Philippine weather is always in the humid side, sometimes we find ourselves wishing it would be awesome to have a little rain to cool down the weather a bit. Being the preggo lady that I am with extremely dry skin, I am on the constant look out for lightweight moisturizers that would give me the maximum hydration my skin needs without feeling sticky. The last gel-based moisturizer I enjoyed using was Lancome's Aqua Fusion Moisturizer, and BRTC Overnight Pore Tightener. It's basically a night moisturizer.

#empties

Yay! It's a very happy day today because I can finally post an "empties" post! It takes a long time to collect empty bottles of products before you can make such post that's why it's such a happy day for me! Hehehe... It's my first one too by the way.

It's also rare for me to get to the bottom of the barrel because I am always opening new products so it takes longer for me to finish them, or they expire even before I even get to scrape the bottom. So YAY!

#travellingbeauty

For those of you who missed my previous blog post about me traveling to Vietnam, I recently went on a vacation to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) last week with my husband, my sister and her husband. The four of us headed out to the sunny city for the first time.

I tell you, from now on, the following products I am about to show you are my travel survival products for a fuss-free and happy trip!

Now, I have been getting emails from my readers asking me what's a good alternative for Shu Uemura. A good product that is more budget friendly. So it was the perfect time for me to start canvasing. It took me nearly a year to compile the information from different brands (some bottles I finished, some I just gave away).

So, after months and months of testing, these are the products I came up with. I have ranked them from 1 to 6, 1 being the top of my list.

*Before you buy, always, always, ALWAYS test the product first! Apply a tiny amount on your neck or a little on your jawline and leave on for about 5 minutes and see if you have any reaction to the product.*










5. HUMAN HEART NATURE SUNFLOWER CLEANSING OIL (P350.00 P275.00)

Among all the cleansing oils I have tried, this has probably got to be my 5th choice. They didn't have testers in their kiosks so I had to buy one to be able to try it on. As you may already know, I am a sucker for cute packaging and SMELL. Smell of a product is very important to me.

TEXTURE/CONSISTENCY: Quite thick. It takes a bit of effort to massage on your face to remove makeup.

FEEL: The product is thick (maybe because it's au naturel) but I didn't really feel comfortable using it.

RINSE-ABILITY: The moment the water hits your face to rinse it off, the thicker it seemed to get. It was like the oil stuck more while rinsing. Even rinsing under running water in the shower for a full 3 minutes, the product doesn't completely wash away. You will definitely have to rinse this product off with soap or facial wash.

FRAGRANCE: I love the smell. It smells really fresh and sweet.

RECOMMENDATION: If you are the all-natural kind of girl, this product is good. Human Heart Nature sells facial washes too so it'll be a good pair.


4. KANEBO FRESHEL CLEANSING OIL
(P720.00)

I don't know why some people downplay Kanebo. It's a good Japanese brand! And before there was even Shu Uemura in Manila, Kanebo was the Japanese brand to choose!

When it was yet another time to purchase another brand of cleansing oil to review, I was choosing between Kanebo and Revlon's new cleansing oil. Since I was leaning toward Japanese or Korean brands more for cleansing oils, I went for Kanebo.

TEXTURE/CONSISTENCY: It's quite thick. Just like Human Heart Nature and Neutogena. I don't really like very thick cleansing oils.

FEEL: When you apply it dry on your skin to remove the makeup, it's quite thick to be massaging it all over your face. Rinsing is not that easy so you will have to follow with a facial wash. But right after rinsing, it doesn't make your facial skin tight.

RINSE-ABILITY: Difficult. You will have to rinse several times just to get about half of it off your face before you can follow with a wash.

FRAGRANCE: No smell... Yay! I always go for products with either no smell, or a fresh kind of scent (that wouldn't make me woozy).

RECOMMENDATION: Sorry folks, I wouldn't recommend this product (but to each his own, try it yourself. Who knows, you might like it!).




3. PURE BEAUTY PERFECT CLEANSING OIL (P199.00)

I was attracted to it's simple, clean looking packaging. I had just run out of any form of makeup remover in my bathroom, and no more Shu Uemura. So it was time for the cleansing oil search.

This product is made in Korea. As soon as I heard the word Korea, it was considered sold.

So, upon going home, I used this product to clean my face. Here are my findings:

TEXTURE/CONSISTENCY: Smooth and can be easily massaged on the face to loosen the makeup.

FEEL: I wasn't allergic to the product so that was a plus (still, you have to test this product before buying). While I was massaging my eye area to remove my mascara though, it kind of stung my eye but just for a little while. It goes away after you wash your face with water.

RINSE-ABILITY: It's easily removed with water with most of your makeup a long with it. I still recommend using a foaming cleanser after.

FRAGRANCE: This is the only problem with this product. It's supposedly unscented but it has a weird smell that I really want to get rid off with a facial wash after removing my makeup.

RECOMMENDATION: If you don't mind the smell, this is actually not bad!


