Lemming: Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow!

One of the problems of being a late bloomer is that I find it hard to distinguish what foundation suits my skin because:

• I have no idea what my shade is 
• I find it hard to get a foundation that won't settle on the wrinkles on my face and get flaky on some of my dry spots (you know, the aging skin prob or whatev) 

Right now, I am trying Revlon Photoready in Medium Beige and I think it is kinda ok, but let me use it for a week before I make a review. 

But then I saw this, Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! 

(photos from Benefit Website)

And I totally got intrigued and curious so I went to the nearest Benefit shop (Greenbelt 5). Too bad it's still unavailable (the SA told me it will hit their shelves by the first week of April). Ohhh I am really excited and giddy with this, I read a lot of good reviews and can't wait to try it for myself! I love liquid foundation (well, I only have one foundation so...hmm) because it is easier to blend, like playing with watercolor or something and I read somewhere that it does not settle on the fine line of the skin (no cakey face!). I hope that it is true though...Ahhh let's see about that, I will definitely get this next week!

P.S
You can also order this online through the Benefit website.

What about you? What are your current lemmings? 

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Snoe Beauty Haul!

I woke up one day and thought:

"hey I need some spf for my aging skin and some whitening for dark spots here and here..and here." 

But being a late bloomer, I do not know what I need and what kind and where to buy! So I browsed my favorite forum which is GirlTalk and looked for something that would fit my needs.

As if on cue, I found this thread about Snoe Beauty, very interesting indeed (anything with "beauty" sounds interesting anyway). And found out that most of their items contain SPF whitening ingredients.

So I went to the nearest retailer in my area (Glorietta) and bought some items to try out.

• Here Comes the Sunblock (claims to instantly whiten and with SPF45)
• S Skin SPF30 Stem Cell Sunblock Cream (stem cell sounds good for aging skin, right?)
• Happy White Ever After Premium Whitening Massage & Bath Treatment Oil (because hubby and I need some massage oils *wink*)
• Magic Apple Whitening S-Rub ( I don't know, I'm really not a fan of scrubs and bits, but I like the scent so I bought it)
• Hair Heroes with Intense Argan Oil
• No. 9 Snoe White Exfoliating Oatmeal Beauty Bar
• No. 5 Vitamin C rich Calamansi Beauty Bar

As I do not have a decent camera, I cannot share swatches or whatevs right now. But I will try to get me a decent point and shoot (okay, I have a dslr, but it's too bulky to use and I'm just lazy like that) or...just review without photos? Oh well, just watch out for my review on each item.

P.S.

You can purchase Snoe Beauty products online or check out the branch near you.

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Oh Wait!

I just started with this blog yesterday and I am having visitors already! That means I have to work double time, because as you can see my blog is not ready yet!! The posts were from my tumblr blog (which took a lot of time for stupid me to discover how to move here to blogger) and I am still trying to figure out how to go about the layout and the content.

Ohhh bear with me dear readers! But I do hope the posts and reviews helped you in some way.

xoxo

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Review: Angels on Bare Skin

From the Lush Website:

Sometimes the best ideas are the old ones. This cleanser is based on an age old formula that uses the best of ingredients to amazing effects.

Angels on Bare Skin evens out skin tone, reduces redness and improves the health and appearance of your skin – giving a natural healthy glow.

The ground almonds in this product release their goodness and turn to an almond milk on your hand when you add water.

Almond milk has been used in many parts of the world for centuries as a toning and brightening ingredient.

We have mixed this with kaolin, to absorb grease and gently cleanse, vegetable glycerine to soften and moisturise the skin and a beautiful blend of essential oils, all chosen for their abilities to balance and tone the skin.

We then sprinkle the mix with lavender flowers as we roll it. Angels on Bare Skin is made from 100 percent natural ingredients – because when nature is this good, you don’t want to mess with her balance!

This is basically a solid that turns to a cleansing milk when you add the water. By taking out the water we have taken away the need to add preservatives – which makes this much kinder on your face and does not upset the skin’s own microflora. 

It is hard to tell you in words how fantastic this product is. Only by using it will you know its full value.

This product contains:

Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis), Glycerine, Kaolin, Water (Aqua), Lavender Oil (Lavandula hybrida), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria Chamomilla), Tagetes Oil (Tagetes minuta), Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis pierre), Lavender Flowers (Lavendula hybrida), *Limonene, *Linalool.







I’ve been using AOBS for more than a year now. The first time I used this, my eyes went saucer like because I can see how my skin transformed overnight! I got soft looking, dewy skin with smaller pores! Well, maybe it was because of the AOBS and Vanishing Cream combo but I never stopped using this cleanser since then (I had to give up vanishing cream after the trial pot, waaay too expensive but still planning to get one).

Aside from soft, moisturized skin, I had no problems with zits too, although I still get the occasional zits especially if it’s the time of the month.

I love it’s relaxing scent, and soft almond grains. It may not be the easiest product to apply, but I got used to it. A tub lasted for about 1 1/2-2 months (I wouldn’t make it last longer than that as I just use my fingers to scoop it) so it is kind of expensive (495php).

Another thing to consider is to apply moisturizer after this cleanser. I noticed after months of using this that I tend to get some dry rough patch on my cheeks if I skip on the moisturizer.

