Since I first scrubbed in for a plastic surgery case and saw for myself how horrendous and gory it looks like, I vowed never to get one for myself at all cost. Yesterday, I went on duty at a clinic in Ayala Alabang and met my co-duty doctor who just finished his two-year training in cosmetic surgery. Over lunch, there was a lot of talk about local celebrities who allegedly had their time under the knife such as K.C., A.L., C.R., H.E. and C.B. After going on and on blurting out their names and what they had done one by one, my initial “oohhhs” and “aaaahhs” became “what?!” and “no way! you’re kidding!”. It suddenly dawned on me how these beautiful faces and bodies I once adored and yes, envied so much are all apparently in our local term “retokadas”. Someone just bursted my bubble. Boo!

The old adage goes this way: Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. These days, however, this saying no longer holds true because beauty is now apparently in the eyes of the cosmetic surgeon – and more importantly, in the pocket of the beholder.

Now, excuse me while I check out besteyelashenhancer.net.

Angel Locsin is one of those rumored to have gone breast augmentation surgery. Seen here is a photo of darling Angel as featured in Chizmosa Lounge in an article in 2009.

I unearthed an interesting thread on fake Benefit cosmetics being sold over at Ebay.ph. Apparently, less popular brands like Benefit are also now being imitated to be sold as “authentic” to the unassuming consumer. And so Benefit joins the bandwagon of popular cosmetic brands being counterfeited by unscrupulous criminals like drugstore brands such as Maybelline and Cover Girl to higher-end, luxury brands such as Mac and Dior.

I couldn’t believe how I almost fell victim to this. A few months back, I almost bought a Benefit Benetint online after finding them being sold way cheaper than their Beauty Bar counterparts. The transaction almost pushed through but I forgot I had put the item in my watch list then someone else beat me to it. Looking back now, I’m thankful I didn’t get to buy the item and saved myself from what would have been a deep regret on my part.

Three or so years ago, I fell victim to an online seller at Ebay who claimed she was selling authentic, US-bought cosmetics. That time, I was so inspired by a friend who loved wearing shocking red lipstick so I thought of doing the same. I was very keen on getting a red lippie that I pounced on a Royal Red Maybelline lipstick the said seller had put up for sale. The price I had paid for the item should have been a red flag on my part but the naivete in me prevailed. So when the package arrived, I took one look at it and I knew I was scammed.

Signs of a Fake Lipstick:

1) The plastic wrapper hugging the lipstick had poorly-printed text and uneven cut.

2) No batch number on the sticker at the bottom of the lipstick.

3) Wrong font size and word spacing.

4) Lipstick texture? Come on! An authentic one wouldn’t look as chalky as that after a year!

The rule of thumb in buying online is this: If it’s too good to be true, then it probably isn’t. Please be aware that unscrupulous sellers may sometimes use pictures of the real thing but send you a knock-off. Sometimes, they might even threaten you if you as much as ask for proof of authenticity of their items. Imagine that? Just be wary of buying things online especially make up. Most of these are mass-produced in China and might contain harmful ingredients such as mercury and the like (remember the Melamine scare?). So please… please be careful in buying online. If in doubt, then don’t! It’s better to shell out a few bucks more at the mall or at the store than spend a ton on a piece of crap. =)

XS: I hope they don’t sell fake fiberglass storm shelters in China! But who knows?!?!

In the past few days, looking at the mirror has been unbearable for me for various reasons:

1) The sorry state that the toxicity of a month and two weeks-long pre-residency has left my acne-prone skin.

2) And the even sorrier state of a peeling, acne-ridden skin post-glycolic peel.

I ditched my monthly diamond peel session for the meantime because I think what my skin needs at the moment is a die-hard, cold-blooded acid peel. For the uninitiated, both glycolic peel and diamond peel do the same thing: they both speed up the turnover of the upper layer of the epidermis for a younger and brighter-looking skin. For people like me who have oily and acne-prone skin, a glycolic peel is recommended over a diamond peel because not only does it speed up the removal of the old upper layer of the epidermis, but it also helps control the skin’s oiliness in the long run. A diamond peel, however,  is often recommended for those blessed with less problematic skin types. Often, after a number of sessions of glycolic peel, once the skin’s major problems have been addressed (like blemishes and oiliness), a monthly diamond peel  session is advised to keep the turnover of skin going. Skincare can sometimes be a pain in the butt especially for people like me who didn’t get the better set of genes for a better skin type. Often, we end up hoarding skin products left and right straight into our leather backpacks out of sheer desperation. A trip to the dermatologist’s office may sound expensive but when you realize how much unnecessary skin care stuff you’ve stashed in your bathroom cabinet, you’ll see how an expert’s advice becomes less pricey than you initially thought. =)

I watched the episode today of the The Biggest Loser: Pinoy Edition because I saw from a friend’s tweet that our mentor-consultants from my home hospital were featured for today’s edition. I am not a huge fan of Biggest Loser. In fact, I used to turn off the TV as soon as my recently-concluded favorite soap “Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin” plays the closing credits. I did see a few episodes before and saw how huge the contestants were. No kidding. My roommate told me how a friend’s friend auditioned for The Biggest Loser and was turned down because s/he was too “small” at 200 lbs! Imagine that? Seeing them today ten or so pounds lighter and looking more fabulous than ever was very heartwarming. I can only imagine how joyful they are to know they managed to shed those pounds they thought they wouldn’t be able to lose all their lives. To top it off, the doctors said they’re a lot healthier now medically-speaking. I really am very proud of them. Sometimes I see episodes where some of them almost faint if not lose it altogether because of their tasks but I bet they’re very happy to see the fruits of their hard labor. Although I’ve never had that problem regarding losing weight, I must say that apart from taking weight loss pills that work, a healthy diet and regular exercise plus the DETERMINATION to lose weight does the trick! Good job guys!

