Review: Night Serum (Bobbi Brown vs Estee Lauder vs Kiehls)

Different skin types have different reactions to products. I had found out that what works for me may not work for my sister. It is still best to try out skin care products for yourself.  

*Trial/Sample sizes for all three.

Bobbi Brown:

Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Serum.

Ingredients (from their site):

• Wheat, Bran & Olive Extract Complex is included to help strengthen skin’s natural barrier, improve its ability to lock in moisture and prevent future damage.
• Vitamin C and a powerful peptide are included to help soften the look of lines and wrinkles while firming skin.
• Clary sage extract encourages skin cell turnover and sweeps away dull surface cells to reveal a fresh, radiant surface.
• Magnolia bark extract, sucrose and caffeine help reduce visible redness caused by irritation.
• Sodium hyaluronate, glycerin and meadowfoam seed oil infuse skin with moisture—instantly and over time.

Pros: 

Packaging: I find Bobbi Brown best in packaging (although keep in mind that I'm only comparing samples). The pump is economical in not wasting any drops. 

Smell: Not too strong, a hint of citrus that comes from the Vitamin C ingredient.

Consistency: white and milky, skin can absorb it well

Works best with dry skin (according to the reviews I found online)

Cons: 

Price: At PHP 6,000 per 30ml bottle, this is actually the most expensive among the three.  

Since I have oily skin, I didn't see any difference after using it for a week.

Mildly stings (mahapdi), causes redness when I apply this on the face

Conclusion:  I didn't see any difference after using it for a week. Maybe not the best skin care for my skin type. 

Estee Lauder:

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Ingredients (from their site):

Exclusive Chronolux™ Technology repairs the appearance of past damage. You'll see a visible improvement in the signs of aging-specifically lines, uneven skintone and immediate hydration.

Enhanced Environmental Repair means Advanced Night Repair neutralizes up to 90% of environmentally generated free radicals (in vitro testing) before they can affect skin's appearance.

Enjoy Continuous Hydration as Advanced Night Repair creates the optimal environment for repair with nature's long-proven moisture magnet, Hyaluronic Acid-increasing skin's levels of moisturization dramatically.

Pros:

Consistency: A bit sticky but loses that feeling after a few minutes. Very light, skin absorbs it quickly. 

Lightens up scars and heals pimples faster.

Skin feels smoother after the 2nd application.  Gives a glowing effect.

Cons: 

Packaging: The EL team gives out sample sachets and bottles with large openings which are not the ideal packaging for liquids.

Price: Not that cheap, PHP 4800 for 50ml (although someone said that it will last you three months).

Also mildly stings (mahapdi), causes redness the first few seconds when I apply this on the face 

Smell: Has the strongest smell among the three.   

Conclusion: I love ANR. In my opinion, it is the most effective among the three. No breakouts and it gives me the smoothest skin. I can overlook the price because when you think about it, it actually only costs you PHP 50 a day to take care of your skin's future. (Although, I am still at a lookout for a product that will not sting/burn my face.)

My full review for this product is here.  

Kiehl's

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Ingredients: (from the site)

Enriched with a blend of naturally derived ingredients including Squalane, Evening Primrose Oil, Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Essential Oils including Lavender, our formula provides a boost of intensive moisture to dehydrated skin. Our concentrate instantly penetrates the skin and is designed to work at night; with skin hydrated, supple and soft, rest assured you can say goodnight to a tired-looking complexion. 99.8% Naturally Derived Ingredients, Paraben-Free, Recyclable glass bottle, dropper and plastic squeeze top in a protective 100% recycled board carton.

Pros:

Price: Cheapest among the three, PHP 2880 for 30 ml. And can last longer than the others since will only need 2 drops per night. 

Smell: Has a lavender scent (because of the ingredient), therapeutic.

Since it uses natural ingredients, it did not sting nor cause redness at all. 

Skin felt hydrated and moisturize the following day. 

Cons:

Packaging: The bottle will no longer close once you open it. So I had to be extra careful not to let it fall on the side and lose all content. 

Caused me breakouts. One pimple popped out on a daily basis when I was trying this out.

Consistency: Since it is oil (not serum), very oily upon application. 

Conclusion: I would have stayed with this product since among the three, my skin didn't sting upon application. But since I have an oily-face, I think it didn't help that I'm applying oil on it. A pimple popped out on a daily basis. Ergo, I had to stop after a week.

Work Make Up

Because I feel like blogging today. 


I decided to just write about my makeup routine for work. It's not a review, rather, just a list of what I usually put on. Most of my stuff are freebies (sample sizes good for trial) which actually works for me since I get to examine which really works for me. Then I get to buy the ones I really like. It's been a lot of hits and misses. But for now, well, this is it. (Picture-heavy post) 


Before anything else, I rub on alcohol on to my hands. Very important to keep your hands clean before putting on makeup because you won't want to put any dirty stuff on your face, right? And of course, lotion to moisturize my hands. 

Green Cross and Jergens Ultra Healing.

Vanity Mirror. P60 from First-Aid

Primer: Porefessional, 7.5ml. 

Benefit give-away from a survey I completed. 

CyberWhite BB Creme, 5ml. 

Estee Lauder gave this away as free samples. If I'm not using the Porefessional, this is what I use before putting on my foundation. Not sure whether this is a primer, but I really don't see any difference when I put this on my face.

