December 30, 2013

GEO Eyes Cream Ray Ray Grey


As I've said before, I really love grey lenses so I was super excited when these lenses became available to my tried and trusted online circle lenses store Uniqso. I'm a very loyal customer because I always receive my lenses in a timely manner and in good shape. Their customer service is very responsive and quick. I am also a big fan of GEO circle lenses. So of course, I just had to get these on my next order.



Uniqso always has such cute packaging. I always plan my orders so that I can have free standard shipping. They arrive usually in 3-4 weeks and always come with a tracking number. The lens containers are safely insulated within the boxes. They come with a GEO anti-fake sticker, which has a code you can check online to see if you have received genuine GEO lenses.



GEO Eyes Cream Ray Ray Grey have a base curve of 8.7 mm and a diameter of 14.5 mm. The water content is 38% and should be replaced within 12 months after opening. The bottle also shows information on the lot number and expiration date. Uniqso offers these lenses from plano to -8.00, which is a huge range. The price is $19.90 per pair and are classified as 3 tone lenses. The Eyes Cream series also comes in two other colors: Choco Mousse and Vanilla Brown.



Color & Design
The colors and design of the lenses are so beautiful. I love how the brown color has a design where it almost looks like it is spilling into the gray. However, the color is not nearly as bright as some pictures on the website may lead on. GEO in general has very dark and subtle colored lenses and this is no exception. In the sunlight, these may be noticed but definitely not in slightly darker places or indoors.


Enlargement
There is barely any enlargement on these lenses at all. They don't really have a limbal ring. Although listed as 14.5 mm, I might mistake them for lenses that are 14.0 mm or 14.2 mm because they just seem that small. I was really most disappointed by the enlargement. I expected them to at least be a little bit bigger. They enlargement is so subtle that it may seem like I'm just wearing ordinary colored contacts.

Comfort
These are extremely comfortable. I could wear them all day without my eyes feeling dry at all. I barely notice they are there sometimes.



Overall:
The lenses have a pretty design but you can't see them in most lights. The enlargement is so disappointing. I was expecting these to be the GEO version of the puffy 3 tone but they don't even come close to the enlargement or opaqueness in color. I really like larger looking lenses because the shape of my eyes make me look sleepy all the time. Larger circle lenses make me look more awake but these just look like normal colored contacts. People don't really notice them.


Expect more circle lens reviews to come! I ordered quite a haul from Uniqso for my birthday. I ordered six lenses for only $80.45 with free shipping! Quite a steal, don't you think? If you plan on ordering from Uniqso, enter my friend's discount code "SUY10" for 10% off your purchase. With that discount code, my member points, and Uniqso's monthly promotions, I was able to get $30.50 off the original price of my order! Uniqso really is my go-to place for cheap circle lenses.


P.S. A Message from Uniqso "Read this to understand how to choose circle lenses and find out in detail what are the different terms of circle lenses in this "Glossary of Circle Lenses"

December 24, 2013

ULTA Contour Lip Liner "Punch" + Automatic Lip Liner "Scarlet"


ULTA is always having a sale on their products and I love it. More savings for me! They were having a 3 for $9 sale on all their lip products. Punch is originally $7 while Scarlet is originally $8. Along with a coupon, I really only paid $2.40 for Punch and $2.75 for Scarlet. Great deal, don't you think?


Scarlet is a very bright red, almost orange in color. In fact, in incandescent lighting, it does look very bright orange. I was not expecting that at all. I wanted to try an automatic lip liner because the last pencil lip liner I got from ULTA was not very smooth and was a bit hard to apply. The application of this is so easy and it glides on great. The automatic lip liner selection at ULTA is not very large so this color was the brightest I could find that was close to a red color. Although since this was brighter than I expected, those other darker colors might be brighter in reality too.


Although I had my doubts on this darker pinkish pencil lip liner, I have to say that I really love it. ULTA must have changed its formula or something because this is much easier to apply than the last lip liner I bought [x]. It is very smooth and applies on so easily. The color is so pretty and works really well with making my lips appear larger as well as blending well with my other lip products. At the bottom picture, I have it on with my Revlon balm stain.


I really did like both products but Scarlet is way too bright for me and was not quite the color I was looking for. It would go great with very bright red lips but I do like slightly darker and more muted red lips. I was not expecting much from Punch but I did end up liking that one better. I would buy Punch again but as for the automatic lip liner, I love the product but I might try to find a darker red color.


December 18, 2013

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain: Romantic + Sweetheart


I was really looking for a balm stain because I wanted something that moisturized my lips as well as giving them a beautiful color. ULTA was having a deal on Revlon products where you buy one and get a second product for 50% off, not to mention I also had a coupon. These are originally $8.99 each but I ended up really only paying $5.91 each after all the discounts were put it. I'm always looking for deals!


I bought two colors, the red one is "Romantic" while the pink one is "Sweetheart." I always go for one red and one pink whenever I buy lip products. I think those are the best colors that suit me. Both products are shaped like a crayola crayon and they have a very minty smell that I personally really like. The application is very smooth. The product is very soft and creamy and applies easily, leaving a creamy finish with only a little bit of shine. The product does moisturize well but they don't feel as moisturizing as my Burt's bees lip balms. However, the color pay off on both of them is great!