2. MUJI CLEANSING OIL
(Mild Cleansing Oil - P425.00 / For Sensitive Skin - P625.00)

MUJI has good skin care products. The fact that it is from Japan, of course I immediately trusted the products. Never mind that I can't read what the back of the bottle said. I had to get one.

One of their skincare products that I love using is their Light Moisturizing Milk. It's just divine! So when I came across their cleansing oil, I had to get one to try.

Since I don't have sensitive skin, I was OK with trying the Mild Cleansing Oil.

TEXTURE / CONSISTENCY: The texture is comparable to Shu's. It's light weight and it's easy to massage on the face. You need about 2 pump-fulls to completely dissolve your makeup.

FEEL: I love that it doesn't feel like you're lathering on cooking oil on your face. It feels very light on the face and it doesn't have any tingly or stinging sensations while the product sits on your skin.

RINSE-ABILITY: It can easily be washed with water but it doesn't feel like your skin is completely clean. You will have to follow this with a foaming cleanser.

FRAGRANCE: The smell is very pleasant. It smells clean and fresh. No artificial fragrances added.

RECOMMENDATION: If you're looking for a good Japanese branded cleansing oil, then MUJI is a good alternative. If anyone asks me about it, I would say it was a good product, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.


1. REVLON ABSOLUTE C CLEANSING OIL
(P695.00)

Ok. Some of you may have violent reactions regarding this. I have read really bad reviews on the net about Revlon's cleansing oil but for me, it's actually the one I keep buying for myself and would recommend.

I love that Lancome's former International Artistic Director, Gucci Westman was hired by Revlon and has been creating comparable products with Lancome. Their line of colors have improved and formulations have also changed dramatically ever since Westman joined their company.

TEXTURE/CONSISTENCY: Just right. It's not too watery and not to thick. You can easily massage it to remove your makeup without it feeling too thick.

FEEL: While massaging it to your face, it doesn't feel icky and sticky. I love that when you pump product into your hand it doesn't just run through in between your fingers.

RINSE-ABILITY: You can easily rinse it off with water. It emulsifies with water into a milky substance. After washing the product off, your face feels fresh and clean and the skin is not taught and dry.

FRAGRANCE: It has a strong citrus smell. Like those of lots of oranges. Some people don't like the smell but I personally like it because it smells really clean and revitalizing.

RECOMMENDATION: Lancome and Shu Uemura are still my number 1 recommendations for cleansing oils, but this would definitely my second choice.

So, how about you? What is your favorite Cleansing Oil? I'd love to hear from you! Just post a comment below.


*Special thanks to Google Images for the product stills, and ProjectVanity.com for the photo of Revlon's Cleansing Oil.*

Thanks Ms. Sabs,

Your blog inspired me to pursue my passion for makeup. I've always been a closet kikay. THANK YOU so much for all the tips. I have yet to really study makeup artistry but I enjoy reading your "tips." Do you have recommendations for foundation brands? I don't know how to make my skin look flawless and a bit dewy. I notice how many magazine looks appear to be porcelain-look? Hope you can share the good brands to use.

Thank you!!
Anj

I have friends recommending mineral makeup for a long time but I never got the chance to use one and try it until recently.

My auntie gave me Neutrogena's Mineral Sheers. I kept it in my makeup kit for about a week before I had the occasion to use it! Hahaha! I had no idea how to use it, I had to read the instructions the makeup came in!

Anyway, it took me a while to get used to the whole makeup-with-brush-in-one type. It was easy to blend and honestly? Very very convenient to bring around.

It took me about 6 minutes to do my entire natural makeup! And get this, I was in the car while I was applying my makeup! Both foundation and blush. No mess, no fuss!

I love the way the mineral makeup feels on my skin. It feels a little bit heavy on the skin, but the entire finish is natural and glowing. It feels matte and the coverage is full, but the overall look is glowing and dewy. It made my skin look healthy and flawless.

The only thing I don't like about the mineral foundation is that if you don't put enough, it feels kinds sticky... Or maybe I'm still not used to it? Well, however else it feels, I love Neutrogena's Mineral Sheers! After these bottles I have, I want to try L'Oreal's Mineral makeup!

Check out how it looks!!

HOW TO GET THE LOOK:

1. Start with a clean face. Always, always, always! Tone and moisturize after wards.

2. Brush your entire face with the mineral foundation until your entire face is covered.

3. Apply your brush with the blush mineral makeup with brush on the apples of your cheeks.

4. Wash your entire lid with an eyeshadow of your choice from lashline to crease. You can use your finger!

5. Apply your lipstick!



I love this look! I love how Neutrogena's Mineral Sheer makeup in MEDIUM makes me NOT look so fair and too white! Surprisingly, even though that MEDIUM is about a shade darker than my natural skin color, it matched the rest of my body! It gives me color and flair!

ADDICTIVE FACTOR: Perfect 10!!