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Veráge Cleanser and Toner: Keep your Skin Moisturized and Nourished

The Veráge Skin Care line is created by doTERRA. These are essential oil-based products.

As a blogger, I have to try out a lot of products. Check this link for my past skin care reviews. And since I sincerely enjoy reviewing skin care products, it takes a toll on my skin. Testing different products on my face stresses out my skin. I would really love for it to “breathe” and just relax sometimes.

And having the ash fall recently really didn’t encourage me to go through my skin care routine at all this entire week. I just feel that if I place other stuff, it would feel icky (thinking that the product would attract ashes to stick on my face). But of course, haha, these are all thoughts.

But anyway, lucky for me, I met Jyl Johnson Pattee and she introduced to me to doTERRA. Just to give you a little information about doTERRA (I’ll tell you more in another post), it officially launched last November 2019 here in the Philippines. doTERRA produces essential oils and essential oil based products. It’s uses a direct selling approach to distribute its products everywhere in the world, and the distributors are called Wellness Advocates. It’s available in 19 countries all around the world.

So moving on, I got to try out the Veráge Skin Care products of doTERRA. The one on the left is the Veráge Cleanser and the one on the right is the Veráge Toner.

About Veráge

What encouraged me to try Veráge is that it is a natural skin care line. It uses natural ingredients. The advanced plant technology used in Veráge promotes the appearance of an optimal lipid balance—the same balance found in healthy, youthful-looking skin. These products nourish and hydrate skin and reduce the visible signs of aging.

What do the products contain?

The Verage line contains plant extracts, pure and potent CPTG® essential oils, and select natural ingredients. The doTERRA Veráge Skin Care Collection delivers results you can see and feel, naturally.

For the Verage Cleanser, the essential oils that they used are Wild Orange, Melaleuca and Basil.

The ingredients are:

As for the Verage Toner, the essential oils that they used for this are Ylang Ylang, Coriander, Palmarosa and Cypress.

The ingredients are: Water, Aloe, Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel), Water Propanediol, Heptyl Glucoside, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, Cupressus Sempervirens Oil, Coriander Seed Oil, Copper PCA, Gluconic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Malachite Extract, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Hydroxide and Alcohol.

What I have to say about Verage Cleanser and Toner

I have been using the Veráge Cleanser and Toner for a week already. What I’ve noticed about the product is that the scent is not that strong — it was actually just right. I guess my fear was that since it’s an essential oil-based product, I thought it would be have a strong scent. I really didn’t want products that I would use for my face to have strong scents (just my own personal “feeling” that products with strong scents are harsh and should not be used for the face).

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was so light and gentle on the face. The consistency of the cleanser is not foamy, but just a small amount of the product can go a long way. How to apply the Verage Cleanser is to spread it on a damp face and neck in circular motions.

For the Veráge Toner, you can use a cotton pad and spread the product all over your face and neck. The product is very light on the skin (feels like water really more than alcohol).

I use both products in the morning and in the evening. So just to share, this is how my skin looked on the 7th morning of using the product.

This is my “woke up like this” look!

I usually have have little bumps all over my face, but in this picture (I hope you see), most of it are gone. I’ve also been very conscious about my sun spots on my cheeks. I loved going to the beach to have a tan during my twenties and yes, now, I see the repercussions of not wearing sunscreen. I noticed that some of the spots have lightened.

The most noticeable change that I have seen is that glow and the dark circles around my eyes have lessened.

So overall, it’s good to try out these two products at least once, and see if these work for you.

The Verage Cleanser is at Php 2150 and the Verage Toner is at Php 1950.

To purchase the product, just go to this link: https://www.mydoterra.com/gingerarboleda/#/

If you also want to know more about the other product of doTERRA, you can join Jyl’s (the lovely lady who introduced me to doTERRA) group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GROWSuccess.Today/ You can also check out her site here: http://growsuccess.today/learn-more

Bella Pelle: Get Premium Skin Care Products

The reality of life is that we won’t stay young forever. I realized this last year while I was looking at the mirror. I noticed fine lines under my eyes! It suddenly dawned on me that I was about to hit the big 4-0 in a couple of years.

