Image courtesy of fun2smiles.com

Hey guys! How's your new year so far? I hope you had a wonderful vacation with your loved ones the way I did. There's something about holidays that makes us all feel thankful for the year that passed and feel hopeful for the next. This is exactly what sets the new year apart from all other occasions in the calendar. The delightful feeling of gratitude for all the experiences brought by the previous year and that feeling of excitement over starting another year with a clean slate can really jump start your day.

Speaking of being thankful, I would like to make a shout out to all my loved ones who generously imparted their blessings. I would very much like to feature every single gift I received but I narrowed them down to skin care and make up for the benefit of my kikay readers like you. I'll be mentioning the items in the order of when I received them. 

Michelle Phan Make Up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style and Success -- Online and Off is my very first beauty related book. This was a Christmas gift from my loving husband who back in December was still my fiance. 

Michelle Phan is a beauty guru who became a YouTube sensation for her make up tutorials. She has come a long way since she started making videos in 2007. Apart from having written her own book, Michelle currently has a make up line called em and a beauty subscription box named ipsy. I've always wanted to have a beauty related book and getting Michelle's for Christmas is really a treat! 

I've been a skin care advocate since the day my pimples got out of hand in my teen age years. I tried almost everything just to keep my break outs manageable and one of my most trusted brands is Clinique. Receiving the 3-step skin care system in full and travel sizes plus freebies of their cosmetics is a dream come true! Kisses to my loving husband for spoiling me this Christmas. 

I'm not so much adventurous when it comes to fragrance and I often stick to one scent. Good thing my cousin gave me something new to try from United Colors of Benetton Let's Love for women. It has a fruity floral scent that lingers decently.

Another thing I always fail to do is use a face mask. It's something that I wish I could do more often to pamper my skin. Thanks to a good friend, I can try one that contains collagen from Etude House. 

I'm excited about this gift from a friend, Tony Moly tony tint. I'm not fond of using tints because I find them hard and quite tricky to blend. Despite that, I'm still looking forward to giving this a try and probably I can make it work this time.

I love a good hand wash by my sink and this Bath & Body Works gentle foaming hand soap in Warm Vanilla Sugar given by a friend came just in time to replace my old one. 

Last but not the least is a gift I got from our annual gift giving, the original beauty blender. I've been meaning to get one but the hefty tag that comes with such a tiny and simple tool kept me from buying. I remember having second thoughts every time I go to Purebeauty. Good thing I thought of putting it on my wish list. Thank you to my mommy!

That's about it. I feel so blessed being given these amazing gifts. I'll be posting separate reviews on some of them soon. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and have a great day!

♥♥♥

December-January BDJ Box: A Rundown

Hey guys, I know I've been babbling about the BDJ box in my past several posts but I feel incomplete not having to share with you in full detail the contents of this wonderful box so here it goes..

The last time, I didn't get an information card of the products included in the November box and I even thought they did it deliberately because the box was already overflowing with goodies. It wasn't a big deal anyway and I'm actually far from complaining since it was generously packed with amazing stuff. I found out later that they missed including it in my box and apologized for the mistake. Good thing my December-January BDJ box has this info card.

The BDJ box team never ceases to amaze me with their array of products. I love that they include different product lines like perfumes, cosmetics, skin and hair care products thus targeting the different concerns of women nowadays. 

   

Pevonia Botanica Phyto Gel Cleanser

"Feel velvety soft skin! Thoroughly cleanse, purify and hydrate your skin with saponaria, rosemary, lemon and pine; a detoxifying and aromatic experience for your skin. Soft, velvety touch afterwards." -BDJ Box

 

Etude House Moistfull Collagen Trial Kit (Emulsion and Freshener)

"Get dewy looking skin! Baobab Tree extract and collagen in the facial emulsion and freshener work to improve skin elasticity and hydration retention. Remove make-up residue, excess sebum and tighten pores for that youthful dewy look everyone craves." -BDJ Box

Pantene Pro-V All Day Smooth Miracle Water

"Protect your tresses! Help your hair maintain perfect moisture balance. Use this as a finishing touch to your daily hair care regimen (after shower), leaving your hair fragrant and moisturized. For best results, use with the full Pantene system" -BDJ Box

Flormar Supershine Nail Enamel

"Fancy nails! Get into the nail art trend, experiment, try something new - do patterns or design an icon. Be creative." -BDJ Box

