Product Review: Sophie Paris Fairness Peel off Mask

It's another cloudy day and I hope you guys are having a productive day like mine. Yesterday was a holiday here in the Philippines and I don't know about you guys but that was a much needed break from the craziness of the real world. On rest days, we all get the chance to find our center and balance things out - not to mention catching up on those much needed ZZZzzzs.

So today, I'd like to talk about one of my favorite products of all time: face masks. I love face masks since it makes me feel like I'm treating myself to a spa (for about a tenth of the actual cost of spas) and my face always feels refreshed and soft afterwards. I personally love mud masks and peel off masks but they do take time with all that soaking and rinsing. Sheet masks are okay by me for weeknights when I feel like my skin needs more TLC but I find that sheet masks are a lot more expensive versus mud masks and peel off masks since you can only use a sheet mask once.

Product Review: Nichido Pressed Powder (Tan)

Happy Friday everyone! Today, I'm reviewing the Nichido Pressed Powder in the shade Tan. I learned about this particular product from beauty blogger Michelle Dy. What really hooked me on this is the packaging - it doesn't look like it only costs PhP.100!

July Empties and Decluttering

A cold Tuesday afternoon when the all the world seemingly just wants to sleep and here I am, decluttering my stuff. LOL. I'm just the type of person who functions better in a clutter-free environment. Don't get me wrong - my room is messy about 90% of the time.  But on days that I want to be productive I spend a good chunk of my time cleaning up my mess.

I've always been fascinated with empties post and I meant to do one last month (which obviously didn't happen - I kept putting writing the article off and eventually, I decided if I can't make the time to write about it, it probably isn't worth the time reading). So, today's empties will be short since I did a MAJOR decluttering prior to this - just a few bits and pieces of junk and a couple that I'd be giving away to those who will be able to make a good use of it than me.

First off are a couple of lotions. I go through lotions a LOT since I have really dry skin. I've been alternating between Nivea Intense Moisture Lotion and Musk by Alyssa Ashley, both are gifts from abroad so I really can't tell you their prices. Nivea is available locally at department stores, drugstores, etc. Musk by Alyssa Ashley on the other hand, is a little hard to get hold of. I've never seen it in department stores, etc. which sucks since this is probably my favorite lotion of all time: it smells amazing and it's non-greasy but still does a great job of moisturizing my dry skin. (I'm really oily on my face but I have really dry skin for the rest of my body - I don't get it). I'm not really sure if I'd buy another bottle of the Nivea lotion for full price since their yearly sale would save me tons but I do love their lotions and I'd hoard them in next year's sale. I would buy another bottle of the Musk by Alyssa Ashley, as I've said it's my favorite lotion but a little bit on the pricey side plus I only know of one place where I can get my hands on it (stores at the Mezzanine floor at Cash n Carry) which isn't really accessible for me.

Next is The Face Shop Clean Face Mild Lotion. I got through with the toner version of this so fast (which made me sad because this is PRICEY). But I'm pretty happy with this moisturizer which I've used for roughly 3 months in my estimate, which isn't bad at all. I'd be willing to spend money on this in the future, but right now, I'm trying out a few cheaper alternatives for a face moisturizer.

Starting my make up empties is the Nichido Final Powder in So Natural. This was my favorite setting powder last year and I had quite a few months of good use out of it. This only cost me PhP.150 but there are quite a few products I'm currently testing out and since this isn't really a travel-friendly face powder, I'm still thinking if I will be repurchasing this. If I do repurchase this though, I'd go for a lighter shad than the So Natural since this is too tan for me.

Next is a tube of my holy grail mascara which is Maybelline Hypercurl. I've already repurchased this as I've said in my back-to-school haul and I think I will be purchasing a few back-ups since they are still on sale at the Watson's nearest to our place.

Lastly are four tubes of lipstick, one from Avon cosmetics, which I'm throwing away since it's been about two years since I've bought it and the life span of a lipstick is only 18 months. The one from Maybelline which is the Maybelline Colorshow Lipstick in the shade Pinkalicious broke off after only a few uses. I know there are a few tricks of life hacks that would fix broken lipsticks, but I really am giving this one up since living in a tropical country, I need to have my lipsticks melt-proof. I don't want to be constantly fixing my melted lipstick. Next is a lip butter from Revlon in the shade sugar plum. I love this. It felt like I'm just using lip balm but it was just too creamy for me. So creamy that I have a hard time putting it on since it moves and leaves lines and such. I couldn't for the life of me make this work. Lastly is a once favorite of mine which is the Wet n Wild Mega Last Matte lipstick in the shade Rosebud. I've been using this lipstick for a while and lately I've realized that the color does not match me at all. It is quite a good bright pink shade for morenas like me, but I think it doesn't go well with my lip color (I have dark colored lips). So this and the lip butter will go to my sister since the shades work well for her.

And there you have it guys, my empties and decluttering for the month of July. Follow me on instagram and twitter for more updates. xoxo