The winners of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate are...

But before I announce anything, let me first apologize for taking more than a week to do this. Our Globe/Innove Internet connection was down since last Tuesday. Yes, as in July 20!!! It's 8 days already and it's still down. Unbelievable!

So let's do this quickly!

The winner of her very own bottle of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate is Rosa of Hello, World!

(or is it Car Driver? Hard to tell since your blog title and blog URL are different!)

I chose Rosa because she said she needed a miracle. Rosa, I can't promise you a miracle but so far my skin looks pretty okay with this midnight concentrate so I really hope it will deliver the same results to you! And you also said you promise to not be so cocky about skincare anymore--which is something we all should also promise ourselves!

Then--because I have TWO bottles of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate--I am giving away the other bottle to Teeyah of Chronicles of Vanity! Why? Well, Kiehl's will be very happy with her post: She wrote about the Midnight Recovery Diaries rules! So from my sponsor's point of view, she earned it!

Congratulations, Rosa and Teeyah! Shoot me an email at frances@topazhorizon.com so we can talk about how to claim your prizes!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 12

There's some improvement from the last report: Now that I've gone back to applying just the prescribed 2 drops on my face, my ginormous pimple has dried up. Pretty quickly, if I may add!

So today is the 12th day since I started using Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. My skin is super soft. Do you want super soft skin, too? Then you can get a chance to win your very own bottle of this concentrate worth P2,880!

Here's what you have to do:
1. Just finish this sentence in a post on your blog: "I want to try Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate because..."
2. Then finish that blog post with this sentence: "I hope I win my very own bottle of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate from Beauty For A Living!"
3. Leave a comment on this post with your post's URL link so I can check if you link to my blog!

That's it! Judging the winner is entirely up to me! But a fun and creative post will definitely help things along for you. Sob stories are welcome, if that's your thing. Flattering me may help, too! Joke, joke, joke. I just feel really fat and heavy now that I'm about to give birth but I'm digressing...

So I'll announce the winner on the very last day of this Midnight Diaries Challenge, which is on July 20! You have 3 days, beauty-zens! Good luck!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 9

It's Day 9 of my Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge and today I have some bad news. I have a huge pimple on my right cheek. Like, giant.

The thing is I don't know if this is because of the concentrate or because I can't sleep well anymore due to my advanced pregnancy (heartburn, back pain, an overall feeling of heaviness, frequent urination, etc).

I asked OK! beauty editor-at-large Nicole delos Angeles about this and she said the oil could be too rich for me. I sheepishly confessed that instead of the prescribed 2 drops for the entire face, I lavish my skin with 4 to even 6 drops! That's how much I love how soft my skin feels now! Nicole just looked at me with exasperation and said I should follow directions!

So, folks, I took a rest from the concentrate last night but will apply again tonight--this time, with only the recommended 2 drops!

And remember to stay tuned to this blog for instructions on how you, too, can have your very own bottle of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate! Just a gentle reminder: Use 2 drops only!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 6

It's been almost a week since I started applying the elixir, Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate, and so far, I like what I feel.

To those who just dropped by this blog, I've agreed to take on the Midnight Recovery Diaries of Kiehl's, which is to sleep well and to apply this oil on my face and neck for 15 days. Unfortunately, due to my schedule and my pregnancy, I can't really sleep that well. But that doesn't mean I don't feel and see any good changes to my skin!

I apply the concentrate on my face, neck and hands. Kiehl's said to just put 2 drops; I like putting 4! I emulsify the oil with my fingers first then when it's nice and warm, I spread it on my face, neck and whatever's left over I rub all over my hands. And now all of those parts mentioned are super supple. I like touching my cheeks and neck and hands now!

Appearance-wise, well, the skin looks very moist, but not oily. I don't know what this elixir is supposed to do actually (whiten? brighten? remove wrinkles? reduce size of pores?) since my skin looks the same, except for the fact that it looks very supple... and young. Well, I guess that's what it's supposed to do! After all, its tag line does say, "One night. Two drops. Younger-looking skin by morning."

And since you're all with me in the middle of this challenge, I am offering one lucky reader the chance to take on the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge, too! Just follow my diaries first--it will be over by next week--and I'll tell you how to get your very own bottle of youth!

 

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 3

Oh, I'm so sleepy now. Must either be the fact that I'm pregnant or the fact that I'm also doing the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge and today, Thursday, is Day 3.

