Review: Snoe Emutox

As I was running out of my L'Oreal Hydrafresh Mattifying Gel, I knew I had to find another moisturizer to replace it. I've had my share of good times with it, but since I was at the office a lot more and was inside an air-conditioned environment, I found that my skin became dry, especially since I have combination skin. I got dry patches (even to the point of flaking, unfortunately) and oilier in my nose area.

It's a known fact that the more dehydrated our skin gets, the harder it compensates by producing more sebum. You might think that just because it's not humid, your skin will stay matte, well think again. Quite frankly, my previous moisturizer, didn't do much justice for my skin anymore. Hence, my quest for the next best skin-thirst-quencher.

 I found just that and more in Snoe EmuTox. It's more than just a moisturizer, it also works as:

 Anti-wrinkle

Anti-oxidant

Hypoallergenic

Anti-inflammatory

Damage Repair

Skin Regenerator

Skin Repair

Skin Protection

Moisturizing

Non-comedogenic

Whitening

Anti-bacterial

Pain management

100% Beautiful Skin

According to Snoe:

Pushing innovation to its limit, Snoe Emutox’ cutting edge serum fortified with Emu Oil and Acai Berry gives your skin a youthful lift making you look and feel instantly younger. Acai Berry’s potent anti-aging properties defend against the accumulation of pre-mature wrinkles while the Emu Oil’s amazing rejuvenating and moisturizing effects hastens its smoothening effect. Can be used as a primer before you apply your SPF lotion under your make up.

How to Use:

Gently apply the cream by placing a pea-sized amount on the tips of your fingers and spread evenly on your face in an upward and outward motion.

* It's not so much of a cream, it's really more of a gel. Just to show you a swatch:

One pea-sized amount is enough. :)

When blended lightly.

When fully blended into and absorbed by the skin

Warnings:

For external use only. Discontinue use if signs of irritation occur. If eye contact occurs, wash with water immediately. Do not swallow product. Keep out of reach of children

Active Ingridients:

Deionize Water, Carbopol, Propylene Glycol, Acai, Phenoxyethanol, Penetyleneglycol, PEG 40, Triceth-9, Emu Oil, Lycopene, Bengkoang, Vit.b3(niacinamide), Hyaluronic Acid, Arbutin, Retinylpalmitate, Tocopherol (vit.e), Vit C

It may sound a little intimidating because of the Botox Serum on the label, but it also has emu oil and acai essence. I know what you're thinking. Botox?! I'm 21 years old, what can I possibly want botox for?! It's not that bad, really. Plus, it really helps bring out the best in my skin every time I apply it. Lately, my skin has been anything but stellar, perhaps due to stress, lack of sleep, and overall fluctuations, no thanks to my erratic hormones. So yeah. Want my take on it? Here you go:

What I like about it:
- It helped improve the clarity of my skin. I've been battling with small bumps, occasional breakouts, and uneven skin tone for a while.
- It works well with itchy bumps and rashes.
- Dries almost instantly, I don't have to wait a few minutes for it to be absorbed by my skin.
- Light-wearing, not too heavy.
- Removed premature fine lines in my undereye area
- I noticed that my dark undereye circles lightened. Before, I used tons of concealer to cover them. Now, I'm good with just a light swipe of concealer. Hopefully, with continued use, I can step right out without makeup (every girl's dream).
- There's so much product in one bottle! Talk about sulit! One bottle costs Php 449 in all Snoe outlets.
- Helps keep my skin firm yet supple (perhaps thanks to the Botox Serum ingredient?)
- The packaging is really cute! Snoe never fails to tickle my fancy!
- The pump dispenser makes for a more hygienic use of the product. 
- The bottle is made of a really sturdy glass material. It can definitely withstand wear and tear in my luggage. ;)

What I dislike about it:
- The scent - it smells weird. 

Overall, I give this elixir of sorts a thumbs up! Drop by any Snoe outlet (they have plenty) or check out their website for more info on this product and so much more: Snoe Beauty

Ever Bilena Mousse Matte Foundation in Walnut

This is one of my random grocery purchases. Ever Bilena products are on sale in the nearby supermarket and I cannot just let that pass without taking advantage of the price slash!

Anyway, I'm gonna get down to the nitty-gritty. I haven't found much information on the Ever Bilena website, which is unfortunate. I do a lot of my background check and review check on the product on the internet. Sadly, I think they're phasing this line out. They've already phased out the mousse concealer and the mousse eyeshadows are on sale too (for clearance purposes). If you're thinking of trying out this foundation, I suggest you run to the nearest store and get your supply now.

The packaging...

It has a plastic covering on top to ensure product safety.

