Brilliant Skin Rejuvinating Facial Set Review

I finally gave in and used the Brilliant Skin Rejuv Set I was gifted with. I didn't want to use this during summer because that would only result in darker skin. 

Frankly, I am not thrilled with rejuv sets when they started flooding the market. For me, they are nothing but repackaged, remarketed facial toners and creams loaded with hydroquinone and tretinoin (The packaging in the photo do not list these two as ingredients but I can smell them there. It's a smell you never forget.) which were the rage a decade or two ago. Dr Alvin and Brilliant Skin are today's Maxipeel and Extraderm. They position themselves as a cure-all and promise smooth, whiter skin, no more blemishes, acne, dark spots, pigmentation, blackheads, whiteheads, a happily ever after and a new car! 

I used both Maxipeel and Extraderm during my teenage years. I didn't think my already problematic skin could get worse. I got more pimples, more blemishes. My skin never lightened. It became oilier. They were very harsh on my face.  I sought the help of a dermatologist after dabbling with both.

On to Brilliant Skin Rejuvinating Facial Set. I'm using this because, eh, you're supposed to get glass skin (clap, clap to the marketman who coined this) with this said several influencers and youtubers.  Curious cat wants to know what's that. Also, it's a gift. 

Anyways, the sting comes from the kojic acid soap, especially if you don't wash it off immediately, and the brilliant rejuv topical solution or toner. Never ever have the toner touch broken skin. It's gonna hurt. That's my issue with this and Extraderm and Maxipeel. How the hell are you supposed to use them to address your acne when chances are, if you have acne, you are bound to have broken skin?! Most people who use these are those that have really bad breakouts. Just look at the pics and youTube videos of those supposedly using these.

When I wake up in the morning, my face is very oily, the pores very large. A week of usage and there's peeling. I remember these all too well. If it was promising what was drawn at the back of the box, then it gave me three of six. Except it was supposed to address those six. 

Frankly, those who claimed that this gave them great skin then posted before and then edited after pictures, or after pictures with different lighting, or blurred pics, are not doing the product any good. 

I didn't like how my face is starting to look and feel so I'm changing sets next week, after my third week. Maybe the lightening one is better. Sister says it does not sting. I may even try the Tomato. Walang kadala-dala.

Here's the thing, after using 2 rejuv sets sporadically, my sister's coworkers noticed that the tone of her face lightened. A lot told her so. When she stopped using the sets altogether, her skin tone went back to how it was. So, what does not work for me, still has a chance of working for you. 

If still getting this, cut kojic soap into smaller pieces to prevent its entirety from melting when wet. The accompanying spf cream won't  last for a month. Buy and use more sunscreen. 

Designer Collection Perfume Oil - Ocean Fresh

From its website, here are descriptions of the Designer Collection Perfume Oils by Cosway. 

1. Ocean Fresh - A marine-inspired blend of fruity florals, enhanced by woody, musky notes and hints of amber. 

2. Green Pastelle - A floral, green fragrance with delicate soft notes of white lilies, jasmine and orange blossom harmoniously blended with a warm base of wood and musk. 

3. Floral Musk - A fresh ozonic fragrance with fruity floral top noted beautifully rounded with jasmine, red rose, cyclamen and enriched by a musky, woody and powdery base.

4. Musk Blossom - A soft, sensuous scent harmoniously balanced with woody and musky undertones. 

5. Dewberry - A heady fragrance with prominent notes of dewberry with a sweet floral and woody base. 

6. Oriental Bouquet - A romantic fragrance with a fresh floral top note built on a smooth warm base of vanilla and woody notes. 

7. Juba - A sensuous fragrance with a ripe base of sandalwood, white plum and amber complete this classic, spirited creation. 

More Great Smelling Hand Disinfectants: Pure Protect, Green Cross, Hygienix Alcohol and Hand Sanitizer Review

And because it's campaign season (in a pandemic), here are more fragrant rubbing alcohols and hand sanitizers you can get your hands on. More, as I posted about three rubbing alcohols that smell like colognes and a body mist last year.

Creamsilk Rich Organic Powerfusion Ultra Conditioners and Hydra Fresh Light Conditioners

These Creamsilk Conditioners are part of the stash from a previous trip to Thirdy's.

