LIST: 10 holiday #BeautyGoals
MANILA, Philippines — Want to stand out in your holiday parties or simply wishing to look better for the New Year?
Below are some ideas to turn heads this Yuletide season.
Make time for ‘me’ time
GMA Talents Marika Sasaki, Ayra Mariano, Kris Bernal and Thea Tolentino. Watsons Philippines/Released
“I’m busy!” This is everyone’s favorite line. People glorify being busy because we are pressured to achieve a lot, all at once: to climb the corporate ladder, take care of our family’s needs, raise children, and manage the household all while curating one’s lives into a perfect feed on social media.
Whether you are a stay-at-home parent or a professional with a killer schedule, you need to pause, take a break, and make time for #MeTime. The reason is simple: You owe it to yourself and to those you care for to take time to recharge and be your beautiful and healthy best.
Watsons takes to heart this self-caring philosophy with the “Make Time for #MeTime” campaign. This campaign inspires everyone to take time to take care of themselves with Watsons’ skin, beauty, hair, and health products plus a wide range of cosmetics that are perfect for a relaxing treat at home.
What better way to spend “me” time than lavishing your neglected skin with love. The personal care store chain’s range of products from Ponds, Olay, Neutrogena, St. Ives, Belo, Celeteque, Mediheal, Snow, and Garnier have all the skin-pampering love to keep your complexion fresh and radiant. Treat your strands to hair products from Creamsilk, Palmolive, Lauat Shampoo, Suave, Dove, and Moringa.
Swipe on some lipstick or paint your nails. The store’s extensive collection of cosmetics from Celeteque, Belle, and Chic Bobbie might help one get gorgeous in no time.
To be truly beautiful, one needs to be healthy. That is why “me” time must also include taking care of yourself from within with a range of supplements and health products from Enervon, Cosmo Skin, Poten-cee, MX3, and Salonpas.
At the end of the day, making time for “me” time is all about stressing less and loving your beauty, health, and wellness more. After all, when you love yourself, you can love others more. And when you do, you do not only look good, but you also feel great.
Look like Liza
Liza Soberano wearing Creamy Mattes lipstick in Lively Violet (left). Photo release
Wondering what that striking new shade Liza Soberano is wearing? It is none other than The Creamy Mattes by Maybelline New York, with 10 new shades that were launched last October.
The Creamy Mattes is raved about for its pigmented creamy texture, moisturizing matte formula, and flattering shades for all Filipina skin tones. To add to its collection of 20 lipsticks, Maybelline now offers 10 fresh shades of The Creamy Mattes in skin-flattering reds, nudes, and pinks.
Liza’s top pick include Mysterious Mocha, a warm brown-nude perfect for an everyday natural look; Bold Crimson, a classic matte red that suits all skin tones; Lively Violet, a muted cool pink that is universally flattering.
The other shades ranging from neutral to bold hues are Barely Nude, a light peachy nude; Dare To Be Red, the perfect scarlet shade; Big Apple Red, a bright warm red; Pop of Pink, a warm cotton candy shade; Flaming Fuchsia, a striking hot pink; Madly Magenta, a warm pinkish-purple hue; Rock The Coral, an electric warm pink.
Likewise, the brand launched its newest additions in the Philippines – the Fit Me Powder Foundation and Fit Me Blush.
Treat your skin to an upgrade with the new Fit Me Powder Foundation, a product that gives off an ultra-smooth poreless coverage since it is infused with blurring pigments to minimize pores and control oil.
With eight skin-fitting shades to choose from, the Fit Me Powder Foundation is also made with refined micro velvet powders that fit perfectly with any skin texture and is packed with SPF 32 PA+++, giving you a protection to go with a fresh and natural matte look.
Why bear using mascaras that give you hard and fake-looking lashes when you can indulge in irresistible-looking lashes? The brand makes it easier for ladies to achieve natural-looking, soft and full lashes by bringing in the new Total Temptation mascara to the Philippines.
The mascara aims to make users achieve softer, instantly volumized, and fuller-looking lashes. It also aims to give length as the product applies smoothly unlike other mascaras that leaves lashes looking stiff and brittle.
The mascara is formulated with whipped coco butter extract, which gives its creamy mousse-like consistency and its coconut smell. The formulation instantly acts as a conditioner, making one’s lashes soft.
The mascara comes in two versions: Millennial Pink for the Washable Mascara and Baby Blue for the Waterproof Mascara.
Meanwhile, the brand’s biggest makeup sale is back from November 15 to December 31. Enjoy up to 50 percent off when you visit any Maybelline counter nationwide. You can even score makeup finds for as low as P125. Stay tuned for surprise flash sales and freebies happening all throughout the holiday season.
