Beauty comes in various shapes and sizes. Our desire to maintain our skin glowing and radiant measures up to our wanting to accentuate with them shiny, gleaming jewelry. Yes, we find beauty in what we wear over our skin, too.

Another blog joins the beautiful and stylish folks of b5media’s Beauty & Style Channel! Let’s all welcome Gleaming Things!

Chloe Findlay-Harder takes on a trip, discovering the joys of jewelry, from gorgeous gold to funky fashion. Every woman has a soft spot for them lovely, shiny accents, right? With her taste and rigor, she’ll show us her fabulous jewelry finds plus a dash of trivia every once in a while.

So, my dear beauties, let’s give a warm Beauty Bento Box welcome to Chloe and her new blog, Gleaming Things!

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Sephora
Beach Glow Melted Body Butter

Beach Glow Melted Body Butter is a flirty combination of lily of the valley and gold coast jasmine, with nuances of kiwi and pear. It hydrates with natural shea butter, while adding a bronze shimmer for that coveted just-back-from-the beach glow.

The Beach Glow Body Butter from Sephora is a scented tinted body lotion that is a good option for you beauties who just can’t get away just yet to enjoy the sun but wants that bronzed skin. It is, after all, summer. At least, for you guys on the other side of the world.

The popularity of self-tanning nowadays is unremarkable. It may be due to busy schedules, poor economy, or just the fear of getting skin cancer. I’m not here to judge, I guess what ever works for you. So, instead of pushing you to enjoy the beach when you need to spend extra time to earn that promotion which you really can’t pass up or bask under the sun when you know your skin can only take too much before risking any damage, I’d rather give you an option to get the sun-kissed skin without compromising anything.

I admit that the sun can be harsh on the skin and if you already are suffering from dry skin, you’ll increase the chances of loosing what moisture you have left on your skin. That’s why we need to moisturise and hydrate the skin, double time if the skin is indeed dry. This body butter is offering best of both worlds. Uses shea butter to hydrate the skin then will leave a bronze shimmer that will make your skin look like you just came from a lovely time spent under the sun. A tan will always give your skin a bit of colour, making it look radiant and interesting.

The body butter is currently priced at $16 and is available over at Sephora.

If any of you have had the chance to try this body butter out, do let us know how it went. Is it effective? Is it worth it? We’d love to know about your experience!

Image: sephora.com

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Philosophy
Coconut Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath

A tropical, coconut-scented, super bubbly shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath. This frothy, tropical delight is 100 percent calorie-free and will make getting into that teeny-weeny bikini just a little bit easier.. Enjoy a trip to the topics in the privacy of your own bathroom!

Not everyone can take that next flight to the Bahamas or go to some exotic beach in Asia, heck, some even can’t leave their home due to certain realities of life. BUT that shouldn’t be a reason why you guys can’t enjoy Summer, it’s time to be a little imaginative while still being practical. Go condition your mind to settle on one Philosophy. I am talking about the beauty brand, of course.

At first glance, I thought it was just a shampoo then upon looking closely at it I found out that it’s a shower gel and a bubble bath, too! While coconut is not something I would normally choose for a scent, I have to agree that it does remind me of beach massages under the warm sun. I reckon bringing this scent home will trigger memories that will make me feel that I just stepped out of bathroom, ready to head out to my cabana.

I guess, it’s an alternative to either uplift your mood, make you feel that you’re in some tropical vacation home, or get you excited for an upcoming beach trip — get you in the right mood. Go wash your hair, take a shower or enjoy a relaxing bubble bath. You can in one go or in separate occasions. You choose. Just make the experience all about making the Summer season as great as it should be.

The Philosophy Coconut Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath is available over at Sephora for $16.

Image: sephora.com

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June is the undisputed month for weddings. So, I wasn’t a bit surprised to receive word (first thing in the morning, mind you!) that MAC Cosmetics is having an event this Saturday, 21 June 2008. Awesome news to all Manila-based brides, yea?

The MAC Bridal Kit launch will be held in MAC Cosmetics, Rustan’s, Makati and everyone is invited to let their wedding day makeup bring out their true colours. YES. Even non-brides are free to attend! It starts at 5 pm. RSVP via 817-8007 to get a chance to receive a complimentary gift to say, “I do”.

So, my dear beauties, be that MAC-perfect June bride and sign up.

