TOPAZ HORIZON

This last week of January, I was supposed to roll out two new series for this blog: an advice column called "Ask Frances" and a press release dump called "Frances Finds". But Topaz Mommy got nominated for Best Parenting Blog for Blogopolis and I got distracted!

So I'm launching the two new series this February!

"Ask Frances" is for my readers who send me questions on life, career and love. I try to reply to their emails but I finally decided that I'm spending too much time dishing out advice during my me time. All my time should either be used for my family, for work or for me (like sleeping, eating, seeing friends)! So since I consider blogging work now, emailed questions asking for tips and advice will see the light of day on my blog! You can tell me to withhold/change your name for privacy, but if you email me a question privately, I will answer it publicly!!! Chosen questions will get fabulous products from me!!!

"Ask Frances" will be posted every third Friday of the month. So if you have any questions, email them to frances@topazhorizon with "Ask Frances" on the subject! I will pick a question to answer and I will answer it as bluntly and as honestly as I can. Walang iiyak! Walang magagalit! For February, the chosen question sender will receive this:

Happy Skin lip glosses!

"Frances Finds" is like a bulletin board for posting all the press kits I get. This is also my way of saving my Instagram account for my life, not products (unless from my sponsors). I'm not going to do that for emailed PRs because I get a dozen press releases a day! "Frances Finds" will only be for press kits sent to my house (and only those I find helpful and interesting!) because I can actually add something useful to the write-up because I've seen, held, smelled, or tasted the product. So I can give mini reviews!

"Frances Finds" will be posted every last Friday of the month. That said, please don't send me press kits!!! Ask me first please (email frances@topazhorizon.com with "Frances Finds" on the subject) and then we'll see if your products and services are a fit with Topaz Horizon. Why? I used to work in PR and I dabble in PR now and I know there's a budget for products to give away. I get so many things that I can't really promote like headbands for baby girls, or shampoo for thick and curly hair, or products from a competitor of my blog sponsors. Sayang naman yung product and effort niyo.

I have a couple more series I plan to launch within the year. There will be "What's in my...?" and "Frances's Favorite". I guess you can tell what those two will be about! But I'll launch those just before summer. I want a series for every week! So you have something consistent to look forward to every week.

As for the blog merger, it is sloooooowly happening! I'm deleting and editing blog posts over 10 years! Every night has been a true trip down memory lane. It's so amazing how my life has changed! How my kids have arrived one after the other! How I've grown fat and old! LOL! Anyway, once all the unnecessary or mega nega posts have been deleted, I'll be ready to merge Topaz Mommy to Topaz Horizon then migrate to Wordpress. So exciting! Thanks for patiently waiting for my relaunch!

Hi everyone! I want to make kwento. This weekend—I must confess!—I spent more than a few times admiring my skin in the mirror. It's not perfect. I still have a few whiteheads and a bit of dark acne scars on my cheeks. But my skin was smoooooooooth. No more scary bumpiness, no more angry pus-filled volcanoes. My Advanced Anti-Acne Facial Treatments from Flawless really work!

Still, those facials happen every two (or so) weeks. What do I do in between visits to Flawless? I manage my skin with three Flawless anti-acne products: SAS Soap, Erythromycin 2% solution, and Skin Protect Gel.

Here's my review of each product:

SAS Soap, P140
This is for deeply cleansing oily skin.

What I liked:
1. Just a little bit of soap creates a lather soooo rich and thick!

2. There is no fragrance. I'm sensitive to fragrances.

3. My skin is super clean!

What I didn't like:
1. Nothing!

Suds up fast, doesn't melt quickly.

Erythromycin 2% solution, P650
This is a topical antibiotic solution. Its main purpose therefore is to kill bacteria on my skin.

What I liked:
1. It works!

2. If I have a developing zit, I just soak a cotton ball in Erythromycin and plant that ball over the affected area for 10 minutes. The pimple dies.

3. It lasts for 4-6 weeks so it's affordable.
What I didn't like:
1. Oh boy, does this sting! It evaporates quickly enough so it doesn't feel like your face is burning. I like to fan myself while applying this.

2. Okay, I don't know if this is actually the medicine that causes it, okay, but my skin smells bad after application. It smells like wet socks. Vince says my face doesn't smell like wet socks but, nope, it doesn't smell nice.

3. My skin doesn't taste good, too. I know this because when I lick my lips, I sometimes lick past my puckers and I taste the medicine, and it tastes awful. Vince concurs. Heehee.

