Nivea Sparkling White Acne Oil Control

It’s already been a few good months since I started using Nivea’s Sparkling White Acne oil control cleanser and I must say that this is one of the products that I would really swear by and probably use for the rest of my life! And I’m not even exaggerating when I said that, lol. It’s that good! 

During the first two weeks, I used it interchangeably along with my old cleanser which is Etude House’s Happy Teatime in Lemon (for oily skin) just so my face would adjust to the new cleanser. I’m not sure whether what I did was wrong or not but I just felt like doing it that way. I got a few pimples then and I was wondering whether using Nivea’s cleanser was a bad thing, but I still used it since it would be such a waste not to, I mean its new and I felt like I should give it a fair try before giving up. One thing I loved about it the most was the smell. It was floral and I really loved smelling it while washing my face <3. Good thing tough that I continued using it because as days passed by I noticed how my skin got less oily especially my T-zone. Most days (right now) I don’t even use a powder anymore. I still do get oily but that would be like after about 6 hours or so? And not even as oily like how I would be before. I still get a few pimples from time to time especially when THAT time of the month comes, or from some new facial product I used or probably stress, but it’s considerably lesser from the amount of pimples I got before. This may sound really biased but I don’t have anything negative to say about this product. I’m not being paid by Nivea to praise their product by the way, just so you know, I just seriously like this product so much! :D

It’s really affordable too! Only P125 for 100g and I’m still on my first tube as of right now, it doesn’t run out fast~ :D, and i think the one in 50g is only P50. One thing though, I found that this product was a bit hard to find? I didn’t find it in a lot of shops/ drugstore while I was looking for it but finally found one at SM Fairview’s dept store, at the Watson area to be specific. It wasn’t available on Mercury drug, Landmark, Ever, and also at the separate Watson store at SM Fairview and SM North.. orz.. 

Nature Republic's Flower waltz Nail Polish Remover

I decided to review my Nature Republic’s  Flower Waltz Nail Polish remover, just so I could fill in my 15 posts requirement to myself per month (orz, very honest aren’t i? XD).This nail polish remover was again part of the things I bought from NR way back last year. I didn’t get to try it much since I’m not really into using nail polish a lot, but I bought it just so I’d have something to use whenever I do use a nail polish and because I don’t like using the over the counter acetone sold in most drugstores because they make my nails dry and leaves this white stuff off.

It comes in a 100 ml bottle and is priced for only P64.00. This is pink as you can see and smells floral. I think they have another variant that comes in orange, I forgot the name, but that one smells fruity instead.

I used these NR polishes for this review. The pink one is a basecoat. I don’t know the exact name for the silver one because I can’t find the name/number on the bottle. So maybe this is the only silver polish they probably produce? I have no idea.

I applied both the basecoat and 2 coats of the silver polish, no top coat though because I can’t open it for some reason, and put some of the nail polish remover on a small piece of cotton. I let the nail polish dry so its a bit harder.

Put the cotton over my nail, pressed it a bit then waited for a few seconds.

Lifted it~ and almost everything came off except for the tiny glitters that came with the nail polish~

New phone~ /Alcatel OT-813D

I bought a new phone a week ago~ <3 Its ALCATEL One Touch 813D. I was never interested in Alcatel phones before, but I was really intrigued when first saw this phone from my friend Angeli during the ZE:A mall tour and I immediately liked it when I learned that it’s a touch and type phone that supports the use of dual sim as well! :D I had been looking for a nice looking dual sim phone before, since my other phone broke and I always feel so lazy charging two phones, so seeing this phone was like a godsend to me~ I researched about it when I got home and saw that the price was only Php 3,399.00! Really affordable for a phone that supports wi-fi plus other awesome features :D.

The box as you can see at the picture above doesn’t look like the typical box that usually cases a phone because in here we can actually see and inspect the unit without having to open the box. It makes it more interesting and I guess time saving as well especially on the part of the seller, haha. The phone comes in 5 colors and obviously I got the red one, because the other colors aren’t available then. I would have picked the purple one if I got a choice because Angie’s phone is also red.

Anyway so inside this tiny box were the phone of course, a manual, warranty and the usual accessories. I never would’ve thought that all the accessories would fit inside this especially when it looks so small and as if the phone had occupied all the space. 

