Step 1: Follow The Diplomatic Wife on Facebook and share this contest post on your status.
Step 2: Share with us one of your beauty secrets for great SKIN or HAIR in the comment section below. (The effects of which will be enhanced by using Aquasana shower filter of course!) Since it is a “beauty secret,” it shouldn’t be general knowledge or common sense ha! Sample beauty secret entry below.
My beauty secret for really dry skin is (Galderma) UREA lotion. Its super cheap from Mercury Drugstore and it does wonders for dry skin. I first found out about it from my Dermatologist Dra. Gina Pastorfide. I told her that the skin on the sides of my toenails get thicker and thicker because the manicurist cuts them. She told me to use UREA lotion and massage to this area after every bath. This lotion is amazing and you can feel the effects immediately. It beats all the other expensive branded lotions and body oils I’ve tried!
Two simple steps (you must do BOTH to qualify) and you’ll have a chance to experience what it feels like to bathe in spring water everyday! Now isn’t that the ultimate luxury and beauty treat?!?
- Subscription and commenting period is from November 14 to 21, 2011.
- Duplicate comments are not allowed.
- This contest is open to anyone with a Philippine address.
- OC Mom and I will decide on the best answer to be announced on November 24.
- Free delivery to the address of the contest winner. Installation is free within Metro Manila.
Ready! Set? Comment!!!
I have very little time to spend on my appearance in the morning. With 2 school aged kids, I need to be able to fix myself up in 10 minutes or less. Luckily, I have straight and easy to manage hair so I just towel dry it and let it be. As for my skin, I used to be ok with just regular tinted moisturizer with spf. However, the late 30’s has reared its ugly head (haha!) and I find myself missing the “radiant” skin of my youth. To remedy that and to keep coverage to a minimum (I don’t like slathering on foundation on a daily basis), I mix my everyday tinted moisturizer (I use anything- Ponds, Laura Mercier, Youngblood, you name it!) with a bit of luminizing lotion (I love Red Earth’s Secret Potion but sadly it’s been discontinued) and I apply it on my face as I would apply foundation. Voila! Sunscreen, Coverage and a little “something, something” to give me a faux-glow 🙂 I set my face with translucent powder afterwards to minimize the shine.
Love it!!! SPF is super important at any age and I totally wish I started wearing it daily earlier! Thanks for the tips!!! And you definitely have that glow in your pics!!
My beauty secret is that I use home-made organic soap on my face. My fiance’s mom is a chemist and she makes organic soaps that can cater to any type of skin problem. She doesn’t put any type of chemicals in the soap which mean that even after it goes down the drain, the residue does not harm the environment. Ever since I started using it, I;ve had less break-outs and rashes on my face (I have very sensitive skin, like Diplo-Wife). But honestly, it doesn’t remove the deep-seeded dirt in my pores so I use Keihl’s Blue Astringent Facial Lotion every night before going to bed, and I wake up with my skin feeling young, taut and fresh!
Wow! That’s amazing. Where does your aunt sell this organic soap?!? Thanks for joining the contest sweety!
Hmmm… you know me I’m the “wash and wear” type of girl. But here are things I have done over the years to take care of my skin:
1) Start young! You just can’t turn back time. Once the acne started to appear, my mom had the good sense to bring me to a credible dermatologist. You have to be wary too – your skin should just be touched by a licensed derma and not just anyone in the spa who does the facials.
2) Have a basic care routine – it has to be something that you can commit to on a daily basis. I am practical and my goal is efficiency so I keep it to a minimum: wash, moisturize and don’t forget the SPF every morning. Besides, if you put too much on your skin, it will get irritated (especially for my sensitive skin type!). And have your products approved by your trusted derma.
3) Aim to live a life of balance and alignment with your values and deepest desires! If you are stressed, it will show. If you are in a bad relationship, it will show! If you are caught up with bad vice, it will show! If you are happy, you will glow! 🙂
Awwww… malalim ka talaga Ta. Loveit!!! Thanks for joining!!!
I make sure to take away all traces of makeup before I go to sleep, even if I go home at the wee hours of the morning. 🙂 One thing I use to take away the makeup is Human Heart Nature’s Sunflower Oil. It is able to remove even the most stubborn mascara or eyeliner. Not only that, it can also be used for other purposes like moisturizing my skin (like body oil), whitening the parts of the body I want to whiten like my knees and elbows (and any other part you can think of!), smoothen hair, etc!
Wow I’ve never heard of Sunflower Oil… super thanks for sharing your beauty secret and I love that it’s all natural! Will definitely try it out! Thanks for joining Rosey!
I love the galderma urea lotion too!!! I had dry scaly skin before due to stress and a really harsh soap and this lotion did wonders for me. Now for my own beauty secret 🙂 I really swear by the retinol based Pond’s age miracle serum(not the cream) It really works! It make my pores look smaller and prevent pimples. People say I look younger than my actual age…but you need to use this with a high spf sunblock ofcourse. 🙂
How cool! I didn’t realize that Ponds had a retinol serum already! (I use Philosophy’s Help Me hehe) Good to know – as Philosophy products are harder to come by now in the Phils!! Thanks for joining sweety! And happy to note that I’m not the only one using Urea. We are truly beauty junkies! =P
With my busy schedule and the unpredictable weather, traffic everyway exhausts me indeed. But no excuses to rehydrate and pamper my skin. With Etude Moistful Collagen at night helps my skin feel relaxed and young 🙂 However, I believe that no matter how much we put skin care products to maintain healthy skin the most important of it all is a positive outlook in life. This is my # 1 secret to have a youhful skin and body inside and out.
