Spotlight | Clio Kill Protection Sun Base.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Summer is now in full swing here in the Philippines It's currently 33 degrees outside, the air is still, and the weather overall is just so uncomfortably humid. Now if you think that's hot (and annoying), brace yourself as the weather bureau has announced that it could be sweltering by the end of the month. Goodness!

At times like these, I would rather stay in the comforts of my home lest my asthma acts up. If I need to leave the house, I'd be slathered in organic sunscreen and armed with an umbrella, wearing very little makeup or sometimes, none at all.

Now speaking of makeup, I've been using a different primer since summer officially started. For the past two weeks, I've been using the Clio Kill Protection Sun Base and so far, so good. I bought these at one of the Clio stores in Myeongdong during my last Seoul Searching trip; they were having a 1+1 sale at that time so I got both variants of the sun base for the price of one (16000 Korean won - around Php 740 or $14).

Clio Kill Protection Sun Base in Matte and Glow.

Clio Kill Protection Sun Base in Matte and Glow.

The Clio Kill Protection Matte Sun Base is a multi-function makeup base that controls oil, blocks harmful UV rays, and leaves the skin with a light, matte finish. It's enriched with silica powder to keep your face from turning into a greasy, shiny mess, and an anti-sebum complex composed of evening primrose, arrowroot, pine leaf, and elm extracts, to keep the oils at bay.

Clio Kill Protection Matte Sun Base, SPF 50+ PA++++.

Lightly-tinted with a hint of powdery fragrance, the Clio Kill Protection Matte Sun Base evens out the skin tone and preps your skin for makeup. It feels soft and silky on the skin, the way setting powder does, and keeps your makeup intact for pretty much an entire day. It does, however, leave a slight white cast on the skin, which can easily be corrected with a translucent setting powder.

Clio Kill Protection Glow Sun Base, SPF 50+ PA++++.

On the other hand, the Clio Kill Protection Glow Sun Base has a gel-type formula that feels light and refreshing on the skin. It brightens the complexion as it covers minor skin imperfections, and leaves the skin feeling hydrated and moisturized, the way a facial essence does. Like the Matte variant, this product has a subtle, fresh fragrance that becomes more noticeable as you blend it out on your skin.

Comes in 50 mL squeeze tubes.

Aside from its sun protection benefits, the Clio Kill Protection Glow Sun Base also gives your face a lovely, glowing sheen. It may not be as highly effective as a makeup base compared to its 'Matte' counterpart (I have to retouch a few times a day whenever I'm wearing the Glow Sun Base), but the luminous, healthy finish and the 'glass skin' effect makes up for it.

The swatches below will show you the difference between the two variants.

Left: Clio Kill Protection Matte Sun Base.
Right: Clio Kill Protection Glow Sun Base.

The Matte variant is lightly-tinted and has a creamier consistency, while the Glow variant is colorless and has a gel-like consistency.

Left: Clio Kill Protection Matte Sun Base.
Right: Clio Kill Protection Glow Sun Base.

The Matte Sun Base has a thicker formula, while the Glow Sun Base goes on smoothly and is easily absorbed by the skin.

Left: Clio Kill Protection Matte Sun Base.
Right: Clio Kill Protection Glow Sun Base.

The Matte Sun Base has better coverage but leaves a slight white cast, the Glow Sun Base has a sheer finish but makes the skin look dewy.

Personally, I am more partial to the Glow Sun Base because I'm a fan of the dewy makeup look. If you have dry skin, the Glow Sun Base will suit you better; but if you have oily skin, you might find the Matte Sun Base more to your liking. Both products have the ideal sun protection factor of SPF 50+ PA++++, and thankfully, neither of the two gave me allergies or broke me out. 

Wearing the Clio Kill Protection Matte Sun Base as my sunscreen/primer.

At my son's Recognition Day, wearing the Clio Kill Protection Glow Sun Base
as my sunscreen/primer.

Will I repurchase? That would be a resounding yes! Much better if they'll be on sale again when I fly back to Seoul! :)

Spotlight | Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Primer.

I'm a huge fan of the Korean cosmetics brand Innisfree - from their BB creams to their clay mask, to their ever-popular face mist. My only gripe, however, is that this brand is not available in the Philippines. And the only way for me to get my hands on their products is through online stores, or ask the husband to buy them in Korea.

And so when I finally had the chance to visit South Korea and set foot in Myeongdong, I made it a point to shop at Innisfree to my heart's content. One of the (many) items that I bought is the No-Sebum Blur Primer.

Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Primer, 10000 won.

Simply put, it's a primer that makes the skin texture smooth and bright, as if giving a blur effect, covering skin bumps caused by pores and fine wrinkles.

Product description in English and Hangul at the back of the box. 

It contains 'natural mint' and 'Jeju mineral powder' to manage the oil and moisture balance of the skin, thus making the skin soft and smooth for hours. 

Natural mint and Jeju mineral powder.

It also contains other ingredients from Jeju, such as Green Persimmon extracts which makes the skin supple and clear as it tightens the pores, and the Jeju Green Complex which makes the skin healthy and glowing. 

