Finally after much contemplation, I have finally decided to try Snow Skin Whitening Lotion. I have constantly seen testimonies of satisfied users in my fb newsfeed but the price of this lotion was a turn off. It was pricey at P799. I wasn't very willing to spend that much for a whitening product because I was a skeptic. I had no real success with whitening products in the past so I was reluctant to buy Snow as I am afraid it might not work.

Snow Skin Whitening Lotion - PhP 799.00

However, after I noticed that my rejuvenating set had worked wonders in my face's skin tone for 3 months, I have decided that it was about time to take my journey to fairer skin up a notch. And so finally after trying on 2 different lotions (Block & White and Belo) which I didn't notice drastic results over the period of 3 months, I decided to give Snow Whitening Lotion a try.

MY THOUGHTS AFTER ONE MONTH OF RELIGIOUSLY USING THIS PRODUCT:

• The packaging is beautiful. All the needed information was found on both the box and the lotion bottle itself. There was also an added info on the box that looked like research/study results on the product. I didn't read that anymore (lolz). The bottle was sealed and I loved the cute "paandar" on the seal.

• The airless technology of the pump was very nice because, from what I understood, a disk at the bottom of the bottle will push the products up every time you use the pump to dispense the lotion. So it would be super sulit because all products would be dispensed up to the last drop. However, I had a little bit of a struggle on the first time using the lotion as the pump won't dispense the product immediately. I had to keep pressing a number of times to get the product out but once the product was dispensed, I had not experience the same problem anymore.

• The product was very potent/thick and wasn't runny. It wasn't sticky either and it applied smoothly. It was easily absorbed by the skin. There was a little greasy feeling (especially when applied right after shower when your skin was still pretty moist) but once the product was fully absorbed by the skin, the greasy feeling was gone. My skin felt supple and moisturized after application.

Formulation is so potent that it did not drop even if I tried to shake it off a few times

Left: Snow Skin Whitening Lotion / Right: Belo Lotion

• There was a nice subtle smell that lingered after application but fades after a few minutes. I'm not so sure but I think it smelled floral.

• I had not encountered any allergic reactions with this product. However, I cannot vouch for other users. Better be safe by doing a patch test.

• Price wise and effectivity, I was pretty disappointed. This product is pricey at P799. I wouldn't have minded the price had it met my expectations. Of course, with this price point I would expect that it would work wonders with my morena skin. However, it didn't meet my expectations. I religiously used this product for one month (twice daily) but I didn't see that my skin had improved a lot. I went to the beach 4 days after I started using this product and I had a tan line on my legs.

•  In a month's use, it somehow lightened the tan on my legs but the tan line was still pretty obvious because my upper leg that wasn't exposed to the sun was way lighter. It was a disappointment because I had read a review from one famous beauty blogger that she was able to get her tanned lines to disappear and she was able to have pantay skin in just 2 weeks. Maybe it would be different with each person's experience but I'm still disappointed as it had already been a month and still no great results. 

• The only consolation for this product was I liked that a small amount of lotion was enough to cover an entire arm. I used 2 pumps on each arm and 4 pumps on each leg. I didn't use this on other parts of my body since all other parts of my body that were covered with clothes were already lighter than my arms and legs. This product would have been really sulit if it only met my expectations.

Overall, I am really disappointed with this lotion as it hadn't met my expectations at all. I was really eyeing this product for so long because of so many positive feedback it was getting from famous and established beauty bloggers. However, it failed in making my skin lighter.

As I said, I wouldn't have minded the price if it only delivered its promise of lighter skin. I wouldn't repurchase this product and I would be in search again of another whitening lotion. As of this writing, I am contemplating on trying the Kojie San lotion again as I've had a previous experience with it in the past. That time I wasn't serious in making my skin lighter and I wasn't religiously using it. I hope I could find my perfect match in skin lightening.

