Hana Shampoo Review and Scent Variants Comparison

Hana Shampoos were known as Shokubutsu Hana Shampoos when they first appeared in the Philippine market. The different variants of the shampoos then dealt with specific hair problems. A few years later, Shokubutsu was dropped fromt the brand name. Lion is no longer listed as co-manufacturer in the label.

My sis-in-law says she does not like Hana. Thinks it's not a suitable shampoo for humid weather. For me it's passable, better than Pert Plus Shampoo with Henna Extracts and Revlon Flex Keratina Anticaspa Shampoo but below other commercial brands. Currently all the variants' labels offer a general promise, soft and smooth hair and they do just that. Emphasis on just. I feel they do not help tame my frizz. I haven't noticed any difference on the effect on my hair from using four shampoo variants. They only differ by scent.

Lewis and Pearl Scentshop Colognes and Ice Water Review

Lewis and Pearl has changed its name and bottle and label design over the years. First going by Green Cross Cologne then just Lewis and Pearl, before adding Scentshop to its name. Several variants have been discontinued (Summer, Twist, Happy, Chill, Dew Drops - D&G Light Blue dupe, Angel, Rock N Rio) while new ones have been added. My first Lewis and Pearl cologne was in a translucent almost oval bottle. Right now the plastic bottles resemble lapad which are bottles usually used for local honey or a local liquor brand's rhum. In fairness, Lewis and Pearl scents can be sweet and/or intoxicating.

Scentshop by Lewis and Pearl colognes has several variants in blue and pink liquid color. This may be a problem when you're having someone buy one for you and you don't remember the variant name, just the color. Especially now when outside movement is limited.  Happened to my mom. She wanted powdery Rain (the baby cologne of the lot), brother got her Rush. (Would have bought online, except someone's already at the grocery so might as well.) Otherwise, this allows one to identify which variants are for boys and for girls, although there are variants in blue liquid that some girls prefer like Ice Water (and Rain).

Also imagine recommending these to friends or on the internet and you're just gonna go by color. "The pink one smells like a fruity candy."

Pasabuys: Revlon Flex Keratina Shampoo and SYOSS Revive 7 Conditioner Reviews

Pasabuy is a play on the Filipino word "pasabay", which means to come with or to have someone include something for you. The pandemic forced people to stay indoors. When the lockdown / community quarantines started, aside from essential personnel, only one person per household was allowed outside the house and just to buy necessities. Only private and essential vehicles were allowed on the roads. Because of this people would either ask someone they knew who's going to the grocery to also buy for them. Realizing they could earn from this, some people would then either charge a handling fee as they call it or mark up the items they were asked to buy.  Pasabuy was born and coined.

When a co-worker ended up at SnR, she offered to pick up stuff for everyone as a lot of items were on sale. People joked that most of us would end up smelling the same since we got similar shampoos and conditioners. This had happened previously when we purchased the same fabric conditioners from another co-teacher.

Since Revlon is a well-known brand which usually delivers, I said yes to a bottle of Flex Keratina Anticaspa Shampoo. Well two since they were buy one get one. The 650ml bottle which could have used a pump given the size, was P240. That's basically half the price of a commercial shampoo in the Philippines like Dove and Sunsilk.

Avon Heaven Scent Splash Cologne: Sunshine Yellow and Fresh Squeeze

Finally emptied these two, Avon Heaven Scent Sunshine Yellow and Fresh Squeeze Splash Colognes. I know they have new label designs since April last year but what can I say, fragrances last for quite a while with me because I stockpile and use them alternately. Also, because of covid-19, I haven't been going out much. Except for when I feel like smelling a particular fragrance, I don't usually wear colognes or perfumes at home. I'm okay with scented lotions and bath products.  

Between my previous translucent bottle of Sunshine Yellow and this, my second bottle ever, I can vouch that the smell has remained the same and am hoping that this is also true with the new label.

Nature Beauty Collagen and Glutathione Perfect Magic Peeling Cream and Shady Seller Practices

Here's another product I got from a roving seller before lockdown.

I had been meaning to get my hands on a peeling gel/cream after trying out Sophie Martin Paris Tomato Natural Antioxidant Peeling. Since Nature Beauty Collagen and Glutathione Perfect Magic Peeling Cream works the same way (The seller applied some of the product on my arm and rubbed it in. Sure enough, clumps of debris began forming. Mind you, as I've explained extensively in the Sophie Martin Tomato Peeling post last January, peeling gels/cream that produce clumps are physical, like scrubs, not chemical exfoliants in spite of the torrent of extracts they spew at you. They're not magic. ), I got easily duped into buying a tube.

Milea All Organics Tea Tree and Aloe Vera Antibacterial Soap

Before lockdown, I purchased a lot of stuff from roving sellers. Not only was it convenient, but some sellers tend to offer free taste and freebies and unlike buying online, I get to see, smell and feel the actual product. In the new normal, I am not so sure roving sellers will be permitted into work premises as easily as before. Heck, I'm not so sure there will be roving sellers of beauty products anymore. But then, maybe a coworker who's into buy and sell will branch into beauty stuff.

