Review: Etude House Happy Teatime Green Tea Cleansing Foam

The review for today is the all-time favorite product from Etude House--Happy Teatime Cleansing Foam.

This cleansing foam comes in five variants. Out of these five, I've already used two, the Milk Tea and Green tea variants. The first one I got was Milk Tea. I was meaning to review that one too, but I already finished the bottle and I didn't get any pictures. Hehehe. I was really busy the past months.

Happy Teatime Green Tea Cleansing Foam (P148, 150ml)

Anyway, when I bought Milk Tea, I didn't know that each variant was suitable for a specific need or skin type. I thought each worked the same way as the other and was suitable for all skin types, so I based my purchase on the scent. And I really like Milk Tea's light, powdery scent.

But after looking at Etude House Philippines' site, I read that each variant caters to a certain skin type and need.

Milk Tea - Moisturizing and smoothing formula with Milk Tea extract 

Lemon Tea - Vitalizing and nourishing formula with Lemon Tea extract 

Green Tea - Pore cleansing and oily shine relief with Green Tea extract 

Peach Tea - Brightening and clarifying formula with Peach Tea extract 

Aloe Tea - Moisturizing and complexion health formula with Aloe Tea extract 

So, even though I really liked Milk Tea, I've got to try Green Tea because it's for pore cleansing and oily shine relief because my skin is oily. And anyway, when I asked the boyfriend which smelled better the Milk Tea or Green Tea, he told me it was the latter so I gave it a go. And hey, I'm liking Green Tea a lot! :)


Pros:

• Affordable at P148 for 150ml product. My first bottle lasted me three to four months.

• Mild on skin. It does not dry my face and break me out.

• Has a nice cool and refreshing scent.

• Really foamy. The consistency of the product is thick, and when lathered on wet face, it becomes really foamy. You'll really only need a pea-size of the product for every use.

• Helps in oil control. I think this one contributes to the many oil control products I'm using to keep my face shine-free because the label says it contains hydrated silica.

Click to enlarge and read details about the product

Cons:

• None that I could think of for the moment. I think I'm gonna stick to this cleansing foam for long. :)

Now I really know why it's an all-time fave product of our princes and princesses out there. :) I'm even planning to try Happy Teatime Cleansing cream and wipes. :D I'll give this product 5/5. :)

Review: Snoe Here Comes the Sunblock (And I Say It's Alright)

It's summer again, hey! :) And I guess everyone is just excited for their summer vacay. With that, don't let the scorching sun beat you to killing all the fun with sunburnt skin and staying out of the sun all day long.

As for me, well, I haven't had set a foot on the beach yet this summer, but I could already feel the heat. And that was because, for the past month, the start of my classes was at 1PM and I had to get out of the house at 12PM and commute. Just think about the sun during that hour.

Snoe Here Comes the Sunblock (And I Say It's Alright), P199

Good thing, I bought Snoe Here Comes the Sunblock (And I Say It's Alright) (that's really the name of this sunblock, cute, eh? :D ) last December. Y'know, I was not really used to using sunblock lotions during ordinary days. I do use it on the beach (c/o friends, sister and mom), but not when I'm only going out for school or the mall or wherever. And yes, this was the first sunblock I bought. LOL.

Originally, I bought it because it smells so good. And as I've said on my haul, the scent is similar to Ralph by Ralph Lauren for Women, only the sunblock smells sweeter, if you know what I mean. Plus, I find the packaging cute and handy.

The consistency is more on the watery side. In fact, even though the bottle is hard, making it difficult to squeeze, product will come out automatically once you turn it upside down. So be careful, or you might end up getting more product than what you actually need.

