Unfortunately, my endeavor wasn’t fruitful enough coz my face broke out a bit into these tiny pesky zits on the following days (10 and 12). Well, maybe I pushed way too hard. I wasn’t sleeping well during the past few days as my insomnia struck hard again.

So, starting Day 13, I’ll be using Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate together with my anti-acne topical meds. I still have around 2 days to go to finish my 15-day challenge.

I’ll also try getting a good night’s sleep again. Hence, it’ll involve adjusting my body clock perpendicular to my normal time zone. For those who are insomniacs like me, I know it’s really difficult and crazy[!] considering that I’m only taking a placebo (natural medicine). So again, wish me luck!

On the last day of the challenge, I will sum up  all the yays and nays I experienced using this product for two consecutive weeks. I will also announce the mechanics on how you can get your own Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate bottle. Hint: it has something to do with the same challenge.

Three days have passed, and it’s been such a blessing, particularly to my skin. I’ve noticed how my skin dramatically softens and smoothens in the process. This may not be because of Kiehl’s Midnight Concentrate alone, of course. But, what’s more important is that it has no side effects on me whatsoever. It hasn’t caused me a (ginormous) zit yet! My skin is rather getting clearer. I still am bothered with the scars left, however, but I know they will all be gone in no due time!

So far, it really helps a lot in hydrating my face especially at night. Since most acne medications dry up my face to the point that it’s not healthy anymore, this one serves as a balance to keep my entire face from getting all dried and flaked up. Its botanical spa scent (reminds me of The Body Shop’s Monoi Miracle Oil) relaxes and induces me to rest. Au contraire, it claims to be fragrance free, so it must be the concoction of essential oils that I’m smelling, which is far different from artificial fragrance oils. After all, one of its ingredients is lavender essential oil, which is best known for its de-stressing properties.  So yeah, let it be known that I’m a sucker for scents, and I just love taking a sniff off it whenever I want to calm my jarring nerves!

Another good thing about this product is that it’s mineral oil and paraben free. It’s 99.8% natural, so it’s mostly made up of organic ingredients. The glass bottle, dropper and plastic squeeze top are recyclable, not to mention the carton container which is 100% biodegradable. To sum it all up, this beauty product is generally eco-friendly.

The price may be a little bit on the steep side at Php 2,880/$ 42. But, a 30ml bottle will last you for a  long time, since all you have to utilize is just 2 drops of the concentrate per nighttime application.

I still have 6 more days to go,  and I’m still looking forward should there be any beneficial changes to my skin. I’m hoping for one soon!

PS. Stay tuned as I’ll be giving away a full size bottle of Kiehl’s Midnight Concentrate after the 15-day Challenge. This will be my first giveaway ever, so I’m pretty much excited about it! xx

Admittedly, I’m not pretty much a stickler to the “rules”. I wasn’t able to sleep early last Saturday, since I went to do some errands shopping for food in Banchetto–a midnight street food market that’s only available every Friday night until the wee hours of Saturday. Part of my weekend routine is binging on food by trying to visit every  booth existing to see if there’s something worth relishing. I specially like the Angus beef kebab paired with Biriami rice; both are being sold on one specific booth (which I forgot the name but it’s the only one selling angus beef kebab there, methinks).

Going back, I notice how my skin gets softer amidst the course of religiously using it. My breakouts have also tamed, though I can’t vouch if it’s the work of the concentrate or not since I’m amid acne medication alongside. How I wish it could fade dark spots brought by past zits, as I currently have lots of such scars marring my whole face.

Anyhoos, I’ll try to sleep early as I did last night. So yeah, I’m up to my 7th day today.

My previous entry’s lost in the wilderness. I don’t even remember deleting it ever. Now it’s back for God knows what reason. But, anyway, I doesn’t matter since I bailed out doing the challenge on the first week due to very important issues concerning my day job.

Yes, I already mentioned about how taxing my job is several times already. Little did you know that since last month, I’ve been drudging toiling on this certain project which entails working more than 8 hours a day. So toxic, that I was able (sort of required) to work twice on double shifts! I even had offsets during the weekend.

I was about to start doing the challenge last July 5, but since the arduous project’s deadline has been extended, I had to go overtime which is kind of counterintuitive to the challenge. I usually do midshifts (from 4pm-1am), albeit I have recently adjusted my shift starting from 1pm to 10pm in order to go home and sleep earlier than usual. However, since I still extended my hours finishing as many tasks as I can to beat the deadline rush, I ended up going home late and sleeping in the wee hours of the morning. Sadly, my spiking stress levels coupled with lack of sleep took a huge toll on my health and skin. I got sick and breakouts to boot.

Right now, I’m amid recuperating from cough and cold. And, I’m glad to tell you that I’m finally back on track! I technically started the challenge last Tuesday (July 13), so it’s my 3rd day (going 4th) today.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Challenge: Day 1-3

So far, so good. As said earlier, I was worried about trying the product at first due to its greasy consistency. It generally has a watery-oily consistency. Well, in fact, it has a “water-free” formulation. The oily part is what I fear the most, lest it may cause an adverse reaction to my face breaking it out even further.

