It took me a while to review these products (approximately 6 months since I got these) because I wanted to be sure of their effectivity. I don't like giving negative reviews because I always try to steer clear of negativity and I want to dwell in a cloud of optimism. I find that I am happier this way. But that's a different story.

For the sake of informing my readers and providing objective reviews, this post will be a combined review of (whitening) lotions I've tried over the past few months. I got the Vaseline Healthy White SPF30 PA++ Serum and the SkinWhite Advanced Whitening Lotion PowerWhitening SPF20 from Sample Room and the Avon Skin So Soft (soft & white) Glutathione hand and body lotion from my local Avon shop. So let's get straight to the point... Did they work as promised?


Nope. NOT FOR ME. You might say that I may not have tested it long enough but you know why? All because of this...


THAT IS WHY. Well, what is it, you ask? TBH, I don't know. I'm not a doctor nor am I a science expert so I can't diagnose it. But I will tell you that whenever I use of any of these lotions, I get the same super itchy reaction on the area where I put the lotions on. I thought at first that I had some skin reaction to something I ate. When I don't wear lotion (especially when I'm not going anywhere) my skin is just fine. I started to suspect the lotions were making my skin react so I stopped using these lotions altogether sometime in April when I underwent skin peeling.  But when I tried using them once more (sayang naman there's still a lot, you know!) around mid May, I had these skin reactions all over again.


And then my mom handed me this Neosporin Eczema Essentials Daily Moisturizing Cream to alleviate my skin condition but it only seemed to make it worse. It's supposed to relieve dry and itchy skin but it just doesn't work.


But when I use other lotions, such as my favorite Gluta-C Intense Whitening Lotion or my Bath & Body Works Signature Collection Sweet Pea triple moisture body cream (not a whitening lotion!), my skin is perfectly fine. I use these two interchangeably now depending on the weather or where I'm going. I never experience any redness or itchiness with both.

However, with Vaseline, SkinWhite, and Avon as well as the Neosporin I get skin reactions that eventually goes away after 24-48 hours or as soon as I take a real good shower (by good shower I mean, I scrub the hell off my skin and exfoliate!).  I wanted to do a last experiment so this week I used them again to give them one last chance. But I am so disappointed that they all gave me the same issue.


It recently occurred to me to check the ingredients so that's exactly what I did... and lo and behold! I think I found the culprit! So what's the common denominator of these 4 lotions?

Click to see larger photo.

I have a sneakin' suspicion that it's the dimethicone that's making my skin react and shit. It could be just that but, hey, this is just my suspicion really and no scientific method has been undertaken nor lab analysis has been made. Dimethicones are supposed to be key ingredients for anti-itch relief but why then am I scratching like there's no tomorrow? But then it could also be the ethylhexyl churvabells, niacinamide, PEG-100 stearate, phenoxyethanol, potassium hydroxide, xanthan gum, disodium EDTA, or mineral oil, although what do I know, right? Except that I do know for sure that some people get allergic reactions from makeup and cosmetics with dimethicone. Anyways, I think I'll just avoid any lotions containing that or if I find another lotion with that particular ingredient, I'll try it and see if there's any adverse reaction and then I can confirm that is indeed the stinger.
 

Comparing it to the other two lotions that I'm okay with, they both don't have dimethicone nor the other ingredients which I highlighted orange and yellow on the charts above. So apparently, that's what made me draw my conclusion. I strongly believe I could be allergic to those ingredients.

Do I recommend these lotions? 

Well, what can I say? I'm sorry that I am just one unfortunate person with skin that do not agree with the Vaseline, SkinWhite, and Avon lotions. If you don't have skin allergies, you can give it a try but if you have sensitive skin, I think you'd be better off looking elsewhere. Don't forget to check the ingredients of the product if you can. Save yourself the hassle and money.

On the other hand, I do recommend getting the Bath & Body Works lotion if you want to skip wearing perfume because the scent can be overpowering (though I wonder why fragrance is not in their list of ingredients when obviously it's there). I also recommend the Gluta-C Intense Whitening lotion because I've been using this for a year now and so far, it's one of the best lotions I've tried.

I'll update this post once I try other lotions so I could compare it further. That's all for now. Thanks for reading this blog post and come back soon for more beauty and product reviews.




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There are just too many maxims about love and if I write them all down, it's going to be like a post-Valentine hangover. So let me spare everyone the agony and get straight to the point. What is the recipe for true love? I have a recipe I'd like to share. A real recipe... for TRUE LOVE.

Allow me to say state this all too familiar proverb: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. / The shortest road to men's hearts is down their throats. Agree?

Based on my experience, it is in fact a big bonus to be able to cook a decent, if not a totally orgasmic, food for your boyfriend or husband. Even with watching Japanese anime over the years, I have observed that schoolgirls often give their bento boxes to the boys they like. (And you gotta hand it to them because making sushi for me is quite a feat!)

I can, however, manage to cook up a storm when I feel like it and/or when there's a special occasion. This year's Valentine's Day was no exception. Instead of going out to dinner and falling into a cunning capitalist scheme or a Hallmark ploy, I decided to try something... in the kitchen.

Enter the ingredients.
American beef ribs for true love! Is that my idea of a sweet, romantic Valentines Day surprise? Well, for one, ribs are especially tasty. I love eating barbecued baby back ribs. (Who doesn't?) And second of all, if you've read the Bible or paid attention at least to one of your early religion classes in primary school, you do realize that in Genesis 2:21, we read that God takes one of Adam's ribs then  uses it to create Eve. (Okay, for the sake of Valentine's Day, let's not argue about that and just let it be.) RIBS = ADAM + EVE = LOVE. 'Nuff said.

Moving on... since I have no time to smoke some ribs nor an oven to cook a standard ribs recipe, I improvised with the use of a microwave. Perhaps when I'm older, more mature, and have become a full-pledged housewife I might consider investing in a real nice and expensive La Germania Americana stainless-steel cooker.


For now, my small and trusty microwave oven will have to do. The main ingredient I should say with this easy little recipe of mine is TO COOK WITH LOVE. The first trick I learned about cooking food is to use your hands... and second and most important of all is to cook with passion, thereby putting all the love you have to give on the food you are cooking. Sounds simple, right? It is! Trust me. And people will be able to taste that love in the food you just made. Just ask my husband. Tee hee.




For the success of this particular recipe, I have HEINZ Tomato Ketchup to thank for. Heinz claims to have the best taste for a tomato ketchup because it is sweet and spicy, intense, and concentrated. If you have not tried Heinz tomato ketchup, you have missed 1/2 of your life! There is no other tomato ketchup that gives that fullest tomato flavor with a perfect blend of spices.


Some people argue whether tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. It is, however, stated that a tomato is technically the fruit of the tomato plant but often we use it as a vegetable in cooking. Kind of a win-win situation for me. I got my GLOW food right thurr! Fruit and vegetable, all rolled into one! But that's just me.

Anyway, Heinz definitely has that taste of 100% real tomatoes. Just like love, sometimes it can be sweet and sometimes sour... but with the right blend, then it's TRUE LOVE! It is important that in loving someone you have to be like a HEINZ tomato ketchup -- completely free from artificial preservatives, colors, flavors and thickener! Just real, authentic, unconditional love. The PERFECT INGREDIENT if you ask me.

With our lives together just beginning, we do have such great inspirations looking at the love and lives of our parents, what they've been through, and how important it is to stay together as vowed -- to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part.

*SIGH*  True love doesn't have a happy ending... simply because it doesn't end. :)

And the product of the love we made and the love we have for each other... presenting our baby love.


Be in love with love. Always. 

How was your Valentine's Day this year?

xoxo,