My observations so far:
My skin doesn't look any better but it does feel softer and smoother. My face and neck really feel moist and supple. Best of all, no greasiness. Yep, even though the Midnight Recovery Concentrate is pure oil, my skin is not so oily anymore. How weird is that?! So my skin's texture has definitely improved but when I look in the mirror, I still look the same!

I do have hope that I'll start to see--not just feel--a change at the end of this challenge (15 days, baby!). Actually, 15 days is quite brief. Studies show that it takes about 6-8 weeks for skin cells to renew themselves. So a slow change is best for our skin.

I'll be offering more updates on Day 6. For now, since it's almost midnight, it's time for my beauty sleep. Good night!

La Mer lip balm to the rescue!

I don't know why my husband likes to kiss me because I have the crackliest, peeliest, driest lips in the world! A slight change in the weather does that--from warm sunny outdoors to the frigid office, the humid day to a cold rainy one... That's why I don't use lipstick--it just doesn't look very good on chapped lips! I do have several sticks and pots of lip balms--Chapstick, Burt's Bees--in my purse, on my vanity, in my desk drawer but so far, nothing has really helped.

So when La Mer emailed me to thank me for the post I wrote about their drive to save the oceans and said they will send me any La Mer product as a sign of their appreciation, I immediately said, "I'd like the lip balm please!" Some friends said, "You shoulda asked for the Creme de la Mer!" But, hey, I've heard a ton of good things about the lip balm so I just had to have that!

And so here it is!

Ahh, the La Mer lip balm. I dabbed it on right away and loved how luxurious it felt on my dry chapped lips. I'll tell you how it works in a few days! I truly do hope that this will be the answer to my lip problem!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge: Day 1

So you all know I'm doing this review of the new Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. All I have to do is sleep by midnight, get at least 7 hours of sleep, oh and apply 2-3 drops of the elixir on my face before I nod off. The details of the challenge are here.

So how did I do last night?

Well, I had strawberries and my prenatal milk and also had a nice warm shower before bedtime. Then I put a few drops of the concentrate on my cleansed face. For the purposes of this review, I only used the concentrate and will use just that product at night for the next 15 nights.

This morning, I woke up to... looking okay! No miraculous amazing beautiful skin but I do like the fact that I don't look greasy. The concentrate, you see, is oil, and I was worried that my already oily skin will get even greasier. But the 3 drops I spread all over my face and neck were quickly absorbed and I didn't react negatively to the oil (meaning, no breakouts!) so... So far, so good!

Will update again on the third day!

I'm taking on Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Challenge

Sheena Dy of Kiehl's sent over this beautiful blue bottle of magic, the Midnight Recovery Concentrate. The label says that it's a "replenishing elixir of pure essential oils and distilled botanicals to visibly restore the appearance of skin by morning."

Sheena then invited me to take part in the "Midnight Recovery Diaries Challenge." Here's what I have to do:
1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.
2. Drink soothing beverages like herbal infusions or milk before bedtime.
3. Avoid exercise near sleepy time.
4. In the afternoon and early evening, stay away from stimulants like coffee, green tea and colas.
5. Enjoy relaxing activities, like a warm bath, before going to sleep.
6. Shut the TV off when you're ready to sleep.
7. Curb your alcohol consumption.

Actually, Forever 21 opened today!

Hmm, this Forever 21 store sure is getting a ton of mileage from me! I hope you're liking the updates!

So I just came from the VIP launch earlier today. This is the view of the shoppers milling about:

And this is the view of the cashier's area. Madness!

This is me (Kamiseta dress, Fino bag):

Forever 21 opens in Megamall tomorrow! - Part 2: The Shoes! The Bags!

So you know that Forever 21 is finally opening here in Manila. When I was invited last week for a sneak peek, I totally couldn't believe the price points--so super duper affordable! I am seriously afraid for other shops like Topshop, Aldo, Charles & Keith, Maldita, Kamiseta, etc!

Behold, every fashionista's heaven--a wall of shoes!

 

I like these nude peep-toes best. 

Forever 21 opens in Megamall tomorrow! - Part 1: The Accessories

I'm sure you already know the exciting news that's reverberating with sensible fashionistas in Manila. Forever 21, the giant Los Angeles fashion brand, is opening tomorrow at SM Megamall! Pinoy fashion blogs have already trilled to the news and I was one of those lucky bloggers invited to have a sneak peek last week.

The store is beyond huge. Since I'm pregnant, I didn't really go around looking at the cute dresses because I know I'm just going to get frustrated. So I checked out accessories instead! And boy, oh boy, what a buffet!

Bowls of bangles