Two days ago, I started testing two new skincare products from Nature Republic, the Original Power Whitening and Lineless Ampoule and the The First Number One Essence (a GWP trial size I received). I normally don't do a post about products I currently screen, especially if it has only been a few days of use, but these two deserve to be exceptions.

The morning after the first night I used the tandem,  I woke up so late I barely had time to do my face. I risked public scrutiny (of my dry and scarred cheeks & my oily t-zone) by leaving home with only some tinted balm on my lips. And guess what---

I just accidentally discovered how much I can go bare-faced the entire day without feeling too embarrassed. Although it's not the first time I braved the streets without powder on as I've been bare-faced doing car-less errands ever since my skin got better (I used to pack powder foundation even if it's just an errand right across the street! it used to be that bad), but this is the first time I survived a day without makeup. I only had to wash my face 3-4 times (soapless) within the day to get rid of the extra oilies.

        Summary of Nature Republic's The First skincare line. Click out to improve readability; photo from Nature Republic           website

      Click out to improve readability; photo from Nature Republic website

Prior to the no-makeup epiphany, I have been using the Original Power whitening & lineless ampoule alone and it didn't do much for me. I should've road-tested the essence minus the ampoule but for reasons I don't know, I used the two at the same time. I will definitely isolate the essence's results after a few weeks.

I'm still a little skeptic over the improvement it gave my skin at a very short time that I bury myself thinking of the other factors that may have contributed to making my skin look better. Have you had skincare products that worked so quick, too? Did you ever end up stocking up on them? Would love to know!

When I was researching for a good alternative to Shu Uemura cleansing oils, Nature Republic's Forest Garden Cleansing Oils caught my fancy as their line up carries a good array of makeup removing oils close to Shu's (feel free to comment below if you know of brands with such variety). Shu's got six variants, Nature Republic has five.

Price: P665 (10% off for Nature Republic cardholders)

Available at: Nature Republic boutiques at Festival Mall, SM North and SM Fairview

Their "Balancing" cleansing oil may be the best for me as I am drier on the cheeks and oily along the T-zone. The scent is quite overpowering but wasn't anything near unpleasant.

Five variants of the Nature Republic Forest Garden Cleansing Oil Line:

MOISTURE (Borage Oil & Carrot Seed) - blue; moisturizing; best for dry skin

BALANCING (Rosemary & Ylang Ylang) - pink; revitalizing; perfect for stressed out skin

FRESH (Tea Tree & Lemongrass) - green; acne-busting; capable of targeting pimples and comedones

PREMIUM (Argan Oil) - white; perfect for those who want added radiance

MILD (Chamomile) - lilac; a good choice for those with sensitive skin

And I actually thought 'Balancing' was meant for unbalanced/combination skin, hee!

blue, pink, green and white bottles (lilac variant not in photo)

My only question is: why can't I have Balancing, Fresh, Premium and Mild in one bottle? The good old saying holds true in beauty products, too: "You can't have 'em all!". Ho well, the Nature Republic Forest Garden cleansing oils are worth checking out anyway --- great packaging, and from what I've been hearing from people, tough on the most stubborn gunk on the face!

Nature Republic's Vanilla Sky Pact SPF 30 PA+++ sure is a looker on the counter with its adorable mint cream case reminiscent of Paul & Joe products (and even the nail polish bottles are!). 

The powder smells as good as its name --- vanilla. I love that it is finely milled and gives a velvety smooth, matte finish. My scarred skin might frown at the fact that it doesn't give any additional coverage for acne scars and marks but I think that with the right shade, this works well in evening out the complexion.

I got the Vanila Sky Pact in #23 (they only have two shades: 21 and 23) and I think this shade is suited to set very yellow-toned liquid and cream bases. It appears ugly grayish-pink on my face when used solo. I will experiment how this sets off good old Estee Lauder Double Wear in Sand and will fill you in about it soon.

'replace cap' daw after use.. hehehe.

• Price: ~ 500php (will verify with Nature Republic)
• Availability: Nature Republic counters (SM North, SM Fairview, Festival Mall), contact numbers HERE
• Expiration: Manufacture date stamped at the back of the compact, not on the box; since it has good preservatives (parabens), I give it 1- 1.5 yrs before I throw it out

Follow Nature Republic on Facebook/ Twitter

While this holds off oil along the T-zone fairly well, I'm wary that it sits on the face. Like you look all made-up though not cakey. It's useful to use a facial mist/spritz to allow the powder to blend better into the skin. (Check out how Earth loved it on her skin)

Overall, I think that the Nature Republic Vanilla Sky Pact is a little expensive considering that there are other   crazy inexpensive pressed powders that are as good as this, even offering a wider shade range. However, if you're not scrimping on setting powders, you'll definitely fall in love with the matte finish this gives off plus its cutesy compact that comes with the softest & smoothest powder puff!

