Part 3: Skincare (The Year End Purge)

SKINCARE: Seacret Cucumber and Melon Body Lotion, Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque, Caudalie Divine Legs, Victoria Secret Angel Dream Shower Gel, Concha Nacar 3, Lip Pout by Skin Station, Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion, Derma-E Evenly Radiant Dark Circle Eye Cream.

Seacret Cucumber and Melon Body Lotion. This came in a big box manicure & pedicure set—complete with cuticle oil, the buffing cubes, etc. This claims to have Dead Sea minerals combined with natural ingredients. However, I knew something was off when I used it. When I spread it, it makes my skin feel extra EXTRA smooth that it felt unreal and unnatural. When I scanned the ingredients, I was appalled when I spotted Dimethicone as one of its ingredients. This is not natural at all. Very sneaky and misleading of Seacret. Again, I am okay with silicone on my face primers because my pores call for it but the need isn’t there for the rest of my body. And besides, I did not appreciate the use of the word “natural” in any part of the packaging when it clearly had some man-made ingredient added to it! Hmph!

I love Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. Do not get me wrong. In fact, I have repurchased a brand new tube (now has a new look--same tube, different design). There was just so much product that I wasn’t able to keep up with it—dried in the tube as it was around 6 months way past the expiration date. I think if used exclusively, the amount would’ve been perfect for 2 years. I was trying out other masks in between. Anyhow, this was my go-to mask. I would even spot treat my zits and sleep with it overnight knowing that by the morning, there’d be a noticeable result! I love this stuff. It’s minty. It’s refreshing. Easy to apply evenly (unlike other masks out there! Case in point: Lush’s Magnaminty). Quick to dry. Easy to wash off. Reasonably priced. Cheap even, if you were compare it to others. And of course, most importantly, my skin loved it. I know. Why use other masks then, right? I easily get bored, that’s why. But, inspite of all the new masks I have lined up for 2015, my fresh tube of this will be taking front row and center!

Caudalie Divine Legs. Won’t repurchase this. I even gave this bottle away. (Took pictures of it though for future reference).  Got this at a Parapharmacie branch in Paris. It was a bit expensive but I was willing to buy it because I just wanted to have a pair of divine lergs. Who wouldn’t?! Loved the color—it gave me a coppery bronzy tone to my legs. I am naturally tanned (I have the quintessential Filipino skin). However, I just wanted to be bronzed up and glowing and I thought this was the key. And I was right with the color and the sheen it gave me BUT man! Does this transfer to my clothes. Really badly. I was tired of centering my clothing choices around this flaw. And since I used this for my shoulders and arms as well, I felt that it restricted me too much. Had to be aware of where I sat down or leaned on! This was just too much trouble. The same goes for the Nars Body Glow (in terms of the color transfer), but at least with Nars, I was able to repurpose the product for my hair and plus, it smells divine. Caudalie’s Divine Legs, on other hand, had an ungodly smell to it. It was too strong, overpowering, cloying and sometimes downright revolting (especially during summertime). But you know what, I think I could’ve lived with the smell if only it did not stain everything in its wake.

Victoria Secret Dream Angel Shower Gel.  Just like its Lotion and Perfume, I could not stand the scent. As described further above, it had a lingering scent which registered to me as pee. Urine. Enough said.

Concha Nacar de Perlop Natural Bleach Cream 3.  I like to look bronzed. Yes. But there are other parts of my body that I wish were… er…a bit fairer than it actually is. I knew most of the reviews were how well it worked for the face but I bought this purely for those other parts. I didn’t finish this product. It was too tiresome and time consuming to use. You had to let it stay for at least 30 minutes. And since I was putting it in parts that were not for public display, I was essentially stuck in my bathroom for the whole duration. In the month that I had been religiously using it (used it twice a week), I saw no change even after I had put it over an hour at times. At the end of the month, I just could NOT be bothered with it anymore.

Skin Stations’ Dermax Pink and Pout Lip Plumper. Skin Station is an affordable beauty place here in Manila where I have my underarm diode, facials, bleaches and all sorts of beauty regimen done. I use some of their products regularly (underarm night and day creams, argan oil, deodorant, etc) and have repurchased the same again and again because they work. This product was a first let-down-product of theirs (hopefully the last). This was supposed to have hydrated my lips and in the process lighten it/ turn it pink and plumper. It did nothing. To be fair, aside from the plumping action and the hydrating effect, the product itself doesn’t make any other claim. Was just sales-talked into getting this. But then again, I had relied on the word of their beautician when I got the other products.  My complaints. This did not hydrate—how can it when it was so thick and waxy that it just sat on top of my lips?! This did not plump, did not turn my lips pink, let alone lighten anything. Worse, the product packaging had so much going for it, it was rendered useless. In theory, the pump on one end was supposed to dispense a certain amount of product, forcing it out into a small hole at the tip of this flexible latex applicator. This would’ve worked if the product was liquidy enough but like I said, it was clumpy wax (reminds me so much of chapstick that has been smashed). So, on day one of usage, I had to help coax out the product by squeezing and pulling the latex tip. Graphic image that came to me: I was milking some teat. Sorry, but it came. Yes, it did. So, to the trash bin this went!

Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion. I had a sinking feeling this was not going to work but I was hopeful and gave it a chance. After a year of questionable results, I decided to give this to my sister, whose zits might still be responsive to the lotion. I was using Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion for a very long time and it worked wonders. This drying lotion was a holy grail product for me then. I used up 3 bottles but on the fourth it just stopped being effective. Overnight. I continued using it after that but it seemed as if my pimples had developed immunity so I gave it to my sister. It worked for her presumably because it was still new to her system. Back to the Buffering lotion. I decided to “confuse” my pimples by using a different product but it didn’t work. I do not know why. Aside from the zinc oxide, both have different ingredients and I assume different formulations. I thought it could take on my zits. No such luck.

Derma-E Evenly Radiant Dark Circle Eye Cream. Ho hum. It didn’t break me out. It didn’t give me eye bags (Nuxe Eye Cream with Hyaluronic Acid plumped up my under eye circles! Not good). Derma-E moisturized my under eye are to some extent but it did not hydrate it beyond the surface (for supreme hydration I use Steam Cream or Lancome’s Genifique Yeux). The product was a bit thick so it didn’t sink in. The ultimate reason why I’m giving this away: it did not do anything to my dark circles! Nothing! NOTHING! And I tell you, I used this religiously night and day for 2 months. Loved the packaging though. Squeezing out product instead of dipping your fingers in a tub makes it so much more hygienic. But packaging becomes irrelevant if the product itself does not deliver.