Quirky life of Kim

I've tried mild facial wash, aloe vera, witch hazel, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, retinol, clindamycin, doxycycline, Foreo, Clarisonic, green tea, peppermint tea, toothpaste, honey, Aztec clay masks, apple cider vinegar, chemical peel, monthly facials, and oxygen treatments. You name it, I've tried it just to get clear skin. All these products would work temporarily, but as soon as I was hit with external factors, stress, or that time of the month I would surely breakout. I've already spent thousands just to address this problem. Finally, because of its persistence, my Derma decided to put me on a low dose of Isotretinoin. Since my acne was now mild, I was put on 10mg, 4x a week. So that's 40mg per week. I am using the brand Isonoin. I will post my monthly updates here, and so far I'm on month 2. But first, a little background just to know what we're getting on.

What is Isotretinoin?

This is the only acne treatment that attacks all four causes of acne — excess oil production, clogged pores in the skin, too much of the bacteria P. acnes, and inflammation. One course of treatment generally takes about 4 to 5 months. Common side effects is dryness and severe birth defects. You cannot donate blood or excessively drink alcohol while on this drug.

Monthly Review

1st Month 

Excessively dry lips that no lip balm could calm down. Delayed period. Insomnia, couldn't sleep until 2 am. Got a lot of tiny bumps on the cheeks. Cystic acne were few.

2nd Month

Dry lips have lessened, was able to cure it with drinking lots of water. Delayed period. Insomnia. No more tiny bumps. Only cystic acne. Felt excessive dryness on other parts of the body, like underarms and face. Experienced blurry vision.

3rd Month-5th Month

Still experiencing those dry lips. No more excessive dryness on other parts of the body. No longer get acne even if medication is skipped, ate chocolates, or had a sip of soda. Though I get tiny bumps from time to time especially when the time of the month is near. Never has cystic acne so far. Still having trouble sleeping.

Stay tuned for the monthly updates!

UPDATE:

After taking low dose isotretinoin for more than 6 months acne still emerged. I have consulted my dermatologist, and he has placed me in a high dose prescription. I have been taking 50mg/day for 6 months now and my skin has been clear. No more cystic acne. One thing I noticed is the little bumps, which sometimes leaves marks and go away the next day, still emerges. Since I was done with my dose and I wasn't getting fairly big acne anymore, what I did was to stop taking isotretinoin. I invested in the 'The Ordinary Peeling Solution' and I never got that small bumps I have been complaining about. Even if I sleep late, had that time of the month or drink milk, no more acne. So this is an effective treatment. Finally, I have controlled my acne which I have been dealing with since I was 18. Hope my journey has helped you gain inspiration and believe that the battle is close to over once we start this treatment.

Having dry and chapped lips is a pain, isn't it? You couldn't wear matte lipsticks and your lips are always peeling painfully. I have searched high and low, to solve this problem. I tried using lip scrubs and petroleum jelly. Unfortunately, this were band-aid solutions, once the product was removed I would again experience cracked lips. So I did tons of research on what product to buy, what was the most recommended, and alas, it was the Carmex lip balm. I have already heard of this brand a couple of times, but since it was a U.S. brand I didn't know if it was accessible. The great thing is Watson now carries this item, so I bought one! 

Price 

150.00 

Bought at Watsons

Main ingredients

Claims

Helps to moisture and relieve dry, chapped lips

How to use

Apply liberally and evenly as often as necessary. Especially useful before and after exposure to sunlight, wind, or low temperature. Recommended before and after lipstick applications to preserve and restore moisture.

Time used

1 year +

Likes 

Dislikes

Rate

4/5

I can give so many praises to this product. I have tried many lip balms, and so far this one stands out. I really have dry lips that are so hard to relieve, but with Carmex 1-2 squeeze and problem solved! I would buy this in a swift if I ran out.

So here are my thoughts about this product. I hope I helped you with my reviews.

Leave comments below on any random stuff and what you want me to review. Thanks!