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Disclaimer: Product was sent to me for review purposes. Post content is in accordance with my personal experience while using the Nature Republic Vanilla Sky Pact SPF 30.

If you're scouring beauty brands for an inexpensive red lipstick, you're definitely in for some treat when you check out the Nature Republic Petit Cherry Rouge lippie in H20 (H stands for high-colour). I bought this last November 2011 during the Nature Republic Grand Opening at SM Fairview and I've been reaching for this every time I'd like a pop of red on my bare face.

What I love about it:

• highly pigmented
• inexpensive at P220 (Nature Republic card holders get an additional 10% off!)
• does not dry my lips out
• very creamy and glides perfectly on the lips
• cute and compact packaging; true-blue petite!

Uh-ohs:

• not long-lasting; i reapply after an hour or two
• not a perfect red on my pigmented lips; more of orangey-red on me

You might notice alphanumeric codes instead of lipstick names with The Nature Republic Petit Cherry Rouge products. Very Korean, don't you think? FYI: 4 variants are available, namely, High-colour (H), Moisture (M), Glossy (G), and Creamy (C). 

I swatched colors from the Moisture and Glossy variants which resulted to my partiality to High-colour because of its relatively outstanding color pay-off.

I'm still thinking if I should repurchase H20. Sometimes, I find the color too bold for my personality, hee. But I'll definitely check out more shades from the Nature Republic Petit Cherry Rouge line so that I end up with a lipstick that's more, erm, ME. 

Nature Republic Philippines' Branches and Contact Numbers:

Festival Mall Alabang, G/F, 822-2953
SM North EDSA, The Block, 4/F, across Wade, 921-4781
SM Fairview, Main Building, G/F, across Chinabank, 921-3829

Please don't forget to join my Neutrogena Fine Fairness BB Cream Giveaway! Deadline's today, 3PM.

Like Nature Republic Philippines on Facebook and/or follow them on Twitter to get updates on what's new and what's on sale!

Full Disclosure: Item reviewed purchased with my own money.

Visit Nature Republic stores and get FREE Snail Therapy samples from December 28-29, 2011!

NATURE REPUBLIC branches:

Alabang Festival Mall

SM North

SM Fairview

For specific floors and contact numbers, check out the old post on SM Fairview Grand Opening

The Nature Republic Color Waltz nail polishes come in cute Paul and Joe-ish bottles. I got mine in BE103, a splash of beige-grey color, which for me, creates an almost perfect nude nails look.

1 coat of Nature Republic Color Waltz nail polish in BE103

What I love:

• inexpensive at 65php (~$1.50); cheapest among the other local Korean beauty boutiques 
• dries up fast
• easy to remove
• opaque at first glide
• i never had problems with it after waking up in the morning; usually, with other brands, the polish is a bit ruined in the morning and i sort of retouch by using a top coat
• the brush is perfect for my nail shape and size (unlike that horrible polish brush!)

I'm no pro with nail color but this polish is absolutely newbie-friendly! I never worried about bubbles like I did when I used a red nail polish and I didn't have to layer on so much to achieve an attractive opacity.

Uh-ohs:

• did not work with my The Face Shop base coat... the Nature Republic Color Waltz nail polish got a bit gooey when I used it over the TFS base
• layering the polish just makes it ugly; I just use 1 coat
• ingredients are not listed so it's hard to say if it's The-Big-3-free

I'm wondrin how this'll look like 'neath the Nature Republic Crackle :) Hmmmm...

Check out the photos of the polish under indoor lighting (all @ 1 coat):

And outdoors:

I adore BE103 and will definitely get more Nature Republic Color Waltz nail polishes. It's a breeze to use and newbies-to-polish like me can seem to look like a pro with it. I will be too dishonest if I refuse to admit that one of the biggest factors for repurchasing the line is its adorable bottles. These polishes are just too darn cute side-by-side each other, it's hard to own just one!

Prizes in store: Nature Republic products amounting to P3,000 and a JGS Let Me Cry CD.

Visit their Facebook fan page to get the latest from the brand!

During my visit to Nature Republic SM Fairview, I swatched their Lean Crack Nail in black. This was the first time I tried applying shatters on my nail, nahiya naman big time ang kuko ko!

