An Attempt on a 7-11 Skincare Routine

A 7-11 Skincare Routine? What the hell is that?

Hey everyone! A few weeks ago I was forced into creating a skincare routine based on the skincare products sold at 7-11. I thought that I would be able to go home that day and spend an hour with my beloved Korean products when I was informed that we were staying overnight. Mortified and skincare-obsessed, I went to the nearest 7-11 to get myself some toiletries for the overnight stay.

Toiletries: Shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, and my beloved skincare products.

To be honest, I was quite skeptical about the idea of creating a routine from 7-11. I thought I’d only buy a facial wash, moisturizer, and SPF. But there were so many items in the store that I decided to buy other products that can be used as part of the routine. 7-11 didn’t have everything, but I managed to buy five skincare products from the famous convenience store.

Oil cleanser: none was available. I was thinking of buying wet tissue, but decided against it. (But wet tissue is available at 7-11)

Foam cleanser: Cathy Doll Acne Solution Serum + Foam Cleanser. I was completely unfamiliar with this brand, but I have seen these cute skincare products all over various 7-11 stores and I have been interested with them for the longest time. I could have bought a foam cleanser that I was familiar with, but this was my chance to buy this so I chose this one instead.

Toner: Pond’s White Beauty Pore Conditioning Toner. I used this product a few year ago, when I was still a teenager and skincare was something new and very experimental to me. I can’t remember if using this actually had an effect on my face, all I know is that I didn’t have any allergic reaction to it, so I guess this was a safe choice. I didn’t want to be too experimental with the line of products I’ll apply on my face.

Essence: Cathy Doll Milky Splash Essence. Same with the foam cleanser, this seemed interesting. Also, it was the only Essence available at the store, so I needed it.

Serum: N/A.

Eye Cream: N/A.

Sheet Mask: There were various masks available at the store, but I didn’t want to use a sheet mask that night so I didn’t bother buying one.

Emulsion: N/A.

Moisturizer: Nivea Creme. Nivea is one of my trusted brands and I actually own a moisturizing creme from the same brand (read review here), so I didn’t think twice in getting this product. I have my full trust on Nivea.

SPF: Olay 7 in One Total Effect Day Cream (normal SPF 15). I admit that this isn’t the best choice for an SPF because it’s basically makeup and it’s SPF 15. But I was hypnotized by the description in the packaging that I decided to go for this instead of a regular suncream. IT HAD SO MANY BENEFITS!!!! I WANT FLAWLESS SKIN, I WILL BELIEVE ANYTHING THAT TELLS ME I CAN HAVE FLAWLESS SKIN!!!

I can’t remember how much all of these costed me, but I’m pretty much sure it’s less than 700PHP (because that’s the total amount of everything I bought including the other toiletries and two sachets of Nestea’s Milk Tea.)

When I was on the way back to our room, I was pretty much excited to try all of these products and write a review about it on this blog. But then it came to me that I will be introducing a whole new line of skincare products on my face at once, and I had experienced a very bad breakout in the past for putting so many new chemicals on my face, and I was afraid that it might happen again, especially with these products that I have never tried before–and some products that I only bought out of curiosity.

Hence, I ended up only using the foam cleanser and the Nivea Creme moisturizer instead. I simply kept the other products in my stash so I can use them in the future.

By the way, does anyone of you guys want me to try anything from this 7-11 haul? Please do comment below so I can use it and make a review in the future.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Meesh ❤

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Nature Republic 92% Aloe Vera Gel Review

Hey everyone! I’m back with a review for one of my favorite skincare products, Nature Republic’s 92% Aloe Vera Gel. 

 

This is actually one of the very first products that I bought when I was still starting with Korean Skincare. To be honest, I really had no idea how famous this was when I added it to my cart, I only added it because I needed to reach a certain amount of purchase in Althea Korea to avail of a discount and I didn’t know what else to add on my cart so I went to their best sellers tab and found this. It looks promising and I’v actually heard a lot of good things about Aloe Vera so I chose this one.

(related: Althea Korea Skincare Haul)

I didn’t start using this immediately because I was using a moisturizer that I really loved back then, and I felt like this product was a skincare basic and I wanted to explore more so… I kept this gel in my stash for months before I finally incorporated it with my daily routine.

