Treat Acne with Proactiv that has Benzoyl Peroxide

Dear Diary (otherwise known as you my dear coffeeholic readers who sympathize with me), Acne has come visiting again. Almost every month I share with you on what's happening with my war against acne. Unfortunately for me, its been acting up again. I blame it on barely sleeping nights, lack of water, aaaaand this month I'm kind of guilty of not being faithful in my skin care cleansing routine. Which is bad coz now I'm reaping the effects of not using it.

Skin care products and medications, especially to treat acne are growing steadily in the market. I totally understand coz who wouldn't want clear, beautiful, acne-free skin? It's crazy how there are so many products out there in all forms, shape, and size. The no. 1 question though is -- do these products really treat acne?

For years now, the gold standard of treating mild to moderate acne is the benzoyl peroxide. This is because it is a topical antimicrobial medicine, an oxidizing agent that specifically kills P. acnes, the bacteria that cause acne breakouts. To a lesser extent, it also helps to unblock pores and has an anti-inflammatory effect. BPO is not an antibiotic, and in 50 years of use, there has never been a documented case of BPO bacterial resistance; it is the cornerstone of prescription and over-the-counter acne therapy.

And Proactiv Solution knows that.

That’s why Proactiv Solution has Micro-crystals (micro-crystal medicine) benzoyl peroxide!
The exclusive form of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) found in the Proactiv 3-Step System’s Renewing Cleanser (Step 1) and Repairing Treatment (Step 3). A crystalline BPO that is finely milled in order to achieve the pore penetration required to control the acne cycle. The Proactiv micro-crystal BPO features exceptionally small and uniform particles—designed specifically to penetrate pores faster and to be gentler on the skin.

OTHER WAYS TO TREAT ACNE

PROACTIV SOLUTION VS SOAP
While it may seem counter-intuitive, harsh scrubbing does not unclog your pores any better than gentle cleansing, and may actually worsen your acne. Cleansing and scrubbing only reduce surface oils and dead skin cells. Many people use harsh products, laden with alcohol and foamy surfactants (detergents) somehow wash the acne off their skin. However, these actions often produce irritation and worsen acne. That happened to me once and it felt like my face burned. Never again! Now, it is possible to gently unplug pores with fine polyethylene beads that gently relieve impacted pores without irritation.

Proactiv Solution does not contain any surfactants that can harsh the skin. This is a relief to know.

Proactiv® Renewing Cleanser is formulated without the harsh detergents, known as surfactants, found in many other cleansers. Surfactants, which are responsible for a sudsy foam and lather, strip skin of its essential oils. As a result, the skin’s barrier becomes damaged and vulnerable to irritation and infection.

PROACTIV SOLUTION VS SALICYLIC ACID
Salicylic acid in a cleanser breaks through the plug but does not kill the P. acnes bacteria, the bacteria that cause acne breakouts.

Acne is caused by a variety of factors that take place below the surface of the skin. That’s why it’s best to gently wash with a medicated cleanser with proven ingredients, like benzoyl peroxide, or sulfur, that can penetrate the skin to help unclog pores, kill bacteria and/or reduce inflammation.

PROACTIV SOLUTION VS. ORAL DRUGS
When acne is severe, dermatologists sometimes prescribe oral drugs like isotretinoin or hormonal pills.

There are studies that support that these methods are extremely effective for severe cases, but because of the nature of these drugs there are side effects that make it questionable if the benefits truly outweigh the cost. For example, there were reports in 2010 linking suicidal tendencies and psychotic behaviors among acne patients on isotretinoin. Hormonal pills, which are mainly indicated as a contraceptive sometimes causes water retention, weight gain, mood swings, and in the long run, even breast cancer.

Proactiv Solution does not have these side effects!

With all these information about the advantages of using Proactiv, then of course my advise to you who seeks relief from acne is to try it yourself. Proactiv is SAFE and EFFECTIVE in preventing acne because of Benzoyl Peroxide. It's gentle on your skin unlike harsh soaps. It is more effective than Salicylic Acid coz it kills the root cause. And much much safer than oral drugs. Go ahead and free yourself from acne problems with the help of Proactiv. 

For more information, do visit the Proactiv Website.

