Hey guys! I've always been an avid user of Kojic Acid Soap for more than a decade now and I've been loving the results so much that I rarely try other bath soaps. For years, this generic soap from Beauchamps Pharmacy has served me well and has kept my skin in good shape. It was only in the past couple of years when I started trying different brands of facial wash but I remained loyal to Kojic Acid as my bath soap.

This long love for Kojic Acid made me all giddy and excited on learning that Belo came up with their own version of this iconic soap.

The Belo Intensive Whitening Bar features both Kojic Acid and Tranexamic Acid as active ingredients that target to lessen melanin production. This combination is clinically proven to whiten skin better than Kojic Acid alone.

I'm impressed with the neat packaging and I also like seeing the expiration date on the label. 

I like that Belo also thought of including an easy to open seal with its peel off tab on one side. 

This soap has a subtle scent and builds up a thin lather. The size is just enough for personal use at 65 grams/bar but a bit more expensive at 59.75 Php compared to other soaps containing Kojic Acid. Like other Kojic Acid soaps, the Belo Intensive Whitening Bar easily melts so make sure to use a soap dish. I noticed that it tends to dry the skin after each use but doesn't cause visible peeling. I haven't really seen its whitening effects after one week but I'm pretty hopeful in the next days.

Any thoughts on the Belo Intensive Whitening Bar? Do share them on the comments below. Thank you for reading this post and have an awesome Christmas! 

♥♥♥

Get Polished!

Hey guys! I can't believe it's been ages since my last post. I've been wanting to write an entry to welcome the month of December but I was so busy I couldn't even decide on what to write about. Good thing I just had a mani-pedi/foot spa that I enjoyed so much it's definitely blogworthy.

I visited Get Polished at the ground floor of Mezza Residences along Araneta Avenue, Sta. Mesa Q.C. It was a rainy Friday afternoon and there were no other clients so I got seated right away.

There were around 5 couches inside the salon and they had no waiting area so better set an appointment for a sure spot when you come in. Although you may also visit them on their lazy hours which usually fall between 1:00 to 5:00 PM. 

A very pretty chandelier greets you at the entrance. They offer an array of services and I got the regular manicure coupled with pedicure and foot spa. 

The base and top coats are both exclusive products of the spa.

There were tons of nail polish bottles to choose from but I was dead set on having a subtle nude color for my finger nails. The receptionist suggested this nail polish from CUCCIO. I don't frequent nail spas as much as I want to but I knew right away that it's a new brand of nail color. The label didn't say what the shade is but it's near nude.

The lady assigned to do my manicure did a really great job! I love how she effectively removed dead skin surrounding my nails and beautifully layered the polish.

As for my toe nails, I chose OPI in Malaga Wine which is a darker shade of red, perfect for the holiday season.

Excuse my chubby toes but I just want you to see how gorgeous the shade turned out. Hooray to OPI!!! 

I also heard OPI polishes don't cause nail discoloration so you might want to try OPI if you've noticed cuticle darkening with your usual brand of nail polish. 

I also want to commend the lady who did my foot scrub and pedicure for the awesome work! She was so persistent in removing every dead skin she could scrape off my feet. I also noticed her unsealing a new scrubbing pad and sticking it on a metal handle. I learned later that they use a new pad for each client which I think is very important for hygienic purposes. 

After my manicure and pedicure, my nails were treated with a drop each of their HALF TIME  Polishing Dry Accelerator. It looks and feels like oil which is why my nails look a bit greasy on the images but the results were worth it. In less then 10 minutes my nails were good to go. 

Overall, my experience with Get Polished is so satisfying that I will definitely come back. I love that their services are fairly priced, I only paid 520 Php in total. Get Polished Nail Spa has several branches around the metro, you may visit their website for more information. 

Thank you for reading my post and have a joyful week ahead!

♥♥♥

TAIWAN EXCELLENCE: Christmas Contest

I recently told you about the launch of Taiwan Excellence campaign in the Philippines carrying the theme "Excellent Lifestyle". This aims to bring the best products that Taiwan can offer and increase consumer confidence in purchasing Taiwan brands by looking for the Excellence Seal. 

