Review: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

I've been hearing a lot of raves about the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque from bloggers and youtube gurus alike so I thought I'd make a review about it. I bought mine at Healthy Options in Mall of Asia [MOA]. Honestly, the thing that drew me most to buy this product was the price. Imagine, you get 226.8g [8 oz] of product for less than $6.50 or 350 Php! I was like: I need me some of that!

It Says On The Tube

Mint Julep Masque is the original natural home treatment developed by a dermatologist that helps dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores.

Caution: Avoid contact with eyes

The Good News

- Cheap
- Overwhelming amount of product for its price.
- Minty [It feels like you're literally putting toothpaste on your face which is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. Personally, I find it a bit amusing.]
- Didn't cause me to break out
- It acts as a prevention product. If you have an emerging pimple and you put this stuff on, it discourages further any growth. However if the pimple is already fully grown I observed that it does not reduce in size after application.

- Absorbs excess facial sebum

The Bad News

- Its hard to wash off

- Did nothing for my existing blackheads
- Did not shrink my pores

Thick and Heavy Consistency

My Experience

After reading the stuff written on the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque tube, I had high hopes that this product would cure my constant breakouts. But after a month of using this, I was slightly underwhelmed. At first, I thought that I had witnessed its pore shrinking power but  then I eventually realized that my pores had not shrunk in size at all. You see, what happened was that when I washed off the masque from my face, tiny particles [in small green powdery form] still remains. So when my face dried after washing the Mint Julep Masque, It seemed like my pores were slightly smaller than it really was [Like putting loose power onto your face].

The Verdict

Is it a holy grail product? Probably not. But for its price, its a such great find! You get so much amount of product for this single purchase. Keep in mind that if you choose to buy this, prepare to be a little underwhelmed. False alarm, Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque not a miracle acne cure. But it is a reasonably priced QUALITY face mask sans the hype. I highly recommend it to people with oily skin and acne prone skin.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Missha BB Boomer Review: The BB Cream Primer

I was given a sample of the Missha BB Boomer after buying a BB cream from Missha. The sales representative said that it acts like a BB cream primer and that it even has anti-wrinkle properties. I got curious with this product mainly because of its name--BB Boomer. I mean seriously, Boomer?! So i gave it a try, true enough It made my skin glow and kept my BB cream longer on my face. It also brightened up my complexion. So I went back to Missha and bought the actual BB Boomer.

After several hours of use, I noticed that the BB boomer glow actually made my face quite shiny [I have oily skin btw]. At the end of the day I looked like a friggin' disco ball. It made me very self conscious and as a result I was blotting my face with blotting paper every time I went to the rest room. 


I learned after using this product that there is a thin line between GLOWING and SHINY [and an even thinner line between SHINY and GREASY]. Adding a BB Boomer to the equation can tip the scale easily.

It Says on the Box:

Boosts the adherence and duration of BB Cream and makes your skin brighter when applied. Its pearl antioxidant and mosturizing ingredient make your skin more radiant while leaving it moisturized.

Containing Moringa, patent ingredient, and Mannan and  Olive ingredients which have an affinity with the skin, It keeps moisture on the skin and creates moisture shield. Containing Adenosine and Arbutin, it improves skin tone and fine lines.

The Good News

• Spreads easily on the face
• Brightens up the complexion
• Keeps your BB Cream intact for longer
• It gives an obvious glow/shimmer on the face
• It doesn't smell bad
• It didn't cause me to break out

Light creamy consistency

You can see the obvious shimmer with the BB Boomer

Final effect on the skin

The Bad News

• It didn't do anything for my fine lines.
• If you have oily skin, I don't recommend this product because you'll easily sparkle like Twilight Vampire even if you carry a pack of blotting paper with you.

The Verdict [in a nutshell]

Decent primer. If you want a sparkly looking face like this [minus the photoshopped pores, obviously]:

Then, I would suggest this product to you. 

However if you have an oily or oily combo skin, better skip this product and invest more on a decent finishing powder because your BB cream will give you enough shine on its own. Even though it costs about 1200 PHP it'll last you for a long time so its a good buy depending on the look you're going for. 


Though its too shiny for my liking, I still use it but only as a highlighter.

Product Review: Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Water Gel Moisturizer

Let me make this short and sweet. For a drugstore product, Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Water Gel Moisturizer is pretty good buy. Here's why:

• Smells pretty. For those people who hate having perfume on their products, you might want to rethink about buying this moisturizer. Then again, the amount of fragrance used in this product might only be a small amount compared to other products because the scent is NOT THAT strong. Also, the fragrance goes away moments after application of this moisturizer on the face.
• Elegant packaging.

As you can see, I've used up more than half of the pot

• Dries easily and leaves a matte yet supple finish. After applying Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Water Gel Moisturizer on the face, the product is absorbed almost immediately on the skin which might lead people to believe that they must lather on A LOT of the product to keep it moisturized but this isn't so. I find that 2-3 pea-size amount is enough for the entire face to be efficiently hydrated.

Gel Formulation

• It is NOT sticky. 
• It feels ultra light on the face. A suitable pre-makeup moisturizer because it doesn't add extra weight to the makeup. [As long as your makeup is also water based]
• It's in a gel form and it is water based.
• As an oil control agent, Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Water Gel Moisturizer does a pretty decent job. Though its oil controlling effect varies with the weather and temperature, I noticed that it really does suppress excess oil production for at least 2 more hours. NOT THAT impressive when you think about it but its always a nice to have a moisturizer with some oil-controlling properties especially if your suffering from oily skin

Spreading the product lightly on the skin

• Contains Hyaluronic Acid and Olive Extract. Hyaluronic Acid is said to reverse ageing and helps with the absorption of the product on to the skin while Olive Extract acts as an antiseptic.
• Didn't cause me to breakout.

Matte and supple finish

Disadvantages of this product:

• Easily Consumed. Even though I only use this moisturizer twice a day, a single pot of this product lasts me for about two to three months only.
• It obviously does not have a dispenser so there might be a contamination issue there. Personally, I really dont mind that it's in a pot because as long as your hands are clean you're good to go.

Final Thoughts:

• Value for Money: It costs about 830PHP for the 50g pot which is a little expensive for a drugstore brand but its well worth the spend.
• Overall:  Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Water Gel Moisturizer is one of my staple products because of the fact that it feels so lightweight on the face. I also like that it helps reduce my excess facial sebum production a little bit. Though it isn't the best moisturizer out there, It's still a fantastic find because the goodness of this product clearly outweighs its bad-side. I'm on my third pot now and I am very contented with it however I'm still on a lookout for a better alternative [In case there's any].
• I recommend this product for those people who are suffering with oily skin. However, it is also suitable for other skin types as well [dry to normal]. For people who have sensitive skin, I suggest you look for a gentler moisturizer. 
• Rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars