Product Review: Sanli Super BB Cream Blemish Balm Essential

As you may have noticed, I don't usually post product reviews. Most products I've had are nothing new and have been reviewed by users who are more knowledgeable than me in this area. However, I googled this BB Cream which I bought recently and have not found any reviews. It seemed like a good topic to blog about.

I bought this product at a Chinese Drugstore. Makes sense in a way, I guess since BB Creams were originally developed to treat serious skin problems and aid in healing. It costs PHP 700 for 50 ml (about 15 USD). It is manufactured by Sanli International Cosmetic Group Co. which is based in Hong Kong.

Promises: Good coverage, sunblock, wrinkle-care and whitening effect.

I find the packaging very pretty. It comes in a textured gold box designed with vines and flowers. The tube has a similar design, but its color is a greenish gold. One side of the box has the list of ingredients and the other side has a brief description of the product.

What I don't like is its use of Engrish. No biggie, but for me it kinda makes the product dubious. On the other hand, its information is a bit more helpful for me than say, those products that only have Korean or Japanese characters. Haha.

Likes:
- Price. Cheaper than premium or even most popular brands, but not so cheap it's scary to try.
- No breakouts!
- Good coverage but does not feel heavy. It looks a little strange on me when first applied, but after a while it adapts and looks natural.
- The girl who sold this to me said this suits all skintones. Not sure if that's true but I gave samples to 2 of my sisters (we all have different skintones) and it looks fine on them as well.
- Pretty packaging. The magpie in me likes the shiny gold box.
- Oil-controlling ability is amazing. The first time I used it, I was amazed that I still looked fresh and hardly needed a touch up even after several hours of playing with my hyperactive niece.

Dislikes:
- Has a faint medicine-y smell (but like I said, that is what BB Cream is.) Reminds me of joint cream but the smell is not as powerful. It's not unpleasant, mind you, but when it comes to products for the face, I really prefer fragrance-free stuff.
- The product as well as the manufacturer is so obscure. Even a Google search for Sanli International Cosmetic Group came up with the following results:

Click to Enlarge

The first result- a question on Yahoo! Answers that goes "Is Sanli International Cosmetic Group of Hong Kong a real company?"- does not exactly inspire confidence.

All in all, I would consider this a good buy. I'm definitely satisfied with it. ^^

Thanks for dropping by!

Etude Hizz-ouse!

Happy New Year lovelies!

Here is my first haul post for the year 2010. Bought these last week, way way back in 2009, haha.

As most of you have probably already heard, Etude House opened in Manila a couple of weeks ago. Like most girls in the area, I had been dying to go.

Thoughts:

The store was smaller than I expected or seemed from the pics I've seen on the web, but it was so cute and totally the kind of style I go for. I also got a kick from being called a "Princess." Ha-ha.

This is my first time to purchase Etude House products, so I chose my items based on what struck my fancy.

Here is a pic of my Etude House mini-haul:

55 Kissful Tint Chou no. 3 (Strawberry)

This is a sheer baby pink lip gloss with a faint yummy scent. I've pics of this online before and have always wanted one in this shade. Perfect for "natural makeup" days.

Fresh Cherry Tint (Red)

This is a lip tint which has a creamy consistency but feels light on your lips. It gives you healthy and natural-looking color which is also long-lasting. It also has a very light and yummy scent. I love it! I wanna get the other shades, too.

I'm not good at making swatches but here's what the two lip stuff look like.

w/o flash

w/ flash

BB Magic Pact

The compact is pretty

.

Inside.

BB Magic Pact is a pressed powder pact that gives good coverage. I was planning to get the Peach Pact because I've been hearing good things about it but when I got there, I had trouble choosing among three types: BB Magic Pact, Peach Pact and Secret Beam. Secret Beam had lots of shimmers which I liked and cost a bit less. In the end I went with BB magic pact because it was the one without talc.

Freebie: Code B Mini Curler

The store was offering various freebies depending on how much the customer spent: PHP 1000 gets you the mini-curler (which was the only freebie I wanted) PHP 2000 gets you a cat plushie (do not want), and PHP 3000 gets you a skincare trial kit (will wait for reviews).

I do have a teensy rant about my first EH experience. I asked one of the SA's about the Fresh Cherry tint because the peach shade was the only shade on display. She said that was the only shade left but after a couple of minutes, another SA brought out more red Fresh Cherry tints.

Oh well, I still had a good time. I'm probably not the only girl who feels this way, but I was missing Etude House and planning my next purchases the moment I stepped out of Etude House.Will buy skin care prods next, and I really wanted the display stuff such as the Romantic box and stand, but I'm saving it for when I move to my new home. ^^

What are your fave Etude House prods?

Farewell 2009!

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