By now, it is no to secret to Pinay beauty junkies that Althea Korea is now available in the Philippines. Althea is founded to bridge K Beauty products to ASEAN countries like the Philippines. Truth be told, one of the things I considered when I went to Korea in 2014 was  their beauty/cosmetics industry. What to love about this new shopping site is that they bring new brands to us. Unheard Korean brands that have innovative products like lip tattoos, cushion foundations/bb creams, pore cleansers and masks with horse oil for example. These are few of the interesting products you can see on their website. Since my Japan trip is in a few days, I am on tipid mode literally but I can't help but swoon over these new finds.

What does this new shopping sites promises?
Althea Korea PH promises authentic KBeauty items straight from Korea. The products are 100% authentic. They also have this awesome 30 days unconditional returns, if you are not satisfied with their products. How cool is that? In the Philippines, there is no return policy for makeup and skin care unlike in the US. They offer the best prices because they work hand in hand with the Korean brands.

Since their official launch, last February 15, 2016, they have offered discounts, 300 pesos for new sign up and offers free shipping on orders 999 pesos and above.

Are you excited to see my haul?
Here are the items that I got:

Peripera's tine, Nature Republic Aloe Vera Mist, W. Lab Shading Stick, The Saem Cover Perfection Tip Concealer, Skinfood Fresh Fruit Lip and Cheek,  and The Saem Saemmul Real Tint

This is very easy to use and glides on perfectly even on my dry lips. 

Two of my favorite products from the box, the Skin Food Lip and Cheek Creams are opaque and blendable. Will definitely bring this on my trip.

I am in love with this shading stick! The color looks very natural on me. It glides smoothly and blends well with my powder bronzers. 

 Ola!!! I am back from my hiatus. For my first review this February, let me start with a product that comes from a country I will be visiting a few days from now. Baby Foot is an exfoliating foot mask and and cult favorite from the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan! In case you do not know, I have ugly feet. I have cracked soles and callouses here and there. My mom has thousands of theories why my feet are like these just as she has thousand of reasons why I have dark lip lines. Even my husband, then BF, always laugh at my feet whenever he sees my cracked soles. 

About the product:

"Baby Foot care has a long history since 1997. It is invented to keep soft, clean and smooth barefoot and solve foot problems. With simple use, all dead skin layers peel off by natural turnover. Baby Foot is being continuously redeveloped to make it more comfortable and effective to use based on various researches as time progresses, thus it's gained the world recognition in over 50 countries now. After taking all dead skin off, your feet are reborn just like a baby’s - giving you healthy, beautiful feet back ever. Relief from disturbing foot problems brings the feeling of the real bare foot sensation and it will remind the memory of the childhood. Let's rediscover your feeling and sensation of the sole with Baby Foot."

How to use Baby Foot:

1. Make sure to wash your feet with soap water. Then, wipe it dry.

2. These are the plastic booties containing 17 natural extracts and fruits acids. Wear these for 20 minutes but I wore these for 45 minutes because I wanted maximum results.

 I was madly anticipating for my skin to peel off asap!!!I noticed dryness on the the first three days and a few skin cracks and peels. I got too excited for the peeling process to start that I forced peeling off my skin. My excitement did not help because I ended up with cuts and wounds. After my disastrous peeling attempt, I did not touch my feet. At the back of my mind, this product was not at all working for me. On my fifth day, I noticed that the flaking became more prominent especially when I soak my feet longer in the shower. Before I knew it, my feet were shedding off skin big time. I had to clean up piles of dead sloughed skin on the floor for days. It was quite addicting removing the dead skin off my feet. It was a happy sight and gross at the same time. Take note that it was not only my sole that was shedding  skin but my entire foot was peeling off even my toes.  Refer to my photos below.

OOhh la la skin peeling off at its finest

I love this product and I plan on using it again. It did a remarkable job  in smoothing my feet. My feet are still soft and pink until  (even after 3 weeks of using the product). I just noticed that it did not remove my callouses that well. Perhaps, on my next try, I will soak my feet in water on the third or fifth day from usage of this product to speed up the peeling process and I will not anymore forced the peeling to start. 

Things to remember before using this product:

1. Follow the instructions very well. Soaking your feet in the plastic booties is must. FY: I soaked my feet in the plastic booties for extra 20 minutes and it did not irritate my skin. 

2. Do not be too excited and force your feet to peel in order to avoid cuts and wounds. Major peeling will come naturally. I even felt like I was a snake shedding off my old skin wherever I go.  Emphasis on wherever I go. 