The shade isn't exactly what I wanted. This one suits a cool skin tone better.
The one I was supposed to get ran out of stocks. :(

A sample swatch

Swatch on the back of my hand.

When blended

 What I like about it:

• The price is such a steal! I got it on sale for Php 75 (less than $2) at a local supermarket
• Widely available. Many drugstores, department stores, and groceries carry this brand.
• It's a local brand. Support PH made!
• Matte. My face doesn't get too oily right away, much to my surprise. But it's important to set it with powder to maximize its matte property.
• There aren't much variety of selection available. Many shades are out of stocks already. It's kind of hard to find the shade that would best suit my skin tone.
• Staying power: about 3 to 4 hours. I only had to retouch my nose (since I have combination skin, my T-zone is my oiliest spot in the face) once all afternoon. For a cheap (not derogatory, promise!) product, that's kind of commendable. Weather when I used this: very humid!
• Works well as a concealer (for dark circles) too! I used it as a base to my Palladio Rice Concealer Stick and The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Tone-Correcting Concealer, and it helped cover the discoloration from my lack of sleep.
• Doesn't clog my pores.
• Didn't break me out (so far)
• Doesn't irritate my sensitive skin (surprisingly)
• Not too creamy. (can be its downside too)
• Blends well into my skin. I had to set it with my powder so it can completely mesh with my original skin tone. I wish I had gotten one meant for warmer skin tones with yellow undertones.
• Not heavy!
• Build-able. It has sheer to medium coverage. If you want something for like a night event, this may not be for you. This is okay for day or light makeup.
• You're getting a lot of bang for your buck with the amount of product that's in this thing! Sulit!

I used to have a bias against locally-produced and cosmetics but over time, local cosmetic companies seem to really amp up their products, step up to the plate, and rise up to the competition! That said, I'm still on the fence but I'm slowly dipping my toes into the possibilities and the potential that they offer. Besides, as long as we're supporting local enterprise, it counts for something, right?

What I dislike about it:

• It has an annoying scent. It's not necessarily funky-smelling but I just don't like it.
• The packaging. It's made of plastic. It's in a pot. (Unhygienic, unless you use disinfected hands before every dip or unless you use a foundation brush)
• Again, the packaging. It's obviously "inspired" by Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse Foundation, only this local dupe is bigger. Their copy-cat style of packaging adds to the cheap factor of their products, sorry. :(
• It's too bulky. :(
• It has glitters! UGH. One of my biggest con's for this product. I just want my foundation to be straight to the point, without any fuss like unnecessary shimmer. That's where the highlighter comes in!
• Not happy with the shade match! :( What do you think? Is it close enough?
• I actually dislike its grainy/rough consistency.

Although I cannot give a hands-down verdict to the Ever Bilena Mousse Matte Foundation in Walnut, I can honestly say that it's not a complete waste of money. It's a good transition product or something to use in-the-meantime. I don't know if I will purchase this again because I'm quite happy with my BB Cream from Etude House. I'm not really much of a foundation user anyway. But whenever I need extra coverage, I can whip this out and rely on its decent performance.

If you're still curious, I suggest you visit an Ever Bilena counter or stall and try them out yourself first and see if it sits well with you. I'm not over the moon with this product, but I'm not completely disappointed either. At Php 75, I got more than I initially expected.

Check out how it looks on me. (All shots are done in natural lighting)

Eyes:

  ~ NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Lime from Digital Traincase

~ Maybelline VolumExpress Mascara

~ Etude House Oh M'Eyes Volume and Length Mascara

~ The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Tone Correcting Concealer in 01

~ Palladio Rice Concealer Stick

Face:

~ Myra Daily Sun Protect Moisturizer SPF 10

~ Ever Bilena Mousse Matte Foundation in Walnut

Cheeks:

~ Ever Bilena Mousse Blush in Cinnamon (contour)

~ 17 All About Nude Summer Palette Cream Blusher

Lips:

~ Forever 21 lip gloss

Please pardon the sabog hair. I haven't combed my hair yet. :))

Please pardon the messy background. :P
It's so hoooot inside the house!
The dirty kitchen/the garage seemed like the better-ventilated areas at home. :)

What's your latest cheap thrill? Have you tried this foundation yet? How was your experience? :)

Love,

SGT <3

Your Skin Smiles with Sunscreen

Summer is manifesting, rearing its hot and humid temperature and climate. With global warming and climate change meddling with the hotter-than-ever weather conditions and making it worse and all the more unbearable, we suffer... our skin suffers. So, with the sun on extra-strength mode, us girls need to take sun protection to a whole new level. I don't really like stepping out in broad daylight, particularly in the afternoon, as it is the most harmful for the skin. To give our precious skin (the largest organ in the human body) some much needed TLC when we're out and about, there is a wide range of options for sunscreen and/or sunblock.

