You Put WHAT on Your Face?!

I am not putting up an accompanying pic on So Loverly today because I couldn't find any non-disgusting picture which didn't send a shudder down my spine. Keep on reading and you will understand why.

My colleagues and I were happily chattering away in the car when one of them suddenly dropped a bombshell.

"You know," she casually said, "the latest health treatment craze seems to be leeches."

"WHAT?" We all shrieked in unison as our driver tried not swerve about crazily.

She tsked. "LEECHES. There's a guy in Penampang (a district in Sabah) who is breeding medical-grade leeches. He seems to be quite popular."

All of us blanched.

Now then, don't get me wrong. The women I work with are some of the toughest women I know. They have been to places so remote, dirt roads don't even exist, and they have been bitten by more leeches than they can remember. However, the idea of voluntarily putting a leech on themselves without a sound medical reason is something they shy away from.

So apparently, leech treatment is getting quite popular in some circles as a cure-all for aches, rashes and whatever ails you. My curious colleague decided to accompany her neighbour for one of these sessions, chit-chatted to the owner and reported that lots of people are beginning to swear by leech treatment as a cure for acne. Acne patients go there every week or fortnight to grab a leech which will suck out all the pus and help with congested blood flow.

The results, they say, are remarkable.

*shudder*

"So", we asked, "what happened to my colleague's neighbour?"

"Well", she said, "seems that the poor man's face started swelling up for no reason and the doctors couldn't figure out why. That's why he was trying out the leech treatment for his swollen face.

"What they do is to pick up a leech and let it walk around the face until it "sniffs" out the right spot (probably where the blood is the most congested). Then the leech will bite, suck until it's full and drop off."

"Then what happens to the leech?", I asked. "Do they plop it back into a bottle and let it rest?"

My colleague sat up. "Now that's the surprising thing", she said. "That leech dropped dead after a few minutes of dropping off. Apparently the blood was so toxic, it killed the poor leech."

All of us sat in dead silence after that.

I have tried lots of things back in my bad acne days but if leeches were an option 10 years ago, I think I would have still drawn a hard and fast line there.

What about you?

Monday's Beauty Bits

It's official, Shady Lady is THE ultimate palette. How do I know? I've hit pan on Lucious Lani (shimmery pink highlighter - amazing) and there are serious dents in the rest. I'm going to pick up Shady Lady Volume 2 because the idea of living without at least ONE of these on hand is unconscionable!

Oh me! Oh my! By Thunder and all that! Maybelline has launched Lip Stains under its Color Sensational line in the US. And they look FAB. All you lipstain loving ladies out there join forces with me and PRAY that they bring them in! *does the lipstain summoning dance*

Be warned that MUFE actually has TWO sizes available for its Super Matt Loose Powder - which they won't tell you about unless you ask. The difference in value is staggering. The 15g Jar is about RM98 while the 30g jar is RM120. Double the amount for a fraction of the increase. Don't buy the 15g jar!

Review: Soap & Glory Clean on Me

Since having been sucked into Soap & Glory by Kahani (who else, right?), I've been trying out the products, one after another. It seems that this brand has wormed its way into both our hearts, and it's one Kahani and I just absolutely love.

And why not?

Great products, coupled with the brand's love for catchy product names and puns, just keep us going back for more.

Like this shower gel, called Clean on Me.

I made a friend lug all 500ml of it back from the UK last year (Warning: Only do this with very close friends, or you might lose them altogether!), and it now sits among my plethora of bodywash and shower gels.

First thing to note. The signature Soap & Glory scent is absolutely delightful. If you like the S&G scent, you'll love it. If you don't, or if you don't like scented products, please stay far far away from this creamy cleanser. There would be no logic in you purchasing this.


It calls itself a "creamy clarifying shower gel", with "natural mandarin peel extract and bonus built-in body lotion". To me, it's really more creamy than gel-like. And it is moisturising. It does lather up, but not very much so.


It has enough slip for shaving, but for that purpose, I generally prefer this Olay bodywash. Also, access to this one's a little tougher to waste it on shaving.

As a shower gel, it's great to have and the scent makes for a refreshing shower experience.

Priced at £5 (~RM25) for 500ml, it's not exactly cheap. It's readily available in Boots UK but I don't know if Boots Thailand has it. I'll find out soon enough. The boo factor though, is that we don't have it here.

Damn.

