Facial Massage: Practical Way to Keeping Youthful Skin

Having a massage is really relaxing. It increases blood flow to our body thus, giving more oxygen-rich red blood cells to help in the repair process of our body. When we think of it of having a massage, it's always about the body, the back and the head. 

Did you ever think of having a facial massage? Just like our other body parts, the face is also filled with muscles. Muscles which may get tired and weak due to unhealthy lifestyle and the natural process of aging that is why facial massages are every bit as important. 

Here are a few benefits and tips on how to massage your face as taken from The Face Shop:

In addition, facial massages have been found to help achieving a smaller face by facilitating lymphatic drainage. Experts recommend you don't exceed 20 minutes when massaging the face. Massaging the face for a long time may in fact weaken our facial muscles which may lead to skin sagging and cause premature wrinkles.

So there you have it! Together, let's achieve a healthier body and more beautiful skin! 
Cheers to that! <3

Elishacoy 3D Spin Cleaner Review

Tired of having dull skin and clogged pores? These are the usual concerns of men and women alike.
As a skincare junkie, I've journeyed through the highs and lows of trying out a lot of products. Cleansing has and will always be the utmost priority before starting your skincare regime.

I never had a Clarisonic because it's way too expensive for me so I tried out facial brushes. It was good. It cleaned my skin well but I noticed that my skin has gone more sensitive ad sometimes it also causes discomfort after a while of using it. I wanted something which will deeply cleanse my skin with  little stimulation and I have learned about Elishacoy's 3d Spin Cleaner. It was on sale, it was 50% off so I grabbed this chance. Yes, I was skeptical but after trying it, instantaneously, I fell inlove with it. the Results was really like using a facial brush but what's special about it is that it didn't stimulated my skin. It didn't leave it sensitive.

This is how it looks like:

I bought this whole set at 50% off. It comes with a facial brush(the white one), a pore brush( the brown one) and an Elishacoy Vita Capsule Cleanser, a complementary facial wash that goes best with the 3d Spin Cleaner. I'm sorry I no longer have its cap. I could have misplaced or I'm just too lazy to look for it since I'm using this on a daily basis as part of my nightly routine. This baby here is a real deal when it comes to cleaning your face.

Before washing my face with ElishaCoy 3D Spin Cleaner

After washing my face with ElishaCoy 3D Spin Cleaner

I noticed that after cleansing my face, I think my pores are even less visible compared to when I was still wearing makeup.

Products specifics as taken from WISHTREND:

VERDICT:

It is pricey but it's worth the investment. I can really tell that I get less breakouts now and that my skin is smoother.

Faceshop Face it Maxx Gel Eye Liner Review

The eyes are the windows to your soul.

Hi lovelies,

I have never been a fan of eyeliners before until I got hooked to Kpop. Kpop idols have REALLY beautiful eyes and I can't emphasize it enough what and how a good eye liner can change and liven up your looks. Time and again, MUAs and super models like Tyra Banks have expressed the importance of eye make up. Remember that SMIZE ladies? Hihihih!

So here I am, browsing through different eye make up products and I saw this little thingy Faceshop Face it Maxx Gel Eye Liner.  As a shopper, a thrifty one, I checked the price tag first and oh, it's quite expensive and so I opted to check it out with my student in Korea and waited for the sale. Voila! I got it for almost the same price but it was on a buy 1 take 1 promo so lucky me! Heheheheh! I have never tried using gel eyeliners for the fear that I might not know how to do it properly but it was actually quite easy to use, easier than pen liners I must say.

Creamy and water-proof gel eyeliner that is not removed against water and oil. Built in brush to modify make-up whenever and wherever to go. No stimulation to eyes with smooth touch.

It is contained in a classy jar and it is very sturdy. Clumsy as I am, kept it falling over and over again, luckily it didn't break. :D

This baby here is highly pigmented. The picture on the right side is the gel eyeliner rubbed 3 times to check if it can withstand smudging and yes, it did. The picture on the left is me checking how will it last with water and smudging it, although it is not completely smudge-proof when wet but I think it still did a great job surviving being smudged,wet and smudged again. 

I usually use an eye makeup remover to remove it completely. It usually last long enough to survive a hot, humid day here in the Philippines. I also use an eye make-up base to make it last longer though.

