How to Get Rid of Dark Circles Under Eyes

During my college years, one of my main beauty insecurities were my eyebags and dark circles. I consider those years as one of the toughest parts of my life; I couldn't get enough sleep (at times I only get an hour of sleep!), school projects and other activities caused me stress and pressure, and total fatigue.
I believe those were the top reasons why I had quite noticeable eyebags and dark circles.


According to Mayo Clinic, the following are the top causes of dark under-eye circles:

1. Allergies
2. Atopic Dermatitis (eczema)
3. Heredity
4. Lifestyle factors
5. Nasal Congestion
6. Pigmentation irregularities
7. Rubbing and scratching eyes
8. Sun exposure
9. Thinning of skin and loss of fat and collagen

(source: www.mayoclinic.com)

I have allergies that causes me nasal congestion so I think that's another factor in my case.

So what can we do to get rid of them?

First, address the cause. 
Second, try some natural remedies to treat whatever is causing your dark circles. The effect may be temporary and this may be time consuming. You gotta have a lot of determination.

Third, try some cosmetic solutions. 

(source: www.wikihow.com)

My current lifestyle:

I've developed this habit of staying up until 2am (sometimes until 3 or 4am!)
But I sleep for 8 hours almost everyday. I don't know if it doesn't matter whether I sleep late or not as long as I get enough sleep. (Please enlighten me on this.)

I still have allergies. Honestly, I only take some remedies/medicines to relieve the symptoms when it becomes bad.

My work gives me stress and pressure. 

I am currently inspired to get healthier so I avoid some unhealthy food, I take some well-being drinks, and I increased my intake of water. (I congratulate myself for this!) Since I was a child, I hated drinking water. I don't like its taste, so I usually just drink juice mix or iced tea. I used to say, there is still water there, I just added some flavor. (I'm so silly, I know.)
Even I cannot believe how I survive with drinking only a small amount of pure water. 


As a skin care products lover, of course I use cosmetics to fight my dark circles. (I try some natural remedies too, sometimes when I have time.)

I currently use these products:

Himalaya Under Eye Cream (15ml)

Claims: 

• It contains the breakthrough herbal actives of Cipadessa baccifera and Bergenia Ligulata (Pasanabheda).

• It reduces the appearance of dark circles and protects the sensitive area under the eyes from sunlight.

• It detoxifies and moisturizes the under eye area and smoothens wrinkles and fine lines.

• Its regular usage helps prevent new wrinkle formation.
•  visible results in just four weeks:
  - 80% reduction of dark circles.
  - 28% reduction in under eye wrinkles and fine lines.
  - Brighter and smoother eye contours.

Skin79 The Oriental Double Perfection Eye Healer Plus (15ml)

Claims:

• Whitens and brightens under eye areas, and reduces wrinkles with its main ingredients such as Arbutin, Adenosine, White tea, Green tea and Black tea. 
• Moisturizes and revitalizes skin around the eyes 

left: Himalaya/Right: Skin79

I received 2 tubes of Himalaya Under Eye Cream as a gift. I already used up one and I'm now on the 2nd tube. I used to use Himalaya alone but since I got the Skin79 eye serum, I decided to use them interchangeably. Both gets absorbed by the skin easily, both are non-greasy, but I find the Skin79 more moisturizing. I've read that serum has the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin, and is more concentrated and potent compared to cream.

I have been using these two religiously, day and night. 

Below are current pictures of my under eye skin:

My bare skin.

I still have eyebags, that I'm sure will never really disappear because I've had them since I was young, but at least they are not as big as before.

The skin under my eyes have really improved a lot. I can now skip concealing that area, but I still do sometimes because I love the extra brightening effect concealers give. 

Eye creams and eye serums work, but it takes time. You just need to be patient and make sure you use them regularly. But remember, nothing beats a healthy lifestyle. 

Beauty Box Subscription

I have been fighting this temptation to subscribe in a beauty box for several months now. I keep reminding myself all the disadvantages of it but..I finally gave in. Makeup is my weakness.