But who cares??? My skin is clearing up by the day! Wala na lang kissing masyado while I'm on treatment!

No added color to the solution.

Skin Protect Gel, P290
This is a sunscreen. All the dermatologists tell me that this is the single most important product in any skincare regimen!

What I liked:
1. It's soooo cheap! My favorite sunscreens are Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense (P1,995 for 30ml), Lancôme UV Expert SPF 50++ (about P2,000 for 30ml), and VMV Armada SPF 30 ($50 or about P2,300 for 88ml). This tiny tube is P290!

2. This lasted me 4 weeks! The reason it lasts long is because I only need a pea-sized amount! Why does that matter? The FDA, dermas, beauty brands and beauty magazines will tell you that we all need a teaspoon-sized dollop of sunscreen for our face, ears and neck. That's a lot.

And then did you ever notice that sunscreens are always sold in these tiny tubes??? So if I put 5ml (that's a teaspoon) of sunscreen on my face from a 30ml tube, that means a tube will last me just 6 days. Two thousand bucks for 6 days is insane.

3. It mattifies my skin! I'm super oily and oily-skinned girls really don't like sunscreen. But this sunscreen is so light, it's in gel form! And you only need a little! And the best part is my skin gets matte! No oiliness for hours!
 
What I didn't like:
1. The smell. It's too fragrant. So thank goodness I only need a tiny amount for my face!
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What better way to frame flawless skin than with big gold earrings? I love the shape of these!

I don't own a leather-strap watch so let's mark the passing of time with this one!

My busy life needs a simple wardrobe... which means statement accessories like this chunk of rock!

I want an interesting bangle so I'll be inspired while I type! Love that silver pearl solitaire.

If my business takes off, I'm going to indulge in a chunky chain neck piece.

Last weekend was a fun celebration of my friend, Nicole Romero. She's many things to many people—friend, sister, aunt, editor, writer, fitness enthusiast, baker, makeup artist, blogger, and now beauty vlogger!

Nicole's blog is called Beauty & Sparkle: A Real Girl's Guide to Looking Pretty + Feeling Good. Nic's seriously one of the most professional, most amazing, most fantabulous beauty bloggers I've ever read. All her blog entries are well written, grammatically correct (she's an editor!), fun to read, inspiring, helpful, relatable, and her tutorials are friendly and easy to do. Her blog looks great, too!

And now she's into beauty vlogging! Check out her YouTube channel, Beauty & Sparkle!

I love how cute and pretty and helpful all her videos are! And the music she uses just makes me so happy, makes me do a little dance while I watch my friend, and follow her instructions. I love ALL her videos but these are my favorites:




She's my friend but when we're together, I don't, like, stare at her face. But because of her videos, I get to do just that and OMG doesn't Nicole have the MOST FLAWLESS SKIN ever?!? Seriously. I want to have skin as perfect as hers. And her hair? So lush and fab! And I'll tell you a secret and she will kill me for revealing this—she's naturally that way!!! God was doling out perfect skin and hair the day she was born, I bet!

Anyway!

Beauty brand Benefit celebrated Nic's new vlog with a party last Saturday at their boutique at SM Megamall. Did you know it's the biggest Benefit store in South East Asia??? You should go visit! It's chock-ful of beauty goodies and there are areas for spa treatments. So fab for girls like us and so perfect for a pretty party! Check out these pics I grabbed from Nic's Instagram account:

We definitely felt like VIPs!

Beauty blogger extraordinaire!

Nic and newly engaged Alyanna Martinez.

Nic, Nikki and me!

Just a few of Nic's family, friends, readers, followers and subscribers!

All the guests went home with a Benefit loot bag!

Here are my photos:

Checking out the products.

My message to Nic and all my readers!

Nicole introducing her videos.

Selfies with her fans.

What a fun party, Benefit! Thanks for having us at your fabulous store and for supporting Beauty & Sparkle!

And because unboxing videos are SO HUGE on YouTube now, let's check out the unboxing videos that Nicole made of Benefit products:




Love your channel, Nic! Congratulations, dear friend, on your successful vlog launch!

Read her blog: Beauty & Sparkle
Like her on Facebook: Beauty & Sparkle
Follow her on Instagram: @beautyandsparkl
Watch her on Snapchat: @beautyandsparkle
Subscribe to her YouTube channel: Beauty & Sparkle

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Today I will do a super happy review of the Acne Control Advanced Facial of Flawless. But first, a background...