Not really a fan of qwerty phones, but its tolerable *shrug*. The cover has a velvety feel

and not glossy so I wont have to worry about making any finger marks on it.

I don’t like that the manual/guide comes in this folded paper thingy, I mean a booklet would’ve been better! And it doesn’t really cover everything there is to know about the phone. I researched about the phone’s guide on the net and found one on Alcatel’s website and I think there were almost a hundred pages in that pdf? Come on alcatel, print it in a booklet type why don’t you? 

Intrested? You might also want to check the specs of this phone here, and there’s one on Alcatel’s webpage too. And here’s a video of the unboxing of this phone (below). There were a few things that I didn’t like about this phone, like its…

•  lack of games (THERE IS NO GAME ON THE PHONE, but you can download some on the internet)
•  lack of settings for just about anything about it that I would’ve wanted to change (I think….)  
• it only reads .txt and .pdb files for ebooks (doesn’t most ebook comes in .pdf and .lit files?) plus I have no idea how to put the ebook there without having to go on the internet on my phone first
•  it doesn’t play the music continuously (or maybe I’m just not that familiar with it yet) and I have to play the song first for it to be put on my ‘playlist ’ and not just add it there randomly
•  it won’t view ‘too large’ pictures that my other phone can view just fine
• the pictures it takes are just too LQ for a 2mp, compared to my other phone which is also 2mp. Everything just looks so gray and dull, changing the settings doesn’t even help.
• the micro sd is placed at the back part before the battery, so I have to turn the phone off everytime I have to take it off and use my other one..

Just that and a bunch of other minor stuff no one really needs to know.

You might think that I probably regret buying this phone with all the negative stuff I listed, but no, I just love to complain is all. I still think that its pro’s outweighs the cons no matter what and the things I don’t like about it isn’t really that important anyway. 

And oh, btw I forgot to mention that its battery will last up to 3 days with standard use (up to 4 days in my case) but probably less than a day with the wi-fi and bluetooth open, and of course with heavy usage (audios, videos and games). Uhmm, I guess that’s it, I don’t know what else to say. Feel free to ask me if you have questions J, I’ll do my best to answer it as long as I can. 

Maundy Thursday

A few days ago I eventually got around to watching Maundy Thursday. I first posted about it a few months ago when i was reading Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan. I was supposed to watch it then but you know how lazy i can sometimes get, lol.. plus I have no more space on my lappy and my HD was broken *EXCUSESEXCUSESEXCUSES* so i never got around to downloading it in the first place~ :/ booo~. Good thing i found it uploaded on Youtube (yay! for the awesome uploader~) uploaded in a bunch of parts (who was i to complain? hahaha). Anyway so after watching the movie i became a fan of not only Lee Na-Young, i had always been her fan to begin with, but of Kang Dong-Won as well! I mean I've seen some of his movies before, but never actually noticed him nor liked him all that much.. i was probably blind then to not see what a precious specie he really was :P Joowon really does look like him too! <3 and get this, we share the same birthdate!! *dies*~~ hehe..

Okay enough fangirling, lol.. first off i wanted to share the links i found on Youtube for those who wants to watch the movie as well :D

My first contact lens ever! / EOS Puffy 3 tone Hazel

I had always wanted to try wearing contact lens but i was forever afraid to cause i have something against putting anything in my eye :/. But last week i eventually worked up the courage to buy one for myself (i actually had my friend order for the both of us because the mailman can't seem to find our house all the time). We bought from Japanese Candy because they were having a promo on their on hand contacts, buy 1 take 1 for Php700, and they seem legit seeing how Tricia and Crissey didn't really experience any weird effects on their sponsored lenses.

Anyway so last Saturday my friend received the package and i got my pair from her the day after. I think we ordered it on about Tuesday or Wednesday? Then she sent the money the day after.. the transaction went smoothly in my opinion and the shipping was pretty fast too and the items were packaged very well. The only complaint i have with them was that they didn't include the 80 ml solution that was suppose to be free if you buy 2 pairs of contacts plus they dont really answer your questions well, i mean if you ask them 3 questions in one message they would answer 1 then you ask them the 2 questions again then they would just answer only one question AGAIN.. (was that confusing? XD) and that itself was really annoying if you ask me, but other than that everything was okay.

