Review: Maybelline White SuperFresh

When was the last time you got well and truly pumped for a new product? With all the “innovations” coming in minuscule increments (hello, front camera “upgrades” from 0.3 megapixels to 1.2 megapixels), coupled with baldfaced marketing tactics that get old after the 15^th “best foundation EVER” of the season. There are so many empty promises being flung about that it's obviously going to take something special to convince us skeptical consumers, right?

Something like a live demo? A live demo you can actually try with your own hands? 

Yup, you guessed it; here’s a .gif of me shamelessly playing with the Maybelline White Superfresh in-store demo.

Brand X versus White SuperFresh

(And I obviously  don't have enough coordination to shoot this horizontally)

Review: V&M Naturals Bare it All Cream (Minty)

One of the shopping "rules" I always break is the one where you're not supposed to get something without trying out a tester or a sample pack, first. And when some (read: almost all) local brands don't provide testers, it gives off the impression that they don't trust that their product will appeal to anyone who isn't playing beauty roulette: Will this make me smooth, or will it make be break out in oozing hives?

But at the time I told myself "Hey, it's body cream, it's not like I'm going to pick out the wrong shade, right?" So here we are.

Price: 285 for 100g; 595 for 250g; P695 for 300

NOTD: OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI

Price: $165 HKD at Mannings HK

Human Heart Nature Heritage Oils Collection

I've always been curious about essential oils, since online health gurus keep going on about which oil can treat what kind of illness or help with anything from mosquitoes to migraines. So I was pretty excited when I found out that one of my favorite homegrown brands introduced their own line of essential oils which claim to do a lot, from improving concentration, to keeping away stray dogs and cats. Don't worry about having to memorize the benefits and uses for each, as each box contains a little cheat sheet on how to use the oil (I mostly use them for aromatherapy and as linen scents).

The best part is that these come with actual droppers, and not that little plastic nipple you usually find on teeny little bottles of aromatherapy oil, except for the orange oil, which has a roller ball.

Ingredients are caprylic/capric triglyceride + the essential oil. It's not 100% essential oil, which affects the longevity of the scent -- it's more of "scent of the moment" rather than "ambient room scent"

DIY: Repotting into an old eye shadow container

I cannot throw out anything cute. Polly Pocket pencil case from Kindergarten, tiny erasers from my 2nd grade back-to-school kit, a pen with a little crown that ran out of ink 3 months ago, an empty eye shadow container I'd used up 7 years ago, an old hamster that died of natural causes; all of these -- well, except for that last one, who we buried beside the duhat tree -- are still hidden in various drawers, pen holders, and piles of other more useful clutter, waiting for me to dig them up, briefly consider throwing them out, then put back in place, crammed between even more stuff that I can't throw out.

To justify all this hoarding, I refill these old containers. Travel-sized lotion and bath products are the easiest to justify keeping, since they often cost almost as much as the ones packaged the next size up. Pen bodies and eye shadow containers, are another thing, though, since it can take years of many failed attempts when things have to match up by the half-millimeter. (Thanks for discontinuing the refills of my multi-pen, Muji. Thanks a lot.)

Case in point: This eye shadow container from Skin Food that I got in 2008.

 How can you throw out something with all these cute golden curlicues?

So, inspired by a few depotting videos for universal makeup palettes, I dug this up and set out to give it new life.

NOTD: OPI It's Totally Fort Worth It

Price: P645 at Rustans

 

 

 

It's Totally Fort Worth It is from the 2011 Texas Collection. Limited edition.
(OPI usually has funny/witty names for their nail polishes but I just don't get this one -- somebody please explain in the comments) 

Review: Happy Skin Shut Up and Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippies in Hold My Hand and Bride-to-Be

Like every beauty rule I've imposed on myself, I've broken my No Limited Edition Lipstick rule. It's heartbreaking when your favorite fragrance or nail polish gets discontinued, as a cruel reminder na #WalangForever (that there is no forever). But unlike your favorite ballpen that you can tuck away by the box for years, lipsticks will go bad.

But, like the sucker that I am, I caved because of the witty name and the cute packaging

 P599 each for 2.7g; P999 for the pair
Made in Taiwan

According to Happy Skin:
"This lippie offers three-fold "lip service": the shine of a gloss, the pigment of a lipstick, and hydration of a balm! Spoil yourself with Shea Butter & Collagen to keep your lips in lip-lockin' shape!"

Quite a lot of promises to live up to. Review and swatches after the jump!

Review: Pantene Pro-V 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner

Any product that is advertised as a "zOMg super bestseller evar!!!! <3 <3" at the exact moment it hits the shelves gets an adequate amount of side-eye from me. It's about as believable as a "bestseller's" list of a new restaurant on soft opening.

That said, I wasn't terribly excited to try Pantene Pro-V's new 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner. But when your chemically-murdered waist-length hair costs you enough conditioner to make you reconsider your life choices, you'll find yourself skeptically putting every new product on your shower rack, hyperbolic promises and all.

Price: around P57.00 for 100ml
Sample from BDJ.com