Comfort Food at Cafe Naci

One of the major joys of life is eating. Ok maybe it's just me and not everybody. But hey, I enjoy good food. And when I do, I'm really vocal about it. Well me and my tummy did had a moment of bliss when I was given a chance to eat at Cafe Naci! I've never been there before so I jumped at the chance to try it out. And let me just say that I loved it!

Cafe Naci is located at the 2nd floor, Fox Square Building, 53 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan City. Now I used to be a QC girl but never got to explore that area. Suffice to say that its quite near the Promenade. Walking distance (10-15 min). So if you don't see it right away, they got plenty of signage outside so keep your eyes open.

Anyway, like I said earlier, I'm a big fan of comfort food. And so I was quite eager to taste the fare. Thanks to OpenRice Eats A Date, we were able to try out this menu. 

Here are the photos of some of the dishes that were served:

Ok so this isn't food but their Iced Tea is yummy! It's genuine iced tea.. mixed just the way I like it! And that weird Pisa Tower looking glass is the best! haha. When I first saw the glass I thought that my eyes went blurry.. but its really shaped in a slanted way. awesome.. :)

Comfort Naci's Crispy Fried Chicken settles down warmly in your tummy! 

Cafe Naci - Chef Ed's Pork Shank

Cafe Naci - Braised Beef Ossobuco

Comfort Naci - Peruvian Chicken

Cafe Naci - Beef Calderata Lasagna

Cafe Naci - Mango Pannacotta

Cafe Naci - Mango Pannacotta

I really enjoyed all the food! I found myself really liking the Beef Calderata Lasagna. It was very tasty and very filling. :) Yes comfort food indeed. But of course despite tasting all of that, I have to say I found myself particularly enjoying and loving these four meals from their menu.. I super love love and would definitely recommend the following to all of you! Check out my faves:

Cafe Naci's Kani Mango Crunch

1. Kani Mango Crunch (Php 250 ~ Salad)

I love salad and this winning piece blew me away! I loved how the whole taste and texture of this salad was put together. The sweetness of the mango, the delightful crunch of the noodles, and the slight wasabi hint in the sauce made quite an impact on me and whetted my appetite. I'm normally not a fan of spicy food -- meaning the wasabi but this time, the wasabi was mixed in just right and gave a pleasant overall "asian" effect to the salad that made it enjoyable to eat. If you wanna try out Cafe Naci's salads -- you should really try this out!

Cafe Naci Smoked Salmon and Potato Pancakes

2. Smoked Salmon and Potato Pancakes (Php 350 ~ All Day Breakfast)

Ahhhh BREAKFAST. It's one of my favorite meals of the day. Given the chance, I'm all for going all out on a breakfast meal. I have this pet peeve thing about breakfast foods.. that in the morning, the breakfast that I eat should be "breakfast food" only. Like the usual Pinoy breakfast fare (hello tapsi~ish food!) and EGG. So when this was offered to us, I was intrigued.. I took one spoonful of the potato pancake with some smoked salmon to top it off.. AND WAS HOOKED. I love love love it. While eating it, I kept making comments.. "Grabe ang sarap.. ang sarap... masarap sya promise.." and when you hear me saying those comments while eating.. then you better believe that the food I'm eating is definitely delicious! (So alam na.. if I eat and keep quiet.. more likely or not, I'm just eating for eating's sake and well.. not that happy with the food that I'm eating. haha may ganun). I'm a fan of salmon, and getting a taste of that smoked salmon was a treat in itself. I REALLY loved the potato pancakes! It was nice and crispy on the outside but "fluffy flaky" in the inside. Yep, it was definitely my kind of dish. If you are a fan of breakfast food, you gotta try that one out!

Cafe Naci Bacon Liempo

3. Bacon Liempo (Php 250 ~ All Day Breakfast)

One word. BACON. Yummy, crispy, crunchy,and not that greasy bacon! Need I say more? BAAAAACOOOOOON. You gotta love it!

Cafe Naci Pistachio Mini Cake

4. Pistachio Mini Cake (Php 150 ~ Dessert)

Ok, I want you to take a good look at that cake. It's small. Yes. But still, take a look. See all that PISTACHIO. Can you see it? It's literally and liberally studded with Pistachio Nuts that I absolutely love! That's the winner part of the dessert, how generous they were in putting all those pistachio nutty delights. If you love Sansrival and Pistachios.. this is it! The only thing is, if you wanna take home some of this loveliness, you gotta make sure you are on your way home in an hour or two or the cake might kinda be melted. 

