Tried & Tested | Best Whitening Products in the Philippines

Tried & Tested | Best Whitening Products in the Philippines

The products mentioned below are affordable and highly effective as I have tried and tested them for myself.

Despite my Taiwanese lineage, I never had super fair skin that most Asian girls dreamed of.  My shade has always been in between fair and medium, but never light to fair.  Unfortunately I didn't get my mom's super fair skin.

Back in Highschool, I used to play softball under the harshness of the sun and never took any safety precautions for my skin like using sunblock, and I ended up being medium to dark with a buttload of pimples not only on my face, but also on my chest area and my upper back.

So when I was in my first year of college, I started taking care of my skin more, in trying to help myself in looking my best.

I know that in Asia, we would always think that the equivalent of beauty would be someone who has fair to light skintones, that is why all Asian commercials and ads would usually show a model/celebrity who has fair to light skin.

So I knew that I wouldn't be as fair as those girls in magazines or on TV, but I believed that I could be whiter, brighter, and a lot more radiant than how I was with the help of these products:

1. BODY SOAP

BELO Kojic Acid + Tranexamic Acid Body Bar with Lemon Exfoliation

(Available at Watson's and SM Grocery Store)

Why I love it:

* Works really fast, You can see your skin lighten within 1 week

* Easy to find (Available in any major grocery store, drugstores, etc)

* Even when I got sunburned, my skin would lighten immediately with continous use

* Affordable

2. FACE WASH

iWhite Korea Facial Wash Whitening Vita

Why I love it:

* Affordable (Php 159 at Watson's)

* Effective in whitening, and cleansing the face

* I would not have any pimple breakouts

* Really helps in immediately brightening my skin

3. BODY SCRUB (Exfoliation)

Always remember, that no matter how many layers of whitening products you put on your skin, it will not work unless you exfoliate!  You have to get rid of the deadskin first to let the whitening products sink and get absorbed by your skin.

A BONNE Miracle Spa Milk Shower Salt (Nano White Glutathione)

Why I love it:

* Lightens the skin immediately after use

* The salts used are gentle on the skin

* Immediately smooths the skin

* Whitening takes effect after 2 weeks of use (2-3 times a week)

* Affordable (Php 140 at Watson's)

3. FACE EXFOLIATOR/SCRUB

Always remember, that no matter how many layers of whitening products you put on your skin, it will not work unless you exfoliate!  You have to get rid of the deadskin first to let the whitening products sink and get absorbed by your skin.

CURE Natural Aqua Gel

Php 1,500 at Beauty Bar or SM Beauty

Why I love it:

* Super Effective (One of my holy grail products)

* Its in a gel form but exfoliates the skin really well

* Lightens the skin immediately after use

* Lightens dark spots and pimple marks

*Minimizes pores

*Anti- Blemish

* You only need to use it 2-3 times a week

* After continuous use, you will discover that there's not much to exfoliate anymore

4. BODY LOTION (DAY & NIGHT)

DAY:

BELO Kojic Acid + Tranexamic Acid Body Cream

(Php 199.00 at Watson's)

Why I love it:

* Works really fast (Results seen in 2 weeks)

* Works really well with the Belo Kojic Acid + Tranexamic Acid Soap

* Has SPF 30

* Not to greasy

NIGHT:

A BONNE Miracle Spa Milk Whitening Lotion (Nano White Glutathione)

(Php 150 at Watson's)

Why I love it:

* Absorbs really well on to skin

* Whitens really fast

* Affordable

* Also helps in smoothing my skin's texture

* Lightened discolorations on my skin

* Moisturizing but not sticky

5. SHEET MASKS

I really love using different sheet masks, and the ones I find that helps my skin lighten are the "Brightening" masks from Korean brands like Tony Moly, Etude House, The Face Shop, Skinfood, and Beauty Bento Box Philippines.  They're only around Php58 - 120 each, and around Php 250 for high-end / highly concentrated sheet masks.