Malaysian Dry Shampoo: Comfy Care

Do you know I wash my hair daily here? Every. Single. Day. Once in a week I try to give my hair a bit of a break and wash it Saturday evening and then not wash it till Monday morning. Unfortunately, by 5pm, my hair is greaaasyy. Hence the mourning Syen and I have over the lack of Batiste in this country.

Well the other day I was out for dinner with Eli in Tropicana City Mall and dropped by the newly opened Guardian. Eli spotted this local brand of dry shampoo - in Malaysia the stuff is marketed at (rather unglamorously I feel) new moms still in confinement and unable to wash their hair. Still Dry Shampoo is Dry Shampoo and we each bought a bottle to try.

Product
This is a silica-based white powder that's mostly translucent, especially when it comes into contact with oil. The bottle itself is JUST like a small shampoo bottle and loose white powder dispenses quite well. It really isn't as messy as you expect.

It's hard to compare, as Batiste is an aerosol formula, but I feel like I need more Comfy Care to tackle my hair's greasies.

About this much.

It has a faint talcum baby powder scent which I prefer to Batiste's stronger perfume. And there is an advantage to it not being in an aerosol can - it's absolutely travel and plane friendly!

WARNING Icky Greasy Hair Photo coming up!

To use, carefully rub your palms over your head to dispense powder and then run hands through hair, vigorously massaging powder into scalp.
Brush thoroughly or hair will look grey. If you brush enough the powder shouldn't be visible.

Before

After (needs more brushing!)

As you can see it absorbed the oil and added volume to my poor hair. Granted it now has a whitish caste - something I think Batiste may tackle better. This is a case of less is more. Try a little first and keep going till your hair looks refreshed.

Conclusion
While not the best dry shampoo on earth, at about RM15 it's an affordable, handy product to have on hand and I can see how great it'll be on long plane journeys.

Review: Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturising Milk

Excuse the lack of a picture today, ladies My internet connection is being ridiculously slow so I'll try to put up the picture some time during the next few days.

After falling in love with Hada Labo's Moisturising Lotion, I was playing with the idea of giving their moisturising milk a whirl. Tine's review was the tipping point for me so off to Guardian I went!

(Trivia: I bought this with Syen and when she gave a knowing grin, "Lemme guess. You read Tine's review, didn't you?"

I have been using this for 2 over months now and have come to the conclusion that while it works okay on the moisturising front, it isn't as impressive as the Hada Labo lotion counterpart.

My main reasons for liking this product are that:

1. A little goes a long way. All you need are 4 drops for your face and neck. I think the bottle will probably last until next year.

2. It works great as a leave-in conditioner. Seriously. I forgot to bring my conditioner with me on a work trip some time ago and needed something to tame odwn the frizzies. Out came my Hada Labo bottle and I quickly scrunched 4-5 drops on to my hair. Tamed the frizzy lion immediately.

3. It really is fragrance-free. No weird plastic smell unlike Simple. I have a pretty sensitive nose so fragrance-free products are a plus point.

My main grouses:

1. The milk moisturises okay but you really need to take your time in massaging it into your skin in order for it to work. The milk texture gives it a lot of slip but it takes lots of time to absorb. Definitely not for when people in a hurry.

2. I can't upload my pictures or I would show a shot of this. There is a line on the Hada Labo bottle claiming to be free of mineral oils, alcohol and colourants. If you look at the ingredient list though, behenyl alcohol is listed somewhere in the middle.

*sigh* My skin isn't a fan of alcohol so while I haven't broken out yet, it looks like I will either have to use this lotion up on my neck or use it very sparingly.

Not a HG so I don't think I will be repurchasing.

I have forgotten how much the Hada Labo moisturising milk costs but I know that it retails here in Sabah for RM55.90 in all Guardian outlets.

Benzac AC5 - Acne killerrrr!

When the latest bout of cystic acne refused to go away I decided to go all medieval on its ass and revive an old favourite - Benzac AC5%.

Benzac AC5 is a 5% suspension of benzoyl peroxide in a gel base. Honestly, I really prefer the 2.5% formula as it is as effective but less harsh. However I just haven't been able to find it anymore. It's manufactured by Galderma, the same company that produces Cetaphil and Differin so it's derm recommended.

Usage
Like the Acne method, I use this all over my face every morning - only I certainly don't use as much. If you're in the midsts of an acne outbreak spot treating isn't going to work! You need to tackle the ones that are there and the ones that are about to emerge.