I always put this on my arms (since I'm always in jeans) and sometimes on the face whenever I feel the need to or I have extra time to do so. So far, it didn't break me out. And my skin smells really nice. Heehee. ;)

On the bottle, it says:

Click to enlarge and read the benefits of Bengkoang and ingredients

How to Use

Pros:

• Contains Bengkoang (singkamas) which is not only a skin whitener, but also contains antioxidants which help in the prevention of certain diseases such as hemorrhoids and cancer. It also helps in the reduction of acne scars or dark spots on your skin. In addition, it also provides moisture to the skin and comes with anti-aging effects.

• Contains SPF45.

• Filipino-made product. Support our own. :)

• Costs P199 only for 100ml product. Affordable compared to other sunblock lotions.

• Accessible. Snoe, in just a short span of time, has already opened several stores on different locations. And I think, they're opening more soon. I bought mine in Robinson's Galleria.

• Smells great.

• Non-greasy and easily absorbed by the skin.

• Paraben-free.

• Safe to use on your face. It didn't break me out! :)

Cons:

• My hands feel a bit dry after putting on this sunblock

Overall, I think this is a good sunblock suitable for the Filipina skin in this summer heat. If you want to know more about Snoe, its locations and branches, check their website out at www.snoebeauty.com.

Review: Skinfood Good Afternoon Peach Green Tea BB SPF20 PA++ in Natural Beige

Hooray for being back! :) I miss blogging so much that I'll surely try my best to blog as often as possible during this summer vacation. And yes, University days are over, but I'm still waiting for my graduation. Heehee. *clap clap*

So, to celebrate being back here, I'm gonna do a review on my current BB cream--Skinfood Good Afternoon Peach Green Tea BB.

Skinfood Good Afternoon Peach Green Tea BB SPF20 PA++ in 02 Natural Beige

This is my first Skinfood product and I bought it online from an eBay seller bhappywithme. I didn't bother to try buying locally because regular prices from a Skinfood store here in the Philippines are double of what online sellers offer. Even if you pay for shipping fees and extra charges, you'll still be able to save more by buying online.

This is officially my second BB cream, next to Etude House BB Magic Cream. I basically bought it because of its description. Reviews were good too, so I gave it a go.

On the box, it says:

Peach Green Tea (Oil Controlling and Mattifying BB Cream)

A long lasting BB cream that helps maintain bright morning skin throughout the day without darkening or smudging. An oil-controlling and skin-mattifying BB cream that keeps skin fresh and matte with vitamin-enriched peach extract and sebum-regulating green tea.

Upon receiving and seeing this, I was already sold with the packaging. It was in a brown small box designed like a tea bag. It was simple, but pretty and dainty. However, for a 30-gram product, I didn't expect this one to be this small. But I compared it with my sister's 30-ml Tony Moly Cutie Beauty BB cream and found that Good Afternoon BB is heavier. In short, it was smaller yet heavier which was quite not really logical for me. LOL.


Next is the scent. Unlike the EH BB Magic cream, this one has a light peachy smell which quickly goes away. Well, I don't think it really smells like peach, but mostly similar to it. And it's not a strong scent. In fact, it doesn't linger on the skin for long, so you'll have no worries about having a headache due to its scent. :)

Coverage is light and sheer which is so-so for me. I think it is even lighter than the EH BB Magic cream. I still have to use a concealer to hide my blemishes. But if your skin is already clear and free of blemishes, this one is a good bet.

BB cream when blended onto the skin

After a few minutes

Consistency is creamy. It doesn't dry quickly, so you'll be able to blend it well on your skin.

Lastly, the oil control is quite good. In this heat, I think I only need to blot every 2-3 hours. In an air-conditioned room, oil control is good for 3-4 hours. It's not bad actually, considering this summer heat and my uber oily skin. Plus, it has a matte finish which I really like.

Wearing Skinfood Good Afternoon Peach Green Tea BB in Natural Beige

Pros:

• Good oil control. Lasts 3-4 hours on my uber oily skin.

• Matte finish.

• Has SPF20 PA++.

• Makes my skin look glowing.

• Does not dry quickly. You'll be able to blend it on your skin well.

