*Sigh* I get so exhausted trying to explain how I got an allergy attack and ended up in the Belo clinic at Rustan’s, so I’ll just make things simple by enumerating what happened:

1. Allergic reaction was triggered by antibiotics. (For the love of all that is good, please stay away from Cotrimoxazole. It probably will kill you faster than it would the bacteria in your system.) I broke out in hives and rashes and suffered mind-numbing migraines.
2. Went to another doctor and got a less disturbing antibiotic, but that did not remove the hives.
3. Went to Belo for a skin check-up…
4. Spanish Peel and Obagi were recommended.
5. Suffered four sessions of painful peel solutions, once every 1-2 weeks.

Let me just say that it was only my facial skin that got treated. The rest of my body still itched for an entire month. I couldn’t sleep as my hand would be busy scratching at night and my legs and arms would hurt from the open wounds I’ve managed to inflict on myself. Anyway, I ended up going to another dermatologist (will rave about this later) for my health’s sake.

Now, for my beauty’s sake… Belo’s doctor and staff actually did a wonderful job clearing up my face. While I have mixed feelings regarding Obagi, which I reviewed earlier, the Spanish Peel was nothing short of amazing. Sure, I had to suffer about a week of looking like my face was going to fall off — I was really shedding! — but the end results delivered as promised. When my face had finished peeling, after about a week, the skin felt so velvety soft that I couldn’t help but touch it all the time. It was almost a shame that I had to undergo another peeling session after that as I didn’t want to let go of the new softness my skin exhibited.

It wasn’t easy, though. I had solutions applied on my face every Saturday and though most people would’ve peeled completely by Monday, mine only began peeling on Monday. From Monday till Thursday, my face had been so stiff and dry that I could hardly move my lips, which was torture because the nature of my job involves public speaking. Several areas of the skin were burnt and wrinkled and you can well imagine how putting salicylic acid (Obagi Clenziderm) on it could pretty much hurt to high heavens. Spanish peels require you not to wet your face on the first day and not to moisturize until you’ve peeled completely.

Now, imagine repeating the experience for three more sessions…

I am actually quite satisfied with the Spanish peel. I’m also very satisfied with the cleaning sessions that went before that. The doc did try to alleviate the itchiness my entire body suffered by recommending Cetaphil soap and anti-inflammatory lotions, but I was to find out later on that those were only external solutions. My original problem, which is the tail-end of an antibiotic treatment gone bad, was pathological.

The staff of Belo are nice and friendly, although I was nearly turned-off by the hoity-toity atmosphere of the place during my first visit. Many of them are quite stiff, which got me thinking, “Do they all have Botox injected in them? Have they become so obsessed with beauty that they can’t even smile sincerely?” The thought was kind of horrifying. Well, anyway, the great thing about them is that all the people involved in your visit (doctors and staff) will check up on you through SMS the next day. They’re also quite diligent in reminding you of your appointments and stuff so I know I got what I paid for.

Negative points:
I’d be happier if they’d be more concerned about wellness rather than just beauty. People asking me to try this and that treatment when there’s nothing really wrong with me leaves an unpleasant impression. I just really wanted to be well. I’m not interested in becoming paler or becoming an extraordinary beauty. With all the suggestions that got heaped on me, I was afraid that one day I’d come out of there with a face and a body that are no longer mine.

Plus points:
Being a Metrobank (Visa or Mastercard) Classic holder entitles you to a free cryo-whatchamacallit treatment after your next facial.

The Belo First card, which is their reward system. Ugh! I just remembered…I forgot to have mine stamped today!

I suffered from an allergic reaction to antibiotics for more than a month. I had migraines and I broke out in hives. When I switched doctors and was given a milder form of treatment, I waited a week before I consulted a dermatologist for the rashes. I went to Belo in Rustan’s Makati but it wasn’t exactly my rashes that they treated…so I’m going to segue now. I’m just telling how it all started.

Anyway, upon my second visit, the Belo doctor insisted that I buy the Obagi Clenziderm set. It’s supposed to be a therapeutic acne system. I did have qualms about having my face treated when the rest of my body was still itching like crazy. But I went ahead and bought the set anyway. The regimen consists of three steps: (1) wash with the Daily Care Foaming Cleanser, which contains 2% salicylic acid; (2) apply Pore Therapy, which contains another 2% salicylic acid, 10-15 minutes after washing; (3) apply the Serum Gel, which contains 5% benzoyl peroxide. The instructions were long and intimidating but after the first couple of nights, I already knew them by heart.

I just had what they call a Spanish peel (I’ll talk about the details in another post), my second, and combining that with the Clenziderm really hurt. I was not allowed to moisturize while the Clenziderm stripped my face of all its oil. With the Spanish peel, I could hardly speak. With the Spanish peel AND the Clenziderm, I was in hell. My skin was parched and I wanted to dip my face in a vat of boiling water. Mind you, I have combination skin so I balked when the dermatologist told me that I’m not supposed to moisturize. To top it off, the itchiness never really went away.

It wasn’t until five days after my third Spanish peel that I decided to disobey my derma and stop the Clenziderm altogether. I moisturized with my Origins White Tea and washed my face with my favorite pink Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil. My skin felt better. I noticed the results immediately. The sandpaper that replaced my skin disappeared and it was velvety soft once again. The oil production went haywire, though, so after three days, I bought THEFACESHOP gel moisturizer for combination skin and went back to Clenziderm. This was when I finally figured out what regimen worked for me. I still do need to moisturize, as the areas outside my T-zone tend to get bone dry. So instead of putting Serum Gel on my entire face, as stated in the instructions, I only put it where needed. I also put moisturizer on the areas that needed it.

The skin on my face is better now, but only because I had to go through some major trials and errors to get the combination right. Trust my stubborn skin to not follow the rules, eh?

Would I recommend Obagi? Yes and no. Let me just enumerate why.

YES

• If you have acne-prone skin. (I had allergies; I am not acne-prone.) This is heavy duty stuff and you really must have the pain tolerance to go through it.
• If you have the budget. I could’ve sworn my Belo derma originally named two brands during my first visit. Obagi and something else. That something else became non-existent (at least in our conversation) on my second visit.
• If it’s okay with you to peel a lot. I noticed that when some of my pimples dry up, they peel.
• If you enjoy cleansers that have minty feel.

NO

• The skin feels so tender that it strikes me as weak.
• If you love smiling. The skin looks and feels wonderful…if you’re not one to smile or talk animatedly. I saw how my cheeks visibly stretched when I did. Smiling is not something I’d like to forgo, thank you.

As for the itchiness? It’s a success story that I’m saving for another dermatologist that I’ll introduce in another post.

I was hanging out with my gay friends (they’re the best shopping buddies a girl could ever have) when I passed by TheFaceShop at the SM Mall of Asia, got curious, and eventually tried out their products. I was looking for lip gloss, since I just finished off my Nivea Strawberry glosses. It was in this store that I actually learned that there is a huge difference between glosses, balms and sticks. The sales ladies explained to me that lip gloss just gives you mild coloring and shine (as I usually do not like wearing lipstick) while lip balms actually provide the nourishment that your puckers need. I was also to learn later on, while I was talking to my female colleagues, that balms should serve as your primer before any other lip products.

I’ve always had problems with dryness and skin shedding. No matter what I tried — be it a shiner, gloss, petroleum jelly, cream — nothing seems to do the trick. I always end up chewing my lips and tearing the skin off with my teeth, a nasty habit that a lot of people always scold me for. It also makes public speaking difficult, as the dryness causes me to mispronounce my words, rendering me incoherent. Nivea’s lip gloss will temporarily alleviate the problem, but it provides very little comfort.

