A sunny Sunday to us all!
It's been sweltering hot these past few days with unpredictable rain showers and downpours. The pattern that we have grown up to have changed: There are rains on summer months and the icy biting cold is missed during holiday seasons. Climate change and global warming, you say. In my heart, I feel that Mother Earth will stay no matter what; but we, human creations, will eventually lose our home if we do not know how to take care of it.
This brings us to all the "organic" and "environment-friendly" fads which have been filling in the beauty counters lately. Have they forgotten the sunblock? By any chance, are there Philippine brands joining in?
No and Yes.
Sunblocks are quite expensive, especially if they are the ones that really work. What more if they claim to be organic? When I saw this Snoe sunblock made of Singkamas with an affordable price tag, I got curious and decided to give it a try. This is from a Philippine brand after all, and it costs under 500 pesos!
Singkamas in a sunblock? --- very Filipino indeed plus it claims to give SPF 45 protection, just right for someone with my kind of activities: commute to the office, client meetings and occasional lunch-outs.
Singkamas or Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) is actually the Mexican potato and is also widely available in the Philippines. We eat it for snack, usually with salt; it is not filling or sweet but it has that refreshing juicy taste. It has brown skin (much like a potato, only thicker) and when peeled away reveals the "Snow White" inner core. When Filipinos compliment you on your "Singkamas" skin, they are actually referring to the perfect whiteness and smoothness of this tuber.
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| Singkamas tubers Credits to teejaytrivia.blogspot.com |
First impressions: I found Snoe's formulation really thick and I think this is best fitted as face sunblocks so I initially used it on my face. As always, I'm quite picky with what I put on my face. When I felt those "little bumps" after using it for days, I decided to stop using the sunblock on my face and apply it on the body instead.
But it's too thick!!! What to do?
I mixed it with the perfect lotion, Human Heart Nature's Healthy Lotion in Vanilla Delight, and voila --- a moisturizer + sunblock which I can easily apply to the whole body. The estimated ratio is about 1:3 (Snoe : Human Nature) --- but if you decide to give this a try, the ratio is up to your preference =) Please read on.
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| Left - Human Heart Nature Lotion The label says: Rich in antioxidants and paraben-free, 100% no harmful chemicals Size: 6.26 fl. oz (200 mL) Where bought: The Landmark Makati, Ayala Center, Makati City Price: Php 199.75 Right: Snoe Here Comes the Sunblock The label says: Sun lotion with Singkamas and Arbutin, Instant Rosy White Perfection Size: Not indicated (about 100 mL) Where bought: The Landmark Makati, Ayala Center, Makati City Price: Php 249 |
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| The consistency: Which one runs faster? Hehe |
Please note that the bottle (left, above) of Human Heart Nature Healthy Lotion contains already the mixed version: the lotion mixed with the Snoe sunblock. The pure Healthy Lotion is much more runny than this (left, above). I consider this Healthy Lotion as my perfect match because I love the smell of vanilla --- it reminds me of the plain and unadulterated ;).
Snoe, (right, above) is that thick and rich. It didn't budge considering that it took me at least five trial clicks before I got to this shot.
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| Drawing the line |
I drew a red lipstick line ;) between the two and worked in the mixed version (left, above) and pure Snoe (right, above). The pure Snoe sunblock resulted in "whiter" skin (true to its "instant rosy white" promise) while the mixed version kept it natural (please excuse the little streaks left; they should be gone after one more rub :). I prefer the latter and I am quite happy with how much easier it was to apply. With the pure Snoe, I had to take out portions of the thick cream and do some more blending to avoid the crease marks and achieve a smooth finish.
Gentle reminders:
- Since the products all tend to settle at the bottom, make sure to shake the bottle really well before use.
- These are organic products and have their respective expiration dates. Just check that these dates make sense before you mix them. Consume them before the earliest expiry date to be on the safe side.
My take-away: The over-the-counter, off-the-shelf versions may not perfectly work at first. It's only because we are all different and have unique needs.
As in life, we should patiently mix and match, go through trials and errors, and break through some standards or norms until we find THE perfect combination.
Ciao!
Disclaimer: I am not a beauty blogger. I do not recommend or rate products per se. I only share my experiences while using them and the whole thought process behind getting, using, falling in love or hating the product. I leave the beauty blogging to the experts; in fact, I go back to their reviews from time to time though I may not necessarily agree with all of these --- What's good for her may not be necessarily good for me. I am a confessed novice in every way --- I only try to view each experience with "new eyes" and reflect some more on how beauty can be a gift that should be experienced rather than seen. So don't take my word for it --- What works for me may not necessarily work for you --- but go ahead and take that adventure! The risks we take do make our lives interesting. =)
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