Human Nature Natural Liquid Detergent Review

How tita of me to do this, but I must rave about a detergent that changed the way I do laundry.

But first, a verse from the back of the packaging:

Matthew 1:21-23 New International Version (NIV)

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[a] because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[b] (which means “God with us”).

My previous routine was powder detergent which was hard to rinse off, followed by a very fragrant fabric conditioner. ✕

Human Nature Natural Liquid Detergent is godsend! It smells like fresh oranges, lathers nicely, and is easy to rinse off as the plant-based formulation cuts rinsing time in half. It saves me so much time, energy, water, and money. It makes my clothes really soft without needing fabric conditioner. I finished one bottle, am currently using one, and already have another one as backup.

I like that it doesn't irritate my skin as I hand wash my undies with this, and it's also kind to the environment as it doesn't contain phosphates and chlorine that damage water ecosystems.

Price: PHP 299.75 for 950ml

Available online at Human Nature's website

Love,

Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook

Human Nature has chocolate soap!

Little did I know that when I did a Human Nature haul last February, I would be stuck at home from the half of March onwards due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine. Good thing I stocked up on toiletries!

One of my unexpected favorites was this kids soap from Human Nature. I never knew they sold chocolate soap! 🍫

Human Nature Kids Natural Bath Soap in Chocolate Adventure is 100% natural. It's made with Philippine coconut oil and glycerin. It does not contain triclosan, parabens, EDTA, BHT, sulfates, artificial dyes, synthetic fragrances, or other toxic chemicals. 

John 13:34: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

This soap has a delicious gourmand chocolate scent that you can enjoy in shower, but the scent does not linger on the skin. It's bubbly despite having no sulfates. It's easy to rinse off. I'm no kid but I love it! It also leaves my skin feeling clean but not dry. My torso is usually flaky and my legs are usually scaly, but with this soap, my skin is balanced and NOT dry, even if I don't use lotion. It's amazing for the skin on the body, but I don't use bar soap on my face. This 120g bar soap doesn't contain artificial soap hardeners; it has a soft texture that melts easily. Leaving it outside the bathroom helps, but I use it frequently since it's imperative we wash our hands frequently. My bar only lasted a little over a week. At this rate, I'll use up 3 to 4 bars of this soap each month, which could get costly. But because of this soap, I'm now curious with the other soap variants of Human Nature.

Price: PHP 89.75 (SRP)

I bought mine at Elegante Beaute in Lazada for only PHP 79.

Love,

Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook

Collective Masks Review: Bling Pop, MegRhythm, Medi Heally, Mediheal, Quick FX

I've tried a couple of masks for the past few weeks I've stayed at home, so here's a collective review.

Bling Pop Rice Bran Brightening Mask

Serum contains 1000 ppm of Niacinamide and rice bran extract that brighten skin and boost radiance

Pros:

• Cute, eye-catching, candy-colored packaging
• Silky soft and flexible material for the mask
• Great fit!
• Subtle, almost unnoticeable fragrance
• 4th ingredient: Niacinamide for maximum skin brightening
• 5th ingredient: Trehalose as hydrator and antioxidant

Cons:

• None

Price: PHP 119

Available at SM Beauty/Watsons

MegRhythm Gudetama Steam Warming Eye Mask (bought from Taiwan)

One of my cutest buys from Taiwan! This cutie is not available in the Philippines, but MegRhythm has a plain unscented variant that works the same. You leave this mask on for 20 minutes, and it warms up to 40°C. This is very relaxing, especially when my eyes are too tired and are already tearing up from PC use.

Medi Heally Warm Herbal Patch

I used to think this product was gimmicky, but I still bought a box to try. I love it! You're supposed to stick it on your undergarment/innerwear, not directly on the skin. It instantly warms up and the warm feeling lasts all day. It's like you have a warm compress on your abdomen all day. Genius product!

Price: PHP 210 per box of 3 at Althea Korea

Also available in Shopee (cheaper to buy here)

Mediheal Teatree Care Solution Essential Mask Ex

This mask has a unique design, it has the "Mediheal" logo pressed on the entire sheet mask. It contains tea tree leaf oil, chamomile extract, and centella asiatica extract. It has a glossy/shiny finish and the essence feels a bit sticky but tolerable. Not bad, but not a favorite of mine.

