AMW Reviews: L'Oreal White Perfect Fairness Control Moisturizing Day Cream

My mom-in-law (MIL) loves her inexpensive Garnier Light Overnight Whitening Peeling Cream.  You can check out my review (on behalf of my MIL) on that by smiling and clicking HERE.

I think she is enjoying the "lightened" dark spots.  She actually came up to me and asked me what's best to use for day time as she's done with her current day cream!  Well, thanks to my ability to remember products I own!  As I scan through my OC-brain ALPHABETICALLY on products I have hidden inside a huge box *laughs* It stops at letter "L" for L'Oreal!  Choosing L'Oreal isn't a bad idea because Garnier worked for her and Garnier is part of L'Oreal group.  I could be wrong, but this could be a possibility!

I pull out the new L'Oreal White Perfect Fairness Control Moisturizing Day Cream because it has the "whitening" properties that Garnier have for her skin to look even-toned, bright and healthy!

She's almost done with this tube so it's time for a conversation between AMW and AMW M.I.L.!

L'Oreal White Perfect Moisturizing Day Cream says ---

• More Rosy Glow.  Enriched in new Tourmaline Gemstone that helps stimulate skin microcirculation, this cream gives skin intense rosy glow.
• Less yellowish complexion.  It also contains Advanced Melanin-Block, which acts to regularte the melanin production at the source to help skin become fairer.
• Protection against UV-induced skin darkening.  Exposure to UV rays, especially to UVA, accelerates and intensifies melanin production, leading to skin darkening.  Enriched with the powerful L'Oreal patented Mexoryl SX UV filters system. 
• White Perfect Fairness Control Moisturizing Day Cream SPF17 provides perfection against UV induced darkening and the appearance of brown spots.

AMW MIL says ---

Pros

• The product packaging comes with a protect cap which prevents spillage.

• Gets absorbed into the skin easily.
• Moisturizes skin minus the greasy feel.
• I find that most whitening products are drying on dry or mature skin, I was told that this works well even on mature skin! 
• Smells great!
• Price is not bad for a product that works as moisturizer, sunblock (although not much) and a whitening product.

Cons

• Unhygienic packaging!
• If you are expecting for quick results, again, this is not a magical potion!  
• SPF may not be enough for those who are more exposed to the harmful rays of the sun.
• Does not have the extra anti-aging properties that some can offer! 

Overall

I am quite surprised that a whitening moisturizer can actually moisturize quite well!  My MIL told me that this actually does not dry out her skin as much as other products she tried!  I can't tell if this product reduces her dark spots as it was reduced drastically with her Garnier Light Overnight Whitening Peeling Cream, what I can attest is that her spots did not come back with continuous usage of "lightening" products!  

Tips

• Use a spatula to dip on the product instead of your fingers!
• For all skincare product with this type of packaging: on some days I am too lazy or I can't find my spatula, *embarrassed*, I used the protective cover to dip some product, sorry!  I'd rather do so than dip my fingers!
• If you have very sensitive skin, apply a good amount from below the ear to the neck area, leave it overnight and check the next morning if allergic reactions occur.
• Apply a thin layer on areas of you skin that is fine!  For areas that have dark spots, massage and concentrate a bit more.
• Store in cool dry place!
• I strongly suggest to follow up with a sunblock still!  

Will she repurchase?
Yes, not bad for a Day Cream.  But for the night cream, nothing will stop her from the Garnier one.

To whom do I recommend this to?

Normal, Combination or even Dry Skin.  This moisturizing day cream actually works well to all skin types.  For sensitive skin though, please be careful as this is still a whitening product, meaning, it does have a couple of ingredients that could cause allergic reactions to very sensitive skin!

Where to purchase and how much?
Available at all L'Oreal counters for Php595.00 (approx $13.50).

Texture of the L'Oreal White Perfect Fairness Control

Moisturizing Day Cream

(not so fluffy, so I'm not gonna die! LOL)

I want to thank my dear AMW Mom-in-law for being such a fabulous mom, for helping me out with these reviews (especially on skincare)!  Watch out for my skin product reviews as she's almost done with this!  What's the next product I'll let her try?  Hmm, ain't gonna tell!  :P

Have you tried this product?
Does it work for you?

Keep smilin'

Stay happy!

