Jen of the Shopping Queen's Christmas Giveaway!

Heya lovely readers! Want to score some really cool prizes this yule tide season? Then join Jen's amaaazing giveaway featuring Urban Decay & Mac! :)

Click HERE for the link! 

Its open internationally, and the most amazing part is, there will be 6 winners! Not just one, but 6! First prize is Mac Lipstick in Creme Cup & the the other five lucky winners will get an Urban Decay Ink For Eyes in Demolition (dark brown). 

BEST OF LUCK LADIES! 

Total Skin Saver: Zen Zest Tea Tree Oil

Dealing with breakouts is not as easy as they make it sound like in commercials and advertisements. Its not an overnight sort of thing where you wake up the next day and bam!! Your blemishes are gone, like they've taken the day off or something. The truth about it is that there are no shortcuts when it comes to skincare. Finding alone the products that will work for you is already one thing, and sticking to it long enough to see results is another. So, if you hate pimples as much as I do, well then, allow me to share to you this wonderful oil that I'm currently in love with! Its Zen Zest's Tea Tree Oil!!

This wonder oil is known for its anti bacterial properties. Simply put, tea tree oil is best for treating acne and has been proven to be more effective than 5% Benzoyl Peroxide. Before TTO, I used Panoxyl in treating pimples, and I'm happy that it dries my pimples in only a matter of days. But what I'm unhappy about is that it leaves dark spots behind. And its not an ordinary "dark spot" by the way, its the kind that needs micro peeling to get rid of. I've read that people have had the same results with Panoxyl so I decided to stop it because its not doing my skin any good, besides dry my pimples up. Now its just lying around somewhere in my room and I am never going to touch it again, ever.

And I'm glad I've made the switch!

It comes in a small bottle with a built in stopper to control the amount of oil you wish to use. For spot treatment, you don't need a lot especially if you have dry skin, so I suggest you go easy with applying. You don't need a lot for this baby to work its charm! 

What I love mostly about this oil is that not only does it treat acne, it also lightens dark spots. They're less noticeable now, and unlike Panoxyl, doesn't leave brown spots behind! 

JEM SAYS!

This is the first Tea Tree Oil that I've tried so I have nothing else to compare it with. I haven't tried the ones that come in soap forms because I believe they're a bit drying based on some reviews that I've read , so I guess this one's more forgiving on my combination skin. As of now, the only brands that I know that carries TTO is The Body Shop & GIGA. I really can't comment on how well they work but they're likely to yield the same results as any other tea tree oils out there. 

If you're feeling a little thrifty, go for TBS, and if you're on a budget like me, then go for Zen Zest's! This is really affordable at 150php ($3.66), GIGA is around 160-170php, whereas TBS is around 400-500php. The only con I see as of right now is the smell. I get that that's how medicated oils are supposed to smell, but it might be off-putting for some. But you'll get used to the smell eventually. It pays off anyway! Like i said, TOTAL SKIN SAVER! 

AVAILABILITY: 5/5 

PRICE: 5/5

PACKAGINg: 5/5 

EFFECTIVENESS: 5/5 

SMELL: 4/5 

BUY AGAIN? ABSOLUTELY! 

How about you? What's your favorite spot treatment at the moment? Do share! 

Review: Zen Zest Coconut Hair & Body Oil

Zen Zest is a brand from the Philippines popular for their fragrances, home ambiance and body care products. Now, the reason why I love to visit their counter every once in a while is because aside from their affordable prices, they also never run out of promos and new products to offer, and if you are always as curious as I am, you would just feel the need to try it out for yourself! Now, let's get on with the review, shall we?

The oil itself is housed in a green translucent bottle that comes with a pump. I think its fairly priced because for only 220php ($5.38), you already get a 164ml sized bottle. Note that this isn't pure VCO, only 70% as seen in the picture below.

The reason why I bought this in the first place was that I needed something to aid my dry hair.  I've heard so many great things about VCO and its ability to revive dull hair, among other things. Considering I was never lucky with anything that has oil in it as its main ingredient because it weighs my hair down, I still went on with buying this. I'm so sad to report that this isn't for my hair because like other oils I have tried, this also weighs hair down. It left my hair looking oily the whole day, like I did not take a bath for days! I just hate bad hair days because it is enough to ruin the rest of my day, and I'm pretty certain I'm not alone on that. I had no choice but to put it in a bun just so its less obvious.

Of course, I wouldn't let this sit around just because it didn't work for my hair. So I began using this as a replacement for my usual body lotion. I like to use Silka or Nivea but I love the former better because it has SPF in it. Now, I am not exactly into whitening my skin, not because I'm already fair, but because I just feel that healthy skin has to come first before anything else. So what I do is that I apply this all over my body after shower, as I normally would a lotion, while my skin is still a bit damp. 

AAAAAANDDDDD! 

After two weeks of using this oil , I noticed that my skin is smoother and whiter, which came to me by surprise because it said nothing about whitening. If anything, my skin looks healthier! Even my mom, who is forever a fan of Nivea lotions, asked me to buy her one! And if you're worried about whether it feels icky during the day, my answer's no!  Its the kind of moisture that lasts the whole day, and yet doesn't feel sticky or weird on the skin. 

DEFINITELY WORTH REPURCHASING! 

:)

How about you? What body oils have you tried and came to love? Do share! 

-JEM