Asian Secrets Lulur with Licorice and Mulberry Leaf Extract

This is Day 6 of my Project Stop & Splurge … and this is a scheduled post. In reality, today is Friday and we will be going to the mall in a few hours. I need to buy a few essentials for my baby such as bottle cleaner and food bags. My husband also asked to buy him some refill cartridges for his razor. Boy, I sure hope I won’t buy anything unnecessary..

Anyway, on to today’s topic. This is the 3rd variant of the Asian Secrets Lulur Indonesian Whitening Body Scrub. This has licorice and mulberry leaf extract. I don’t exactly know what these two ingredients do for you but I like this scrub. I can really smell the licorice. It has the same effects as the other two. I liked the original variant the best but when I tried this and now this variant, I changed my mind. I like the blue one best then this one and then the original variant.

I also noticed that the rubbing alcohol scent of the blue one is gone.It now smells really good.

I have a few TBS scrubs and I’m alternating them with the lulur. TBS scrubs are good but these lulur scrubs offer both quality and affordability.

What’s your favorite body scrub?

Choco Goodness!

I got this with the Chocomania special set that comes in a heart tin. This is the body scrub version.

If you love chocolate, oh my… You will fall in love with this! It smells sooo good. I felt like I’m using chocolate cake batter for my body scrub. The scrub beads are bigger than lulur’s but it’s okay. They didn’t hurt. My skin felt itchy though just after a few minutes. I usually let my scrubs stay on my skin for a good 5-10 minutes. This did not even reach the 5 minute mark so I quickly rinsed it off. The second time I used this was better. No itchiness there.

This lasted me for 2 uses. Will not buy again although it has amazing moisturizing properties (didn’t need to apply lotion and my skin still felt soft in the afternoon). I just don’t like the thought of applying “chocolate batter” on my skin. = ) Besides, I still have a ton of scrubs to go through.  So really, no reason to buy any scrubs whatsoever.

A Pretty Brush but…

it just does not work for me.



This is the Leona Lewis for The Body Shop Kabuki Brush. I bought this because it looks so pretty. I also liked the soft bristles. The problem is the flower shape. When I use this kabuki brush with my loose powder, the powder does not get distributed evenly on my face. The powder gets concentrated on just one part. Instead of moving in one direction, the bristles are just everywhere and get stuck. I’ve also used this to apply powder foundation with the same results. I will try to use this to buff out blush. I think then it would work, fingers crossed.



Right now it just sits pretty on my vanity. I’m very disappointed with this buy. I felt like I wasted money.

The Body Shop Raspberry Eau de Toilette

I try not to use one specific perfume or cologne or eau de toilette too much because I eventually develop allergies. I like light scents particularly fruity scents for eau de toilette. For perfumes I like fruity-floral scents.

Anyway, I got this Raspberry EDT on a whim. I was attracted to the small bottle and the color. I’m glad it didn’t disappoint. It smelled sweet and as a matter of fact, too sweet but that didn’t last for too long. After a few minutes,  the scent mellowed down. It also does not last the whole day. I don’t bring my sprays with me when I go out as I’m scared they might break in my bag so I make sure to spritz a good amount before I leave the house. This is a good every day scent, by the way. Just don’t use this on a hot day or if you are going to the gym because I don’t think sweat and sweet smells mix. 

I won’t buy this again because there’s a ton of sprays out there that I’d like to try.

Lip Balm Fail

I don’t like this lip balm at all. There, I said it. This is the Caribbean Iced Tea from DuWop.

The other flavor, Mint Mojito, tasted a bit bitter to me so I chucked it. Before I swiped this flavor on my lips, I tested/tasted it first. It was okay. No bitter taste there. Then, I swiped some lipstick on top of it and it tasted horrible! It was soooo bitter! I tried different lipsticks and got the same results. I don’t know why it reacted that way to lipstick but I decided to just chuck this too. I didn’t want to risk it. This is Ruby Grapefruit, by the way.

