Product Review: SkinMD Natural Face, Hand, & Body Shielding Lotion

I've had this product for almost a month now. And that's also how long I have been using it every single day. I want to be able to fully test this product before giving it a review. I have researched about it and I see my fellow bloggers rave about it. The only reason why I waited for almost a month before doing this product review is I want to know if the positive reviews they gave are true for me and if not, be able to tell why I feel otherwise. I feel lucky to have been contacted by someone from 21st Century Formulations and offered to have me try this. Before I agreed, I did a little research and read positive reviews and upon reading them, that's the time I decided to give it a shot. But I did not rush myself in giving it a review and I wanted to have enough time to observe the changes on my skin and how it works for me. I want to give an honest review about it.

So here's what I received from them.

To start off, let me give you a brief background on my skin. I have oily and sensitive facial skin. But the rest of my body is really dry. So dry that I sometimes look like I have scales if I forgot to slab lotion on my arms and legs. I use Neutrogena Body Oil on days that my skin is super dry and on regular days when they're just simply dry, I use Vanilla & Co.'s Fresh Vanilla Milk Whipped Buttercream. On my face, I did not use this as I've had bad experiences on trying different products. The most recent was with the African Black Soap. Let me share to you guys what I think of this product. Oh, there are two formulas. A regular one and one with SPF15. I got the regular variant with 2 samples of the regular formula and 1 with the SPF15.

What I like:
- The scent is very mild and does not trigger any sneezing for me.
- It is not too creamy nor greasy. It is not too watery or runny. It's just right.
- It feels so light on the skin like you did not put anything at all.
- It keeps my skin moisturized. And the best thing about it is that I do not have to reapply every hour or two. It stays moisturized for hours and I mean hours. It really does keep my skin hydrated. No more yucky scales.
- My hands are dry. I love that my hands feel smooth and hydrated when I use it.
- I love that this is paraben-free and natural.
- I did not have any allergic reactions while using it. In fact, my skin looks and feels healthy with it.
- No animal products or testing.
- As I've mentioned, I have been using it for almost a month and I still have around 75-80% of the product left. You don't need to slather a lot of this on your skin.
- I like the packaging. It is minimalist and very practical and you get to have control on the amount of product you get.
- On the picture, I see alove vera and vitamin E gel capsules so I assume it has both.

What I do not like:
- The fact that this product is not locally available here in the Philippines. I would have to order from them and wait for 2 weeks to receive it. I hate the waiting game. :(

How much is it? $18 for 120ml bottle

Overall rating: 5/5
Will I buy again? Hmmm... 21st Century Formulations, is there any way you can have these items sold in the Philippine market? Pretty pretty please? I'm sure it will be a big hit here. S'il vous plait? :D

In this review, I decided not to use prolific and flowery words, I want to keep it simple yet concise and direct to the point. Now here's the list of ingredients from their website:

Deionized water (Aqua)
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract (Aloe Vera)
Cyclopentasiloxane
Dimethicone
Methyl Gluceth-20
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)
Arnica Montana Flower Extract (Arnica)
Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract (Comfrey)
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract (Chamomile)
Achillea Millefolium Extract (Yarrow)
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
1,2 Hexanediol
Caprylyl Glycol
Butylene Glycol
Aminomethyl Propanol
Phenoxyethanol

I hope you do get to try this amazing product as well. :)


By the way, do you think I should try this on my face as well? For those who would like to know more about this product, click HERE to go to their website.

Happy weekend, everyone! :P
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More Styli-Style Stuff + NYX

Hi ladies. It's been almost a week now. I've been sick again, yes. But I'd like to share what cheered me up during those days that I was in house arrest.

First, my Styli-Style mini loot.


1. L3 Timeless Lipstick in Beauty
2. L3 Timeless Lipstick in Jewel (freebie)
3. Hipstick in Freedom (the perfect nude lipgloss for me)
4. Hipstick in Flower Power
5. Brow Liner in Espresso (freebie)
6. Brow Liner in Brown
7. Jerome Alexander lip brush (freebie)

There was a mix up and the seller shipped my stuff to another buyer by mistake so it took me 3 days to receive them and the lipstick was not included on the package I received yesterday so it was shipped yesterday and I received it just now. I'm glad M, the seller, was really responsible.

