Neutrogena Hydro Boost SPF 50 Review

      I'll be in the Philippines this month, and as you know, my country is tropical with lots of blazing heat. I'm going to be out and about around 70% of the time, so what better product to received than this new Neutrogena HydroBoost Water Gel Sunscreen SPF 50! It has Helioplex technology that protects the skin from broadspectrum UVA/UVB rays.

     What I like about this is that it has a water gel formula that is very lightweight and much less greasy than other sunscreens. It absorbs into the skin nicely and doesn't interfere with other products I use on my face. For the face I can still feel a little greasiness, but you wouldn't notice it at all when applied to your body. It also doesn't leave any white-cast so it's perfect for picture taking! What's also great is that it has hyaluronic acid, glycerin and vitamin E that gives your skin a boost of hydration, and it's non-comedogenic so you don't have to worry about breaking out!

     You wouldn't walk in the rain without an umbrella, so protect your skin from the sun! This is now available in major drug and grocery stores across Canada!

More info about the product here:
https://www.neutrogena.com/sun/sun-adult/hydro-boost-water-gel-lotion-spf-50/6811342.html

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L'Oreal Pure-Clay Mask Review

     I recently joined Shopper Army, and saw the L'oreal Pure-Clay Masks and Pure-Sugar Scrubs as their offer. As I've seen this on Instagram for a while now, I was curious how their new skin care line is. All their Pure-Clay mask products have a blend of 3 mineral clays: Kaolin, Montmorillonite and Moroccan Lava. One of the choices was this Yuzu clay mask that clarifies and smoothens.  It claims it solves rough and uneven skin problems. It's designed for blemished, rough and dull skin. Even though it doesn't claim to have Vitamin C, I picked the Yuzu mask  as I am alway after brightening.

    First thing I noticed when I opened the jar, is this invigorating citrus scent. It smells so lovely and not too overpowering. The consistency of the product is thick, but it smooths out easily on the skin. It also has this seeds or beads which helps with exfoliating, so I like that it's kind of 2-in-1. However, because of the thick consistency of the product, I don't think they should have placed it in a jar as it is difficult to pick up the product with your fingers. It should have come with a small spatula if they were going to place it in a jar.

     After leaving on for 10 minutes, it dried up completely but it didn't leave my skin tight like other clay masks. It left my skin smooth, soft, and feeling refreshed. I've only used it twice in a span of 10 days, and I will try to continue using it if it does even out my complexion, and helps with my breakouts.

Korean Beauty Additions

     Everyone knows how popular Korean skin care products are today. I'm curious, so I thought I should give it a try. I have combination skin that is oily on the T-zone and normal on the rest. My main concerns are dull, uneven skin tone, and hyperpigmentation from post-acne. I actually saw these products from Wishtrend's YouTube videos about getting rid of acne scars and brightening. Then I ordered from YesStyle.

    First of course is toner. This is Dear Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner, and it is the most popular toner in the market today. It balances the skins pH, and moisturizes it. It prepares the skin for the next product for better absorption. The main ingredients are Sodium Hyaluronate and Lipidure for locking in moisture, Beta-Glucan for soothing skin irritation, and Centenella Asiatica Extract for anti-oxidant. It's also suitable for sensitive skin types as it contains minimal number of artificial chemicals. From the ingredient list, most of it is from botanical extracts. I was also surprised that it has Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, which is a Vitamin C derivative! A 180 mL/6.08 oz bottle costs $22, and will last up to 2 months!

     What is Korean skin care routine without essence? This is Skin&Lab's Dr. O2 Clinic Oxygen Ultimate Brightening Essence. It has Bamboo extract, and Spirulina for moisture and clarity, Cynara Scolymus leaf extract for oil-control, and Oxygen water and Niacinamide for brightening!

     This product is super fun to use because it bubbles up! The product feels a little sticky after applying, but it goes away after about 30 minutes. The downside of this however is that it is heavily fragranced so it might not be good for sensitive skin types.

      Last is this moisturizer from Chica Y Chico, Nude Fantasy Whitening Cream. You might be confused why I picked up a product that says "whitening". Although whitening is everything in the Filipino and Asian cultures, I simply do not believe in that. Let's embrace our kayumanggi skin Filipino people! From what I heard from the videos I watched, it might have been just a bad translation. Instead of whitening, they just mean brightening.

     Although it's not labeled as an SPF, it also has Titanium Dioxide, which what lightens the skin instantly, but what I'm after is the niacinamide and arbutin in this product to fade my hyperpigmentation. I use this during night time because i think the "whitening" effect looks like a bad, uneven, patchy white-cast.

     After 2 weeks of trying these products, I did notice that my complexion has brightened and faded my acne scars.

Before

After. The big red acne mark has faded! But ignore the white cast from the cream. Look also at the dewy glow from the toner!

Shiseido Ibuki Survival Kit Review #PhotoReadySkin #ShareBeauty

     I got this in the beginning of April courtesy of Shiseido and Influenster Canada for testing purposes, and I was so excited for the FULL SIZE Shiseido Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother!
     Since I have textured skin, I am always looking for products that will blur the look of it, especially when I wear foundation. If you have acne scars like I do, you would know that wearing foundation seems to exaggerate the look of the scars.

     As I applied it on my face, I notice how smooth and light it feels. It feels like a very lightweight moisturizer, and it smells really lovely. It's not silicone based like most skin blurring primers which is very good for my oily skin. This will prevent my foundation from slipping and sliding as my skin gets oily as the day goes on.

Before applying the smoother

After the smoother

     As you can see, it blurs the look of large pores and smooths my acne scars! It also mattifies which is good for oily skin. To test, I only applied it on my right side of my face (your left). I used it with Maybelline Fit Me Foundation.

Here is a side-by-side comparison. Left side: with. Right side: without. (Excuse my flaky nose)

     After about 5 hours, I checked in to see how it was performing. It definitely reduced the shine from my oily face, comparing with my left side (your right). However, maybe because a little bit of the oil is interfering with the product, the blurring effect has gone away. It doesn't help foundation last either.

Left side (with)

Right side (without)

I decided to spritz some of the Quick Fix Mist to see if it'll help take away the oilyness.

     Unfortunately, not only does the spray not perform well (They only gave it in mini-size. Maybe, the full size has a better functioning spray) it also didn't do anything. It smells good though! Maybe it can be a good refresher during the summer.

Chunky mist

     Next are the Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate and the Beauty Sleeping Mask. The concentrate is described in the Sephora website as "A one-of-a-kind boosting pre-treatment that helps defend against multiple signs of aging and damage, while enhancing the effects of skincare that follows."

     Since my skin isn't aging yet, it's hard for me to see the effects of this. It does feel nice on the skin, absorbs very quickly, and lightweight. I will keep using this to see if it does anything for my dark post-acne spots.

     The mask is described as "An overnight leave-on gel mask featuring vitamin capsules that melt into skin, helping you wake up to a well-rested and radiant complexion."

     I was able to get two uses out of this, instead of one, which is nice since I can test it more than once. Again, like all the other products from this line, it smells really nice, luxurious even. It absorbs slower than the others but it is a mask. I noticed that I didn't produce as much oil when I woke up and my face feels smooth and supple.

      So that's my review for the Ibuki line from Shiseido. I was really happy with my experience with these products! (except for the mist, but I'll keep using it) Thank you Shiseido and Influenster for the complimentary VoxBox!