The scarlet letter from Pond's

When I was little I used to love all the packages I got in the mail and I loved to open them. Now that I'm older, I don't get so many packages anymore so when I saw this one at my front door, I was excited. At first I had no idea what it was because I didn't notice the "Pond's" logo at the front of the letter. I do apologize for not having posted anything lately, because I've been so busy with work BUT I'm back with a vengeance!

I opened the letter and I was surprised to see who it was from. I already made a post about this previously here, but it had already been like a month or even more so I forgot all about it. For some reason, I so loved that they actually wrote down my name and address (I blurred that out of course :) rather than printing the address on a piece of paper and paste it on the envelope. Kudos for that Pond's!

This is the front page of a little booklet that came with the letter. Again, handwritten. I love it! :)

So here is the content of the booklet. It represents products that you can use from the Pond's Age Miracle Line. Personally, I don't have any skin problems right now except for some wrinkles but I'm sure glad to receive freebies to use and try. Who wouldn't. :)

A leaflet that was included as well. Here it states that if you buy Pond's Age Miracle or Gold Radiance worth P500 = 1 raffle ticket or P1000 = 3 raffle tickets at Watson's, you get the chance to win a designer bag. So, for all you fellow Pond's users out there, I guess the chance is now to grab another Pond's item. Who knows, you might actually get the designer bag too!

And finally, the goodies. You might be thinking that these are plainly just the sachets that you get from the magazines and wherever but I got 5 of them and I'm not one to really lather it all on my face. I just use a little or enough so I know this will definitely last a month for me. What they are you say? It's the Pond's Age Miracle Cell ReGEN DAy Cream SPF 15 PA++ for normal/dry skin. Perfect! 

So to just summarize everything, the simple scarlet letter made my day. It didn't contain gold nor was it a love letter but I liked the thought of it. It definitely managed to bring out a smile on my face.

I'm all Pond's! Always have and always will be.

Makeup 101: Clean Canvass

Braze yourself for my longest post. EVER. 

Before applying the actual makeup, it is best to figure out what skin type you have: oily, dry, combination, sensitive or normal. One should also make sure to have a clean face before adding on makeup so you won't clog the pores and prevent blackheads, whiteheads and God knows what more. :o

Below is just a general guideline on how to take care of your skin. I'll suggest only a few affordable products that I've tried myself and have worked for me. Do try several products yourself to see what suits your skin type the best. We all react differently to products.

Acne prone skin

For this skin type, I can't really have a say on this as I have never experienced this personally. Rather than referring you to a professional, I'd like to refer you to someone who has had a first hand experience with acne. I have found the most extensive read that you can find on the Internet locally, and if you click on this link, Donya Poorita, I'm sure that it will help you girls/boys out when it comes to your skin. 

Based on rave reviews, I'd like to recommend Clinique Clarifying Lotion 4 as a moisturizer as it really prevents acne from occurring.

Oily

You have an oily face if you wake up in the morning and your face is rather shiny.

Do exfoliate on a general basis and use a facial scrub. I do recommend St. Ives Apricot Scrub and personally I this every other day. It makes my skin smooth and clear.

The best toners for oily skin are those with alcohol in them and has Salicylic acid. Some brands that I have tried are Neutrogena, Celeteque, Pond's Acne toner (my fave) or Godiva.When I used these products I could easily see on the cotton pad that the toners really stripped my face of all the grime even after wash and they would really lessen my pimples.

Moisturizers to go for would be those that are oil-free. On the local shore for me would be Pond's facial cream (it really makes my skin matte), Clinique Acne Solutions Clearing Moisturiser and Cetaphil DermaControl Moisturizer. The one I get the most is from Pond's but the one from Clinique is really good too.

Dry

If your skin is tight and sensitive after wash, before applying moisturizer that is, you have dry skin. Should you have red patches on your skin do remember to drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated as these are signs you lack water. Bottoms up!

Do use a cleanser that does not dry your skin and keeps it moisturized. You can try using the Neutrogena Facial Deep Clean Facial Cleanser. This did not dry out my skin and kept it moisturized, but since I have combination skin, this one would suit dry skin better.

The thing with dry skin is that it might be too sensitive for a toner. There was even a time that my skin could not handle a toner and it felt as if my skin was burning up. Should you still choose to use one, get the Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner at a whooping prize of Php 55 at Healthy Options. Beat that! Best to transfer the contents to a different container. You'll know why when you buy it. Another product to try out is the Physiogel Cleanser. It isn't harsh and it takes away the grime.