Results
The first week was filled with purging as pimples surfaced and cleared away. You can tell it's purging if after 3 days you find that the emerging pimples are growing increasingly less severe. First the real whoppers turn up, then smaller ones and finally just tiny whiteheads. Now except for one perishing tiny thirf eye my skin is mostly clear. Hurrah!

Problems
This stuff really is quite harsh and of you have anything short of very oily skin you'll hate it. Even on my skin I've had flakiness and dry patches which I've cheerfully ridden out since flaky skin is a cakewalk balanced again reduced acne and oiliness. Not that this completely cures my oiliness problem. I wish! I still have to blot every few hours but it's reduced. Thank heavens.

It will increase skin sunsensitivity, so make sure you use some form of SPF with it and bleaches clothing and hair.

Also, I've heard benzoyl peroxide may age you more rapidly. I'm not sure of this to be honest, probably the consequences of overuse and dry skin makes you look older. So I won't be using this daily in the long term. I may reduce it to alternate days.

Conclusion
I'm so glad I went back to benzac. At only RM8.90 for 15ml, it's an affordable buy! I usually find it in Caring Pharmacy and Vitacare - not Guardian and Watsons.

Monday's Beauty Bits: Dealing with eczema

Hello lovelies,

It's Monday again. Ah the blues.

Anyway, today I've decided to share with you some tips on dealing with eczema.

I don't have eczema. But the hubs does. Nothing severe, thankfully, but they do need some looking after. So after almost a year of having to remind him to take his meds, apply his ointments and "no, you shouldn't use the (heavily) fruity (scented) bodywash", I thought I'd just share a few handy tips in dealing with eczema.

1. Firstly, if you do have eczema, go see a doctor to get treated. Proper advice with the right medication will help treat your condition immediately. So instead of surfing around the Internet hoping to find a self-cure for that impossible itch, just go see the doc, will you?

2. Shower with a gentle and mild bodywash. Try to avoid heavily scented ones, as the perfumes in the bodywash could trigger off your eczema. For that reason, the hubs has had to quit his fave bodywash, and is now only on Johnson's pH5.5, and Dermaveen. And his skin seems to be liking it.

3. After a shower, pat dry, not wipe/rub dry. Patting dry will still leave some moisture on your skin, which works really well with the next tip. Besides, the rubbing action can also trigger a spot to go itchy.

4. Apply a gentle moisturiser all over (such as Dove or Vaseline), preferably the unscented ones. If you have patches of rash, you can apply your topical ointment on the rash spots before applying the moisturiser all over.

5. In the case of the hubs, he has eczema, and he has allergies as well, which triggers of his rash, and as a result of that, aggravates his eczema. If you have a similar problem, it would do you good to identify the source of your allergies. Allergies could caused by certain kinds of material (eg. wool), or a particular food (eg. seafood), or animal fur or pollen from flowers etc. I think the hubs has narrowed his down to seafood, which is really too bad, because he loves it.

6.Take your medicine and apply that ointment. All that consultation with the doctor or skin specialist won't do you any good if you're not going to follow the doc's advise. After a really bad bout of rash the other day, he went to a doc, got the medication and was diligently applying his ointments (because the itch was REALLY bad). Two days after, when the itch had gone, he started slacking, and then one day asked: "Why is my skin SO ITCHY?" Uhh... DUH?

7. If you're travelling and have forgotten to bring your eczema ointment, fear not. Products like Papaw ointment and Vaseline (petroleum jelly - original or Aloe) should work quite decently as a replacement for those itchy spots until you get home, or get another tube of your steroid cream. I was keen to try out the Papaw ointment for his eczema after my cousin introduced my to this post by Karen Cheng.

8. Lastly, I notice that the hub's eczema always flares up when he's stressed out. So keep those stress levels in check, take one day at a time.

Here's to happy skin!

Note: Please note that So Loverly DOES NOT dispense medical advice. If you suffer from eczema, please consult a doctor.

Shopping for Beauties: Makeup Shopping in the UK

T.G.I.F. Seriously.

I thought this day would never come. It just turned really busy midway through the week and I've been practically crawling towards Friday, and I just can't wait to hit the sack tomorrow. *snore*

But before that, let me share with you the makeup shopping destinations you'll want to look out for if you're in the UK. While I know there are many of you who've been to the UK before and some of you fortunate ones have even lived there (*envious scowl*), I'm hoping this little list will help those who are heading there for the first time or new to makeup hauling.

