Beauty Picks

Stand corrected

MANILA, Philippines - Even though DD creams were introduced a couple of months ago, the beauty industry is still firmly fixated on CC creams, while still trying to get over their initial affair with BB cream. If you’re the get-up-and-go type who likes to rush through a morning routine or a frequent flyer, we can’t emphasize enough how time-saving these alphabetical creams are. Whichever one you choose depends on your needs. To help you along with your options, Korean skincare brand Tony Moly released its Luminous Aura Capsule CC Cream in SPF 50, which promises protect ion from the sun, along with added benefits, like whitening, preventing wrinkles, and evening out your complexion, while giving subtle coverage. If it’s heavier coverage you’re after, the cream also works as a primer. Although it comes in just one shade, the cream contains color capsules that adapt to your skin tone. The active ingredients in this product are pretty ace too: 20-percent hyaluronic acid and marine collagen, along with essential oils, like evening primrose, olive, jojoba seed and argan. What’s more, it doesn’t contain the following cosmetic red flags: talc, mineral oil, benzophenone, organic dye, benzyl alcohol, sulfate surfactant and triethanolamine.

Light as air

There was a year or two in my life when I had super bad skin and refused to leave the house without concealer and liquid foundation, topped with powder. Talk about cake boss. Now that my skin has stopped freaking out and I can let it breathe, any type of foundation feels heavy. For women who feel the same way, Maybelline introduced Dream Matte Mousse, which provides a soft airy-matte finish for flawless-looking skin that breathes. Maybelline New York consulting makeup artist Troy Surratt advises to “Start by applying Dream Matte Mousse on your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin, only using a little at first. It smoothes on effortlessly so you can always add more to build coverage.” The lightness of the foundation is due to the three-dimensional silicone elastomers, which create a whipped texture for an air-soft feel and endless blendability, while replacing heavy pigments to give a soft-focus effect.

Lighten up!

Whitening products get a bad rap. The main misconception is that the goal is to make your complexion fairer, when really, all they can promise is a more even skin tone. Who wouldn’t want that? Garnier identifies three types of dark spots that mottle your skin: acne marks, freckles and dark spots caused by prolonged exposure to UV rays. The Garnier Light Complete product line, which consists of a cleanser, scrub, milky toner, night and day cream, mask, and even an eye roll, promises to lighten dark spots for a brighter complexion within 14 days. All products contain pure lemon essence, which reduces skin dullness and corrects uneven skin tone. Just try slicing open a lemon and letting your elbows marinade in the halves for a couple minutes to see just how effective lemons are at lightening skin. The Garnier Light Complete Night Cream in particular contains Snow Pine White Source, which is 10 times more effective than vitamin c, clinically tested to remove impurities and unwanted dark spots to reveal more radiant-looking skin.

Wrinkles no more

What if I said that you could actually reduce dark circles in under a minute? That’s the promise that Lancôme is making with their Visionnaire Yeux, an advanced eye contour and perfecting corrector, which was formulated after the success of their Visionnaire serum, launched in 2011. Formulated with LR 2412, the product of 12 years of Lancôme research, Haloxyl and caffeine, Visionnaire Yeux has been clinically proven to fade dark circles. In just four weeks, a 26-percent improvement in color was observed, along with an eight-percent reduction in size. Over long-term use, the product not only significantly lightens dark circles, but also reduces wrinkles and evens out the color around the eye area. Guess those 12 long years of research for the sake of anti-aging must be worth it.

Mind spa

Founded in Dubai by Sanaiyah Keswani-Gurnamal, the Third Eye Wellness center opened recently in Manila featuring the Transcend Spa and Nails. “These days, spa treatments and therapies are no longer an indulgent luxury; they’re a necessary step towards revitalizing and restoring your energies,” says Gurnamal. “In order to restore our inner balance, we must treat not just the body, but also the mind and spirit.” A spa and wellness center with a distinctly holistic approach, Transcend’s services and therapies aim to bring natural balance to the body by focusing on the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of rituals. Committed to the quality, purity, and integrity of their services, Transcend uses products that are vegan and organic. “The use of all-natural and organic products guarantees that our services are safe for pregnant women and other people with allergies or sensitivities,” Gurnamal explains. The spa offers alternative services, like a pregnancy massage with an Angel Reading, so that mothers can get in touch with the Angels that are protecting the baby in their womb, along with the Galactic Visualization meditation and Shiatsu massage and the Crystal Past Life Regression session.