Beauty Barrage: Summer Beauty - Products for the Hot Hot Heat

A lot of the world is just getting their first taste of spring, but here in the tropics where there are only two seasons, we're smack dab in the middle of an insanely hot summer. When the heat started coming in, I knew some of my makeup and beauty products wouldn't cut it anymore. I always have to change up what I'm using when the seasons change. Just as I have my cold weather friends, I have my summer stash with products that I can rely on to keep up with the scorching temperatures. Most of these are travel-sized because I like the convenience of getting to throw them into a purse, a beach bag or a travel bag whenever a summer event comes up. I got it all down in one post, but brace yourself! It's a long list.

Beauty Barrage: Up Close - Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer

This is an extremely happy post because my favorite moisturizer and I are back together! My last tube of the Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer expired this month, but for some reason I couldn't find it anywhere! I went to Pure Beauty, which is my go-to shop for it, but both of the Serendra and Alabang stores as well as their online shop didn't have it. I've been to several beauty stores the past couple of months looking for it, and it was nowhere to be found. The online stores I buy from didn't have it either.

I messaged my friends and asked them to let me know if they saw it anywhere. After a month, my friend Cielo found it at S&R! (Thank you so much Cie!) It's a huge relief because I really love it and I don't really feel like doing the trial-and-error thing with moisturizer again. My skin responds with forehead bumps whenever it doesn't like products, and since I've been repairing it from dryness lately, I didn't want to give it more problems.

I know this seems a little over-the-top that I'm so thrilled but discovering this moisturizer really changed my outlook on skincare. Seeing the difference it made on my skin made me want to take care of my skin more. I've talked about it in some posts before (check out Cold Weather Friends and Muji and Aveeno Loot), but I realized I have never done a full review of it. Ladies (and gentlemen), here is my story on this moisturizer.

Beauty Barrage: Cold Weather Friends

Here in the tropics, cold weather is a rare thing. It comes suddenly and disappears just as quickly. We actually just had a spate of cold weather that started late December and lasted all throughout January. It's only starting to get warm now, but the evenings and early mornings still have a bit of a chill to them.

That short burst of cold weather was enough to wreak havoc on my skin though. Aside from being used to humid weather, my skin has always been very dry. A month-long cold spell made it feel tight and lifeless. It made my eyebrow and hairline area extremely flaky, my arms and legs were itchy, and even my elbows took a beating.

All throughout the month, I tried to salvage my skin with products I have always counted on, as well as a new product I tried out and liked. My skin is looking loads better now and definitely on the way to recovery. Spring is yet to come in many parts of the world, and weather experts say the chilly air in the country might stay until March, so I thought I'd post about my cold weather friends. Here's a rundown.

Baylis & Harding Lemon Blossom Body Cream, The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream, Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer, Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

Beauty Loot: Muji and Aveeno Haul

I'm getting married soon, and over the course of the past year (I got engaged last April), I've been refining my skincare routine. I've tried a bunch of products and let go of some since then. It is only now that I actually think I have the right combination of products for my skin type.

This is the skincare mix I've been using since late last year: Muji Cleansing Oil, Maybelline Makeup Remover for Eyes and Lips, Lush Grease Lightning Tea Tree Cleanser, Clean & Clear Clear Fairness Moisturizer, Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner, Forever21 Love & Beauty Rose Extract Makeup Cleansing Tissues, and The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex BB Cream.

I wasn't really fussy about skincare before, but now that my skin needs a lot of work, I've been trying out products here and there. I still use the Forever 21 Makeup Cleansing Tissues because they rock - the problem is they are so hard to find! I also use the Tea Tree version when I get them. I also still use the Maybelline Makeup Remover because it takes off my makeup in one swipe - it's really good and really affordable. And I love Lush's Grease Lightning - it takes care of breakouts without drying them up so much. I also surprisingly really liked the Clean & Clear Clear Fairness Moisturizer. It did its job and has SPF too, but I felt like a moisturizer needed to do more than just hydrate skin. 

I'm not using the Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner anymore because I felt like it did nothing for my skin. My skin just felt blah everytime I used it. I quit the Muji Cleansing Oil as well. I actually gave my unfinished bottle to my ex-housemate because it works for her, but I think my skin found it too oily. I liked the Lovely Me:Ex BB Cream from The Face Shop, but I think it made me break out. I'm not sure if it was the culprit or the Muji Cleansing Oil, but I tried using one or the other but I still had tiny breakouts on my forehead, so I quit both and the dots disappeared.  

Last Sunday I was at The Fort and decided to check out new products because I felt like my skin wasn't getting enough love. It's crunch time too - I have to do something about it while there's still time before my wedding! So I went to my favorite beauty store first - Pure Beauty in Serendra - and I finally decided to get the Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Moisturizer. I've heard good things about the brand and I'm actually already using their Pomegranate Body Scrub so I thought I'd try out their face stuff. It has SPF 30, which is a good number for sunscreen, and has Vitamins A, C, & E as well. It's supposed to moisturize your skin, as well as soften it and protect it from harmful elements. Then I hit up Muji at High Street next. I had to let go of their Cleansing Oil but I was still willing to give the brand a try. After all, the Japanese have amazing skin. So I picked up their Light Toning Water - Moist. They have three kinds, and I picked the middle type for combination skin. It's supposed to cleanse and freshen skin, as well as help minimize pores.

I've been using both for a few days now and I really love this product combination. I use the Muji Light Toning Water at night before bed and my skin feels a whole lot cleaner and fresher these days. I use the Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Moisturizer in the morning after my shower, and my skin has improved so much since I started using it. It feels hydrated and soft and looks a whole lot healthier overall that even the fiance noticed!

I'm still trying to find a daily facial cleanser that works for me, along with some other stuff, so an updated skincare routine post shall find its way into this blog soon. For example, I'm not really sure if Neutrogena Grapefruit Foaming Cleanser is cutting it for everyday cleansing, but I'm happy with Lush's Ocean Salt as an exfoliating cleanser for the weekends. I'm glad I'm on the right track though. Finding the perfect combination of products for your skin is a trial-and-error process, and it's great that my skin is getting loads better now.