100 Happy Days: Day 1

I've been seeing a lot of 100 Happy Days posts on social media. The concept looks simple enough as it aims to get people to reflect on their day-to-day existence and appreciate the highlights, no matter how trivial they may seem. You see how that sounds like an optimistic way to go about 2014? Now I'd like to try it out for myself, because why not?

Here's Day 1:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491"] TEA[/caption]

I'm a little under the weather right now, so I'm trying to get on the fast track to recovery by drinking lots of fluids. I'm especially thankful for the variety of teabags just sitting around the house waiting to be steeped. They might also help steer me away from sweet drinks. :)

Quick Look: Vaseline Healthy White Instant Fair Lotion

I'm very skeptical when it comes to whitening products. Seeing that there are hoards of Pinays who are looking for legit lighteners, it pains me to catch wind of some products being marketed at a premium price for their so-called fair-making prowess but aren't actually effective. So when I saw the brand new Vaseline Healthy White Instant Fair Lotion TV commercial, I wanted to personally test it to believe it. Here's what the bottle looks like and what it claims to do:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Ambitious, but is it effective?[/caption]

Earlier this week, when I was at my favorite Watson's branch, I spied the new Vaseline display on one of the lotion shelves. I asked if a tester was available, but there wasn't any. Lucky for me, another branch had a fresh bottle for those who wanted to try. Check out my before and after photos:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360"] Before: The lotion is on the bottom arm (my left arm), unblended[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360"] After: Once blended[/caption]

*Sorry for the fneh photos. We were sort of in a hurry, afraid the stoic-looking guard would come over to admonish the photo-taking.

I have skin on the fairer side, but I'd like you to decide for yourselves if it actually worked on my left arm. What I did notice was that, after blending the lotion in, my skin had a slight sheen to it that caught the light. (Nothing shimmery though, so don't be afraid of looking like a disco ball.) Maybe that's what Vaseline means by "microreflectors" There's an illusion of fairness from the sheen, sort of like how Prtty Peaush is supposed to give a quick glow. But if you're looking for a dramatic instant whitening effect, you may be disappointed.

According to Vaseline's Facebook page, the lotion SRP is Php110.00 for 100mL, Php190.00 for 200mL, and Php299.00 for 350mL. Yeah, that's usually the price range of drugstore whitening lotions.

*First photo from Vaseline FB page.

Review: Belo Essentials Day Cover

Have you ever had a case of 'computer face'? It's UV damage on the skin from sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time. Perhaps you may not notice it with your naked eye, but it'll show up on those camera skin tests. When it does, you are officially a candidate for premature skin aging... Lucky for you, it can gradually be remedied by a moisturizer with SPF.

For my own UV-related problems, I chose Belo Essentials Day Cover Whitening Vitamin Cream SPF 15 (20 g of cream at PHP 60+).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Belo Essentials Day Cover Whitening Vitamin Cream SPF15[/caption]

When it comes down to it, this is not the most cost-effective SPF cream I could have bought. My 2 other choices at the grocery were Human Nature 100% Natural Day Moisturizer (no SPF; but because of the all-natural claim) and Clean & Clear Clear Fairness Moisturizer SPF 30. Belo won simply because I had such a good experience with their face wash, though Clean & Clear—on sale at the time—would've been the cheapest choice of moisturizer with a higher SPF. Well, to be fair, Belo's products are hypoallergenic, a term I usually associate with fancier formulations that cost twice or thrice the usual drugstore price. If you look at it that way, the price becomes quite reasonable.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Ingredients[/caption]

Now let's talk about looks, because it can be deceiving. If you don't know how famous Belo is—if that's even possible for someone who lives in the Philippines—the basic packaging here doesn't particularly stand out from the shelves. What's more, if you get the chance to hold the tube up to the light, you'll see that the cream takes up only half of the container once it has settled to the bottom. Just remember that it's only 20g you're paying for, so don't be too shocked to see a tube that isn't full.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] A light cream[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Semi-blended[/caption]

The cream itself has a pleasant lightness to it without being too runny that's it's considered a moisturizing fluid. On the other hand, it isn't too thick that it feels sticky. The scent is the same as that of the facial wash, albeit slightly stronger. Once I smoothed it on, it gave off the faintest sheen. It does what an effective lightweight moisturizer is supposed to, but I only wish the SPF was higher so I could feel confident wearing this outside the house. As for the claims of visible whitening in 7 days, well, I didn't notice any improvements.

Rating: 4.5/5 for being an inexpensive hypoallergenic moisturizer we sorely need more of. Hope they could lessen the scent, increase SPF, and go easy on the whitening claims that could generate too-high expectations. Buy it because it's mild on the skin, not because it's supposed to lighten. Otherwise, you'll miss a perfectly gentle moisturizer.

