Someone over on Facebook asked me about tinted moisturizer brands to try. Since I knew that my answer is bound to be pretty long, I decided to blog it instead! I included BB creams in this list because they are actually tinted moisturizers just called differently - they work on the same principle of providing sheer, natural coverage and moisture in one product.

I made a list of all the TMs/BB creams I've ever tried according to budget and what they're best for. Please note that it's a given that the shades are very, very limited plus TMs/ BB creams in general are not designed with morena skin in mind. Sad but true - still, I have a couple of TMs here that might have a shade for darker skin!

Click the links to see the detailed review!

Super affordable

Myra Vitaglow tinted moisturizer (P150)

Pros: Incredibly cheap at P150 but still works pretty well for the price. Provides natural coverage and comes in two Pinay skin friendly shades (they're light but they blend in nicely). Has SPF15 and Vitamin E.

Let's face it, we're all much too young here to be using heavy-duty anti-aging products like the Filextra Facial Revolumizing Treatment with Collagen (P2,800) *wink*. But I'm sure you know an aunt, grandmother, or even your own mom, who might need something like it!

Filextra is a face moisturizer that is designed to "revolumize" a face that has devloped sunken cheeks or eye sockets due to loss of collagen over time. As we age, we produce less collagen, thus resulting in sallower, thinner skin that sags. Filextra targets that particular sign of aging by providing instant brightening with light-reflecting ingredients. In the long term, it's supposed to rebuild the skin using collagen boosters, refill by replenishing H2O levels in the skin, and revolumize by using an advanced lipid filling complex.

Of course, I can't use and review this for you since I'm quite young, but I can tell you about how light and easily absorbed the texture is.

I bought the Mario Badescu Special Healing Powder (P795) on impulse. It looked and felt a lot like T. Le Clerc's famous Loose Powder so I was interested in trying a cheaper version. Now, the MB powder is pretty good at oil control and quite helpful in fighting pimples because of its disinfectant properties. It also has very basic non-comedogenic ingredients - all four of it! It's practically mineral makeup.

However, I don't use this much mainly because I'm anal about how finishing powders should look like on my face

I declare this week as impromptu Body Lotion Week! Yes, I have slowly but steadily accumulated body lotions and moisturizers these past few months. I am not complaining, but I can be stubborn when it comes to this type of product! I stick to only a couple of favorites until they run out - that's the only time I consider trying something new, and even then, I usually just stick to my good ol' best friends.

But these latest products need to be reviewed, hence the relative deluge of body moisturizers lately. The next in the series will be two products from Nivea: the UV Protection Body Lotion and Extra Whitening Inner Cell Repair Body Milk.

The Nivea UV Protection Body Lotion does not claim a specific SPF number, but it can help ward off some of the UVA and UVB rays that can cause skin stress/damage and accelerated aging. It's really more of a daily sun protection product than a heavy duty sun care thing. Nivea has a different line for that. 

I like the scent of this one - it's not too strong, and has a bit of jasmine mixed with the powdery smell.

These days, there are a ton of products old and new in the market that it can sometimes get confusing for an average consumer to find something worth buying. There's also a deluge of enticing promises that can get us off kilter once we're in a department store - it's more difficult when there are actually good products that deliver. So how should we deal with it? 

The best way to go about is to find out for yourself what you need exactly. What are your skin concerns, if any? Dry skin? Blemishes? Eyebags? Oily lids? Chapped lips or do you just need something moisturizing with SPF? Once you have your needs specified and in order, you can start choosing the products that can help you. Believe me, there is probably something for whatever beauty concern you might have! You just need to do some prioritizing and research.

Now I've put that thought bubble out there, I'd like to talk about an institution in the world of body moisturizers. The Body Shop Body Butters (P695) have been around since the 80's and has consistently been the brand's best-selling line. It's not surprising, really, since there is something that sets these Body Butters apart from all the others: the scent. 

It's a given that these body moisturizers are moisturizing, but their scent is quite unique, and not in a fake chemical way. If the cap says Cherry, it will probably smell like cherry. If it says Pink Grapefruit, you can reasonably expect grapefruit wafting from the creamy lotion. The scent can be overpowering when you start applying it, but it mellows down into something softer after a couple of hours.