(related: Product Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet)

(also related:2016 Skincare Routine)

I first tried using this around February, it was traumatizing because the day after, I got a really horrible breakout and pimples were all over my face (and pimples were never all over my place before!!!) so I got discouraged with this thinking that I may have had an allergic reaction to it. After that, I didn’t bother with any product with Aloe Vera in it, afraid that I might get uglier.

But then I gave this gel a second chance when I used it to help me sooth a burning sensation on my nose area after I had colds, I think I was wayyy to rough when wiping my nose with a tissue which scratched the skin surface. Clearly, I cannot continue with my skincare routine because putting product on the affected area hurts like hell. And since this was a soothing gel, I tried putting a chunk of it on my nose area for thirty minutes. After that, my skin felt so much better and I was actually able to do my routine without feeling any pain.

Also, another factor that made me take the risk of using aloe vera once again was the fact that I used an unfamiliar sheet mask on my face the day I tried this gel. That sheet mask was just given to me and I tried googling it but nothing came out—I tried it anyway. I was weighing the possibility that the sheet mask might have caused the breakout and not this gel. With it’s satisfying effect on my skin, I was convinced that this aloe vera can never be something I’m allergic with.

Thus, before anything else, do some research with your products first before using them, aaaaaand avoid introducing two new products at once to your skin. It will be hard for you to decipher which one caused a reaction, whatsoever.

(related: Skincare Tips to Live By)

Anyway, I started using this Aloe Vera gel on a daily basis around May or June, and so far it has been good to me. At first I didn’t like it because I was never a fan of the “dewy glow” that everyone has been raving about, I’m more like a matte type of person, but I was able to solve my problem with that by using loose powder.

What I like the most about this gel is that it isn’t heavy, I can use it in the morning without worrying that my face might end up too sticky or too oily for the world to see. This actually started off as my day cream until I ran out of my evening cream and since I still had a lot of this product and it feels like I won’t be running out of it soon, I started using this in the evening as well, although there are times when I use a heavier moisturizer or cream instead because there are days when my nose area would just flake and it needs extra moisture.

But I still prefer using this on a daily basis because I never felt any burning sensation on my face anymore since the day I started using this, and I’m actually starting to appreciate the dewy finish that this product has every night after I’m done with my skincare routine.

My most favorite thing about this gel is that it’s very inexpensive yet there’s a lot of product and it could probably last for a year if used moderately. I only need a small scoop (less than the size of a small coin) to have my whole face covered. It’s totally worth the price!

I think the only downfall of this product is that it’s too bulky, hence it’s not really travel friendly and since the gel is too light, and it’s in a tub without a scoop, it can be unhygienic. I personally scoop my product using a spatula that I got from a different cream. I would appreciate this Aloe Vera gel more if it’s in a squeeze bottle, or something more travel friendly. As for the volume and the price, I have no complaints–I totally got wayyy more than I paid for, and for a gel that has very visible results after a short time of using it, I would say that this product is indeed an investment and I wouldn’t hesitate to stash this in my drawer. Although I honestly think that there’s no need to stash because this product doesn’t run out easily and it’s better to just buy one when you’re running out of the tub you’re using (in my own opinion.) but that depends on your preference. Either way, I would still recommend this for all skin types.

That’s all for Nature Republic’s 92% Aloe Vera Soothing Gel. I hope this review helped you in some way, I’ll be back with more skincare stories soon!

 

XOXO,

Meesh 🙂

Skincare Tips to Live By

Hello guys, it’s me again! I started investing in skincare around November last year. I was just looking for a simple solution to a major skin breakout until I got hooked with all the skincare methods and started trying out different products, and eventually creating a blog for it. Through the months of various trials and errors in skincare, I have learned a lot on how to take care of my skin through not-so-extensive research (Google and other blogs) and personal experience.