Nature Republic's version of nail shatter in black (also used Bobbie Top Coat)

They have five available colors at the counter: baby pink, white, red, silver and black. I should've swatched on the white crackle against the red polish. This tandem would've been prettier, I think, versus the red+black stint.

Nature Republic Lean Crack Nail, 300php/ ~$6

I was hoping the ingredients would've been listed to make sure that it's big-three-free. You don't want Toluene, Formaldehyde and DBP lurking on your polishes!

I used the shatter very sparingly and it gave me some large cracks. Also, without the Bobbie top coat, the entire number lacked luster. Oh, and please forgive the poor way I applied the polish and shatter, lol!

sans the top coat, under natural light

I've seen how the pink shatter looked like. Methinks this is how you properly apply nail stuff, lol, I feel so amateur looking at how well she painted her nails!

photo taken from Sharibelle's post on Nature Republic's Facebook page

So there's the swatch of Nature Republic's Lean Crack Nail! It's cheaper than the other popular shatters at 300 pesos (~$6)! 

Last Friday, I was able to attend Nature Republic Philippines' grand opening at SM Fairview. I was surprised that they opened a branch in this area when there's already one at SM North EDSA, but I'm thankful nonetheless. 

Marjorie Lee and Tad Huang for the ribbon-cutting of their 3rd branch

I didn't get the name of the priest who graced the event and blessed the boutique. It was too cute of him to check out the accessories section of the store, hehehe!

It didn't take long before the store got bustling with eager girls! 

Like most Korean products, the brand combines state-of-the-art technology in beauty with high-grade natural products to create a whole line of skincare and makeup. I think what sets them apart from the other brands is their ability to utilize a longer list of hard-to-find and unique natural ingredients. Aaaaand, Nature Republic has tons of good products, MUA must-haves even, that are more affordable compared to the other Korean beauty brands.

The shop's interior is reminiscent of every Korean beauty store I've visited (Skinfood, Missha, The Face Shop, Etude House, and Tony Moly). But I love their informative bricked-wall portion:

Nature Republic boasts of the diverse natural ingredients they use
you may click photo to enlarge

Here I am checking out the famous Aloe Vera tub on the wall display. I already told you that this ran out very, very quickly, didn't I?  Also, I'm happy that I was assisted by the shop's helpful SA. 

Here are some tidbits on the brand's timeline:

•

• Jun 2006~Feb 2009 : Preparation for Brand Launch 
• Apr 2009 : 1st store opened at Myung-dong, South Korea 
• May 2009 : Overseas store opened in Taiwan 
• Jul 2009 : Opened the biggest Myung-dong World store in Korea 
• Oct 2009 : Overseas store opened in Thailand 
• Jan 2010 : Overseas store opened in Malaysia 
• Mar 2011 : Overseas store opened in Cambodia 
• April 2011: Brand launched in Japan 
• Sep 2011 : Overseas store opened in Philippines

I will be sharing tons of stuff soon about their awesome ingredients. I also have more photos of what's in store for you when you visit Nature Republic! Right now, you may want to check out their Facebook page or Twitter for updates!

I look so EMO on that corner while I secured some shots for the blog!

I enjoyed the entire time I was inside the store! I will not hesitate to secure a membership card once I'm done testing the stuff I bought (so far, I'm lovin each and everyone of em!!!). I'm pretty sure most of you are hoping that they'd open Nature Republic in Ortigas or Makati... let's all cross our fingers that they soon do.

Nature Republic Philippines' Branches and Contact Numbers:

Festival Mall Alabang, G/F, 822-2953
SM North EDSA, The Block, 3/F, near People are People/Flavours Of China, 921-4781
SM Fairview, Main Building, G/F, across Chinabank, 921-3829

I just got home from Nature Republic SM Fairview today and I'm encouraging those who live nearby to drop by the branch. 

I am unfamiliar with Korean stars and I will be googling who Jang Geun Seuk is, hehe

They have tons of freebies for your purchases. And they're BOGO on the masks (although the get-one is a choice of either the snail or brightening mask sheet). 

Freebies at the counter

Check out the polishes (65 pesos and 200 pesos! crackles are at 300/bottle), petit cherry rouge lipsticks, collagen pop glosses, bb creams and cleansing oils. They have tons of stuff to watch out for!

tons of stuff to give out. im not sure if SM North and Festival Mall has this much too

Now this, sadly, ran out of stock when I left the store...

Check them out at the Ground Floor Level, in front of Chinabank, SM Fairview. Nature Republic is also available in Alabang Festival Mall and SM North EDSA.