We planned a beach outing, and for months we were enthusiastic until the day before came, where I, unfortunately, got my period! I didn't want to bleed out on all the land trips, and I didn't want the disgusting feeling of a wet napkin. So I tried using a tampon!

Price 

Around 150.00 as of 2018 (8 tampons included)

Bought at Watsons

Can be bought from online shops and Rustans

Not available in Robinsons supermarket, I checked

Main ingredients:

Rayon, Cotton String, Polysorbate 20

Claims

How to use

Click here! (Full tutorial on how to use a tampon)

Just remember to wash your hands before and after application. And if it gets uncomfortable it just means that the tampon hasn't been pushed far enough. So push, push, push!

Time used

1 week

Likes 

Dislikes

Rate

4/5

Even though the cons outweigh the pros I think using a tampon is very convenient. And if I didn't have a hard time inserting it, and if it wasn't so expensive I'd want to use this every time. Imagine the convenience of almost feeling nothing while on your period. Disgusting POV ahead,  it actually looks like a small longganisa when you pull it out, causes the cotton sucks all the blood. I do recommend this if you want to try it out.

So here are my thoughts about this product. I hope I helped you with my reviews.

Leave comments below on any random stuff and what you want me to review. Thanks!

This has raved in Sephora, it has more than 1000 reviews! So many people claiming that it cured their acne, lightened their acne marks, and changed the texture of their skin. Since my skin was clearing up, I wanted to target my acne marks. Indeed this was on the pricey side, but I have tried doing Glycolic Acid treatments in clinics and my gosh, it was worth 1700 per session. Indeed for a toner, this was still on the pricey side, but this was really cheaper than a derma session. But of course, there was the risk of burning your face since this was an acid.

Price 

390 for 15ml/  1050 for 100ml/ 1950 for 250ml (beautymnl, always sold out)

407 for 15ml/  995 for 100ml/ 1990 for 250ml (sephora)

750.00 for 100ml (shopee)

Can be bought in BeautyMNL, Shopee, Sephora, etc.

Main ingredients

Water/Aqua/Eau, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose, Urea, Dextrin, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Hexyl Nicotinate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Biotin, Panthenol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Caramel, Red 4 (CI 14700). 250ml/ 8.5 fl. oz.

Claims

• Exfoliates and purifies the skin with Glycolic Acid

• Ginseng improves circulation and energizes

• Aloe vera soothes and hydrates

• Refines the appearance of pores

• Gently accelerates cell renewal to reveal a brighter, glowing complexion

• Balances heals and soothes for radiant, healthier-looking skin

• Alcohol-free

• Suitable for all skin types

• Not tested on animals

How to use

It depends on your skin on how well you can tolerate this. 

Ideally, since this is an exfoliant you should use this 1-2x a week. 

But a lot of people have been saying that this is mild enough to be used every day,

if that's the case you should build up the frequency to test the waters.

According to Pixibeauty.com:

• Use: Either in the AM and PM or when needed. 

• Step 1: Cleanse your face 

• Step 2: Saturate a cotton pad with the Glow Tonic™ and sweep across face, neck, and décolletage (avoiding eye area). 

• Step 3: Follow with a serum or moisturizer

Time used

1 month, once a day

Likes 

Dislikes

Rate

3/5

I really could see that I was purging as small pimples would appear and disappear the next day, this went on for 3 weeks. Cystic acne was less. And acne marks lightened in a matter of 2 weeks! Although my face felt oilier I wanted to endure it, believing that this would be a good product in the long run. Unfortunately, when the 4th week came I was experiencing so many little bumps on my face. And for sure this was the culprit since this was the only thing new in my regimen. I already gave it my 4 weeks and I didn't want to continue it any longer since clearly, it was causing irritation. After discontinuing this product the small bumps went away, and everything came back to normal. 

So here are my thoughts about this product. I hope I helped you with my reviews.

Leave comments below on any random stuff and what you want me to review. Thanks!