I always use lip balms with lipsticks so there was no point in keeping this. I will never buy DuWop products again. All the products I tried were a huge disappointment.

Project Stop & Splurge

When I gave birth, my priority was my son. I set aside my needs and made him number one in everything. This included stopping shopping for stuff for myself. I think since he was born, I only bought fewer than 10 items for myself and they were mostly toiletries (which if you are a shopaholic do not count because they are essentials; *naughty grin*).

Anyway, we are planning a trip on my birthday in February so I was thinking last night and I thought of undertaking 2 projects. They are Project No Baby Buys and Project Stop & Splurge. As the name suggests, No Baby Buys means I won’t be buying stuff for my baby (except the essentials, of course, like milk and diapers). Stop &; Splurge is for me. I was planning to buy a few things for myself for Christmas this year but decided against it. I will just save my money and then splurge on my birthday. So basically, I stop shopping now and splurge on my birthday. = )

I wonder how long I will last. I’m betting a long time because I was able to do it for almost a year now but then again, my shopaholic alter ego was satisfied because I was still shopping stuff for my son. Now I’m on a ban. No everything so I guess this will be hard.

I have set a few rules for myself during Project Stop & Splurge:

1. I will not buy makeup unless I run out of something I really need.
Right now, I have everything I need but my foundation stock is running low. My BB cream is running critically low and my Paul & Joe liquid foundation just won’t cut it when I travel. I’m scared to bring the pot with me. Transferring a small amount to another jar is out of the question so I might buy foundation either before I leave or when we go on vacation.

2. I will not buy new clothes.
This is easy for me as I haven’t done so in a long time. I can survive with what I have. I can wait until my birthday to get new clothes.

3. I will not buy new bags.
I made an inventory of what I have the other night and I found some pretty good stuff. I will try to use them until they wear out which is something I’m used to. When I like a bag, I use it until it gives out.

4. I will not buy new accessories.
This is going to be hard for me as I looooove accessories. Even though I cannot wear them right now because they might hurt my son when I carry him, I still stock up on them. I have a ton of accessories that I haven’t used yet.

5. I will only buy Christmas gifts and essentials like toiletries and stuff.
I have just a few more people on my list and I think I can finish the list before Christmas rolls around.

6. If I cheat, I need to pay Php1,000 for every item that I buy. This money will go to the baby fund which I cannot use for myself so that’s less shopping money for me on my birthday.

7. I will break all rules on my birthday!
I think it’s only fair as I spent my birthday this year in the hospital. I had a difficult pregnancy. I bled several times and the first time happened on the eve of my birthday so I spent my birthday hooked up to monitors and fearing for my baby’s life. Then it happened a couple more times. The only thing that made me cheer up a little that night was the Delivery Room staff. They gave me a J.Co donut with a solitary candle and wished me a happy birthday. They couldn’t even light the candle as I had an oxygen tank beside me. At least, that nightmare is over and thank God my son is a healthy and happy baby.

I will record my progress here until my birthday. If I ever buy something, I will also blog about it. Transparency is key to the success of this project. I am scared and excited at the same time about this project. I hope I’ll be successful. Wish me luck!

Paul & Joe Liquid Foundation

I’ve been using this for a few weeks now and I’m very happy with it. The product is thick so I only need a small amount to cover my entire face and neck. There’s a stick/mini scooper included in the box. I find it a bit useless. It’s good to use as a stirrer. I need to stir the product before getting some so the oil can be mixed back together with the product. After stirring, I swipe the stick on the rim to remove the excess foundation. I use what is left on the stick.

This made my skin a bit itchy the first time I tried it. I didn’t mind as my skin is usually like that. There are no weird smells.

Like I mentioned, the product is thick so I have to blend it evenly and carefully so that I won’t end up with blotches of foundation on my face. 