Have you used whitening lotions too? Do you have recommendations for me? Please do tell in the comments box below. Thanks for reading. :)

My sister was recently beginning to obsess herself with Korean skin care products because she was so fussy about her pores and dark under eyes. She bought some sample sizes from this Korean bazaar and since then she had been wanting to buy the regular sizes.

She was eyeing the Etude House Wonder Pore toner but it costs more than P500 at their store and she wasn't so keen spending that much for a toner. She was also wanting to buy Innisfree Jeju Volcanic facial wash but we had no idea where we could find that here in Davao. Another one she wanted to try was the Tony Moly Panda Eye Cream for her dark under eyes.

Then I had read a while back about this Korean online shop that offered a wide range of Korean skin care and cosmetic products that were shipped directly from South Korea. This online shop was called Althea. It offered products from skin care (face and body), hair care, cosmetics, etc.

So I thought of gifting my sister with her Korean skin care wishlist. I had been wanting to try ordering from Althea too but was discouraged with the lack of flexible payment options and expensive shipping fee. Finally the opportunity to make my first Althea purchase came when I received a newsletter from the site which stated they already offered COD and free shipping with a minimum purchase of P999 (check out more here).






So finally I ordered her wishlist and also placed some of my own personal orders on the website. And I also happen to receive a coupon code Buy 3 Free 1. Since my purchase was more than 3, I was able to get a discount. The cheapest price on my cart was deducted from the total bill. And since my purchase reached P2000+ I was able to avail the free shipping.

However, when I checked out, the COD option for payment was not available. I read their FAQ and found out that COD was only available for purchases UP TO P2000. Since mine was more than 2000, I couldn't choose the COD option.

To remedy this, I told my sister to create an account with Althea and we would split our orders. So we were able to purchase 4 products each and our purchases reached P1000+ so aside from availing of the free shipping fee, I was also able to snag the Buy 3 Free 1 discount.

My Althea Haul

My sister's Althea Haul

My sister and I placed our orders on December 8 (after midnight) and we immediately received a confirmation that our orders were being processed. By noon of the same day, my order was already picked up from the Althea store and later it was already processed at Incheon Airport. Two days later our package arrived at NAIA. Another two days later and our orders were already picked up by the local shipper and were being sorted. Then on December 14, our orders arrived on our doorstep.

I couldn't be more satisfied with the very fast and easy transaction. Plus I loved the packaging. They also included a coupon which I could use for future purchases. The coupon would expire on February 2018.



Here were the actual items we purchased and I couldn't wait to make my next purchase. I would probably buy lots of facial masks!!! :)

Before the wedding I was already having problematic skin: pimple breakouts plus dark spots all thanks to pre-wedding stress. Then, after the wedding we went on an island hopping spree. So when I got back home a week after the wedding, I was super duper tanned in the face because I wore rashguard. So my face took all the damage.

Immediately I asked my sister-in-law what products she used to maintain her fair skin (trust me it does work because back in high school she had morena skin and now she was very fair). She sold me a whitening starter pack. I really don't know what the name of the product because it didn't have a brand.

Kojic Soap

Kojic Soap (sorry forgot to take a pic before I sliced a portion of it)

Toner

Day Cream (starter pack size. Already emptied this one)

The starter pack (small toner, small day and night cream and small soap) retails for P500. While the regular size kojic soap costs P100 and the medium size toner and creams costs P450 each. It was pretty pricey but it was worth it (in my opinion) because it worked for me.

The instruction that came with the starter pack stated to cleanse using the kojic soap, then use the toner, and lastly the cream.

My sister-in-law said that the day cream was the one that was whitening and the night cream was for pimple prevention.

Super tanned (as in sunog) skin after our Iloilo trip

1 Month of using the rejuvenating set

So after a month of using the rejuvenating set, I have seen super great results and that wass even if I wasn't religiously applying the cream (because we just moved out and I don't have much time to prep for work). I will definitely repurchase and continue to use these products. It's super effective for me.



After 3 months of religiously using the rejuvenating set here is how my skin looks like. My skin is so much lighter now compared to my previous skin tone. See pics below...