Shopping in the UK is not impossible, especially with the current (fabulous) exchange rate!

1. Boots & Superdrug

The two main drugstores in the UK, they are loaded with makeup, skincare, bodycare and haircare goodies. You'll be able to find brands that are not available here in Malaysia like Cargo, No7, Jergens, John Frieda, Too Faced, Urban Decay, Bourjois, Frontcover, James Brown and Soap & Glory.

And while there are a few brands that we do have in common - think Prestige, L'Oreal, Garnier, Vaseline, Dove etc. - they will of course, have a selection/range of products which is not brought in here.

And of course, as they are direct competitors, competition abounds in terms of pricing and promotions. Which works jolly well fine for me, the customer. Don't forget to check out their various offers, such as BOGOF deals, Buy 2 for £X amount, Buy 2 for 3 etc. If you're staying there long-term, don't forget the Boots card too, which Kahani has exploited to the max. I'm not sure if Superdrug also has a loyalty card though.

2. H&M

Again. Don't diss H&M. While this chain is noted more for its fashion, don't forget to check out their makeup corners for cheap makeup. I've bought quite a few items before, such as eyeshadows, and they come highly recommended!

3. Space.NK.apothecary

If high end products are what you're looking for, then SpaceNK is where you want to go. Here you'll be able to find brands like NARS, Eve Lom, Frederic Fekkai, Bumble & Bumble, By Terry, Jemma Kidd, Lipstick Queen and Serge Lutens. There are quite a few all over London and the rest of the UK, but the one I shopped in was in Covent Garden.

4. Sally Hair

This one I found by accident. I was walking towards Leicester Sq along Shaftesbury Ave. when I looked up and saw a door with the name "Sally Hair" and looking past the glass doors, I saw aisles of products. I walked right in. This place is like the hair shop for the hairdressers. They've got everything from shampoos, condis, styling products to hair dyes, brushes, extensions, rollers, perm rods etc. In short, everything hair related. I can't really remember the brands here (they were too many!), but whatever it is you're looking for on hair, chances are you'll find it here.

(Btw - I just read that Sally sells Queen Helene Mint Julip stuff too! Why didn't someone tell me before I went? *pouts*)

5. The Body Shop

Yes, we have The Body Shop. But no, we don't have some of the stuff they have. Like the Coconut range. And I'm guessing they have pretty awesome deals too every now and then. When I was there, there was a BOGOF offer, and I ended up getting 2 body scrubs for only £12! That's like RM30 for a full-sized body scrub tub. And to think I almost paid RM85 for a tub of the Coconut scrub while I was in Hong Kong! *phew*

6. LUSH

If you're a fan of LUSH, then you'd DEFINITELY want to shop for it here. Compared with many other countries, LUSH is cheap in the UK. And it's almost everywhere. And I sure hope it stays that way.

Happy shopping!

PS: If you know of even more great places to shop for makeup in the UK, do tell in the comments!

Burts Bee's Hand Salve

I am so on the fence with this one. On one hand, I love the tiny flat tin (its smaller than the Vaseline lip tins), I love the idea of it and it is quite a moisturising balm. But despite its on-the-go format, it just isn't an on-the-go kinda hand salve.

For one thing it takes some effort to get enough out to rub into your hands. Then it takes awhile for your hands to stop feeling waxy. Plus it smells like camphor. Don't know what camphor smells like? Think Minyak Angin not the most glamorous scent.

But the reviews of it show it to be a great healing balm for cuts, scrapes and burns. So I think for now this little tin hasn't earned itself a place in my handbag but it's a must bring for travels when all the above, plus dry spots, may happen.

Ingredients: Ingredients: prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil,cera alba (beeswax, cire d'abeille), parfum (fragrance), tocopheryl acetate, symphytum officinale (comfrey) root extract, tocopherol, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaves, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flowers, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, glycine soja (soybean) oil, canola oil (huile de culza), linalool, limonene

If you're interested in giving this a go, Burts Bees now has stores at The Curve and MidValley (I think). The small tin is RM15 and I can't remember how much the larger pots are.

Found It! Cheap 'Cone-free Conditioner

After searching high and low for a cheap 'cone-free conditioner in Malaysia, I finally found it in, of all places, a supermarket in Sabah. I ran in to stock up on some food and emerged triumphant with a bottle of conditioner in my hand.