Photo courtesy of madetoenjoylife.ph

To better acquaint the public of the 56 brands included in this campaign, Taiwan Excellence invites you to join their "Made to Enjoy Christmas Contest". To enter, you must be at least 18 years old and a legal resident of the Philippines. Entry period ends on November 23, 2014 so you better hurry and join. 

Start by visiting their official website and register using a valid email. Select a Taiwan Excellence product as gift, upload an original photo of the entrant and caption it without exceeding 100 words. The registration and photo with caption is considered as an "entry". You are limited to one entry per entrant and email address. Late entries submitted beyond the contest period as well as those exceeding the stated limit will be considered void. 

Submitted entries will be available for public viewing on the website and other sponsored websites. All entries that don't comply with the official contest rules may be disqualified.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to join and get the chance to win one of the many amazing prizes from the Taiwan Excellence brands. Good luck!

DISCLAIMER: This is a sponsored post.

GOODY: TangleFix and SlideProof

I've always worn my hair long, as in elbow-length since high school. Back then, keeping my tresses tamed wasn't really a problem. All I had to do was keep the strands away from my face with different head bands and scrunchies (more popularly pronounced as skungie). Needless to say my hairdo is pretty much low maintenance but I do get bad hair days too. This is why I love hair tools offering a simple and quick fix! 

I've been hearing a lot of good things about a brush called the Tangle Teezer but I haven't seen or tried one yet. Although it's available in different online shops, I still wasn't okay about the idea of spending a thousand pesos on something I'm not even sure is worth the cost. In comes TangleFix from Goody. I was just passing through the accessories section of Landmark one day when I saw a brush that looks similar to a Tangle Teezer. Being the impulsive buyer that I've always been, I didn't let the opportunity pass especially after learning that it's a little more affordable than a Tangle Teezer. 

At first glance I though I was getting this at 70% off but looking closely it says that it's 70% more gentle in detangling your tresses. 

The Goody TangleFix features uneven plastic bristles with blunt tips that feels gentle on your scalp. I've used this on wet and dry hair and I was really impressed with how it effectively detangled my tresses with ease. The secret behind the gentle detangling action is as simple as the unique uneven soft bristles. 

I also threw in an extra claw clip featuring a slide proof grip to keep hair securely tucked. 

Goody's sales assistant was kind enough to give me 2 stickable card/bill holders for free. 

Overall, I think the TangleFix by Goody is a great addition to your hair care system. It truly detangles your hair gently and effectively. Even those who sport short tresses can enjoy the invigorating scalp massage you get with each stroke. Although it's cheaper than the Tangle Teezer, the price is still more than the usual hair brush you see in the market. So if you have no problems with hair tangles, you may skip getting this but if you're like me who wakes up every morning with tangled hair, give the TangleFix a try and you will surely love it as much as I do. 

♥♥♥

Taiwan Excellence: Quality Within Your Reach

Hey guys! Christmas is just around the corner which is why different bazaars are beginning to open and department stores are getting packed with early shoppers. Although I love a great bargain, I'm still pretty careful in choosing what to spend my money on. What better way to recognize a worthy merchandise than a seal of excellence right? This is why I look forward to brands bearing the Taiwan Excellence Seal. 

Taiwan, in its desire to bring only the best products their country can offer to the international market, has launched a campaign in the 1980's, better known as Taiwan Excellence. This campaign started as part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs' (MOEA) plan to raise Taiwan's international competitiveness. Not long after, the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) in coordination with Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) established the Taiwan Excellence Award campaign. All Taiwan based brands are eligible and the Taiwan Excellence Seal is awarded after careful evaluation. Ten of the products with the Taiwan Excellence Seal are further labelled with Gold being the highest recognition during the campaign while the rest are given Silver award recognition. 