The concept of beauty box subscription is to deliver assorted sample-sized and full-sized beauty and wellness items that we may not have tried before. This is a great way for us to try out new products without spending a lot. It's also a great way to discover our future HG products.
But there are some bad sides to it. Sometimes, we may receive something we have tried before, or we may possibly receive a color or shade that doesn't suit us, or a product that you don't really need.

Here is a list of  Beauty Box Subscriptions in the Philippines:

1. BDJ Box- Php 580/box

2. Saladbox - Php 500/box

3. Glamourbox - Php 595/box

I haven't tried any of them so I don't know how they are different from one another.

I don't know if Sample Room should be in the list too, which is a beauty sampling site but with a very different concept. In Sample Room, the samples are free. All you pay for is the delivery fee. But the products you get are very limited to the points you have. If you are not a VIP member, your points as a newbie is only 100. VIP membership = 1000 points, that costs 599, and expires in 2 months. I availed of the VIP once, and I'm planning to renew it soon if they have new samples that interest me. The best thing in SR is you get to choose which products you get.


I've seen a lot of previous boxes of the three sites, but I wasn't very fascinated because some products are things I have tried before, or things I can easily get or buy at the mall if I want to try them. That's the reason why it took me a long time deciding to subscribe or not. 

What I'm looking for in a beauty box are products that are unique to me, with great assortment.


And I thought..since I always buy cosmetics in Korea, why not search for a beauty box too? I had a feeling that they surely have, why haven't I thought of this before?!

While searching, I saw about 5 or more beauty box subscriptions. It was hard to decide which to get but I ended up with these two:

1. Glossybox

2. Memebox

I'll update this post with more information...

4U2 DreamGirl Lovelight BB Powder Review

4U2 DreamGirl Lovelight BB Powder SPF15 PA++ in shade #2

The girly print. Many people who have seen this said it looks like a toy.

The back side with some important information printed.

Swatch on my finger. 

when blended on my hand. the darker side is the one with powder.

Brand: 4U2 Cosmetics
Made in Thailand
Net. Wt. 7g

Note: My skin type is combination to oily.

Coverage:
I give this a score of 6/10 when used dry, and 7/10 when used wet. It evens out skin tone though and reduces the appearance of red spots. 

Oil control:
I give this a score of 6/10. 

Color:
There are three shades available. The #1 is the lightest, but I'm a medium skin tone so I chose #2. I regret it because when it's blended and built up, it turns out to be darker than my skin. My face becomes obviously darker than my neck and shoulders. -_- 

Texture and finish:
It blends smoothly and has a matte finish. 

Longevity:
I give this a score of 6/10. It disappears after 3 hours as my face starts to become oily and I start blotting.

Packaging:
It's cute, but at the same time cheap-looking. The print fades easily. But what I dislike the most is the mirror. It is a narrow, vertical, rectangular one, that makes me feel cross-eyed when I look at it.
The small size could be an advantage since it can easily fit in makeup bags.

Price:
Php194 for a 7g product. Inexpensive? You could say that but...there are other local powder pacts that are bigger with only a little bit price difference, if not cheaper.

Final thoughts:

I bought this because I've read a lot of rave reviews on this, and I thought, if it really is a great powder that is inexpensive, then I better have one too.
But from my ratings, you can already tell that I am not loving this product. I don't see anything special about it. It's just a normal powder.

My personal opinion is, this is an overrated product. My ratings are based on my personal experience and standards.
I do not dislike this powder but I don't love it either. It's not a bad product nor a very good one.
For me, the quality is so~so, and if you want the best value for your money, buy other powder pacts from other local brands that are bigger and have better quality.

And until now I don't know why it is named 'BB powder'. Is it a bb cream in powder form? When I looked at the ingredients, I didn't see any similarities with the ingredients of bb creams. BB creams usually have whitening, anti-aging and skin nourishing benefits, right?

Since the color turns darker on me, I only use this to set one of my bb creams that is quite light for my skin tone, to balance the color. That way this powder becomes very useful to me. :) But I won't repurchase.

Japan Home Center Haul

Have you ever been to Japan Home Center? It's a store that sells a wide range of affordable household, office, and beauty supplies. This is very similar to Saizen.

Inside the store are many interesting things...everything at Php88 only. (some even at Php66!) Most of the time, you'll get really tempted to buy things you don't even really need. 

