Review: Toni & Guy Refreshing Dry Shampoo

Be it for the face or the hair, we oily girls need all the help we can get. For the face, it's facial blotters and blotting powders, while for the hair - dry shampoo, of course!

When I first spotted the Toni & Guy range several months back, the one product I picked up was its Refreshing Dry Shampoo. I've heard so many raves about dry shampoo, and I was really keen on trying one out.

I was particularly keen on trying it out after Kahani did a Batiste demo for me one day at her place. A few sprays and a couple of brushes later, her flat and greasy roots turned bouncy again. I was pretty much sold.

Unfortunately, however, Malaysia does not seem to have many options available. Do correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't been able to spot other options of dry shampoo in either Watson's or Guardian. So Toni & Guy it was.

I'm one who washes my hair every other day (usually at night). This basically means that by the end of the second day, my hair's as greasy as greasy gets and that sure ain't a pretty sight. Why not wash everyday, you ask? Well, my hair ends up too dry. Yes, it's complicated.

So this is where my dry shampoo comes to the rescue. This Refreshing Dry Shampoo promises to "refresh the hair between washes, with a matte textured finish". Sounds like exactly what I need.

But does it deliver?

On days when a wash is due, my hair will start with its tell-tale signs of grease approaching, even in the morning. What I've been doing is to stall this process by giving my hair a good spray (only at the roots), giving it a quick and light massage, and then giving it a good brush.

Unlike Batiste though, this one won't leave you with "grey" hair as its lightweight formula is completely transparent.

In terms of performance, sadly, it also seems to lack the oomph that Batiste has too. While it certainly did help keep the oilies at bay for a good full day (meaning from morning till night), it somehow lacked to wow me as how Batiste did during Kahani's demo. Although, with that said, another round of spraying and brushing in the evening would have been able to keep my hair still presentable, should I have needed to attend an evening function.

But nothing beats the good ole' shampoo and condi duo, me thinks.

In conclusion, it is a good to have, as it does help keep my roots happy for quite a good few hours more. But I don't know if I'll be repurchasing. Priced at over RM30 for a 200ml can, I find it rather pricey. Especially for a product that's merely "okay".

Have you tried this? What say you?

Revisiting an Old Fave: St Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub Blemish & Blackhead Control

I used to be a St Ives Apricot Scrub devotee but stopped using it after reading reviews that the jagged apricot seed kernals were too harsh and tore the skin. So what made me revisit it? Desperation.

After the Hong Kong trip, my skin rebelled against 4 days of interrupted skin routine. Really the only two items I didn't bring was Neutrogena's Deep Clean Cleansing Lotion and Himalaya Herbals Neem Mask. What can I say? I don't have a skin routine, I have a battle plan and every little bit counts.

Bursting out with white heads, cystic acne, and clogged pores even Himalaya Herbals and the Aspirin mask didn't seem to have to goods. In desperation I scoured the shelves of Watsons and came across this reincarnation of my old favourite. With 2% Salicylic Acid I pounced on it, brought it home and slathered the thick scrub on like a mask. After about 2-3 minutes I gently worked the scrub in and washed it off to reveal deliciously smooth skin.

That was the watershed moment for my skin. From then onwards it purged happily and easily (meaning the white heads came and went but never formed angry red bumps) and was back to normal in a week. The exfoliation is also helping the scars fade away more rapidly.

Compared to the old formula, this one has a less heavy cream and 2% Salicylic Acid. Regrettably the gentle more natural apricot scent has been replaced with something harsher and more perfumey - but hey it works so I'll forgive it. I also find the scrubbing grains to be finer, more plentiful and a lot smoother so don't be afraid of it tearing at your skin.

Conclusion
At RM19.90 I think I've found a new addition to my skincare arsenal. I plan to use it as a semi mask once a week and scrub with it mid-week - so I should be able to leave it behind on my shorter jaunts. *sighs*

DIY Beauty: Baking Soda & Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying Rinse

Yet another DIY post! You can tell that I have been on a roll in my kitchen lately.

After jumping into a friend's swimming pool recently, I came out with the worst godawful build up on my roots which no amount of shampooing could remove. My hair was flat and with all that shampoo, my hair frizzed and I went around looking like a triangular shaped poodle for a while.

When I first went Curly Girl last year, I read a couple of things about using baking soda as a clarifying wash and using apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinses right after.

"Euw," I thought, "no way am I going to use something that abrasive on my hair." I use baking soda and vinegar to clean my kitchen and the way it cuts through grease! And, the fizzling noise! Do you think I am really going to do THAT to my hair?

Or so I thought at the time.

After glaring at my lifeless roots for the n-th time (n representing an unknown quantity, I used to be a calculus geek), I marched over to the computer, yanked out every bit of information I could get on using baking soda + ACV, got what I needed from the kitchen and went into the shower stall.

Result? Squeaky clean hair with volume. All the build up was gone, my hair was shiny from the ACV rinse and one quick hair mask later, my hair was nicely moisturised, bouncy and showed signs of pretty waves.

