If you’ve been reading my blog and newspaper column for a while, you know how #obsessed I am with Korean beauty products. My weakness is no...

What's inside the Althea Korea Super Food Beauty Box?

9:00 AM Joanna C. 0 Comments

If you’ve been reading my blog and newspaper column for a while, you know how #obsessed I am with Korean beauty products. My weakness is not helped by being subscribed to Althea Korea’s e-newsletter and receiving information on all the deals available on its website!

Althea recently launched a series of Beauty Boxes, which are curated bundles of makeup and skin care products at very discounted prices. Unlike most beauty box concepts, these can be bought individually. There’s no need to subscribe for several months. 



One of the latest Beauty Boxes is the Super Food collection, which has eight full-size products by top Korean brands, themed and formulated to nourish the skin (observe the MAC lipstick for scale!). 

Here are the yummy contents:


Missha Juicy Farm Very Berry Blueberry shower gel, 300ml, smells as good as it sounds. It contains blueberry (surprise!), grape, beet and fig for mild cleansing and moisturizing.



Calmia Oatmeal Therapy cleansing foam, 150ml, is safe for gentle daily exfoliation and unclogging of pores.


Half Moon Eyes Milky Jelly toning essence, 180ml, is a triple-action toner, booster and essence in one. The combination of fig and silica powder is meant to refine, balance and hydrate all skin types.


Innisfree Green Tea moisture essence, 50ml, is a concentrated essence recommended to make even dry skin dewy by locking in moisture. Green tea’s antioxidant properties will help refine pores and brighten the complexion.


Cool Cool Mon anti-aging sleeping mask, 100ml. This green caviar sleeping mask is meant to be worn overnight so that skin-healing ingredients can relieve the skin while you sleep. The regular price of this mask is P1,500 per tub!


B&Soap Fun Block shampoo bar, 100g, contains coconut to strengthen and shine the hair while cleansing. I’m curious about this because I’ve never tried a shampoo bar before.


Skinfood Avocado and Sugar lip scrub, 14g, comes in cute avocado-shaped packaging. Keep lips soft and smooth while being moisturized by this gentle scrub.

Blackberry and Bay Nine Point body mist, 100ml, is a very mildly scented spray for both face and body. I am not sure if it’s meant to be used like a facial mist or it’s more like a spray moisturizer; will share later on when I’ve had a chance to test it.

Bought separately, these products cost P5,790. With the Super Food box, you get all of these products together for only P1,610. There’s enough stuff in there to finish off your Christmas shopping list and still have something left over for yourself, without severely denting your wallet.

Boxes are available until supplies last. Althea’s Beauty Boxes are such a good deal, they sell out very quickly. In case you missed this one, don't worry; there are new ones coming every few weeks! 

Visit ph.althea.kr and get free shipping straight to your door for a minimum spend of P999, no visit to the post office necessary.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored advertisement. These products were sent to me for consideration by Althea Korea, but I was not paid to endorse their products or services. A version of this post first appeared in Sun.Star Cebu on December 2, 2016.

I didn't do a lot of shopping in Europe because most of my money went to tickets for museums and attractions (and gelato). But of course...

Review and swatches: H&M Beauty Colour Essence Eye Pencils

5:44 PM Joanna C. 0 Comments

I didn't do a lot of shopping in Europe because most of my money went to tickets for museums and attractions (and gelato). But of course, I couldn't resist picking up a few things, especially from H&M Beauty. We have a few tools from the line in Cebu, but none yet of the cosmetics themselves, so I got quite a rush seeing the displays that took up one pretty big section in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter.

I have the Colour Essence eye pencils in Terroir and Over the Taupe, which come individually boxed.



H&M Beauty Colour Essence eye pencils in Terroir (top) and Over the Taupe (bottom)


The tip of these pencils is like the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners - not thick like a jumbo pencil, and not thin like a micro liner. Just right for quick and easy use.

Swatches: Over the Taupe, Terroir

Over the Taupe is a shimmery, cool-toned dark gray with a hint of brown (a true taupe). Terroir is a matte dark brown, almost black pencil. 

I bought Over the Taupe first to test out; I didn't want to hoard them yet without knowing how good they were. I loved it so much that I had to get another. They're so, SO smooth and creamy. Over the Taupe lasted well over 12 hours without smudging. While both are budge-proof after setting, Terroir doesn't have quite as strong staying power as Over the Taupe, which I found surprising since mattes usually adhere better in general. The pencils are quite soft and can be blended out before setting if you want a softer look, or to use them as an eye base.

After rubbing 

These are how they look after rubbing, but you don't need to worry about Terroir coming off like this unless you're one to rub your eyes - which you shouldn't!