Something New: Girl Two Doors Down at The FlatShop

I may not talk a lot about fashion in this blog but that does not mean I am not into fashion!  Aside from checking beauty blogs, I check out fashion blogs and blogs about Hollywood actors and actresses because I want to snoop on their unglamorous life and of course, the highlight of snooping on such websites are the paparazzi shots that comes with it! 

No, I am not talking about racy photos of Miley Cyrus or the Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears getting off the car wearing short skirts with no undies!  You have to agree, those are quite intriguing though!  *laughs*

*won't insert photos*  tee hee

I like checking on fashionable stars as regular human beings, checking on what they wear and get amazed on how some of them can stay glamorous even when they're off to do regular chores!

When it comes to footwear, everybody knows that I am into fashion AND comfort!  Can anyone honestly tell me that the cute shoes they are wearing at this moment are super comfortable?  

8 out of 10 of my gorgeous shoes are UNCOMFORTABLE, that's why I only wear them during special events.  On most days (my colleagues can vouch to this), I love wearing sandals!  How can I be fashionable when I'm comfortable?

These actresses can!

Emmy Rossum, Eva Longoria, Stephanie Pratt

 Michelle Trachtenberg, Halle Berry

All 5 of them were seen sporting flip-flops with matching Vintage Diamond Bling that gives a bold statement!  Comfortable Flipflops plus a huge bling?  That calls for my attention!

The brand available in the US are now reachable to us locally!  The brand is called Girl Two Doors Down.  The brand is a mouthful but just think of a Girl Next Door who wants to be more than just typical, someone who wants to be unique, sexier, more confident and exciting, the girl is there two doors down!  Cool concept! 

Flip-flops are usually flats and flats are not my thing as they can hurt my back when I am walking too far!  After using this a couple of times, I appreciate the "no more heel pain" because there is a nice support on the arch of my feet!  It makes a huge difference because I was diagnosed with a very slight Scoliosis at a young age and wearing the right kind of footwear is as important as eating the right kind of food!

AMW Feet on Girl Two Doors Down

Gray Color

Diamond Brooch ornament

Size 7 (yes, I'm Chinese, and I don't have tiny feet! LOL)

 A closer look on the gorgeous Diamond Brooch!  Looks like a huge engagement ring on my feet! :D What's nice is that you can choose different styles or blings from Diamond Ring designs, Flower, Martini Glass, Trophy Medallion, Cross, Leaves, Triple Circles!  So many to choose from!

You can also choose flats or platforms at the same price or adding a couple of hundred pesos! That's variety!

Oh, before I forget, each stylist pair comes with bold statements like...
"I believe in Total Body Workout, currently my finger benches 3 carats"

Mine says: "If You Believe It's Excessive, You Don't Deserve It!"
I have to read this when I'm eating!  *laughs*

The next question would be...how much?
Well, I have to say, this bling doesn't come cheap!  

Diamond Brooch in Flat costs Php1,890.00 (approx $42.90)

I know!  Shocking right?  Most people would spend tons on clothing but not for me, I usually buy inexpensive clothing and spend more on footwear because my feet need the extra care!

Most of my footwear are well-taken care off and lasts more than a year or to some, even more than 2 years!  Definitely value for money! 

Visit The Flat Shop at the Ground Floor, Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center for US brands like Girl Two Doors Down, FitFlops, Sanuk, Bandals, Melissa and Anthology.

What's your most expensive flip flops to date?
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

(Note from Author: Product provided for PR consideration.  The author is not paid to write this post. All information written are based solely on author's personal experiences.  Please purchase at your own discretion.)

AMW Version: Fresh, Natural Look

Yay!  First AMW Version for the year 2011!  It has been taking me time to create tutorials lately because of the same reasons!  So before I go on blabbing, I've created a look perfect for office meetings or just regular day at work!  A fresh and natural look that spells "Prepared, Organized, Ready-to-face-the-day!".

This type of eye makeup I've done does not alter the shape of your eyes, there's no corrective styles done, instead, just played with neutral colors to give a well polished look!

AMW Diagram

Prior to eyeshadow application, I choose to brighten up the undereye area with The Body Shop's Lightening Touch.  You can choose to use your preferred eyeshadow base, in my case, since I don't have oily lids, I chose NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Yoghurt as an eyeshadow base!