Skincare inspired by Korean beauty trends
The brand boasts of a new look and a new variant, the sheet mask. Photo release
Are you a beauty girl? Well, who isn't nowadays? Our brightly-lit skincare flatlays and beauty vlog-bingeing says it all: raving and ranting about our faves and cheering on each other's before-and-after skincare selfies are our way of inching closer to the ultimate #goals: having beautiful, glowing skin.
How we wish making our skin beautiful were just as easy as swiping to our fave Instagram Story filter. To #TurnUpTheGlow, it takes a whole lot of trying and a knack for choosing the best products that are add-to-cart worthy. St. Ives eases you into the last step with its Glowing, Soothing and Revitalizing sheet masks.
Inspired by Korean beauty trends, these masks are made of 100 percent cotton and natural extracts and include variants such as Apricot Sheet Mask, Soothing Oatmeal Sheet Mask, and Revitalizing Açai, Blueberry and Chia Seed Oil Sheet Mask.
Apart from making sure the products are full of active natural ingredients, the brand wants to make skincare an exciting, fun, and playful experience for our young and confident “Genzennial” users. As such, the brand introduces its new and refreshed look.
Packed with 100 percent natural exfoliants, extracts, and moisturizers, St. Ives’ skincare products include face scrubs, lotions, moisturizers, and body wash, available in leading supermarkets and groceries nationwide.
Treat your pores right
Celeteque endorser Shamcey Supsup (left) uses scientifically-formulated products. Photo release
They might be miniscule in size, but pores are telling of the look, feel and health of your skin. Millions of pores make up the body, but the rule is this: the more invisible pores are, the better.
Everyone wants to maintain the supple skin quality we had as babies, but reality bites—growing older means sagging skin and enlarged pores.
Scientifically-formulated products such as Céleteque DermoScience Advanced Anti-Aging Pore Tightening Serum helps reduce pore size and make the skin instantly more youthful. Women aged 30 to 60 years old underwent a double-blind clinical trial of the product, and the test confirmed its promised results: the serum tightens pores while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by increasing the skin’s elasticity, making it look smoother and more refined.
Tightened pores are the effect of Niacinamide, an ingredient that improves the skin’s firmness, while the smooth, supple feel of powerless skin is achieved through Alpha-lipioc Acid, normalizing oil secretion through the skin. Finally, Salicylic Acid seals the deal as it removes dead skin cells, dirt and oil—major culprits and weighing down and therefor stretching the pores.
Beauty solutions from home of Miss Universe 2018
Erich Gonzales is among the first Filipina endorsers of a Thai beauty brand. SnailWhite/Released
Thailand is not only the country hosting Miss Universe 2018; it is also home to Namu Life SnailWhite founded by Sarawut Pornpatanaruk, who sold more than two million units in Thailand of his growing SnailWhite range of 22 products, making the brand’s Moisture Facial Cream arguably the number one in Thailand.
The secret is in the brand’s snail potion formula, which incorporates snail secretion filtrate, derived from mature helix snails before they were sent back to nature. The potion is combined with natural plant extracts to make skin look brighter, healthier and firmer.
Snail mucin contains collagen similar to humans for skin renewal and visibly lessened fine lines and wrinkles.
Apart from the facial cream for even skin tone and lessened dark spots, the brand also introduces its Whipp soap for “no friction cleansing” as it is wrapped in fine UltraWeave Mesh net for a foamy lather to prevent skin irritation.
Available in Watsons, The SM Store, Lazada, BeautyMNL, Shopee and Watsons.com.ph, the brand is represented in the Philippines by actresses Kris Aquino and Erich Gonzales as endorsers. These real-life friends bond even in beauty and skincare.
Skincare from Japan to Hollywood
The face mist (left) is among today's hottest beauty trends; Koh Gen Do President Shintaro Itabashi and Beauty Bar Merchandise Group Manager Reena Rosario (right).
Achieving the beautiful feel of healthy skin is the aim of every skincare regimen and makeup routine and it can be done most effectively only through the integration of skincare and quality makeup.
Available at Beauty Bar, Japanese brand Koh Gen Do has found a way to integrate skincare that stimulates and supports the skin’s natural restorative functions with a base makeup line that’s now loved by women, including famous actresses.
Jennifer Lawrence, Blake Lively, and Jessica Alba are among many A- list Hollywood celebrities who use and swear by its products. More and more women around the world are trusting the benefits of Koh Gen Do’s integrated skincare and makeup that’s available in several countries apart from the USA, including Korea, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, and of course the Philippines.
Being privy to the celebrity beauty secret, Filipinas now have three new products that include the Maifanshi Aqua Foundation, Cleansing Water and Face Mist.