Shiseido Perfect Whip Cleansing Foam

The cleanser (aka face wash) is probably the most basic facial beauty product that ever existed—perhaps as essential as a bar of soap. Even those who aren't fans of makeup or moisturizer can at least be counted on to wash away the daily dirt with a trusty cleanser. As for my own preferences, I don't consider myself all that picky. Give me a cleanser that washes away grease and creates an appropriate amount of lather, and I'm good to go. However, there comes the occasional noteworthy product that begs for a detailed review. For example: Shiseido Perfect Whip Foam.  I've been using this for months now, so you can expect this to be a rave review.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Shiseido Perfect Whip Foam is an affordable option[/caption]

Story is... Mom bought this on sale from a trip, so it is certain that the sale price does not exceed PHP 150. She has very strict budget rules that cannot be swayed!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360"] Ingredients[/caption]

There is 120g  of cleanser inside this neat blue tube and it is, of course, made in Japan. The packaging is in line with the trademark minimalist Japanese style with its cute shape and absence of fancy graphics or wild colors. I didn't even notice that it's from Shiseido until I read the tiny English text in the back. 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Pearly, silky drop[/caption]

First thing you must know is how a little of this goes a long way. The pea-sized drop I dispensed has a pearly quality to it, and that's all you need for a clean wash. Second interesting detail—and probably the most important—is that this produces the sudsiest lather I have ever tried, bar none. The foam feels like a soft pillow layer that lets your hands glide smoothly over the face. If you need to feel a thick lather before considering your skin clean enough, then you must go out and get this. (Any thicker, and it becomes shaving cream. Just kidding!) Third, the light scent reminds me of the old Biore face wash. And fourth, it's not the type of face wash that always seems to get into the eyes and sting because, believe me, I've tried my fair share of those cleansers!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] The slightest effort in rubbing the hands together produces this much lather, and it quickly gets thicker after that[/caption]

If there's one negative comment to be mentioned, my only problem with these foamy cleansers in general is the sometimes 'too clean' sensation that follows after the rinse. It might start to feel the tiniest bit dry but it's the clean-as-a-whistle nature of foaming cleansers, so I don't blame them. Besides, it's nothing your standard moisturizer can't fix.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Combine it with a scrub[/caption]

Tip: The general rule is not to over-exfoliate to give your skin a chance to renew properly, so I only use a facial scrub once or twice a week. I like to mix Perfect Whip with my scrub du jour (currently using Garnier), and it produces the most amazing gentle exfoliation. The foam acts as a cushion, so you can still feel the mircrobeads working their magic but not as harshly as usual.

My Rating: 5/5 Without the dramatic packaging, the product inside the tube speaks volumes for itself. Any self-respecting lather fan will cherish this. My face feels clean and bare afterwards, though I still use makeup remover to avoid residue. After all, no single face wash is a match for layers of concealer and foundation—cleansing oil, not included.

Spots!

I have only just recovered from a case of the spots. In medical terms, it's called a viral exanthem, an infection that manifests itself through an outbreak of rashes all over the body. Yes, it sounds a lot like measles, but it isn't because I've gotten my shots and have graduated from chicken pox as a child. Thankfully, it's all but gone today, save for peeling skin on the face from where most of the rashes were concentrated. It's not exactly a riveting tale, but I'd like to share it all the same:

Wednesday of last week, I was out of town on a day-trip for a project. It was all well and good, and the weather wasn't bad either. The crew ate lunch and dinner on-site and was on the way home at about 9pm. I got home, was understandably exhausted, took a bath, and went to sleep. No incident.

On Thursday, I was still feeling extra tired and had a migraine, so I was basically in bed for most of the day and slept through the afternoon. That evening—also known as the eve of Chinese New Year—we were supposed to eat over at my grandma's house, but we cancelled at the last minute because there's some random custom about needing to eat in your own house on Chinese New Year's Eve. My appetite was so-so. I wasn't really hungry, but the food looked good, so I ended up eating anyway. That night I started to notice swollen lymph nodes on the back of my head. I thought, Okay, great, I'm coming down with something. Probably that once-a-year flu. Called it a night and that was that.

Friday morning, I noticed rashes on my nose and forehead. Thought it was the bath soap I used on my face the night before. (I was in a hurry and completely forgot to take the face wash into the bathroom, so what the hell.) I found it odd, since I've never had a reaction to the occasional use of bath soap as face soap before. I used toner because I thought it was just a mild reaction. However, by nightfall it got worse. My entire face had red, slightly raised spots. There was a slight fever too.

By Saturday afternoon, the rashes started to spread to my neck, chest, and back. The swollen/tender number of lymph nodes seemed to increase, and I had a fever to boot. I decided to consult with my aunt who happens to be a doctor. She told me it was probably a viral exanthem that had to run its course. I was asked to take Paracetamol to keep the fever at bay. If I didn't get well by Monday, I had to go get a blood test and visit an internist doctor. By evening it was forming on my arms and legs. Was I turning into a zombie? I started googling furiously to find some sort of cure or remedy, but all I got was the advice to rest in bed and drink plenty of fluids. Some sites claim that drinking vitamins throughout the sickness helps recovery along. Okay, let's try that. I took multivitamins.

On Sunday, I took my cure-all solution of two 1000 mg vitamin c tablets, one in the morning and one in the evening. The spots were still red but didn't seem to be increasing anymore. My fever didn't return for the rest of the day. Was this the start of my getting better? *Fingers crossed*

By Monday, I was still taking the vitamin C tablets, and the spots had started to fade by then. The swelling finally disappeared completely. Up until that point I had some trouble sleeping because the tenderness of the lymph nodes wouldn't allow for certain ways of turning my head on a pillow. Tuesday, the spots turned into a dark brown that just peeled furiously. More peeling on Wednesday and Thursday. Today, I notice they're all but gone. Just a few tiny spots on my chin that are continuing to peel. Still taking the vitamins, but not in such a high dosage anymore.

It spread fast, but disappeared quickly too. Thank goodness I'm done with with it! The weird part is I have absolutely no idea where I got it from, unless those around me had it but were asymptomatic. I think exanthems have a week of incubation prior to exhibiting the rashes. Has anyone else in the Philippines gotten a viral exanthem recently, what with the outbreak season of measles for the kids?