Dad gave me a long look when I hopped into the car. "I thought you said no more toiletries?"

Uh, whoops.

My curly girl heart did a pitter-pat of happiness when I saw Suave and VO5 bottles on the shelf. Note that the Asian VO5 conditioner is full of silicones and not CG-friendly. When I saw the US packaging, my face lit up like a light bulb.

I should have checked Merdeka supermarket from the start. It's one of my favourite supermarkets as it happens to stock a wide variety of imported goods (only place in Malaysia where I can get English Lemon Curd and Betty Crocker Devil's Food cake mix). It only makes sense that they would have shampoo and conditioners from the US.

I bought the largest bottle of conditioner I could find in there: a family sized bottle of Suave (665ml) in aloe and waterlily for RM 12. The other conditioners came in 440ml sizes for RM 8.

So, if you are Sabahan (or a Bruneian who visits Sabah frequently) and want to give conditioner-only washing a go, hop over to Merdeka Supermarket on Jalan Penampang. It's across the road from Lido and quite hard to miss.

Review: Shu Uemura Face Architect Glow Enhancing Powder Foundation

Righto.

I thought it was about time I wrote about the Shu Uemura Face Architect Glow Enhancing Foundation (with SPF 25+++) which seems to be much raved-about. I've always been rather loyal to ZA, but after reading Paris' review, I couldn't help but itch.

A lemming was born.

It's not that the ZA isn't great. It is, but I thought it'd be nice to have something else apart from ZA to play around with.

So on a whim one evening a few months back, I made a dash into a Shu Uemura store, and picked one up myself in #754 (which is a decent match). A dash because I wanted to make the purchase before I changed my mind.

How did it perform? Read on to find out.

The very next morning, I used this instead of my regular foundation in my morning makeup routine. When applied, it looked great, and it felt alright. The coverage you get from this one is medium, at best. Which is how I liked my foundations. But you're one for heavier coverage, then this isn't it for you.

Two days later, however, things weren't so rosy. My skin revolted and I had a huge pimples and my nose had tiny little bumps. And my pores looked like they were all clogged up with white heads.

Uh-oh. Baaaaad.

"It HAS to be the foundation," I proclaimed. And so into cold storage it went for a while.

(In hindsight though, I think my skin's eruption could have been due to several other factors as well.)

After many weeks, when I had garnered up enough courage to give it another shot, I was in for a pleasant surprise. I used it for a few days straight (in the mornings), and my skin remained fine. No breakouts, no zits, nothing. This was good.

But a few days more, and my skin started to look a little unhappy. I went back to my ZA.

Anyway, at last I've found some sort of a happy balance in my makeup routine. I now alternate between this and my ZA foundation, and nothing untoward has happened so far either. Nothing major anyway. My skin isn't as brilliant as it was before my wedding, but it's not too bad either.

It stays on okay, but I still need my usual touch-up in the afternoon. It's not very oil-resistant either, as I would still need to blot about twice throughout the entire day.

(Me, bare-faced without anything on. As you can see, there's a zit on my chin, and there are some scar marks on my right cheek which you probably can't see.)

(Applied only concealer and Face Architect. My complexion looks more even, but geez, don't I look uber washed out?)

(Looks much better, no? Added Shu Uemura blush and lipstick. How's my attempt at going red? I hope to review this lippie sometime in the near future. It's a lovely red I tote around in my bag. Shocked? =P )

If this is your first purchase, chances are, you'll be splashing RM125 for the powder refill (14g) and another RM50 for the sleek black case with the sponge. That makes it RM175, which to me, is a bit of a splurge. My ZA costs so much less but my skin just seems to love it.

In conclusion, based on my experience with it, I'll rate this one as a nice-to-have, but not a must-have. Since I have splurged on it, I'm going to have to keep up with the happy balance until it finishes. But I doubt I'll be making a repurchase. The search for an alternative foundation continues. Sad, but true.

TIP: Use the sponge and not a brush to apply this foundation as the powder is rather soft. It works much better with the sponge.

Monday's Beauty Bits

Here's hoping I've found another Beauty in a Pill. This time it's zinc supplements. Reviews online are incredibly positive. Many users report a reduction in acne and in oil-production with regular intake. So I've just bought a bottle and will be experimenting on myself. I'll let you girls know when something happens one way or another. Oh and if you're game to try, do Google and read up a bit. Don't ingest more than 50mg a day (bear in mind other supplements you're taking). Don't take it at the same time as other supplements because it inhibits copper absorbtion. And take it on a full stomach or run the risk of indigestion. Has anyone else tried this?