Creamsilk Rich Organic Powerfusion Ultra Conditioners (made in the Philippines) claim to have no sulfates, parabens nor phtalates. Sulfate-free hair care products are said to be good for dry and/or color-treated hair. Sulfates remove dirt and oil. Too much can be drying or irritating to sensitive scalp. However, I have checked the ingredients of all the conditions we currently have (Palmolive, Syoss, Dove, other Cream Silk conditioners) and I haven't come across one that has sls/sles. Methosulfates in Syoss and Palmolive Expertique are actually antistatic ingredients.

With  Creamsilk Rich Organic Powerfusion Rich Lustre for Lifeless and Brittle Hair with almond nut balm and essences of aloe, bamboo and cassia leaves, I need less product to detangle my shoulder blade length rebonded hair than other conditioners. Matipid sya. However, I've noticed that after a day, it weighs my hair down. Another downside is when I use this for a month, every other day, I see a lot of strands on my drain. So I'd give this a rest and use other conditioners, particularly Creamsilk Hydra Fresh.

Creamsilk Rich Organic Powerfusion Rich Moisture Ultra Conditioner for Dry and Coarse Hair with Shea balm and essences of honeysuckle, hibiscus and gallica and damascene roses smells like Del Fabric Softener Forever Love which is jasmine-tempered non-gourmand vanilla. The effect is similar to when I use VCO on my hair, silky smooth strands. I use a tiny bit more of this than the other Creamsilk Ultra Conditioner. 

Both of the above have coconut oil (not surprised with Rich Moisture then) and even Rich Lustre has shea butter. They're my current favourite conditioners as they make my rebonded hair look really, really good. No strays or flyaways.

Creamsilk Hydra Fresh Light Conditioners are water-based, easy-rinse and non-greasy. The Fresh and Hydrated for Oily and Greasy Hair variant is like the  Creamsilk Ultimate Reborn Conditioners in terms of performance (hello soft, easily detangled hair) except it's very light that I feel like I need to use more for my hair, the opposite of the Rich Organic Power Fusion Ultra Conditioners. It has a sweet fruity fragrance.

All of these conditioners have dimethicone and sunflower seed oil.

Another Creamsilk conditioner that's really, really good is the Triple Keratin Rescue Conditioners. But that's for another post since this is already quite lengthy.

Nouve Body Mist in Dream Review

Recently, I got Nouve Body Mist in Dream because the scent's familiar. Then it hit me. Once home, I took my bottle of Aficionado F44 EDT, which is supposed to be inspired by Paris Hilton perfume. Nouve Body Mist in Dream is a less potent Aficionado F44. They are very similar, especially in the opening where apple is dominant among the fruity notes. However as time pass, Aficionado F44 has more depth, its floral notes heavier, more enveloping than Nouve Body Mist in Dream whose florals turn lighter, flighty. 

An online search lead me to this seller (I'm not affiliated with their shop) whose account described Nouve Body Mist in  Dream as an impression of Ralph Lauren. I guess they mean Ralph by Ralph Lauren which is often compared to Paris Hilton in Fragrantica.

Nouve Body Mist in Dream does not have much staying power. The smell of  alcohol is overpowering. Needless to say, 60 ml will not last long. 

I bought my Nouve Body Mist from a co-worker. That seems to be one of the effects of this pandemic, people started engaging in side hustles while some of  those who lost jobs started their own business. 

A lot went into online selling. Live selling on facebook, which is selling stuff, the most popular of which has been clothes, in real time while people watching place orders, became really popular. As did food delivery businesses. 

When this pandemic started, some went into bartering: there were people on Facebook who offered stuff like personal care items in exchange for milk for their kids. The first months of the lockdown, if not the first year, were very brutal.

Almost two years into the pandemic, life seems to be going back to normal except everyone still needs to observe social distancing (hard to do when public vehicles are now being filled to full capacity), masking and sanitizing. While this post is being written, there has been no new case in our city. Let's hope we are able to sustain this. 

Avon Skin So Soft Hand and Body Lotion Glutathione with SPF 15 Review

It's almost summer where I'm at, that time when mosquitoes swarm like those zombies from "All Of Us Are Dead." Except they are drawn to scent not sound.

