Nature Republic SM MOA Store Opening

Nature Republic opened their newest store in SM Mall of Asia (MOA) yesterday, so I headed there straight after class. Their store setup was light and bright as usual, and my favorite thing from newly opened beauty stores would probably be their super fresh and sometimes even still sealed testers. You get to be the first to try them, so swatch all you can!

Nature Republic's store is located in 2/F Entertainment Mall. I'm seldom at MOA so I'm not really familiar with the mall's layout, but I was able to find it quickly. You won't miss it! You have to rush now, since they're having promos until Sunday (April 3) - 20% off on ALL regular-priced items and super awesome GWPs that make me want to cry (tears of joy)!

Someone get me a cake like this for my birthday, please! It's so me! ♥ Cupcakes were also served to the guests and customers. Sweet!

When I go to a store, I like it when they have a shelf highlighting their best sellers - like this! This gives people who are new to the brand an idea of what to buy.

Real Nature Mask Sheets are on a buy 10 take 10 promo again! This only happens when they open a new store. So that's P550 for 20 face masks. Each mask sheet's cost go down to just P27.50! :O Go hoard! Huhu. You can even split this with your friends if you feel like you don't need a lot of face masks. :D

Here's your cheat sheet to which variant will address your skin's concern:

Their Provence Calendula Sun Blocks are a must, especially this summer. I spy a variant on buy 1 take 1! ;)

Nature Republic is famous for their Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel, which I believe everyone already has. Let's take a peek at some of their other Aloe products!

Big packs of California Aloe Vera Cleansing Tissue (P475) are on a buy 1 take 1 promo as well!

This one's interesting and could well be my next eye serum when I finish my current one. California Aloe Vera 74 Cooling Eye Serum has 3 small round metal balls as applicator, and they feel oh so relaxing on the skin.

I spotted my Aloe Vera Cleansing Gel Cream on the shelf. Now, I'm using the Aloe Vera Foam Cleanser. Review soon! :)

 

Something interesting: I wasn't able to get the whole name of this product, but it's a huge bottle of cleansing water. For its size, I'd consider it very affordable.

I was torn (for a short while) between the Hawaiian Fresh Clear Toner and the Bee Venom Toner. The Hawaiian one has more product and costs less, but I decided to go for my skin's need (which is a product for acne-prone skin). I like the Bee Venom range's makeover. Their old packaging used to be a matte, off-white one, and now its shiny happy shade of green.

More skincare products! Argan oil is wildly popular, so I bet Real Nature Argan Oil sells pretty fast too.

Pretty jars of Super Aqua Max moisturizers. It contains deep sea water and has a watery cream texture. I'm still choosing between the green (for combination skin) or blue (for oily skin) variants. The pink one is for dry skin.

I've tried a sample of the Argan Essential Deep Care Shampoo and it worked wonders. My hair felt soft and tame for the first time without using a conditioner. I'm fancying the Argan shampoo and conditioner and I'll purchase when I run out my favorite Kiehl's hair care products. Argan Essential Curling Essence is something new and interesting for me, since I've always used salt sprays to make my hair extra wavy. I tried it in store, and it's not sticky. Yay!

This time around, my Panda wasn't with me since he's at work so I got him a little something. He mentioned that he'll be buying hair wax this weekend, so I got him a tub of Herb Styling Wax in Matt Hard. I like the scent because it's mild and fresh.

Show your kili-kili some love with the Cotton Armpit Kit! It contains a cotton armpit wash + whitening cream. I also spotted the Cotton Hair Removal Cream, which could be a Veet alternative.

Face bases! Though I'm not searching for a particular BB or foundation as of the moment since I'm still happy with the tinted sunblock I got a few weeks ago. Hihi :>

 

THESE ONES! I like! I want the highlighter and the lighter shade of contour powder.♥

More bases! Green Tea Pore BB is one I'd consider getting when I feel the itch to buy a new BB cream.

As usual, loads of nail polish to choose from. Strangely enough, my favorite nail care product from Nature Republic is not nail polish, but their super awesome Flower Waltz Color Waltz Nail Remover. I swear, it melts off even the darkest midnight blue polish you have in just seconds.