Flormar Longwearing Lipstick

"Show-off your lips! From Turkey's best cosmetic brand, imagine apricot seed oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and mango butter on your lips to lock in moisture. All you need for full-on color and all-day coverage." -BDJ Box

Snoe Beauty Beso Balm

"Ooh so kissable lips! Prolonged use may attract opposite gender and cause intensive flirting. This not only plumps, soothes and protects but also doubles as a breath-freshener" -BDJ Box

Britney Spears Radiance Fragrance

"Try this irresistible scent! Be radiant with an irresistible scent filled with delicate aromas like wild berries and soft dewy petals! Use this daily to experience the feminine blend of luminous pre white flowers" -BDJ Box

Tony Moly Tomatox Magic White Massage Pack

"Tomato and lemon extracts help clear impurities, whiten and tone skin. Kiwi and white tea extracts help prevent aging." -BDJ Box

Tony Moly Broccoli Sprout Cleansing Cream

"Antioxidants from blueberry, tomato, lavender, rosa canina, fruit and spinach removes dead skin cells and leaves your skin softer" -BDJ Box

BONUS Gift Cards!

1. L'oreal Professional Inoa Hair Color and X-tenso Moisturist vouchers redeemable at Azta Urban Salon

2. Browhaus Php500 cash voucher

3. Tony Moly 10% discount on all skin care, cleansing and pack

4. Etude House 10% discount on all skin care, cleansing and pack.

DECEMBER-JANUARY BDJ BOX CONTENTS:	Price of Full Size	BDJ Box
Pevonia Botanica Phyto Gel Cleanser	Php 3,640 (200ml)	Php 91 (5ml)
Etude House Moistfull Collagen Emulsion	Php 628 (150ml)	Php 21 (5ml)
Etude House Moistfull Collagen Freshener	Php 628 (150ml)	Php 21 (5ml)
Pantene Pro-V All Day Smooth Miracle Water	Php 259 (100ml)	Php 259 (100ml)
Flormar Longwearing Lipstick	Php 349 (4.2g)	Php 349 (4.2g)
Snoe Beauty Beso Balm	Php 149 (≈4g)	Php 149 (≈4g)
Britney Spears Spears Radiance Fragrance	Php 3,398 (50ml)	Php 82 (1.2ml)
Tony Moly Tomatox Massage Pack	Php 548 (80g)	Php 41 (≈6g)
Tony Moly Broccoli Sprout Cleansing Cream	Php 478 (200ml)	Php 7 (6g)
Azta Urban Salon Gift Card	--	Php 3,000
Browhaus Cash Voucher	--	Php 500
Tony Moly	--	(10% discount)
Etude House	--	(10% discount)
	TOTAL:	Php 4,520

Above table shows us that this month's BDJ Box is approximately valued at Php 4,520 plus 2 discount vouchers valued at 10% off each from Tony Moly and Etude House. I really got more than what I paid for and I can't wait to try all of these amazing stuff. So what are you waiting for? Subscribe now to BDJ Box and start getting an array of premium products to try out monthly. Who knows, you just might discover your new must-have.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

My BDJ Box 7-day Challenge

Hey guys. I recently got my December-January BDJ box and I'm pretty much impressed with how the people behind BDJ make each and every box stand out. Though I must admit the November box is my ultimate favorite among the three, this month's box is still a  hit because the contents are worth more than what subscribers paid for.

Among the array of skin and hair care products included in this month's box, I couldn't wait to try the Pevonia Botanica Phyto Gel Cleanser. I really haven't heard of Pevonia Botanica before but upon reading the product information, I got even more curious and excited to use it. Pevonia manufactures an organic skin care line offered by the most prestigious spas worldwide. Having them available in the market for local consumers will help in maintaining healthy, youthful looking skin right in the comfort of your homes.

Image courtesy of pevonia.com.ph

The Pevonia Phyto Gel Cleanser came in a 5mL sample tube but the full size is housed in a 250 ml bottle with a pump dispenser. This is a clear cleanser that has a consistency similar to a runny gel. The scent is so  mild that  it's almost unnoticeable.

Immediate effects: Day 1

It feels so smooth on your skin, lathers up minimally and washes off easily. After initial use, it instantly made my skin feel supple to touch. I had no skin tightness, itchiness or any type of irritation. I noticed having purely cleansed skin with visibly dirt free pores. It's also nondrying so my skin felt  refreshed and moisturized.