Comfortable skin made possible by natural ingredients from Jeju.

The Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Primer comes in a very handy, 25 mL squeeze tube. The plastic tube is pretty easy to squeeze, and the dispenser tip allows you to control the amount of product you want to use.

Squeeze tube.

Product description on the tube, written mostly in Hangul.

The product is beige in color and has a soft, velvety texture similar to that of The Face Shop's Velvet Skin Primer. But unlike that primer, which has a rather watery consistency, this one tends to lean more on the creamy side.

Squeezed a bit of it on my skin.

It has a very faint minty scent, barely noticeable, really. You'll only catch a hint of it when you smell the product from the tube since the scent dissipates as soon as you spread the primer on your skin.

A few seconds after application.
Left, without primer. Right, with primer.

I love its lightweight formula, its soft, velvety feel, and how it keeps my makeup intact for hours. It does a good job of minimizing the appearance of fine lines and neutralizing the red patches on the skin. Plus its mattefying effect is perfect for this time of the year (ergo, the scorching hot summer months in the tropics). And while this product may be silicon-based, it had no adverse effects on my skin - no itchiness, no rashes, no breakouts whatsoever. 

After priming.
Left, without primer, Right, with primer.

What I love:

- Handy packaging.

- Lightweight formula.

- Velvety texture.

- Conceals fine lines, smoothens skin.

- Keeps makeup intact.

- Contains natural ingredients.

- Eco-friendly and cruelty-free.

- Affordable price.

What you might not like:

- It is silica-based, so take caution if you're allergic to silicon.

Wearing the Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Primer underneath my makeup.
Also, I'm so loving my Wine Red hair. :)

Since Innisfree is not readily available in the Philippines, I plan to shop for more Innisfree items (and other Korean cosmetic brands) the next time I fly to Seoul and sell them in my online store. What do you think? I need extra cash for all the traveling that I'll be doing in the next three years, haha! :)

Spotlight | Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur.

And we're back to regular programming! The little man's Final Exams and Quiz Bee are over, and now I can sit back, relax, and blog. Bring out the backlog, haha! :)

Today I'll be featuring the Beauty Shot Face Blur, one of the newest products from Etude House. I reckon this was launched in Korea mid-January, and thanks to my husband (who is in Korea and buys me makeup, yes) I was able to get a hold of this product before it even hit Philippine shores.

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur.

The Beauty Shot Face Blur is a lightweight cream that provides 'multi-filtering effects' for instantly refined, smooth skin. It minimizes the appearance of pores, brightens the skin, and even outs the skin tone.

Smoothing, Pore Hiding, Tone Up!

It contains 'Baby Pixel Powder', which according to the Etude House website, are super fine particles that make the skin soft and smooth. It also contains 'Cover Powder' which hides skin imperfections via diffused reflection.

Product info at the back of the box.

The Beauty Shot Face Blur is meant to be used as a primer - apply it after moisturizing your face, before putting makeup on. But unlike other silicone-containing primers, this one contains an 'Airy Skin Powder' which feels light and gentle on the skin.

My husband asked me if this product acts like Camera 360 in real life, lol.

Now here's the product up close.

Yay for pump bottles!

It comes in a 35 gram bottle with an easy-to-control pump. I like how the nozzle dispenses just the right amount of product with one pump.

Hello, Face Blur!

The product is light peach in color and has just the right consistency - not runny, but not overly creamy either. I love its lightweight, non-greasy, easy-to-blend formula, and its mild, powdery scent. Oh, and it gives sun protection, too - SPF 15 PA+. Not bad for a primer.

Left, without Face Blur. Right, with Face Blur.

Now here's the Face Blur in action.

Excuse the fine lines and dark circles under my eyes. I stayed up late last weekend watching Horikita Maki's Innocent Love - all ten episodes of it.

Bare, after-shower face.

Surprisingly, the Face Blur was able to blur out all these imperfections, and brighten my complexion at the same time. I'm impressed! I wish I could wake up with a face as fresh and blemish-free like this everyday, haha!

With Face Blur!

I like how the Face Blur preps my skin nicely for makeup application. However, this product does not really do much in prolonging the staying power of my makeup. I usually find myself retouching every five hours or so. But nonetheless, I'm totally digging this product and have a feeling I will (ask the husband to) repurchase before this first bottle even runs out! :)

The Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur sells for 15000 Korean won, which is around $15 or Php 595 when converted. Not sure if this is already available in store here in the Philippines, though I remember seeing a photo of it on the Etude House PH website last week. I can't seem to access their website right now - either it's down and out, or there's something wrong with my internet connection yet again. You know, me and my PLDT problems. Lol.

Update (3.11.2015): The Beauty Shot Face Blur is priced at Php 898 here in the Philippines. :)

Spotlight | The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Makeup Base.

I visited The Face Shop the other day, with hopes of buying a bottle of my favorite Face It Velvet Skin Primer. But alas, they were out of stock! They didn't have the Face It Whitening Makeup Base either, which is why I ended up buying the Lovely ME:EX Makeup Base instead.