Pond's Cold cream or Olay Total effects are your best friends. A cream is the way to go if you want your face to be less dry. It feels cold on the face when you apply it. I used to use these before when I was living in Norway because I had dry skin back then due to the cold weather. They worked wonders on my skin.

Combination

For combination skin it is best to use gel or foam cleansers that will cleanse your skin but not make it dry out at the same time. A good cleanser I've tried is the Cetaphil Cleanser but a personal favorite of mine is still the Pond's Clear Balance Line. It never fails.

As for oily skin, it is good to remember to exfoliate as well to prevent product build up and pimple causing bacteria. Products to keep in mind are ST. Ives Apricot Scrub Cleanser and Netrogena Deep Clean Daily Scrub.

Tone afterwards still as there always is grime left even after cleansing and even for combination skin, it is still best to stick to the routine. Do try out the Pond's Facial Cream, Clinique Lotion No 4 and the Celeteque Moisturizer.

Sensitive

 When I had sensitive skin, I always thought it was really difficult to find anything that wouldn't irritate my skin. I did though come to the solution that any mild cream would calm my skin down. Eventually my sensitive skin would go away. Cleansers to take note of are Liguid Neutrogena mild cleanser, Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser, Cetaphil Gentle Antibacterial Gentle Cleansing bar and also the Physiogel Cleanser.

Of course like the ones above, even sensitive skin has to tone but sometimes if you feel like not toning and you think it will set your skin on haywire, just drop it and go directly for the moisturizer. Use the Dickinson's Hazel Witch Toner as it is mild on your skin. Another option is the Human Nature Nourishing Facial toner.

For moisturizing, do go for Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer for sensitive skin. Keep in mind that yo have to choose a moisturizer that is not cream based but use a light water based that doesn't include any greasy ingredients.

Normal

If your skin is not too dry nor too oily, then you have normal skin.

Luckily for the normal skin type, you have a wider range of what products to buy so you can just do trial and error. Items for you are as follows, Dove beauty moisture facial cleanser, Neutrogena Deep Clean facial cleanser, Cetaphil Cleanser and the list goes on. Lucky you. :)

Most toners and moisturizers will do really. Just go for the normal skin products to be safe as skin also changes according to the weather, stress and other factors too.

A few last words no matter what skin type

• Do remember to keep yourself hydrated at any cost.
• Use products with SPF. 
• Don't sleep with makeup on.
• Stick to your skin care routine: cleanse, tone and moisturize.
• Use a maske once a week to add to your beauty routine. I love the selection they have on affordable masks on Watsons. Don't forget to add the cucumber eyepads for a cooling effect for your eyes!
• Do make sure to get enough Beauty sleep as most of the times when people have less sleep, the skin tends to breakout more.
• Stick to a well balanced diet and don't forget to add on the greens for better skin.
• Eat less junk food.

Personally, I've just added more ater to my daily routine and less junkfood as I've chosen to go the healthier way. I am and will forever be a foodie. It is certainly hard, but I'm also stubborn and goal oriented.

'til next time.

Makeup 101: Back to basics

I've got a request on how to do basic makeup. First, I'll start with this post which will practically be about what you need to do your makeup.

Color

First of all, I think color is the most important to decide as this is what people wil see when they look at your face. Rule of thumb is to choose the opposite of what is on the color wheel. Or if that confuses you, just remember that if you already have a strong eyeshadow, go for a more pale lip shade and vice versa. You can pair a warm color with a cool color. I'll show you below.

You don't necessarily have to totally follow the color wheel but it's the basics for you not to look like you've got the rainbow on your face. :) I've tried mixing colors and it just didn't work for me. Hope that helps.

Brushes

When I started out I just bought the most affordable set that I could find as I was a bit confused what to get. I don't use them now since I got the e.l.f. Studio Line brushes.

 

These are the basic brushes that I use and I'll categorize them for you so you'll get an idea of where to actually use them:

Powder brush - in the name itself, it is used to add pressed powder to your face. I used this one when I want to lessen the shine on my face.

Complexion brush - this for me is a dual brush as I use it for contouring (I'll explain further later) and for adding blush to your cheeks.

Fan brush - I use it to remove loose particles/eyeshadow from below my eyes.

For my Eyeshadow, I use these brushes (insert from a previous post My beloved brushes):

Concealer brush - I use this one to blend my eyeshadow at the upper lid.

Small angled brush - This one I use when I want to be precise with my eyeshadow C-line.

Small Smudge Brush - I use it to blend out my eyeliner pen. 

Small precision brush -  This one I use for more precise strokes like adding eyeshadow to my upper and lower lines on my eyes.

 

Next post will be about what products I use that you can use too and how to apply them.