Kiehl's Change Your Skin Challenge

Is it possible to change your skin in just a week? I just took the Kiehl's Change Your Skin Challenge to see for myself.

For the entire month of June, everyone can just drop by any Kiehl's store for a 5-minute skincare consultation, and get 5 samples for free. Kiehl's knows very well that their customers will come back to their stores after trying out their products, so they're confident and generous with letting people try before they buy.

My skin type is oily for both my forehead and cheeks, based on the skin test they did on me. For all I know, my face is oily all over, and it gets really shiny by midday especially when I don't use any oil-control product. Thankfully, it's not acne-prone. My top skincare concerns are oiliness, big pores, and occasional whiteheads (that pop out when I use something that doesn't work for my skin).

Here are the recommended products for my skin types, and mini-reviews for each.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser

Lightweight Formula to Remove Excess Oil and Impurities

for normal to oily skin types

Ingredients:

This foaming facial cleanser is sulfate-free, and yet it lathers rather abundantly. A little definitely goes a long way with this one. I love that it cleansed my skin thoroughly but gently, and it's free from parabens, silicones, fragrances, and oils. Since this one is made for normal to oily and even sensitive skin, it rid my skin of all traces of oil and dirt, but didn't leave my skin feeling dry or tight. My oily skin definitely felt more balanced after cleansing with this.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner

Hydrating Formula to Balance and Freshen Skin

for normal to oily skin types

Ingredients:

This toner is the polar opposite of my current salicylic acid-spiked toner! It's so gentle, it almost feels just like water. It's free from parabens, silicone, fragrances, oils, alcohols, and colorants - really the most gentle any toner could get. It makes my skin feel fresh and hydrated, but I feel that it's not enough to deeply cleanse my oily skin. This toner has soothing and hydrating properties that is most ideal for those with dry to normal skin.

Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion

with Amazonian White Clay

Minimizes Enlarged Pores and Refines Skin Texture

Ingredients:

The Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion has a liquid-y (not creamy) texture that spreads and absorbs easily on your skin. It gives a warm sensation upon application, and almost immediately, I did notice a slight reduction in pore size. However, it does not contain SPF so I have to layer it on with a sunscreen.

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA+++ UVA

Ingredients:

This moisturizing sunscreen has a light, non-greasy texture that is easily absorbed by the skin. It has a pretty high SPF of 50, which keeps my skin super protected from the sun. I never skip putting on sunscreen on my face especially when I go out, so this one is the most important thing in my routine. I love that this sunscreen has no scent, and has not caused me any allergic reactions or breakouts. This product is my favorite among the samples I've tried here.

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective White Skin Brightening Exfoliator

I commit the skincare crime of not exfoliating regularly. I just conveniently forget about it, and notice that my skin is either looking dull or extra oily. When that happens, I reach for this scrub, which is meant to be used 1-2x a week. Again, a little product goes a long way with this one. It is quite foamy for a facial scrub, and the scrub granules are smooth and round, so it won't irritate your skin (as long as you scrub gently). Exfoliating is important, as dead skin cells can make our skin look dull and prevent products from being absorbed fully into the skin. After using Kiehl's Clearly Corrective White Skin Brightening Exfoliator, my skin feels smoother and looks brighter instantly.

Here's a shot of my makeup-free face after a week of using the 5 Kiehl's samples I received. I like that it's a lot smoother and hydrated now, since used to skip using moisturizer at night. Also, it takes longer before my skin starts to get oily - which I think is due to the Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion. I think it's also because of hydration - my skin doesn't feel the need to overproduce more oil than usual.

When it comes to skincare, so might say that "things get worse before they start getting better" - like getting pimples or breaking out before seeing results. I don't believe in that. If a product works, then it works. And if it's a good product, then it's bound to be effective from the first try - and that's what Kiehl's made me realize.

I'd love to know, what is your Kiehl's skincare regimen?

Love,
Helen

Syoss Hair Affair

Who wouldn't love to achieve salon-beautiful hair at the comforts of their own home? You may have noticed the brand Syoss on the supermarket shelves for quite some time already, so now let's take some time to get to know more about the brand.