The color sweetheart is a medium to dark pink color. There is nothing sheer about this pink. It is definitely noticeable. When the product is wiped off, quite a bit of pink color remains. Definitely long lasting.


Romantic is a more muted medium to dark red color. Interestingly, applies a lot more sheer than sweetheart. The color is really nice when applied thickly but when wiped off, no stain or color is noticeably left on the lips. A very interesting contrast to sweetheart. I wish it was much more opaque and longer lasting. This color needs frequent reapplications.

The products are really nice. I would buy sweetheart again and it has become my favorite pink lip color. I would not buy romantic again and would rather look for other more opaque balm stains.


December 12, 2013

Pond's Age Miracle Cell Regen Day Cream

This is one of the few things I got from the Philippines that doesn't have a whitening aspect to it. Anyway, I'm getting older so it's important for me to not look like I'm getting older. Just recently have I started using anti-aging products. My thinking is the earlier you start, the better. I'm not a dermatologist so I can't back up that claim but I don't think there will be any negative effects from using anti-aging products early. Magazines say you should definitely start using anti-aging in your 30s, but I just decided to start earlier while in my 20s.


"The Pond's Institute has identified 6 vital bio-actives and created the Intelligent Pro-Cell Complex for Pond's Age Miracle. It helps skin cells to regenerate faster, age simply cannot catch up. Clinically Proven. Dermatologist Tested."

"This luxurious Day Cream helps regenerate skin faster and is intelligently created to target fine lines, wrinkles and age spots for exceptionally smooth and bouncy skin. Unlock your youth potential. Make them guess your real age"





I got this from a Watson's and I'm sure you can get it at any Watson's anywhere. I do like that it is SPF 15 so it does provide a bit of sun protection, even if it is just a low one. This is made for normal/dry skin so I do hope it doesn't make my skin feel too oily. As for the claims, I don't know what the 6 vital bio-actives are exactly and how effective they are with anti-aging. One of the ingredients is retinol, which seems to be the a big thing with the anti-aging industry as I've observed from commercials and advertisements.


This size of this product was a lot smaller than I expected it to be. It does have a slight smell to it but I wouldn't call it all that fragrant. It smells a bit weird. The cream itself has a bit of a pinkish hue. When applied, it does go on quite thick. Although this is a day cream, I wouldn't dare use this if I was going outside in public. It leaves a very noticeable white layer on your skin. It almost looks like I'm wearing a cheap foundation that is too light for my skin tone. It doesn't look good at all. I'm thinking that since this is a Filipino brand, that effect is probably intentional because Filipinos like to be lighter. For me, I don't like it because it is just really unnatural.




The product itself is very thick and extremely hydrating. If you have dry skin, this product might be great for you. I have oily skin and after a while, I really notice how oily and heavy my face becomes. It is actually quite gross because if I wiped my finger on my skin, it leaves a very oily residue on my finger. With the odd whiteness and the oiliness combined, I have not used this as a day cream. Instead I use it as a night cream because I don't notice the oiliness so much when I sleep. In the morning, my skin is extremely hydrated and looks great. I just simple wash off my face with water to get that weird white residue off and wash off any oiliness. Although hydrating, it hasn't caused me to break out. I do feel like my skin is healthier and looks better when using this product. However, because of the cons, I wouldn't buy this again. I'm sure there are other products out there that won't give me that weird white residue.



December 6, 2013

Eskinol Gluta-Milk White Facial Scrub

This is part of my own little whitening challenge. Since I already have a whitening body bar, I need a whitening face wash too! I can't have my body significantly lighter than my face. After all, the goal is to even out all of my skin.


Anyway, I bought this face wash at Watson's. It's a Philippine brand. It claims to be dermatologist tested. This brand is the one that, for the people I've talked to at least, is the most recommended. People really say that this product and other products from this brand really work when it comes to whitening. My own mother likes this product too. So this was definitely something I wanted to try.



The texture of the product is a cream, but it is very condensed. A little bit on the fingers can go along way when you actually start to apply it on your face. It does have a smell to it although I can't quite pinpoint what it is. It doesn't smell bad but I wouldn't say it smells great either. The smell is not too subtle but not so overwhelming that it deters you from using it.



The primary use for this product is to whiten but it also removes dirt and excess oil. I have oily skin and this product is definitely great at removing oil. If anything, it is a little too harsh and actually caused some dry spots on my skin. So for those with normal or dry skin, I do not recommend using this product. In fact, when I use it and leave it on my face, certain areas such as the skin around my nose actually start to burn. So yes, this is a very harsh face wash. Although I did expect this from a Philippine whitening brand because a common complaint about products like these is that it is harsh and drying.

In terms of whitening, I do believe that it has been very effective in lightening my skin. I am not too surprised about this since the harshness most likely contributed to the quick effectiveness. My roommate sometimes jokes that it is burning my face to be white although that may not be too far from the truth. When my face returns to my base skin color, I think I will stop using this product for a while and give my face a break. It's definitely too harsh for me to use on a daily basis all the time, especially with the winter season contributing to the dryness.