• Not as reflective as my previous BB cream on flash photography, though still leaves a white cast as most, if not all, BB creams do.

• Comes in two shades: 01 Light Beige and 02 Natural Beige.

• Comes in a squeeze bottle which is easy to control. You'll surely be able to get the right amount of cream you need.

• So far, I didn't have any breakout because of this BB.

Neutral:

• Has a light peachy scent. I'm neutral on this one because, though the scent is not overpowering, it's not a smell that I like. (I like light, powdery and refreshing scents. :) )

Cons:

• Coverage is sheer. You'll still need to use concealer to hide blemishes.

• Not really buildable. Since I found that the coverage was sheer, I kept on trying to build it but to no avail. It's really sheer and I end up using more product. And even if it will build, it's only for a very little bit.

Overall, I really like this BB cream. I recommend it to those ladies who have oily skin. :)

Collective Haul + Mini Reviews

Well, hello there! Gosh, it has already been, what? More than a month, almost two, since the last time I posted. Time really flies by so easily, ain't it? But anyway, it's nice to be back for a while. :)

And here's another haul post! LOL. I don't really want a lot of haul posts in this blog, but I really can't do a review for each and everyone. I mean, because of this haul posts, I'm able to do mini-reviews on all products including those that I overlook and forget to review.

So here, we go! :)

Human Heart Nature Sunflower Beauty Seed Oil (P129.75)
Human Heart Nature Intensive Hair Mask (P99.75)

First on the line are these two. This is my second bottle of Sunflower Beauty Seed Oil. I mainly bought it to lighten my underarms. I can't say much about the progress, because I don't closely monitor it. LOL. But I think it's working together with the body scrub and whitening lotion I use because the dark spots on my legs are lighter than before. Yes, I also use it for those dark spots. :)

Next up is the Intensive Hair Mask. It smells like the menthol candy Stork or Dynamite if you ask me. LOL. It also has that minty feel whenever I use it on my hair. And yes, it makes my hair soft as if I used a conditioner, only this one is all natural which is quite healthy. :) However, I notice that I experience more  hair fall whenever I apply it on my hair. But after that rinsing, everything's back to normal. And I have softer hair. :D Unfortunately, this 50-gram product can only be used 2 to 3 times for medium-length and long hair.

Celeteque Dermoscience Hydration Facial Moisturizer (P129.75)

This is also my second bottle of Celeteque Facial Moisturizer. And this is my first facial moisturizer. I've never used any moisturizer before this because I have the notion that I already have an oily face and I don't need this anymore. How wrong I was! This has done wonders to my face. And I'm gonna put that in a separate review. :)

San San Lipstick Hydrating Dew 04 (given to me by my sister)
Avon Ultra Moisture Rich Lipstick Island Glow
Nyx Round Lipstick in Femme
Nyx Round Lipstick in Nyx

Of these four, SanSan lipstick is the only one I haven't tried wearing outside because it's Red. Yes, I'm quite timid in wearing red shades because I don't feel it's appropriate for school. (Yeah, the other colors are appropriate. :P) But true to its name, it's hydrating and I might try that one day. :) My fave among these is the Avon UMR lipstick because Island Glow has a good color payoff.

As for the Nyx, I also like them, has good color payoff. It's just that I feel that there are better colors that'll suit me that I don't know why I bought these two. LOL.

Maybelline MakeUp Remover (P99)
Glam Works Hair Removal Soothing Lotion (P99)

I still have the Ever Bilena Advance MakeUp Remover but I bought Maybelline because the latter stings my eyes which is a very big no-no for me. And so far, I'm liking Maybelline. It doesn't sting plus this works better than my former Sophie Martin makeup remover. My mascara and eyeliner are easier to remove with this one.