Personally though, I have no qualms about mentioning my age (my REAL age) when people ask for it. I just think that the older you are, the wiser you get. Also, people in this country respect you a little bit more when you’re older. Case in point, when I fainted in the gym two months ago, people were asking me… “okay lang po kayo, ate?” (are you alright, older sister). I just feel that if it were a younger ME, people would have just paid no attention, and they would go about their own business. Haha!

Anyway, my point is that I love myself; I love my age. But, loving one’s self doesn’t mean that we don’t want to look good, right? We still want to look our best. I have plans of living a long, fruitful and useful life. I still want to look and feel young even if I’m old, so I can do a lot of purposeful things. I want to make all the positive difference I can make in this life for the good of everyone in this world.

For us women, we need a little boost of confidence, when we want to complete our goals. We want to make sure that we can look back and be proud of ourselves (i.e. when looking back at old photos and videos).

Speaking of looking good and feeling good, I discovered this site called Bella Pelle: https://bellapelleph.com/

I instantly loved it. The site is an eCommerce site that brings you the best and premium dermatological beauty products in the Philippines. You can just sit back, navigate through the site and order online. The brands that it carries are the brands that we trust like Heliocare, Neostrata, Biologuique Recherche, Viviscal, Cosmetic Skin Solutions, Footlogix, Infracyte, Kamedis, MD Therapy, Rapid Brow, Rapid Lash, SErum V, Tizo, Vanicream, Yllume and Zo Skin Health by Zein Obagi.

What I like about the site is that you can search for products based on your skin care need/s. Also, these products are not those that you see being sold over-the-counter. They are those that you get from dermatologists. When you ask for recommendations via the contact us page, a fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society and board certified dermatologist is consulted.

These are the products that I got from the site.

Zo Skin Health Instant Pore Refiner, NeoStrata Tri- Therapy Lifting Serum, Heliocare Ultra Gel SPF 90 and Zo Medical Brightenex

I also got a prescription on how to use the products that I ordered. I’ll be reviewing each product soon and posting a vlog about each in my YouTube channel soon (http://YouTube.com/gingerarboledavlog) and on my Facebook Page (http://facebook.com/mommyginger).

Feel free to ask me anything you want to know about these products, and I’ll definitely try to answer them (to the extent of my experience with the product). I can also ask the derma who recommended these to me if you have more technical questions about the products.

Also, I wanted to interview the founder of Bella Pelle PH, so watch out for that article in the upcoming days.

So, that’s it, peeps! If you want recommended-by-dermas, trusted, premium skin care products, I highly recommend that you visit https://bellapelleph.com/.

Eau Thermale Avene

When I was younger, I was guilty of abusing my skin. Seriously. I would not care to put on sunscreen, and immediately bask in the sun during beach trips. I wouldn’t care if my skin was dry and scaly. I wouldn’t care if during some months, I would break out, too. My face would be incredibly filled with pimples.

But now, I know better. I am more sensitive to what my skin needs, and I have researched a lot of ways to keep it looking fresh and fab. Not a lot of people consider me as a beauty blogger (since I don’t really blog about make-up that often), but I am a skin care addict! haha! My friends know this fact.

I would spend time researching about products that I’d love to try out. I even have a notebook with a long list of the products that I intend to use and experiment with later on (three pages long! Yup!).

So when I heard about Eau Thermale Avene, I really wanted to try it out and see for myself if the product works.

Why I wanted to try Eau Thermale Avene?

I wanted to try Eau Thermale Avene for the following scenarios:

When I walk to work, I always feel sticky after. The weather is humid at times that using Eau Thermale Avene is just what I need.

I go to the gym, too (just recently) and using this product after I workout is a great pick-me-upper. I love how fresh I feel after.