The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Makeup Base.

It's an oil-free, non-sticky makeup base that cuts the unwanted shine on your face and preps the skin for makeup. It makes the skin smooth and radiant and and evens out the skin tone.

The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Makeup Base.

This makeup base sells for Php 295 per tube and actually comes in two variants - 01 Green and 02 Violet. I chose the former, since green counteracts skin redness. The latter, on the other hand, is recommended for those with dull, yellowish skin.

01 Green.

It comes in an easy-squeeze tube packaging with a twist-off cap. And I say easy-squeeze because the tube is made of a very thin, metal-like material.

The Face Shop details.

Everything else is in Hangul.

Tamper sealed for your protection. :)

The product itself also has a very thin, almost watery consistency. Its low-viscosity makes the product easy to apply. On the downside, this causes the product to flow into the cap when right-side up, and more than slight pressure on the tube may cause the product to spill.

It's green, alright.

But despite that, I like how this product spreads well, and spreads evenly on the skin.

Spread, spread, spread.

Also, it does a good job of neutralizing skin redness.

Left without makeup base, right with makeup base.

And despite the green color, this makeup base doesn't leave a ghastly green cast on the skin.

Bare face. Notice the redness underneath my eyes, and along the cheekbones.

It leaves a wee bit of white cast though, but that doesn't bother me since I'll be applying BB cream/foundation afterwards, anyway. The best part? Makeup doesn't cake when you're wearing this underneath.

Red patches, gone! :)

What I love:

- Easy to apply.

- Lightweight formula.

- Just a little goes a long way.

- Semi-matte finish.

- Does a good job of neutralizing redness on the skin.

- Can double as a concealer.

- Preps the skin for makeup.

- Makeup doesn't cake or flake.

- Affordable at Php 295 per 40mL tube! (approximately $7 or 7000 Korean won)

What you might not like:

- Watery consistency.

- No SPF.

Products used:
FACE: The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Makeup Base in 01 Green.
Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion.
EYES: Ever Bilena Eyebrow Pencil in Brown,
BYS Waterproof Eyeliner in Black,
Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cristal Blusher in Pleasure Peach.
LIPS: Avon Smoke and Mirrors Lipstick in Apricot Mystery.

Have you tried this makeup base before? How was your experience?

P.S. Don't forget to join my flash giveaway! Php 2000 up for grabs! :)

Prime Time | Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover.

Remember my post about the Lash King? I was greatly impressed by this mascara that I made a resolve to try other products from Shiseido's 'pocket-friendly' makeup line, Majolica Majorca.

And so the last time I was in the metro, I made a beeline to SM Makati and did some makeup shopping. One of the things I ended up buying was the Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover for Php 695.

Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover.

It's a primer/makeup base, and as per the English translation stuck at the back of the plastic box, it 'instantly smoothes concerned pores and red cheeks for a more refined complexion' 

Yay for English literature!

The product comes in a 25g squeeze tube. With a size this handy, the Skin Lingerie Pore Cover can easily fit into any makeup kit.

There's always something so elegant about Majolica Majorca's packaging.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I read somewhere that this product used to come in jars, which I'm not too fond of. I'm glad they now come in tubes, which for me, is more hygienic. It has a long, thin nozzle, and you can control the amount of the primer you use based on how hard you squeeze the tube.

Main squeeze? :)

 Oh, and plus points for this product's sun protection factor - SPF 20 PA+ to be exact.

The gold, perhaps? :)

Now here's how the product looks like.

Just a pea-sized amount...

It's tinted, yes. But it becomes translucent once you've spread it on your skin. 

... spread, spread.

The product has a silky feel, and is very easy to blend. And once it does, you get a nice, matte finish. And true to its description, the Skin Lingerie Pore Cover does a good job of concealing redness and making pores less visible.

Left: Without primer / Right: With primer.

Now what I love most about this product is how it keeps my makeup intact for more or less 10 hours in this unforgiving, makeup-melting, 30-plus-degree Philippine weather. That being said, Majolica Majorca has impressed me yet again!

What I love:

- Hygienic, tube packaging

- Travel-friendly size

- Easy to blend

- A little amount goes a long way

- Silky feel

- Matte finish

- Covers pores, conceals redness

- SPF20 PA+

- No allergies, no breakouts

- Keeps your makeup intact for a good number of hours

- Affordable

What you might not like:

- I really can't think of any, save for the fact that this product comes in one size only :)

Ending this post with an FOTD! (For comparison, you can find my bare face in this post. Haha.)

Products used:
FACE: Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover, Missha Under Eye Brightener,
SkinFood Good Afternoon BB Cream in Rose Lemon Tea,
The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Angel Skin Powder Pact
EYES: Ever Bilena Eyebrow Pencil in Brown, BYS Smudgeproof Eyeliner,
Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cheek Tint in Cherry Pink
LIPS: Double Hit Lip in Rose Riot.

Which reminds me, I have yet to try the Little Humming Book I, which I bought together with this product. Will it impress me the same way the Lash King and the Pore Cover did? We'll see! :)