As for the Glam Works Hair Removal Soothing Lotion, I haven't really used it enough to give any comments since I've only used it once.  :D

Tony Moly Cutie Beauty BB Cream 02 Pure Angel Amy (P350)
Skinfood Good Afternoon BB Cream Peach Green Tea (P411)

And finally, my favorites from this haul post. :D BB creams! :D

I've been using Etude House BB Magic Cream (Refreshing) for 7 or 8 months now. Yes, it still has a small amount left on it. I even cut the squeeze bottle just so I could use it all up. Cheapskate me. LOL. :D I love it, but I guess it's time for me to move on from it now. Eight months is long enough that sometimes you'll want something new. Prolly that's why some people just buy and buy new BB creams even if they still haven't used them all up. But I'm cheapskate and I don't have money to spend on more BB creams right now. :D

I bought this mainly for its description that said it's an oil-controlling and mattifying BB cream. Plus, it's just right for my budget. Anyway, I'll save the specifics for another post. :) On the other hand, I wanna tell of how it went with Skinfood store in Megamall. I went right there to see and test this BB cream out even if I had planned on buying it on eBay. (Store prices are double of what online sellers offer. -_- )

I didn't see it on the shelf so I asked the beauty advisor if they have this one and her answer embarrassed me. -_- She told me that the Good Afternoon BB line might not be from Skinfood. For goodness' sake. -_- I even braved going in on the empty store.

This one belongs to my sister. I believe it's suitable for dry skin. We just combined shipping so we'll save more. :)

BB cream and skin care samples

I wanted to try more BB creams so I'll know what to buy next after using my current BB cream all up. Half of these are included in our purchases, while half, mostly skin care samples, are freebies from the eBay seller bhappywithme. We bought the Skinfood and TonyMoly plus these samples from her. Thanks for the freebies. :D

Nivea Whitening Cell Repair Protect Body Milk 40x (P199 for 250ml)

The body milk from the same brand and line that I bought last December was already empty so I had to buy again. I wish skin care wouldn't have to be so costly. -_- But anyway, I love using this lotion. It's non-sticky and greasy and it's easily absorbed by the skin.

Maybelline Clear Smooth All in One Foundation  (P119 for refill)

I bought this as replacement for the Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra Shine Free Foundation (the blue one). Basically, I didn't get the full version (?) of this Clear Smooth All in One foundie because I've read reviews that the foundie easily breaks. And it's not really fun using broken foundies. Most of the time, whenever that happens to me, I don't use it anymore. Sayang naman ang pera kung ganoon diba? But so far, I've been using this for more than a month now and it's not yet broken. I just already see the signs that it's gonna break sooner or later. O_O

Etude House Lip and Eye Remover (sample size)
Tony Tint (sample size)

First of all, I bought this from another eBay seller (NOT bhappywithme) and I have this suspicion that the makeup remover is fake. First, it smells like the 'spraynet'. (Do you remember that thing you spray on your hair then it'll get hard?) Second, it has bubbles in between the blue liquid and the colorless liquid. But overall, it works fine in removing my makeup and it doesn't sting my eye. So my question is, is that normal for the EH makeup remover? Because from what I see from the store, it's not like that at all. Plus, the blue liquid from the EH makeup remover from the store is 'blue-r'.


As for the Tony tint, I think it works fine. I haven't really tried the full one yet from the local store.


So there you go again for this long haul post. I hope the mini reviews are helpful. I'm off to study again.


Ciao~!

Merci Assorted European Chocolate

Who doesn't love chocolates, really? Maybe there are some who are not fond of it, but they still like it, don't they? Oh well, as for me, I love chocolates! :D

And thanks to the boyfriend for giving me this Merci. I'm so loving it. LOL. But segue first, I'm not really fond of Ferrero Rocher, is it just me or what? LOL. I prefer Samba over that, maybe because I don't really like nuts and such on my chocolate. But I still eat them, you see. :D Hehehe.

First things first, I love the packaging of Merci, it's simple yet elegant, dontcha think?

Moving on, Merci is a European chocolate manufactured by Storck in Germany. A box contains an assortment of 7 luscious chocolate flavors namely: Milk Chocolate, Praline Cream, Dark Mousse, Dark Creme, Hazelnut-Almond, Hazelnut Cream, and Coffee and Cream.

