Le Blanc

Althea Bare Essentials: 3 Step Skin Care

9:48:00 AM

"A great make up look comes with following a great skin care routine." -- is something I would say to myself to make sure that I stick to my beauty regimen and not sleep on a face full of make up.

If we are being more honest, I'm sure most of us can't keep up with the "10-step-korean-skincare-routine" as much as we'd like because we'd love nothing more than to catch more sleep than focus on our skin care.

As I've mentioned a couple of times in my previous blog posts, a solid skin care routine is still something that I am yet to figure out. Yes, I love trying out organic skin care products but I can't seem to find the perfect fit that I can consistently call "my-everyday-skin-regimen." I'm thinking maybe because I'm scared of combining different brands together that "might" not work out for my skin type. ~crazy trust issues~

That's why I got excited my favorite K-Beauty brand, Althea Korea, has released their own line that focuses on the fundamentals of skincare with the use of not 10, not 5 but 3 products!

Althea Bare Essentials

Selling Price: 1323 php (per set)

Great makeup starts from great skin - minimize your base make-up with Althea Bare Essentials! With nourishing ingredients and easy execution, this 3-product regime breaks down and simplifies the K-beauty routine for the urban woman.

Step 1: Contour Cleanser

A rich foaming cleanser that has micro capsules which exfoliates the skin to remove most of the dead skin cells left by our harsh make up residue. (It has that cool feeling afterwards too!) Not only that it has lemon myrtle extracts which cleansed and tightened my clogged pores, it also has ice plants that helped reduce the redness of the skin while improving blood circulation giving my face that sought after "slimmer" and contoured shape.

Step 2: Primer Water

One thing that confused me about this product is that it's formula isn't water-y at all! It has a silky balm texture that I was not expecting to come from a toner. It came as a surprise for me because with just a pea sized amount of product put on a cotton pad evenly patted on my face, the serum like toner hydrated my skin making it rejuvenated in more ways than one.

Maybe the only con of this product for me is that it kind of gives an"extra oiliness" due to the summer weather here in the Philippines making it a bit humid on the face if you're going to use it before a long day. I highly suggest to use this product before going to bed instead to have your skin prepped and ready for all that make up the next day. ~lol~

Step 3: Fixer Cream

If you think that the Primer Water has done enough moisturizing for you then you're wrong. This Fixer Cream has got to be my most favorite product among the three. Aside from the fact that it healed and hydrated the driest parts of my face (brought by the unexpected weather changes here in the Philippines) this little jar of magic has wild tea tree extracts that kept my face fresh and moisturized all day long. Best part? It is hypoallergenic making this baby suitable for all skin types!

Might it be that you're a hustler beauty enthusiast in search for new stuff to try or a newbie trying to look for a beauty regimen that works for you, Althea Beauty Essentials might just be the simple perfection that you need. I know I do. <3

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. The products were sent to me for free in exchange of a beauty review but all the written opinions here are solely my own and unbiased after trying the products.

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I have gained weight. So what?

8:10:00 AM

I know its been a while since I posted something new and some readers have been asking me when I’ll be posting new content. So I’m back after 5 months (Woah! It’s been that long??) with some rawness that I hope people would appreciate.

I gained weight. A lot of weight actually.

I am also really exhausted with all the comments and questions on how I gained so much weight and how it would “affect my career.”

Here, let me give you a list of what I’ve heard over the last year:

“Oh wow, you’ve gain so much weight! How are your sponsors gonna take it?”
“This weight gain... You’re going to be as fat as me now!”
“But you’ve gained weight, will that outffit you?”
“I don’t think you’re right for the project since you’ve gained weight.”
“Wow! You’re big!”

And the list goes on and on..

I don't think that I owe anyone any explanation because last time I checked, as long as I am decent person and my weight isn't a reason for anyone's despair (other than my own), why should it concern others too?

A little over 6 years ago, I was so affected with how I would look and thought that my self worth is linked to my weight so I started binge eating and puking everything out once I had a tiny hint that I was full. I was so scared that I'm going to be easily replaced by the person I loved that puking had become an easy escape aside from developing the habit of eating only tofu and fried rice (once a day) with a side of three rounds of work out per day.

I was so unhappy inside even when my exterior appearance had gotten so many praises from my colleagues, friends and loved ones. That's how I lived for a while, I lived in such a way that the standards of society were my only standards, nothing else.

In the course of getting out of a toxic relationship, having some time for myself and figuring out who I really am on my own... I started eating what I wanted, met the love of my life who loves trying out new food with me, enjoyed meals and really digested it (lol) thus I gained weight.

Going through what I have, I now think that being healthy is also having a sound mental health aside from what is easily seen by the eye.

I think that people have this notion that since I am a person who shares bits and pieces of her life through social media and blogging, that also means have right to critique me in such a way that I am not entitled to some feelings (?) which angers me so much.

If gaining weight means having a good mental state and not having to say sorry for having the life that I have now, by all means I am good.

If my journey to "physical fitness" is slowly creeping into my health and self confidence, I am fine now. I don't need to be your kind of healthy.

I've gained weight but I have also gained the strength to help me understand that being "a one size fits all" doesn't necessarily mean that you are beautiful. I've also realized that being thin doesn't always equate to being healthy if it means that my mental health is being poked through.

I've come to terms with the fact that if people think that I owe them some kind of explanation why I gained weight, you are the kind of unhealthy weight I need off of my life.