(I had pimples two weeks ago because I just had my period)..

3 Months of religiously using the set and my skin had completely improved!

I am just so addicted to lipsticks or lip tints or lip stains, whatever you call them. As of this writing, I have 11 lipsticks/lip tints. Yes, I am beginning to become a lipstick hoarder, and I am planning to buy more! :)

Anyway, I'll be talking about my Pink Sugar Tints in Queen Bee and Red Rouge shades.

I first had my hands on Pink Sugar Tint last year. I had ran out of my then favorite lip cream from Sooper Beaute and they already phased out that particular product so I was on the search for a replacement for my lip cream staple.

I was at SM Lanang department store when the colorful display of Pink Sugar Tints caught my eyes. Back then, the nude color trend hadn't invaded the makeup industry yet. I was just looking for a shade that was similar to my pink lip cream then. So I swatched the first batch of Pink Sugar Tints on my arm and I fell in love with the Red Rouge shade. It wasn't too red and wasn't too pink either.

Red Rouge

With flash

Without flash

No flash. Natural light (facing window)

With flash (facing window)

With flash (window behind me)

What I loved about this tint was it's pigmentation. It was very pigmented and a little product goes a long way. However, I had a love-hate relationship with this tint because the formulation was a little disappointing. This tint was pretty thick and difficult to apply because it dries too fast. Also, I found that it tends to be patchy and "namumuo" when I apply lip balm before or after application. It was also drying my lips.

I happen to read similar bad experiences from different bloggers who reviewed the first batch of tints released by Pink Sugar. So I guess it was really their formulation.



Then I learned that Pink Sugar released new shades and it was mostly nude colors. I was ecstatic but also a little weary. I was concerned about the formulation. So I read reviews first and looked for swatches to know which ones I'd like to purchase.

Then I was convinced that Pink Sugar improved their formulation and beauty bloggers were loving their new releases. So I went ahead and got one for myself.

Queen Bee

I bought the Queen Bee shade and I was in love with it. I love that it was creamier in formulation and it was easier to apply. Glides smoothly on my lips and no more prep needed. It's not patchy and no more "pamumuo" of the product. Also, it wasn't drying my lips. It's quick drying but it's totally an improved formula from the first one I bought. It has a true matte finish. It was also transfer proof with minimal drinking and eating. It does fade but it fades evenly and leaves a tint of color. This is my favorite lip product among my collection.

With flash

Without flash

With flash (facing window)

Without flash. Natural light (facing window)

Pink Sugar did a really great job at improving the formulation. They were also consistent with the pigmentation. I just loved this newer version of the Pink Sugar Tints.

The only drawback for me was the price. I'm a cheapskate and P349 was already pretty expensive for me but I would still repurchase when I ran out of this tint. I'd probably get another shade if the budget permits. :)

Another lip product that was a resident in my bag was the Bench Paintbox Lip Crayon.

From top to bottom: Brick Red and Pink Passion

I discovered this product by accident while I was searching the internet for Maybelline Lip Crayons. I didn't even know that Bench had a makeup line. I thought they only sold perfumes and lotions.

Anyway, I didn't see that many reviews about the lip crayons but the ones I read had nice things to say about this product. Also the price was really what convinced me to buy one.

Brick Red swatch with Flash

Brick Red swatch without Flash

No Flash. Natural Light (facing the window)

No Flash. Natural Light (window behind me)

With Flash (window behind me)

With Flash (facing the window)

Pink Passion swatch with flash

Pink Passion swatch without flash

No flash. Natural light (window behind me)

With Flash (window behind me)

With flash (facing window)

Likes:
- Creamy and easy to apply
- Very pigmented
- lightweight on the lips
- affordable (P159 only)
- leaves a tint of color after fading

Dislikes:
- Not transfer-proof
- smells like crayola
- no free sharpener (and Bench doesn't sell jumbo sharpeners)
- limited colors (only four colors available)