Merci (400g)

It simply has got any chocolate flavor you want! And that's what I like about it. If you want a bitter chocolate, you can always go for Dark Creme and Dark Mousse. On the other hand, if you want something really sweet, there is Milk Chocolate and Praline Creme. If you want nuts on your chocolate, then so be it, get the Hazelnut Almond or Hazelnut Cream. You can also have a taste of coffee with Coffee and Cream. You see, you have a choice with Merci. :D

Another thing, what I like about this is the size of the chocolates. They're bite-size. I feel that I'm not compelled to eat out the whole thing. LOL. I can always finish one and come back later and see the packaging still looking good. Heehee.

I'm not sure where this chocolate was bought from, but I searched the net, and they can be bought through Amazon and Walgreens. This 400-gram Merci containing 32 assorted chocolates costs, according to Amazon, around $25.

Review: Avon Naturals Bearberry Yoghurt Facial Mask

I love facial masks! I know I haven't posted any reviews about them yet, but I really like using one since I've tried Etude House and Tony Moly face masks.

Avon Naturals Bearberry Yoghurt Facial Mask

But this one is not about those two brands. This review is for Avon Naturals Bearberry Yoghurt Facial Mask. I think this one is new, along with the Cucumber variant, because I haven't seen them before except for the last four or five brochures released. I'm not actually fond of purchasing skin care products from Avon, but I've felt that I need to try this. (or something like that)

Actually, the first time I saw it, I ordered Cucumber but my mom's Avon lady weren't able to get one. But once I've registered as a FD (thanks to my classmate's mom) for personal purchases, I've made sure to get one. However, I notice that only the Bearberry variant is always available on the shelves.

The packaging is similar to the Etude House I Need You Yoghurt except that the Avon Naturals Bearberry Yoghurt comes in a box.

The box says:

"A refreshing facial mask that instantly lightens skin. This special formulation is made with bearberry extracts and yoghurt to moisturize and stimulate skin turnover to make skin tone look less dull and helps reduce dry skin texture. Its microbeads helps remove dry and flaky skin to reveal fair skin. Thus, skin looks refreshed and naturally fair."

I find Bearberry really thick and creamy. Actually, if I don't know that it's a facial mask, I just might eat it. LOL. And it's true! You can actually mistake this one for an edible yoghurt. And adding to the confusion is the smell. It smells like strawberry! (I know it's bearberry, but I haven't had one and I think it smells like strawberry. LOL.) The smell, the consistency and texture is indeed very similar with a strawberry yoghurt.

And as you can see, there is even a warning that the product is really not edible. LOL.

Click to enlarge photo and read details about the product

I've been using this product for a month now, twice every week, and so far, I didn't have any breakout. I even have lesser pimples now. ;) It is also a good moisturizer. My face feels smooth, soft and supple after every use. Not bad, really. :) Plus, it is said to have instant whitening properties though I'm not really after that.

And it's only P120 for 40g! One box lasted me a month and I use it two times a week. If you do the math, I use about half of one container for every use. I just don't feel like stuffing the whole 10g on my face. LOL. That's just too much, I guess. Currently, I'm using it alternately with my Tony Moly Appletox Smooth Massage Peeling Cream. :)

Sophie Paris J'adore Lipstick in Summer Pink

Yey! for another post. :D And this time, it's about lips and lipstick. ;)

This one is from Sophie Paris. (I think they changed their name from Sophie Martin to Sophie Paris.) And it's none other than a lippie from their very affordable J'adore Lipstick line, the Summer Pink lippie.

Sophie Paris J'adore Lipstick in Summer Pink (P79)

What I really love about this one (aside from the price) is the shade. It's bold compared to Avon lippies. But if you want a bolder shade of pink, go for Ice Pink from the same line since it's really what you can call hot pink. Summer Pink is the subtler version which is perfect for everyday use. (But I didn't say that you can't use Ice Pink everyday. ;) )

It shows the manufacturing batch and the expiration date!