Maifanshi Aqua helps you achieve the same flawless, glowing result after getting a facial treatment with a new weightless, budge-proof formulation, all while reducing discoloration, dullness, and enlarged pores.
The Thermal Spring Water Makeup Remover, Cleansing Water does not require rinsing. All you need is to moderately saturate a cotton pad with it and gently swipe on skin to effectively remove dirt, excess oil, and other impurities, even waterproof makeup. It is ideal for quick and easy cleansing on-the-go.
The Face Mist, meanwhile, leaves a moisture-packed veil that supports and revitalizes skin. This multi-functional face mist helps relieve five skin challenges—dehydration, enlarged pores, oiliness, makeup creases, and redness.
Fifty years of colorful moments
The brand marks its golden anniversary with new collections. Philstar.com/Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo
From its humble beginnings in 1968, Caronia, which is actually named after a luxury ship, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a wide collection of colors released in the past five decades.
The anniversary also sparks special collections such as Psychedelic ‘70s, Vibrant ‘80s, Iconic ‘90s, Modern 00s, and Dynamic ‘10s, creating endless possible nail art combinations for every mood.
In time for its golden year, the brand has also released a Facebook video that traces its heritage.
Target root causes, not only signs
Skin expert Martina Bindi. Philstar.com/Ma. Glaiza Lee
Having a great skin is much more than relying on your skincare products and beauty regimen. For skin expert Martina Bindi, it is all about knowing and respecting your skin.
“When you respect the skin, there will be no side effects. When we have sensitive skin, we start from the basic. From there, you can restore the pH level and hydration. It looks like a very simple thing, but when you restore them, the skin started working again the way it suppose to be,” shared Martina.
Our skin, she explained, has a big role to do. It serves as a insulating ammunition against extreme temperatures. It acts as a waterproof and sun shield, guarding our body from UV rays and harmful chemicals. It has antibacterial properties to prevent infection and skin diseases. It is the ultimate sensor, packed with nerves to inform the brain about the outside world.
Skin is the human's largest organ. An adult has approximately eight pounds, 22 square feet of skin. With such versatile organ, taking good care of it is vital. We have the big responsibility to make sure that it does a good job of protecting our body, which entails a lot more than it might seem.
When an organ like the skin stop functioning the way it should, many things can go wrong. It stops defense against bacteria, UV rays and pollution, which can cause acne, dark spots, aging, inflammation, sensitive skin and other skin problems.
The first line of defense should always be organic and natural - avoiding the sun, following a skincare routine, hydrating yourself with water, having a good night sleep, eating a balance meal, among others.
Then, there are the skincare products and services. But with contrasting product reviews and opinions from experts, finding and using a product needs a lot of consideration.
“Of course, you can get fast results using chemical and aggressive treatments such as chemical peel and needles. But it will not be long-lasting because every time you don’t respect the skin, you pay a price. You have to treat your skin like how you treat silk,” said Martina.
Martina enthused that a person should not focus on the signs, but on the root cause. “We should not focus on the blemish or the wrinkles, but the physiological way of the skin to make it work. We have to restore the skin to defend itself against the environment using natural formula.”
Martina, who herself experienced skin problems, created BSoul, a natural and vegan-certified skincare line which restore the skin by targeting its physiological function. Manufactured in Tuscany, Italy, BSoul is made from bio-compatible and eco-friendly ingredients that target root causes of skin problems.
To know how the products work, one must be familiar with the skin, and how the problems occur.
The skin is made up of three layers - the epidermis (the top layer of the skin), the dermis (the second layer of skin), and the subcutaneous fat (the bottom layer). Each layer has specific functions.
The outermost layer consists of cells called keratinocytes, which is made from keratin, a tough kind of protein (the same protein in our hair and nails). These cells form several layers, which grow outwardly as the exterior cells die and flake off. Every five weeks, our body create new cells that work their way to the surface of the skin.
The dermis, meanwhile, gives the organ its strength and elasticity. Thanks to collagen and elastin. Underneath the dermis are blood vessels which help regulate body temperature by increasing blood flow to the skin and allowing heat to escape. There are also nerve fibers and receptors which send signals to the brain about touch, temperature and pain, among others. Hair follicles and glands with ducts can also be found in this skin layer, along with sweat glands, apocrine glands, and sebaceous glands.
The skin's base layer, the subcutis, is made from a seam of fat. These are stored fats, reserved by the body in case of food shortage. It serves as insulation and cushion.
Just think about what happens when you use a harsh chemical or peel off the top layer? The epidermis begins to thin, causing the junction with the dermis to flatten. When the sun damaged the skin, it results to thicker and irregular epidermis. When you forgot to hydrate, the skin losses water and thus decreasing the sebaceous glands, and resulting to dry skin.