I like.

If your itchy fingers have been activated and itching to try this, you need:

For the baking soda wash:
1 tablespoon of baking soda mixed with 3 tablespoons of conditioner (I have fairly long hair which needs a LOT of product but if you have short or fine hair, 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 3 teaspoons of conditioner should suffice. Just remember that the ratio is 1:3)

For the ACV rinse:
1 tablespoon of ACV to about 1 litre of flitered water. (Some people prefer using 2 tablespoons but my hair seemed happy with 1)

Now, hop into the shower and wet your hair throughly. Gloop the baking soda + condish mix all over your hair (don't dump everything on your hair in one shot, apply it over your hair in parts). Concentrate on covering your roots first and let whatever is leftover slide to your ends. Then massage the concoction into your scalp for about 3 minutes as if you are washing your hair with ordinary shampoo and concentrate on your roots as that's where the build up is.

Rinse everything out of your hair with normal water and then pour the ACV rinse over your hair. This will seal your hair cuticles shut, balance your hair ph and leave your hair looking shiny.

Your hair will be feeling really squeaky clean to the touch by now. You can either give your hair a final rinse to get rid of the ACV smell and hop out of the shower or quickly run some conditioner through your ends to provide some moisture, rinse and then hop out of the shower. My hair is pretty dry so I apply a hair mask (it really sinks in because everything was cleaned out by the baking soda) followed up with some conditioner before doing a final rinse and stepping out of the shower.

Using baking soda as a clarifying wash works well but because it is pretty abrasive, I would probably only use this once every 3 weeks or whenever pretty bad build up happens on my hair. I think people with sensitive skin should avoid this too.

The ACV rinse leaves your hair looking unbelievably shiny. I am tempted to use this after every hair wash (lots of people do it) but I don't think my boyfriend can put up with the smell of ACV. He looked ready to keel over when at the smell and I had to rinse my hair pretty thoroughly to get rid of any lingering scent of ACV.

Which brave souls are willing give this a go?

My Vanilla Crack: The Body Shop Nutmeg & Vanilla Body Scrub

When The Body Shop first released their Christmas offerings late last year, I was rather nonchalant. Not that I don't like their products, heavens no. It's just that they dish out lovely offerings year after year, it's hard to stay super excited all time.

But any rate, I had been looking forward to checking out their holiday offerings and so I did.

There was Merry Cranberry (their faithful annual release), Black Velvet Apricot, and Nutmeg & Vanilla. Nutmeg & Vanilla? I did a double take. Really.

Just as I had declared how much I love the Cocoa Butter Body Scrub, I was beside myself with glee taking sniffing in the vanilla scent. I knew the body scrub was miiiine. I was pretty much like a squirrel on crack.

And in perfect timing, a lovely lovely friend (you know who you are, thank you!) offered to do a The Body Shop run for a discount! Which saw me bringing a tub of the body scrub and a bottle of their body lotion home.

Some have described the scent as being too sweet, or even cloyingly so. But as my nose is rather scentically-challenged (yes, I coined that word), it doesn't seem to mind it at all. In fact, I find the vanilla scent delicious and comforting. Not quite sure where the nutmeg comes in though, in terms of scent. I'm hopeless.

Anyhoo, on the product itself. It's rich and creamy, with ground nutmeg to exfoliate the skin. There's also something else in there (I'm not sure what it is), but it looks like orange microbeads, and works as a finer scrub.

(Notice the dark brown beads? Those are ground nutmeg (I assume). And if you look closely, you'll notice orange-coloured microbeads, which works for a gentler exfoliation.)

I've used it a few times now, and I always feel so clean and pampered after a good scrub. And my skin feels uber smooth and rather hydrated too, thanks to its creamy goodness. Perfect for when you need something to lift your spirits a little after a long and tiring day.

Priced at RM69.90 for a 200ml tub, it IS crazy pricey, but one tub will last me quite a while yet. While it's no longer available on the shelves, one can always scour the Net. And hope it'll come back this year.

One can always hope, no?

Monday's Beauty Bits: 5 Brands I Wish Would Come to Malaysia

This thing of beauty is forever denied to us here in Malaysia because Urban Decay won't come to our shores. My longing for it has me resentlfully thinking of all the lovely brands we lack and the five I truly wish would come over and sell makeup to me already! (preferably at prices that aren't marked up by too much - not like Benefit and Smashbox, alas!)

Urban Decay - Since it's obvious lets start off with this avant garde, rocker cosmetic brand. With ideas that range from cheeky (like the Pocket Rockets) to gorgeous, Urban Decay is nevertheless on the cutting edge of cosmetic technology and the quality usually measures up to the hype. Awesome.

Cargo - Oh Canada, why isn't Cargo available herreeeee? With so many amazing products like the One-Base foundation / concealer, blushers, and the Blu_Ray collection, it's just agonising that we have to cross international waters to get at it! My birthday present to myself is a 7-piece kit from Cargo, can't wait till it gets here!