One of the more enduring lotions in the market is Avon Skin So Soft which has been said to ward off mosquitoes. Avon Skin So Soft Hand and Body Lotion Glutathione with SPF 15 does not repel mosquitoes. It never claims to do that in the first place.

What it does profess is "instant whitening" and to "help make skin look fairer in just 3 days." So is it instant or 3 days? Well, it actually took 2 months of daily  application in the morning and evening before someone told me, "pumuti ka." For me it's lightening more than whitening that happened and quite negligible.

For normal to dry skin, it is  moisturizing unlike most whitening products that are often drying. True to its name skin feels soft after I smooth it on. But, if you have papery, flaky skin, this won't help with that. Better get a lotion whose main purpose is heavy duty moisturization / hydration. 

Consistency-wise, it is thick yet easily soaked up by skin and does not leave a white cast. The low SPF (15) is okay if one is mostly staying indoors or for overcast skies but not for clear ones. So this is not really suitable as a sunscreen during summer.

Apparently, Skin So Soft's different lines have varying scents. It's a heavy floral. The smell of this is similar to Avon Skin So Soft Soft and White Radiant Glow Hand and Body Lotion which is no longer around. I mentioned before that Skin So Soft Lotions are very fragrant, with the scent perfuming the skin for hours. This is no different.

I'm pleased they changed bottles. A decade ago, design teams of a lot of hygiene products thought that dispensing liquid from a small hole on flat top is a good idea for bottles. The products tend to stick to said flat top. So messy! 

Now if only Avon would bring to the country its Skin So Soft bug repellents, I would even be more pleased.

Finds at Thirdy's Bocaue: Unilever Hair Care Products and Reviews of Clear and Dove Dermacare Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoos

Before the pandemic, my brother discovered Thirdy's, a store in Bocaue which offers imported And local chocolates for cheap. 

These are some of the chocolates and snacks they got in one of their runs.

Perfect for Valentine's Day!

There, they found out that the store also carries bath products and fragrances, also at super low prices. The items are legit, not fake. They work.

Sale items get snapped up pretty quickly. So what you gonna do when faced with shampoos and conditioners at about 50% less mall prices with the possibility that the next time you are there, they wouldn't be? 

You hoard several tubes and bottles.

Some we still haven't used up

For most of last year until now, because of this, me and my sister have been using Unilever hair care products like Dove, Clear and Creamsilk.

I don't really have terrible, large, flaky, crusty dandruff but I occasionally get tiny flakes and my scalp sometimes would become dry and itchy. Thus the dandruff shampoos. 

Clear Anti-Dandruff Shampoo in Ice Cool Menthol and Clear Men Anti-Dandruff Shampoo in Cool Sport Menthol are both able to rid me of those annoying tiny, oily, dandruff that tend to fly this way and that close to my scalp by drying them out. The former just has a minty floral but masculinish scent while latter has a minty orange one.

But the primary reason I got these particular Clear Anti-dandruff Shampoos is the minty feeling they impart. Scalp feels really refreshed and considering we live in the tropics where 30 degrees is not a summer but a normal daily temperature, having a cooling product is a need for me. And to think I get cold easily.

The thing with Dove Dermacare Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoo in Soothing Moisture is, I noticed that after using it for weeks,  my below shoulders rebonded hair started to lose its straightness.  But my hair feels much more softer when I use this than it does when I use Clear. Clear is better in addressing dandruff though. It has a vanilla fragrance. 

All these three products I have are made in the Philippines.

Before heading over, it's best to check Thirdy's Facebook page to see what's on sale. I think they also deliver. 

Aficionado's Version of Paris Hilton Perfume (F44)

A glass cube of a bottle found itself in my dresser more than a decade ago. It was a Joel Cruz inspired-by EDT, a birthday gift from friends. A check on the internet revealed that what I received was their version of Paris Hilton perfume. I am actually not a Paris Hilton fan nor was the fruity cocktail something I would have bought for myself at that time. Citrus and the occasional floral and gourmand fragrances were more my cup of tea then but hey, I like gifts and trying new things.