Watch today’s episode here.

Some people are die-hard fans of tried and tested beauty products that they don’t change brands for years – or even forever! I know of someone who keeps the same stash of wrinkle creams that work in her bag year in and year out. On my part however, I tend to switch from one brand to another because I like the thrill of discovering something “new”. But I must admit, there are just some products which I search high and low for and are permanent tools of the trade in my stash. I once blogged about The Face Shop’s Plus+ 1 Intensive Lip Care Cream which is a must-have for my forever chapping lips. Aside from this wonder lip care cream, I am also a big fan of Elianto’s Baked Blusher, specifically in Pale Pink.

This shimmery blush was first made available in 2007 but I only came across this blush when I did window shopping at an Elianto booth last year. I was psyched because of this particular shade’s natural-looking flush effect on my skin. The shimmer of this blush also makes it a good highlighter substitute for areas of the face that you want to pop out like the cheekbone and the browbone. Among the five blushers that I own, this is the one I use the most as it’s perfect for both daytime and nighttime use. This particular pan in fact is actually my third. =)

What I don’t like about this product, however, is that it easily shatters. When I bought my first pan, the saleslady told me to be careful with it since it breaks into pieces with just one drop. I accidentally dropped the blusher on the day I bought it and although the case was intact, the contents were not. I just transferred the contents into an empty mini-powder case. I also broke my second pan so I’ll no longer be surprised if I break my third soon. =)

What about you? What’s your favorite blush?

Just like me, I know a lot of women out there don’t like the sight of unwanted hair. I could not remember when I exactly first dipped my hand in a pan of hair wax but I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. I have years of literally painful experience to back me up. But a guru, I am not. =)

One of the most commonly waxed spots is the underarm. Filipinas go crazy when it comes to unsightly underarm hair. I used to resort to shaving and plucking as soon as the first strand of my underarm hair grew. It was that time when I stopped playing jackstone while slumped nonchalantly in our cemented garage flooring, aka puberty, and the time when most pre-teens get conscious about how they look. For a time, the razor was my best friend. But, as many others have discovered as well, shaving tends to darken the underarms. (I’ve read a few internet articles claiming on why this happens but until I come across a sound explanation in my med books or journals, I’d rather shut up.) Aside from the darkening of the skin, it also appears that shaving causes more hair, and thicker at that, to grow. The itch and discomfort is annoying, hence, I thought plucking is the key.

One day, I came across a pan of warm wax in the department store. The brand was Epilin and I’ve been using it ever since. Waxing is just like plucking but you’re plucking the hair out all at the same time. Ouch! But with continuous use, you’d get used to the sting until it wouldn’t bother you anymore. Epilin, however, is not very easy to use. For one, I have to stick my pan inside the oven and wait for a part of it to melt before I can get to use it. Sometimes, it’s too molten that I have to wait for a while for it to get to a more skin-friendly temperature that wouldn’t result to scalding. That’s the tricky part in using warm wax: the temperature. As for me, I know it’s ready when the wax has a consistency of a thick syrup, meaning when the molten wax falls off the tilted wooden spatula very, very slowly. I then apply it to my skin towards the direction of hair growth, wait for it to harden… usually in 20 seconds and peel off. Back then, they didn’t sell waxing strips for Epilin so what I do is to lift one end of the hardened wax and pull it against the direction of hair growth. I repeat this twice and nothing more. The hair that is left is removed by plucking which is what they also do in waxing salons for stubborn hair.

Another product that I am a fan of is J. Tomas Skin Solution No Hair Wax Kit. I’ve been using it even before it won the Cosmo Beauty Awards in 2009. I bought my first box at The Landmark in Trinoma where I first spotted it among the shelves. I’ve now consumed three boxes of this product. =) This is trickier to use though. It’s actually sugaring and not exactly “cold wax”. It has a syrupy consistency which I apply on the skin – again towards the direction of hair growth. It comes with ten reusable strips which you put on top of the wax. What I do is to gently press the strip towards the direction of hair growth to make sure the sugar sticks to it. Make sure that the one on top of the sugar is the rough side of the strip. During my first attempt, I couldn’t figure out which one was the rough side and ended up using the apparently smoother side. I thought I wasted 300 bucks for a useless product until I realized it was the wrong side. Anyway, you’ll know you’re successful when the whole thing comes off when you pull the strip against hair growth. I use the product only for my legs. It’s best for areas with thinner hair strands like the arms and legs. I tried to use it for my underarm hair to no avail. But it’s perfect for my legs. =)

The problem with plucking and waxing is that you, most likely, would end up with chicken-like skin: rough stubbles. Hair ingrowths are also a problem. To help combat this, I scrub the areas I waxed 1-2 days after waxing to help exfoliate the skin and prevent hair from growing under the epidermis. For my underams, the usual site for chicken-like skin, I have an underarm peeling regimen which I do every three months. =) And that’s something I’ll talk about soon. =)

Hope I helped!