So in this blog post, I will be sharing the skincare tips that I have learned, and applied on my day-to-day skincare routine. I have proven that these methods are effective for me, and I think that they are effective in general. However, before anything else, I would like to clarify that I am in no way a skincare expert and what I will be writing here is only for the sake of sharing and suggesting for those who would like to start investing in skincare and for those who are new 🙂

So, without further ado, here are my skincare tips to live by:

1. Make time for your routine. I always make sure that I start doing my routine at 9PM. Just like any other activity, your skincare routine needs to have a slot in your evening schedule. In this way you can avoid being too lazy to do it (after a full day of various activities) or forgetting about it. This is to train your mind, and your body to be more religious in doing your skincare by making it a priority at a certain time. After doing your skincare, you can proceed doing whatever it is that you need to do, (study, watch TV, etc.) with a more relaxed state of mind.

2. Never forget to wash your face. There are days when you’re really lazy to do anything and all you want to do when you get home is lie on your bed and doze off immediately. In this case, of course you wouldn’t have enough energy to do a full-on skincare routine. However, you can still be kind to your skin by at least wiping off excess oil and dirt from your face with a cleansing tissue before finally going to sleep. This will help prevent your skin from accumulating dirt that causes pimples.

3. Never forget to wear sunscreen in the morning. At first, I wasn’t really keen on putting anything on my face in the morning because it makes me feel heavy. However, as my skincare obsession progressed, I came to realize that sunscreen is important especially when you slather a lot of products on your face. This will prevent hyperpigmentation and sunburn (which can really happen because there are some skincare products that shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight.)

4. Always start with the lightest product and work your way to the heaviest when doing your routine. Applying a much heavier product before a lighter one might cancel out the effects of the lighter product. You don’t always have to follow the recommended order of products as endorsed by the 10-step Korean Skincare routine. if you’re not comfortable with changing the order of the steps, just make sure that the products you use follow the lightest to heaviest dynamic. After all, it isn’t really hard to find products that follow the 10-step routine because some brands also model their skincare lines from the famous Korean Skincare routine.

 

5. Do not try on more than one new product at once. If you are introducing something new to your skin, you should observe its effects on you for at least two weeks before applying another new product. In this way, you can easily determine if the new product is good for you, and if it actually makes a difference. Putting too many new products all at once may actually do more damage, trust me, this has happened to me before, and it took me weeks to make my face look presentable again.

6. Know your skin type. This is a no-brainer, you have to know what your skin needs before you start buying products. To be honest, I didn’t know what my skintype was when I was still starting with this whole skincare routine thing (of course I had a routine before, but it wasn’t as extensive as this.) and I bought a few items which weren’t really for me (but they were in the hype), so they ended up in my sister’s vanity. If you do not want to spend money on things that aren’t really for you, do your research first before going to the cashier.

 

7. Know which ingredients are effective on your skin. Although some products claim that they’re good for a certain skin type, that does not guarantee that you’ll get good results from it. Therefore, you must know which key ingredients gives a positive effect on your skin so that you won’t have a hard time looking for the next skincare product to buy.

8. Do not be afraid to try on different products. The thing about Korean skincare is that it’s very innovative, skincare brands come up with a new line every now and then to keep with with the latest trends and technology, which means they also phase out some old products. It’s pretty hard to stay loyal on something that might be gone someday soon, right? So my advice is that you keep with with the technology, too. Follow the above-mentioned tip when buying new products, and skincare shopping for new products won’t be as risky.

 

9. Wait for the product to be absorbed by the skin before applying the next layer. If you don’t want your face to be greasy and heave after slathering 10 layers of products, wait until your skin has absorbed whatever gel you applied before putting another layer. This doesn’t take too much time for lighter products, such as the toner. But for heavier products, giving your face that extra massage when applying and waiting for a minute or two will give you better results. Also, there are some products that need more time for it to work its wonders such as the serum, or the essence. Try drinking tea or watching an episode of your favorite TV show first before applying the next product. In the morning, after putting on my moisturizer, I fix my things that I’ll be bringing to work first before I apply my sunscreen so my face won’t look too dewy.

10. Be gentle on the area around your eyes. The skin around our eyes are extra sensitive and is most likely to develop wrinkles faster if it is disturbed by tugging, etc. When applying my eye cream, I use my ring finger because they say that it is the most gentle finger and is less likely to put pressure on the under eyes.

11. Go for facials every now and then. I go to the facial spa at least once a month to have my whiteheads extracted by trained professionals. This isn’t really necessary, but it you want that extra pampering, go ahead and go to your nearest facial spa! It will make you feel better and it will help you in getting rid of your skin problems that you didn’t know you have.