Lush - Oddly enough, while living in the UK I never bought a single item from Lush. Truth is I can't bear the stores - the smell is terrifying. And then Plue brought it all crashing down single handedly with Happy Hippy. Now I want to explore the brand and revel in its overscented goodness. Organic and vegan fans will also welcome this earth-friendy brand.

Hourglass Cosmetics - Posh, critter friendly, and divinely luxurious, I may not be able to afford Hourglass on a regular basis, but from what I've seen, I want them here. If only so I need never be seperated from their lipgloss in Primal. One day I will invest in one of their gorgeous face palettes (when they finally get some sense and add a blush) and hopefully the palette cravings will all go quiet. Yeah right. But it's a shame that Singapore has it and we don't.

Philosophy - makers of my signature scent, Amazing Grace, this bath, body and skincare line has numerous cult products like Hope In a Jar, Purity Made Simple and their 3-in-1 Perfumed Bath, Shampoo and Shower gels. I love their packaging, the names and text on their products and of course, the products themselves.

Whoa that was easier than I thought it'd be. I can still think of a few other brands, Too Faced, Max Factor, Cover Girl, ELF and NYX but you could call them "second tier". What about you? What brands do you wish would market themselves in Malaysia?

Neutrogena Scrubs: Deep Clean vs. Deep Clean

If you girls don't already know it by now, I'll just refresh your memory a little, and tell you that my all-time HG scrub is the Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub. I loves it. Very much. There, now you know.

So on one of our drugstore aisle perusing missions, Kahani and I spotted this - Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub (hereafter known as Daily Scrub).

We took a look at it. Looked at the product through the transparent packaging, ran through its list of ingredients. It really looked very similar to the Deep Clean Gentle Scrub. Then we checked out the price (thinking that if that was also about the same, we'd pick a tube up), and there lay the difference. A 100g tube of Daily Scrub was RM19.90, while the original Gentle Scrub cost only RM13.90 for 120g!

The Chinese (Hokkien, in particular) in us took dominance and decided that the new product was just that bit too pricey for a buy-and-compare spree.

A few weeks later though, I came across the scrub again. This time at a discounted RM16.90. Hello you! And brought it home.

So, same difference?

Look and texture:

(Can you guess which is which? Looks about the same, don't they? Right: Gentle Scrub, Left: Daily Scrub.)

In terms of how the products look like, they looks mighty similar alright. Both are gel-textured. Both have orange microbeads in them, and both have a gentle grainy feel. They even have the same fresh scent.

Claims:



Both claim to be blackhead-fighting, and will thoroughly remove dirt and impurities from the skin. Both claim to be dermatologist tested, oil-free, allergy tested, and non-comodogenic. Gentle Scrub claims to also be soap-free.

Ingredients:

(Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub)

(Deep Clean Gentle Scrub)

Both scrubs have the same top three ingredients, and both contain salicylic acid, which will help remove dead skin cells. Both also contain beta-hydroxy acid, which penetrates deep into pores to help clear and prevent blackheads. Daily Scrub, however, further boasts of containing cedarwood extract, which is known to help with oily skin and acne.

Performance: I've been using both rather frequently, and I really can't tell how one scrub works differently from the other. Both clean and exfoliate my face well enough (I like it enough to have run through several tubes now), and both are gentle enough to be used daily. Sometimes if I really really need it, I even scrub twice a day - morning and night. Using it so often with Cetaphil, my HG cleanser now, my face has so far stayed generally clear and contentedly happy. Happy enough that I've been able to go all lazy and skip using my Neem face mask for weeks on end.

Verdict: So, in an interesting case of Deep Clean vs Deep Clean (sorry for legalish, brain's still stuck at work), I think both work about the same. But for the RM6 price difference, I think I'll be sticking with the original Deep Clean. There just isn't enough Wow-power in the rebranded scrub to justifty the price mark-up.

Same difference, indeed. Well... almost.

Review: Orly In a Snap quick drying topcoat

Sorry to use a stock photo but I couldn't find my shot of it (which I knew I took, argh!). This isn't available in Malaysia anymore but I managed to pick it up on eBay from a US retailer for about USD$8 including shipping. Pretty decent!

So what's the verdict? Sadly while it's great, it's not quite HG material. When applied over dry polish it sets wonderfully fast. It's dry to touch in a minute and completely dry in five.

But there is a trade-off, with some polishes, my nails start chipping in two days even if I apply two layers and top it off again in between. I find that this polish works better with some colours than others - brand doesn't seem to be a factor!

For example, Revlon in Copperglaze Platinum lasts over five days chip free with this, but Opulent Pink chips in 2 days. It's head scratchingly odd.

The funny thing is, I remember the old formula had these problems - but five years later that funky smelling bottle is wonderful. Should I set this aside for 5 years and let it thicken then? =P

Conclusion
I'm still looking out for my HG quick dry polish. Until then I can't live without this. I don't mind painting my nails every 3-4 days compared to waking up the next day with smudged or hatched nails.

