Review: Aritaum Fair Smile Fermentation Cleansing Oil

7:40:00 PM Roxy Cortes 0 Comments

I first tried using cleansing oils when I tried using Etude House’s Real Art Moisture Cleansing Oil trial and I was really impressed. Usually it takes a lot of time taking off my makeup, wiping and several rounds of washing but cleansing oils are like magic. I immediately fell in love and decided to jump on to oil cleansers fanatic bandwagon.
I stumbled upon Aritaum Fair Smile Fermentation Cleansing Oil from eBay seller bhappywithme. And since this cleanser is Allure Korea Best of Beauty 2013’s Best Cleansing Oil, I decided to get the 120ml size to try it.
This review is waaaay long overdue, my stash is almost empty. 


Packaging is a pink transparent plastic (but rather sturdy) with minimal design. It appeals to me as both elegant and cute. I think the bigger size got a pump for better product dispensing. Most texts are in Korean except for the brand, I just call it Aritaum Oil Cleanser and had to google the name for this post. Ha!

Ingredients
C12-15 alkyl benzoate, pentaerythrityl tetraethylhexanoate, cetyl ethylhexanoate, caprylic/capric triglycerides, PEG-20 glyceryl triisostearate, triethylhexanoin, PEG-8 isostearate, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, isopropyl palmitate, Butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, Gossypium herbaceum (cotton) extract, Lactobacillus/soybean ferment extract, monascus/rice ferment, Saccharomyces/barley seed ferment filtrate, Glycine max (soybean) seed extract, isostearic acid, butylene glycol, water, fragrance

Fragrance is very subtle, baby powder-ish with a hint of mild flower. It’s very pleasant that I realized the Etude House Oil Cleanser smelled way to ugly compared to this. And even though the label includes “Fermentation” it doesn’t smell anything awful or scary. It’s 100% goodness.
When applied, it’s consistency is almost water, not too oily thick. I use it directly (massaging oil to my face) or use a flat cotton when cleansing the eye area. And a little product goes a long way. I let it stay on my face for a couple of minutes, then I either I wash it with warm water, where it completely washes of in just a few water splashes. But when I am too tired, I just proceed cleansing with my toner, both way works well and feels great on the skin.

Rating: This one is a 5 out of 5 stars! 

Would I repurchase? Hell yeah! It’s just a challenge to find this brand here in the Philippines. But I am also eyeing Banila Co’s Clean It Zero for its high praises and cult following.

Have you tried Oil Cleansers too? What brand do you like best? Please do share and comment below. 


0 comments:

Review: Apeiu Sweet Melon Hand Cream

7:40:00 PM Roxy Cortes 2 Comments

I love anything that smells like Melon. When I saw A'peiu (a Korean brand) released a hand cream that smells like sweet melon at a super low price, I ordered one immediately. Most of the best BB creams in my book is from Missha and I just found out recently that A'peiu is their sister company. Here's my take on the product... 
The Packaging
Packaging is a standard tube like most lotions and hand creams in yellow green. It has a small drawn logo of sweet melon that will somewhat give you the illusion that the product is edible.

13245965_10154207532038914_1988570509_n13236266_10154207531978914_555337900_n
The tube comes in 60ml, easy to squeeze and gives off just the right amount (unlike some other hand creams with gigantic holes).

13231129_10154207531843914_565762596_n
The smell from the tube reminds me the Korean "Melona" ice cream in Melon that I've always adored. I was half-surprised that the lotion is not green.:)
The scent
All my hopes had crumbled the moment I've applied the hand cream. The nice melon scent right off the tube was replaced by an annoying scent that is too artificial with a hint of cheap plastic. In 2 seconds, the yummy scent in my mind was replaced by a horrible stench that made me rub the cream off my hands. It was a bit heartbreaking. 
The texture and quality
Texture is just fine, as most hand creams are. It's easily absorbed on the skin and doesn't leave a "too greasy" feel. You can put apply it in your hands and type on your computer the next minute. 
Overall Verdict
For me a hand cream's selling factor is the scent, and the Sweet Melon Hand Cream failed on that aspect. Texture and quality is not as bad, but I don't like this products on my hands. I am giving it a 1 out of 5 score and will never repurchase. Really A'pieu? I'm sure you can do better.

This product is for people who are not too sensitive about scents and just looking for a fruit-scented hand cream for daily use for a very low price. I got mine on sale of Php 90 from ebay.ph. 

2 comments:

Techniques to Cut Costs when Withdrawing via Paypal

10:19:00 AM Roxy Cortes 0 Comments

For work at home moms like me, Paypal fees can be such a pain. Paypal charges are very steep and costly, specially if your transactions are very often (like every week). For example, if you earn $100.00 for your services, $4.70 will be deducted upfront and the recipient will only receive $95.30 (ughh). You can calculate how much they charge on incoming money here. 

They charge on both incoming money (payments) and outgoing money (withdrawals). Plus, there's also a minimal discrepancy during dollar to peso conversion...so there goes our hard-earned money, chipped off bit by bit. This post discusses a few techniques to save a few peso when dealing with Paypal. 



It is a known fact that Paypal charges a fee when a withdrawal transaction is made. If I'm not mistaken a Php 50 per transaction (or a dollar) is charged. The only exception is if the withdrawal amounts to Php 7000 peso and up, that fee is waived. 

Tip 1: Ensure your Paypal withdrawal transactions to at least Php 7000.00 and up.


Sadly, the local banks have additional fees on their end too. I've been using The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) for the longest time now and they charge Php 200 for every Paypal withdrawal. 

I haven't tried Banco de Oro (BDO), but I've read they charges a bit higher charge of Php 250 on every Paypal withdrawal to a BDO bank account.

Paypal Help mentions that "local bank charges may apply", but these rates are commonly not published, specially on the local banks' pages.

Tip 2: Apply a Unionbank Savings Account, they do not charge Paypal Withdrawals. 

Yes! I just recently used my Unionbank for my Paypal transactions...and was very relieved to find out they do not charge a fee on withdrawal transactions. Surprisingly, my money went in quite fast (compared to my BPI experience). From Paypal on a Wednesday morning, to my Unionbank on Friday early morning. I'm hooked!

I think it's also the same with Unionbank EON cards, except with EON, you have a limit of $100 for every transaction. For more information on Unionbank-Paypal transactions, they've put up a handy dandy guide.

Tip 3: Avoid using your credit card or debit card to withdraw from Paypal. 

A whopping $5 per withdrawal is charged when sending your money to your credit card or debit card. Plus, the transaction takes a longer turn around time..it'll take at least 5 - 7 days for the money to be credited. Personally, I don't see any benefit in this, since credit cards have also additional fees to add to ones finances.

How about you? What local banks do you use to transact with Paypal? Do share your experience. :)



0 comments:

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)