My Burt's Bees Experience with Project Vanity

I have been an avid reader of Project Vanity's blog ever since last year. Her blog has really helped open my eyes to the wonderful world of makeup and skincare. It's also one of the reasons why I am concentrating on reviewing beauty products on my own blog as well. It has become such an interesting topic for me that I am totally hooked on anything beauty related. 

I've always wanted to meet Liz, the writer behind Project Vanity, so when I read in one of her posts that she's hosting a Burt's Bees workshop at Beauty Bar Glorietta, I immediately grabbed this once in a blue moon opportunity. She did host some past workshops for other brands before, but I was always busy during those times and missed the chance to meet her. This time, I made sure to set aside time for the workshop.

So, here's what went down at the Burt's Bees workshop!

My friend and I arrived at Beauty Bar Glorietta at about 340pm, but the workshop was scheduled to start at 4pm. Liz arrived at exactly 4pm. It was really great to finally meet her! She was very nice and started to talk to the attendees. She asked for our names and started to converse with us about anything under the sun, but mostly topics related to beauty of course. We waited a bit for the others and the workshop officially started at 415pm.

Maymay Samson of Burt's Bees gave us a brief background and history of Burt's Bees before we headed on to the main purpose of the workshop.

The Burt's Bees workshop is to introduce their new line Daisy White. Liz introduced to us all the uses of this new skincare line. There are basically 5 Daisy White products namely: facial wash, toner, serum, moisturizing cream, and eye cream.

Liz demonstrated to us how to use these products by calling for a volunteer from the attendees. While explaining the different uses of these 5 products, she was putting on the Burt's Bees Daisy White products to the face of the lovely lady.

As per Liz, most Filipinas only recognize one skincare product which is the facial wash. This is quite true as this was also my only regimen before. It was just last year that I started to incorporate toners, serums, and creams into my night regimen. Liz introduced to us the double-cleanse routine which is to use toners after cleansing the face with facial wash. This is to ensure that no trace of dirt is left on the face. 

After double cleansing, it's time to put on the serum. The reason why serums have a watery texture is for the skin to better absorb it. Serums can penetrate moisture and nutrients deeper into the skin to make it feel even more hydrated. Afterwards, apply the moisturizing cream to the face. The purpose of the moisturizing cream is also to make the skin feel hydrated as well, but the structure of the cream is quite thick and cannot be absorbed fully by the skin. This is why it's better to apply both serum and moisturizing cream to make the results doubly effective. When you wake up in the morning, your face will surely feel all soft and supple.

Last but not least, slather on some eye cream before going to sleep. Liz explained that eye creams have a thinner texture than moisturizing creams which is designed specially for the eyes. Moisturizing creams have thicker textures which is why they are not to be used near the eyes as it could lead to tiny bumps emerging in the skin. She also demonstrated using her fingers how to rub the eye cream correctly so that it would be better absorbed by the skin near the eyes as it could feel heavy once it's just sitting on top of the skin. Just massage your eyes using your finger in a counterclockwise manner for the left eye, and in a clockwise manner for the right eye.

A small Q&A portion followed afterwards, then we also had a group picture taking done. All the attendees received a small gift pack as thanks for attending the workshop. I got the Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus shade. I already have this tinted lip balm in the shade Pink Blossom. I will be reviewing both in a separate post for comparison. I'm very happy that I got to take a picture with Liz from Project Vanity, and also with the event's official photographer Shaira Luna.

With Liz of Project Vanity

With official photographer Shaira Luna

Small gift for all attendees

I'm really grateful to Liz for giving us the opportunity to attend workshops like these. I feel that my time spent in the workshop was really fruitful as I got to learn a lot on how to apply skincare correctly. I will surely be attending her future workshops as well.

By the way, the Daisy White line is having a promo of 20% off from May 1 to 31. If you've been wanting to try this out, I suggest you go to your nearest Beauty Bar now.

Ciao!

Kat <3

Cure Natural Aqua Gel Review

Hi Gals!

I'm baaack! It's time for my review of the Cure Natural Aqua Gel from Japan. 

Cure in Beauty Bar stores

So, where did I first know of this product? I actually read about Cure from different skincare blogs. I got really really excited to buy this product immediately after I learned that this product can exfoliate skin and remove dead skin cells. 

I have some acne scars left on my cheeks because when I was in high school, I was very stubborn and did not heed the advice of my parents to not scratch off my pimples. So, I am now paying the price of having acne scars that are hard to get rid of. I have been on the lookout ever since for any product that can remove my acne scars.

After hearing that Cure is now being sold in Beauty Bar branches, I immediately set off to buy a bottle. Okay the P1,500 price tag is kind of heavy for a 250g product, but thinking that Cure may be the solution to my skincare problems, I felt that the price is very much worth it. No need to go to the dermatologist anymore that will cost hundreds and thousands of pesos every visit. See how much you will save in the long run?

Front view

Back View

Cure is said to be sold in Japan every 12 seconds! Wow, that good eh? I'm not really sure how accurate that phrase is, but if it really works that well, I'm sure customers like me will repurchase again and again.