DIY Beauty: Green Tea Toner

As I'll be leaving Australia for good come March, I have been dabbling in kitchen skincare so I don't have to lug so many cosmetic products back to Malaysia. Run out of hydrating masks? Look in the kitchen. Run out of hair masks? Look in the kitchen.

Cue really weird looks from my boyfriend. He has given up on asking and decided to live in ignorant bliss instead.

I ran out of toner a few weeks back and stumbled upon a box of green tea in the kitchen. I looked at it, shrugged and put the kettle on to boil. Then I left the teabag to steep while I hopped off for a shower. Having read quite a bit about green tea toners, I figured that now was a good time to try.

My verdict after a month? Well, the stuff kind of works. My skin seems a little clearer and using this in the morning helps to cut down on oil. In fact, it works so well in the oil control department, my skin turned dry and flaky. I only use this at night and once every two or three days in the morning.

Used as a mask (I soaked a facial sheet in the cup), green tea works pretty great in soothing angry red pimples.

I guess that there is something in green tea after all.

Go ahead and give this a shot the next time you run out of toner or have a large box of green tea waiting to be used. It doesn't have to be expensive Japanese green tea -- I originally started out with some really cheap arse brand from India and am now using Vietnamese lotus tea -- just as long as it is freshly brewed and steeped for about 5 - 10 minutes, longer than normal drinking tea.

Just a tidbit: I personally avoid drinking green tea unless it has been brewed with a slice of ginger (Vietnamese style). It isn't because of the taste (I love the taste of green tea) but because it tends to give the women in my family tummy aches and leave us feeling bloated. My sister has cut it out completely because it triggers her gastritis and after talking to a cousin, we realised that green tea might be the culprit for her frequent stomach aches and water retention.

Unless I have ginger, I stick to drinking fully fermented tea.

A Hammam & Gommage experience ~

There are a few luxuries in life that every girl should have the opportunity to experience, and I would gladly categorise the Turkish Hammam & Gommage as one of them.

(A quick photo of the common area where there are seats for you to relax and lounge around. Apologies for the lack of photos. Lighting was extremely dim and it was a busy day in the Hammam!)

Having read ParisB's review of it at the Hammam (in Bangsar Village II) sometime last year, I decided that I would go for a session just days prior to my wedding in Aug. Lord knows I needed all the de-stressing I could get. And besides, the Imilchil Bridal Radiance Recipe was just too apt to pass.

And just this past Sunday, having two sessions to use up (since I took a package the last time), I decided to treat my mom and myself to another round of Hammam as it was her birthday.

Boy, did we have a lovely time! (Note: Word heavy post)

Walking into the very dimly-lit Hammam gave me a feeling of being whisked straight out of Malaysia into a Turkish bathhouse. We were ushered into changing rooms where we were assigned lockers to stash our belongings. There was no problem with the safety of our personal belongings at all, as the lockers are operated using a magnetic bracelet which we wore the entire time.

We were also required to change into their set of disposable undies and bikini tubes. And for walking around in the common area, the first time round I had a bathrobe provided for modesty's sake. On my second trip there, however, it had been such a busy day that they had run out of bathrobes. Sarongs were provided instead, which was fine for me too.

Once done with the changing, we were ushered straight into the bath area for the Hammam, which is furnished with wooden slats and simple tiled benches for seats. The mosaic artwork in the bath area also gave it an authentic feel. The temperature felt slightly warm, reminding me of a sauna.

We were then given a good rinse-through by two lovely Moroccan ladies, and had a mixture of Henna and Beldi Black Soap applied all over, which was to prep the skin for the Gommage. According to the Moroccan ladies, the henna makes sloughing all that dead skins cells off much more thorough. After 10 minutes, the mixture was rinsed off and we were led to a side chamber for the Gommage.

In the Gommage chamber, we were told to lie down on two marble slabs. Paris was right, I really felt like I had been marinated earlier, and was now about to be skinned. Using a (REALLY) coarse glove, they started scrubbing - bottoms up. They started with our feet and worked all the way up to our necks. Front and back.

If you care to see how your skin is doing, while you get the sensation of being skinned, you'll notice rolls of dead skin cells and grime (daki) just coming off your skin. It looks exactly like someone who's taken to an erasing a pencil mark. The stuff that comes off? Yes, it looks exactly like that. In the same dark grey shade too. *grin*

(A little word of caution though, all this vigorous scrubbing may not bode so well for those with skin problems, such as eczema, as it may cause further skin damage or cause a flare-up. So please do the necessary to see if this is suitable for you.)

After the super-scrubbing was done, we were then led back into the first chamber, where we had a body mask applied all over. Another 10 minutes, and a thorough rinse off. And this time, we were given a bath and a hair-wash too. By this time, we already had baby-soft skin, and all set for our next stop - a full body massage! Talk about being pampered.