It not only protects your skin from harmful radiation from the sun, it also helps lessen the chances of developing skin cancer. Now, you're probably thinking, isn't sunblock just for the beach? The answer is NO. It's important to slather on some sunscreen or sunblock whether you're stepping out into the sun or staying indoors at the office. Sunblock is not exactly affordable. Price range goes around Php 300 and up. However, is when your health and safety are at stake, it's best not to skimp out on this bare necessity.

I've been on the look out for a good multipurpose sunscreen and I think I found one in Myra Daily Sun Protect Facial Moisturizer. It's actually just for the face, but it's the face that gets most exposure to the sun so it's a good investment. You may want to check out other sunblock products for the rest of your body. I'll try to work on that next. ;)

Anyway, this sunblock doubles as a sunscreen and a facial moisturizer. After cleansing the face and using toner, I slough about a pea-size amount of this onto my face, then my pore minimizing gel and primer go on top of it. Even if I just stay indoors, I still use it because I'm in front of the computer a lot and that gives off a lot of radiation too.

An entire tube cost me a little over Php 100 (I forgot). For a two-in-one product, that's a pretty good deal, yeah?

It says on the packaging that it's gentle for everyday use. It has double sunscreen protection against UVA and UVB rays (I'll leave the research up to you), has SPF 15, enriched with Vitamin E and moisturizers, and is dermatologist-tested.

What I like about this moisturizer-slash-sunscreen is that it's creamy but not thick like the typical sunblock. It still has that white streak when you first put it on but your skin will eventually absorb it, just make sure to spread it evenly across your face. It packs just enough moisture for my combination skin, which can get dry and patchy in some areas, but doesn't get too oily. It also doesn't clog my pores or cause them to go into overdrive. I don't break out from using this moisturizer/sunscreen too. Putting makeup afterwards is no problem. It doesn't react with my foundation or anything else. It just stays there.

On the other hand, what I dislike about this is that its SPF is too low. If I intend to go out in the sun for a prolonged amount of time, I'm gonna need something stronger. If I'm not mistaken, SPF 30 is ideal. Don't even think about putting it on twice, because the SPF won't double. Ha ha! Kidding aside, if you're looking for an in-the-meantime sunscreen, this one is pretty cheap and a good kind to try. Again, it's only for the face so you're gonna have to buy a separate one for your arms and the rest of your body - that can be a con since you're going to spend more.

What other sunscreen products do you like? If you know of any good sunscreen and/or sunblock products, do let me know so I can give a try and recommend it to our other friends as well. ;)

Love,

SGT <3

Made for Moisture

The cold weather is here (quite late, no thanks to global warming!) and the cool breeze might just be our enemy. Dry skin is common this time o' the year, and nobody wants to step out looking like a piece of parched land, with cracks and all. That is why we all need to moisturize!

If there's one thing that I truly believe in when it comes to skin care, it's moisturizers. I have tried a few over the years but nothing has made me happier than the Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid. It's not exactly cheap (a bottle costs about $10, give or take) but it's definitely worth the splurge. Here's why:

• It's light and non-greasy.
• Doesn't clog my  pores
• It has a milky texture that goes on like a dream when applied
• Provides just the right amount of moisture
• Ideal for my combination skin
• (Plus) It helps diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

One bottle goes a loooong way!

Milky consistency. Goes on lightly.

I use it everyday after cleansing and toning my face; (on special days), right before priming it and applying foundation for when I put on makeup. I just squeeze out a pea-sized amount, rub it on my palms and gently massage it on to my face.

A runner-up is the Celeteque Facial Moisturizer. A 50 mL tube costs less than $4 in any drug store. This one was actually a gift for my mom and it came with a facial wash, a toner, and a travel kit. It has a clear, gel-like appearance but is actually very light and goes on smoothly upon application... very surprising indeed. It's actually great for oily and sensitive skin because:

• It's water-based.
• Oil-free
• Hypoallergenic
• Ideal for sensitive skin
• Not scented

Don't let the small packaging fool you. It's got a lot of product!

I hope you can see the consistency. It's a bit runny compared to the Olay moisturizer.

Then, there's an off-beat contender in the horizon. It's the Jergen's Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer (for medium skin tones). It has more than just moisturizing powers. It can also help "tan" you up, so I suggest using this for when summer comes. I actually am not a big fan of this moisturizer because I feel that it has a goopy consistency to it and it tends to amplify the oiliness of my T-zone area (as if that's not problematic enough). However, it does give that "dewy" summer glow that is ideal at the beach. This is definitely not for everyday, normal use. This is also a gift from an aunt in the US.

