Elemente Beauty Discovery Weekend

Just wanna share some of the photos of the recent Elemente Beauty Discovery Weekend I conducted and organized last September 18, 2009.

This is an exclusive invitational event.

Some of the giveaways


The setup

Some of the ladies who dared to try Elemente products.


My favorite! Johan's traincase and chair.

Some consummables...

Some of Elemente products including the latest Lavender Essence.


Me & Makeup Artist Johan Perez doing rounds...

Johan doing a smokey eye look on Maricel.


Me & Johan after the first batch of workshop.

Coming Soon: Shu Uemura's Red:Juvenus Line Review

WATCH OUT!!!

Jurlique’s Embrace Graceful Ageing Workshop at Marionnaud

I got a text from Marionnaud last week and since I was on leave last October 16 (Friday), I decided to drop by Marionnaud in SM Mall of Asia to attend the Jurlique’s Embrace Graceful Ageing Workshop. I was one of the earliest who came in so while waiting, the staff of Jurlique gave me a very relaxing 20 minute facial. During this facial, the staff talked about a little background about the Jurlique products.


Jurlique is an Australian brand that creates skin care products out of organically grown ingredients using Biodynamic farming. Their products are quite expensive, but because of its ingredients, the price is worth it.Photo Credit: www.jurlique.com.au

Even before this workshop, I was able to try Jurlique’s Lavender Hydrating Mist in Greenbelt 5. I love this mist as it is not only very refreshing but the scent is very uplifting as well. Not to mention the fact that I am a big fan of all things lavender. It has hydrating properties so I can use it as a toner cum moisturizer. It can also set makeup just like Evian Facial Mist. The only con I can see with this product is its bottle because it looks heavy and fragile.

Photo Credit: www.jurlique.com.au


Another stuff I love in Jurlique’s product line-up is their Citrus Silk Finishing Powder. After the express facial they did on me, the staff put this powder to set everything. The workshop started at 2pm and I went home at around 8pm. Still, I didn’t see any shine on my face, even on my stubborn T-zone. So this gets a thumps up from me! The powder is super fine that it looks almost similar to Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Powder (which I’ve been lemming to have). The finish is very true to its name, so silky.


Photo Credit: www.jurlique.com.au


After the workshop, I was given a loot bag with three sample sachets of other Jurlique products: Balancing Day Cream, Balancing Foaming Cleanser and Rose Hand Cream. Of the three, I was only able to try the Balancing Day Cream yet. I’ll post a review of the other two products soon.
Jurlique’s Balancing Day Cream has a very thick, creamy consistency. It indeed hydrates your skin. Although in the mid-afternoon, I feel that my T-zone is starting to get some sheen on it. So if you are oily, this one is not for you. I think this one is for people with normal and combination skin types. The scent though is very nice and sweet. It reminds me of The Body Shop’s Shea Body Butter. It also brightened my face that I have to put more in my neck so as not to make my décolletage look darker. For me, even though it’s a Day Cream, I’d rather use this at night to soothe my skin and replenish its lost moisture during the day.

Photo Credit: www.jurlique.com.au


The Jurlique people was generous enough that they even entitled every participant to a hand massage. There, I was able to try the Lavender Hand Cream. I love love love lavender. It made my hand soft and smooth without feeling greasy. This one adds up to my list of favorite Jurlique products.
With this, I was able to justify why their products are a bit expensive as their products are of good quality and deliver nice results.

Clinique 3-Step Skin Care

I was one of the lucky Cosmo October 2009 readers who was given a chance to try Clinique’s 3-Step skin care. I went on the Clinique counter in Rustan’s Makati and one of the SA’s there asked a few questions to determine my skin type. Surprisingly, she concluded that I have Dry Combination skin. All the while I thought my skin is combination, but more on the oily side. I was surprised that I have Dry Combination skin. Clinique’s definition of Dry Combination skin is that skin that’s oily on the T-zone and uncomfortably dry on the cheeks. Well, that’s my skin, so I guess the SA is right.

So the product sample she gave me was based on her conclusion that I have Skin Type 2, Dry Combination. She gave me three sample vials. One is a mild liquid facial soap, another is the Clarifying Lotion 2 and one vial of Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. The sample is good for a week or two. After about ten days of using the samples, here is my review on Clinique 3-Step Skin Care for Skin Type 2 or Dry Combination.

Step 1: Cleanse

Liquid Facial Soap – the SA said that if I always wear makeup, I should use a separate makeup remover. Well, she’s right, because this cleanser is a very mild cleanser. If you are the type of person who always wears mascara or eyeshadow, better take it off with your makeup remover because this cleanser is not designed to take those off. It also cleans your skin without depriving it of moisture. After washing my face, it feels clean but hydrated enough as well. Bottom line, after washing my face with this one, my skin doesn’t feel any tightness at all.

Step 2: Exfoliate

Clarifying Lotion 2 – I love this toner as it again, does not overdry my skin. It is very refreshing as it has a cooling effect when applied to skin. I haven’t checked its actual ingredients but I can smell Witch Hazel which makes me believe it can help healing my occasional breakouts. And It did. When I used this toner, I have two zits on my forehead and on my chin and it dried up quickly. I know somehow that the toner helped.