Kiehl’s developed this anhydrous concentration of Squalane, night-blooming Evening Primrose and essential oils including therapeutic Lavender. The formulation also contains Coriander and Rose Hip Seed Oils, which when combined, provides a complete blend of Omegas (Omega 3, 6 and 9). Omega 3 and 6 Essential Fatty Acids have a restructuring benefit which reinforces the cutaneous barrier, therefore keeping the epidermis hydrated. It’s formulated to be used at night when skin is most receptive to recovery and repair.- Kiehl’s

Using it is pretty simple, I simply have to apply 2-3 drops of Midnight Recovery Concentrate, and spread evenly on my face. The bottle already includes a dropper (which I find cute btw), so I don’t have any problems getting a trickle or two sans messing up. It says that you have to apply by gently patting it onto your skin using fingertips, and not by [vigorously] rubbing it. In my case, it’s very important to spread it evenly, until the product is fully absorbed by the skin. Not doing so usually leaves me a greasy feeling which I really abhor!

Cutesy dropper with black plastic squeeze top included

Tested it on my hand. Notice the subtle sheen on my hand. It actually looks greasier if not spread evenly.

It’s been three days since I restarted, and I haven’t noticed any remarkable nor horrific difference yet. Good news is, it doesn’t cause me breakouts so far, maybe because I use it along with anti-acne products. As for the moisturizing (and repairing) part, I guess it helps keeping my face from getting too dry brought by anti-acne medications. It also calms down dry patches on my face from further flaking.

Let’s see how it goes as I’m consciously making an effort to sleep early, and at least 7 hours a day. Yes, I now sleep on or before 12 midnight. It’s such a bit of an ordeal for someone who has erratic sleep patterns like moi, but here’s to hoping for the best!

Also, you can check other Bloggers who are now approaching the finish line of the 15-day challenge:

Nikki of Askmewhats

Shen of Shen’s Addiction

Frances of Beauty for a Living

Offer is exclusive to Philippine stores only.

I didn’t lack sleep anyhow. I must have slept at most 7 hours, albeit I woke up late already. Anyway, I hope I can make up for the lost time later.

I got to test Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate for the first time. It has a watery-oily consistency. I felt wary at first about using it on my face because of its oily consistency (my face is very oily and breakout-prone btw).  I was relieved after finding out that it’s easily absorbed by my skin, leaving a just-right moisture on my face thereafter.

I’m still having second thoughts on this though. Maybe I just find it ominous, should I say. But, let’s see what it does together with getting a good night’s sleep in the succeeding days.

On the other hand, I enjoyed trying Etude House AC Clinic Acne Foam Cleanser for the first time last night. I love how it smells, and leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean after wash! Yes, this Korean brand is available in SM Megamall in the Philippines. I got a mini haul which includes AC Clinic red spot balm, AC Clinic pink powder spot (consider it a cheaper alternative to Mario Badescu Pink Drying Lotion) and BB magic mist.

I’ll make a comprehensive review on them soon. I’ll start with the cleanser first!

See, I’ve been very busy especially this past month doing a big project, which involves tedious work that usually lasts up to 16 grueling hours a day! Getting a restful sleep wasn’t really much of an option then, as I’ve been simply a stickler in meeting very stringent deadlines.

That’s why this month, it’s just timely that Kiehl’s has given me such healthy opportunity to correct my erratic sleep patterns and regulate my sleeping hours. This is in addition to trying out on a new product, Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, an elixir that works well during the night where the metabolic rate for nutrition and restoration of the skin is at its peak, giving me a fresh and rejuvenated skin the day after. Moreover, it’s 99.8% paraben-free and naturally-derived which make things much more interesting.

Going back to the challenge, it entails 7 Habits of Healthy Sleepers:

1. Get at least seven hours of sleep each night.
2. Drink soothing beverages before bed such as herbal tea, water or milk!
3. Try to avoid exercise near bedtime.
4. Stay away from late afternoon, early evening stimulates like caffeine.
5. Enjoy relaxing activities before you go to sleep, like reading or taking a bath.
6. Shut the TV off when you are in ready to fall asleep.
7. Curb your alcohol consumption.

These healthy tips seem very easy to do; yet, I must admit that they’re sort of hard to maintain, even if it’s just only for 15 days. I’m still amid adjusting my sleeping hours, and the challenge officially starts tomorrow *fingers-crossed*!

Well, wish me luck readers. I will do my best to keep you updated, and I’m excited as well to see my everyday (or every other day) progress. Let’s see what happens after I finish this challenge.

I believe it’s about time to give this stint another shot and revivify the heydays of having regular blog updates! I have a bevy of things to share, and quite a bunch of products to review.

First, there’s Philippine Fashion Week I attended for a couple of days to take a sneak peek into the local world of fashion.

Of course, this blog won’t be lacking with the latest beauty and fashion finds as well as product reviews from the mainstream to the underground brands. I always strive to review them as honest, in-depth and constructive as I can.

Plus, I got a little ” secret” to share. But, that’s gonna be for tomorrow! I recently accepted a challenge, which will definitely impact my life even if it’s just for 15 days. And as a special gift to you readers, you just might have a chance to take part on this special challenge with me!

I hope you spare some time to tune in, and find out what this challenge is all about!

I have a lot of stuff on my plate to review and feature–from beauty to fashion–which will be published come this month.

Just hang in there ladies! xx

Yet, I’ll be back for more posting really soon for this month of March.

To start up, let me share with you an upcoming super sale to start your Summer right (for Philippine readers only)!

Enjoy lovely discounts up to 70% on brands such as Skechers, Ecko Unlimited, Zoo York and many more!

Simply drop by at Tektite Tower in Ortigas come next week–from March 1 to 4, 2010. Please click on the poster for more details.