A higher SPF number doesn't necessarily mean considerably better protection against the sun. SPF 30, for example, blocks 97% while SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays (the sun's rays that cause sunburn) already. A sunblock with SPF70 or 130 surely has more protection, but it is negligible and not enough to block 100% of the sun's UVB and UVA rays.

So yes, that should set the record straight about SPF numbers. Most experts would recommend an SPF30-50 for daily use. A higher SPF number may mean a bit more protection, but the formula of the sunblock usually suffers. It's whiter, thicker, thus making it harder to wear without looking like someone hit you with a flour sack.

Not the VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Sport 70 though. I've had this sunscreen product for months now and I can say that it's pretty good! It's SPF70 but the cream, while thick, feels like a gel.

The Evian Facial Spray (P459/300ml) is probably the single most expensive bottle of water I've ever bought. Yes, it's just fancy water in a fancy aerosol can and not much else. I rather felt silly when I went home and unpacked it. Almost P500 for water? What the hell was I thinking?

Well, I got it because I've heard so many good things about this mist. It's supposed to make your makeup look more natural, and hydrate + cool down your skin whenever you need it. In this heat, you can't say no to something like that!

I've been using this Evian spray for a few weeks now and I can say that it's useful. Is it a must-have? Not really, but it's very handy to have around. Here's why:

• You know how sometimes your makeup looks too thick and obvious and you wish there was a way to tone it down? The Evian mist can tone it down. A couple of spritzes and your makeup will look more dewy, more like skin, since the water breaks down the binders of the makeup a little.

The fact that we are living in the future is something we take for granted. Imagine, 15 years ago the Internet was just something rich people and offices had; information can only be found in print. We now have personal computers with touch screens that can fit in our pocket. We have hologram Tupac, dead for 16 years, performing in a concert! But we all take it in stride and shrug it off as the natural order of things. There is no wonder, there is no marvel anymore.

Aside from gadgets, this living-in-the-future bit also applies to beauty products. The skincare industry, for instance, is moving fast with new innovations at affordable price points. Products that used to be only available from high-end brands now have doppelgangers in drugstore brands. It's not exactly the same but efficacy is just as good for what you pay for them.

Now, L'Oreal has been diligent in amping up their skincare lines with two new products: the White Perfect Micro-vibration 3-in-1 Eye Brightener and the Youth Code Pre-Essence.

The White Perfect Micro-vibration 3-in-1 Eye Brightener (P695) is an eye cream with a vibrating applicator. The white cream is moisturizing and offers a bit of brightening because it has some shimmer, but the applicator is the real star here. :D It's metal-tipped so it feels very cool and soothing once you place it on your eyebags. The vibration is gentle yet stimulating, a little bit like getting a massage.

You're gonna love this! Avon recently released new products under the Avon Naturals line: the Shakes Body Lotions and the Antibacterial Hand Gels. In a nutshell, these new products smell AMAZING and feel so good on skin, too. 

The Avon Naturals Shakes Body Lotion (P185/150ml) is housed in what looks like a milk bottle. I really love the design as well as the print because they look so expensive and classy. Packaging aside, the lotion itself is uber creamy, non-greasy, and smells so wonderful. It feels luxe when you spread it on, but the rich cream is surprisingly easily absorbed.

My favorite is the Pomegranate & Mango variant. It smells exactly as it says it does!

When Shu Uemura claims something, I find that it rarely jokes around. If it says brightening, it's brightening! If it says that a product will make you look less yellow, you will look less yellow. That's what I discovered with the Shu Uemura Whitefficient UV Under Base Brightening Mousse (P2,150).

I have to admit that I was extremely hesitant to use this product at first. SPF products tend to break me out so I don't really experiment much. But since most Shu products have wowed me in the past, I thought, why the hell not this one? Good thing I did try it, because now this Shu Underbase is an indispensable part of my day makeup! I've been using it for a few weeks now so I can confidently say that. :P

Okay, down to business!

What I love about the product

• It brightens my face instantly, without the use of shimmer or shine. The Pink Purple shade mixes with my yellow skintone to provide a more enhanced color. Call it color correction, if you will.
• My face makeup looks smoother and more pigmented on top of this! It's a great foundation base in that sense. 

EANVIE (pronounced as "envy") is the latest Korean beauty brand to hit Watsons. According to Andrew Wolff, the CEO of EANVIE's distribution company, the brand has been around for ten years. They decided to bring it to the Philippines because they were impressed by the products' results and felt that it suited Filipina skin.