12. Have fun! Doing my skincare routine for me is the most relaxing part of my day, especially when I have a new product to try on. Don’t pressure yourself do commit to doing it if you don’t feel happy or light whenever applying products on your skin, because by the end of the day, it is still your life disposition that will give you that youthful skin 🙂

That’s all! DO you have skincare tips and practices that you’s like to share? Comment down below.

Until next time,

Meesh 🙂

Banila Co., Tony Moly and Nature Republic Skincare Haul 2017

Hello guys! as you all know, in the first few months of 2017, I’ve been hoarding skincare products from different sellers, may it be online, flagship stores, malls, or wherever I can find anything that promises me better skin. I would get an Althea box once or twice almost every month, and there would be random skincare hauls every now and then. (Check out all my previous hauls here)

To put it shortly: I now have more skincare products than I need. And although it was fun to have all these products readily available for me and experience the wonders of them first hand, I’ve decided to stop impulsively buying them and start being wise and savy with my shopping by only buying a new product when I’m almost out of the current one I’m using.

I was really into the “do-not-buy-unless-you-need-it” state of mind that I actually didn’t notice that I was already starting to run out of products. I keep telling myself, “Oh, I’ll just order from Althea next week,” or “I’ll get myself a new toner from Etude later,” but it never happens. Whenever I see my bottles of skincare with less than an inch of product inside, I always think that it can still last me a week so I always postpone my shopping plans. However, going to Manila always gives me that “I-need-to-waste-my-money-on-something” feeling, which was perfect for my dying skincare routine because I can shop from stores not locally available in my city, and forgive myself from overspending because I’m in a different place. Haha.

The first thing I did prior to going to SM Mall of Asia was list all the products that I need to buy so that I’ll be fully aware of the only products that I should look for. And then I went to MOA with only two thoughts: (1) buy a Banila Co., cleansing balm, and (2) do not buy from stores that can be found in Davao, that’s additional baggage I’ll be wasting!

So, first things first. I went to the department store to get my Banila Co. Clean It Zero cleansing balm, I bought the bigger one because it’s actually cheaper compared to the smaller one considering that this one is almost twice the amount of the regular tub but it’s only 300 PHP more. And I don’t know the next time I will be able to buy this so, it’s a great deal for me.  I also bought the cleansing foam from the same line because I’m already running out of my current morning foam, and I’ve already tried one product from the line, so I guess this isn’t a very risky purchase.

The next store I went to was Tony Moly. I wasn’t exactly sure what products they have there and I didn’t have anything specific in mind, I was just hoping to find something good and inexpensive. Apparently, everything in Tony Moly was expensive and I wasn’t keen into spending a lot of money on a product that I’m not really familiar with, so I just bought sheet masks instead. However, their fermented snail line caught my interest, so I’m gonna write them down on my christmas wishlist. Lol

I went to the next door Nature Republic hoping to buy their famous Aloe Vera gel. Sadly, there was none available, so instead I went around and bought a few products for my skincare. I wasn’t really familiar with the other products from Nature Republic, but since their Aloe Vera gel was wonderful, I trust that their products will be as amazing. I only chose the items with ingredients that I’m familiar with, and has definitely done miracles on my skin. So here’s  the list of items that I got:

• California Aloe Vera Cleansing Tissue (buy 1 take 1, I figured that I need this for my travels. Because there are days when I get really lazy to even go to the sink to wash my face)
• Real Squeeze Aloe Vera Toner
• Honey Real Nature Essence
• Argan 20 Steam Emulsion

I specifically chose the items for dry and sensitive skin because it’s my skin type. In the past, I would purchase skincare without really knowing if they’re for my skin so I usually end up giving them to my sister instead, and there she is now, out there, with good skin, enjoying my rejects. Anyway, I know better now. Sorry sis, there will be lesser rejects for you in the succeeding months.

I’m not really sure if these products will be embraced by my skin perfectly, so I can’t suggest anything at the moment. However, I might write a product review soon, and I hope you guys are willing to wait for it.

That’s all for now and thank you for reading ❤

XOXO,

Meesh