Bought the HARU HARU Wonder Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner last year because of the hype and the stunning packaging but didn't consistently use it because when I opened the bottle, it was 1. Fragranced 2. Stung my eyes.
Thus it sat on my desk until I found my skin to be dehydrated since it was my only hydrating toner on hand.
HARU HARU did release an unscented version but I had dehydrated skin an this giant 150ml bottle so I decided to use it up. Here are my thoughts:
Trying out some photo-editing, so things might be a bit wonky for a while. But I'm actually about to finish In Her Element's Low PH Rose Gel Cleanser.
How does it look like? How was it?
FYI, this isn't technically mine, but I've half stolen this as I've grown to like it.
When I first tried it, I didn't quite like it, but my opinion's changed. And that took a bit of time.
Five years ago, I blogged about Alba Botanicals' Acnedote and enjoyed the minty, tingly feeling it gave. However, after repurchasing the bottle, I have found myself with mixed feelings about it.
This is why it didn't make it into the 5 things I'm thankful for this 2021. Aside from the fact that I used this new bottle in 2020.
I never really used to wear eye shadow, but with the pandemic, eye make-up rapidly became one of the things I've been using to express myself and feel better. For the entirety of 2020, I depended on one palette to see me through, and that was Maquillage's Dramatic Styling Eyes in OR 321.
Now I'm not sure if you can buy the exact product right now off Ebay, but I've looked at the website and boy, do I want to buy their other eye shadow palettes.
With all the hullabaloo about sunscreens in general, and K-beauty sunscreens in particular, I thought it's a good time to look back on the sunscreens I've been using and which ones I'd recommend right now.
Best for daily use would be Nivea's Super Water Gel from Japan. I've reviewed this before and this is still my favorite sunscreen for daily use (even though I don't have one on hand right now). I tried the Biore Aqua Rich Watery Gel, 2019 formulation (and failed to review because I lost the tube too early :P), but I prefer this more since I don't need a mirror to apply and reapply. The latter sunscreen is also a good runner up if you can't find Nivea locally, but you can find it of shopee (but be sure to find a good reseller).
Best for swimming/sports/heavy use would be Shiseido's Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion. I used the one for sensitive skin (light blue bottle). This is part of the WetForce line and really sticks to the skin. Again, I can't do a full review because I lost the tube... again. Honestly, I didn't like how this looked and felt but this really stuck to my skin as a thick, opaque white film. It actually clung more than some of the old sports sunscreens I've tried. With repeated application every 3 to 4 hours, I had no burning/darkening even at a full day at the beach. If ever beach things are a thing again, this would be my bet.
Best local sunscreen would be Belo SunExpert BODY SPF 60. This is expensive if you really use it daily, but it's the best local sunscreen I've tried. And I've actually used this for both face and body without any problems. Slightly sticky but good enough for daily use. While I haven't done a full review, I have finished a tube of this recently.
I've been trying daily body sunscreens, and I've posted regarding Biore and Nivea's offering. I'd use both, with a preference for Biore right now, but I don't have one I'd solidly recommend to be both cheap and effective for summer. I sometimes use the Belo Body sunblock on hotter days but it's not sustainable for me to use it daily as a sunscreen for its price.
Anyway, I'm actually trying one sunscreen right now, but I'm not too fond of it so I'm opening my first K-beauty sunscreen soon. Still, I've been quite guilty of not using sunscreen as often as I should, so my next real sunscreen post should be in a while.
It's been a long while since my last make-up post since I don't use make-up regularly except for eyebrows. For 2020, the most make-up I've used is definitely for the same place, and it's the only one I bother with when going outside the house since I often use a mask and face shield (they're mandatory in the Philippines).
While I'd been using my old eyebrow pencil (more or less with other brow things) until around mid-2020, where my stock finally gave out on me. I promptly bought a new/old pencil by Careline without any googling because it was a kilay-emergency. Did the Best Brow Liner live up to its claims?
One of the most unglamorous things you can have in your medicine chest is something you may consider investing in is Katinko.
To those who don't know, Katinko is one of those counter-irritant products full of menthol and camphor that is popular in the Philippines, like Tigerbalm and Icy Hot for muscle pain. But this is different. Special.
Ended up buying some stuff from the Face Shop at full price because it was the only place I could buy from. Kind of sad I wasn't able to buy it online, but desperate times!
Originally bought for between Php 750-850 at a physical store, as suggested by a salesperson because I wanted something moisturizing I could layer, and something for sensitive skin. Which, this was.
Product dispensed as a clear liquid that works best by splashing into the hand and patting on. This bottle contained an undisclosed amount of niacnamide, glycerine and some hyaluronic acid. I used one to three "skins" twice a day without any trouble or skin irritation. At that use, one bottle lasted four months so it wasn't bad.
I've tossed the bottle but I think it wa around 150-200 ml?
I'm a terrible blogger. Haha. I think if I didn't have other things to try, I'd buy this again.
Can't believe I finally got around to finishing this bottle of cleanser!
Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. But since I've been using it as a travel cleanser, it's pretty amazing that I've been able to finish it since it IS 2020 right now.
Okay, I bought this product because it was BIG. At 325 ml a tube, I was sure that I wouldn't run out anytime soon since I didn't want to do a monthly conditioner shop (because plastic and effort). And at Php 220 for that much product, I think it was a win all around.
Mind you, tubes of these do exist for other brands, but they're a bit harder to find where I'm from.
What I liked about this was the scent, sweet but not overpowering, in contrast to the previous mask that may have conditioned well enough but brought no joy to use. I also liked the way it conditioned my hair without weighing it down. It's supposed to have arginine to prevent hair fall, but I doubt it'd do much good at the tips. I also liked that this lasted nearly three months on my long hair so that's 2 less tubes to buy in a year.
Sadly, I don't think i'll be able to get the last of this out though as I can't cut through the plastic and there seems to be a good bit left. Kind of wasteful. Still not an optimal solution.
I enjoyed using this, but I'll probably try new ones now. Or go back and try old favorites. 2020 has been a year of revisiting old likes, so not much excitement for now.
