Empties: May 2015

I thought that I'll be leaving the month of May with my Bambam on my arms, but I guess he is taking his time and still is enjoying his luxury suite inside my tummy. Nevertheless, I am so happy that he is going full term - as I am 38 weeks last Friday!

Off! Soft & Scented - effective and safe mosquito repellent with soothing chamomile.

Vitress Instant Relax Cuticle Coat - there are actually five variants of Vitress specified to create different hair styles and care for specific type of tresses. This product contains special serum that wraps and seals strands to protect hair from damage while giving hair that extra shine and smoothness for instant straight hair.

Vitress Heat Protect - a must use hair product if you're planning to soak under the sun or at least use hair tools like straighteners, blowers and curlers.

Celeteque Brightening Anti-Aging with SPF 16 - another sample tub from BDJ Bpx. I love to use this as a day moisturizer just before applying make up

ELF Gel Liner in Black - smooth and glides on easily until it dried out. :O The plastic container wasn't that reliable.

Maybelline MasterLiner in Brown - you just have to be very careful in using this as hard hands may break the pencil. :/

Maybelline HyperCurl Volume Express - my non-existent lashes became visible and thicker. Pain in the *ss to remove if you don't have proper makeup remover. Celeteque cleansing oil does the job (removing mascara) well.

ELF Eye Primer & Liner Sealer - I didn't enjoy this product, not in a bit. The eye primer is too thick and it doesn't help on keeping my eye makeup in place, it melts away. IDK if it is because of the humid weather or because I put too much, I tried putting as little as possible with failed result. The container itself is not very sturdy because it's made with plastic - I dropped and break the liner sealer spilling the liquid. Sad.

Nature Republic Lemon Balm and Aritaum Fresh Essence Mask in Hydraulic Acid - some of my goodies that I got from Korea! :) In instantly makes my face softer and smoother.

MJ Morning Glory Parfum - unisex perfume that last for a day.

Cycles Sensitive Diaper Cream – Just like any other Cycles Sensitive product, it is fragrance-free, hypoallergenic and paraben-free. This got my back whenever baby pass a hard stool that irritate his skin, and it is also good on irritated genitals that was soaked in urine - sometimes we tend to forget to change/check diaper in time hence this happens. A thin layer is all I need when it comes to my baby, a swipe of thin layer of this and the redness will disappear after a while.

Victoria's Secret Body Splash - in Sweet Temptation is a lush sensual fragrance with a hint of sweetness.

Ever Bilena Daily Sunblock Whitening Lotion - I didn't see any whitening effect and it's a bit heavy on my skin so this is better used when you're inside an air-conditioned room with a some errands outside.

Avon Solutions Sun - has SPF 30. It's in a spray bottle for easier use and is in liquid/water form hence easily absorbed by skin, lightweight but makes your skin look oily/shiny which is a good/bad thing depending on your preference. Definitely not for photo ops.

Skin White Whitening Facial Cleanser - good makeup remover and cleanser in one on days when I'm too tired to have a decent face wash before going to bed.

Natasha Shimmer Cologne in Paradiso Maui - perfectly used as a cologne and body glitter in one. Shimmer will stay the whole day while you have to reapply at least once to keep the fragrance strong enough. Glitters and scent to accessorize!

Kojie San Lolita in Fantasy - a cologne spray perfect for summer. Not too strong and gives a sweet scent of freshness.

United Homes Ferusulfate Iron - cheap iron supplement in preventing and treating iron deficiency anemia and also safe for pregnant and lactating women.

Vidal Sassoon Shampoo and Conditioner - first off, thank you so much BDJ Box for sending this over. It leaves hair feeling silky smooth without feeling heavy on my scalp. Manageable hair - clean and conditioned.

Physiogel Cleanser - more about this here.

Happy to abide my adieu to these useful products so that I could get my hands on new ones that are worth to try. Hello June! Please rain my way with more blessings! :)

Empties August 2013

Gahhh! i fully wrote this post for three times now and I always accidentally delete everything for some reason and it all went gone! I wanna punch a Janet Napoles and skin her bebe gerr alive anytime today! Now, if only she wasn't that sick?! Again, for the fourth time (Good thing this "Empties" is somewhat a let-go unwind post therapy...) here are my empties for the month of August 2013!

Last month's empties was a success! I'm so proud of myself I patted me on the back and said "thumbs up for good riddance!"

This month's empties was humongous! I'm so proud of myself I need to pat myself on the back and say "two thumbs up for good riddance! Great hobby it should be a habit!" - I was thinking of doing my empties on a monthly basis as I initially attached the month and year on my previous empties... to (1) encourage myself to consume everything I have on my vanity - so I (2) could finally say something about that something since I could have said something about it when it was still quite new - say half of it was still full but due to a hundred reasons and excuses, last drops was consumed and am still mum about it... until now! :) - hence (3) will be aware that I don't need to buy "that thing that will go perfectly with ..." "that new brand of .../line of... "and "this thing that will match, complete, complement, blah blah blah yadah yadah yadah..." since I still have some things (similar) to finish up first and lastly, I believe having my monthly "empties" is a way to personally somehow (4) cure impulse shopping and hoarding (5) avoid "things i regret buying" and (6) future resentments like credit card limit charges! #ehem All this (7) while creating a list of "holy grail products" in my head. :)

So anyways, empties included here are a mixture of our family's recent favorite products and new random finds... Starting from upper left clockwise...