Most women desire 2 things when it comes to hair products: quality and affordability. These are exactly what Syoss offers. Co-developed and tested by top Japanese hairdressers and stylists, its formula is most suitable for Asian hair.

Last week, I attended the Watsons Hair Affair event featuring Syoss. The event was hosted by Ms. Gelli Victor. It was a night of hair appreciation and education, as we were given tips on how to care for and how to style our hair.

Bloggers Cheyser, Martha, and Seph shared their Syoss hair makeover experience with the audience.

Mr. Xylem Thomson, Brand Manager of Henkel Philippines, shared with us the different product offerings of Syoss.

Syoss is a renowned Japanese hair beauty brand established in Japan 36 years ago. Available in more than 50 countries, Syoss has increased its global presence, especially in Europe and Asia, during the past two years. Syoss is the first and only hair care brand in the Philippines that offers professional performance across the three categories of hair: care, color, and styling.

Syoss shampoo and conditioner come in three variants: Repair Therapy, Moisture Intensive Care, and Anti-Dandruff Control. Containing a specially formulated hair care technology called Pro-Cellium Keratin, the Syoss hair care range addresses the most common hair dilemmas of women.

Repair Therapy is designed to repair heavily damaged, stressed, colored or permed hair.

Moisture Intensive Care is formulated to moisturize dry, frizzy and brittle hair.

Anti-Dandruff Control is made to fight dandruff from the first application while providing smoothness to the hair.

Syoss shampoo and conditioner products are affordably priced at P4.50 (10ml), P48.00 (100ml), P90.00 (190ml), and P175.00 (400ml).

The Syoss Hair Coloration range is composed of the following shades: Black, Dark Brown, Chocolate Brown, Dark Mocha, Medium Brown, Dark Ruby Red, Medium Ash Blonde, and Extra Light Ash Blonde. 

Each box of Syoss Permanent Coloration is priced affordably at P330.00.

Syoss hair styling products make it easy to achieve professional-looking hairstyles without going to the salon. 

The Straight and Shine jelly (P180.00/150ml) and wax (P170.00/85g) make hair manageable, sleek and smooth up to the tips.

Curl Control whip (P225.00/150ml) and cream (P120.00/85g) give defined, long-lasting curls, full of perfect bounce and smoothness.

Strong Hold gel (P198.00/150ml) and wax (P215.00/85g) provide mega-strong hold to achieve individual looks easily.   

A live hairstyling demo was also shown to us by awesome and talented hairstylist, Mycke Arcano. He made is seem so easy to achieve the "out of the bed" hairstyle, and gave us useful tips on how to achieve it in just 10 minutes!

If you have a curling iron (or even a straightening iron), you can achieve the tousled, wavy-haired look at home.

You need to divide your hair into 2 main sections (left and right), and from each section, curl 4 sections of your hair outwards (away from your face). It has to be outwards, not inwards (since this will give you face-framing curls instead).

The initial outcome may look like "Goldilocks" curls, but that's okay. You'll just need to run your freshly curled hair over a paddle brush once, and it results to this! Gorgeous right? Don't forget to set with hair spray so the curls won't drop by midday.

For a nighttime look, he did a simple updo wherein you'll just have to twist your hair into something like a ponytail, then roll it into a bun. No need for hair ties here - just secure the bun with a minimum of 8 bobby pins, but you can add more if you like.

The hair trend now is leaning more towards the tousled/teased and intentionally messed up look, so don't worry if your hair doesn't look all perfect. Imperfections make it more interesting!

 

Syoss is available at all leading supermarkets, department stores, drugstores and groceries nationwide.

Among all the Syoss products, I find their Curl Control hairstyling range and the Dark Ruby Red shade from their hair coloration range most interesting. I'd love to know, have you tried out any of Syoss products?

Love,

Helen

Haul: From Hong Kong, With Love

I'll be sharing with you once more my love for sweets! Most of these are pasalubong from my sister who went to Hong Kong for a vacation.