Around the time my youngest child celebrated his first birthday in July last year, my skin started popping up whiteheads. At first, they were a smattering here and there, but within a month, they were everywhere. My cheeks looked like a cauliflower. Observe:

Nakakaiyak siya grabe. I went to a derma to have the whiteheads extracted but my skin got irritated and exploded into full blown inflammation. I had a serious case of acne! Now I've always had pimples. In fact, that's how I know my husband fell in love with the real me because when we met, all Vince saw was a pus-riddled face. I seriously don't know how he saw through that!

Anyway, so sanay na ako sa pimples, right? And kahit ganyan yung face ko, someone still fell in love with me (and married me pa!). So my face wasn't a huge deal. Then in my 30s, my face miraculously cleared up. The only times my pimples came back were the first trimesters of my three pregnancies, then my skin will return to perfection. I have never felt so confident and beautiful in my life! Iba pala talaga ang acne-free skin.

So when the pimples returned in July and worsened as my 39th birthday approached, I was really besieged by insecurity. Pangit na pangit ako sa sarili ko. Cauliflower cheeks nga, diba. Nakakaiyak. I tried to remind myself that inner beauty matters more but I felt my confidence erode talaga. So I was so happy when a Flawless clinic opened near my house. I went for a skin consultation right after my birthday in November.

Dr. Boyles, the in-house dermatologist who saw me, told me hindi naman daw cauliflower levels ang skin ko. She also promised better skin by Christmas. That's just 6 weeks, or a month-and-a-half, or around 3 facial treatments! I couldn't believe her! But it's true! By the time Christmas rolled along, my skin was so much better. Thanks to the Acne Control Advanced Facial of Flawless!

After 3 facials, no more cauliflower skin! Here I am at makeup-free at Flawless, ready for my facial!

Here's the 12 Steps to Flawless Skin (a.k.a. the Acne Control Advanced Facial):

1. Aromatherapy. The facial starts with three inhalations of the lavender-scented palms of your facialist. Lavender is supposed to relax you.
2. Cleansing. It's a simple procedure lang. Your facialist will apply cleanser all over your face and neck and then wipe it off with moistened sponges. 
3. Eye treatment. Your facialist will apply an Eye-Destressing Cream all over your eye area, then cover them with moistened cotton pads.
4. Lip treatment. Your facialist will apply a moisturizing lip scrub on your lips. I suggest you press your lips together and move them about to exfoliate your lips in the next step.
5. Steaming. This is 15 minutes of basking under a warm steam directed at your face to open pores. If you have asthma like me, make sure to mention this to the derma and the facialist so they can make bantay sa iyo. Steam can irritate your sensitive air passages. Dr. Boyles was the one who told me this and I found this to be such a relief and a relevation. Previous spas and clinics (even high-end ones!) never warned me about this!
6. Hand massage. While your face is being steamed, your hands will be wrapped in hot and dry towels. Then after they're warmed through, you get a hand massage. 
7. Vacuum. A quick vacuum treatment is applied all over your face. The tiny suction removes dead skin cells that are on top of your skin. It also stimulates lymphatic drainage.
8. Pricking. This is the painful part. Your facialist will squeeze out with sterile instruments all your blackheads and whiteheads. 
9. Toner. Witch hazel toner is applied all over your face to disinfect it and to return the pH level of skin.
10. Laser. Little laser zaps close and tighten pores. You'll notice your facialist will linger over the areas that were pricked most. 
11. Multivitamin serum. A small amount is massaged into your face to repair and nourish skin.
12. Oxygenating mask. The final step is a thick and cold mask applied all over the face—even on eyes and lips! This mask solidifies in 10-15 minutes. It can get quite claustrophobic under that mask. Your facialist will give you a back massage naman at the last five minutes of the mask but sana the whole 15 minutes na lang! The mask is supposed to infuse oxygen into skin, reviving dull, tired skin and giving it a glow. The cold mask also calms down inflammation so you don't look namamaga after your facial. 

I still have acne marks—dark spots and ice-pick scars—but now that the pimples have calmed down, we can now think of other treatments to address the scars and pigmentation. I'm so excited! I'm going to be flawless soon!

The Flawless Acne Control Advanced Facial is just P980. So thorough but so affordable! And most important of all, so effective. Visit any Flawless clinic near you and have your skin checked now!

I'm so happy I chose Flawless to take care of my skin. For more promos and information, visit the Flawless website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram (@myflawless).


UPDATE HERE!