Avon Naturals Whitening Face Lotion -  in rose and rose-hips. I had nothing much to say to this product except that I'd used this as my makeup remover and moisturizer wrapped in one bottle on times when I'm too lazy to clean my face out of makeup especially when it's on the wee hours of the night. As a daily moisturizer, a pea and a half-size is enough for my entire face and neck to avoid excessive oil due to hot weather just like what I would normally do in any other moisturizer out there, but when I know I'll stay on an a/c room, I slap this on whenever I remember to do so. Hint: I put this on an arm's length away. ;)

Etude House Oh M Liquid Eye Liner - that I bought using my BDJ discount coupon last year. and a random black bear eyeliner that I got from Bonchic. Now I'm stuck with an ELF Gel Liner for smokey eyes and a Maybelline Masterliner in Brown for neutral looks that I won here. :)

United Homes Calactate & Fersulfate Iron and Anlene Total - my two over-the-counter everyday maintenance. For hair loss, sleepless nights and nursing a year old infant. :) Totally, love the taste of Anlene and I'm currently trying the chocolate flavor and will go back to vanilla because I decided I'll alternately the flavors. I wish they had it in Hazel flavor as well though just like Anmum! :)

Vitress Hair Polish in Strengthening - I'm ready to try another variant from this Vitress hair polish line anytime soon! :)

GOODSKINLAB Intense Clarity + Smoothing Peptide Serum - I bid my bittersweet goodbye before chopping off its tail while repeating "Off with its head!" with the Queen of Heart's baritone. Dramatic. But seriously, scooping the last cream out of its tube? It means quality at its best! This could have been my holy grail - replacing primer and moisturizer when I'm on the go since this really holds my makeup together and silky smooth face canvass just right after application! It glides on seriously! I'm so happy I get the chance to try this product by winning it on a GSK giveaway held by The Beautinomics way way back... My hopes are still up though, that this brand will find its way back here in the Philippines just like the ZA Cosmetics everyone is talking about! :) #staypositive

Maybelline Shine Free Cake Powder - in 04 Honey with SPF25 and PA++ stays true to its promises of

• All day Shine COntrol
• UV protection
• Fairer Skin
• Conceals
• Long wear
• Smoothes
• Evens
• Non Comedogenic

The only turn off? Its formula is too brittle, it cracks and breaks easily. Guess what? I'm one of the few that got a broken cake! Just my luck! That leads me to give in and spill the beans - I really didn't used this up, it just dust my makeup kit and anything it got in-touch with it until its gone. So hey Maybelline New York, I need a refund refill! Yes a refill would suffice! ;)

ELF Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder -  in warm tan. Nostalgic. This is my first ELF makeup product after I've been swept away for face paint passion! And Michelle Phan's tutorial using shimmer bronzer as contour and eyeshadow makes me love this more. Another must-have when you're on the go and ready to run! :)

Cortizan - be it pimple, rashes, inflamation, fungi whatsoever, my family would just dab a cortizan! Its our ointment holy grail if that makes sense. Less than Php200.00 a tube.

4Life Transfer Factor Riovida Bursts - that I talked about in my last month's empties.

4Life Transfer Factor Glutamine Prime - for less than Php3300.00, you'll get 180 capsules of building blocks that'll

• help you fight stress and avoid depression
• mood stabilizer - bipolar bears are out!
• more energy reserves - if you're a mom, nursing a year old, working and at home you need to reserve all the energy you could surely use for extra extra :)
• encourages your body to produce glutathione - whitening was not my priority (although I have several whitening products) but this will make you fairer while
• protecting your liver - love your liver not your liquor
• glutathione as body's antioxidant to fight free radicals

What are you waiting for, grab a Glutamine Prime now! You need it!

Sesou Haul Empties - including Giga Baby Insect Repellent Spray, Milea Baby Baby Cleaner and Human Heart Nature Spray Sanitizer. That is actually our 2nd Milea Baby Cleaner - my best friend when water is no where!

Sunsilk Smooth and Manageable Shampoo and Conditioner - is my every month favorites, can you tell? Can't believe we used up 3 refill sachets of Sunsilk pink, I guess Sarah G.'s irresistible commercial holds true to the family. I however find that the conditioner didn't really conditioned my hair so...

Dove Hair Fall Rescue Conditioner - is my perfect match! Sunsilk pink shampoo + this Dove conditioner = good smelling tangle free hair! It's love! I skip the Dove shampoo partner 'cause it tends to make my hair oily!

Black Beauty Shampoo in Crystal - yup, I ate up my words. This is my 3rd bottle and still counting!

Avon Skin So Soft Silky Moisture replenishing lotion with argan oil -  this sounds weird but at first, the scent of this lotion reminds me of coffins and burials, of small violet flowers used to that sad occasions... but as my nose adjusted (can't resist the organ oil goodness) and so, I'm done with the first bottle and since I bought two of these, I'm down to use the next last bottle. I'm not so sure if I would go buy this SSS lotion again, I might try another brand. But the argan oil - so we never know! Argan oil is good!

Johnsons Baby Powder - in pink included in my Johnson Baby Haul

Johnsons Baby Cooling Bath and Milk Bath - Last summer, I gave my babe a treat by switching to Johnsons Baby Cooling Bath, its like minty cool and he loves it too! And, later on we return to our love at first smell - the milk bath! It reminds me of my newborn baby Clyde! P.S. our first love was the orangey no tears formula!

That's it! Hello September! I'm so happy! If you're following me on my social media then you know why! Hint: Google Nexus 7! Ow Em Ji!