Awwww you have the best outlook in life sweety! When I think of you I always think of your big bright smile! thanks so much for sharing your beauty secret!
Skin Type – Oily/Acne prone
MY SKIN CARE TIPS:
1.Sunblock every day, even on the cloudy days. If you have very oily skin and applying makeup is part of your daily routine then consider purchasing a foundation or tinted moisturiser with SPF. Several brands offer foundations with sun protection in their range. My personal favourite is the powder foundation from Laura Mercier and Aveeno with an SPF 70.
2.Invest in a good gentle cleanser that works for your skin type. There are loads of fantastic cleansers available in the market at all price ranges. I use Cetaphil and own both the gentle and oily cleanser (depending on how my skin is feeling). Remember, resist the temptation over cleanse your skin.
3.Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! It helps improve overall skin complexion and leaves you with an almost instant youthful glow. This should be done anywhere from once a week to every day depending on the scrub you choose to use. My personal favorites are Dermalogica daily microfoliant which is so gently you can literally use it every day and St.Ives Green Tea Scrub which I use once a week for a deeper cleanse.
4.Moisturize your skin daily. Moisturizing skin after washing helps replace the natural oils that may have been stripped from the skin after cleansing. It helps keep skin smooth and soft and its right up there with sunblock and exfoliation as one of the most important steps in fighting off premature wrinkles. At the moment im on the hunt for a new moisturiser (thinking about checking the Dermalogica line).
5.Buy a good gentle makeup remover. Although it is not available locally, I highly recommend checking out Bioderma Solution Micellaire.
Thanks for joining Mariel. I love hearing about brands that are not mainstream and not super expensive. So nice of you to share your beauty secrets!
I think of myself as a bit of a cheapskate but when it comes to skin, I stick to the practical stuff that works, but not necessarily expensive. I’ve grown to love the L’Oreal’s GARNIER line, I’ve never stopped using the products since I first tried them! They’re cheap (available at Watson’s, Mercury drug and the grocery stores). I use the Foam and the Scrub alternately, and use the Toner daily. Their moisturizer with SPF has a bit of a sting but also works wonders. I have relatively dry skin so I stick the yellow line (whitening). The blue one (for oily skin) could get a bit too drying.
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize – I use only Dove as body soap and Aveeno for lotion – everything else leaves my skin scaly and painful even. For the face, I’ve been alternating between Cetaphil and MyraE (yes, they have a moisturizer!). Both seem to work well too!
Drink lots of water! I keep a 600ml bottle on my desk and refill it at least twice. Still trying to develop the habit of finishing a liter of water first thing in the morning. So far it seems that my skin looks brighter because of this.
Exercise! – or do anything that makes you break into a sweat. This gives you a glow that can only come from happy hormones hehe 🙂
Patrish I love your tips! I really wanna be more disciplined about the water first thing in the morning! Thanks for reminding me! Ahahaha! I am currently willing myself to gym while on vacay in Bali hehe! Thanks for joining my giveaway sweety!
Underarm skin whitening is a bit embarrassing topic to discuss, but it can be a major issue for us ladies. So I’ll be sharing some tips that have worked wonders for me.
1) Avoid shaving your UA. The friction caused by the blade going over your skin contributes to it’s darkening. Instead of shaving, I prefer to have my pits waxed. Waxing slows down the growth of hair and also makes the hair more fine when it grows back. But also be careful when waxing, because too many strokes on the same spot can burn your skin, hence lead to darkening. Just remember that the least amount of friction, the better. Now if you have the budget, then best to get an IPL hair removal treatment to eliminate the need to shave or wax altogether.
2) Stop using deodorants/anti-perspirants that contain aluminum chloride, aluminum zirconium ingredient (which most of the deodorant/antiperspirant brands contain) because that may cause the skin to darken. Instead, I use Milcu Underarm Powder. It won’t stop my pits from sweating, but it does a good job of eliminating any odors. On a sweaty day, I would reapply the powder during lunch time or as needed.
These tips done on a regular basis helped my UA skin return to its normal skin tone. I am wary of using whitening creams on my pits because I don’t want to expose my skin to possibly irritating ingredients.
You are making me wanna run over to the bathroom and check the ingredients on my deo! Gosh I’ve never even thought of these things because I am genetically blessed to be without underarm hair… it’s still super helpful to readers out there and I didn’t even realize that there are ingredients in deo that can cause skin to darken. Very useful information! Thanks for sharing sweety! And thanks for joining the contest! =D
My basic regimen, done morning and night, is composed simply of a non-soap cleanser for washing off dirt and make-up residue and a good quality emolient (chosen by trial and error). I’ve discovered that good quality products are not necessarily pricey so I agree with the previous comments that you can definitely use inexpensive products to maintain good, healthy skin. Sun protection, hydration and exercise are ofcourse mainstays in great skin care!