Scent - 5/5

Value - 3/5

Effectiveness - 4/5

Repurchase - Yes

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To Review or Not To Review

Lots of items, can’t wait to finish all my lush product reviews so I can start with snoe beauty!

Drop a note if you want me to review a certain item from Lush or Snoe :)

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Review: Lush Lemony Flutter

From the Lush website:

Softens hard skin all over the body, especially the cuticles. We made Lemony Flutter to soften your cuticles; it’s our thickest cream out there. It’s so good at softening your cuticles and nourishing your nails that Lush customers have been using it to soften and nourish lots of other body parts like their feet, elbows and knees. Fortunately, it’s a very reasonably priced cream, so you can afford to use it as widely as you wish. Take more care of your extremities and invest a small sum in a Lemony pot.

This item contains: Fresh Organic Lemon Infusion (Citrus limonum), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Beeswax (Cera alba), Lanolin, Soya Oil (Glycine soja), Organic Cold Pressed Avocado Oil (Persea gratissima), Organic Cold Pressed Flaxseed Oil (Linum usitatissimum), Mango Butter (Mangifera indica), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Perfume, Organic Cold Pressed Wheatgerm Oil (Triticum vulgare), Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Tagetes Oil (Tagetes minuta), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Triethanolamine, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), *Citral, *Geraniol, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Methylparaben, Propylparaben





When I first saw this tub, my first impression was “this small?!” and the rubbery-lemony scent was not impressive either. But as I was looking for something moisturizing enough for my cuticles, I still bought it.



I scooped a pea-sized amount and dabbed some on my fingernails and toes (a little really goes a long way), and scooped a generous amount (a bit larger than pea-sized) for my callouses, heels, etc. With this, I knew that if I don’t use this twice everyday, I will go beyond the expiration date! I mean, really, you can really get a lot of this stuff from this small pot!

You don’t have to wait a week or month to notice the difference, you just need to apply this once! My nails felt moisturized, my toes are not the usual white-dry, dirty looking anymore! They are nourished and moisturized. After weeks of using, my callouses seemed softer now and even prevented new ones! (On the sides of my feet)

I still use this even after the expiry period (about a month already) because it still got the same texture, consistency and smell. And I am only using it on my feet and not my face (I wouldn’t dare take that risk) so I guess that it is just okay.

All in all, this is a great product even if I didn’t like the smell.

Scent - 2/5

Value - 5/5

Effectiveness (Results) - 5/5 (after using once!)

Repurchase - Yes

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Review: Lush Celestial Moisturizer

From the Lush website:

Every ingredient in this cream has been carefully chosen because they are angelically good on sensitive skins. 

We put the petals from fresh dove orchids in almond oil and leave them to steep overnight until they give up their goodness into the oil. We then take that oil and add almond milk, cocoa butter, vanilla infusion and vegetable glycerine to create a delicate cream that will moisturise without inflaming difficult skin.

Skin is a permeable layer that regulates moisture in and out of the body.

It is important to keep sensitive skin moisturised, because when the skin becomes dehydrated it can become more sensitive than usual.

Thin, dry, sensitive skins need to be kept soft and moisturised. 

Celestial moisturiser has been specially formulated to create a light barrier on the skin to stop the loss of moisture and keep sensitive skin feeling calm.

This item contains: Vanilla Water, Almond Oil, Almond Milk, Glycerine, Cocoa Butter, Fresh Dove Orchid Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben





A little background on my skin: I used to have acne prone skin when I graduated from the university (21 yrs old). Yes not in my teen years, and maybe it’s because of staying til 5am almost everyday! After 4 years since that acne attack, my skin stayed clear most of the time (got a little pimple maybe if it’s the time of the month) because of the prescription drug my dermatologist gave me. Then I went into this phase of using all organic products. I used all of them at once that made me break out again (found out that the culprit was the shampoo I used)! I then moved to the hypoallergenic brand VMV (the one for combination skin) and it cleared my skin again, but after months of using I felt that my skin got rough and looked like there are dead skin cells that stayed on my face even if I was using their face scrub. My skin then got very dry and flaky, peeling at my cheeks, my nose, etc!

I tried celestial because I needed that “greasy/oily” feeling I’ve been reading on reviews. And since it’s made for sensitive skin, I went ahead and bought it (good thing it is one of the cheapest moisturizers from LUSH). The first week I used it, nothing happened! My skin was still dry (parched) and I was a bit disappointed. Good thing I had a diamond peeling session that week also and it removed the flaky, dry skin on my face. After a day or two, I noticed that my skin was not that dry anymore, and after 2 weeks my skin is now back to normal.

Together with Angels on Bare Skin, my skin is now healthier, no breakouts and I can feel that it calms my skin especially when I’m feeling stressed and my chin and cheeks get itchy.

The only downside with this moisturizer is that it has no spf, but like all lush products, it smells very nice! Like almond or vanilla or chocolate, sweet but not overwhelming. And a little goes a long way, a tub may last me for 2 or 3 months as I use it morning and night time.

 Scent - 5/5

Value - 4/5

Effectiveness - 4/5

Repurchase - Yes

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