I always get red skin after a session of threading or waxing. The spray helps soothes the pain and helps with the redness and inflammation.

I also use it also just before applying make up!

More about Eau Thermale Avene

  • Originated from the mountains of Cevennes in France
  • It is non-irritant and has soothing properties
  • It has the lowest mineral content on the market and neutral pH7.5 to maintain a perfect balance of the skin
  • Hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic
  • Suited for all types of skin, even sensitive skin

So to use the product, spray the mist onto the skin. Leave for 2 to 3 minutes then gently pat dry.

I was impressed with the Eau Thermale from Avene that I also tried the other products.

In the evening, I use the Hydrance Intense Rehydrating Serum followed by the Hydrance Aqua Cream-in-Gel (Yup, I’m a “layers” kinda gal when it comes to skin care). The Hydrance Intense Rehydrating Serum contains a patented Cohederm that is a lipidic trio that helps restore coheive skin barriers and prevent water loss. It contains hydration-boostin microspheres that gradually release Avene Thermal spring water and Cohederm to keep the skin replenished at all times. I noticed that this works well for people with dry parts of the skin, like the side of the nose (I told my husband to try it out… hehe!)

In the mornings, I would use the Hydrance Intense Rehydrating Serum followed by Hydrance Light Emulsion. Since I didn’t want to put on too many layers of products in the morning.

Overall, Avene products are perfect for people with sensitive skin and for those who just want a simple skin care regimen that they can follow. For me, it’s beauty is in its simplicity.

Try the products out and let me know what you think!

Viral Girl PH: Whipp Bleach and other Skin Care Products

I’m sure you know how much of a skincare addict I am. I don’t know if such a liking is related to genetics, but my mom, my sister, my aunts (basically, the entire family) are all skin care enthusiasts. I was surprised to find out that my cousin, Charisse, is currently selling some skin care and beauty products under the brand Viral Girl PH. I think this is her first business venture, so I’ll be truly supportive of her.

I’ll be sharing with you my thoughts on the skin care products that she has. She has other products but I’ll be focusing on the ones for your face.

I’ll start with my favorite product of them all — the Whipp Bleach (Supreme Crystal White Bleach).

I’ve been using all Viral Girl PH’s products since a month ago. This is the second step in my skin care routine, right after I use the facial foam of Vira Girl PH. Get just the right amount of bleach to cover the entire face. Then, wait for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse it off after.

Why do I love this? I love it because you get instantly radiant looking skin. You’ll notice your dark spots lighten after a few times you use the product. It doesn’t feel like your skin is dehydrated after, but you will still have to continue your skin care routine after for optimal “skin lightening results”. I noticed, too, that my skin is firmer and tighter. This is an immediate effect that you will feel.

It contains the following ingredients: Glutathione, Collagen, Lemon, Alpha Arbutin, Baking Soda, Snail Lime, Jojoba Oil, Almond Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Rose Hip Oil and Hyaluronic Acid.

I am still using this product to this very day. I use it every other day. And guess what? This jar is only at Php 180 pesos!

Next in my list are the Magic Glass Skin Serum (daytime) and the 24K Gold Serum (nighttime). A lot of her clients consider these two products as their favorites. For the Magic Glass skin serum, I get two to three drops of it. I rub it on the palm of my hand and tap it unto my skin. What I’ve noticed that it hydrates my skin and helps lighten the dark spots. I’m not sure if it’s the combination of the bleach and serum (since I used them together), but the more important thing is that it works.

My cousin highly recommends the 24K Gold Serum. It contains snail extract and Vitamin E. I think it’s perfect for those who are worried about lines and wrinkles. These 15 mL bottles of serum are at a very affordable price of less than Php 200 pesos.