Vitacreme B12 is a relatively new skincare brand here in the Philippines, but I hear that it's been making a name for itself since 2006. The Vitacreme B12 Regenerative Cream is popular in Asia and the US, with users claiming that it moisturized and evened out their faces pretty well.

Nonetheless, when the brand contacted me for a review, I requested to the Vitacreme B12 Body Milk (P2,495) instead. I have too many face moisturizers as it is! Anyway, I've been looking for info about the body milk online with little success; the product packaging doesn't help much in specifying what it actually does. I did find a useful product description on Sasa.com:

It corrects the skin suffering from fatigue, dehydration, aging or dullness.

It enhances skin’s resilience and firmness.

It prevents premature wrinkling.

It smoothes away fine lines and wrinkles.

You know, I just realized that I don't use any food-themed skincare product in my daily routine. It's really more of a personal preference since I enjoy florals and fresh scents more than those resembling food. 

However, I do like Inovitelle's latest skincare line called Skin Cravings. It features the Smooth Over Body Lotion (P240) and Scrub Me Pretty Body Scrub (P255) in two flavors each. I enjoy using the scrub because it's not drying, while the lotion absorbs in the skin immediately.

What I love about the Scrub Me Pretty Body Scrub:

• The smell! It's not too strong and doesn't have that fake chemical odor. All variants smell exactly as they promised: Cranberry Yogurt, Dewberry Yogurt, and Strawberry Yogurt.
• The scrub beads are not abrasive on skin. It cleans very well nonetheless.

• After scrubbing, the skin doesn't feel raw and dry.
• Package design! I love the milk bottle concept, plus the image layouting. Tres cute.
• Price is very friendly. Only P255 a bottle which should be good for at least 5 uses, depending on the amount you use.

It's no big secret that I have an ongoing love affair with Clinique. The brand is quite pricey locally, but the products I use work extremely well on my skin. Again, it's always a matter of being hiyang, so I'm really lucky that I found my skin's "soulmate"!

I'm a fan of the Clinique Moisture Surge because it gives me a nice glow and more supple skin without the oiliness. However, it's not designed to help much during and after a big breakout. I try a lot of products for this blog so something always ends up giving me pimples - I need something that can help clear them and deal with the pesky blemishes that crop up afterwards. That's why I wanted to try the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer (P1,600/50mL).

It's pretty good. Here's why!

What I love about the product

• Helps dry up pimples faster, especially the smaller ones. It has salicylic acid, a key ingredient that targets acne. It has no parabens and has very little comedogenic ingredients. (See here for reference)
• It lightens blemishes, but this takes time, two weeks at least. I'm very happy with it nonetheless.
• Blackheads and whiteheads are no longer a problem whenever I use this.

Super light gel texture

Last Wednesday, I met up with Kira, who was incidentally meeting up with Mira (the Marketing Manager of Clinique). Haha. It was great seeing my girls since it's been quite a while! I also got to shop a bit (more Ferretti shoes and some Forever 21 pieces - more of that in the next post) so overall a nice Wednesday even though I got a ton of work then.

Yes, I'm wearing glasses here. I look kind of...off now with spectacles outside the house. I actually meant to buy a new set of contacts but I got sidetracked! 

Thrifted chambray polo/ Redhead skirt/ Ferretti tan wedges/ SM hat and necklace/ Parfois bag

So anyway, even though I was just sabit that day, Mira generously gave me a cute gift. I already have a number of Clinique pouches lying around the house but I swear, I will never get tired of that stuff. The brand makes some of the best cosmetic bags out there (great fabric, high-quality make) so if you have the chance to get one, don't hesitate. You can usually get them during promos since they are not for sale.

Curious to see what's inside?

I visited Rustan's Makati yesterday for my regular "what's up" checkup. Guess who I ran into! Why, Carrot of Bobbi Brown! She was doing her usual counter visits at La Mer and Bobbi, looking all fresh and pretty even though I know she's probably already mega stressed by that time (as all the Estee Lauder girls are!). I asked her if there's anything new, so she told me about Bobbi's latest product: the Bobbi Brown BB Cream with SPF35 PA++.