3. Please do note that major peeling is a very gross sight. Your peeling feet will definitely catch attention so if you have special occasions to attend to, use this product at least a week before your event or special day. 

4. Soaking your feet in water for a few minutes (better if its all wrinkly) on the 3rd to 5th day will expedite the peeling process and will also make the peeling easier. 

5. Please be reminded that entire process from  the application/ soaking of feet in the plastic booties to the frustrating waiting game to the peeling itself will last for 7 - 10 days. 

Overall, this is a wonder product and I will definitely buy again. It does not only remove dead skin on my soles but it did an amazing job in removing the dead skin all over my feet even on the inner sides of my toes. I find that this is way better than foots spa because I saw that my feet lightened up and sole looked pinker than usual.This product is definitely worth a try. :)

Baby foot costs 830 pesos per pack and is exclusively available in Beauty Bar.

Visit their Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/babyfootph/?fref=ts

Godbless 

Here is my sample Entry: https://www.instagram.com/p/BBVJ5jPDsxr/?taken-by=primadonnarence

Winners will be announced by LUX on their IG @luxph. You can only win once as there are many bloggers holding this giveaway. Also, prizes are for pick up at Makati City.

Doing this post while queuing for NBI clearance. As you all know, I love base makeup particularly foundation and concealers. Last yr, Jes Roque of Makeuplove showed me The Catrice camouflage Cream concealer while we were at the department store. She told me that it is one of the best she had. Jes also told me that it can cover up marks very well as she used it on her client before. From then on, I was on the look out for this concealer. Sadly,  most of the time it is always out of stock. I wanted the rose beige shade (No.3) but i have no luck in finding a stock. I settled for the shade light beige. Light beige is a neutral shade but has hints of yellow tones in it. It is a notch lighter than my NC30 skintone. 

It is housed in a screw cap pot. The packaging looks so basic. Do not get fooled by the packaging because this is one heavy duty concealer. It is one of thise cream concealers that works for my undereye.

The coverage is medium to full. Pigmentation is very good. Despite it being a heavy duty concealer, this feels light on the skin. The consistency is quite easy to work with as it goes on creamy and smooth sans tugging and dryness. It does not dry quickly but has a natural cream finish. It use this to cover up my dark circles and it does a great job of covering them up. I mean hello!?!? For 299 pesos, I have been reaching for this more than my MAC pro longwear and Nars Creamy radiant concealer.

This is very easy to work it. I apply this with the use of my fingers in a patting motion. I love that it does not settle on my fine lines but I do notice that if I apply too much product, it causes cakiness or build up on the outer corner of my eyes. It is best used sparingly by slowly building up the desired coverage. One layer is enough for my dark circles.

Make sure to set it with powder for a long lasting effect. This has a very good staying power on my dry skin and it does not easily slid off my face despite the humid weather. I love that it can also be used as a cream foundation. It gives a full coverage and flawless finish.

Here are photos to prove that it can cover up my problematic under eyes. I really love this product!!! It is definitely a must buy.

I was fortunate enough to attend Banila Co launch last year. I was excited for this korean makeup brand to finally hit Manila shores because I was smitten with their products when I was in Korea. They gave us their best sellers as a part of their PR kit. I was dismayed when it included this Clean It Zero. In my mind, I thought "ay sana makeup na lang!"  After reading the back label of this product, I began to get curious. I immediately opened it and discovered it was a balm and fresh strawberry yoghurt scent greeted me. I scooped out a small amount of the product and the rest is history.

This is, by far, one of the best makeup remover I have ever tried. This is currently my Holy Grail Makeup Remover. It costs 875 pesos per tub. 875 may seem too much for a makeup remover but this product is very economical to use. I had mine since December and I have not yet gone through 1/4 of the tub. 

This comes with a tiny plastic scraper for scooping out the product in its huge tub. This balm literally melts makeup and removes it like magic. It did not sting my eyes at all. It can 100% remove waterproof mascara, liner and even the hardcore liquid lipstick. 

How to use this wonder product? Scoop a small amount from the tub then gently massage the balm on your face. Focus on your eyes or other areas where attention is needed. Then rinse it off with water. That's it! It does not leave any oily or greasy feel after rinsing. 