Step 1:

In this tutorial, I am using all the colors of L'Oreal OpenEyesPro Palette in Beige Harmony.  Using a fluffy eye crease brush, I applied the lightest shade over the entire eyelid on top of my NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Yoghurt base.

Step 2:

Using a flat shader brush, apply the e/s (as pointed with the brush on photo below) onto the crease with a patting motion to create depth and dimension.

Step 3:

Using the same crease brush or even a smaller version of the brush, apply the pointy tip on the outer-V corner of the eyes!  Blend out harsh lines.

Step 4: (optional)

Since the L'Oreal OpenEyesPro palette is very shimmery and natural in person, I wanted to create more depth on the outer-v, in doing so, I am using MAC Mineral Eyeshadow Odd Bits (from MAC Colour Craft Collection). Adding more as  go on.  

Do not forget to apply the same eyeshadow shade on the lower lashline.

Step 5: 

Using the sponge applicator, I pat a bit of the gold shimmer on the inner 1/4 of the eye for that "wide awake" and "bright" look!

Step 6:

Apply ELF Cream Eyeliner in Black on the upper lash line.  You can choose to wing your eyeliner but I chose to make it  more natural.  

Apply Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in 1L on the waterline.

Curl your lashes and apply coats of your favorite mascara.  I am using my favorite Etude House Proof 10 Henna Fix Mascara in Black.  Fill in your brows with your favorite brow powder or pencil.  I am using Tears Line and Mode Autobrow in 04.

Other products used on the rest of my face

 

For the Face:

Avon Ideal Shade Liquid Foundation in Nude 

with HD Makeup Blender Sponge.

Avon Ideal Shade Loose Powder to set

For the Cheeks:

DiorBlush #839 Vintage Pink - using the brush that comes with the palette

Clinique Up-lighting Liquid Illuminator - applied using fingers on areas I want to highlight (bridge of the nose and cheekbones)

For the Lips:

Daiso PE-3 Lipstick  - though drying, I am seriously in love with this shade! So Unique!

LipIce Color Gloss in Summer Pink

Show your best smile and you're ready to face any day!

Note to self: "I will, try to do more AMW Version!"
Hope this helps!  I am sure there's a whole lot of better versions out there! 
*sigh* Life is fun with so many choices!

Enjoy Thursday!  I can sniff Friday like a dog!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Nail Art Tutorial: "The Dark and Light Side of It" Nails

I was feeling a bit down the weather lately, well I have been feeling that way for the past weeks!  Blame it on the New Years, blame it on the hormones, in my case, I just blame myself for being a me!  I have been hyper all throughout and I think I think I'm on the tip of the iceberg!  Time to fall down....

Into deep sleep!  *hahaha* I collected a lot of positive energy over the weekend by sleeping more than 10 hours, brisk walking at night to burn up those excess "lazy" calories! Base on psychological thinking, or plain psychotic thinking!  I am feeling a lot better!

To celebrate my "feeling a lot better", I created a nail art tutorial called "The Dark and Light Side of It"!

 The combination of light and dark shades that complements each other is what I used splattered a bit of sparkling happiness!

Step 1:

Apply a coat of your preferred base coat to prevent your nails from yellowing.  I applied one coat of OPI Nail Lacquer in Suzi and the Lifeguard. I actually used the same base for 2 consecutive weeks, which I never do!  You can choose to leave your nails the way it is because the more natural it is the better!

Step 2:

Apply any light colored polish color diagonally as shown on photo below.  You don't have to do different complementary shades per fingernail!

 

Step 3:

Using the darker complementary colors, or whatever colors you think would work well together, apply the darker shade on top of the light diagonal shades!  The tip here is to make sure the polish are dry before you apply another shade on top to prevent polish colors from mixing together!

Step 4:

Using L.A. Art Deco Polish in glittery gold, line the botton part of the light colored polish to make it look "clean" and "polished".

 

Step 5:

To give a nice separation between the dark and light polish, create tiny dots as shown on photo below.

Step 6:

Use any glittery polish and apply it from nail bed upwards!  The style is like that of a gradient nail art.

Step 7:

Making sure everything is COMPLETELY dry, apply a coat of your preferred top coat for protection!

Enjoy your colorful yet simple nails!

What is your favorite light and dark combination out of the 5 I've done?
Mine is the Pink and Red! Oh, the Yellow and Blue..hmm..also the light blue and dark blue?
Can I just say I love all the combination because I did them all? :D

Keep smilin'

Stay happy!