This year, the campaign was introduced to the Philippines and carried the theme "Excellent Lifestyle". Aside from introducing the 56 excellent brands under Taiwan Excellence, this campaign also helps Filipinos recognize the best Taiwan products in the market. That way, we can confidently avail of various products from Taiwan knowing that they have passed the high standards set by a panel of international judges. Some of the brands include Acer, Asus, BenQ, Draytek, HTC, KingCom, KW Trio, Kymco, MSI, Silicon Power, Sym, Transcend and others. 

So next time you purchase Taiwan made products, look for the Taiwan Excellence Seal and you're sure to discover a whole new world of shopping experience. You may visit their website and Facebook page for more information about the Taiwan Excellence campaign.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.

KIEHL'S: Holiday Collection by Craig and Karl

If you follow Kiehl's on social media or have been to one of their branches lately, this wouldn't be your first time to see how gorgeous their Holiday Collections look. What's impressive about them is you're given the freedom to personalize your set by substituting products you don't like with the ones you prefer. You may also assemble all the products you want and they will wrap them up for you. 

Being a sucker for beautiful packaging (and excellent skin care products), it didn't take long for me to visit their Trinoma branch and get my own set. 

The sight of these awesome products with their holiday vibe still makes my heart flutter and feel a bit guilty for splurging. Come to think of it, I only splurge on skin care products when I get more out of my entire purchase. This usually happens once (or maybe twice) a year mostly during the Christmas season.

The festive colors were created exclusively for Kiehl's by international artists Craig Redman and Karl Maier for this Holiday season only. 

This has got to be the best box I've opened this year. I love how my goodies were beautifully wrapped with a bow. 

Above is my personalized Holiday collection set. Some are original contents like the Midnight Recovery Serum and Midnight Recovery Eye. The rest are personal choices based on recommendations by Henry, the friendly Kiehl's Customer Representative who patiently assisted me. 

Now let's kick off with the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser. This product isn't new to me, I've tried it once before in a sample sachet included in a previous purchase and I remember really liking it but I never got around to purchasing the full size. I decided to reunite with this product because I felt the need for an oil-free cleanser especially after noticing a few pimples showing on my cheeks and chin in the past days.

The Midnight Recovery Concentrate has been on my wish list since forever but the hefty tag has kept me from purchasing. Good thing I got to try a sample size otherwise I wouldn't have known how amazing this product is. 

Another product from the same line is the Midnight Recovery Eye. I figured this could be as good as the concentrate so I decided to keep it in the set. 

The Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion wasn't originally included in the set. Since I have more than enough bottles of body wash in my stash, I requested a toner instead and I was luckily given two. 

Another one of my requested items is the Ultra Facial Cream Intense Hydration. I can't remember which product I exchanged it for but I'm pretty much happy with the combination I ended up with in this Holiday Collection set. 

So here's a glimpse of the amazing products included in my box. 

I took advantage of the Holiday vibe and added a little more to my shopping bag. I was thinking, since I already took the plunge why not do it in a big splash right? 

I got a full size of the the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser which I'm guessing will last a long time! 

Next item is the Blemish Control Daily Skin-Clearing Treatment. I also had the chance to try this product a long time ago but I haven't bought the full size because I only get a zit or two every once in while. I finally decided to buy one because I couldn't afford to have break outs especially when I'm getting closer to a very special event. 

Lastly, I got the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream. This was strongly recommended by Henry and since I love to moisturize my skin, I caved in and got one.

What's also good about my entire purchase was the blue vanity pouch that came free with it. 

Now here's something to brighten up your day. Kiehl's gave me four post cards that entitle the bearers to experience a customized skin care consultation with a Kiehl's Customer Representative at any branch. Complimentary samples of the products that suit your skin best will also be given for free. If you're up for it, then leave a message below and I'll send you a post card. Just make sure to follow my blog for you to qualify. First four to comment below and ask for a post card will get one each.

Overall, I'm so happy with the skin care line that Kiehl's personally assembled for me and if you're contemplating on trying Kiehl's for the first time, I highly suggest you consult with one of their Customer Representatives so you'll be guided properly. 

That's all lovelies! If you have questions in mind just leave them on the comments section below and I'll try to answer as soon as I can. Thank you and have an awesome week!

♥♥♥