This lasts me the whole day and my acidic skin can’t even do anything to it! I only blot my t-zone with an oil blotter and I’m good to go. Sometimes I need to touch up those areas but it’s no biggie. I am really amazed at Paul & Joe foundations. They truly are my skin’s best friends.

It’s a bit expensive but it will definitely last me a long time.

These are my only makeup hauls for 2013

Well, as far as I can remember, that is.






These are both from Paul & Joe, my favorite brand for foundations. As you may already know, the brand pulled out from the PH some time ago, back when I was still pregnant. I was so disappointed when I went to Rustan’s to buy some makeup from them. Fortunately, they had a super sale in Glorietta so I was able to buy my pressed foundation (2nd photo). That’s a liquid foundation in the first photo. My liquid/cream foundations and BB cream stash is down to the last tube so I needed to buy a new one.

I thought about stocking up on them but dismissed the thought because they might spoil because the pressed foundation lasts me a year.

Will review the liquid foundation in my next post.

Initial Thoughts on The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Makeup Remover

I got this some time ago in one of my TBS hauls. I’ve only used it once as I still have a lot of makeup removers to finish. I just wanted to see if I won’t break out so that I could buy again during the sale.

During that one time use, I didn’t break out. I didn’t feel any itchiness or stinging. It’s actually quite good at removing makeup, even waterproof ones. There are makeup removers that claim to be able to remove waterproof makeup but actually don’t.

It’s lighter than my Etude House Mascara Remover (pink). I like the fact that I can easily remove makeup compared to my Bifesta Makeup Remover.

More on this soon when I finish my Etude House Mascara Remover which doubles as my overall makeup remove.

STEAMCREAM

I’ve been meaning to try STREAMCREAM for the longest time but I still have a ton of lotions in my stockpile that I keep putting off buying it. One day, I was at Beauty Bar and needed some retail therapy as I was having a rotten time and I decided to just go ahead and buy one tin. I’m sure glad I did!

I got this one as it’s my sign.



There are many designs in Beauty Bar but I settled on this one. I can always go back for more. If it didn’t work out, at least I can still use the tin can.

What is STEAMCREAM, by the way? Well it’s a handmade skin care product made in the UK and Japan. It uses high-quality natural ingredients that are fused together using a shot of steam. The result is a very light cream that feels so luxurious on my skin. You can use it for your face, hands and body. I’m scared to use it on my face as you know I have very sensitive facial skin so I use it on my tummy. If you’ve never given birth, you wouldn’t understand my situation. My skin was stretched out too much when I got pregnant and even with all those creams and lotions and anti stretch marks stuff, I still got ‘em. Aside from that, my skin became ridiculously dry. I am afraid to put just any product on my stomach as I know it’s still healing inside but STEAMCREAM is light enough so I didn’t have to worry.

This works really well. The stretch marks are still there but at least my skin is no longer dry. I use this every night after I take a bath.

I had a problem with this tin though. After removing a few layers, I found these:




Can you see the foreign objects in the cream? I don’t know if they are strands of hair or some sort of a splinter from a stick but they’re there. It also had some black dots in it. I reported this to STEAMCREAM and they said they will take action.

This incident did not turn me off (well, it did…just a little). I will continue using STEAMCREAM and I’ll probably try using it as a lotion when summer rolls around.

Goodbye NARS Laguna

My NARS Laguna shattered into a million pieces and now it’s gone, gone, gone…




I will definitely miss it but I have a few more bronzers to finish so no use crying over spilled milk or in this case, a shattered Laguna. I would probably buy this in the future but there are just so many great bronzers out there that it would be a shame (IMO) for me to keep using the same ones…unless of course they are HG level.

I am a Hoarder…

Yes, I’m a hoarder. I won’t deny it. Nobody in my family minds. They’re actually quite supportive about it. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t hoard old stuff. I hoard new stuff. Check out the photos below.


