As if the jammed December streets aren't enough to stress us out, there's the unfinished December shopping list waiting to be done. Now if you'd like this year's holidays a lot less stressful than last year's, rock that list with the help of an infallible one-stop shop-- when in Manila, shop at Uniqlo SM City San Lazaro! @uniqlo_official @smcitysanlazaro

Japan's number one clothing apparel brand has opened its 20th store in the country last December 5, 2014 and they're spreading the holiday cheers by bringing the best deals in town! I wasted no time and scoured the (oh, so clean!) store for stuff I highly recommend for inaanaks, moms, dads, besties or special someones.

Roll out those red on-sale tags!

Starting with the ladies: sweet Merino striped and plain sweaters, coloured cropped legging pants, and awesome hoodies with cute cartoon prints.

Uniqlo's Heattech apparel-- perfect for you girlfriends who fancy working out in airconditioned gyms!

Some items without the discount but are still worth checking out: colored shirts, basic pique polo shirts, slub shirts, patterned leggings, and more legging pants!

A couple of  "for him's":

1. Slim fir coloured jeans

2. Heattech accessories

3. Long and short sleeved character shirts

Regular-priced items he will surely like include coloured walking shorts and nice belts:

For the little boys and girls-- some fleece jackets for the brrrr months, hoodies, basic tees, heat tech apparel and some long sleeved polo shirts!

The newly opened Uniqlo SM City San Lazaro will not leave you wanting; they have the best holiday presents for everyone in your list! Follow @smcitysanlazaro on instagram and you might even win for yourself a brand new mobile phone!

@uniqlo_official @smcitysanlazaro is located at the Upper Ground Floor, near the Event Center.

I am not new to pimples or pimpy as I've been with it almost half my life! I've had a long list of insecurities and woes just because I had tons of pimpy all over my face. The very reason I started chronicling beauty products & regimens and dermatologic procedures is to make others aware that there are things that help alleviate stubborn pimpy and make them go away.

Belo Essentials now offers an anti-acne skin solutions in the new AcnePro three-step Clear Skin system. The skincare line banks on the efficacy of Purified Bee venom in clinically treating mild to moderate acne by minimizing inflammation. Through AcnePro's Cleansing, Toning and Repairing stages, almost anyone can say hello to a cleaner and clearer skin everyday!

  

Belo Essentials AcnePro Gel Face Wash (50mL, P99.75) "Effectively helps eliminate acne-causing bacteria & remove excess oil leaving skin smoother and pimple-free."

A pea-sized amount of the gel-like facial wash generously foams into a lather that cleans the face well and leaves skin fresh and still well-moisturized. This wash is nice to use in following up a good makeup remover to ensure deep-seated oil and dirt are taken cared of.

Cleansing is almost a forgettable part of a skincare regimen. I was able to love it more when I felt how soft and supple my skin has become after the 2nd week into using this.

Belo Essentials AcnePro Treatment Toner (60ml, P79.75) "Effectively unclogs congested pores, dry up pimples and exfoliate dead skin cells."

The toning experience further refreshes the skin with a cool, soothing liquid. I like how it is lightly scented making me forget that toners usually smell of medication or strong alcohol.

A word of caution to those with oily skin: the toner can take time getting absorbed into the skin so make sure not to over saturate the cotton pad for it. It's fine if it happens in the evening before bed time but can be a pain if you use to much toner in the morning as it can feel a bit tacky against the skin. What's great about the toner is that you don't need too much to make it work.

Belo Essentials AcnePro Pimple Gel (10g, P149.75) "Helps dry up pimples fast, lighten blemishes, calm inflammation and promote healing & ant-bacterial action."

Repair is probably the most exciting stage in the system as this is where "magic" happens. The AcnePro pimple gel tube is packed with a non-fragrant product that effectively retards the ugly process of an exacerbated & inflamed pimpy. The key is to be keen enough to do the Repair Work at the onset of a growing pimple!

I like that all products in the AcnePro skincare system are oil-free and are truly hypoallergenic & non-comedogenic during the whole time I've been testing it out. The three products are also packed well and in durable, fuss-free tubes and bottles and the sizes of each product is perfect either for travel or for a full-month's use.

With the truly affordable price tag on top of it all, Belo Essentials AcnePro 3-Step Clear Skin System is probably the next best skincare line worth checking out. Using the products twice a day makes it easier for anyone to finally take charge of their skin, face the world and do more, and finally say goodbye to pimpy!

Disclaimer: Products were sent to me for review purposes

No teenager or young adult in his/her right mind would say, "Pimples lang yan". Fact is, pimple growth is a serious problem in the adolescent population that a clinical study links the presence of substantial acne with alarming mental health illnesses (depression & suicidal ideation) and social impairments.¹  One relevant video making the rounds in the health & beauty community confirms this fact:

Like Cheska in the Maxi-Peel video, most people experiencing problem skin are embarrassed, anxious, and depressed. They are socially withdrawn and would voluntarily miss out on the fun things they should be experiencing--- like posing for a photo with their buddies in their biggest smiles!