Until I saw this post by ParisB I had no idea that Badger Balms were available in Malaysia! Check out this site for dealers that may carry it.

Burts Bees has a lipbalm with no beeswax? What the - and here I thought they put the stuff in everything. Vegans and bee-sensitives rejoice!

I've also replaced my regular Cellnique Pro Sebum serum with good 'ol Galderma's Benzac 5%. It's a Benzoyl Peroxide gel suspension that I used to use in the bad old days. Lately my skin's been so shite I went back to it and am pretty happy. It's cleared up my acne and dried out my skin. For some girls thats bad. For me.. it means 5 less blotters a day. Awesome. Will do a full review in a couple more weeks.

Would you consider LASIK?

Hello lovelies,

It's Fab Fridays again. What have you got lined up for your weekend?

Anyways, on to the topic at hand. Of late I've found myself toying with the idea of getting LASIK. For the uninitiated, it's short for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis."

It's basically a simple surgery procedure using laser to correct problems such as short-sightedness and long-sightedness.

For one such as myself who's been a four-eyed kid since I was 10, the idea of never having to wear glasses is awfully tempting.

If all goes well, it'd mean no more fumbling by the bedside table in the mornings for my glasses and no more repeated blinkings at the end a long and tiring day from wearing contact lenses. Some people might have no issues with contact lenses, but my eyes get very very exhausted if I wear them for too long.

(Of course, vanity could be a factor too. Just a wee teeny weeny bit.)

I know of a few friends who have gone for the procedure, and from what they say, they sure don't regret the money spent. And most importantly, they said there was "no pain".

Just to give you a very visual idea of what the procedure's like, here's a video of a successful procedure. (Please don't click on it if you're squirmish. Some parts are a little eeeks.)



I'm only at my initial stage of considering the procedure. And of course, I realise that any procedure, no matter how simple, will have risks.

Have any of you had the procedure done before? What was your experience? Would you recommend it?

As for the rest of the four-eyed community, assuming that the surgery fee was not an issue at all, would you consider LASIK? Yes or No, and why, please. I would really love to hear your views.

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Warning: Cargo's Lash Activator is a TERRIBLE Mascara!

It's finally happened. I completely LOATH a Cargo product. I don't know how much this costs(as I got it as part of the 7 in 7 kit), but it's a fair bet it's pricier than Maybelline. At first swipe, I loved this, it immediately emphasised my lashes, but then the trouble started.

Even after the requisite 30 secs everytime I blinked, it SMUDGED. This went on for almost five minutes - ladies that's a lotta blinking.

Then throughout the day there was fallout, even more smudging and even with meticulous blotting, powdering and cleaning up, I ended the day with more under my eyes than on my lashes. URGH!

Cargo, I love you to death, but you've disappointed me.

Lipstick Queen's Saint Sheer Lipstick in Rust

Two years ago, I promised myself that after graduating and before leaving Australia, I would splurge and get myself some Lipstick Queen.

I ended up walking away with not one, but three products from Lipstick Queen. One was a gift for my sister (I gave her a Saint Rouge and nearly killed her when she misplaced her makeup bag last month) and the other two were for me -- Saint Rust and an Oxymoron Gloss (to be reviewed at a later date).

A bit of an explanation here for those in the dark but Lipstick Queen has two lipstick ranges called "Saint" and "Sinner". The Saints contain only 10% of pigment while the Sinners have 90% pigment. Both have a great colour range and its up to you if you want to have a pretty wash of colour on your lips or a richer matte formula in the same tone. Absolutely genius in my opinion.

First off, I have to say that Lipstick Queen does not come cheap. My Saint Rust set me back by AUD $33.95, making it more expensive than a Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick. However, the Saints really do live up to their cult hit status, making this a pretty worthwhile buy.

Take a peek at Saint Rust. Doesn't seem like much, does it? That's what I thought as well until I put it on my lips and fell in love.

So, let's make a list called "Why Every Girl Needs a Saint in Her Bag" (And no, I am not talking about a St. Christopher, patron saint of travellers medallion here).

