It's now the peak of cold season here in Manila. Well, maybe not as cold as the winter, autumn, or spring weathers in 4 season countries, but if you grew up in a tropical country and experiencing a 25 degrees or less weather is seriously heaven! We joke a lot about our 2 season weather which is hot and hotter.

Cold weather also means drier skin. I'm experiencing my usual skin dilemma which is dry and itchy skin, but a lot worse now. Before, moisturizing lotions and body butters works okay during seasons like these, but for some reason my skin has become more drier now (maybe age became a huge factor). That's why I decided to try body oil and found The Beauty Bakery's All-Purpose Chocolate Oil Mist.



Claims: All-purpose body oil mist absorbs instantly yet leaves a seductive sheen that protects the outer layer of your skin. It contains a generous amount of Cocoa butter and Coconut oil for efficient skin hydration.

Active Ingredients: Cocoa butter, Coconut oil, Seaweed Extract

Size: 200g

Price: Php 499.00 (approx. US$ 10), got it on sale P380.00 (approx. US$ 7)

Where to buy: BeautyMnl



First thing: It smells like vanilla and chocolate, I love it!! I love vanilla scents and I can't stop smelling the bottle when I received the package and I can't stop sniffing my hand when I tried it.


The product is in a glass bottle and plastic spray and spray cover. I just got sad when the spray died after a few pumps. :( So I have to transfer the product in a different bottle.



 The consistency is just like any other body oil products and also takes time for your skin to absorb the product. The smell is amazing. I can't emphasize how I love the smell and that I keep on smelling my skin. The scent stays on your skin but it's not overpowering nor it will irritate your senses. It's just faint and sweet.

As for my skin dryness, it didn't made my skin plump or moist after using it for sometime and still looks rough. But it did help alleviate the scaling, itchiness, and the very tight skin feeling. And though my skin doesn't look (and feel) smooth, I noticed that it has a faint glow. I'm really crossing my fingers that this product will somehow make my dry skin go away in the long run. I'm not actually expecting drastic changes in a short span of time since this is a natural product; as natural products takes time to see the effect compared to chemical based products.
 
Another thing to love is that The Beauty Bakery is a homegrown brand (100% Philippine brand). I love our local brands that makes quality products and sources their raw materials locally. It's a win for everyone.



And since the sprayer died, I used my old Skin Inc serum bottles which has a dropper and I find that it's easier to use this way. And since the bottle is small (only 5ml), I was able to experiment by adding jojoba oil and noticed that the scent became less prominent and the absorption became slightly faster. I'm planning to add sunflower oil next time.

What's your favorite body oil?

This product caught my eye while checking out beauty products in drugstores in Tokyo. I searched it online and found that it was a cult favorite and a must buy when you visit Japan. I instantly bought two tubes without hesitation and even I have no idea if it will work on me or not.

And yes, it did not disappoint me.



Claims:
This face wash featuring AHA and an enzyme-massage effect removes not only impurities deep inside of the pores, but also makeup. Featuring a moisturizing ingredient which washes freshly without dehydrating. 

Ingredients:
Water, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Polyethylene, Glycerin, Diglycerin, Palmitic Acid, Glycol Distearate, Lauric Acid, Disodium Lauryl Iminodiacetate, Sodium Peg-4 Cocamide Sulfate, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Juice, Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Papain, Polyquaternium-51, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Juice, Etidronic Acid, Peg-75 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Dextrin Lauramide Dea, Malic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium Edta, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Fragrance

Size: 120g

Price: PhP400++ locally (around US$11)

This is one of the few Japanese products that has around 50% of its ingredients are natural. Unlike Korean products, most of the Japanese beauty products I encountered are usually 75%-100% made from chemicals and alcohol. And it's really hard to buy products in Japanese drugstores because they don't have English translations so you have to trust your instincts. 


And like most Japanese skincare products, the Cleansing Research AHA Wash Cleansing has a very mild to faint scent. This foam wash actually smells like apple though not a real apple but the apples you smell in perfumes and other fragrances (I hope you imagined what I meant). It's not bad actually.



I learned recently that the Cleansing Research AHA Wash Cleansing has 2 variants: the scrub ones (with microbeads) and the regular foam one. I got the one with microbeads (if you want the regular variant, I think the cover is much lighter than this one). 

The beads are really fine and small, you won't actually feel it much when you massage it in your face, it's not abrasive unless you have a very sensitive skin.



And just like any Japanese cleansers, you have to create a foam before spreading it your face. I usually rub my fingers together and create a little foam and apply it in light circular motion.

For it's cleaning power, it removes the traces of make-up and oil and gives you that clean feeling: squeaky clean but not too tight. Though I still recommend using cleansing water/oil/wipes before washing your face just to make sure you'll sleep with zero makeup residue on your face.



I finally understand why Cleansing Research AHA Wash Cleansing became a Japanese cult favorite, it works. As I mentioned in my previous posts that my skin is dehydrated, oily, sensitive, and acne prone, and this didn't give a weird reaction in my skin. In fact, I think it really helped my cleansing game a lot and it helped my acne problem a bit.

Though if you have dry patches on your skin, this won't help removing your patches and using an exfoliating product that works on your skin is still the best solution. I think the microbeads only removes make-up residues, excess oil, and dirt but not actually works as a scrub and remove dead skin cells.

What's you favorite cult favorite cleanser?

If you live in the tropics (like me), you probably have a coconut related stuff in your home: cooking oil, dip, dessert, fresh coco juice, coco beauty oil made by your grandma, bunot (coco shell used to make your wooden floor super shiny), and the list goes on. That’s why I really got curious when I saw Scinic Coconut Cleansing Water while browsing shelves in the department store.



Claims:


Size: 500ml
Price: PhP 580 (roughly US$ 12)

It is tightly sealed with a plastic/silicone in the pump so the product won’t spill and also guarantees you that the product is unopened and unused.