September 2019 - Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: September 2019

FabFitFun Fall 2019 Box

September 30, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 1 Comment

It’s officially Fall, and Happy Fall everyone! even though it’s still really quite warm and sunny here. 🙂 Let’s start this season with the unboxing of my Fall FabFitFun Box. At first sight, I thought my Autumn box looked smaller than usual, however, the design of it looks very nice and I love the color combo of the box. Upon opening and inspecting the products inside, I felt like there weren’t many products in it. It may just be me because the products that I was able to pick and choose were kind of large in sizes.

The first item that I was able to customize is the Amika 1.25′ Strand Perfect Ceramic Styler (Limited Edition (80 USD). It is the highlight of my box this Fall, not only because it’s large, but also because it’s the priciest. I chose this because I wanted to have a backup of my favorite-but-almost-discontinued GHD Eclipse Styler (still available HERE, but mostly replaced by the GHD Platinum model). Upon inspection and testing, I noticed that this flat iron has adjustable heat settings. Its recommended temperatures by hair type are: fine/thin: below 360°F, medium/wavy: 360°F–380°F, thick/textured: 380°F–450°F. This styler doesn’t have the floating plates as my GHD flat iron, so it’s quite an adjustment to use this on my long hair. It does heat up well and it works to straighten my strands, also, the plates are wide enough to cover a lot of hair. I also love its eye-catching orange shade.

Kate Spade Lunch Tote (30 USD) – I don’t own a lot of lunch bags, so I chose this cute KS lunch tote and it has an insulated interior which I love because it keeps my food fresh. I love the cute polka dot design of this and this is pretty much easy to carry. It can definitely hold several items inside, and I even use this lunch tote to put my extra makeup and skincare in it, which makes people think I was carrying a lot of food. LOL.

Harper + Ari Exfoliating Sugar Cubes in Juice Cleanse (16-24USD) – At first, I thought these were some sugar-coated gummy bears, LOL. I was really so close to eating these stuff, but thank goodness I read the label. These are actually exfoliating bath/shower sugar cubes with very delightful guava scent. I really like the concept of this product because it’s unique and totally different. I love how you can use just one cube and it’ll last throughout your whole shower. It does tend to be quite a bit too scratchy at first, but then it exfoliates very well. I would buy these cubes again and again because they’re just so exciting to use and they’re not as messy to apply, unlike the traditional body scrubs.

Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair (31 USD) – This hair cream has quinoa protein, macadamia oil, etc. that protects the hair from heat styling. I love the earthy scent of this and it’s very lightweight on the hair. I just apply a small amount of this all over my strands while it’s still damp and it does protect my hair from my stylers. Also, this makes my hair look really vibrant, bouncy, and shiny.

Human + Kind Body Soufflé (19.96 USD) – I love the scent of this apricot oil+shea butter mix body cream. It smells really nice and it lasts the whole day. I could even smell the scent of this on my shirt. I find this to be moisturizing enough, just like most body lotions out there.

Skinvolve Body Boost Gel (45 USD) – I didn’t quite expect the effect of this body gel. It’s meant to be applied prior to any workout and upon initial test, this smells like Icy Hot or Salonpas, lol. When I applied this on, it really felt like those pain-relieving gels/ointments which made me feel so cold that I was shivering like I was having the flu, and, on top of that, the effect lingered for some time. So, I’m not really a fan of this and this is my least fave FFF item this season. Most likely, I will probably give this to my father as one of his arthritis gel, ha! I’m pretty sure he will love this thing.

Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask 6 Pack (25 USD) – This gold foil mask contains hyaluronic acid, aloe leaf, and lavender oil which smells really pleasant and super moisturizing on the eye area. I like to leave this on my undereye overnight for maximum hydration. However, this didn’t do well on my eyebags, unfortunately. I actually kind of prefer the previous eye mask that I got from FabFitFun, it’s called Blaq, seen HERE, because that one really brightened my undereye area, and it also reduced the appearance of my eye bags overnight.

Baublebar Farah Ear Crawlers (34) – These beautifully-designed ear crawlers look subtle yet eye-catching at the same time. The back metal hook seems a little too malleable though, which I think will probably break sooner or later with a couple more usage. I hope not, because this is really pretty, but anyhow, this is a very beautiful pair of earrings nonetheless.

Overall, I like this season’s box and though I felt like I didn’t get that many items this time, and that I’m getting the same type of product more often (ex. constant body creams), I’m still very happy with the products that I was able to customize and choose, like the Amika Styler and the Kate Spade Lunch box. Also, a few of the items were quite new and unique to me, like those Sugar Cubes which I really enjoyed. So, overall, I still enjoyed this box a lot.

Have you received your Autumn box yet? What are the things you love in it?

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Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders Set Review

September 26, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

During my last review, I talked about my favorite haircare minis from Bumble And Bumble. This time, I’d like to mention these other favorite minis of mine when it comes to skincare. I’ve been obsessed about these Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders (mini size: 25 USD, regular size: 72 USD) for quite some time. If the Bumble And Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil are my go-tos for haircare during traveling, well, these Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders are also my absolute go-tos for skincare whenever I travel or even when I’m not traveling. These minis serve me well in keeping my skin looking radiant and they’re also a good alternative (cheaper) if not comparable to some of Drunk Elephant’s very popular products which we all know and love.

These Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders are composed of Olehenriksen’s bestsellers – a Vitamin C Serum, an AHA night gel, and a lightweight moisturizer. All are formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, and Phthalates.