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OJON
Tawaka “The Ball”

A powerful, antioxidant-rich, full-body cleansing scrub treatment.

With my current fixation with soaps, I was naturally drawn to this quaint bath product that I saw over at Sephora. Apart from it’s unique shape and over-all packaging, the exotic look made me want to get to know the product a bit better.

What it promises:

* buffs away dryness
* infuses your skin with the powerful antioxidant and purifying properties of a rare blend of wildcrafted Tawaka™ ingredients
* prepares pores for treatment while removing debris and refining surface texture
* your skin will glow with a velvety, satin, never-oily finish as it polishes and smoothes
* helps prepare skin for self-tanning and post-bathing treatments

The rare, wildcrafted Tawaka™ Cacao blend in “The Ball” contains the same antioxidant amount as 2,834 lbs of blueberries. Impressive?

Everything sounds good to me. However, I wonder why they never used the word “exfoliate” in their copy. Also, I wonder how long this ball lasts. Will it easily dissolve when wet? Will it moisturise the skin? Or will it leave your skin feeling squeaky clean, you know, feels like it’s tight? I guess I really need to give this product a test run in order to satisfy my curiosity. Ah, well. I reckon I’ll just have to see.

Tip: Buff the ball in a circular motion over the body to help stimulate circulation.

It’s currently priced at $65 over at Sephora.

Image: sephora.com

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2008 is turning into a tagging year for Beauty Bento Box. Sophie of Beauty Gizmo expressed a desire to know more about this beauty blogger and threw a few questions my way. Here I am, indulging.

But before anything else, here’s a bunch of meme rules:

* Post rules at the beginning of the post.
* Answer all the questions.
* Tag 6 people, and go to their blog and leave a comment to inform them that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
* Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

Getting right to the questions —

What were you doing ten years ago?

Probably sitting in class with just a lipstick, eyeliner and powder on. Twas my senior year in uni. To be honest, this day that year was a huge turning point in my life.

What are five things on your to-do list today?

1. Pick up laundry.
2. Organise my work space and do a bit of cleaning.
3. Get some blogging out of the way.
4. Take care of my email queue.
5. Eat and sleep.

Snacks you enjoy?

Jack n’ Jill Potato Chips, Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar, Lay’s Barbeque (and Salt & Vinegar occassionally), Celery Sticks and Coke.

Places you’ve lived?

Parañaque City, Philippines
Quezon City, Philippines
Makati City, Philippines
Adelaide, Australia

What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?

1. Travel to all the places I’ve always wanted to visit.
2. Put up a school or sponsor a public school and make sure that the kids from low-income families will get a good education without worrying about tuition fees and books.
3. Become an investor.
4. Set myself up to live comfortably. Surrounded by beautiful and luxurious things. House, cars, butlers. Hehe.
5. Plan and budget my money, make sure I will be able to see my family anytime (they live all over — Australia and US, heh) without fear of running out.

People you want to know more about?

I’d love to get to know my nephews and nieces. They live in different continents, you see. I wish I’m physically around to see them grow up. And with the risk of sounding tacky, I say I do want to get to know you guys who’ve been reading Beauty Bento Box, too. I’m curious to know who you guys are that’s why I appreciate the ones who found the time to leave a comment or two. I love hearing from you guys.

Tagging 6 people: Gadgenista, Girl-Woman, Teeyah, Vidya, Adiel, and Colleen.

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I love soap bars. I can’t really explain why. I guess taking showers or baths have something to do with it. I love trying out bars that will make these events luxuriously soothing and relaxing.

And one of the soap bars I recently tried is the Olay Body Ultra Moisture Soap with Shea Butter. It’s because I want to maximise the Olay Body In-Shower Body Lotion. It recommended that I either use the Olay body wash or this soap bar.

It’s not really that big. The pack included two (2) white bars. The actual soap box looked like this:

I know it’s not exactly impressive. It really does look plain but you do just throw it away anyway, right? But I have to admit I was hoping to see a more elegant packaging after seeing the initial design of the duo-pack, know what I mean?

And of course the soap bar is simply molded and cut like this:

Now, the experience didn’t disappoint me. The Olay soap bar did feel luxurious and creamy when I used it. My skin felt smooth and supple. It made me think that it’s lotion in a bar. However, what I didn’t like is how easy it “dissolves” like it required me to put it in a fridge to keep it from melting. I feel like a huge percentage of the actual bar went to waste, which is sort of a let down.