Price: PHP 99

Available at SM Beauty/Watsons

Quick FX Sculpt Tightening Face Mask

Pros:

• Super nice fit
• No noticeable scent
• No dripping, just the right amount of serum
• Lightweight essence (almost like a hydrating toner texture)
• Zero sticky feel
• My skin drinks this up in seconds, very easily absorbed
• Skin looks glowing and healthy right after!
• Not dewy unlike other face masks that look shiny on the skin, but more of lit from within glow
• Affordable for its quality

Cons:

• Supposed to be none, but don't be like me. I liked the essence so much, I reused the remaining product the next few days and doing so broke me out. LOL

Price: P89

Available in SM Beauty/Watsons

All the masks I reviewed here are made in Korea, except for the MegRhythm eye mask which is made in Japan.

Love,
Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook

Sappe Beauti Drink Review

Time to revisit an old beauty treat!

I've blogged about Sappe Beauti Drinks way back in 2016. It has disappeared from the market for a few years, and had a relaunch around November 2019. I wouldn't have known if it weren't for the poster on 7-Eleven's door I saw one fateful morning while I was waiting for M to pick me up.

I first bought the green bottle (fiber variant), and my, have the prices gone up! From P35/bottle, they're now priced at P65/bottle. I would go to 7-Eleven every few days just to buy this, until I decided to buy in bulk online.

We currently have 3 variants of Beauti Drink in the Philippines: Relaxing Calm, Collaskin, and S-Lim.

These are marketed as low calorie drinks, but let's dig deeper in a bit.

Relaxing Calm (with 35 calories and 13g sugar). Upon checking the ingredients list of this variant, water and juice make up 96.5% of the formula. Of course, there are calming extracts of chamomile (20mg), lemon balm (20mg), L-theanine (10mg), and lavender (5mg). The flavor is a mix of white grape, peach, and lychee. For me, this is the best tasting variant of Beauti Drink. It's surprisingly not too sweet. This drink was effective the first few times I drank it. I usually have bad sleep, but when I drank this, I was asleep before 11 PM! The more I drank it, I think my body became used to it and it ceased to knock me out.

Collaskin (with 40 calories and 12g sugar). I was looking forward to try this variant because it had 2,000 mg of collagen! This variant has other skin-friendly ingredients, but in very minimal amounts: Vitamin C (40mg), Zinc Citrate (5mg), Vitamin E (3mg), Snow Mushroom Extract (5mg). It's a mix of white grape and apple flavors, but I hardly taste the apple flavor. Upon drinking this variant, I unfortunately had an upset stomach (gas and diarrhea) with this. It also seemed to taste sweeter compared to the other variants, so I had a harder time finishing this. I will not repurchase.

 

S-Lim (with 60 calories and 12g sugar). This one is the most effective variant, and I find taking this very helpful when I'm constipated. It contains 8,000mg or 8g fiber. It also has slimming ingredients in minimal quantities: white kidney bean, L-Carnitine (20mg), cactus, capsicum, green coffee bean, garcinia, and kelp. I have no idea how the the other ingredients work, I'm only familiar L-Carnitine. This also had a pleasant white grape flavor.

I wanted to like these drinks, but I have an issue with the sugar alcohol they used. These drinks declared having low calories with "no sugar mixed" on the front label, but do check the Nutrition Facts and see Sugars (3-5g) and Maltitol (8-9g). Maltitol still has glycemic index, though not as high as sugar, it still has an effect on blood sugar. It may also cause gas and diarrhea, depending on how much you take or how your body reacts to it. This explains why I had an upset stomach with the Collaskin variant.

In case the makers of Beauti Drink chance upon this blog post, I'm suggesting they use erythritol or stevia to make these drinks healthier, with no side effects.