I totally agree! Non-soap cleansers are a definite must since soap can be harsh on your skin. =) Thanks for sharing Lia!
My no nonsense, not so secret secret, is to never go to bed with any trace of makeup on. People often tend to take it for granted but for me, its a biggie. No matter how tired I am, I cleanse my face (with Burt’s Bees Radiance Cleanser), apply good moisturizer, AND drink 2 tall glasses of water. With that, I’m ready to catch some forty winks and wake up looking not too bad at all. During the day, I try to consume more than 8 glasses of water. Not only does it do wonders for your over-all health, your skin gets its much needed hydration especially during sunnier days. And of course, the basics- SPF, regular exfoliation, and getting enough sleep everyday.
I definitely believe you Mia… your skin is always glowing! Thanks so much for the tip! Please don’t forget to share a link to this contest on your Facebook wall and to Like The Diplomatic Wife Facebook page to fully qualify for the contest! Thanks sweety!
I never really the type who’d worry about my skin or my face. I was just thankful pimples never showed up after high school. But when I reached 30, I realized that there really is a need to take good care of your skin and the usual facial soap is not enough. I put on Stieva-A, a tretinoin cream that gives me micro peeling. A day and night moisturizer and tinted sunblock helps a lot too. And being at construction sites at times, I always bring with me facial sprays and wipes.
My beauty secret was first thing in the morning I thank God for the another day that he given to me. I always ask God for his guidance everyday to make my day so positive. Secondly is I wash my face with natural soap such as human nature. I love non chemical soap can’t harm my face. I always drink more than 8 glass of water and I make sure when I go outside I always carry my bottled water. Water can help my skin beautiful and younger. I take a bath 3 times a day. I do use (batong pang hilod). You can say that I am old school. My lola gave that to me and for me it’s effective to took away dirts on skin. Hindi sya masakit kasi yung panghilod ko galing sya sa province so I value it so much.And lastly, I always say to my self that I am beautiful and I can do anything. I’ll give my self more confidence. 🙂
Sunflower oil from human nature is my beauty secret. I use it to moisturize my skin. I am preggy now and I use it as an alternative to expensive stretch mark lotions. I also use this as a make-up remover. This works wonder. You can save money while helping saving our Earth by using this product. It’s natural so it’s safe. I discovered it just this year because I am hesitant to apply so much chemical on my skin since that might affect my baby. So I guess I’ll settle to this one even after giving birth because it’s really convenient and it just works for me.
For my hair, I skip using shampoo when I didn’t sweat much and use only conditioner instead. That way, my hair won’t be stripped of its natural moisture and shine. I love using Human Nature strengthening conditioner in peppermint scent. You know how conditioners have the ability to cause some hair to fall off, this one doesn’t at all! Plus, it’s all natural and made without harmful ingredients. The coolness of peppermint on the scalp is a lovely bonus.
I can’t seem to log into my wp account right now but there are other comments that I am unable to approve right now that have made it before the cutoff point. They will be part of the contest. Will forward them to OC Mom in Manila as soon as I have access to proper Internet in Jakarta . Thanks for your patience!
My beauty tips for extra-gorgeous locks:
Choose shampoo and conditioner suited for the needs and condition of your hair.When shampooing and conditioning your hair,use the shower process to steam out split ends.To do this apply your shampoo as soon as you get in the shower,rinse it and then put your favorite conditioner and leave it in your hair until the end of your shower,this will allow the shower to steam your hair and let the conditioner maximize its effect – this takes no extra time and always do wonders.
For youthful skin:
Cleansing and exfoliating is the most important steps to beautiful skin as dead skin cells makes your skin look ashy that make it look old.There’s so many available body scrubs in the market,take your pick and choose what suits best for your skin.Exfoliate in the shower for a silky smooth ,refreshed,with all the dead skin rinsed away.After cleansing and exfoliating,dont forget to moisturize and ALWAYS use a sunblock with SPF 30(my pick is Obagi-C Sunguard for the face as this is recommended by the Skin Cancer Association plus its the mattiest sunblock you could ever find) or higher to protect your skin from damaging sun UVA rays that cause premature aging and skin cancer.Its best to chose a body lotion that multitask like Vaseline with spf,this way you can save time and money too!
Hi! May I ask how much did the urea lotion set you back? 🙂 The one I found costs 600+ pesos, which seems a tad expensive for 220 ml (although if it will get rid of the roughness, and there isn’t a cheap alternative, I’ll buy na). Thank you! 🙂
Hi Amelie, does it look like this? I think it could possibly be that price by now because the last time I bought in the Philippines was a long time ago. Personally I think it is still quite affordable considering those branded name skin brands or going to a dermatologies. I am assuming we are taking about the body yes? Aside from very good lotion that doesn’t have uneccesary scents and frills, I also make sure to exfoliate well using either natural sponges or brushes (body) or a homemade sugar/salt scrub. Good luck!