We opted to have our massage together, so we were given a twin-sharing private massage room. We were given a change of paper undies (thank you) and told to lie face-down on the massage bed. With the dim lights and very relaxing massage underway, I was pretty sure I dozed in and out of sleep.

I believe both our masseuse were Indonesian, and unlike Thai massages (where they do it dry), our massage was done with scented oil. After about 45 minutes (but it felt much longer, really), we were then informed that our massage was complete. While I enjoyed the body massage, I didn't like the fact that the head massage totally greased up my scalp. (Just a day after and my hair already desperately needs another wash.)

After that it was back into the changing room, where we had a hairdryer provided too, and back out into Malaysia.

Comments: Comparing my first trip there (on a weekday, where I had Paris for company), and my second one on Sunday, I would say the first was generally better. As they had fewer customers to attend to, I was allowed more time before and after the Hammam & Gommage to laze around the common area. There was more privacy, and even the tea tasted better (LOL). Seriously! Also, we weren't given the option of which scented oil we would prefer for our massage, as opposed to my first trip. So I'd say go on a weekday, if you can. These extras, while not a must, would add nice little touches to your visit.

Also bewarned: the Hammam & Gommage is no place for a shy girl (or guy). If you have issues with appearing half naked most of the time, or having someone else bathe and scrub you, I think it will not be an experience you will enjoy. As Paris says, "Modesty has no place in a Hammam!"

As for the price, I remember each session was priced at over RM300, but as I had bought the package, it was slightly cheaper at RM200-odd per session. Apologies as I can't remember the exact price. I paid the bill last August. It's hardly what I'd call cheap, but somehow still feels well worth it.

While I don't see the Imilchil Bridal treatment in their list of treats now, they have many other similar treatments with prices ranging from RM150 for a simple Hammam & Gommage, all the way to Royal Couple Hammam which costs RM650.

Conclusion: Overall, the Hammam & Gommage is indeed an interesting experience, and a luxury I'd love to treat myself to every now and again. My skin feels oh-so-soft and smooth from all that mask and exfoliation, and the massage was truly pampering. Now if only I could get that week's worth of glow as claimed! All I can see is a teeny-weeny bit of a faint glow where the light hits my skin. Ah well. If I ever make it to Turkey though, it's sure to be on my list to-do list!

For more info and photos, click here. So, care to check it out?

PS: Happy Birthday, Mommy!!! =P

Monday's Beauty Bits

Neutrogena wave is here, and I'll admit it's just a matter of time till I test it out. What's holding me back is the RM59 pricetag for the device and ~ RM30 pricetag for refills. What do you think of the price? Just save up and buy a Clarisonic?

Like OPI nail polishes? NailGalore blogshop is selling bottles for below retail price at RM37 a bottle of colour polish (RRP - RM50+). Tempting huh? (Note: I have never purchased from this shop and cannot vouch for the seller)

Speaking of blogshops, NYX Cosmetics, a Malaysian-based blogshop sells - guess what? Some products sold areEyeshadow bases for RM24, lipbalm pots at RM10 and Jumbo Eye Pencils at RM13.50.
(Note: I have never purchased from this shop and cannot vouch for the seller)

For a lovely inspirational read on looking young, head over to The Derm Blog for "The Secret to Looking Young". =)

Finally, a word of warning from bitter personal experience. Don't sniff bottles of shampoo too enthusiastically. You may end up snorting blue gunk...

What Scent is Your Man?

Just about two weeks ago, Eli asked us ladies what our men thought of our primping habits. And now I'll ask you about your man's.

Have you ever taken note of what scents he likes to wear? Is your man a Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss sort of guy? Or the Dunhill, Burberry type? Or perhaps the good 'ol Brut Cologne sort?

It's often said that scents are extremely personal, and sometimes a reflection of one's character. So today, let's have you name your man's preferred scent, and share with us a little of his characteristics, shall we?

(Speaking of which, I've heard from a very reliable source that our Malaysian Prime Minister is an Acqua di Parma guy. Interesting.)

In my case, the hubs goes for the good 'ol Brut Cologne. My dad wears Brut too, so I've sort of always associated Brut as a scent for the slightly more traditional man.

Interestingly, I just read that it's indeed marketed in the United States as "representing traditional masculine strength of character".

The hubs says:
I was introduced to this cologne by my dad. I first wore it in my teens, and I liked the manliness of the scent. I'm not a brand-conscious guy. If I find something I like, I stick with it.

Does sound rather traditional, no? LOL. And you can see he really does love his cologne. There's only a wee little bit left of it in his cologne bottle.

So what does your man wear? And what kind of guy is he?

C'mon ladies, I wanna know!

Review Maybelline Lipbalms: Lip Smooth Botanicals in Grapefruit and Colour Care in Cranberry Jam

If you're too lazy to read the individual reviews of these two balms, I can sum them up in one word for you: "Meh..."

Want more?