EXO fans, rejoice! I would like to admit being a Tita and not really knowing who they are, but these are really cute! These are hand creams, but they also have EXO lip balms! :D

Beauty tools. Can you see the basket of GWPs below? O_O ♥ 
 

MY HAUL! I'm so boring, right? Haha! I chose to restock on necessities and not makeup, because I firmly believe having good skin means you will need less makeup. :D

• Real Nature Foam Cleanser in Mango (P345)
• Bee Venom Toner (P695)
• Herb Styling Wax in Matt Hard (P345)

My bill was discounted 20% off and because I went beyond P1,000, I got a 5-piece Travel Kit for FREE! If you are wearing green, you get a little packet of samples, too! ♥

I'll write more about my haul because it deserves a separate post. Do let me know if you were able to grab awesome deals from Nature Republic SM MOA, okay? I'd love to read about them! :D

Like Nature Republic Philippines on Facebook for more information, such as new products, promos, and awesome store openings! :>

Love,

Helen

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Kracie Popin' Cookin Sushi Kit (DIY Japanese Candy!)

This Kracie Popin' Cookin Sushi Kit was a gift from a friend who went Japan. :D
 

I did another one last January using the Panda Bento Kit. Do backread, since that post was my first and is more detailed. :)

The back of the box has instructions in Japanese (uh oh!), but the illustrations were a very helpful guide. To be sure, I watched this popular and insanely helpful instructional video (with over 18M hits!) while making the "sushi". No photos of each step though, since I didn't want to touch my camera while rolling the candies on my hand. XD

The plastic packaging served as the plates of the sushi.
 

Can you imagine how these foil packs (with just powders inside) could turn into something as beautiful as these when mixed with water...

Don't worry, these actually just taste like sweet gummy candies. (Though I wouldn't mind had they tasted like real sushi; I love them!) On the day I finally set foot on Japan, I will hoard all variants of the Kracie Popin' Cookin' DIY candy kits! They're just too cute and too amazing!

Have you tried Kracie Popin' Cookin' DIY candy kits yet? :3

Love,
Helen
 

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Tony Moly BCDation Water Pact SPF 50+ PA+++

It's so hot outside! RealFeel can get as high as 40°C, so anything that can help me cool down already gets a plus in my book. For instance, I was never really into soft drinks, because I don't enjoy the "ahh" moment (the carbonated drink's "spirit" is way too strong for me). Until I tried McDo's Frozen Coke (in Slurpee form!), and I've craved for it ever since. It's like a soft textured Coke! Okay, before I get sidetracked by that, let's get on with today's review: Tony Moly BCDation Pact. The name itself already is a mix of BB cream, CC cream, and foundation, but this product does even more. It has an 8-in-1 function - one of which I find pretty helpful right now, which is cooling! 

Tony Moly BCDation Water Pact in 01 Skin Beige (P1,198)

Mist + Sunblock + BB + CC + Foundation + Cooling + Soothing + Whitening

• Perfect moisture cover lasting 24 hours
• Powerful UV Protection
• Instantly lowers skin temperature -2°C
• Immediately deliver moisturizing agent
• Contains 100% mineral sparkling water

This is different from the usual cushion pact, because for one, it doesn't have cushion inside! It's a water pact, and the entire content is a face base in a solid cream foundation form. The packaging looks extra posh and adds a very premium feel to the overall product. 
 

This pact contains 17g of product inside and is good for 12 months after you open it. 

It comes with a mirror and a soft rubbery/springy puff. The puff is also unique in a way because unlike the usual ones that come with cushion pact, this one absorbs less product so there's less wastage. 

It also has a divider to separate the puff applicator with the product. This product comes in 2 shades: 01 Skin Beige and 02 Natural Beige. 

The one I got was 01 Skin Beige, which suits my skin just right! My personal preference though is to apply this pact using my clean finger to warm it up a bit so it would blend easier. As you can see, a swipe covers my pores and kills redness instantly! 