A more affordable alternative (but still very effective) is iWhite Korea's peel-off mask that is available in Watson's for only Php24.50 per sachet.

6. WASH - OFF MASK

Skinfood Rice Mask Wash Off

Available at Skinfood and Althea.kr

Why I love it:

* Immediately whitens face after use

* Skin is bright and radiant after use

* Gentle exfoliation

* Gives my skin that bright, dewy korean-like glow

7. UNDERARM AND BIKINI AREA WHITENING

GLUTA-C Intentse Whitening Gel for Underarm & Bikini

Why I love it:

* Gentle on delicate parts of the body

* Effective with continuous use (Results seen in 1 week)

* Can be used on underarms, bikini areas, elbows, back of the neck, and other areas

8. WHITENING SERUM

DERMAX PROFESSIONAL Vitamin C Powder Serum

(Php 999.00 at any SkinStation Branch)

Why I love it:

* The serum is in powder form but turns liquid when rubbed on the skin

* Has whitening and anti-aging

* Can be used on the face, body, and even delicate areas (Underarms, Bikini Area, Elbows)

* Also lightened my acne scars, and my caesarian section scar

9.  FACE MOISTURIZERS (DAY & NIGHT)

DAY:

iWhite Korea Aqua Moisturizer Whitening Vita

(Php 179 at Watson's)

Why I love it:

* Whitens and Moisturizes

* Very light on the skin (Non-Greasy)

* Gel type (No oiliness/sebum)

*Absorbs quickly

* Doesn't cake my makeup

NIGHT:

Carrawssa Horse Oil Moisturizing Cream from Korea

(Available at: Beauty Bento Box Philippines

Why I love it:

* Has whitening and anti-aging

* Smoothens

* Moisturizes my skin really well

* I noticed that my skin looks radiant and younger when I wake up

* Minimizes fine lines and large pores

* Rejuvinates the skin overnight

*Also firms up my skin

10. SUNSCREEN / SUNBLOCK (FACE & BODY)

No matter how many whitening products you use, it will not work if you do not protect your skin.  Always use sunscreen or sunblock, otherwise you will only get darker even if you use whitening products.

FACE:

Etude House Sunprise Natural Corrector SPF 50+

Available at Etude House

Why I love it:

* Has an immediate concealing effect

* Color Corrects

*Acts as a good base for makeup

* Immediately evens out skin tone

* Has SPF 50

* Long lasting

* Can be worn alone (Because its like a tinted moisturizer/concealer)

BODY:

For everyday: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen

For Swimming: Nivea Sun Whitening SPF 50

For Activities (When you're sweating alot): Dermax Professional UV Active Sunscreen Water-Burst

11. SUPPLEMENTS

Ishigaki Premium Glutathione (Available at: http://agelessbeautypotions.com)

Myra E (Available at Mercury Drug or Watsons)

Healthy Options Vitamin C 1,000mg (Available at Healthy Options)

Healthy Options Hair, Skin, & Nails Multivitamins  (Available at Healthy Options)

I drink all of these supplements daily because I found that they work well together.  Ishigaki Premium Glutathione  is very affordable and works very fast in whitening the skin.  The vitamin C helps in the absorption of the glutathione, and the Myra E boosts up the effect of the Hair, Skin, & Nails multivitamins to give me that white, smooth, and healthy skin texture I want.

It's also good for the health in boosting your immune system.

So there you have it, these are the whitening products that helped me lighten and brighten my skin.  I still get dark especially during the summer months, but I lighten back very quickly thanks to these products.

I hope you all find this post useful, and that you learned something and that I hope these products would help you in your whitening journey as well.

Until next time!

XOXO,

Beauty Call

REVIEW | BLAIR JAPAN KISSPROOF LIPPIES

REVIEW | BLAIR JAPAN LIPPIES

So as some of you may already know, the Masters at Pretty Looks came out with their new line of liquid lipsticks and lipsticks formulated in Japan by none other than Steffi Blair Ong herself, the master and co-founder of Pretty Looks.