If you're on the pale side and if you're looking for a more natural glow  (than the kind that bronzers give), this might be the moisturizer for you.

See? I'm on the fence about its consistency. Looks a little lumpy. I like my moisturizer smooth and creamy.

What's your favorite moisturizer?

Love,

SGT <3

Human Nature Series: Hand and Foot Salve

Here we are. This is the start of a series of reviews on amazing Human Nature products. I've been a fan ever since I discovered their products online late last year. They've been around for quite a while and have attracted a large number of avid supporters. What's great about Human Nature is that they use locally-sourced organic ingredients, no harmful chemicals, and biodegradable materials in all their products. So when you buy any of their merchandise, you're not only helping your body by introducing natural products into it, but you're also aiding communities in the Philippines that grow the ingredients, and you're also helping the environment BIG TIME. Plus, they're CRUELTY-FREE, which is great for vegetarians like myself. It means that they do not perform animal testing.

They're much like The Body Shop, only way cheaper since they get their materials from within the Philippines, they won't have to pay a lot of taxes, eventually resulting to more budget-friendly prices! It's definitely a social enterprise worth advocating. To top it all off, they have high quality products that are sure to satisfy your cosmetic needs!

One of my most valuable purchases so far are these hand and foot salve which promises to heal and moisturize even the driest skin, particularly in your well, hands and feet! Trust me, it really works! Having had cracked skin on my feet is such a pain. It feels uncomfortable and even if I had a foot spa done, after a few weeks, it will come back to its original state. When I discovered this hand and foot salve, I did not have to worry about how dry my feet would be. I just slough it on at least twice a day and slowly, I noticed that my insanely tough heels became softer. Using it in your hands is great too! It will soften the dry skin near your nail area and give a pinkish-reddish glow to your palms after you've massaged them.

It comes in two yummy-smelling flavors!

This is the banana-carrot-bee propolis variant. It smells insanely delicious, you'll want to eat the whole pot! A pot costs about Php 140 ($3) and you'll be using it for a long time. 

Non-greasy formula!

It also comes in eucalyptus scent. Great for those who love a relaxing minty smell.

Same price. Same formulation.

If you don't have enough moolah for a trip to the nail and foot salon for a good scrub, just slap some o' these babies on to your rough-and-tough skin and in a few days, you'll notice that your skin grew softer. Plus you'll have saved up on those foot spa sessions! It's also very handy. You can take it anywhere. If you're a fan of hand lotion, this hand and foot salve comes in a non-greasy formulation so you won't have to worry about things slipping out of your hands. You'll just have touchable, softer, and smoother skin! Definitely worth a try.

On the flip side, it contains bee pollen. If you're allergic, you might want to steer clear from this product. But other than that, it contains no paraben, no preservatives, so there's no reason to doubt it 'cause it's organic. ;)

What's your favorite hand and foot moisturizer?

Love,

SGT <3

Beat the bum days!

I've been stuck at home for the past few weeks. Right now I'm waiting for things to go well so I can leave for Myanmar and work there. So yeah, I've been feeling a little drab since being at home means that I don't get to dress up, put some makeup on, and just have that extra oomph all throughout the day.

And so today I decided to do something about my misery. I prepped my face by cleansing, toning, moisturizing, then I sloughed on some concealer, wildly pink lipstick, and my trusty lip gloss. Check out the merch! (click photos for original sources)

Almost out of facial wash! You won't regret buying this. It really gets your skin clean, won't clog your pores, smells good, and it's downright affordable! (around Php 150 for a tube, Etude House)

I actually use the alcohol-free variant.

I swear by this moisturizer.

Got mine for a little less than Php 500 in Beauty Bar, Mall of Asia. I'm using  the Medium shade. Remember: Pat, don't rub!

This is from Ever Bilena. I love how gutsy its color is and how it doesn't contradict my morena complexion at all. I bet it goes even better on fairer skin! (around Php 150, local supermarkets and drugstores) It's kind of matte so it's best to prime your lips first with lip balm and finish off with lip gloss. ;)

Ooh-lala! I can't get enough of Forever 21 Cosmetics! They're so affordable and so adorable too! Got this one for around Php 150. It glides on like a dream and it's not too sticky, especially for Philippine weather. This is from their earlier batches of products sent here but now there are more shades and flavors to choose from. Go crazy! :)

So there you go. Who would've thought that a little pick-me-up no-makeup budge was what I needed to lift my spirits! And it didn't have to cost me a thousand pesos. I just used whatever I had lying around in my makeup and toiletries kit, and voila! A brand-new-outlook.

What's your favorite pick-me-up activity? :)

Love,

SGT <3