I didn't get to take a picture of the whole package but as you can see here

 the lens were neatly packed in bubble wrap. Safe for shipping~ <3 

How the lens look inside the bottle~ pretty~ :33 

I got mine in plano :) and i chose brown so that it'd look natural on me :P

So to start it off i read Pinky Paradise's guide on how to wear and care for the lenses because i seriously had no idea seeing that this is my first time. Their guide was pretty informative and has directions for just about anything concerning the lens. I also watched a bunch of videos from Youtube just so i can see how it was really done on actual and not just read about it. :) Everything was really helpful but i still had a hard time putting these in. I think it took me about 3 hours? (i didn't even exaggerate.. >__>) I was so annoyed that i can't get them inside that i was almost close to giving up. Well, good thing i didn't because it eventually paid off. *sigh of relief* HAHAHA---> too happy XD

This is how they look without flash..

With flash~ still pretty natural right?

ENLARGEMENT- below is a comparison of with and without. It does enlarge the eyes as you can see~ I almost didn't recognize myself when i looked in the mirror~ XD *ignorant first timer* LOL.. This lens is 14.5mm btw :)

COMFORT- Id say that these were pretty comfortable to wear, but it does take a bit of getting used to. During the first few minutes i had that feeling that there's something inside my eye and a bit prickly too, but it eventually wore off and it wasn't painful as i thought it would be. I haven't tried wearing it for more than an hour yet so i'm not sure how long i can wear this before i feel any discomfort (because i was afraid that it'd get dry and stuff, and im not sure if i can use my multipurpose sol'n as lubricant or if i do have to buy a lubricant.. *rant rant rant* :P)

DESIGN- It looks really natural :) but they were pretty obvious seeing how my eyes looked bigger than normal.

It also came with a free lens case btw :)

Overall, im really happy that i got these as my first lens! :) I'll try to wear them a lot more so i'd get used to them. Hopefully it won't be so hard for me to put them in the next time i try. Sorry this post got so long~ :)

Human heart Nature's Sunflower oil

A few months ago i came upon a post about Human heart nature's Sunflower Beauty oil and got intrigued by it so i went off and bought myself one. I didn't think that these were sold on the malls here except in some and to save myself the travel and difficulty in trying to find it myself i bought it online. Its available in Human Heart Nature's online store if you guys also wanna buy :). 

Human Heart Nature is a local brand that utilizes organic and natural raw materials/ingredients that are also locally available. They're owned by Gandang Kalikasan a company whose principles are Pro-Philippines, Pro-Poor and Pro-Environment. Seeing the good intentions of the company makes me want to support them more :). Their products are locally manufactured and are also exported to the US.

Anyway so, their sunflower oil had this description:

"Radiant, soft skin touched by the sun! Our premium, cosmetic-grade Sunflower Beauty oil is packed with vitamins A, D & E to help fight wrinkles and naturally protect skin from infections and irritants. Best applied to the sensitive under-eye area. Many customers, including our Global Ambassador, Hollywood actress Rachel Grant, use this a make-up remover too. And due to Sunflower oil's properties, it can also help lighten dark circles under eyes and even stretch marks with daily use! A final tip - Rachel Grant likes to take a drop of it, rub it all over her palms then run her hands through her hair to add healthy-looking shine and vigor to her hair every morning. Is there anything our Beauty Oil can't do?!"

It is purely made of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil and no harsh synthetic chemicals included. It had  received plenty of good reviews/ testimonials in the site that's why i was so eager to buy it when i learned about it. I know its been a few months since i've bought it but to tell you the truth i only religiously used it for a less than a month, then used it lesser and lesser after. I use it when i notice its there, not because i didn't like it or anything but just because i forget it is there most of the time *fail*. 

I never experienced any allergic reactions while using it and i've noticed that it does help in making the skin smooth if you use it on rough areas like the elbows and knees for example. I also use it as make up remover from time to time. All i can say is that it does its job but not in the whitening part. It didn't really lessen/ whitened my blemishes and also some parts of my body that i wanted to lighten. A lot of people who reviewed it would swear by its whitening properties, but i guess it does just doesn't work on me. Oh well, its different for everybody anyway and i shouldve tried it for more than a month or so if i wanted solid result.