Price: P65

Available at Lazada

Love,
Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook

Washable Face Masks from Jamo Solutions

Way before the Taal ashfall and COVID-19 pandemic, I was regularly buying surgical masks. Being the girl scout that I am, I always had one in my bag in case I had to commute. I didn't mind "looking sick", and I actually enjoyed it when strangers keep a certain distance from me. LOL. My pet peeve is when people don't cover when they sneeze or cough, and on a certain occasion I've called a stranger out for it while in public transportation. Now, under the "new normal", we're all required to wear masks. Surgical masks are overpriced because DTI has increased the price ceiling to PHP 28 each. It's crazy. Boxes of 50 pieces used to be just around PHP 60 in Shopee last year, and now the normal price is around P800+. 😞

I know nothing beats the protection of N95 and surgical masks, but since I'm planning to wear masks long term after the Enhanced Community Quarantine has been lifted, I went for the less wasteful option of thick washable/reusable face mask. It was my boss and colleague who recommended @jamo.solutions to me.

It's not just a piece of cloth. The materials used for these washable masks are cotton spandex with mesh triple lining. It also has a pocket for your filter or tissue. I'm using paper towels or tissue with it.

My masks were delivered 7 days after order confirmation.

One note, since these are handmade, the sizes do have variations. Among the 10 pieces I've received, only 4 had a snug/perfect fit because of my slim face. Not a problem, as I'll be sharing these to other people anyway.

Price: P350 per pack of 5, minimum of 2 pack per order

Shipping fee: P150 from Banawe to QC (delivered via Angkas)

Total price: P850 for 10 pieces (pricing is fair considering the quality of the product)

I hope this helps!

Love,

Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Mint Choco

Some gifts that make me extra happy are unpractical things that I like but won't buy for myself. I already have a lot of cosmetics stashed in my drawer, so I wasn't expecting my sister to give this one to me last Christmas. Say hello to this big tub of Laneige Sleeping Mask in Mint Choco - the mother of all delicious flavors! 😍

This one is NOT a lip balm. It's an overnight lip treatment that deeply moisturize the lips and melt away dead skin cells. It contains shea butter and Vitamins A and E to moisturize and soothe the lips.

Each box comes with a HUGE 20g tub, an instruction leaflet with ingredients list, and a spatula in a tiny plastic pouch. So cute!

It expires 12 months after opening, but there's no way I'll be able to finish this tub so it stays with me until...20220902. LOL Just be mindful of using the spatula or clean fingers so you won't contaminate the product.

So beautiful. So perfect.

Swatch:
 

I swatched 18 lipsticks in the span of 2 days in my previous post, and my usually healthy lips felt slightly raw from all the wiping. I used a thick layer of Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Mint Choco, and my lips went on an instant vacation. I love the slight minty tingle that lasts for a little over 5 minute and the delicious mint choco scent. It doesn't have a flavor though, just a yummy fragrance. The swatch above was my lips the day after the lipsticks swatchfest. Back to healthy and plump! Since I'm working from home until the end of the month, I guess I will be using every night and day. Hello, soft and healthy lips! 💙

Price: P610 at Althea

Love,

Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook

J.Cat Freedom Creator Mix Lip Palette

I swatched ALL shades of this Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Palette Vol. 1 DUPE for you guys! 💋 J.Cat Freedom Creator Mix Palette FC101 Freedom First is said to be an exact dupe of the said product.

This was actually my sister's palette. She bought this when she went to makeup school, and ignored it afterwards because "using it took too much work", she said. Being a lipstick junkie, I took it. While my sisters are actually my makeup beneficiaries, it feels good to take their unwanted makeup once in a while. LOL 😂

Unlike the ABH Lip Palette which named each shade by  #1-13 and Primary #1-5, J.Cat has shade names for each color. Each palette comes with a dual ended lip brush with a spatula on the other end. My sister threw away the small metal mixing tray because she said the lipstick stains wouldn't come off. 😕

Shades:

 

Pardon the not so pristine state. I see a lot of wearable colors that need no mixing.

Swatches:

The textures vary greatly and the palette is a mix of creamy, matte, patchy, and beyond hopeless shades. Almost all shades on the first 2 lines are good enough for daily wear, although it's true that using this palette is more tedious than applying lipstick straight from the bullet.