But, other than that, I give the over-all experience an A. My skin never felt that smooth and silky, seemingly like twas healthy and ultra-moisturised.

Any of you beauties have given this soap bar a try? I’d love to hear your own experience with it. Also, perhaps you can suggest any other soap bar I could try.

Photo© 2008 Sasha Manuel

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ERBORIAN
Yuza Sorbet Night Moisturiser

A nourishing night cream designed to repair and replenish the skin during the most important period for skin cell regeneration. Skin is left feeling smooth, firm and protected.

Though not particularly a fan of ginseng — the scent mainly — my curiosity peaked when I came across this particular night cream from Erborian called, Yuza Sorbet Night Moisturiser. It also made the Bon Visage list over at Style.com.

I quickly looked the product up to learn more about it. I’m quite interested to find the best night cream out there. I’m currently using the RevaleSkin Night cream, which is doing alright but I still want to experiment in order to find the most suitable and effective on my skin. When you reach a certain age, I guess, you’re more conscious about skin maintenance more than makeup (or together with — in equal amounts). I’m trying to take better care of my skin, you see.

Erborian is a brand that’s inspired by traditional Korean herbal medicine. The night cream contains ginseng and yuzu, two very Oriental ingredients that are rich in anti-oxidants and alpha-hydroxy acids that will administer exfoliation. Its anti-fatigue and restorative qualities will contribute in giving the skin a more toned, fresher and radiant skin.

I wonder how effective this cream is. Any of you guys have been using it? Do let us know about your personal experience.

The Erborian Yuza Sorbet Night Moisturiser is priced at $68 over at Space.NK.

Image: spacenk.com

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To share some of the love, I’ll be giving my Philippine-based readers a chance to win a few ARTISTRY™ beauty goodies.

I’ll be raffling off the following:

ARTISTRY™ Lip Colour Creme in Neutrale (1)
ARTISTRY™ Lip Colour Sheer in Sandrine (1)
ARTISTRY™ Light Reflective Lotion SPF 15, Blushing Radiance (1)
ARTISTRY™ Waterproof Mascara in Brown (1)
ARTISTRY™ Makeup brushes (1 set)
ARTISTRY™ Vanity Kits (6)
ARTISTRY™ Vanity Bag with mirror (1)

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, sharing your thoughts on makeup and Asian skin. Make sure that you leave your name and a valid email address cuz that’s how your entry will be verified.

Every comment is counted as an entry so long as you’re adding onto the conversation. (Important note: Be nice. I have the right to disqualify a comment if it’s off-topic/spammy/offensive.) Main point here is to have this conversation and learn from each other. AND my way of saying thank you for participating in the conversation is the Artistry Raffle. How does that sound?

Since I also write for two (2) other blogs: Tops 2 Bottoms and Style Manila, I’ll also be starting conversations there wherein you’re also free to join!

This will last till the end of the month, 30th June 2008, 11:59pm. Raffle will be on 01 July then the list of winners with corresponding prizes will be posted on 02 July 2008. Winners are given 3 days to get in touch with me, sending in particulars like full name and mailing address (using the email address used in their comment). Failure to meet the deadline will result to my drawing a new winner.

Now, let’s start talking!

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Here’s another one that made it into Style.com’s beauty guide Bon Visage list. It’s the Adara Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.

Personally, I haven’t really tried incorporating any sort of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) into my beauty regimen but I’ve heard quite a number of women who have and swear by its effectiveness. Some have suggested that I try it but I’m a bit wary in going guerilla by raiding the kitchen. I just couldn’t bring myself to grab a bottle.

It’s more popularly used for hair care. The women whom I’ve been fortunate to have talked to claims that it helped make their hair smoother, sleeker, and shinier. And all you have to do is apply it once a week for a period of 30 minutes or more (depends on how long you can take it, I guess).

The Adara Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is a multi-purpose product that allows you to do exactly that (among other things).

Bento Beauty Tip:
You can use Adara VCO for dry skin, during bath, for massage, manage dry hair and split ends, plus you it’s safe to use in caring for your baby’s skin.

Style.com notes that it’s available in 5 scents plus an unscented version which they said is an ideal base for essential oil fragrances you can formulate yourself. Do I see DIY beauty projects in the works? It’s currently priced at $28, available in b-glowing.com.

Image: b-glowing.com

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