So Coffeeholics, overall, the other food that I ate were awesome and I really enjoyed eating it. But these four were my favorites! So if you are in Greenhills area, do try out some of the wonderful and comforting fare from Cafe Naci. :)

Cafe Naci is now open daily: Sunday to Thursday at 7 A.M. to 12 Midnight while on Friday - Saturdays at 7 A.M. to 1 A.M. For reservations & functions, you may call 726-7266 / 0917-8077886. 

CAFE NACI 

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Share A Coke Today

Who has found their personalized coke bottle already in a store? :) I'm pretty much sure you are now familiar with Coca-Cola Philippines' latest campaign which is in a nutshell about sharing. So have you had an opportunity to "Share a Coke" with each other already?

Coca-Cola has released the most popular Pinoy nicknames, terms of endearment, and group names on personalized Coca-Cola products for a more fun and personal way of sharing a Coke. Popular Filipino names (I'm assuming ha!) are already printed on coke bottles. I found out that my first two names are part of the "mass" printing of names so yay for me. Haha. 

Last July 12, I was able to attend the launching of this campaign which was held at the Mega Fashion Hall in SM Megamall. I think the #ShareACoke idea is a fantastic and quite effective campaign! In fact this phenomenal Coca-Cola campaign has taken over 50 nations by storm and is in effect in the Philippines already.

Leading the celebration was Jasmin Vinculado, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Philippines, who also headed the first ever Share a Coke campaign in Australia.

Miss Jasmin Vinculado

“We brought Share A Coke to the Philippines with one goal – to share happiness. Sharing a Coke is a simple yet fun and exciting way for us Filipinos to be able to show our appreciation to people who make us happy. For mothers who cook our breakfasts every day, for the fathers who drop off their children to school every morning, for the friends who listen to our never-ending problems, for the manang who serves our food in the cafeteria, for the manong who opens the door for us and wishes us a great day with his bright smile, for everyone who has shown us kindness—we would like to share a Coke with them simply because we know that happiness is made more real when shared.” Vinculado enthuses.

Miss Vinculado sharing a coke with Mr. Ben Chan

Among the event’s highlights was a celebration of the long-standing partnership between Coca-Cola and the country’s leading teen clothing brand Bench/. Staying true to the essence of Share a Coke, Vinculado, on behalf of Coca-Cola, shared a Coke with Ben Chan, Chairman and CEO of Bench to show the company’s appreciation for all the years they have worked together.

This was followed by a fashion show, where models clad in stylized Share a Coke shirts showcased their personalized Coca-Cola bottles and cans on the catwalk. At the same time, they entertained and interacted with the co-models and guests alike by showing them the many ways of sharing a Coke.

 

Coca-Cola Happiness Ambassadors Joseph Marco, Julia Montes, and Enchong Dee gave the audience a blast by sharing personalized Coke cans bearing terms of endearment “Crush,” “Hottie,” and “Love” to some unsuspecting guests.

Joseph Marco - Coca-Cola Happiness Ambassador

Julia Montes - Coca-Cola Happiness Ambassador

Enchong Dee - Cocal-Cola Happiness Ambassador

The message of the event was simple: Sharing a Coke is a simple yet personal way to show appreciation for people who make you happy. It inspired all attendees to show gratitude for even the small, everyday gestures that otherwise go unnoticed – like how your officemate “Jen” makes work more exciting, how your barkada serves as your second family, how your BFFs provide the best shoulder to lean on, how your kuya is always there to protect you, or how your ‘nay loves you unconditionally.

My cousin and bff blogger -- Shopgirl Jen and I are the "Ate's" in our family. Hehe.
Don't forget to share a coke with your loving ate! :)

Showing our appreciation for other people’s simple gestures by sharing a Coke has never been more fun and exciting. The personalized Coke packs are available in sari-sari stores, convenience stores, groceries, supermarkets and even vending machines nationwide. 

I guess by now you are wondering how to get a personalized Coca-Cola bottle. Well, for starters, you have to drop by a Share a Coke booth that can be found in supermarkets, malls and schools. The line might be long (during the event ours was quite a bit long! hehe) but its worth it especially since you will end up having your own personalized Coca-Cola printed in an instant.

Step 1: Type your name on the screen. Sorry guys, 8 characters is the maximum!