Okay so as i said before this is available at HHN's webstore. It was in its old price of 129.75 when i bought it, but it seems that they're having a promo this month so they lessened the price (its now 119.75). Go buy it there now if you wanna avail of the promo :). The shipping was only Php 40.oo (locally of course) and it came nicely packed it a box when i got it, I forgot to take a picture of it though.

I'll try to use it more whenever i can.. ^^

Nature Republic's Tea Tree Mask Sheet

I went to Nature Republic for the first time last month and sadly that has been the only time i've been there. That may have been due to the fact that the products i purchased from last time are still left untouched. I am so lazy that i never bothered to even open the boxes much less to try them (yes, even the nail polishes!). So tonight as i spot a few pimples on my face i decided to try the Tea Tree Mask Sheet since it was suppose to help prevent and dry out pimples and all. I don't really do reviews and its not like i have hoards of readers reading this blog (i probably don't even have one except for myself) and so i intend this all to be for my own personal information, but feel free to read through everything.

This mask sheet was one of the Given by Nature series of NR's face mask line. Given by nature has tons of different masks to choose from, there's about 9-10 if i'm correct, all of which are nature/ plant based. This certain mask costs about Php65, pretty cheap compared to the other masks and perfect for use twice in a week.

Here's the list for the other Given by Nature line masks and its benefits. And according to this, Tea tree's benefit was to keep the skin smooth and blemish free.

Instructions on how to use the mask, well basically you just stick it on your face after opening the package, but do make sure to clean/ wash your face prior to this (click the picture for a larger view), and let it sit there for about 10-15 minutes. Ingredients were written in the back of the package as well. I was glad to find that it was written in English because this is a Korean brand as you know. Its such a relief that i can understand something out of all the Korean stuff that's written in there, makes me feel a lot comfortable about using it i guess. And besides that was a good move since they're going international after all. 

This is how it looks on me after i wore it (forget about the eyes and lips, i wasn't ready to show the world my not so glorious face just yet LOL *shy*). The mask itself was pretty thin and was sticking to me like a second skin when i put it on. The material it was made from easily ripped though when i tried to really rip it (yeah it was intentional~) but that wasn't such a bad thing, its not like its reusable and at least it would easily be recycled. It held on like the good mask that it was til the end anyway. 

The mask didn't have such a good fit on me though, but i understand that it was because it was standard for all the shape of face that one can think of. It was still good nevertheless and it was big enough to modify to fit your face anyway, that's why i ripped it in the first place.

It has a barely there scent, of tea tree perhaps or whatever, which was a good thing because it makes the mask even more tolerable to wear (not that it isn't). I even tried smelling the inside of the package itself because i was wondering whether they put any scent on it, it was that mild! 

I didn't really like the feeling that it gave me after i took it off. You know the feeling of having a slime off your face but you're not suppose to take it off? I had really wanted to wash my face after but endured for a few minutes then just proceeded to wipe it off (the better option than washing and take off all the good products) because it was taking too long to dry and i hate the icky feeling. My face felt better after, smooth even! A bit on the oily side though but we all know it wasn't really oil, but the tea tree solution (it does feel a bit that way though). Didn't find major changes like having all my pimples gone and stuff but what do you expect? It doesn't work that way.. LOL..

PROs:

• its cheap
• its tea tree~ who doesn't like tea tree right?
• the mask is thin (but it holds all the tea tree goodness nevertheless) 
• very mild scent
• comfortable to wear
• English instructions at the back
• leaves the face feeling smooth

CONs:

• icky feeling after taking it off, people who uses masks regularly probably go through this all the time.

WOULD  I REPURCHASE?

Probably, if i weren't too lazy. 

You must know that i categorize the 'would i repurchase' part as: 

• Something i would get in a heartbeat. (Pretty understandable right?)
• Probably, if i weren't too lazy (Which means that i like it, but not enough to make me want to buy it for all eternity. Would repurchase only if i feel like it.)
• Ugh, NO. (Yeah you get the point..)