By Zsarlene B. Chua
Reporter

IN KEEPING with the “New Year, New Me” cliché, this writer decided to dedicate the entire month of January to trying new skincare and beauty products to up her game. The main objective of this beauty journey was to moisturize my dry skin (and retain the moisturization) which is made even drier with the hot/cold weather we’re currently having.

And I’m happy to report that I have four products (three skincare and one beauty) that got me closer to my ideal soft-as-a-baby’s bottom skin. So, without further ado, here are my January beauty favorites.

(Do note that all the products I’m reviewing that worked for me may not necessarily work for you, so please exercise caution when trying out new products and stop when irritation or anything untoward occurs.)

Because of my dry skin — which is especially bad on my forehead area and around my nose — face masks have become an indispensable part of my skincare routine. On a regular basis, I use a face mask (usually a Tony Moly Aloe Vera mask) twice a week but I have upped my face mask game by using one every other day because of the hot/cold weather which is wreaking havoc on my skin.

1. Last December, I was sent two packages of Dermairis 4-in-1 face mask, a Korean-made product distributed by JW Healthcare Philippines. The product is touted to have 10 ingredients including Hyaluronic acid (a humectant, it keeps moisture in the skin) and Ceramide (which also keeps in moisture) meant to give the skin improved elasticity, moisturization, wrinkle improvement, and whitening.

It comes in two variants: a blue “Air Pocket” sheet mask for “better skin absorption” (P70) and a pink “Microfiber” sheet mask for maximized moisturization and which “prevents skin irritation (P150).

These are bold claims and I admit I was a bit skeptical when I put them on my face, but after using the blue mask for the first time, the changes weren’t crazy but my skin did feel a little plumper and brighter. After finishing my entire routine for the night, I woke up with a well-hydrated skin.

After looking over the ingredients in both products, the only thing that differs which may account for the difference in price is the material of the mask itself: the blue one is the usual thin paper-like mask while the pink one is smoother.

I preferred the blue variant, because not only is it cheaper, it’s much easier to use as the pink is so smooth and slippery it was hard to put it on my face without making a mess and ripping it. And the blue is so much cheaper but I do understand that people with sensitive skin might prefer the pink variant.

The Dermairis mask is a nice sheet mask which promises long-term skincare benefits at a quite affordable price. So it really is worth a try.

2. The Watsons Collagen White Regeneration Instant Finishing Cream (such a mouthful) was brought to my attention via an article from the Project Vanity blog. The blog sang this product’s praises to such high heavens that I just had to buy it for myself to see if it really was going to impart a glow to my face.

I bought it at the Watsons Fisher Mall branch in Quezon City for a promo price of P399 for 50 gm (regular price is P499). Price-wise, it was affordable but please do note that this kind of cream is an optional step to one’s skincare routine — if your moisturizer is giving all the hydration you need, I don’t see the need to add another layer of product on your face.

But I digress — the cream basically functions as an illuminating primer and serves as a barrier between makeup and skincare. One of the major ingredients as listed on the box is Dimethicone which improves skin texture and fills in pores, so the product is supposed to be pore-filling and illuminating at the same time.

The product comes in a hefty glass jar which makes it seem more premium than it actually is. It’s a nice touch. And the product has some sort of whipped consistency so it glides on the skin easily.

A little does go a long way and while, again, the effects are not as miraculous as they claim, it does impart the skin with a natural, healthy glow, the Korean chok-chok glow (the term is used for skin that is dewy and well-hydrated), if you will.

While not an absolute necessity, the finishing cream is a nice indulgence when you want to make your skin look better than it actually is.

3. Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you how much I love sunblock and sunscreens. And for the longest time, I’ve been looking for a makeup product that has strong enough SPF — I like the ones that are 50 PA++++ and above — yet is not too costly.

I’ve always been loyal to my Biore sunblocks but they are quite pricey and come in small packages. Imagine my delight when I came across the Belo Sunexpert Tinted Sunscreen which retails for P450 for 50 ml. I got mine during a Watsons event in January.

The product claims to have a “tone-adapt technology” and the only variant available is the “medium to deep” one but I still grabbed in and I was pleasantly surprised that it suited my fair skin. The packaging is misleading though, as it isn’t just for the medium to deep crowd, though I wonder how it works for those with deeper skin tones.

But what I do like about the product is its lightweight texture. I hardly ever use foundation because I’ve always felt it to be too heavy and considering all the skincare products I put on my face on a daily basis, it felt like another gloppy layer.

Therefore, I’ve been on a hunt for a lightweight BB cream or tinted moisturizer with enough SPF to make me happy. And Belo tinted sunscreen makes me happy. It’s lightweight like my Biore yet gives me some sort of color-correcting coverage. It’s not sticky and a little goes a long way.

(Do note that my skin is usually blemish-free, but dry, so those who need extra coverage might have to use foundation.)

I fell in love with this product and have been using it every day. It is perfect for those who want to SPF it up but have found many products to be sticky and to impart a white cast.

4. For my final discovery, well, it has been in the market for quite a while but it’s the first time I’ve ever used it so it merits space in this piece. It’s the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer.

Many have sung this concealer’s praises and before the Tarte Shape Tape came into the market, many beauty gurus (on Youtube and on blogs) always had this drugstore product as their go-to blemish hider.

And after using it for a week after buying it for P399 for 6 ml in Landmark Trinoma, I wondered why I hadn’t tried it before. I took the shade Light, which is their lightest shade. They have two other shades: Honey for deeper tones and Medium.

It really does erase your dark undereye circles and stays the entire day without falling apart or creasing. I once had this concealer on for a solid 10 hours and it has not let me down.

Again, a little goes a long way, and if you’re like me who got a bit excited in twisting product into the sponge-tip applicator, you’ll realize how full the coverage this product imparts is and how a single twist can last you at least four applications. So twist with care and enjoy looking like you’ve never burned the midnight oil your entire life.

It’s perfect for those who are dying inside but still want to look absolutely fab. But do remember to set it with loose powder — it might be mighty but setting it with powder makes it mightier.