Maybelline Lip Smooth Botanicals with Grapefruit Essential Oils
You KNEW there was no way I'd resist this one. But to be honest I rather wish I had. In Maybelline's defense, there's no promise that it smells of grapefruit only that it contains it. So if you're hoping it'll smell of grapefruit - sorry. The scent has a tang but that's it and the rest smells beeswaxy.

As a lipbalm I'll use it up no problem. It's moisturising and glossy and I like it. But the packaging bothers me. At RM12.90 it's not the cheapest of the balms but it deserves better than a tube that rattles as you apply it. I keep worrying it'll break off! The verdict? You may like it and it's not awful, it's just "Meh..."

Maybelline Colour Care in Cranberry Jam

This one is also not too bad but really not great. If you hate sweet candy-ish scents this is not for you. It has a fragrance that's somewhere between a bubblegum berry flavour and those over-sweet fake fragrance pellets we used to play with as kids. According to Yani, all the flavours, regardless of name, smell the same. Which is disappointing, I wanted this to smell of CRANBERRY.

Shade wise, it's a deep reddish pink that's pretty but not as pigmented as Nivea Strawberry or Cherry balms. Think of it as somewhere between Nivea's Grapefruit and Cherry flavours. I really do quite like the colour but I find the scent off-putting for frequent use.

Gloss-wise it has some gloss, but is overall less glossy than Nivea. I'd say for my money stick to Nivea - it's cheaper - unless the Maybelline balms have a colour that Nivea lacks. At RM9.90 a tube it's not pricey but for what you get I feel it could be cheaper. Again, "Meh..."

Aussie Love: Lucas Papaw Ointment

Bestie, who is studying in UK, was bewailing the state of her chapped lips a few days ago. "Smack me if you have to, but I am tempted get the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour cream because I need a lip balm."

"Hold your horses," I replied, "I'll pop some papaw ointment into the mail for you."

The owner of Lucas Papaw Ointment must be making a small fortune. I think nearly every Australian household has a tube or jar of this stuff for cuts, burns, blisters, chapped skin... You name it, this cures it. Last winter, I counted 6 people in my tutorial (out of 15) who whipped a tube out of their bags to dab on their chapped lips.

Even Beaut.ie wrote about this yesterday which described Lucas Papaw Ointment as the cheaper and less stinky alternative to EA's 8 hour cream.

Btw, papaw is the Australian name for papaya. I still have not figured why yet.

I gotta admit, I was kinda sceptical about this ointment when I bought my first tube. How much of a miracle balm is this? Can I really put this stuff on my LIPS?

A few days later, I was a Lucas Papaw convert. The stuff worked great for my chapped lips and on an annoying dry patch of skin which previously refused to go away. I wouldn't really call this HG stuff for my lips though as Ego lip balm works better for me but for the price... meh, I am not complaining.

My dad however, is newly hooked on this. For the past few years, he has had this annoying dry patch on his forefinger (think it's related to eczema) which leaves deep cracks in his skin each time it flares up. The only thing which soothed it was steroid cream.

When Dad came to Australia last month for my graduation, his skin flared up and I passed him my tube of Papaw to try. After much moaning and grumbling (MEN, I tell you), he finally consented to giving this a go. His skin was healing nicely within days and Dad was going about extolling the virtues of Papaw Ointment like a travelling salesman.

Mum reports that it works on my sister's eczema as well. I think my family brought 3 large jars back to Malaysia.

I have a sneaking suspicion that one day, Lucas Papaw Ointment will get a spot of its own in the Aussie Hall of Fame, right next Vegemite. It's just that no one has thought of it yet.

I can't really remember the prices but I think that retail prices are around AUD 4 for a tube, AUD 8 for the 75g jar and AUD 20 for the large, 200g jar of Lucas Papaw Ointment.

Has anyone else tried this and got addicted?

Hong Kong Haul: Grapefruit Madness

Syen and I went off to Hong Kong and pursued our respective crazes. Grapefruit appears to be a far more popular scent in Hong Kong than it is in Malaysia. Alas for Malaysians. So yes I went a touch mad over there and bought (clockwise from left):
1. Giant bottle of Mannings (aka Guardian) Grapefruit Strengthening Repairing Shampoo (HKD27.90)- I have no idea if it works well, but by gum it smells like fresh grapefruit juice! Not unlike Lush's Happy Hippy which I got to experience thanks to the lovely Plue.
2. Yes to Carrots lipbalm in Citrus (HKD19.90) - more lemon than grapefruit it's still nice and zingy.
3. The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter (HKD69) - Pricey but no longer available in M'sia and chock full of the scent that started the entire craze in the first place!
4. Dove Go Fresh in Grapefruit & Lemongrass (HKD27.90) - Sadly more perfumey and powdery than its grapefruit-fresh shower gel counterpart. Boo. It was sealed up so I had to buy it unsniffed. It's pleasant and has some citrus just not what I was hoping for.