PROS:

*long lasting

*very pigmented

*smudge-proof

*water-proof

*easy application

*come with a cute brush

*sturdy container

CONS:

*expensive when bought in an outlet

*the little brush can be easily broken

Missha's Glow Tint Lip Balm in Vital Pink Review

“Kiss thy lips and you will see what thou create.” 
― Santosh Kalwar

Our lips don't tan. They just burn and so special attention must be given much like our facial skin, it need to be protected from the sun and it also needs to be moisturized. Licking your lips to lubricate it will not do you any good because of evaporation which leads to further drying of the lips.

Today, I will be reviewing one of the "raved" lip balms in all of Korea, Missha's Glow Tint Lip Balm.  I got mine in Vital Pink as I would like to keep my make up clean, fresh and simple.

I'm sorry guys, I don't have the box anymore and mine doesn't look that good since I have already been using it for quite some time but anyway I'll still show you how it looks like in person.

It has a cute packaging, it's pink! ^___^

Here is its description and ingredients taken from Missha's website:

I think this lip balm is filled with a whole lot of goodness. Personally, it really moisturizes my lips well and I like its richness but it's also not too sticky. It's just right and perfect for me. It also has an SPF 18 which is really good especially in a tropical country like the Philippines.

This is is claimed to be a dupe for Dior Addict Lip Glow.

How does it looks like applied on your lips?

This is my lips without the lip balm. I put on The Saemm's Pink Water Tint here and tried to create gradient lips but it's not as good with Missha's Glow Tint Lip Balm on.

After applying Missha's Glow Tint Lip Balm on, see how everything blends in creating a moist, well-blended gradient lips.

PROS:

*really moisturizing

*has an SPF 18

*cute packaging

CONS

* a little deceiving with the "tint" on its name when it actually doesn't offer much color

* a bit pricey, I bought it at around P400-P500

FINAL VERDICT:

Eventhough it's a bit pricey but still I love how it blends everything up. It is good in moisturizing my lips and the added protection against the sun is great. I'll rate it as 3.5/5 just because of the price. :)

Missha Creamy Green Tea Latte Cleansing Foam Review

Daily facial cleansing is essential to maintaining healthy, fresh-looking skin and thus, I started to look for the best facial washes. My skin type is oily and I do easily break out if I get lenient in taking care of my skin. One day, I began to browse through the internet a good facial cleanser. I wanted something that can both offer my skin some nutrition and can thoroughly clean it.

I stumbled upon Missha's Creamy Green Tea Latte Cleansing Foam. It is made with milk and green tea.

It is packaged in an elegant way with subtle gold design which will make you feel a little Princess-y ^__^

I got the Green Tea variant as I am a big fan of it. This variant is known to be good for oily skin as well. It contains 516mg of Green tea and an abundance of nutrition coming from milk. Minerals, protein and fat found in milk can moisturize and soothe our skin.

This is how it looks like. It is a green-tinged cleansing foam which turns into a creamy lather.

Missha's Creamy Latte has 3 variants:

GREEN TEA - provides abundant nutrition and controls the excessive secretion of sebum and oil to refresh the skin.

STRAWBERRY - provides abundant nutrition and brightens the skin. Contains vitamin C that brightens and revitalizes the skin.

CHOCOLATE - provides abundant nutrition which prevents skin aging and loss of vitality. Contains polyphenol that revitalizes the skin.

PROS:

*deeply cleanses your skin

*leaves your skin refreshed without overdrying it

*very cute packaging

*the prices is reasonable(maybe because I'm buying mine straight from Korea, I can get it at P280 depending on the sale season.)

CONS:

*cannot fully remove makeup in one wash

VERDICT:

I love it! I'll rate it a 4/5

Korean Skincare Routine

The products! <3 <3 <3

Skincare routine varies.

We, the general people have always been taught the 3 general rules in taking care of our skin. 

The first step is to cleanse our skin with soap and water followed by using a toner or astringent as we normally call it here in the Philippines. Lastly, we use our moisturizers. This is actually a decent routine, for Westerners that is. Westerners have thinner dermis, thus, product absorption is faster. Asian skin, like Koreans and Filipinos have thicker dermis and layering of products is more likely a need for better absorption and efficacy. 