These could be the perfect eyeliner for me except for one caveat - they don't fit regular pencil sharpeners. I tried Over the Taupe on my Wet n Wild sharpener and my Urban Decay sharpener, and it just doesn't sharpen properly. I unfortunately kind of ruined the tip with this struggle, so I'm having to use an eyeliner brush to apply the product. 

Another thing about this product, but not as a big deal for me as the sharpener issue, is the shade range. There's a black one, a purple one, some green ones and some bronze ones, but I think it would have been good to offer different shades or finishes of brown instead of several green ones. The other liner colors are also quite light, which would serve better for brightening than definition.

I bought these eye pencils for 4.99 Euros each, which I think is an amazing price for the quality and packaging of these pencils. Normally for cheap pencils, you don't get a box anymore, but these even have gold print on them. Take note that not all H&M stores offer H&M Beauty, so better just grab them if you see them to avoid regretting it later!

Cebu seems to be on a roll lately with some of the biggest makeup brands opening standalone boutiques at SM Seaside City.  MAC has been open...

MAC Cosmetics at SM Seaside City Cebu

4:28 PM Joanna C. 0 Comments

Cebu seems to be on a roll lately with some of the biggest makeup brands opening standalone boutiques at SM Seaside City. MAC has been open at Rustan's department store in Ayala Center Cebu for years now, but it's exploded from a counter to a full-blown boutique at Seaside.







There are four lighted vanities so that more people can enjoy their shopping and testing experience. I myself have spent a good half hour before just choosing one lipstick, so having more well-lit testing areas is great for those who want to take their time choosing and comparing shades.


Fresh drops or limited edition collections are placed towards the front and middle counters of the store, so you can immediately see what's new.


There's plenty of stock of everything, so there's no more fear of running out of Fix Plus or Studio Fix foundation in your shade.



The store is just chock full of products! Any makeup junkie knows how many products MAC offers, and each of those in all colors of the rainbow. For lipstick, lip gloss and eyeshadow, they literally have hundreds of shades!





Products get plenty of display space so that it's easier to find what you need...higher visibility also means higher chances of temptation. "What else don't I own here..."






Visit the MAC boutique at the upper ground floor of SM Seaside City Cebu. Credits to Ezekiel Sollano via Zee Lifestyle magazine for the photography in this post.


At long last, Cebuana Benebabes can easily stock up on Rockateur, Porefessional and other bestsellers from Benefit Cosmetics from its first ...

Benefit Cosmetics at SM Seaside City Cebu

2:26 PM Joanna C. 0 Comments

At long last, Cebuana Benebabes can easily stock up on Rockateur, Porefessional and other bestsellers from Benefit Cosmetics from its first store in Cebu at SM Seaside City. I've loved Benefit for years, so finally having our own store here seems surreal!






The Benefit store in SM Seaside is one of only three in the world so far with this new look. Check out the giant bottle of Benetint! Wouldn't we all love a lifetime supply of lip and cheek tint?




Sample sizes are available for those who want to try the products without committing to the full size (and full price) just yet.


It's an entire world of difference being able to test the products in store instead of just shopping online. The fun, girly colors and the store set up really encourage you to spend as much time as you want testing out the products before deciding which one to take home.



Brow products galore! Benefit launched ten new brow products just this year with six different shades for the colored items. Research and development for the new brow products took three years! The store even has a brow bar where you can have your eyebrows threaded, groomed, and beautified to perfection.


Shine is always an issue with the heat and humidity in Cebu. The Porefessional line helps with reducing pores, extending the life of your makeup, and easy touch-ups on the go.




Check out Benefit Cosmetics at the upper ground floor of SM Seaside City. You can be sure I was a tad naughty during the store opening and did a little haul! Currently testing these products, so I'll have some reviews up in the next few weeks!

One of my favorite sites to shop for beauty has just turned a year old!  Althea Korea has a bunch of birthday promos starting today. If you...

#AltheaTurns1 birthday celebration promos

8:17 PM Joanna C. 0 Comments

One of my favorite sites to shop for beauty has just turned a year old! Althea Korea has a bunch of birthday promos starting today. If you haven't tried shopping on Althea yet, read here about why I'm a die-hard customer of the site.




Start the party with this limited edition birthday box complete with a party hat and party balloon inside - all the better to greet Althea a Happy Birthday with! For orders placed from July 20 onwards, while stocks last.




Be one of the first 1,500 shoppers from today onwards and get free beauty products - and they're not talking tiny samples either, but full size goodies! While stocks last, so better check it out soon before they're all gone.




Pick three best-selling products and get a 100% rebate. Do check the fine print for this one, as terms and conditions apply.



Once you do get your limited edition birthday kit, join the #AltheaTurns1 contest on Instagram. They're giving away 10 million Korean Won worth of prizes, including a Macbook Air, iPad Air 2, Galaxy S6 Edge, store credit, beauty hampers and more. Contest runs from today until August 15, so go go go.

Happy K-beauty shopping on Althea Korea, everyone!
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