I met Andrew last month to discuss EANVIE - it's always good to hear from the people who know their brands best! He was very kind, soft-spoken, and seemed passionate about his work. Really cool dude.

Of course I had to ask if Andrew uses EANVIE! He said, "Yes I do. You really have to know what you are selling before promoting it to others. Obviously, being male, it is difficult to try some products like BB Creams.  I let our operations manager Matthew Golar try that one! My favourite cosmetic would have to be the REVITAL CREAM as my "spotty" face has cleared considerably since I started using it."

One of my favorite lotions back in high school was from Jergens. It was affordable, smelled great, and didn't feel sticky. It was such a staple then, but when I got more adventurous with products in college, I just sortof forgot about it, y'know? But when Jergens sent me their new lotion, I just remembered why I loved this back then.

After all these years, Jergens still is affordable, nice-smelling, and non-sticky. A new variant, the Jergens Soothing Aloe Relief, has a calming, clean aloe vera smell that doesn't overpower. So not fussy!

I won’t be the first nor will I be the last to wonder, but what’s up with summer this year? It’s quite harsh. Even though I’m lazy with sunblock, I now make it a point to wear one all over my body and face every time I go out. In fact I’ve hoarded a few bottles in preparation for this very month!

Speaking of sunblocks, I want to talk about one that I’ve been using for a while now: Sunplay. I’ve had the chance to try it last May. While it took me some time and practice to get used to this fairly unique liquid sunblock, I ended up liking it a lot! Read my old review first. Done? Here’s why I stuck with this product:

• It’s something I can use over my favorite moisturizer. I don’t like most sunblock lotions because they can get sticky and greasy, but before I thought it’s just something we all need to put up with.

It is an incredibly nice day today, don't you agree? There's a kind of hush all around, a gentleness even. I just wish it won't be too hot later on. 

A gorgeous morning to you all!

Anyway, I just want to share a couple of my S&R finds. When we moved to Fort Bonifacio a couple of years ago, we instantly signed up at S&R. I shopped only once then. Why? Because for a household of two, I thought it wasn't practical to buy in bulk so I just did my groceries at Market! Market!

I've been shopping at S&R these past two months though. It's cheaper in the end because buying more means paying less, plus the meat and vegetables are usually fresh.

A lot of people think I just go around using new face skincare products all the time. I don't! Haha. When I find something I love, I stick to it like a barnacle. Occasionally I like something new enough for me to use it regularly, but after a while, for some reason or other, I find myself going back to my core skincare products. 

So! Let's start. I've known myself to be combination-oily ever since my teens, but in the past couple of months, I find that my skin gets dry and irritated often. When that happens I take a break from my Clinique Liquid Facial Soap (Oily Skin Formula) and just use the ultra-mild Sebamed Face and Body Wash. Then I use a thicker layer of the Clinique Moisture Surge.

Sometimes, when I'm really lazy and dry, I use the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil as an all-in-one facial wash and moisturizer. Seriously! After removing my makeup with the same oil, I use another layer and rinse it as a normal (but non-foamy) facial wash. Then I don't use anything afterwards. When I wake up in the morning, my face is kind of oily but glowing. I don't know but I feel that the Shu restores my skin's moisture balance.

When I talked about the Vitacreme B12 Body Milk last July, I gotta admit that I gave it a so-so review. I liked it but it's something I can definitely live without. After using it consistently for eight months though, it has become an indispensable part of my skincare routine, and here's why!

First off, it's magical. Lol. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but it's kinda true! This is what I use whenever my skin is dry, dull, and lifeless.

I'm feeling down and not in the mood to blog because I have horrible skin right now. It's a bad mix of pre-period hormones, stress, heat, and possibly comedogenic products I've tried recently. It's driving me nuts! 

My skin is a seething mass of stupid acne right now. Makeup is a lifesaver. Whoever said makeup is useless and dumb doesn't know what he or she is talking about.

Some things that I am doing to remedy the situation:

1. I am using a Clindamycin 2% and Tretinoin 0.05% mix to dry my pimples ASAP.

I read Jill's post on blogging burnout this morning. It's a topic close to my heart because I have experienced that many, many times in the past - you know, that feeling of weariness and futility of what I do. But each time I snap out of it. I truly love makeup and colors and how it can transform a person. There is always something new to discover, as well, and that keeps me going.

Recently, Shu Uemura gave me some of their latest products to try. I am so freakin' excited, I swear! The brand just recently released their spring collection called Celestial Garden, and I am loving the fresh themed look and relatively innovative products.