Garnier Light Products

Currently, my weekday morning skincare routine involves Garnier Light Complete White Speed Brightening Foam, Garnier Light Complete White Speed Whitening Serum Cream with SPF19 and Garnier Light Brightening Eye Roll On. No toner, no extra sunscreen. No extra step. I've been going minimal so I have more time for stuff.

Garnier caught my attention when, upon arriving in the Philippines, they had this commercial showing a model holding over her face a strip of paper with varying skin tones, dark to light. One is supposed to become two shades fairer within several days of product use. At stores, their Light Complete Day Cream came with a similar strip. Suddenly, their competitors were adopting their marketing strategy.

Aficionado Bath and Body Spray: Fancy

Aficionado is better known nationwide as that company which offers inspired-by EDTs. But a closer look at their kiosks found in most malls across the country would tell you that they also carry original fragrances (EDTs, bath and body sprays and colognes) and celebrity scents from collabs with local artists from the entertainment industry. They even have room and linen sprays and personal care items like hand sanitizers.

Sophie Martin Paris Tomato Natural Antioxidant Peeling Review

When a seller who came by the workplace pointed to it as their most popular product when asked, even sharing anecdotes of return customers who swear that it's effective, I got me a quirky tomato-shaped container of Sophie Martin Paris Tomato Natural Antioxidant Peeling. During colder days I tend to get dry flaky patches around my lips and nose. I wanted to do some exfoliating before moisturizing. Get the flakes off rather than pick at it, which I often do, but shouldn't, absent-mindedly.

Do not confuse this with Tony Moly's Tomatox Magic White Massage Pack. It's not a substitute or a dupe. Their similarity ends with the containers. Sophie Martin Paris Tomato Natural Antioxidant Peeling works like a peeling gel (not a peeling mask ala Daiso Charcoal Mask). Tony Moly Tomatox Magic White Massage Pack is a rinse-off mask you massage unto your face. Sophie Martin's is a thin white cream with red beads whereas the Tony Moly's is thick and sticky.

Pert Plus Shampoo with Henna Extracts for Stronger Hair Review

Annually, our cousin would gift us with a balikbayan box full of stuff - bags, perfumes, teas, treats and beauty and household products. Among the recent loot was a large bottle of Pert Plus Shampoo with Henna Extracts for Stronger Hair. I tried it for a month before it took permanent-until-empty residence in my sissy's (who's concerned about hair-fall) bathroom.

blurb: Pert Plus which is inspired by the traditional recipes that Arab women have been using for centuries keeps your hair soft and smooth.This variant, with henna extracts, also helps nourish your hair to keep it strong against combing damage. With Pert Plus, great hair no fuss.

Ingredients: aqua, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium chloride, panthenol, lawsonia inermis leaf extract, prunus armeniaca kernel oil, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, glycol distearate, citric acid, sodium benzoate, peg-7 glyceryl cocoate, cocamide mea, dimethicone, parfum, laureth-4, peg-40, hydrogenated castor oil, styrene/acrylates copolymer, peg-120 methyl glucose, dioleate, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride. propylene glycol, butylphenyl methylpropynal, linalol, laureth-23, glycerin, benzyl alcohol, citronella, hexyl cinnamal, alpha isomethyl ionone

My Current Maybelline Lippies, Online Shopping and Fakes

Presenting my current Maybelline Lipstick and Liquid Lipsticks: Color Sensational The Loaded Bolds Lipstick in Smoking Red and Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipsticks in Assertive (205) and Self Starter (130).

Kalachuchi and Fruity Blooms Frangipani and Brown Sugar Body Mist

Victoria's Secret  Love Spell Midnight. That was what I thought the first time I took a whiff of Fruity Blooms Frangipani and Brown Sugar Body Mist. The former was my aunt's signature scent for so long. She especially wears it when she hears mass. I think it's the floral note. VS Love Spell Midnight is hypnotic blossoms and vanilla. I've always wondered what hypnotic blossoms are. The flower on the VS Love Spell Midnight bottle looks like Blue Paradise which I don't know the smell of. I don't know the smell of frangipani either. 

See, frangipani is known as kalachuchi in the Philippines. When I was a kid I was told it was a flower for the dead, bulaklak ng patay. Too scared, I stayed away from it even if a tree produces a lot of blooms. I didn't bother asking why it is regarded as such.

Avon Naturals Hand and Body Lotion: Silky Vanilla and Soy Milk Review

Now this lotion would have paired well with Avon Kate's World Pretty Magical and Pretty Rockin Body Spritzes.

Snuggle in with the comforting fragrance of silky vanilla, brown sugar crystals and a delicate sheer woods background.

Body in Bloom Petunia Blush Hand Soap and Bodyxpert Mint Body Wash

And it's the Ber months. I often see posts recommending Christmas gift ideas and gift sets featuring beauty products but reviews about them, not that much. I enjoy gift ideas posts as they make gift hunting easier but reviews would push me to get something awesome (and likely gift myself with one as well) or help me stay clear from gifting someone something not that good. Maybe people just get stuff for others without trying them out first. Or maybe they think said stuff would no longer be available the following year so why write how they fare.