Here are the steps on Korean skincare:

Step 1: The Makeup Removal

Remove your makeup gently with good makeup remover like The Faceshop Ricewater Cleansing Oil. Make-up, although water-based have components which can never be dissolved by water alone and facial cleansers which are water-based. Even sunblocks can't be removed completely by just using a facial cleanser so it is necessary to use a good makeup remover.

Step 2: Cleansing

If you are to put on makeup for 30 minutes, cleansing too, should be a process. Let your skin breathe. Use a good facial wash. A ph-balanced facial wash to remove the residues after removing your makeup. I like using Missha's Creamy Green Tea Latte because it has milk and green tea which can really deliver good results. Oil production reduction but still leaving your skin moisturized.

Step 3: Exfoliation

Exfoliating with a natural scrub like Skinfood's Black Sugar Mask can really brighten up your skin and remove dead skin cells. Once or twice a week of exfoliation is enough as too much exfoliation will also leave your skin sensitive and it may cause more damage.

Step 4: Toning

Toning is very important and is considered to be the last step of cleansing. We must use a pH-balanced toner like Etude House's Wonderpore Freshner. It effectively balances our skin's pH-level which helps in the skin repair process.

Step 5: The Essence

Essences seem to be a mystery. For Koreans, the use of an essence is vital as it help in brightening one's skin tone and increase cell turn over. One of the best essences that I have used is Nature Republic's First Essence which is comparable to SK II Essence and yes, it did live up to its promise of delivering a clearer and smoother skin.

Step 6:  The Ampoule

Ampoules are more concentrated than essences and it give your skin the much-needed and much-deserved nutrition. Missha's Time Revolution Ampoule does wonders to the skin. It does not just brighten your skin but it also act as a potent anti-aging wonder in a bottle.

Step 7: The Mask

Masks are a twice-a-week treatment. We have the sheet masks, wash-off masks and peel-off masks. Use whatever you feel like using. It is imperative that we treat our skin like QUEENS because it is afterall, the first line of defense against infection. Masks have various effects according to your skin's needs. What I like to use is Etude House's Play Therapy Spot Care Wash-off mask as it helps me in preventing break-outs and sometimes I also use sheet masks if I have more money to spare. :)

Step 9: Moisturizing

Moisturizing your skin is very important to prevent premature aging and to help prevent various skin problems. Mizon's All-In-One Snail Cream is all it takes to take care of your skin's problems. From acne to wrinkles, it will have you covered.

Step 8: The Eye Cream

The skin around our eyes is very thin and it needs special attention. Extra moisture and nourishment is what it needs. Wrinkles usually first appear around our eyes and for that, I use Etude House's Like Twenty Eye Concentrate.

Step 10: The Night Cream

Your skin needs to stay hydrated as you sleep. Night creams doesn't just moisturize nor give additional nourishment to your skin, it also acts as a "seal" to all the goodness you have fed your skin. Missha's Snail Renew Cell Sleeping mask not just seal all the goodness but also brightens and repairs your skin leaving you waking up to a brighter, glowing skin.

Who Am I?

Hello there! My name is Von. I am 25 years old and I am a skincare junkie! I have been fascinated with the complexity of the beauty standards of different cultures. I am specifically drawn to East Asian beauty especially the Koreans. The Koreans are known to have flawless skin. They give great importance to their skin care. They value make up which doesn't just cover up their imperfections but ultimately, they want to FEED their skin.

Having this kind of fascination towards beauty, I have been trying and experimenting with different brands and labels. I started out with Western brands like L'oreal, Maybelline and Revlon. Yes, I was happy. I was happy with the coverage it gives. Then comes the rise of Korean skincare and cosmetics market, I tried it out again. I started to use Etude House's products and O-M-G, the coverage it gives was really comparable to Western brands but what got my attention and affection is that my skin was shouting that it was HAPPY! 

After days and months of using Etude House's products, I began to want more, more and more. I want to have that K-pop idol skin. That glow, that flawlessness that youthfulness, I wanted it so bad and thus my journey to Korean skincare and cosmetics began which was fueled by a good friend SaeSilPArk.

Right now, I am not just an enthusiast, not just a user but I am also a pusher. I push people who believe that beauty can be timeless, that beauty can be forever regardless of your age, ethnicity and skin color. 

Check out my FB page on the top right side of this page and let it be YOUR window to the KOREAN SKINCARE MARKET. :)