Foundation: Lancome Teint Miracle, 5ml. 

Got this from my sister when she hoarded a lot of skin care from Lancome. 

 Liquid Blush: Ever Bilena, 9ml. 

I got this as my Christmas exchange gift but this one's very cheap (P180 if I'm not mistaken). It's a very nice product since it can usually last a day. 

Powder Blush/Eye Shadow: Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact, 10.3g. P1350. 

My sister gave this to me when she bought another one. I love the second shade which I always use as my eye shadow.

 Eye Shadow: Bobbi Brown Eye Palette, .7 g. 

Got this for free when I complained about one of the brushes I bought from them. I rarely use the black and grey ones because I have yet to perfect smoky eye shadows. 

 Liquid Eyeliner: Maybelline Expert Liner.

This has already been phased out years ago. But I can't bear to throw it away (I know, bad, bad thing). I have yet to find something similar. 

 Gel Eyeliner: Maybelline Gel Liner, around P300-400, can't remember.

The eye liner brush already comes with it. 

 Eyelash Curler: Fanny Serrano, around P200-300, can't remember too.

Similar with Shu Uemura but definitely cheaper!

Mascara: Maybelline Magnum Volume Express, P300-400, can't remember.

Maybelline usually has a lot of good mascara.  

I forgot to take a picture of my lipstick, but it's a Chanel. Again, my sister gave me this when she decided to buy another one. (For sample images: I used the lipstick as a reference for the sizes of the primer and foundation.)

 Microfinish Powder: Make Up For Ever High Definition Powder, 10g. P2150.

Someone gave this to me. I usually use this as a final touch. It helps lessen the oiliness of my face. 

 Brushes: Bobbi Brown Party Collection Deluxe Travel Brush Set. P6500.

Again, someone gave this to me as a birthday gift. My review for the whole set is here.

 

Pouch, free from Cosmo. 

Everything fits in this little pouch. 

The whole set. :D

Review: Mango Tree Bistro (Greenbelt 5)

Ended up going to Mango Tree Bistro for lunch because of 3 things:
1.) Big Buddha was closed for renovation.
2.) It was the typical hot summer day here in Manila (and Super Bowl of China was far).
3.) We were in the mood to try new things.

I initially concluded that this was another high-end Filipino restaurant because of the Mango Tree phrase. Fortunately for my hungry stomach, we realized that it was Thai food (Phad Thai!) once we checked out the menu. Opted to stay inside although the couches outside looked comfy and welcoming. (The heat is unbelievable nowadays and it's just mid-March.)

Since I didn't have any idea what to order in a Thai restaurant except for Phad Thai, we asked the waitress (forgot to ask her name, sorry!) their best-sellers. She was helpful enough to suggest the chicken wrapped in pandan, shrimp cakes, lemon grass chicken, pork spareribs, curry dishes (although she warned us that it was really spicy) and of course Phad Thai(!).

By the way, this will be the first time I'm writing a food review. FYI, I don't really know how to cook. But I love eating. And I've been known to suggest good food dining experiences. So... On to what we ordered.

Bagoong Rice (Khao Klook Kapi) P230.00. We enjoyed this since it was tasty but for the price, I thought that this was already good for sharing. As you can see, it's just a one cup rice with side dishes (mango, pineapple, egg, onion, peppers, small fried shrimps and sweet pork). And come to think of it, how can one go wrong with Bagoong Rice?

Pork Spareribs (See Krong Moo Yang) P450.00. Among the dishes, this was my least favorite. It was a bit dry and some of the meat was not tender enough. There was nothing really special going in this dish.

Curry Chicken (Panang Gai) P350.00. This was our favorite among what we ordered. It wasn't spicy as what we were led to believe. The serving was small but the rich flavor made up for it. The curry (soup) was creamy enough that I didn't mind the oil and went really well with the chicken. Nothing too aggressive which made the experience pleasant enough.

Phad Thai Goong (P350.00). I was a bit disappointed with this one. The whole experience wasn't as crunchy as I think it should have been. In my opinion, the sauces should have made the flavor but instead, the whole thing drowned in too much of it.


Pros:
1.) The best part for me was the presentation of each dish. It looked so delectable whenever they placed a dish in front of us.
2.) Another thing was the staff. They were nice enough to ask how the dishes fared, (which I think is a must in a restaurant since it makes the customers feel more at home and well taken cared of).

Cons:
1.) I didn't like the Thai music in the background. I know, that we were in a Thai restaurant, but do you hear Chinese music playing in Chinese restaurants? (Sorry, I just don't appreciate Thai music. But that's just me. I'm sure, some may even find the whole dining experience more authentic because of the music.)
2.) The food was pricey for daily lunch-outs. But since the flavors are imported from Thailand, maybe it's a good enough reason to have that pricing.
3.) The food was a case of hits and misses. (I hate the disappointing Phad Thai experience)

Would I come back?
If and when I'm craving for authentic Thai food. Other than that, I'm not in a hurry to go back since as I've said, the food was a case of hits and misses.

Mango Tree is located at Ground Floor, Greenbelt 5 (beside Mr. Jones). They also offer cocktail drinks for those who want to just chill out.

Photos by Carlo Meneses
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cal0y/
http://caloy.lens.ph/