On the PrettyLooks Facebook Page and the Blair Cosmetics Facebook Page,  you will be able to see and watch famous celebrities trying these lippies for themselves, and I was very much impressed on how good and pigmented these lipsticks appeared on camera, so I really wanted to try them for my self.

So here's a quick review on what I think about these lippies:

The Shades:

On their website, the available shades for the liquid lipsticks are:

And for the lipsticks, the shades have a wider range:

Now here are the shades I decided to get:

From left to right: Kels, Cams, Sue, Jane

From left to right: Sue, Cams, Kels, Jane

And for the lipstick, I went for Liviah as it is a very good MLBB (My Lips But Better) shade.

SHADE DESCRIPTION:

CAMS - A deep red (matte)

SUE - A nude pinky peach (matte)

KELS - A soft nude pink (matte)

JANE - A bright combination of red and coral (matte)

LIVIAH - A warm nude pink (Dries satin to matte)

THE PROs:

• Highly Pigmented
• Very light on the lips (Barely noticeable feeling)
• Dries super matte but doesn't leave your lips chapped
• ABSOLUTELY KISSPROOF AND WATERPROOF (no transfers)
• Dries really fast
• Very easy to apply, super manageable
• Very long lasting (Doesn't come off unless you remove with oil or makeup remover)
• Made with Organic Ingredients

THE CONs:

• I wish their were more shades for the liquid lipsticks
• It doesn't do well with layering ( you only need 1-2 swipes to get your desired look)
• Since it is super matte, you will need to moisturize your lips first with a balm, wait for it to absorb, before applying
• If you put a lip balm on top of it, it will smudge.

OVER ALL THOUGHTS:

There are absolutely not enough good things I can say about these lippies, I totally fell in love with them.  They really are everything they claim to be, which is, Kissproof, Highly Pigmented, Long lasting, and super matte.

I highly recommend these lippies to all girls out there to try out and experience it for yourself.

You can get yours at any Pretty Looks branch for Php799 each.

Review | MAYBELLINE SUPER BB CUSHION

REVIEW: MAYBELLINE SUPER BB CUSHION

I am so happy that Maybelline finally came out with their very own drugstore BB Cushion.  It only retails for Php 749.00 at Watson's or any Maybelline stall, and as their special launch promo, they are cutting Php100.00 off from the orginal price until June 30, 2016.

BB Cushions has been very famous in South Korea because it gives the users the option to be able to apply a BB Cream or Foundation very quickly through the "tap tap" method by just gently tapping the product on to your face.  It's very quick, easy to blend, and it makes it easier to re-apply later on through-out the day.

I personally am a big fan of BB Cushion compacts because it's easy to carry around, easy to apply, and it gives that luminous, dewy, korean-like-celebrity glow.

So here's what you need to know about the new Maybelline Super BB Cushion:

What it is and what it claims to do:

1. Made with 60% Essence to help nourish and heal the skin
2. Has SPF 29 / PA +++
3. Has moisturizing  and correcting properties
4. Light to Medium Coverage
5. Flawless - Perfect Skin

The Packaging:

• Very simple yet elegant
• Comes with a full sized compact mirror (Not like those cheap mirrors in some compacts)
• Comes with a soft puff applicator (Unlike the blue puff that comes with other cushions but still effective)
• The cushion is sealed to avoid contamination of bacteria
• The compact is pretty thick compared to other BB Cushions

The Shades:

02 - Light

03 - Natural

I got 02 Light as my shade which is perfect because of the yellow base.

The Cushion

What I loved most is that this BB Cushion is packed with so much product, compared to other BB Cushions which has a lot less, and runs out very easily.  By simply tapping the cushion with my finger, I could already tell that Maybelline does know how to be generous.

The Application and The Coverage

As you can see, I only covered half of my face with the Maybelline Super BB Cushion, and you can already tell that the coverage is pretty great.

