i'm back, eb*k

Hey, the world didn't end last December 21st! Yes, I believed that the world could end, I believed in the possibility- after all, everything's possible, ya? Anyway, 2012's almost done and could you believe that this is only my 3rd post for the month??? Am I busy or am I busy? Naks. But really, I regret not being able to post here because there were a lot I wanted to blog about but didn't have the time. I promised I would post about Hart of Dixie religiously but I guess I broke that promise. I will try to make a kick-ass year-ender post, one that would encapsulate how awesome this year was. But for now, let's make this about... "beauty" products I've tried this year.

1. Tresemme shampoo & conditioner

I wanted to try this duo since someone vouched for its effectiveness in taming unruly tresses. Since AB sent us two or three big bottles of shampoo, I withheld buying these for a long time because 1) it is HUGE, and 2) very expensive. So I thought it was perfect when they came out with smaller "sampler" bottles. The verdict: very effective in taming my unruly do but it gave me gargantuan blackheads (which I eventually popped, so peklat galore ang mukha ko ngayon. In fairness, hindi ko na kailangan ng coins sa New Year. Tadtad na kasi ang mukha ko). I guess we were never meant to be. Ang pinakamalaking product fail for 2012. 

2-4. Snoe products

So shoot me for being gullible. I read about these products in a beauty blog and after researching about it in a few more websites, I was frantically searching for Snoe stores in the metro. So sinadya ko pa siya sa Galleria. So was it worth it?

Magic Apple Whitening S-rub The whitening effect doesn't last. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to religiously scrub my elbows and knees twice a week. But I have this dark spot below my ankle I wanted to whiten and after scrubbing with this, parang lalo siyang umitim. I guess it's too much friction. 

Star Night Star Bright Night Perfecting Toner Omigaahd, bringing only this toner to Singapore was a mistake. I thought, since super mega sun exposure kami doon, I can't use my ol' trusty "no pain, no gain" astringent. So anyway, I went home looking like a strawberry :( I guess this wasn't enough. Hardcore and balat ko- dapat alcohol. Haha. 

Emu Cleanse Masyado talaga akong makulit. I have hypersensitive skin which is a skin type's version of climate change: labo-labo. I knew I can never use anything oil-based on my skin, but still I thought giving this product a try. Ayan, pimple ang labas. 

So fakkit, I was pimply in most of my SG pictures. Natural products don't suit me. As I've said before, hardcore ang balat ko- tumutungga ng alcohol. Baka naman effective siya sa iba but on me, they're not as effective. I still use them but not standalone skin care products. I use the Emu Cleanse as a make-up remover. I still wash with a facial wash after. As for the toner, I use it on pimple scars. 

5. Aveeno Ultra Calming Foaming Cleanser

Also not effective on me. I told you, natural doesn't suit me. 

6. But this one is- Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser

Because it has salicylic acid- the wonder ingredient. But only slightly effective because it only has .5% salicylic acid. I need 2%. 

7. Oxy Acne Wash

Also not as effective. This one I got in SG since we don't have Oxy locally. I reckon this is not that effective on me because as I've said, I need 2% salicylic acid and this facial wash's active ingredient is triclosan :( Although I wished for this to work wonders on my zits, it didn't. 

8. Oxy Benzoyl Peroxide 10%

 What I really wanted was Oxy Cover because it is tinted so as to cover zits as it zaps them at the same time. Pero mailap si Oxy Cover. We scoured all grocery stores, pharmacies, Watson's and Guardians but to no avail. Again, this product is not that effective on my maximum strength zits. Winner pa rin ang benzamycin gel (which I need to replenish stock of).

9. Alba Botanica Natural Acnedote Astringent

This, maybe, is the only natural product that works on me. Last year I tried the Alba Botanica Deep Pore Wash. I liked the cool, minty feel on my skin but I was not satisfied. This year, I tried their astringent. It was effective in drying out zits but man, it STINGS A WHOLE FRIGGIN' LOT. As in I have to be directly in front of an electric fan while applying it on my face because it super hurts my face. It has 2% salicylic acid which explains the effectiveness but I don't think I can subject my face to such trauma twice daily. But I am still contemplating on getting the complete line- the deep pore wash, the face & body scrub and the invisible treament gel. It might be more effective when I use the complete line. 

10. Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Facial Wash in Pink Grapefruit

In my experience, Neutrogena isn't that effective on me. Actually, I had bad experience with their Deep Clean facial wash. When I was in high school, I used my sister's Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Wash and after a while, I noticed it made the skin at the side of my nose and below the lower lip extremely dry to the point of discoloration. But I knew I had to try Neutrogena's Deep Clean Facial Cleanser in Pink Grapefruit- who could resist that pretty pink color?!? And I loooove grapefruit! So anyway, I wasn't expecting much from this product but man, it is pretty effective on me and my zits. My skin feels clean but it doesn't dry my dry patches further. My bottle's already half-empty and I wanted to get a second one when I empty out my supply, but my head's also telling me to give other facial washes a try :D But aside from my want to be adventurous with facial washes, this one's a keeper. 

So there you go, my product hits and misses for the year 2012. I have 1,500 worth of GCs I'm thinking of spending on this~

I would have to add P100 na lang to get the set. I was thinking of spending my GCs on Benefit's eyebrow kit pero sabi ni ate, "pangkilay na naman!!" I'm a little skeptical lang of Porefessional cos it might be just like L'oreal's smoothing resurfacing primer which clogs my pores and then makes me break out. But the girl at the make-up counter said Porefessional won't clog pores because it just sits on your skin. So anyway, I guess this set is perfect cos it's like a sampler for everything I wanted to buy, instead of buying everything full size.

So that's it pansit. Will have to try to fix my things and clear clutter just in time for the New Year. Wish me luck!