Sun exposure and pollution break down collagen, and impair the production of new ones. Too much exposure causes inflammation, resulting to elastin clustering into thick bundles.
Anchored on her 30 years of experience and knowledge on advanced facial and body techniques, Martia, with the help of her husband, created the BSoul physiological set. B is for bio, meaning life, while Soul is a deep feeling, Martina explained.
“The life for us is to maintain our organ, to have our organ functional so we treat it in an active way. We believe that it is important to restore the natural and real way for the skin to work. Only after that can we choose a specific way to treat if the problems remains. Of course, we also have to take care of the environment, and our health. It is important to respect the environment and the skin, at the same time, to get the best result,” said Martina.
BSoul products are available at the Linea Organica in S Maison, beside Conrad Hotel, in Pasay City. BSoul has introduced in Singapore, Malaysia, Italy and parts of Europe.
The brand also has other skin products such as the Hydra Facial Hydrating Treatment, which reduces trans-epidermal water loss, the Hydra Clear Basic Anti-Acne Treatment, which removes skin toxins to reduce skin redness, the Clear Brightening Anti-Acne to reduce inflammation and strengthen the skin’s defense against free radicals, the Hydra Lift Firming Anti-Aging that slows down skin aging, the Hydra Lift Lifting Anti-Aging which awakens cell metabolism, the Hydra Double Chin Anti-Double Chin Treatment that drains water retention and fats under the chin area, among others.
Ho, ho, ho to a whiter Christmas
The brand boasts of skincare safe to be used by teens and tweens.
For fairer, sun-protected skin these holidays and beyond, Skin White introduces its skincare range of soaps and lotions for teens and adults.
Formulated with Instant White formula, the brand promises to safely attack three stages of melanin production and help one achieve white skin with continuous use. The range reportedly also contains antioxidants and sun protection to shield skin from harmful ultraviolet rays.
For teens, the brand offers skincare with Vitanourish Formula Fruity floral scents infused with Light Feel Technology, so teens can enjoy the outdoors without the sticky feel.
Get the look: Fashion Week hairstyles
Sam MacKnight for Balmain
Dyson continues to be to partner with hairstylist of top celebrities for this year's Fashion Week events. The brand recently supported Paris Fashion Week, specifically, main hairstylists Sam MacKnight at Balmain’s show and Paul Hanlon at Paco Rabanne’s show.
Here is a step-by-step guide to achieve the looks.
Sam MacKnight for Balmain: “Balmain was pure. Sculpted wet masculine hair, to compliment the architecture of the clothes. Sexily androgynous, very Parisienne, very Helmut Newton. Hair all straightened with our trusty Dyson first though and set with a diffuser after to hold the shape.”
Get the look:
- Place a deep side parting with a tail comb.
- Section the hair into 3 sections.
- One section at the back, and one on either side.
- Apply gel to the roots beginning at the nape of the neck and work up the head to the crown.
- Combing roots flats as you go.
- Apply mousse from root to ends of hair.
- Comb through with a wide tooth comb.
- Repeat on the other two sections, and through the top.
- Comb through all the hair with a wide toothed comb into shape keeping some lift at the front.
- Cover hair with an Airtex net and diffuse dry with the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer professional edition on a high speed with low heat.
- Once set turn the Dyson Pro hairdryer onto a high speed with a cold setting.
Paul Hanlon for Paco Rabanne: The concept for the hair came from an independent free spirited woman who loves to travel. The streets of India were a big inspiration and the hair reflected how women wear their hair in extreme heat. Hair was twisted together, lifted from the neck and tendrils fell and rested on the skin of the face and nape.
Get the look:
- Hair was prepped with Queen for the day and then parted in the centre and brushed apart to create clean sections. A single braid was taken from an inch below the crown.
- Two identical triangular shaped sections were taken from the occipital bone to the nape of the neck. With the end of the braid being split into two sections and added to each triangle.
- This hair was then clipped out of the way for the moment. The remaining hair was brushed with fingers towards the nape of the neck and tied into two low ponytails, one on either side of the head.
- The triangular sections are now dropped over the top of either side of the low pony tails. The hair was then twisted together to create a loose rope effect.
- These two twisted ponytails were then woven together to create a textured almost knotted shape. This was clipped with concealed pins on the underneath to hold the shape in place.
- The look is then fixed with a hair net, Elnett hairspray and a controlled blast of cool air from the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer professional edition.
- Moments before the models step onto the catwalk tendrils of hair were pushed into the face and a mist of water was sprayed onto the hair to give a wet effect.