Additionally, Summer Pink (and Ice Pink) has that blue tinge that suggests ladies with cool skin tones can pull it off best. :) But you know, until now, I'm not sure what undertone I have. LOL. I just always label myself neutral. Haha.

The J'adore Lipstick line from Sophie Paris is matte. So you've gotta be careful if you already have dry and chapped lips like me. LOL. Yes, I still use it because I like the shade though it's quite drying. Maybe I'll stop when I already have a new pink lippie. Anyway, you and I can always put on lip balm first so I guess we're still saved. :D

without flash

With that, please excuse my chapped lips on the photos. :D I've been using this lippie for a few consecutive days now.

with flash

Lastly, it's very affordable for only P79! And what's even better, since you're ordering from a "Sophie lady" (uhmm..I dunno what to call them so I've got to borrow from Avon), you can pay for it for a whole month. LOL.

with sunlight

I got this from my classmate who sold Sophie Paris two to three months ago. And I was thinking that since she already stopped selling, I wouldn't be able to collect other shades from the line. My sister got lucky coz she already had three shades.

Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes

Finally, I've been able to visit Banapple! It's really a good thing that they've opened up a branch in Greenhills.

And actually, before a week during this particular visit, the boyfriend and I were supposed to eat there too, but unfortunately we couldn't find it. We thought it was somewhere in and around the mall. We didn't know it was in Northeast Square along Connecticut St.

Anyway, this time, we came with our friends. :)

Moving on with food, I had Crisp Pork Scallopini with Sour Cream Barbecue Sauce. What I was really shocked about were the huge servings. Yes! They really had huge servings, but it was not a big problem for me since I was a big eater. LOL. I even ordered an extra serving of rice, which in the end, I gave half (or was it more than half) to boyfie. Heehee. Talk about not having breakfast and lunch and it was already past 4PM.

Crisp Pork Scallopini with Sour Cream Barbecue Sauce (P180)

Though they had huge servings, you could still be assured that you would have good food. The pork scallopini were indeed crisp and tender and the sour cream barbecue sauce was mildly sour as it should be. But according to my taste buds, the overall taste was salty. It was not bad salty. Just the right one, I think.

On the other hand, the boyfriend ordered Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs as suggested by his brother John. The latter told us that it was the specialty of Banapple. I believed him because he was always eating at Banapple with his girlfriend and other friends.

Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs

I find the dish really great! The ribs are very tender and tastes really nice with the right amount of barbecue sauce. Yeah, the right amount of barbecue sauce because the boyfriend kept complaining about how sweet the dish was. He even told us that he didn't want any desserts because what he was eating was really sweet.

Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake (P100 per slice)

As for me, I'm not really a fan of overly sweet dishes. I always reserve that taste for desserts. And speaking of desserts, after finishing a very hearty meal, I still managed to eat a slice of Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake. And oooh, wasn't it awesome! It has that battling taste of sweetness and saltiness as with cheesecakes. Plus, with the strawberry on top, you could also taste more sourness in it. And oh, did I mention that it was really creamy?

But, the boyfriend was true to his word and didn't order any dessert. KJ noh? It was Banapple's specialty pa naman.

I wasn't really quite knowledgeable about our friends' orders. But I think John ordered the same dish as with the boyfriend and David went for hungarian sausages, not sure though. They got the Blueberry Cheesecake, while David's friend had Banana Starry-Berry Custard Cheesecake.

Verdict:

If you're really hungry and want value for money, go for Banapple. It serves yummy dishes in huge servings. But more importantly, if you want to have a fix for your sweet tooth cravings, you have to taste their cheesecakes! Plus, the atmosphere in the restaurant is really friendly. It's a good hang-out place with friends. :)

For their branches, menu and price lists, please visit www.banapplekitchen.com.