Swatches

L-R: Brow Liner Espresso, Brow Liner Brown, L3 Timeless Lipstick in Beauty, L3 Timeless Lipstick in Jewels, Hipstick in Flower Power, Hipstick in Freedom

Among the lippies, my fave is Freedom. It is the perfect nude lipgloss for me. :)
Jewels may look intimidating at first but you only need to dab it on your lips and spread it evenly using your fingers. Your lips will look just bitten. :P

And here's the NYX blush from Sollie. Shade: Red Cheeks

Swatch

I love that this blush is not as creamy as Glow. It can also be used on the lips. :P So pretty! :)

Anyway, happy weekend, everyone! :P

Oh, we have a new home. So for all the girltalkers out there, it's time to come HOME!

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I think I had too much... So I let go...

Have you ever felt that you've just had too much and you simply have to let go?



That's how I felt with my blushes and I felt the need to let some of them go. I realized that I have more than what I really need when I reach for the same blushes almost every day. I have disregarded most of them so I just have to find them new mommies who will love and use them more that I do.

These are some of the blushes I had last year.

The blushes on the photo are incomplete as I have added a few more after I took this shot and my blushes reached 50. If you read my previous posts, you'll know which blushes were added on my stash. It was not later that I realized I cannot use all of these as I only have one face and I have no more than 2 cheeks. I remember one guy friend telling me to use these blushes all at the same time when we go out when he saw that photo. :P

It wasn't a short process when I downsized my blush collection to half of it. These are what's left of my blushes. 3 blushes not included on the photo as my mom borrowed 'em. Lookie!

Top Row: ELF Studio Golden Bronzer (which I also use as a highlighter), ELF Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder, Almay Cinder Red, 4U2 Magic Blush Quad, Shawill Blush 05

2nd Row: Milani Glimmer Stripes Terra Glimmer, Milani Glimmer Stripes Berry Glimmer, Benefit Coralista, Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Mosaic Blush in Afterglow, T. Le Clerc Brun Rose

3rd Row: Chanel Joues Contraste in Tea Rose, Chanel Irreelle Blush in In Love, NARS Taos, NARS Deep Throat, NARS Orgasm, NARS Lokoum

Last Row: NARS Torrid in In2It Compact, NYX Cream Blush in Glow, NYX Mosaic Blush in Paradise, MAC Mineralize Blush Grand Duo in Intenso, Rimmel Apricot, Rimmel Berry, Rimmel Sienna

I am mighty proud of myself for being able to let go of those blushes. I may have had a bit of seller's remorse when I let go of NARS Crazed and MAC BPB Joyous but then I gotta do what I gotta do. :P

Happy Sunday, everyone! :P


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Product Review: *~* Styli-Style *~*

Okay, this is the latest eyeliner craze going on at Girltalk. Lots and lots of girls are raving about Styli-Style flat liners. Let's see if I am one of those girls that are raving about this product. Lemme start by showing you the only Styli-Style products I have. They're not much, okay?


- Flat Liner Sharpener
- Hipstick in Groovy
- Hipstick in Love
- Hipstick in Psychedelic
- Line & Blend Green
- Line & Blend Blackest Black
- Flat Liner in Dublin
- Flat Liner in Cairo
- Flat Liner in New York
- Flat Liner 24 in Black (twist up)

*I gave away my Flat Liner 24 in Soft Black as it was too dry and tugs at my lids so bad, it hurts.*

Let's start with the Hipsticks. I made some lip swatches.

Groovy, Psychedelic, Love

Groovy

Psychedelic

Love

See how pretty they all are?