It did help minimize the redness on my skin, and also minimized the appearance of pores, fine lines, and dark spots.

It also has a cooling effect once applied.

So here's my full face of makeup using the Maybelline Super BB Cushion.

(Please note that I did not use a primer or any base, nor did I use a powder to set it when I used this BB Cushion to get the full effect)

PROs:

1. The packaging is bulky but very light
2. The mirror in the compact is good quality
3. The puff it comes with has the same effect as the Korean puffs from other BB Cushions
4. The coverage is really good
5. The finish is not as oily/dewy as other brands
6. It's very affordable
7. It doesn't sink in to the dry spots on the skin, doesn't cake
8. It's a very good everyday BB Foundation
9. Very blendable, easy to apply
10. The cushion has a lot of product compared to other brands
11. It lasted me 6 hours before it started to fade/brush off my skin

CONs:

1. It only comes in two shades (02 Light and 03 Natural)
2. I hope they can make the packaging a little bit thinner
3. The puff seems hard to clean, and since it is thinner, it looks not as durable as other puffs
4. If you have oily skin, this will make you oil up more
5. I think you need to set this with a powder because everytime something hard touches my face, the foundation will move (leaves a mark)
6. No available refils yet
7. I do hope that Maybelline will come up with limited edition cases for their cushions in the future to have more variety in the case.

So there you have it, over all I love this product and will consider re-purchasing this very soon.  I see myself using this more often than my other cushions as it is a very affordable cushion with very good quality.

I hope you girls find my review interesting and that you learned something.

Please subscribe to my blog and share with your friends!

xoxo,

Monica

BeautyCallManila

Tried and Tested : Long Lasting Beach-Proof Make-Up

Hi Sexies!

Summer is almost here and I wanted to share with you my beach/summer must-haves that I took with me on my trip to Maldives to get that perfect long-lasting summer glow!

So, this December 2015, I went on a trip of a lifetime to Maldives!

Maldives is a luxury travel destination somewhere in the Indian Ocean where the rich and famous go for a well spent vacation with the sun, sand, and sea.

So I thought that it would be a perfect time to test out some products that are long-lasting, water-proof, sweat-proof, and basically beach-proof.

I went on this trip with people from the company I work for, so it was really a must to making sure that I always look presentable despite the heat, the sweat, and the occassional dip in the beach.

My tried and tested, guaranteed to last choice products:

1. Sunscreen: UV Active Water-Burst Sunscreen from DERMAX Professional for Face & Body
(Available at SkinStation Branches)

I'm really not a fan of using sunblock because I hate that heavy-oily feeling on your skin, but this sunscreen is the lightest I have ever used in my life, and it has SPF 45+ PA ++++, it has Broad-Spectrum, its water resistant and has a hydrating formula that won't leave your skin thirsty for moisture like other sunscreen/sunblocks do.

The best thing I like about this product is that it also doesn't cake-up your make-up.  And not only that, another amazing thing about this sunscreen is when you pump it out of the bottle, it comes out in a cream form, but when you start rubbing it on your skin, it turns to little droplets of water hence the name "water-burst".  So it's just like splashing a little amount of water on your face without having to suffer from that heavy/oily feeling.  Pretty cool right?


2.  Moisturiser: The Body Shop's Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser

When going to the beach, you want to stay fresh as possible so you do everything to avoid looking too oily, and maintain just the right amount of dewiness on your face.

The Body Shop's Vitamin C Moisturiser is light weight, and smells so good like a burst of citrus freshness.  It doesn't cake up my make-up as well, and despite it being light-weight, my skin still gets the right amount of nutrition before, and even after sun exposure.

3. Primer: Benefit Cosmetics Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer

This primer claims to make your foundation last to up to 15 hours.  I tried it and with all the sun, sweat, and sea action, I got it to last for up to about 4 hours maximum before it wore out.  Which is actually pretty good since it doesn't even claim to be waterproof.