Kit Kat Matcha Green Tea Flavor

This one reminded me of the boxed Kit Kats that my friend got from Japan, only this one was packaged in plastic. It's way cheaper, too! Each pack of mini 12s costs just about approximately Php 160.00! It's country of origin is Japan, but it's sold at a more expensive price in Japan, and cheaper in Hong Kong. @_@ So yeah, don't buy from Greenhills because you know the real price now. Haha! :D

Meiji Rich Matcha

Give me anything Matcha and I'll happily receive it! I love almost all types of Meiji chocolates. Seriously, Meiji can do no wrong. This one we don't have here in the Philippines, and I think it's a must-try.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly in Mint

And not only do I love anything Matcha, I love anything Mint as well. This makes you think that I love everything right? Haha. But no! :D We also don't have this variant of Cadbury locally, and how I wish we did.

Frutips Fruit Pastilles

Everytime a family member or friend of mine goes to Hong Kong, they almost always bring home Frutips candy! I am not such a fan of those super sweet and cheap jelly candies in the supermarket, but I love Frutips. Each piece is just so juicy, and you can distinctly taste the flavors of each color/variant. This one also comes in a blackcurrant-only tube (which must be a best-selling flavor) and a GIANT tube, wherein the shape of the candy corresponds to the fruit flavor (like a lemon wedge shape for a lemon flavored piece).

You may have noticed that everything pictured above is green! It's not my favorite color, but all my office stuff (like water tumbler, notebook, folder, ID lace, etc.) are green, and even the chocolates and candies I received are green! Some of my colleagues don't believe me (at first) when I say that my favorite color is pink. Haha :D

維他命水果軟糖

This big tube of candy from Taiwan was from my boss. She gave each member of our team this one since it was her birthday. My colleague says that it tastes like Frutips, but I have yet to try it. Too many candies! :D

Arome Bakery Room Japanese Premium Cookies

My sister got this box of Arome Bakery Room Japanese Premium Cookies for my parents, but as of the moment, we are eating it with our parents. Haha. I will do an unboxing post soon. :D

Keychains

Last but not least are these touristy keychains from my former colleague who went to Canada, and the other 2 are also from my sister.

That's all for now for my foodie/trinket haul. I can't believe I had so much to say about candies. Haha!

Love,

Helen

Something New: Tony Moly Double Needs Pang Pang Mascara

On my visit to Tony Moly last week, I spotted these super bright and colorful Double Needs Pang Pang Mascara. I think I'll be getting one of these for when I run out of my current mascara!

Tony Moly Double Needs Pang Pang Mascara (P498.00)

Photo Credit: Tony Moly Philippines

Photo Credit: Tony Moly Philippines

Photo Credit: Tony Moly Philippines

Photo Credit: Tony Moly Philippines

Photo Credit: Tony Moly Philippines

I have short, sparse lashes that point downward (only the worst lash combo one could get), so I'm thinking it's either No. 1 Volume, 2 Curling, or 3 Long Lash.

How about you, which one do you like most? :)

Love,

Helen

Krispy Kreme White Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter

Ever wondered where the cookie butter craze started? It must be famous for a good reason! When I saw that Krispy Kreme was having their new creations from their Delectable Desserts line - Speculoos Cookie Butter Doughnut, I just had to try it. I really had to.

Krispy Kreme White Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter

Shell doughnut filled with Vanilla Cookie Butter Kreme filling, dipped in White Chocolate, and topped with Belgian Chocolate Chips and Caramel Crunch.

First up, I love the topping they used for this doughnut. I'm a sucker for anything white chocolate, so this alone made me excited already. I liked the Belgian Chocolate Chips, but not so much for the Caramel Crunch. As usual, the dough of Krispy Kreme doughnuts are soft and chewy. While I was expecting to be blown away by the Vanilla Cookie Butter Kreme filling, I kept on waiting for that moment, but it never happened for me! :O My doughnut must have had too little filling inside, but I did get a glimpse of that creamy, peanut-buttery taste. I still prefer the Salted Caramel Doughnut over this one, but at least now I can be at peace since I have already tried the Cookie Butter-inspired doughnut.

Also available:

Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cookie Butter

Shell doughnut filled with Vanilla Cookie Butter Kreme filling, dipped in Dark Chocolate, and topped with French Biscuit.

Have you tried the Speculoos Cookie Butter Doughnuts from Krispy Kreme?

Love,

Helen