Developed by Bobbi Brown for customers who want a product with serious skincare and makeup benefits, this all-in-one cream perfects and smoothes skin’s appearance—instantly and over time. Its easily buildable formula evens out and gives skin a lit-from-within glow. Skin is filled with moisture as oil and shine are kept at bay. Plus SPF helps protect skin against UVA/UVB damage.

In a short while, fine lines and wrinkles appear less noticeable, visible redness is reduced and pores appear more refined.

This new BB cream is so popular that it's already sold out within the month! According to Carrot, they will restock by the end of June or early July so BB cream fans, you have to wait 'till then. In the meantime, I have swatches and first impressions for you.

There's a keen demand among women nowadays for more "natural" skincare solutions. But what do we mean when we say "natural"? Usually, a product is considered such if its ingredients are from natural and unrefined sources. For example, the ingredient list must mainly consist of water, fruit and plant extract, oils, combined with naturally occurring preservatives, humectants, surfactants, and emulsifiers (link). Natural skincareproducts do not contain synthetic chemicals.

That said, Pond's new line called White Beauty Naturals does not claim to be natural. But it does feature one of nature's beautifying agents: the Camellia Leaf. Why that particular plant? Dr. Sona Pushker, Head of Research at the Pond’s Institute says, “...The Camellia leaf extract is known to reduce the formation of melanin deep within your skin, and the proven skin lightening technology of the Pond’s White Beauty range inhibits melanin being released to the skin’s surface, reducing skin darkening and imperfections.”

Nature’s most potent skin-lightening secret! With Camellia Leaf Extract, Pond’s White Beauty Naturals works double time – it reduces the formation of melanin at a cellular level and inhibits melanin from being released to the skin’s surface, thus effectively fighting skin darkening, diminishing imperfections and delivering beautiful, pinkish-white skin.

Okay! Basically, the new line is a new formulation (upgrade?) of Pond's existing White Beauty products. What sets it apart is the inclusion of camellia sinensis, which is actually known as the "tea plant", because green tea is traditionally made from its leaves!

I’ve reviewed quite a few Myra products in the past and you know that I’ve been consistently impressed with the brand. Before, I thought that the low price points speak for the quality; I was obviously wrong. If you’re on a budget and you want affordable products that are similar to high-end brands, then Myra is for you. I really like their moisturizer with SPF, face powder, and lip balm.

My absolute favorite, however, would have to be the Vitaglow Tinted Moisturizer. It’s the cheapest and best tinted moisturizer in drugstores right now at only P150!

The best thing about the Vitaglow is that it's touted to be mineral makeup, which means that it doesn't clog pores and should help your skin in the long run. It also contains a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin E is vital in protecting skin cells from ultra violet light, pollution, drugs, and other elements that produce cell damaging free radicals. It also helps the skin by strengthening its moisture barrier and maintaining its oil balance whenever you cleanse.

I've read a lot of good reviews about the Human Nature Sunflower Oil. This is the very intriguing product description:

Radiant, soft skin touched by the sun! Our premium, cosmetic-grade Sunflower Beauty oil is packed with vitamins A, D & E to help fight wrinkles and naturally protect skin from infections and irritants. Best applied to the sensitive under-eye area. Many customers, including our Global Ambassador, Hollywood actress Rachel Grant, use this a make-up remover too. And due to Sunflower oil's properties, it can also help lighten dark circles under eyes and even stretch marks with daily use! A final tip - Rachel Grant likes to take a drop of it, rub it all over her palms then run her hands through her hair to add healthy-looking shine and vigor to her hair every morning. Is there anything our Beauty Oil can't do?!

With a killer description and a killer price (P120 for the 50mL bottle), who won't buy this? My curiosity got the better of me so I decided to get one when I visited Mercato Centrale.