Step 3: Moisturize

Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion – I am not a big fan of cream moisturizers, my readers know that. But this moisturizer dramatically changed the way I looked at cream moisturizers. It is not oil-free yet I am comfortable using this even at day time. It just delivers the right amount of moisture my thirsty skin needs. Though I am ok to use it at day time, I specifically use this at night because I use a tinted moisturizer when I am at work. It didn’t give me breakouts unike the other cream moisturizers I tried. I even tried to use it as a hand cream and it is perfect as well. If I am sold at this moisturizer, I wonder how good its Dramatically Different Moisturizer Gel sister is? Given a chance to try the gel version, I would be more than willing to use and give a review about it. As I adore gel moisturizers to the highest level!

Elemente USA Lavender Silky Facial Lotion

I am so lucky I am working in a company where I learn a lot of things about health, wellness and beauty. Lucky because I was able to try new products even before it reaches the Philippine market. For more than a year now, I am handling Elemente USA line, a skin care and cosmetics brand under E. Excel International. And honestly, I am loving the products, bias aside. I am not reviewing these products for my company’s sake. But I am doing this because I am satisfied with the results of the products and the benefits it gives to me, especially to my skin.

Since I know that very few ones know about this line, I might as well give a background on Elemente USA. Elemente USA as I have said, is a skin care and cosmetics line under the E.Excel International umbrella. E. Excel is originally a manufacturer of nutritionally superior herbal foods. All its products are manufactured upon the principles of what we call “Nutritional Immunology”. It is the relationship of the food we eat to our immune system. Its founder, Dr. Jau Fei Chen later ventured into skin care and cosmetic products that still embody the whole Nutritional Immunology principles. Thus, the birth of Elemente USA. All Elemente USA products contains Oxyginberry Complex, a patented ingredient that works in synergy to maintain a healthy, glowing skin. Oxyginberry Complex is composed of six potent ingredients:

Ginseng Berry. When applied topically, it helps increase hydration and elasticity of the skin while delaying signs of premature aging.

Cactus Fruit. An excellent source of skin nourishing nutrients such as riboflavin, vitamin A, B1, D3 and B12. Also plays a significant role in promoting cell repair and renewal.

Cactus. Known to have detoxifying and anti-inflammatory properties, which speeds up wound healing and improves the appearance of scars. When applied to the skin, it acts as a moisturizer and helps prevent water loss from the stratum corneum layer of the skin.

Grape Seed. A potent source of OPC (oligomeric proanthocyanidin), a very strong antioxidant that has 20 times more antioxidant activity than Vitamin C and has 50 times more antioxidant activity than Vitamin E. It is very effective in protecting cells against DNA damage.

Rose. Enhances beauty by lightening pigmentation for a smoother, fairer complexion. It also has high concentration of antioxidants and nutrients such as ascorbic acid, niacin, flavonoids and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, E & K. It also contains 50 times more vitamin C than lemon, which enhances the body’s ability to produce collagen.

Seaweed has amazing skin rejuvenation properties and has the ability to help increase the production of integrin, a protein that helps in cell regeneration, skin repair, skin elasticity and firmness. It acts as an emollient by restoring moisture to the skin. It also has fucoidan, which promotes better blood circulation and excretion of toxins from
the skin. Its molecular weight is extremely small, which enables the nutrients to penetrate the skin easily.


I will discuss more of Oxyginberry Complex in my next posts. I do not want to put all of you into info-overload mode.

This year, Elemente USA launches another interesting series, The Lavender Essentials Series launched at SMX Convention Center last October 10, 2009. The line is composed of Lavender Essence, Lavender Essence Shower Gel, Lavender Silky Facial Lotion and Lavender Body Treatment Lotion. Again, I do not want to put all of you into info-overload mode, so I will discuss my most favorite product for the meantime – Lavender Silky Facial Lotion.

According to the official description I got from the international office, Lavender Silky Facial Lotion is formulated for delicate skin. It is rich in natural botanical essences and lavender essences to soothe the skin. Its lightweight texture makes it especially refreshing to apply in hot weather. Suitable for all skin types and loved by both men and women.
I fell in-love immediately with this product when my boss let me try it for the first time. It is dry-touch, and has smooth, silky finish. The scent is very uplifting as I love Lavender scents. It is ok to use even if you have oily skin. It works as a base for your makeup or you can set it with powder for that fresh no make-up look. I love using this when I want my skin to rest from all the hazardous makeups I’ve been using during workdays. The only con I see with this product is that it does not have SPF content. So I still use Elemente USA’s Hydro Protective Sunscreen with SPF 30 or the sunblock gel I got from my derma before this one if I am about to go outdoors. Also, if you have dry skin, better use a separate moisturizer prior to using this one. It also brightens your skin instantly as its molecular weight is so tiny that it can penetrate your skin immediately, thus giving visible results.
Watch out for my reviews on the other Elemente products. I am having a hard time choosing which one to write about next because I love most of them. Again, bias aside. I just write those products that I really use and love.