Say, Cheese!

They say the rest was history when the first Nokia camera phone came out. Over a short course of time, aided by the growing popularity of social media, photography became not just a hobby but a lifestyle-- a dreadful reality for someone who wishes he/she had better skin for the cameras.

In 2012, it was estimated that more than 380 million photos are uploaded in Facebook daily.²  DAILY! So how does a camera-phobe live in these "hostile" times?

We will run out of excuses to avoid the camera and there's not much we can do about stolen shots. Like Cheska in the video, a pro-active game plan should work just right! Everyone deserves their own Bagong Ganda, Bagong Pag-Asa and the best way to get the confidence for the cameras is to take charge of one's troubled skin.

Say... Exfoliate?

Everyday, our skin goes through a constant, natural renewal process which brings about old, dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. These dead cells are notorious for clogging the skin and making it dull-looking. Exfoliation is the process of getting rid of these old cells and thankfully, our bodies exfoliate naturally through a process called desquamation to keep the skin healthy & radiant-looking.

However, over time, desquamation slows down and can result to dull, flaking skin, as well as, you guessed right, the proliferation of acne. This is most likely what Cheska's skin is having trouble with and when this happens, doctors recommend aiding the natural exfoliation process with physical agents such as chemical peels.

Using Maxi-Peel Exfoliant Solution is one good way to step up one's slowed down natural exfoliation process. One of its main active ingredients, tretinoin, is a known powerful exfoliant. Tretinoin effectively promotes proper cell renewal which in turn unclogs pores thus lowering the chances of acne formation.

How Maxi-Peel Works

Bagong Ganda, Bagong Pag-Asa is Maxi-Peel's promise and true enough through Cheska's video, it is possible for the skin to be reborn. The best results are always the ones that give a slow but steady progress and using an effective exfoliant that encourages the skin to undergo the Remove, Renew, Reveal stages is one of the skin's best bet in achieving a better state.

Remove- at the initial stage of use, Maxi-Peel will cause a harmless stinging which signals the skin easing in to the treatment. With constant use, the stinging dies down as the treatment continues to help remove stubborn dead skin cells

Renew- skin redness is also most likely to occur as the skin adjusts to the treatment but will be more persistent than stinging.

When the skin's natural exfoliation process decelerates, it becomes harder for new cells to grow. At the renewal stage, the slow-to-exfoliate skin is gradually sped up so that new, healthy cells start to move up the skin's surface.

Reveal- as with any other potent exfoliator, peeling is expected to happen. Maxi-Peel's reveal stage signals a breakthrough in bringing back the normal pace of skin exfoliation through visible skin peeling. In due time after the skin has thoroughly adjusted, only minimal peeling is expected.

We live in the social media era where everyone is compelled to look their best for the lenses. Heck, "selfie" has been made word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2013 for its international relevance. It's tough to imagine how one covers up his/her reluctance when someone asks for a group shot or worse, a solo pic, just because he/she has bad skin.

Remove, Renew and Reveal--- more and more young adults can break free from the stress brought about by acne and dull skin! With Maxi-Peel's Bagong Ganda, Bagong Pag-asa promise, many can confidently say, "Pimples lang yan!" while smiling their hearts out for the cameras.

¹ Halvorsen, Jon et al. "Suicidal Ideation, Mental Health Problems, and Social Impairment Are Increased in Adolescents with Acne: A Population-Based Study" Journal of Investigative Dermatology 131 (2011): 363-370. doi:10.1038/jid.2010.264.

² Estrin, James "In an Age of Likes, Commonplace Images Prevail" The New York Times, September 7, 2012. http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/in-an-age-of-likes-commonplace-images-prevail/

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.

I'm sure you'd like to experience the good stuff I told you about in my review of the Paula's Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster! One of you will win a trial size bottle and I'm hoping it'd be someone with a lot of skin concerns. A brighter skin tone with a pleasant texture makes up for all the horrible acne, scarring, huge pores and whatnot, and I'd like for one of you to experience it!  -Giveaway open to ALL residents of the Philippines-

To join the giveaway, please examine your skin and if you have virtually no problems, please give way to those who have tons! I'm not being an anti-clear skin jerk here but I honestly think the product would be so insignificant on the already good skin.

After skin screening and seeing all those bumps, holes and probably a few depressions, list down (in the comment section below) your skin concern/s that pull/s down your self-esteem. Briefly discuss how you are currently addressing it/them, or if you have given up. Just that.

Don't forget to write your name (or web handle) & email address so I can contact you in case you win. Winning comment will be raffled off and if there's a really, really good entry, I might give away a second bottle.

Deadline for entries is on May 20, 2014, 11:59PM on comment timestamp. Winner will be announced within 24hours after giveaway closes.

Disclaimer: Giveaway prize bought by the author and is new, unopened and unused. The bottle was taken out of the box to be checked for condition and be photgraphed.