The next product that I tried is the Magical Hydrating Facial Foam Wash. I’m not sure what the PH Level of this is and you all know that I’m not a fan of foam as a form of facial cleansers, but I tried this one. It’s definitely hydrating and I like the apple-y scent of the product. Active ingredients are Gluta Arbutin, Vitamin C and E, Collagen, AHA, Niacinamide and Tea Tree.

Usually, my personal experience is that continuous use of foam cleansers lead to acne. I didn’t get any pimples using this product though. I think it’s very gentle and the size is great for traveling. I’ve been traveling a lot lately, and this is the product that I’ve been bringing.

Viral Girl PH also has other products like a Whipp Cream, Hello Kili Deodorant, Secret in a Bottle Feminine Wash and other beauty products.

If you want to try their products, please visit https://www.facebook.com/viralgirlPH/ on Facebook and leave her a message!

Keeping your Skin Healthy when You Can’t Follow a Korean Skin Care Routine

I’ve been blogging about the 10 step Korean skincare routine, but not everyone will have the luxury of time to follow it. So I wondered, is it possible to have great skin, even without following the 10 steps? If so, what steps are essential and what steps can you do away with? The inquisitive me was brought to the doorstep of Derm HQ, the clinic of Dra. Gail Vitas. Dra. Gaile is a dermatologist of almost 4 years. In her clinic, she offers the basic offerings like facial, wart removal, diamond peel, etc. and also advanced treatments for psoriasis, skin asthma, acne, etc.

Dra. Gaile Vitas of Derm HQ

Dra. Gaile tells me that she customizes what she suggests to each of her patients. Why? Each individual will have a different skin type.

*Image from Sephora

Also, each one will be of a different age, each one will have habits that are different from others, etc. So I asked Dra. Gaile Vitas about my own situation. I wanted to know if I really had to follow the 10 steps. This is my profile:

Ginger – 30-40 Female / rarely gets pimples / works in front of the computer (a lot!) / hardly gets exposed to the sun / hardly exercises nowadays / has one kid

This is what Dra. Gaile from Derm HQ recommends:

CLEANSER – Use a soap free cleanser (Cetaphil, Avene, etc.) We, Filipinos, think if something has bubbles or mabula, we think it cleans our skin better. This is not true. For those who love to wear make-up also, Dra. Gaile suggests using Micellar Water. Micellar Water is both hydrophilic and hyrophobic, which means that it can remove both oil and water based products.

SUNSCREEN – Dra. Gail advised me to use sunscreen which has 30 SPF and above which protects the skin from UVA and UVB. We all need to re-apply sunscreen after every 2 hours. We should apply 1/4 teaspoon, but if you are swimming, apply every hour. She also mentioned that it’s not about the SPF, but about the area of the skin that the sunscreen covers.  Also, in the Philippines, there are only a few brands that protect your skin, not only from UVA and UVB, but also from Infra red and Visible Light. Since I’m always in front of the computer, Dra. Gaile recommended that I use any of these two brands that you can get from Derm HQ.

These are Frezy Derm and Helio Care. I purchased Frezy Derm, and I love it! Honestly, the best sunscreen I have tried so far.

Here is my review of Frezy Derm!


EXFOLIANT – We should also exfoliate. She still believes that we should use AHA or Alpha Hydroxy Acid or Mandelic Acid (Mandelic acid is actually an alpha hydroxy acid that comes from bitter almonds).

ANTI-AGING – Given my age, and for those of you who are 30 and above, do start using anti-aging products. These are products that contain retinoids, tretinoin (only in low dosages, 0.025%), retinal dehyde, vitamin C, etc. Once you start aging, there is a delay in the production of collagen. These products help delay collagen degeneration.

So if I get tired of following the 10 step skin care routine, these are the things that I should constantly do and use still. These are the products that are important in keeping my skin healthy!

Visit Dra. Gaile of Derm HQ and schedule a consultation! It’s never too late to start your own skin regimen!

DERM HQ is located at 2nd Floor, Island Plaza Bldg, 105 LP Leviste St., Salcedo Village, Makati City!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dermhq/