What I like:
- Lovely colours.
- Pigmented as you only need a little amount of product.
- I like the twist up idea as you have control over the amount of product you get. It's just like Revlon's lip glide, only cheaper and better.
- Staying power is pretty decent, lasts for about 2-3 hours.
- Cheap! Each tube costs PHP75 only.
- The scent is not overwhelming. I have a pretty sensitive nose and this doesn't trigger any sneezing at all.
- Not too sticky as MAC lipglasses. Yey!
- I find this a bit more hygienic because you don't have to dip the applicator on the gloss itself then use it then dip it again. Sorry but it's just like some of those people I see who eat fishballs who take a bite off what they are eating and then dunking it back on the sauce, eat, dunk, eat, dunk. Jeez!

What I do not like:
- Too shimmery. I probably got the "frost" variants, that's why. They would've been MLBB if only there weren't shimmers.
- They're a bit drying.
- When I first opened each tube, the sponge applicator is oily! Yuck! But after I wiped 'em with wet tissue, they're fine. :P

Overall rating: 3/5
Will I buy again? No. I already have 3 shades and I just bought Flower Power which I read is a nice nude shade without the shimmer. Well, technically, I did. But I just want a nude color without the shimmer. I won't buy again because I like tinted lip balms better. But for lipgloss lovers out there, you may want to try these good stuff. ;)


And now, time to review the liners. ;)

Here are the only liners I have.

And the cute little orange flat liner sharpener made for the fat, flat ones.

Swatches

L-R: Flat Liner 24 Black, New York, Cairo, Dublin, Line & Blend Blackest Black, Line & Blend Green

After rubbing it once with my fingers.

Twice.

Thrice.

Four times.

Rubbed 5 times, with a cloth this time.

Rubbed with wet wipes.

The others are nothing compared to the Flat Liner 24 Black. See how the others smudged easily after just rubbing it once or twice? They were almost gone by the 4th time, and almost completely gone by the 5th and 6th.

Overall, these liners are so easy to work with. I love the creamy texture and how they easily glide on the lids. Minor tugging with Flat Liner 24 though. Other than that, they apply smoothly. Honestly, there's nothing really special about them except for the style. I love the texture and how they glide easily but the staying power is blah! of course, except for the twist up one. That one is really good.

For the Flat Liner 24 Thick & Thin (Black)
Overall rating: 4.75/5 (It is not as creamy as the other liners but the staying power is superb!)
Will I buy again? Yes.

For the Regular Flat Liners (New York, Cairo, Dublin)
Overall rating: 2/5 (I don't like the fact that you need a special sharpener for these.)
Will I buy again? Maybe. I need something to use for the cute, little sharpener. ;D

For the Line & Blend Liners (Blackest Black & Green)
Overall rating: 2/5 For something that claims to be waterproof, this one is a complete failure.
Will I buy again? No. There are better liners out there.

Here's a tip: Since I want to be able to use the other flat liners, I found a way to make them stay longer. I first line my eyes with the Flat Liner 24. I then put the other liners on top of the Flat Liner 24. And then it stays longer.

Another tip I read at GT: If you find the Flat Liner 24 a bit dry, warm it up using your hair dryer/blower. I tried it and it works. Made it glide easily than it used to. :P

Where to buy and the price: Prices for these liners range from PHP50-75 and PHP130 for liquid ones on eBay.ph. These are also locally available at Beauty Bar for more than PHP500 each. See the huge price difference? (EDIT: I just checked out Styli-Style at Beauty Bar in Eastwood Mall this morning, 5/2, and they sell these for PHP595 on some liners.)

Sorry I had to put a lot of pictures but I just want to show you how these liners are when it comes to smudging. We all don't want raccoon eyes, do we? :P

Anyway, it's almost weekend again. I went to work this morning but I was sent home because they're worried that I might have shingles or adult pox and there is a preggy girl in the office. I have to go have a check up again later this afternoon. I hope it's not poxie. And I have been on sick leave for 4 days now.
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Stila, MAC, Styli-Style + Half FOTD

Today is a happy loot day as I received packages. ;D Here are the stuff I received.