I bought the Plus+1 Lip Care Cream and with the help of my chic friends, picked out the lipstick color that matched my natural shade (Black Label “Graceful Pink”). I know, I can hear people say, “Why would you buy lipstick if it’s just going to be the same shade as your lips?” My sister has a smart answer: “Because the natural-colored ones even out your lips’ imperfections while keeping it realistic.”

Anyway, it’s only been a week since I’ve bought the goodies and I must say I’m hooked. I have never had this consistent state of softness before. There are times when I only need to put on the lipstick once or twice in the morning and the balm just makes my lips glow the whole day. They retain the lighter pinkish shade provided by the lipstick while maintaining moisture. I swear my lips feel so supple, I’d kiss myself if I could!

EDIT November 4, 2007:
After trying out a more expensive brand, I have proven that this is really the brand that’s suited for me. I realized that I have learned how to exfoliate properly. It was also when I started using this that my boyfriend complained, “Your lips are disturbingly soft!” The only thing that’s keeping me from giving this a perfect 10 is the fact that the tube starts to get annoying when you’re running out: the sides split and you’d have the good stuff spilling out of it.

As always, whenever I spend a weekend at my parents’ place, I discover something new from my mom’s kikay corner. The loot: Clarins day and night creams. I noticed, before going to Singapore, that my pores tightened considerably and my cheeks felt really smooth. So I promised myself that I’d go and raid Rustan’s as soon as I got back (although I should’ve shopped at Singapore’s Shu Uemura because these babies cost twice as much in the Philippines). I did kind of cringe, however, when my mom told me that each of those jars cost PhP5,000.

Anyhoo, since I think I’m now sporting a new tan–thanks to Leia’s tanning spray, which I used in our Laguna trip a couple of days ago–I thought I should try some new products that might make the golden glow much more noticeable. (Because I don’t think it was too obvious that I baked myself.)

So off to Rustan’s I went!

First stop was Origins. I heard about this product from my friend Rowena; she says it’s the secret to her youthful glow. The sales girl first gave me 2 cream bottles, one for day and one for night. I asked her about the tea cream that Rowena told me about and she gave me that jar instead, telling me that it’s already good for both AM and PM. She also gave me two samples of some pore-tightening serum. I was like, “W00t! Freebies! Coolness!”

Next stop was Clarins. By this time, I had borrowed an Origins basket for my stuff that the Origins girl was carrying. I thought I’d try the concealer because I saw it featured in Marie Claire and thought it was high time I used concealers. After buying that, the grinning Clarins lady gave me one sample of their pore minimizing serum and one sample of their pure and and radiant facial mask. More freebies! The Origins lady laughed and said that I’d probably end up with ultra-tight pores after all this.

Last stop was Shu Uemura. I wanted to experiment with my lashes so I thought I’d buy a mascara and their famed eyelash curler. As soon as I dropped by their counter and asked for the lash curler, the Shu dude (I’m not sure what to call him since he’s gay) told me that they had a promo. It’s a special box that contains the eyelash curler, mascara, foundation, and four small bottles of cleansing oil. He also initially asked if I needed length or volume, but after looking closely at my eyes, he concluded that I need only volume because my lashes were already long. I only really wanted the mascara and the curler, but I think, being in a country where Shu Uemura products are priced like highway robbery, I got a steal.

I was expecting to spend about PhP15,000 for that shopping list, but I only ended up spending PhP9,000 and got a lot of extra goodies to boot! I had my Starbucks Planner with me while I did this and all the sales people were commenting about how organized I was. I seemed like I was doing my grocery, according to one of them. (That’s really how I shop. I already know what I want so I don’t go around trying stuff I have no intention of buying. I think I’m a man.)