Favorite: Real You (#12)

Creamy: Current Tale (#3), Risk Taker (#6), Pure Red

Ugly: Summer Hot (#7), Tick Tock (#9)

Patchy: Mauve Me (#1), Latte Spotlight (#11)

Beyond hopeless: Pure White, Pure Yellow (made my healthy lips look flaky)

I swatched all shades in two days. I couldn't finish it in one sitting because my lips were getting stressed. I used In Her Element Nourishing Cocoa Balm to remove my lipstick and moisturize it at the same time.

I haven't tried the ABH Lip Palette, but I think I'm fine with this one from J.Cat. I'm sure I won't ever finish this up. This one's nice to have when you're planning on experimenting with different makeup looks and don't want to commit to a full tube of lipstick in an exotic shade. But the nude shades aren't special or noteworthy, and it takes too much work to use on a normal day. I like that it satiated my craving for a lipstick palette with primary colors (just like PONY EFFECT Customizing Lip Palette), but I will not be repurchasing this one because I don't need it.

Price: P1,169

Available in J.Cat kiosks and online

Love,

Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook

Review: Rire Lucent Star Cushion

How much do I love pretty packaging?

So much, that I bought a BB cushion just because it was pretty. Never mind if it has a dewy finish and I have oily skin. I just had to buy it. 😍

Rire Lucent Star Cushion is the prettiest BB cushion to sit in my vanity. The packaging has falling pink glitters and stars!

Since is quite bulky to carry around, I mainly stare and play with it at home. I wouldn't want the pretty case to get scratched in my makeup bag. It has a big mirror, and the cushion puff is easy to use and clean. I just use cleansing oil, and the residue comes off - good as new!

Once you've emptied the BB and tints that come with it, the product trays are actually detachable. I'm not sure if Rire sells refills, though. They should! It's a shame to not be able to reuse this pretty compact. I hope they come up with a matte one. 👍

The BB cushion contains the following key ingredients: 

• White lupine seed oil - Contains 40% protein to replenish the skin's moisture, keeping it soft and smooth 
• Hydrolyzed collagen - Restores elasticity to the skin for a plump complexion
• White peony flower extract - Has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to keep the skin healthy

It comes in 2 shades: #21 and #23. I got #23 because the shade difference is just minimal. It's has a moisturizing formula that looks dewy upon application. However, this spells trouble for my oily skin. 😆 Application was a breeze using the puff it came with. It evened out the redness on my skin, and blurred my pores. The shade match was really nice. However, my skin oils up easily with this one - in just 2-3 hours I need to blot my face. I also get random itchy spots on my face when I use this, so I must be allergic to some of its ingredients. 😢

The lip and cheek colors come in pink and coral. The shades are really bright and youthful. The texture is a bit waxy, reminiscent of children's makeup. But it looks nice when worn sparingly on the cheeks. On the lips, this one goes on without much tugging, but it's not hydrating enough so by midday you will be in need of lip balm.

Swatches:

#23 cushion | pink | coral

I do not recommend this for oily skin. But if you have dry/normal skin that's not sensitive, you can give this beauty a try.

Price: P730 (currently on sale at Althea)

Love,
Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook

Swatches: Clio Pro Eye Palette 01 Simply Pink

Because of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, I've been working from home for almost a month now. I love working from home, but I miss putting on makeup everyday. I think this is the longest time I've gone makeup free.

And so, I finally got the chance to play with some of my makeup palettes because apart from my day job and household chores, there's nothing much to do. 😂

First makeup palette I'm going to share with you is Clio Pro Eye Palette in 01 Simply Pink. Isn't it gorgeous? I got this from winning the flatlay contest at the SM K-Beauty Playground!

From left to right:

First hug, Letter me, Papi, Love jam, Serendipity

Love lies, Lucky you, Love maze, Time to love, One kiss

Source: clubclioofficialstore

This palette comes in different pink hues that look sweet and is perfect for everyday wear. The shades actually have that "bridal beauty" vibe. It's comprised of matte, glitter, pearl, and crystal glitter eyeshadows. This palette is very easy to wear as you can just use a single shade to enhance your eyes, same as the eye looks above. Tip: The glittery shades are best applied using fingers for minimal fallout.

Price: P1,750

Available at SM Beauty

Also available online at Shopee & Zalora

Love,
Helen

Follow @LUCKYCITRINE on Instagram

Like LUCKY CITRINE on Facebook