4.  Foundation and Concealer: MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation or Covergirl 

Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation and as for concealer, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

MAC foundations and concealers always have the best results when it comes to medium to full coverage and lasting power.  So I decided to use their Mac Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation for this beach trip to make sure that I have the best coverage even when I'm swimming and/or sweating on the beach.  The foundation comes in a wide variety of shades available for Asian skin, and the only downside I could find is that it is a bit too expensive for a little small tube.

So I also used a less expensive alternative which is Covergirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation which claims to have the coverage of a concealer, the lasting power of a primer, and the blendability of a foundation.  This foundation actually did a very good job when it comes to lasting power combined with Benefit's Stay Flawless primer.  The only downside I could find with this one is that it just didn't have my correct shade.

5. Brows: Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow or K-Palette's 24H Real Lasting Eyebrow Pencil Brush

Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow is my official holy grail brow mascara. I could go forever with just having this as a brow makeup because it can do the job of an eyebrow pencil, brow powder, and brow mascara in one.

It gives me the very natural look of having more brows, and the wand is fool-proof, which means that anyone can use it easily even when you're not used to doing your brows.

I have previously tried using other brow mascaras from different Korean brands, I used to love them, but if I rate Gimme Brow with 10 being the highest, I would give this product an 11 and other brands with an 8.

For a more defined brow, try K-Palette's 24H Real Lasting Eyebrow Pencil Brush to line and define your brows that will last under the heat.


6. Blush: Benefit Cosmetics ChaCha Tint

Benefit's ChaCha Tint is a peachy mango lip and cheek tint which gives out the perfect dewy summer glow.  It lasts longer than other blushes and I can use it for both my cheeks and lips for a very natural look.

7. Bronzer: Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzer

Benefit's Hoola Bronzer is a perfect choice not just for the summer months, but all year round because its the only bronzer I could find that is very easy and buildable to use, and doesn't make me look like I've been punched on the face.

I use it to contour my face, and/or give my cheeks a natural summer flush.

8. Eyes: Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Push-Up Liner and Mascara

When on the beach, I really don't like using eye products to avoid looking like a racoon later on when I get wet from swimming or when I sweat under the heat of the sun.

But there will be times where you need these products especially when you're attending a beach party for example.  Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Push up liner and mascara are my holy grail eye products when it comes to long lasting waterproof and sweatproof power.  It even comes with its own remover because these products seriously won't budge once you put it on.

9. Lips: Covergirl Outlast Lip Color in Coral Sunset or Benefit Cosmetics HOOLA Lipgloss

When I need something that will last me the whole day even when I eat, drink, or go swimming, Covergirl's Outlast Lip Color is the way to go.

This lip color literally lasts forever and I usually need a makeup remover to get it off my lips.

The only downside to this is that you need to keep applying the lip balm that comes with it because it dries super fast and cracks up your lips if you don't apply the balm.

Coral Sunset is the perfect coral shade for the summer to match that natural beach glow I was trying to achieve weather I be hanging out by the pool, on the beach, or during a beach party.

Another alternative is Benefit Cosmetics' Hoola Lipgloss.  This is the best smelling lipgloss I've ever come across.  Gosh it smells sooooo good!  It's the perfect summer shade for that bronzed dewy beach look.

10. Oil Control Powder: Etude House's Zero Sebum Drying Powder

Oh boy, this powder is an absolute must if you're suffering from oily skin.  It keeps your face silky matte for hours even when you're going to a beach party or if you just need your skin to look super fresh all day long.

11. Hair Product: Moroccan Sea Salt Spray by OGX (Can be found at SM Dept. Store  or Watson's)

For that effortless sultry beach waves, I use this sea salt spray all over my dry hair, and I just twist and scrunch my locks to get that natural beachy tousled curls.

Please stay tuned for my tutorial on how I used these amazing products for my summer beach looks.

I do hope that you guys find this useful or entertaining and I wish you all a fun-filled summer!!!

XOXO,
Monica