Lover of Art Deco and Art Noveau that I am these tins of deliciously scented lipbalm were impossible to resist. I'm planning on giving it a coat of clear lipbalm (edit: NAILPOLISH - can you tell I have lipbalm on the mind?) to protect the lovely artwork.

And as Syen mentioned, we shared in a large tub of Mask of Magnaminty. Let's see how this pricier mask measures up to Himalaya Herbals' Neem offering shall we?

Monday's Beauty Confessions: Hong Kong Haul!

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope this is a great start to your week ahead. Kahani and I did a short trip together to Hong Kong over last week, and boy did we have fun!

There was the shopping, the clubbing and insane amount of yakking. So check out what I hauled back.


1. St Ives Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Butter Advanced Body Moisturiser - I've had crazy body moisturiser lemmings lately, and this was on my list of wants. When I came across this one on the Net, I wanted it, but it wasn't available here. So what joy when I found it in Mannings over there!

2. Nivea lipbalm in Pink Grapefruit - I got ANOTHER back-up. Because I love it that much. =P

3. Gal Collection Peach Vaseline (lipbalm) - Smelled of peach and was on offer. Enough said.

4. NARS Torrid blush - Because it's not available here?


5. Clinique High Impact SPF15 in RSVPink - Found this in Sasa or Bonjour for HKD19 (~RM8). Need I say more?


6. LUSH Mask of Magnaminty - Kahani and I shared a tub of this popular LUSH mask. Not photographed as it's currently still with her.

Not much makeup compared to my first trip there, but here's what else I brought back!


A H&M semi-trench coat - I've been searching for a decent jacket of late, and Kahani proclaimed that we would go jacket-hunting for me in HK. We found this lovely gem of a jacket in H&M going for HKD399 (~RM200) in a brown-taupe shade.

It was love at first sight. Being on the more vertically-challenged end on the spectrum of things, I thought this jacket's length was perfect for me. You can wear it light, or pad it up for colder weather by wearing a woolier top or cardi underneath. Whatafind! Wheeee!


Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens - My priciest purchase in HK at HKD1,620 (~RM736), I've been eyeing this zoom lens for a while now, and when I found that it was about RM300 cheaper there... uhh... you guessed it. Granted it's made in Malaysia, and not Japan. But I've been playing around with it and so far I'm well pleased with it. A great general zoom lens for those on a budget. Awesome!

What's your number, blush baby?

Hellooo ladies!

Sometime last year, I did a post asking all you lovely ladies to get counting on the number of lippies you have. And boy, did we get good feedback on it. =P

So today, we're going to continue with the mathwork here - but on blushers instead. My pet subject. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. *grin*

In my daily makeup routine, blush is the one essential item I cannot do without. I may be in a blurry haze flying out the door (because we all know that that five minutes of extra sleep is necessary), and there will only be time for the very bare minimum makeup. But blush will be there.

Blush, applied well, can do a myriad of magic tricks. It can make your face look slimmer, brighter, it can give you an amazing complexion (nevermind if you haven't had any decent sleep in months), and it can make you look like you're in the pink of health. Nevermind again that you might have been having that flu bug since who-knows-when.

Put on that blush, and you'll be glowing like no tomorrow. Talk about faking it.

So anyhoo, I've since gotten counting to see how many blushers I've somehow accumulated over the last couple of years. It's always good to do some stock-keeping, no?

And the total tally freaked even me out. A little bit. My number's a big fat round 8-0.

Including bronzers, mineral blushers (which was a mere 3, I think) and those included in palettes. (So THAT's where all my money went...*gulp* )

So spit it out. What's your number?

Sweet Stains: Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint in Red and Peach

The stain mania lives on! Etude House has once again produced two love-worthy stains at a wonderful price point. What I love about these two shades is that neither is your typical rosy cool-toned red. The stains aren't clear either and resemble Posietint in texture.

Peach
Perhaps the shade I coveted most, while looking out for non-red shades. Although it looks orange on the does-foot applicator wand, when applied it turns into a natural pinky-peach shade that goes brilliantly with blushes like Coralista. The swatch here is topped with clear lipbalm but it also goes amazing with Nivea's Pink Grapefruit. ;) (Come on, you knew I'd say that)

Red
Unlike Dear Darling Liptint which is a Benetint-style red, Cherry Tint Red is a warmer, bright strawberry red. It's very cheerful and gives your lips a playful stained-with-a-popsical look. I love it on its own so I wear it topped with clear lip balm. It also makes a good base to pop any nude lipgloss that's too flat or for cooler-red lippies.

Wear & Formula
Neither of these tints last as long as the clear tints or even Posietint. They do wear out faster and I find by the end of the day they've faded almost away. Fortunately they do still hang around through meals and drinks far longer than any lipstick or gloss.

As I've just gotten through a breakout on my face I haven't yet tried this on my cheeks and I'm not sure I will. I have blushes that match them exactly and when applied over a base of Revlon Colorstay, powder blushes last as long as stains.