These are my son’s wipes. We have antibac wipes, baby wipes and hand and mouth wipes. The Hello Kitty packs on the side are facial tissues. I got them all for free with the Giggles baby wipes. The antibac wipes I got 2 + 1. I no longer have to buy facial tissues for myself for around 6 months or more because of the number I have in my stockpile. Both my son and I benefit from this drawer.

Believe it or not, I have a method to my madness. I only hoard stuff if I can save money or get a good deal. Here’s more..



These are my son’s diapers. If I get the biggest bag, I get 8 free. I searched the supermarkets to get the best deal and I got it at S&R. We seldom go to S&R now because of the baby so I took advantage of it and got a couple of bags. I’m hoping this stock will last us until the end of the year. I save money on our grocery bill and on gas.



These are boxed tissues. They’re actually not on sale or anything. I just like buying one month’s supply at the beginning of each month. I don’t like going back and forth to the store and I especially don’t like running out at an inconvenient time.

Under the boxed tissues are paper towels. I have a ton of those because they rarely go on sale. I got a buy 3 get 1 free deal. I estimate that we won’t have to buy paper towels until February.



I also have these Breeze laundry detergent which I got on BOGO. I no longer have to buy detergent for one year! I also have matching fabric conditioners but my supply is running low on that and there are no good deals in the groceries yet.



I also like buying my toiletries. I have several jars of my favorite lulur scrub. I got them at BOGO and they will last me probably until summer or longer.




Lastly, my favorite curling lotion from Monea. They are always out of stock so I buy around 3 bottles at a time. I found a few lurking in my toiletries drawers when I took inventory after I gave birth.

I have a few more stuff in my stockpile that includes toothbrush, more facial tissues, cotton, lotion, bar soaps, etc. I got them all either on sale or on BOGO or I got a really great deal on them (like Php99 for 3 toothbrushes and 16 packs of facial tissues).

So, yeah.. I’m a hoarder and my family couldn’t be happier about it. But there’s just the problem of space though. = )

Empties–Laura Mercier and Miss Tangerine

Here is another empties post. I love, love, love this Laura Mercier cream foundation. My shade is Bamboo Beige. It goes on perfectly on my skin. It can even handle my acidic skin. Laura Mercier is really good at giving your face a flawless finish.

The other empties is the Miss Tangerine lipstick. It’s a bright pink shade that I really like. It goes on smooth but I layer it on so that it will last longer. When the lipstick is gone, a rosy tint is left on my lips.

So far so good with blogging. = )

Empties

I have several empties back in October but I wasn’t able to take a photo of them all. Also, I don’t have the time to organize my photos anymore. So here are some of them.

Nail polish remover from TFS

I won’t be buying this for a while as I have 2 bottles of Guardian nail polish remover to finish

I can’t remember what exactly this Clinique product is but it’s from the De-Aging Repairwear line. It’s the moisturizer I’ve been using for the past couple of months. 

I finally finished my Carmex. I will not repurchase as I have one more lip balm to finish. I am also eyeing other brands.

The Body Shop and Baby Haul

I’ve been out for a while because I’ve been super busy. I’m the only who takes care of my baby during the day. On top of that, I have a ton of work and chores to do.  I’ve also been contemplating for a while if I’m going to let this blog die a natural death by not posting anything but the friendships and connections I made here are priceless. So, I will try to blog as much as I can although there will be some changes. I will probably upload more haul posts and put a bit of commentary on each item I buy. It will be hard for me to write product reviews now but I will try my very best to do so. Anyway, I hope you will still come and visit my blog to get information on products and some shopping tips.

Here are some items I bought in the past week.




















On to the TBS haul:


I got tons of body wash in olive, strawberry and satsuma. I also got another bottle of the chamomile makeup remover.

The bag is a GWP

Will I love or hate the Chocomania line?

I’m excited to try these honey products!

Love, love their soap bars!

I’ve already tried the chamomile makeup remover and I will try to make a short review on it.