First off, they have a new blush called the Creamy Dome Blusher. It reminds me a lot of the popular EOS Lip Balm! If you think about it, the idea is so simple but elegant. Perhaps other brands have come up with a cream dome blush but this is the first time I've seen one locally.

I'm not very choosy when it comes to body wash. As long as it's soapy and smells good, I'm good! It's not like I'm going to leave it on my skin for more than a couple of minutes. Also if I ever get really really dirty, I might as well use detergent. Right? :P That's why I prefer NOT to spend a lot of moolah on body washes and soaps.

I thought I'd share my body-washes-of-the-moment. They're from Avon. I know I talk about Avon a lot, but what can I say - the brand offers some pretty cool stuff! The ones I review make it to my daily routine, so I make an effort to write about them and show my appreciation.

Out of the two, the Skin-So-Soft Soft & White Whitening Body Wash (P330) is my favorite.

After reading comments from readers day in and day out, I realized that few people actually know about proper skincare. That is, they don't know much beyond what TV advertisements tell them about their skin problems and how to solve them. Make no mistake - Filipinas are serious about skincare in the sense that they try a lot of products in their quest for healthy skin, but they're not informed enough to decide when to quit experimenting and to just see a professional.

I should know. I used to think I can solve all my skin problems myself. It was only after my visit to a derma that I realized I just can't! Now I'm not saying I have perfect skin, but it's definitely a lot better after I had it treated. The best thing to do is to go to a dermatologist and ask for advice, but other than that, read up! Here I have Dr. Frank, the brand endorser of GoodSkin Labs, answering three of my skincare questions from New York. ;)

What is the quickest way to calm red, inflammed acne at home?

Dr. Frank: To calm red, inflamed acne at home is to place a cold compress over the spots to help alleviate some of the pain. If the pain persists and the blemishes aren’t going away, visit your dermatologist to best determine how to treat.

I was checking out Beauty Bar in MOA last Sunday when I saw a new brand called Formula 10.0.6. Well, it's not actually new new since it apparently has been around since 1933, but I think it's newly arrived here! According to the website, the brand excels at perfecting troublesome young skin with ingredients that work. "Troublesome young skin", that's me alright.

I bought a sample sachet of the Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask (P120) knowing absolutely nothing about the brand. :P I liked how they packaged their products, so even though the price is quite reasonable, I got the feeling that the stuff is hip and expensive. It's just my luck that I bought what seems to be the most popular product of Formula 10.0.6, with a 4.2/5 rating at Makeupalley.

Ok ok I'm dithering. Deep Down Detox is a great mask! I got it because I am waaay overdue for a facial and I needed something quick to clean up my face. Well, this mud/clay mask didn't clean my pores as well as I hoped, but it helped with the oiliness extremely well. It's been three days since I used it and my face is noticeably less oily! 

"Proof, not promises," says Elizabeth Arden about their flagship anti-aging cream, the Prevage Night Anti-aging Restorative Cream (~P5,000/ $132). So what is it? Basically, it's a night cream that has a powerful anti-oxidant component to battle fine lines and dullness.

...an intensive overnight moisture cream with advanced Idebenone technology that was specially formulated to work during the night in synch with the skin’s sleep cycle, as it’s the time our skin is most receptive to treatments.

My Shu Uemura cleansing oil is still the best for me, but there are quite a lot of affordable alternatives available in the market now. They're basically the same - mineral oil-based makeup removers that take the gunk off effortlessly. Their difference, I find, lies in the smell, the residue left over after rinsing, and how skin-friendly they are. 

For not all cleansing oils are created equal. Even though they are made of the same stuff, some ingredients may cause pimples. Some are too thick and leaves a film of oil even after you rinse it off. Some, like the Revlon Absolute C Radiance Moisture Cleansing Oil (P550), has a very distinctive scent.

The first thing you'll notice about the Revlon cleansing oil is the overwhelming citrus smell. Now I'm not particularly sensitive to perfume in skincare, but this one is too much for me. I wish they'd take it down a notch, no, several notches. It claims to have Vitamin C but I don't think they have to prove it with the strong orange smell. We get it.

That said, it's quite effective at removing makeup with only a small amount of product.

It's been a month since I started using the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrate. And how was it? Amazing, really. It helped my skin get that nice glow and smoothness, feats that few other products can do consistently. Unfortunately, I had breakouts in between from trying out new products, so I feel that the ANR hasn't given me its best shot yet. 

Here are my pics and weekly reviews! Check them out to compare.