Continued use: Days 2-7

After a week of religiously cleansing my face with the Pevonia Botanica Phyto Gel Cleanser, I noticed having softer skin without signs of irritation. I'm quite amazed that I didn't break out during my period while using this cleanser. This is a major plus for me since I haven't found a cleanser that prevents me from pimple break outs especially during my period. I also noticed having less oil production on my T-zone and an absolute improvement with my skin texture since I started using this.

The only downside is the price because one full size bottle costs Php 3,640. But for a cleanser that delivers visibly satisfying results in just a few days of use, I'm willing to overlook the expensive tag. I highly recommend this product to those who are willing to splurge on a cleanser that truly bears effective results. If it's way over your budget, this is when the BDJ box subscription works its wonders. For just a fraction of the cost, you get to have a sample size of the Pevonia Botanica Phyto Gel Cleanser so you'd know how it works for you. Also, you get several other products so you're really getting more than what you pay for.

Overall, I love the Pevonia Botanica Phyto Gel Cleanser to bits and I'm pretty much thankful to BDJ box for living up to its advocacy of helping women in their quest for the best beauty products.

You may want to check out this unboxing video I made via iMovie for iPad to see the actual contents of the December-January BDJ box. A few thumbs-up won't hurt. :) Thanks and have a great day!


♥ ♥ ♥

Unboxing my December-January BDJ Box

Hi guys! Lately I've been so busy and wasn't able to share with you the unboxing of my December-January BDJ Box right away so I just made this short video clip using iMovie on my iPad to be quick. Enjoy watching and do subscribe to my You Tube channel pinkvernis for more of my video blogs. 

Holiday Lippies Mini Haul + Review

Like most Manila dwellers, I've been feeling the holidays in different forms such as scarcity of unoccupied cabs, crowded malls and heavy traffic. Despite these unpleasant reminders, I love the way Pinoys have the ability of blurring out the negative things and focus on the ones that make this season worth celebrating like having the time to spend with loved ones and rekindling our faith 

through "simbang gabi" (mindnight mass). 

It's also during this season that we start enjoying different Christmas treats such as mall wide sales, eating puto bumbong or bibingka (rice cake) and the most fun part, receiving gifts. 

They say that a gift doesn't only reflect the giver but it also says a lot about the recipient. For me, most of the gifts I got are makeup related (as expected) so you could just imagine my delight each time I open a present.

  

Most of the makeup related gifts I got are lip products including Etude House Apricot Stick, Cover Girl Shineblast lipgloss and Marks & Spencer Hello Kitty lipgloss set.

The Marks & Spencer Hello Kitty lipgloss set comes in different shades, Blueberry Gloss has a bright pink hue, Cherry Heaven is velvety red, Glitter Gloss is clear but filled with tiny multicolored sparkles and Strawberry Shine which has an old rose shade. These actually remind me of Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss. Since I haven't opened this yet, I'm only describing the colors as I see them on the clear tubes. Don't expect them to have the exact same shade when worn because they're just glosses and not tinted lip products. I'll keep you posted when I get to open 

and try these.

The Cover Girl Shineblast has a peach almost neutral color. I haven't used it but I'll update you soon how it looks when applied. 

Among these lip products given to me, Etude's Apricot Stick is the one I got to use. I was super excited to try it because it's my very first product from Etude. I've heard a lot of great things about Etude, good thing this Apricot Stick didn't fail to meet my expectations. 

It comes in a pen type container which basically works like a classic lip gloss where the bottom can be twisted clockwise to reveal the stick. I love that the stick is slim enough to reach either corners of my lips. It has a pleasant fruity scent 

and has a faint sweet taste. 

It glides smoothly on your lips leaving a hint of flush that looks a little shiny but not greasy or glittery. The color is more sheer than Revlon lip butters but it stains more compared to a regular lip gloss. It's also very hydrating and has average staying power which I don't really mind because retouching is so easy. 

Overall, I love this Etude House Apricot Stick that I intend to buy one for myself when this runs out. I also recommend this to anyone who would love to try a very nice lipgloss which can be worn alone or on top of your favorite lip color. 

♥ ♥ ♥

NOTES:

• I got an SMS from BDJ saying that the December box is due for delivery on the 2nd week of January and will actually be considered as December-January box. I think it's quite disappointing especially since I've been expecting it to be delivered before new year.
• I am LOVING Pinterest so much. I'm getting tons of ideas about all sorts of things.
• I registered as a member of Michelle Phan's website and I'm loving her Christmas giveaways. I just hope I win.. :)