Conclusion
These are both from an older collection and I'm not sure if there are many left. I picked them up at a nice discount of 25% from RM22.90 - very nice. =D If you spot them, buy them!

For the Wavies/ Curlies: L'Oreal Elvive Re-nutrition Hair Mask

As faithful Loverly readers know, I went on a Curly Girl quest a few months ago in an attempt to make peace with my frightfully frizzy hair. While it has mostly been successful -- I now get straightish hair or waves 9 days out of 10 -- the search for great curly products hasn't been too great. I have found a great (cheap) conditioner for co-washing but have yet to find my ideal hair mask and conditioner which doesn't break my budget.

So, I was both delighted and dismayed when I found out that L'oreal hair masks are all CG-friendly -- not a hint of 'cones or 'xanes in the ingredient list. I was delighted because L'oreal fell nicely into my budget. And dismayed because L'oreal does animal testing.

(I really do try to avoid buying products from companies that animal test. My conscience pricks each time I get a new tube of sunscreen from Olay or Neutrogena. I love the stuff but why why why must they compromise my principles?)

Looking at my lifeless ends, I decided to go against my ethics and buy a pot of this. Vanity, how you do a girl in!

If you are looking for moisture, this mask is IT. I have used other L'Oreal hair masks from the Anti-Breakage and Smooth Intense range before and they do not provide the moisture I get from this particular version. Even without another curl product, I get lovely clumping once I get out of the shower. I have always heard that honey works for curls and this may have proved it.

I even used this after swimming the other day and was pleasantly surprised to find that my hair felt soft and moisturised enough to create loose waves. With the other two masks, my hair usually feels a little coarse to the touch. Chlorine is really kills my hair and it takes ages for it to go back to normal. No such problem with this mask!

As much as I like the Re-nutrition mask and what it does for my curls, I won't be repurchasing again. Not because of the animal testing thing, but because my skin breaks out into big red rashes each time I use it. Ouchie. I wonder if the strong royal jelly scent has anything to do with it.

I strongly recommend a patch test before giving this a go.

L'Oreal Re-nutrition Deep Nourishing Mask retails at AUD 11.50 for 200ml.

Glowy Maui ~

Oh Bobbi. How you do me in.

I first laid eyes on Bobbi's Illuminating Bronzer Powder many months back when it was first out. Of the many colours I saw, Maui stood out. It was a gorgeous coral, with gold shimmer.

Where others saw a bronzer, I saw blush. And when I swatched it, my heart told me it was love-worthy. It was beyond beautiful. But I walked away. Because logic told me I did.not.need. another coral blush. I walked away.


And three months later, I was back at the Bobbi Brown counter, making a purchase. I could not resist its siren-song.

With my favourite blush brush, it applies like a dream. Three swipes is all it takes to get me glowing. Faking the glow never got easier.

Encased in black casing, complete with a big mirror, Bobbi packs in a lotta blush. All 9gms of it.

It's gorgeous. All coral and shimmery gold. For all of One-hundred and fifteen.


Oh Bobbi. How you do me in.

Monday's Beauty Blog Roundup: Best of 2009

Hey Ladies,

Welcome to 2010 - a year of discovering more loverly products! But first let's take a look at 2009 which, despite the recession, was a pretty great year for beauty products. Perhaps the lipstick index is the reason.

The wonderful ParisB of MyWomenStuff rounded up the year's top products for all our beauty blogging friends. Her personal pick by the way, is Dior Serum Rouge lipstick, which she believes every girl should have.

Tine of Beautyholics Anonymous plumped for Clinique's Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer Serum which works wonderfully for her - although bewarned not everyone's reported great results *sighs*.

Connie of SkinDeco has falled head over heels for RMK's Powder Foundation EX as her foundy of choice for dry skin.

Speaking of dry skin, Plue over at Beauty Up My Life is slathering on The Body Shop Africa Spa Wisdom Honey & Beeswax Hand And Foot Butter.

Beetrice at Beetrice's Reviews has once again brought up a product I'm itching to try: Kiehl’s Dermatologist Solutions™ Ultimate White Surface Brightening Exfoliator

PrettyBeautiful has finally found an eyeliner that stays put on her eyeliner-unfriendly lids. Just in time for her wedding too! Her solution? Stila Smudge Pots

Is it any surprise that Yani of Red Luscious Lips has declared Chanel Rouge Allure Laque as her product of choice? Not to me. ;)

Over in the Philippines, Nikki of Askmewhats has opted for a hair styling tool - Remington Protect & Shine Pro Soft Curls Tong. She says she uses it daily and it gives a lovely soft curl to her hair.

And what have Syen and I chosen? Us oily-faced acne-prone babes have opted for the amazing hydrater, ~H2O+ Face Oasis and the clarifying Cellnique / B'liv pro sebum gel - they've made all the difference to us.

Eli meanwhile opted for a less glamorous but no less essential product: Mitchum AntiPrespirant Deodorant!

So what about you? What's your top pick for 2009?