Okay, a run down of my take-home for PhP9,010.00:

1. Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil in metallic black (my old one is brownish black)
2. Shu Uemura Pressed Eyeshadow N M Yellow 350 (my old one is metallic green)
3. Shu Uemura Promo Box
- Eyelash Curler
- Precise Mascara 01 Black
- Powder Foundation Natural Glow Finish 564
- Cleansing Oil / Skin Purifier High Performance Balancing (Fresh)
- Cleansing Oil / Skin Purifier High Performance Balancing (Enriched)
- Cleansing Oil / Skin Purifier High Performance Balancing (Since 1960)
- Cleansing Oil / Skin Purifier Beauty Oil Premium A/O
4. Origins “A Perfect World” Antioxidant Moisturizer with White Tea
5. Sample Origins Modern Fusion Skin Transforming Catalyst (2 bottles)
6. Clarins Instant Light Perfect Touch 02
7. Sample Clarins Pure and Radiant Mask with Pink Clay
8. Sample Clarins Moisturizing Serum

Whew! I’m pretty happy with my purchases…um…if only I knew how to use some of them. Hahahahhaha! We’ll be having a photo shoot sometime next week anyway, and I’d probably experiment with Danica’s face. Hehe. Oh, and…working on bringing out that tan. ^_-

(NOTE: Schedule for a better pic next time. This was taken with Nicco’s phone cam on night mode. I also had a bit of problem using some of these, especially the mascara, concealer and lash curler, and kinda made a complete mess of my face when I tried. XD)

I had planned my itinerary yesterday:
11AM: Banks
12NN: Meeting with Adviser
2PM: Pick my Frequent Shopper’s Card from Rustan’s
Beyond: Spa

I woke up with a bad case of stiff neck, which was actually more like stiff upper back, arms and neck and I was determined to pamper myself after months of deprivation due to INNODEV. While I was on my way to BPI, I saw this Graduation Special poster from The Spa. For P1,800+ you get a full body massage, a facial and a foot spa. Not bad.

I like the obviously Oriental-inspired theme of the place. From the first glance, you can already be assured that you’re going to get the quiet pampering you deserve after months of hectic working. The receptionists and all the employees were very accommodating and helpful. In fact, the receptionists even made some idle chat about my “thesis”, which I had actually brought with me, and gave me free cologne. I was led to a shower room, then later to the steam room. The steam room had this pleasant minty smell and I would’ve stayed a bit longer had I not remembered a particular CSI episode wherein this girl died from over steaming.

While waiting for my massage, I was made to sit on a couch, given some magazines and ginger tea. I love ginger tea, so that was a pleasant surprise. I also love the massage beds. They’re just like the ones you see on TV, with holes to place your face into. I am a massage addict and this is the only place I’ve ever been to that had beds like that. I had always hated having to twist my head uncomfortably around just so I could breathe. The fact that I didn’t have to do that makes me give this place a thumbs up.

I had my facial and my foot spa at the same time. I wasn’t quite so happy with the foot spa, as they used files to scrape off my calluses (thanks to those nasty leather shoes I’m required to wear every time I’m in APC). There was only one other spa that had actually used a proper callus remover but that place closed down in 2004. Still, the objective was to relax and I’d willingly take foot massages any day.

The facial wasn’t as meticulously done as in Let’s Face It or other facial care centers but I suppose I couldn’t really complain. It’s a spa, not a dermatologist’s clinic, which reminds me that I really do have to visit the derma one of these days.

I don’t know if other people will appreciate it, but I like that I was given tip envelopes. I usually have a hard time looking for my attendants come tipping time as some spas have dark lighting, making it hard for me to recognize them. I also don’t feel pressured to compute which attendant had better service. You drop the tip envelopes in a box and just let them worry about it. Pretty nifty, if you ask me, although I wonder if other people wouldn’t think that it’s too presumptuous of the attendants to hand over their tip envelopes right after a service.

For P1,800+, I guess I was satisfied. I just needed pampering for the day anyway, not an overhaul of the body parts I need to get fixed. For more information about the graduation promo, visit: http://www.thespa.com.ph/news_promotions_20070315001.html