How is Cure used anyway? You just put a pea-sized amount of product into your palm and then use your finger to rub it into your face. You will see white particles coming out as you start massaging your face. These are actually dead skin cells, and they kind of look like "libag" which is kind of gross, but actually the old skin from the upper layer of your face is being removed. The new skin is very soft and smooth like baby's skin. You can even use it on your lips, arms, neck, cuticles or anywhere you feel that you have rough and uneven skin.

Instructions on how to use

What I like about Cure is that the formula is very mild, and it doesn't hurt my skin at all. The texture is just like water, and when you rub it into your skin, it dissolves just like water and all you have to do is to keep on rubbing your skin to get the dead skin cells out. The packaging is also very simple, but quite effective as the pump is very sturdy so the product will not leak out. There is also a small stopper near the nozzle, so that you won't get to accidentally press the pump and waste the product.

See the white particles?

Stopper near the nozzle

Of course, this product should not be used everyday on the face. What I do is I use it after every 3 days. As indicated in the package, the ideal usage is twice every week and it will last about 4 months. I guess it will vary upon usage. Everyone in my family (4 of us) actually uses it, and 1/3 of the product has been used up already, and I just bought this product 1 month ago. 

The Verdict: After 1 month of continuous usage, I have observed that my acne scars have lightened considerably. They have not totally disappeared yet as the change is gradual. I should be religious in using this product, and I'm sure after a few more months the scars will totally fade away.

So, what do you gals think of my review? I hope you'll find my review useful. Do give me feedback also once you get to try out the product as well. :)

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

Ciao!

Kat <3

Artdeco Eyeshadow Anyone?

To start off this post, I would like to share to you gals that I am currently addicted to eyeshadows. Blame it on the Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes (will have a separate review on this) which I bought just last week. After buying that particular eyeshadow stick, I have been obsessed with checking out different eyeshadow colors and brands. When I went to Beauty Bar at Lucky Chinatown, I happened to chance upon this German brand called Artdeco. There were so many different eyeshadow colors on their shelf, and each color is labelled with a different number with samples displayed as well. I'm not sure if this method makes it easier to remember the colors you like, but I guess it would also be hard to name all of these since there are already 500+ different colors.

Eyeshadow colors on display

I can't believe my luck when the SA told me that there were some eyeshadow colors on sale. It was at 65% off! What a steal!!! Each eyeshadow color costs P350 at regular price, but I got mine at only P122.50 each. This sale lasted the whole July. I'll keep you posted when I have news of another sale again.

I bought 2 colors to try out first, numbers 57 (green with a hint of gold) and 247 (blue silver). Then, I asked the SA if they had palettes for these eyeshadows. The individual eyeshadow cases are quite small and I feel that I could easily lose them. Okay, no sale on the palettes booo, and they cost around P295 to P425 depending on the number of colors you can put inside the palette. No way was I going to buy a palette more expensive than the eyeshadows I just bought!

Green and Blue Eyeshadows

Not one to give up so easily, I tried going to Beauty Bar in Greenbelt 5 to check out the other colors on sale, and if there were any palettes on sale. Wow I'm so lucky again, the palettes in that store are 65% off as well, and it's the limited edition designs too! So, from the price of P425, I got it at P148.75. 

Artdeco limited edition customizable eyeshadow palette (mirror and magnet inside)

These Artdeco palettes are really cool because they are customizable. You can put in 4 eyeshadows inside the palette. There are magnets at the back to attach it to the palette. You also have the choice to put in 1 blush and 1 eyeshadow, or 1 concealer and 2 eyeshadows. 

Magnets at the back of the eyeshadow

Well now I had 2 colors missing, and my palette is still incomplete. I just went back to Beauty Bar Lucky Chinatown to buy 2 more colors. Numbers 97 (light pink) and 83 (dark purple) were my best choices as these colors are easy to match to any outfit. 

Pink and Purple Eyeshadows

So yay, my customized palette is finally finished, and here's how it looks like! I just put in a sample eyeshadow brush that I got from Beauty Bar also. There is no brush included in the palette either. So, instead of shelling out P1825 for the whole thing, I only paid P638.75. Talk about big savings!

My customized eyeshadow palette!!!

Of course, I would also like to give you a review on how these eyeshadows fare when put on the lids. The colors actually look really nice when applied, and you can even mix and match or combine the colors to make a more unique but still workable look. Since the colors are all quite light, it will be easy to blend any of the 4 colors together. Even the hint of shimmer is just right, not too glittery on the lids. As I observed, the colors stay on for only about 4 hours. After 4 hours, you will see that the colors are somewhat faded. Just a little retouch will solve this, or you can also use an eyeshadow primer before applying the eyeshadow to make the colors last longer than 4 hours. If you're not planning to stay outside for a long time, this eyeshadow palette will surely come in handy.

Swatches from L-R: Nos. 83, 97, 57, 257

There you have it, I hope you all enjoyed reading this review. What's your favorite eyeshadow brand and color? Just leave me a message if there are some eyeshadow brands that you want me to review. Thanks for dropping by!

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

Ciao!
Kat <3