I came across this site, tryandreview.com and saw that they were looking for product testers and reviewers for free. Since I have a very tolerant skin, I signed up for the first product I encountered which was the new Garnier Serum Mask - HYDRA BOMB.

Cool name, huh. The BOMB. The name alone gives a notion that your face will be soaking with extreme hydration. It also reminds me of this drink we used to buy in a BGC Mall: something like Hula-Hula Bomb.

I must say, it is really nice to have these websites that give honest reviews about a product, and that's their goal here, complete honesty, to help consumers make informed buying decisions.

So, this Sunday afternoon, I opened the parcel it came in and read my welcome letter. It's sort of a welcome but the title is really "CONGRATULATIONS".

Here's me with it anyway: (I submitted the same photo to the website, a requirement)

As per the product description, it's a tissue mask that infuses skin with 1 week of serum in 1 mask.

I have a normal skin, so I really don't need that much of the hydration, but again, this was a free product for me to review.

Upon applying the mask on the skin, you need to remove the blue protective film. I find this a hassle. Most skin masks aren't this tedious. LOL.

The eye slits seem to be a bit small for me, so I have to be careful not to let some of the serum get inside my eyes.
After 15 minutes, I removed the mask as instructed and sort of expected an "intensely rehydrated, smoother, and more radiant skin" as per the packaging. It might be because I didn't have a dry skin to begin with, that I didn't notice any difference at all.

What I did notice though was that my skin looked dewy after I put on my liquid foundation. At the end of the day though, that combination of hydration and foundation made my skin feel oily.

So, my point here is: I can't use this product. :D

1. The seemingly small eye slit. Really, it bothers me. A serum CAN irritate any eye, of course.
2. The blue film. I don't get it.
3. The smell. I don't like it, it's a bit too strong for me.
4. It doesn't suit my skin type.

What's good with the product though, is that it doesn't come in too expensive! So I definitely recommend this to those with VERY dry skin. Or if you're heading to the beach or have just been to any low humidity place (oooh- this would work best in Qatar during summer days!).

Disclaimer: I certify that this review is based on my own experience and is my genuine opinion, and that I have no personal or business relationship with this website or product, and have not been offered any incentive or payment originating from the website or the product to write this review. 

4 months!!! (--and I said I was gonna blog more this year!) 

What has happened... 
- I went home to the Philippines 
- I got back to Qatar (too much for a list, LOL)

Between those moments, I had a lot to blog about, and yet not one single post. Partly because the internet connection in the Philippines is too bad. (nah-just kidding, it's better now, actually, I am just really lazy!)

So February this year, my little sister turned 18 (just in numbers heehee). I felt sorry that I did not get to be there for her, as I had been for my three cousins when they each celebrated theirs. I am really into organizing parties and events, and I had many plans for my sister's debut. Anyway, I was there "in the spirit" ^_^

I decided to come home a month after. Through Etihad which had one stop-over in Abu Dhabi. At first, of course, I was excited, coz I was gonna see one new place. I posted  TripAdvisor review, please disregard the grammar errors I think I did that half-awake, just the same, here's some more info:

At Hamad International Airport, there was a long line at the check-in counters which made me regret why I forgot to do an online check-in the night before (I made a mental note to ALWAYS check-in online at least 4 hours before the flight as I look at the empty bag-drop counter).

I once forfeited a flight because the plane left... and I was busy reading a book at the airport's upper level --well that's a different story. Anyway, I always made sure I find the boarding gates immediately after check-in, and wait there, no matter how long the delay would be. Luckily, this time, I was not left behind :)

The flight from Doha to Abu Dhabi took only an hour. Just enough for a light snack, and I always loved eating in-flight. I love traveling by air planes. Anyway, I'm getting distracted by the thought of dried fruits and nuts. As soon as the plane started its descend, I looked outside the window to see how Abu Dhabi looks like. At first it was all sea and sand. It was a pretty sight, but I hoped to see buildings. I finally saw one, and it had the Ferrari logo on top, and that was it. That's the largest building I saw from the top, and the rest were like houses and small buildings. I was a bit disappointed, especially when the plane landed. I looked around (tried to look around when the plane was heading to the main airport building), and the tallest building I saw was the airport control tower. (Later on, I found out from a friend that the airport was a bit far away from the city.)

At Abu Dhabi airport, I was surprised to find out that we had to take a shuttle to the main building. This is like one of the domestic flights I had back in Manila, so this is not new to me but it came as a surprise because this was an International flight. Most passengers uttered their disbelief-- they were expecting to pass through a tube. We also got through security gates again, which was again, surprising--we just got off a plane, we went no where between the plane and the airport? So after going around, exploring Abu Dhabi Duty Free, I decided to eat. I got tired and so hungry (I couldn't wait for another set of plane food haha!) I chose this cool-looking cafe (Bricco Café) only to get disappointed with the serving. I paid 32 Dirhams for two small cutlets of chicken and a heap of undercooked rice. It was unjust. It was unfair for my hungry tummy.  

So to cut it short, I boarded the plane to Manila, arrived in the early morning, got a Grab (local transport provider) and got welcomed by our dog, Mimi (yep, no one else but her --on their defense, only my mom knew I was going home and it was really waaay too early!)
I'll write again about the Philippines stay.... when I want to. HAHA. Off to lunch!