Do you have a femstache, that is, a fringe of hair on the upper lip? Removing most of the hair on a woman's face (except her eyebrows) is considered part of good grooming. Women with mustaches are objects of derision because of that cardinal rule, but if you ask me, that cruelty is unfair and underserved! I think women have the right to keep their hair if they so choose, as long as said hair is clean.

All things considered, I choose to keep my upper lip hairless. The face is simply brighter and clearer that way since even a faint fuzz of fine hair can cast a shadow, thus making skin look uneven. Before, I denied the existence of my femstache. I thought nobody can see it - but it's one of those things we just gloss over until someone calls it out. And someone did call it out.

Since then, I started either plucking or shaving my stache. However, plucking is painful and shaving gives that sensitive area chicken bumps. So I get lazy. That is, until I discovered the joys of DIY waxing. It made the process faster with less side effects so now I do it regularly.

I like using the Veet Ready to Use Hair Removal Wax Strips, the small ones for fine hair. It's easy to use and can remove most of the hair in two swipes.

Guerlain makes some of the most luxurious beauty products out there, and this makeup primer is certainly no exception. The Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold is a "24-carat gold-infused cooling gel that sinks into the skin, retaining moisture." For me, it's as much as skincare as it is an excellent makeup primer. I highly recommend this if you don't mind spending big bucks for a serum and primer in one bottle.

Personally, I don't like relying on primers to make my makeup stay put. I prefer investing in good makeup with dependable lasting power, since I don't have the luxury of adding one more step in my routine on most days. However, when I need my makeup to look good for more than six hours at a time, it becomes a necessity to use a primer.

We're brainwashed to think that the higher the SPF number, the better. Well sure, higher SPF means that you get more protection, but did you know that the protection is not increased proportionally? "SPF 15" means that you will not burn/damage under the sun 15 times longer than when you are without it. "SPF 30" means that you can stay 30 times longer without damaging your skin.

Says the American Melanoma Foundation: "Consumers need to be aware that SPF protection does not increase proportionally with an increased SPF number. While an SPF of 2 will absorb 50% of ultraviolet radiation, an SPF of 15 absorbs 93% and an SPF of 34 absorbs 97%." Read up more about sun protection here and here.

All things considered, an SPF of 30 to 50 is already a good number for daily use. Any number higher than 50 is just a little extra - it's not a necessity. So you don't really have to HAVE an SPF130 sunblock like the one from Sun Play. But it would be nice if you did. 

The Sunplay Super Block with SPF130 (P349) is a white fluid with the consistency of water.

Are you lazy when it comes to wearing sunblock? Eh, tell me about it. I don't like how I have to blend blend blend just to remove the white cast and how I have to wait at least 20 minutes before the sun protection kicks in. However, thanks to technology, clear sunblock sprays are now available for us lazy daisies.

I got my first bottle of the  Nivea Sun Invisible Protection SPF30 PA++ spray more than a year ago. It became my constant companion during beach trips since it's idiot and lazy-proof to use: just spray and go! I also like using it when it's super EXTRA hot since I can't stand how lotion becomes so sticky when I sweat. Oh, this is also waterproof so it doesn't disappear as you sweat or swim.

Let's run through the pros and cons!

What I love about the product 

• Super easy to use. The spray covers a lot of skin, and there's on need to rub it in to remove the white cast - there is no white cast. The product is a clear liquid.
• The spray works even if you turn the bottle upside down to get to your back and lower legs.

Say hello to my new favorite facial wash - the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap (Oily Skin Formula)! I've been using it everyday, twice a day for the past two weeks and my skin has definitely improved. I am a lot less oily, I don't break out as much, pores are tighter, blackheads don't bother me anymore (!) and my skin is generally smoother. I so, so love this product.

My first experience with a Clinique facial wash was about two years ago. I got samples from an event and was pretty psyched to use it. However, I found it disappointing since it didn't lather (not a fan of washes that don't soap up), made me oilier, plus it also broke me out! So since then I stayed far away from Clinique facial washes, thinking they're all like that.

Well, I was obviously wrong. About a month ago during my first Clinique party, I was talking to Mira (Clinique's Marketing Manager) about my search for a new cleanser.