1. It's pretty. Seriously, get a Saint in the right shade and you are set. The colour can take you from day to night (or night to day, if you are a night owl). Sure, it may seem sheer at first but swipe it on your lips and you will realise that there is more depth in a Saint than you ever imagined.

2. It's moisturising. This is the most moisturising lipstick I have ever used. It's smooth, non-drying and an absolute joy to use. I don't even have to layer a lip balm over or under it.

3. It makes me want to kiss myself. Before Kahani and Syen pass a vote to boot me off SoLoverly for weird self-love practices, let me say in my defence that Saint makes your lips look absolutely kissable. The finish isn't overly glossy but looks moist in a sexy "I just licked my lips" kind of way. Wear this on a date and poor sap won't be able to keep his eyes off your lips.

Trust me, I have a boyfriend.

The Saints are tricky this way. They seem very subdued and discreet but they still draw attention to your lips. I guess that's the real difference between the Saints and Sinners. Sinners are all out sexy but the Saints are seductive.

4. Pretty packaging. I am not really a sucker for pretty packaging but who can resist that? *points up* If you can look at that and not be moved by curiousity, you must have a heart of stone or a very firmly screwed on head.

Outside packaging aside, the lipstick comes in a very sturdy rubberised tube. It isn't made out of cheap, breakable plastic and believe me, I have dropped this lipstick more times than I care to count. So far, no dents or scratches. I bet I could drop this into a pail of water and it would still emerge intact. Not that I plan to try.

If you aren't convinced, head to your closest Lipstick Queen outlet, pick out the right colour and put it on your lips. You'll get what the hype is all about, believe me.

Unfortunately, Lipstick Queen is not available in Malaysia (apparently available in Hong Kong) so I am saving up for my next Saint (or Sinner) during my next trip to Australia. A very worthwhile splurge, this one, and a girl always needs more Saints to fall back on.

Right?

Etude Proof 10 Lip Stain in 01

Ah Etude House, with you, I don't need Benefit for lip stains anymore! Meet my new favourite daily lipstain. It's slightly warmer than Benetint, but not by much so the colours are fairly close but where I need two coats with Benetint, with Proof 10 I only need one. It's longer lasting than ANY other Etude House Lipstain I've used and I adore it.

The doe's foot applicator makes it great for applying on the lips - much better than the nail polish brush Benetint comes with. I've never used it on my cheeks as I'm still getting over a bad breakout.

Slightly washed out pic in the cool morning sunlight, but I love how natural it looks with just one coat and a slick of lipbalm. Two coats gives me berry-stained lips, three vamps it up to near vavavoom. Great as a base for evening wear.

Conclusion
At cost price this costs about RM25 and is certainly worth every penny. If I spot these babies on sale I'm SO stocking up. LOVE them to death. Have come to believe that clear liquid tints work way better than gel, opaque or solid.

Monday's Beauty Bits: Pork Knuckles For Beauty?

Hello lovelies!

Believe it or not, my dad actually inspired this beauty bit today.

Knowing I have this thing for all things beauty related, he told me a real interesting bit yesterday, over a plate of wantan noodles. And I thought I should share it with you girls.

Being the Net surfer that he is, he apparently came across a piece of article about the latest beauty craze in New York (New Yorker beauties, please confirm if this is true?).

"They're crazy about pork knuckles now," said he, slightly smug.

Me: Pork knuckles???
Dad: Yes, pork knuckles. Because they're bursting with collagen.

Okay, so maybe he didn't say exactly that. But you get the drift. Pork knuckles appears to be a great source of natural collagen.

So I looked around a little on the Net, and while I couldn't find the article he was referring to, I did find this and various other articles referring to the "collagen-rich pork knuckle". So looks like daddy was right.

Interesting he should know something about beauty that I didn't know.

Anyway, this brings me to a question. Well a statement first, then a question. Make that 2 questions. Statement: I am NOT a big fan of pork knuckles. They look a little... well... scary. I know, I'm a weird Chinese.

Now the questions:

1. Did you know this?
2. (Granted they're non-halal and all that. But IF you could eat it) Would you eat knuckles for the sake of beauty?

Credit: Photo nicked off here.

Review: Vaseline Sheer Infusion Stratys-3 Body Lotion

FINALLY.

I know I am so awfully late in joining the bandwagon of reviews for this body lotion, and I do apologise for it. Then again, maybe I don't. I didn't really have much of a choice, did I?