Before & After (wearing Tony Moly BCDation Water Pact alone)

Tony Moly BCDation Water Pact has a sheer to medium coverage and a glossy finish. (Yup, not dewy. It's cold in Korea so they like makeup that can make their skin look and feel moisturized.) It's hydrating and has a very high SPF so you'd be protected from harsh elements. As for the face mist function, it contains a special ingredient that is 100% sparkling mineral water/carbonated water (instead of plain water) which gives the skin a fresher feeling and finish. This pact claims to cool your skin down by 2°C; though I can't measure to the exact degree, it does make my skin feel slighly cool but just for a few seconds. Since this is a BB + CC + foundation, it does have decent coverage as it can hide pores, redness, and minor skin imperfections. Also, no breakouts and irritations from this one!

Because of it's glossy finish, it does feel a bit sticky. Since I have oily skin, I can't wear it alone or else I'll just look ridiculously shiny, so I always finish this off with powder to make it last. I would recommend this only for those with dry to normal skin, but not for oily skin.

I like the Tony Moly BCDation Water Pact for its pretty packaging and the convenience it brings. An 8-in-1 product in a pact is very travel-friendly! No need to lug around separat bottles of mist, sunblock, BB, CC, and foundation. However, it is not for my oily skin. It is something I can use though when I decide to go on a trip with a cooler climate. Should they come up with one with a matte finish but with the same benefits, that's certainly one to look out for!

Like Tony Moly Philippines on Facebook for more information.

Love,
Helen

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Benefit They're Real Tinted Primer

My lashes are basically non-existent, and in the past, I've had a short-lived love affair with lash extensions. Lash extensions would make me feel beautiful until they start falling off unevenly. After that, I let my lashes recover by literally doing and using nothing on it for months. (So much for being a beauty blogger!) But now I'm back and more determined than ever to practice more when it comes to doing my eye makeup. Benefit's They're Real Tinted Primer is one of the newest additions to my ever evolving makeup kit and this shiny silver tube got excited me with eye makeup again!

Benefit They're Real Tinted Primer works in 2 ways. You can wear it alone since it's tinted to a mink brown shade, or you can wear it underneath your favorite mascara for an extra dramatic length boost. To be honest, I tried to work with They're Real mascara before, but I wasn't blown away with it at all. I have short and sparse lashes, and when I tried to layer it on, I got spidery lashes. Hence, I decided to just give the They're Real Tinted Primer a whirl on its own.

They're Real Tinted Primer comes in a sleek silver tube. It contains 8.5g product inside, and just like usual mascaras, it's good for 6 months upon opening.

One noteworthy thing about this tinted primer is its ExtraFlex brush which literally does yoga for you! It's custom-designed to move (and even bend) so you could reach, separate, and coat even the tiniest lash. Heck, this can even work on lower lashes!

Before & After

With They're Real Tinted Primer alone vs bare lashes
 

I love using this tinted primer as a stand alone product because it makes my lashes more defined and feathery even on its own. It comes in a water-resistant gel formula and it doesn't smudge, and it's also easy to remove at the end of the day. It also nourishes my lashes with the conditioning ingredient ProVitamin B5 (Yes, the same one always advertised in Pantene commercials!). I believe this one strengthens my lashes as I haven't had fall out upon removal. This primer revealed to me the lashes I never knew I had - even the lower lashes! It's lightweight and gentle too, so it's a good everyday mascara if you're after a natural look. 

If you're planning to layer mascara over it, this is the obvious choice. White primers work to lengthen my lashes by leaving fiber on each strand, but they also leave my black mascara looking grayish sometimes. You won't have that problem here since this mascara already has a dark mink brown tint. You just have to let it dry first before applying mascara, and you're good to go.

Tip: Benefit recommends They're Real Tinted Primer + Roller Lash Curling & Lifting Mascara for vavavoom lashes!

Price: P1,400

Available at Benefit stores in Manila: Greenbelt 5, Megamall (2/L Bridgeway), Trinoma, MOA, ATC, BGC Central Square, Rustan's Makati, and Rustan's Shangri-la

Like Benefit Cosmetics Philippines on Facebook for more information.

Love,
Helen

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