Truth Serum (0.05 oz – 1.7 oz: 22 – 73 USD) – This is a Vitamin C serum that most of us love for a very long time. This is also one of Olehenriksen’s most popular products. The texture of this is quite gel-like and silky. It has a bit of a sticky feel but it’s not as sticky as the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Serum. This is also cheaper than the DE C-Firma, and it has a nice citrusy-orangey scent. This serum glides easily on the skin and though we don’t know for sure how much percentage of Vitamin C is in this serum (C-Firma has 15% L-Ascorbic Acid), this serum is still a very good alternative/option to the very popular DE Vitamin C product. I like this a lot because it does help to brighten my dark spots from post-acne marks and it makes my skin look glowy and radiant from within. Also, my skin tone looks more balanced with this.

Invigorating Night Transformation Gel (1.7 oz: 49 USD) – This gel-like serum is meant to be applied nightly and it really works wonders. It is loaded with AHA complex that completely retexturizes the skin for a smooth and healthy glow. Personally, I noticed a huge difference in my skin when I used this gel once overnight. It made my skin look glowy and luminous right after application, and the next day it pilled (which went away after thorough washing), then my skin completely felt smooth and looked more even. I love the way my skin looks with this because it gives a nice glow from within. Though this is safe to use every night, for my part, I prefer to use this one or twice a week. Also, this helps my skin a lot during traveling as it keeps it looking radiant, and it helps to unclog my pores which gets clogged and oily quite often from travel stresses and fatigue.

Sheer Transformation Perfecting Moisturizer (0.5 -1.7 oz: 12 – 40 USD) – This is an oil-free moisturizer that is certified clean at Sephora. I love how weightless and soft this feels on the skin. Its texture kind of reminds me of Tatcha’s The Water Cream. The type that feels so light that it almost feels like water on the skin, yet it’s also super moisturizing. I believe this is a very good all-around moisturizer for any skin type, especially for the ones with oily or sensitive skin, and it’s also perfect as a complementary hydrator to any Olehenriksen products.

In summary, these Olehenriksen Wonders/Bestsellers are some of the best skincare products that truly work as they’re meant to be. They will always be my constant faves in my shelfie and also for my travels.

Are you a fan of these little wonders too? What are your favorite skincare items for traveling?

This Olehenriksen 3 Little Wonders Set is currently available at Sephora

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Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Shampoo + Conditioner Review

September 23, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

With the changing season and the constant traveling I’ve been doing lately, I find that my hair has been taking a lot of beating. From the change of humidity up to the constant heat styling and hurried brushing, I was getting worried that it’s only going to be a matter of time that my strands will get more and more brittle. There are only a few haircare products that I trust that could help restore and keep the natural moisture of my hair. One of them is the Anti-Aging Haircare Replenishing Moisture line from Alterna (reviewed HERE), the second being the Kerastase Discipline Sulfate-Free, and the third one is the Bumble And Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Shampoo + Conditioner which I keep coming back to no matter what. As you can see, this line is one of my preferred travel shampoo+conditioner and I always purchase them in minis or travel sizes.

This haircare line is probably my most fave from Bumble & Bumble. There were times when I tried to look for some other alternatives but for some reason, I always feel bad whenever I go astray from this line. First of all, this haircare is so good at delivering and keeping moisture on the hair. Even if its name says Invisible “Oil”, it’s not really the very oily type. In fact, your hair won’t even get oily whenever you use this, even if you have fine hair like mine. Second, this makes the hair very manageable, soft, and smooth. No matter what the humidity is going to be, either inside the plane or in the cold harsh Winter months, this haircare line keeps my hair looking shiny and feeling supple without looking heavy. Third, the scent of this is very delightful with its blend of different oils, especially almond oil and argan oil.

Bumble And Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Shampoo (2 oz – 32 oz: 12 USD – 75 USD) – This is one of the few sulfate-free shampoos that lathers well and it smells well. I love the feeling of washing my hair with this and it never dried my strands nor added more weight to it. This also helps in controlling frizz, and it makes the hair look thoroughly cleaned, silky, and smooth. I believe this works very well for any hair type, and especially for those who suffer from hair dryness, brittle hair, or frizzy hair. This shampoo is also made of a blend of lightweight grape seed oil, sweet almond oil, safflower seed oil, etc.

Bumble And Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Conditioner (2 oz – 32 oz: 13 USD – 79 USD) – This is a very good match to the lightweight and moisturizing shampoo above. This is also made of several oils especially coconut oil, macadamia oil, and argan oil which help to tame frizz and thus making the hair more manageable. The nice thing about this conditioner is that it doesn’t make the hair look oily or heavy, just as long as you don’t put way too much of it on the strands. This conditioner also has a nice scent just like the shampoo above which you can discern as a blend of moisturizing oils. The thing I love about this the most is how easy it is to brush my hair whenever I use this conditioner.

Bottom line, my hair could have been going through a lot of breakage by now if it wasn’t for this Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil haircare line. I love to grow my hair long and it does require some maintenance to keep the strands looking healthy and shiny but without looking too heavy and oily at the same time, especially because my hair is on the fine/straight type. Also, with the daily environmental stresses and lifestyle activities that could potentially affect the health of our hair, I believe we all need a haircare line that can help in restoring and keeping the moisture of our hair, and the Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser’s is very good at delivering that.

The Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Shampoo + Conditioner are currently available at Sephora, Walmart, Nordstrom, Overstock, Space NK, Bluemercury, Bloomingdale’s, Ulta, Liberty London, and Saks Off Fifth,

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What are your favorite moisturizing shampoo+conditioner?