Step 2: When you are sure that THAT is the name you want to have it printed out -- press the YES button!

Step 3: Then collect your personalized Coke bottle! :)

 

And here is Jen's and mine already printed out! YAY! Thank you so much Coca-Cola! Happiness indeed. :)

We were able to get another personalized bottle to share to a friend so I had one made for Anabel -- my coteacher who is a super fan of coke. Like I'm the coffeeholic one and she's the coke-aholic gal. She's also a close friend and I'm glad I was able to show my appreciation to her by sharing this coke  with her! :) 

And so coffeeholics and coke-aholics, if you still can't find your name on any bottles that are out there sa stores, don't despair! Now go to the website - www.shareacoke.com.ph or visit the official accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram of Coca-Cola Philippines. There you can actually vote and register your name (or someone else's) and who knows, it might end up on the next batch of personalized coke bottles that they will be shipping out in the stores. Look forward to a happy weekend!

Scentsual Pleasure with Herbal Essences

Who remembers Herbal Essences or mostly known as Clairol? Yes yes yes that’s the one! I remember this shampoo years back even in high school! I remember its scent and wonderful effect on my hair. So when I heard that they were back, I was ecstatic!

Let's welcome back HERBAL ESSENCES (mostly known as "Clairol" for you oldtimers.. hehe) as they give a scentsual comeback to the Philippine market! :) 

Just last month, Herbal Essences made a comeback and quite in a provocative and scentsual way. They held a stimulating and exciting event at the 71 Gramercy (my first time there! Woohoo! I think that's the highest floor in a building that I've ever been to. J ) It was reserved exclusively for the event where Herbal Essences was able to launch its bold campaign to encourage the pursuit of shameless pleasure. 

Erika Paredes' shares her shameless confession that she's... a selfie addict! :) 

The event was marked with some attention-grabbing, thought-provoking monologues about unapologetically admitting and seeking one’s own definition of shameless pleasure. 

Kat Alano shares her confession in freestyle poetry

The segment, Shameless Talk, featured Kat Alano and writer Erika Paredes as they shared their “shameless” pleasure and encouraged the rest of the audience to do so.

Of course the highlight of the event was when TV host/celebrity blogger Divine Less was revealed as the ambassador of Herbal Essences. 

Miss Divine Lee looking absolutely fantastic as the Herbal Essences Ambassador

She gamely confessed her very own shameless pleasure: “I love taking a shower with Herbal Essences lalo na after a very long day. Sobrang scentsual! When I’m in the shower, I look forward to the refreshing scent of the shampoo. Sarap na sarap ako sa shower experience,” Divine candidly admitted.

We were also encouraged to share our own shameless pleasures publicly.  There were several activities like a “confession” wall, a photo booth at the “Shameless Shower” featuring the Herbal Essences Shampoo, some sampling of sinful food selections, and even exciting admissions on stage about their shameless pleasure. Of course you guys could pretty much guess what my confession was –

Reading Books, Drinking Coffee, and having a massage are my shameless pleasures. :)
It wasn't visible in the earlier photo.. so I took a closeup pic of what I wrote.. :P 

LOL. Its definitely NOT a secret how much I love my coffee! Seriously, you can lock me up in a room full of books of my fave authors, food, free flowing coffee, a bed, with a bath and toilet. I WILL SURVIVE! hahahaha! When I'm stressed out, depressed, or just wanna indulge.. I trot off to my favorite massage/spa place. Yeah yeah I know, nothing thrilling about that.. pagbigyan. It's mababaw but it sooo works for me. Hahaha.

So there you have it, the scentsual comeback of one of my favourite shampoos. I swear, it IS scentsual! I LOOOOOOOOVE the scent of both the pink and blue ones. I’ve been using the pink Dangerously Straight shampoo and conditioner daily and love its effect on my hair. Once dried, I barely have to comb my hair anymore! And its honeysuckle scent is simply.. Divine! (Pun not intended. Hehe!) Ang bango bango bango!

Yep, I think Ms. Divine Lee is perfect to be the Herbal Essences ambassador. Name pa lang diba? Hehe. So Coffeeholics, if you haven’t tried the latest Herbal Essences Shampoo.. I strongly suggest you do and experience for yourself to this yes yes yes scentsual pleasure. Promise you won't regret it!