s or Simple’s and most definitely cheap compared to Soap and Glory’s wipes. First off, I love makeup wipes and I have been fearless trying different brands from the cheapest to the more pricey ones. I just find them really convenient. (I even have a pack of it in my bag, for a headstart, when on my way home). Heck, even the “driest” of wipes has, at least once, played the hero for those nights (admit it, we’ve attended those too-much-to-drink kind of parties) when I just could not be bothered to go through my nightly ritual.

the rough side

the "smooth" side

EFFECTIVE IN REMOVING MAKEUP. Anyway, back to Nivea’s wipes. The wipe is wet enough. Both the smooth and rough side take makeup off easily—including waterproof mascara (Maybelline’s Hypercurl).  I find that using both sides of the wipe is enough to get me ready to wash my face. I usually use the rough side first to scrub off makeup, then use the smooth side (same wipe) for a second pass. I only use the smooth side, by the way, when I take eye makeup off (if you follow the package instructions strictly, you are to avoid contact with the eyes—makes sense as it lists alcohol as one of its ingredients). For makeup free nights, I skip the rough side as I learned that cleaning my skin with it left it feeling a teeny bit raw.  For those who can’t stand textured wipes or cotton, you might not appreciate even the smooth side of this wipe because you’ld still feel a faint trace of the bumps on the other side. I used this for more than 2 weeks and no breakout, so yey!

OTHER USES: These wipes I also find handy when I put on more elaborate makeup. I clean my gel liner brush with it in between dips to the pot. It’s also useful to surface clean your foundation buffing brush with it, extending its use to contouring.

INGREDIENTS:

It is scented. It has alcohol. 

earlier that evening: )

ready to wash my face!

Sorry, might be TMI. Just wanted to show off what it can do!

Review: Combos Skin Tea Tree Balancing Mask

I WILL REPURCHASE

Got a box of Combos Skin Tea Tree Balancing Mask (Korean) in the Sasa store at The Venetian, Macau.  Dismissed this product the first time I used it because, although it didn't break me out, I didn't see any dramatic results nor did it give me any sensory extras (scent or feeling).  However, I used it this month (left it on for about 20 minutes) about an hour before I put on my usual makeup (sunblock-primer-foundation-powder) and Wow!!! My makeup/skin never looked better. It was dewy (not oily!), I looked fresh, younger and my face looked like it was a bit plumped up (in a good way). Admittedly, I have oily skin, and I do reach for blotting papers several times a day but that afternoon, I didn't have a need for any. I used it again and it gave me the same results!!! : ) This product has definitely delivered on its claim of oil-control--at least on those days I used them.  I'm curious to find out if using this consistently can control my sebum production in the long run.

 
 
EASE OF USE

Like the usual pre-soaked and pre-cut out cloth masks, you just unfold and put directly on your face--matching the cut out holes to eyes, nose and mouth. It stays put easily, it doesn't slip and slide. Instructions tell you to put it on for at least 15 to 20 minutes but most recently, I let mine stay for about an hour (by then the mask was already starting to dry up) to give my skin a chance to absorb all the liquid goodness. No rinsing. The skin feels a teeny bit tacky afterwards but the feeling is something that doesn't bother me- most recently, I even did this before going to bed.

PRICE

 I remember it being relatively inexpensive but as I didn't plan on blogging about it then, I didn't take note of the exact price.  Sasa.com, however, lists a box of 10 at 79CNY roughly around 600 pesos. 

INGREDIENTS