Masking it Up with Andalou Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask

Before I get back to makeup biz niz, let me quickly introduce a natural skin care brand I discovered while stocking up on the hubs and I's favorite veggie burgers and salad dressings from Healthy Options (a natural/organic shop that sells food, skin care, candies and all things healthy!). In the United States, I believe this is sold in Whole Foods.

I stumbled upon this when I was at the peak of my skin care fixation and am literally magnetized by any skin care brand. First, I've never heard about this brand. Second, in-store promotional marketing worked on me (the line had a separate stand that featured all their products). Third, I'm glad I snuck away from the veggie burger decision-making stage with my husband to chance upon this brand. 

Andalou Naturals is a brainchild of skincare developers and innovators that have worked in developing products for several natural brands before such as Avalon Organics, Alba Botanica and Sonoma Soap Company. The brand has different lines targeting different concerns — they have Anti-Aging, Clarifying, Brightening. I'm particularly interested in their brightening line so all my purchases so far come from that line. 

What drew me to this product (among the wide selection) are these key words —

  GLYCOLIC, BRIGHTENING and PUMPKIN. 

Since I've compulsively read up on skin care, I've been obsessed with using products that contain AHAs or Alpha Hydroxy Acids. They're a group of natural acids found in food that are used for moisturizing and removing dead skin cells — in short, a chemical exfoliant. It differs from the abrasive and harsh exfoliants we know of such as St. Ives Apricot Scrub which is a physical exfoliant. Examples of AHAs are glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid. They penetrate the skin and slough off dead skin cells without irritating the skin. 

However, for glycolic acid to work its magic, as for all AHAs — they must at least be in a concentration of 6-8%. And since most manufacturers don't put their concentrations in their labels, it's really hard to know if the AHA will be even effective at all. To give me an idea at least, I check whether the AHA is listed within the first 3 specified ingredients. If not, then it probably isn't in the proper concentration. 

In this product, glycolic acid is listed ninth, which means that its concentration may not be in the proper percentage. What made me still want to purchase the product were 2 ingredients listed in the first five — pumpkin and manuka honey. 

Pumpkin is reported to contain Vitamin A that hydrates, smooths and softens and Vitamin C that fights free radicals and generally brightens dull skin. I know of pumpkin peels and facials that cost an arm and a leg! 

Meanwhile, Manuka Honey is all the rage for its antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits which is great for acne-proned skin. However, for this miracle worker to perform, the honey must be declared as an 'active' which means it must have a Unique Manuka Factor of 15 and above. In this product, as it is again not listed, I have no way of knowing if the manuka honey is indeed active. 

THOUGHTS
I applied the gel-like pumpkin puree on my whole face and let it sit there for 10-15 minutes while I scoured the net for Andalou Naturals products. It has a strong pumpkin smell that you either like or don't like. It's not the sweet Thanksgiving pumpkin pie smell which put me off but minutes into the process, I forgot about the off-putting scent already. After 10-15 minutes, I then rinsed it off with warm water.

RESULTS

Holy. Moly. Tony. Moly. I couldn't believe my eyes when I pat my face dry after rinsing. My skin was brighter, softer and definitely much smoother  — with evidently reduced redness around my nose area, which is easily prone to irritation. I couldn't stop touching my face all throughout the night just to see if the effect was worn off (lulz).  

Maybe it was my extremely low expectations that elicited this sort of ah-ma-zing results. But even my husband, who can't tell the difference when I wear NARS Orgasm vs. NARS Laguna (blush vs bronzer) told me I looked more 'radiant'. 

Also, I've used masks before, the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask for one, raved about by many but didn't experience this instant brightening and smoothing effects. I've also used some Face Shop masks that were okay in terms of hydration, but nothing spectactular in the smoothing and brightening front. So I definitely didn't expect these kinds of results — especially from a 'natural' mask (yes, call me an organic product skeptic). But I was definitely floored with this one.

 BUT WAIT...

This is great for those who aren't using AHAs / BHAs yet and aren't exfoliating too often. Don't expect the same wow results I had when you're already sloughing off deads skin cells weekly. I used this when I haven't applied any chemical nor physical exfoliant for two/three weeks prior.

REPURCHASE?

YES! Indeed. In a heartbeat. It's one of those products I want to run off to the store to buy a back-up of. I tried to google reviews on this and discovered that Makeupalley users rated this a 5.0. A perfect 5!  Well, there's only been a few users who've reviewed it but still. It actually makes me want to create a MUA account and add to the glowing reviews.

PRICE & WHERE TO BUY
PHP 700 something in Healthy Options stores locally
$14.95 in Whole Foods groceries in the US


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Oh, to be a MOM!