Body in Bloom Petunia Blush Hand Soap is one of those seasonal bath products which one can find in Watson's when September starts to slink in. It's a returning product, in a different get-up. Mine was a gift and is the current hand soap on my bathroom sink.

Delon Olive Shampoo and Unicare Cream Nature Perfume Body Wash

I'm that person who would hit the sale/promo section at the supermarket before seeking out the items on my grocery list in their assigned shelves. I get a high out of scoring things with a freebie or  cheaper than they usually are. Yes, I'm mababaw. But wouldn't you feel bad when you learn that the milk pack you purchased could have gotten you a water jug similar to a Coleman's had you dropped by the sale/promo area?

So while I was perusing the toothpastes on said section (The usual Colgate Fresh Confidence Gel Red Extreme or stripe-y Triple Action Anti-Cavity?) I spotted the Scotch-taped Unicare Perfume Body Washes which were buy one get one. A lone Delon Olive Shampoo sat next to the bottles. It's about half the price of a mainstream shampoo (Sunsilk, Dove). In the cart they went with the red toothpaste.

Baby Bench Cologne in Bubblegum Review and Recalling Daiso / Saizen's Carnival Scents

There was this post that circulated over facebook and twitter sometime ago.

Grade School: Baby Cologne 

High School: Daily Scent 

College: Bench/Penshoppe 

Working: Vicks/Efficascent/Katinko/Omega

It's a generalization of what scent an age group usually wears. Except in high school, our generation were into colognes formulated/made in Spain (Nenuco, Denenes and Angel's Breath) and those colognes in bottles you can squeeze. The one who originally posted this may have overlooked the fact that Daily Scent is a cologne line from Bench and Bench has baby colognes, Baby Bench Colonia. But we know what they are getting at.

Anyway, I don't go to school anymore and yet I have all of the above in my dresser. One of them being Baby Bench Cologne, well Baby Bench Colonia, in Bubblegum.

Baby Bench Cologne in Bubblegum does not straight up smell like bubblegum. Some names of the colognes in the Baby Bench Colonia line are a misnomer since they don't smell as such.  Ice Mint is not minty and Jelly Bean is not jelly bean-ish.

Daiso Camellia Oil in Shampoo Review

A few years back, Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoos and Conditioners became quite the rage. People were raving about how soft, frizz-free and fragrant their hair have become from using these hair products. Some also experienced less hair fall.

When I first heard of Tsubaki, my brain immediately went female childhood best friend in "Your Lie in April." Because, of course, me who's into anime would think that. Ang layo. Tsubaki is a flowering plant priced for its oil. The oil is widely used in Japan for hair and skin care, either as a product ingredient or as it is, because of its moisturizing ability. It's said to be used by geishas and maikos for lustrous hair. (1)

There were those who were able to snap Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoos and Conditioners from Daiso, priced higher than the usual P88, but amazingly lower than in other stores. I think it's the price point, still higher than mainstream shampoos and conditioners, and availability which kept these products from the masses. Me, I never got to get my hands on them. I think those few years back was when I experienced prolonged lost time, marked by my absence on socmed. I was able to try Daiso's Camellia Oil in Shampoo though.
 

See, Tsubaki happens to be Camellia japonica. It's one of the ingredients of this shampoo.

Dove Body Wash vs Summer Swelter

So summer still refuses to relinquish its hold over the country. I've been to a few places where temp's higher but I can hardly feel the heat. Where I'm at, somewhere north of Manila, my weather app says it's just 37 degrees Celsius but if you factor in humidity, heat index is pegged at scorching. It seems summer this year is as torchy as 2014. Last year was not like this.

I have been taking baths several times a day, even waking up at night to do so because even the AC doesn't stand a chance against the humidity. Plus my room is not that well ventilated and heat tends to rise up so while the rooms downstairs have cooled down, mine, I'd think, is still purgatory. I only get a reprieve at around 3AM.

Or as I have said, when I take a bath at some ungodly hour.

Bench Bratsplash Strawberry Shake Cologne Review

A few days after I published my post on Bench Bratsplash Hand Sanitizers, I saw a tweet announcing that Krispy Kreme now offers Spring Doughnuts, fruity doughnuts with flavors like Kiwi lemon, Raspberry Melon, Strawberry Blueberry, etc.

I felt I gotta post a review on Bench Bratsplash Strawberry Shake Cologne to round off my own fruit basket.

Bench Bratsplash Hand Sanitizer Review

Sometime during the Christmas rush, I found myself at a Bench store looking for something that would fit the monito monita  theme of the week. At the counter, I noticed a sign stating that Bench Bratsplash Hand Sanitizer Gels (50 ml, no silicone/rubber holders) are at P20 a piece instead of P24 when you get 4. Naturally, I got a couple because savings and they'd make good giveaways.