Stila Kitten Eyeshadow
MAC Lipglass in Nymphette
(Avon Makeup base as freebie & 2 more stuff)

Swatches:

More Styli-Stye Stuff!

Styli-Style Orange Flat Liner Sharpener
Styli-Style Flat Liner - Cairo
Styli-Style Hipsticks

Hipsticks: Psychedelic, Love, Groovy (freebie)

Swatches: Love, Groovy, Psychedelic

Here is a Half FOTD I came up using mostly these.


I used the following:
Shiseido Supplist Poreless Powder Foundation
In2It Eyebrow Shadow
Styli-Style Flat Liner - Cairo
Stila Kitten eyeshadow
Maybelline The Colossal mascara
NARS Torrid
MAC Nymphette lipglass

Here is also a cute Hello Kitty cellphone charm I used as a bag charm since my mobile phone doesn't have a slot for charms.


Will review Styli-Style stuff soon! ;D

Waaah! I think I'll have chicken pox again. I'm starting to have red spots all over. Chicken pox part 2? Shoot! :(
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Blush: ~*~ NARS Torrid ~*~

Here's the latest addition to my decreasing blush family - NARS Torrid. I got this tester (GWP) from Bec for less than half of the cost of NARS blushes. This is the true coral blush and I love it. Corals work for me so I am really pleased with it. Lemme show you how gorgeous this blush is.

A closer shot of this baby.

Swatch

This is a lovely coral blush with shimmer. However, there is a hint of pink when I applied it on my cheeks and it gives me a healthy glow. I love it! ;D Simply gorgeous!

I'm thinking of depotting one NARS blush and replacing it with this pan instead. But I can't bring myself to do it as I am good at destroying stuff. :P Since this doesn't have a compact, I have to be extra careful with it as I might break it if I do not handle it carefully.

Ta!

P.S.
I just came from the doctor. I have acute pharyngo-laryngitis. Gah!

====================================================================

EDIT: I really had to find this pan a home so here's what I ended up with.


It fits the sponge "space" on my In2It foundation. Now I ended up having a foundation and blush palette. And I am no longer worried that I might break this baby. :P


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Product Review: MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Cosmo

Hey ladies! How's the start of your week so far? Mine's not so good. Laryngitis welcomed the start of the week plus the 1st of February for me. So I'm stuck here at home. Anyway, as I was going through my posts, I realized that I have not made a review on my favorite lipstick. How could I ever forget doing that? So I am going to start this month with a review on MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Cosmo.

Cosmo is described as Pink Coco on the MAC website.

What I like:
- The texture is really creamy and glides on smoothly on the lips. It says amplified creme so this better be creamy.
- I am not usually a fan of scented make up but I love the vanilla-ish scent of this lipstick as it is not overwhelming and smells really pleasant.
- This is the perfect MLBB lipstick for me - warm neutral pink.
- This doesn't have shimmer. Since I go for the natural look, lipsticks with shimmer doesn't really look natural.
- My lips look healthy when I am wearing this.
- This moisturizes and doesn't dry out my lips. Doesn't settle on the lines on my lips.
- Long lasting. It leaves a tint on my lips after hours of wearing it.
- Pigmented. I only need to lightly dab it on my lips then spread it evenly all over my lips with my pinkie.
- Locally available at Rustan's.

What I don't like:
- The price. PHP950 may be a little too expensive for one tube of lipstick to some.

But hey, I've had this since August and it's turning 6 months old with me and I haven't even used up half of it so the price may be a little "in between" for me.

Overall rating: 5/5

Will I buy again? Definitely! I'll forever hate MAC if they discontinue this just like what they did with Fresco (my first love when it comes to MAC lippies). I'm thinking Marisheeno may be discontinued as well as it's been over a year and a half since they've had it at MAC Shang.

Tip: If you have this, you can skip on MAC Twig and vice versa.

Here is a lip swatch of MAC Cosmo on me.

MAC Cosmo is simply lovely!

Have a great week, everyone! :P
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