OH HI THERE! I'm still alive you guys~ I've received some sweet emails asking when I'd return, as I've unofficially disappeared all of a sudden. So here it is, friends and lovers — I'm back! 

The reason for my two-week hiatus — that I didn't realize just flew by — was because I've been too engrossed with my little girl. I would hate to miss out on the littlest things — seeing her smile, play with her hands and shove those cute little fingers in her mouth. Enzo and I are just so in love with her! I really didn't understand that  mom feeling that every new doting mother claims they feel until now.

Three months have passed and we've gotten over the crying spells and cranky woes (YAY!). Our little one is a much happier baby now being more well-adjusted to this cray cray world (as opposed to the warm and comfortable placent-ic space she called home in my tummy).

And because this is not just a beauty blog in which I just share my addiction to beauty and skin care, here are a few mommy moments I wish to share with you all! 

Selene is a serious mallrat! She loves seeing all the lights, the people and the hustle and bustle of city life. At home, she seems to get antsy and restless so we take her out and she seems to calm down (oh no, did we just start a bad habit!? Just realized now).

  
  

I love dressing her up in cute little outfits. I actually wanted a baby boy for a first child (because we're all four girls in the family and I always wondered how it would be growing up with a overprotective older brother) but squealed in delight when our OB announced during our gender determination ultrasound that it's 95% a girl. 

  

Overall, I'm more relaxed in terms of my motherhood skillz~, if you can call it that. I went into this sort of unprepared so I expected myself to undergo crying-in-the-corner-moments-of-frustration, that kind of thing. 

For a time, I did feel like I was experiencing the baby blues. During the first three weeks, I was sad about everything. Crying for no reason, feeling down, lacking appetite for anything.

It was such a weird state — but admitting, or at least acknowledging that I was undergoing such stage helped a lot. The most important factor was the company around me who supported me and urged me to move on.

My husband and his unrelenting encouragement, sweetness and humor which propelled me to better heights. As well as the rest of my family (including my in-laws!) who weren't overbearing or assertive in giving unsolicited advice which stresses most first-time moms even more.

In other news, beauty-wise, I've been exploring beyond MAC (thank goodness) and delving into *ack*, Chanel, which will be my next post.

THE MOMMA IS OFFICIALLY BACK! 


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What I've Learned About Skin Care... SO FAR!

My woman senses are tingling with excitement as I type this entry. I've been itching to share some skin care bits and pieces I've picked up ever since I've cooled things off with my boyfriend a.k.a makeup and decided to focus on myself, a.k.a my skin. What hindered me from writing up a storm and barraging you with my recent skincare acquisitions, is that I've realized skin care is much more of a challenge to write about. I just can't describe, swatch and show you a FOTD with them skincare products unlike with lipsticks, blushes and the like.

Some things I've learned:
1. The fact that skin care is a science makes it more intriguing, albeit technical. I realized that the chemistry junkie in me materializes when it comes to purchasing skin care. I enjoy reading ingredients in different skin care products that you my husband sometimes just leaves me out there in the beauty section and come back to find me still perusing through ingredient list upon ingredient list.

2. There are already proven ingredients that cater to each skin concern (lightening, anti-aging, etc.). They key is finding a product that formulates it in the right amount/percentage that makes those key ingredients effective.

3. Organic or all-natural does not mean non-irritating. However, presence of irritants do not mean that the product is already to be dismissed. The key is knowing which irritant your skin can not tolerate and avoiding it as much as possible. Some known natural irritants: limonene (citrus extracts), lavender, tea tree oil, nut oils (peanut, etc.), menthol, chamomile.

4. Luxury skin care is not superior to drugstore skin care products. Some luxury skincare products use innovative ingredients that are so innovative they're not proven to be effective yet. And according to a book I've read (The Skin Regime), they're specifically formulated to cater to a mass of people that the percentage of ingredients are at minimum so as not to be accountable for sensitivity complaints.

5. In connection to number 4 — Most of the time, for a product to take effect, the skin needs to adjust to certain ingredients it comes in contact with which means redness, purging and other issues flare up. Others take this stage as a negative sign and deem the product ineffective or something their skin is allergic to. The key is knowing when you're already breaking out or when you're just purging from a certain product and the steps to take in both situations.

So what does this all mean?
My skin care posts may sometimes be a bit technical because I'll elaborate on ingredients. However, even if ingredients are at optimum levels, their efficacy still need to be visibly seen. I mean, you can look good in your resume with all your achievements and straight As but you still need to be evaluated on your actual job performance right?

I'll try to keep everything as concise and understandable because I'm NO chemistry major nor a doctor/dermatologist to actually be able to expound on matters. And remember, we all have different skin types so what may work for me may not work on you and vice-versa.

What skin care problems / misconceptions do you want to share with me?


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