AMW Reviews: HD Makeup Blender

Remember how I found the Beauty Blender to be the cutest makeup sponge around?  There is something cute and sexy available locally called HD Makeup Blender!  People may mistake this for the Sonia Kashuk counterpart, I do not own the Sonia Kashuk one but base on photo, the curves are slightly different.  After receiving this as a Christmas gift from a dear friend, I've road tested this a couple of times and I'm ready to spill the beans...ahmm...sponge I mean! *winks*

Introducing:

HD Makeup Blender

HD Makeup Blender says ---

Blends easily, works great with your foundation, concealers, etc.  This is all you need to apply your makeup flawlessly.  Great for applying cream, mineral and liquid foundation along with cream, and mineral blush.

AMW says ---

Pros

• Cute shape, easy to grip!
• Pink!
• Saves up a lot of liquid or cream foundation.
• Can apply light-heavy coverage foundation minus the cake-y look.
• With the 'bounce' method, creates a nice airbrush finish.
• Multi-functional, can apply liquid or cream foundation, liquid or cream concealer, cream blushes etc..
• Sponge does not feel crumbly after a couple of usage as compared to regular sponges!
• Odor free.
• No bleeding on first up to current washes.
• If you are a makeup sponge user, this saves up a lot of money  because this is wash-able and reusable!

Cons

• Very difficult to wash!  I find washing this even more difficult than my Beauty Blender because this is a bit too firm!
• Does not come with a case which makes it a bit difficult to store.
• Stains a bit! (scroll down on tip area on how to remove hardheaded stains)

Overall

The Beauty blender and HD Makeup Blender are both priced similarly (not unless you buy 2 and above for the HD Makeup Blender, it'll come Php200 cheaper).  If you ask me which one I prefer, here's my simplest answer:

When it comes to washing - I prefer the Beauty Blender because the HD Makeup Blender is a pain to wash!
When it comes to application - I prefer the extra 'stiffness' of HD Makeup Blender because it gives more control over application!

Tips

• HD Makeup Blender must always be damp prior to usage.
• Use the bottom part for the large parts of your face. (ex. cheeks, forehead, neck)

• Use the pointy part around your nose, under the eye area.

• For makeup stains, I suggest you purchase an inexpensive Extra Virgin Olive Oil and gently rub the olive oil on the "stained" area until the stain is gone a bit, continue with regular washing with a mixture of baby shampoo and gentle dish washing liquid.
• Instead of wetting the sponge prior to usage, I prefer to spritz with a bottled facial spray so that the sponge does not get too wet and coverage won't be too light.
• Be careful not to puncture the sponge with any sharp objects or your fingernails.
• Store with a container to prevent dirt from getting absorbed inside the sponge.

Will I repurchase?
No, the Beauty Blender has been with me for a year and it's still working well and looking good as new! I'm sure with proper care and use, this one will last too!

To whom do I recommend this to?

Anyone who wants the non-cake-y no streaks foundation without the airbrush system!  If you also have enough time to bounce or stipple this sponge with your favorite foundation!

Where to purchase and how much?
At HD Makeup Site for Php1,200 (approx $28.00) each.  Php1,000 (approx $23.50) for 2 and above!

Compared to Beauty Blender (BB)

• The texture of BB is more porous as compared to the HD Makeup Blender.
• The BB is easier to wash, because the HD Makeup Blender is denser and thicker, I have to give more effort in washing and I have to wash it twice as much as I wash BB.
• The bounce of BB is better but the coverage of HD Makeup Blender is much better!
• The HD Makeup Blender has a wider base which covers more spaces on your face as compared to the BB.
• The tip of the HD Makeup Blender is stiffer and gives more control.
• The sexy shape of HD Makeup Blender gives a better grip during application.

The Beauty Blender and HD Makeup Blender

Side by side, same size both wet and dry

HD Makeup Blender Size

Dry: 2.3 inches
Wet: 2.8 inches

If you ask me, I'm still a powder user on a daily basis or just a tinted moisturizer or BB cream!  But on days I want more coverage, a look that spells 'flawless', I'd pick this up especially if you want that airbrush finish  minus the airbrush system!

Do you have a lemming for this sponge?  

Keep smilin

Stay happy!