Review: Favorite Things from Snoe Beauty

Snoe Beauty is another proudly Filipino cosmetic and personal care brand that is quickly winning the hearts and pockets of its growing fan base. Though not claiming to be organic or natural, the company seems hell-bent to use the best ingredients both locally and internationally sourced to concoct their exponentially growing product line. The first time I met the brand, they were all about whitening – Snoe White, they dubbed it – a beauty fad I’ve never been particularly fond of. But since then the brand has expanded from this whitening craze to a more comprehensive menu. I review a few of my picks below:

1. Snoe Beauty soaps – UK-based beauty guru Caroline Hirons absolutely shames soaps for facial cleansing, citing their  reliable ability to strip the skin of much-needed moisture due to harsh ingredients such as SLS. Obviously, Ms Hirons is unaware of the gentle magic of Snoe Beauty soaps, meticulously processed with better ingredients. Each soap has its own defined purpose, though for the life of me I can’t remember which does which since the brand offers so many. My current favorite is its Awesome Poresome bar. I cannot attest to its pore reduction properties, but it does leave my skin squeaky clean without the dryness. Massage gently and expect a bit of stinging at the beginning–which I guess was the supposed pore-shrinking action–but it’s all smooth sailing once the skin acclimates to the soap. I cut a small chunk off the bar, keep in a separate tin in the bathroom and the Php199 soap lasts forever.

2. Hair Heroes – I’ve been on the hunt for the best SLS-free shampoo since I’ve learned about its evils (i.e. being the same suds-inducing ingredient used in detergents and dishwashing liquids. No, thank you). My first Hair Heroes love was Extreme with acai berry and emu oil, and since then have tried the Honey Olive Clementine and Super Fresh variants. Each variant makes its own promise to your mane. But the consistent thing I love about these is that they are simply hair luxury in a bottle. It smells dang good, and the formulation is rich and creamy without being heavy, which is a plus specially for the conditioners. Another wonderful thing is that the Hair Heroes are multitaskers, justifying its steep-ish price (Php499-599). One bottle usually is a cleansing conditioner, leave on conditioner, head massage stimulant cream, deep treatment mask, and could probably also do your homework and feed your cat.

3. Here Comes the Sunblock – Sunblock for the body is something that I had to train myself to use. I feel so lazy doing it and most formulas are sticky and gross to apply. Frankly, my self-training in daily sunblock application is still ongoing, but at least I have found a formulation that I like. Snoe’s Here Comes the Sunblock is non-greasy and non-sticky, providing SPF45 just enough for the morning commute. Worth it at P249. One little qualm I have about this goes back to its “instant” whitening function, which the product accomplishes by leaving a whitish cast if you dawdle on your application. The lotion settles into the skin quickly, so just do not dawdle and you will not have those white streaks. Another thing: the bottle is a bitch to use specially when I’m trying to max out the contents. Snoe has come out with a new bottle and I truly hope it’s the squeezable type this time.

4. Let it B with WasaB BB cream –  By the time of this writing, the cult hit BB cream has paved the way for the new popular buy, the CC cream. For me though, the BB cream is still a better  skincare-cosmetic hybrid. My best pick from Snoe’s BB cream range is the one curiously infused with wasabi (which I love on my sushi). Let it B with WasaB BB cream spreads like butter, and settles on the skin like it belongs there. With light to medium semi-buildable coverage, it is the kind of tinted moisturizer you use when you skin needs just a little glow or a more even tone. Top with powder foundation for better coverage, or just loose powder to set. It likewise claims to have anti-oxidative properties (READ: anti-pollution and anti-aging. Sure wins). Affordable at only P449.

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Snoe has more (a LOT more) products, specially in its cosmetics menu. Their Rouge Deluxe lipstick was a disappointment though, inconsistent with glowing reviews attesting to moisture, smooth coverage and rich pigments. I found it grainy and not spreadable at all, mirroring my displeasure with the old Human Nature lipstick formula. To be fair, Snoe actually promised to check my tube when I reported this to them. I just haven’t had the time to schedule with one of their people. That one is my bad.

Given my top picks above though, this girl from the tropics loves her Snoe 🙂

Photo credits to Snoe Beauty Facebook page. Snoe Beauty products are available in kiosks in major department stalls, i.e. Landmark Makati, Trinoma, Cinderella branches in SM Fairview, Glorietta.