Here are the items I bought from them a week ago. I tried my best not to buy anything unnecessary, but...

Sets of funnels and measuring spoons. I badly need these for my DIY projects. Php88 each set.

Transparent stapler and sharpener. I have a thing for transparent stuff. Php 66 each.

A mirror, that converts into: see picture below. Php88.

This is perfect for travelling. It can easily be carried in my bag.  I love the floral print.

I also bought a set of small jars for herbs and spices, and blank stickers that I will use to label my diy projects. 



Out of all these, there is one thing that is not so essential to me. Can you guess what it is? :)

Getting to Know Coenzyme Q10 aka Vitamin Q

photo from Amazon.com

the actual product: Somang Coenzyme Q10 Intensive Mask

I've had a couple of skin care products that claims to have Coenzyme Q10 as one of the active ingredients, but I didn't really understand nor did I care what that substance is...until I received this mask from a brand under Amore Pacific. The product name is Coenzyme Q10 Intensive Mask. It claims that the main ingredients are 75mg of Coenzyme Q10 and deep sea water. Before I put this on my face, I thought I better do some research first. 

Here are some information I collected:

'Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a substance similar to a vitamin. It is found in every cell of the body. Your body makes CoQ10, and your cells use it to produce energy your body needs for cell growth and maintenance.'
(source: www.webmd.com)


It has potent antioxidant effects.

As we age the production of CoQ10 of our body tapers off.

CoQ10 is used in premium anti-aging skin care products to boost skin repair and regeneration. It rejuvenates the skin by enhancing the cell’s efficiency. 

It’s really important that it is used in high enough quantities to do a decent job. Experts recommend a minimum of 0.5% in skin care products. 


CoQ10's 5 Benefits for the Skin:


1.     It energizes your skin. Young skin has ample amounts of CoQ10 and so has lots of energy – energy needed to repair damage and make sure the skin cells are healthy. 

2.     It protects against photo-aging – that means premature aging due to over exposing the skin to the sun. The sun is the fastest skin ager. If you don’t believe me, just compare the skin on your behind (that is hardly ever exposed to the sun) to the skin on your face. Enough said! 

3.     It rejuvenates skin by stimulating skin cell activity. Active skin cells get rid of toxins easily and can make better use of nutrients. When your skin ages, all these processes slow down, causing dull and sallow, wrinkled skin. Boost your skin cell activity for younger looking skin with CoQ10. 

4.     It stimulates collagen production. Collagen is the protein that decreases as we age, leading to wrinkles and leathery skin.  Helping you make more collagen, CoQ10 is a skin saving essential.

5.     It is a potent anti-oxidant that acts against oxidative damage. This damage is done by, for example: UV rays of the sun, pollution, toxins, stress. And this damage all leads to one thing: premature aging that shows up on the skin. When metals oxidise, we call it rust. When humans oxidise, we call it aging. Sometimes it also leads to disease. So we need something to help us prevent ‘rusting’. Anti-oxidants like CoQ10 are the answer and have a critical role to play in both the body and the skin. 

(Source: www.drjoetoday.com)


Wow! I didn't know CoQ10 is that beneficial to skin! I'm already 27 so I'm always after anti-aging products. 

So back to the mask:

 It has 75mg of CoQ10 therefore it is highly concentrated.

It's a very thick cream that spreads and melts easily on the face.

How I use it:
I apply a generous amount on my face while massaging thoroughly. Then I let it stay on my skin for 20 minutes so my skin can absorb the nutrients. 
Lastly, I rinse it with water.

The result? My skin feels soft, and more firm in an instant.  

I already have used this about 5 times, once a week. But using this at least thrice a week is better. The reason why I don't use this often is because I have many other masks that I need to use too. 

I'm now planning to buy some CoQ10 supplements. I think I saw one being sold at Healthy Options. I've read this is also good for the heart.


Conclusion:

Coenzyme Q10 is a very skin-friendly substance, that helps prevent premature aging. Just because you have no wrinkles yet doesn't mean you don't need anti-aging products/supplements, especially if you are already 25 years old and above. 
Remember, prevention is always better than cure.

Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream Review

swatched on my hand
It has just the right amount of creaminess, that is easy to blend, and a little goes a long way.

swatched on my face

when blended

 pimple marks and redness around my nose are less visible now
The finish is a little bit dewy.

This bb cream from Lioele is another one that is worth sharing. I love this so much that I always repurchase whenever I run out of it, despite the fact that I own more than enough bb creams from different brands. This one also runs out more quickly than my other bb creams because I use it more frequently, and the price is lower than my Dr. Jart Silver Label (which I try to save as much as possible because it's kinda pricey).

Why I love it:

I have a medium skintone  (kayumanggi, as we call it in the Philippines). At first look, Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream seems quite light for me, but it oxidizes quickly and blends really well with my natural color. It makes my skin look brighter and my skintone even. The coverage is 8/10. I only have minimal blemishes most of the time, so the coverage is enough to make my face look flawless. Believe me, I often get compliments on my skin even from random strangers (example: Sales Assistant at malls or random customers at my shop) whenever I wear this BB. They ask, "What product/cream do you use? Your face looks so smooth. It's glowing."(When they say glowing, I think they mean my face is dewy-looking.)
I guess this bb cream gives me the most natural flawless look compared to some of my other bb creams because people don't even think I'm wearing a makeup or something.

Another thing is, this doesn't have SPF. I know to some that is a disadvantage, but to me it's a bonus because I can wear this at events or parties where picture taking with flash is certain to happen.
I have made a mistake before when I wore a bb cream with SPF to attend a wedding, and to my disappointment, my face looked too white (like that of a Geisha) on the pictures. It was quite embarrassing because some people might think I wore my one-year-supply of foundation that day. -_-
(To those who don't know yet, SPF in foundations or bb creams reflects light from camera flash, making your skin look white in photos. If you cannot avoid the SPF, avoid the flash.)

When I need to be out under the sun, I just wear a sunscreen underneath or I just use my other bb creams with high SPF. That's not really an issue to me.


Does it control oil well?
The oil control is 7/10. I have a very oily skin, especially my nose and forehead, and blotting is very normal to me. I have never really found a product that made my face matte and oil-free throughout a day. When I'm outside and it's very hot and humid my face gets extra oily, but when I'm inside an air-conditioned room, my face just gets dewy, not greasy.

Extra Points:
It has never caused me breakouts.
The packaging is very pretty and it is a pump-type tube.
I think the price is just right for the quality. It is cheaper than  Dr. Jart and Missha bb creams.

My recommendations: 

This is a good bb cream to be used at night time or when taking pictures with flash.

This will suit light to medium skintone.

Best for people with normal and oily/combination skin type.

If you need sun protection, wear a sunscreen underneath this bb cream.

If you have dry skin, make sure to moisturize first before applying this.

I will be reviewing my other bb creams soon. :)

A Blusher That Will Probably Last a Lifetime

what it looks like in actual

the back side

A beautiful burgundy-pink shade

this amount is enough for both sides of cheeks

Product Name: NYX Powder Blush in PB 17 Desert Rose


I'm just half kidding with the title. I know this blusher will expire and go bad somehow. But I cannot imagine ever hitting the pan.

I bought this months ago and it still looks like barely-used. Why? It is sooooo pigmented that you only need a very little amount each application. And you need a very light hand too when picking up the product with your blush brush or else you're gonna end up getting a 'just got slapped on the face' look.
But once you have mastered how to control the application and how to blend it well, the result is a very natural healthy looking pop of color on your cheeks that other regular pink blushers won't give you. It is matte too which is a bonus if you want a really natural-looking flush.

You know a blusher is good when the color shows up on your skin right away, without having to pile up layers of it and end up looking cakey.

The longevity is 10/10. It lasts on my oily skin whole day, and it becomes even better as it slightly fades after several hours.

The packaging is made of cheap-looking plastic but that's not a big issue. This is an inexpensive but great quality product so I have no right to complain about the cheap packaging haha.

Tips:
After I apply this on my cheeks using my regular blush brush, I use another big fluffy brush to blend it even more. Blend, blend, blend! :)

Don't be afraid to experiment and try to mix this with other blushers that you own to create a new, unique color.

I highly recommend this product and I believe this shade will compliment nearly every skin tone.