Clean it Zero in action! Look how easily it melted my la splash liquid lipstick

What I LOVE ABOUT THIS PRODUCT:
1. This does not sting my eyes.
2. It did not irritate my skin.
3. The product has a light scent to it like strawberry.
4. It is very economical to use because a little goes a long way.
5. This cleanses my face thoroughly. It removes 100% of my makeup even the stubborn gel liner, waterproof mascara and liquid lipstick.
6. It does not leave any greasy feel after rinsing.
7. It is very convenient to use because I just need water to rinse it off. No need for tissue or facial towels to remove the makeup.
8. It did not dry out my face.
9. It feels so gentle on my skin. 

I attended their launch last year and I got to see and even try their products. Here are a few photos of the event launch and a snippet of a story about Banila Co. as a company. 

" From its humble beginnings in 2005, Banila Co. has grown rapidly in Korea and now has become the second best-performing Korean cosmetics brand in China. It now focuses its attention to South East Asia, headlined by concurrent launches in the Philippines and Taiwan. Subsequent launches in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand are earmarked for 2016. Banila Co opened its first store in Glorietta 4 last November 14. It will soon open its doors in Robinson's Place Manila and other prime malls in Metro Manila and key provinces."

I have always been particular with feminine hygiene even when I was younger, Thus, I only trusted known brands even with sanitary pads. Thus, I grew up loving the brand, Whisper. Even my younger sister trust this brand. Whisper just released their newest innovation - Whisper Skin Love. It is the first and only pad with breathable protection. It has Air Dry Cushion Topsheet for 2x more air flow; it’s thinner than a regular pad at 1/3^rdthickness yet 3x more absorbent. This comes in two variants - for night time and day time use.

The one for night is 8cm longer and has a wider back.

The one for day time is 5cm longer and also has a wider back.

 I did not like this Maybelline Rocket Mascara  when I first tried it years ago. Maybelline sent me a new tube last December and I brought this with me on our honeymoon. I was surprised that the brush bristles does not poke my lash line anymore. I really think that this one is a new and reformulated version of the old mascara. I have been using everyday and it does a great job of volumizing and lenghtening my sparse lashes. 

Another Maybelline product that I have been loving is the Fashion Brow. This is a 3D Palette that promises to give full brows and nose lift. This kit has a brow wax, a medium shade and a lighter brown shade. It includes a dual ended brush -angled with a tiny shading brush on the other end. This product is a game changer in my routine as I can use this for my brows, nose contouring and even as an eyeshadow. Do you want me to make a full review on this? Let me know on the comment box below. :)

I have been loving the Pixi Natural Contour Powder. This is a finely milled contour powder. This can be quite difficult to blend so having the right tool is the key. The color is quite pigmented and  it is more of a cool toned brown or taupe. It gives off that slightest hint of natural warmth  on the face but this works best as a contour powder than a bronzer. I used this on my wedding and it gave my face depth and definition. 

For the lips, I have recently discovered a new lip liner from Nichido. The shade is Spice which is a beautiful burnt red. It looks beautiful when worn as a lipstick and a nice lip liner paired with red or coral gloss or lipstick. It is only 100 pesos and the pigmentation is comparable to MAC lip liners. Also, the staying power of this liner is very good. 

Lastly, I am digging this L'oreal Color Rich Balm in Heavenly Berry. It is a nice everyday tinted balm that gives my lips that much needed moisture and slight hint of color. This balm gives off a high dose of shine that makes my lips look healthy and luscious.

One of my to do list before getting hitched last December was to get a facial (two weeks before my big day). I was fortunate to have collaboration with Deal Grocer. I immediately signed up with them and chose a deal from their Beauty Section. I got the Skin Philosophie Lancaster Intensive Lightening Facial Package which was 65% off deal. After a few days, the voucher was sent directly to my house. The process of purchasing from Deal Grocer was very quick and easy.

At Skin Philosophie, I had an initial consultation with Dr. Kyla before starting the procedure. She talked me through the process. The Lancaster Intensive Lightening Facial Package is a 5 in 1 facial which includes: Basic Facial, Lancaster Renewal Peel, Hydro-Jet Peel, Whitening Mask, and theVitamin C Ionto-Infusion.

The facial started with gentle cleansing which removed all the dirt and gunk and gunk on my face after a day's work.It was immediately followed by a relaxing lymphatic massage and a galvanic facial muscle toning. I wanted to skip this part because I do not like the tingling sensation of the electric current but the lady who did my facial assured me that there will be no unpleasant tingling effect. 

The effect of the facial was surprisingly immediate. I noticed that my skin looks and feels smoother. Overall, I am very pleased with my experience with Skin Philosophie and the very quick and easy process of buying at Deal Grocer.