I had only just gotten my grubby little paws on them about 3 weeks ago when I was in the UK. Because Vaseline Malaysia doesn't bring them in here. *grumble*

But anyway, enough of my grumbling, and let me move on to tell you about this body lotion. Which is pretty darn impressive in my books.

So backtrack about 3 weeks here, and you'll see me packing for my trip. I didn't bring any body moisturiser with me, except a wee tube of the Johnson's Baby Calming Softlotion for my hands.

Reason? Why bother bringing added luggage when I know I'm going to buy moisturisers there? Makes sense, no?

So day-one in UK saw my skin shrivelling up and me running helter-skelter to the nearest Boots. And of course, I had to pick this up. I had been itching to try it. Literally.

I chose the one in Mineral Renewal because I'd read it had the mildest scent of the lot, and because I liked it. The hubs liked it too. Heaven forbid I should have picked the Vitamin Burst because it smelled of citrus. Yuck.

And so, for the next 2 and a half weeks, me and the hubby were slathering it on every morning and every night. You know how dry my skin gets, don't you? And at the end of it, I was VERY impressed. Not only did my skin not itch at all throughout my trip there, it actually looked healthy. Seriously.

In fact, I think it looked even healthier there in dry UK, than here, in humid Malaysia. Oh the irony. So I guess its claim of working across all three layers of the skin might actually hold water.


Ingredients list:


Many have talked about how it doesn't feel greasy at all yada yada, but here I beg to differ slightly. On me, it felt just a tad greasy. Not unbearably so, but I could feel it on. Granted, I did slather it on a little generously (especially at night).

Anyhoo, in just a little over 2 weeks, I believe the hubs and I have used up about half of the 200ml tube. While I tempted to pick up another tube before I left, I decided not to. Not because I thought the £4.99 price-tag was expensive, but because I remembered the hoard of body moisturisers I had sitting back home. Nevermind the other ones I picked up from Boots later on too. *winks*

In conclusion, I love it. It smells great, feels pretty good on, and most importantly, takes great care of my skin.

Vaseline's done it again. Awesome.

Video: Selling Skincare

If you have 10 minutes, do watch this really funny and true discussion about selling skincare. What agencies and companies do and how evil they can be.

Review: My Lip Stuff lip balm in Cat Pee

Yes isn't it AWFUL? I admit I absolutely loathe the image I'll be pasting something over that cat's ass. I mean that's not even where cats pee FROM.

But I don't hate the balm, nosiree. Nope the balm is wonderful. A lovely citrus cocktail that smells like a more lemony-limey 7up. Unlike the other flavours by My Lip Stuff I've tried it doesn't taste sweet at all. Faintly citrusy, but not much in the flavour department which is fine.

I also think they've reformulated the balm because this one's firmer, more emollient - you feel like it's staying on rather than a faint film of oil just smeared around. I think it's also a touch more hardy in our weather I may roadtest this one in my handbag. Right now it's sitting on my desk as something refreshing to use in moments of writer's block.

If you're looking for a great affordable (only RM12) [edited NOT vegan, contains BEESWAX] and organic lipbalm and love citrus flavours... and can ignore that wretched lable... Cat Pee is the balm for you.

Thanks to Cynthia of My Lip Stuff Malaysia for the recommendation and the free balm to try! I doubt I'd ever have brought myself to buy it without her, now I'll likely repurchase.

Agree or Disagree: Women look better on Mondays

It isn't Monday for most of you but it feels like Monday for me! The past 2 days were public holidays in Sabah so today marks the start of my working week.

According to a study by Debenhams, women spend more time on their appearance on Monday and less as the week goes by.

"On average, women spend 76 minutes getting ready on Mondays -- with almost a third of that spent on their hair -- 18 minutes on make-up, 16 minutes trying on different combinations of clothes and the rest taken up by showering and washing.

This is reduced to 40 minutes on Tuesdays and continues to decline as the week goes on, falling to 19 minutes on Fridays."

I admit guilty to being one of those Monday girls. Although I don't spend 76 minutes on my appearance, I take about 45 minutes to get ready on Mondays and cut it down to about 30 minutes for the rest of the week. Maybe it's because I have started showering in cold water from Tuesday onwards to wake up.

I tend to put on less makeup too. Eyeshadow and eyeliner only puts in an appearance on Mondays and Tuesdays. I stick with the bare minimum for the rest of the week: Concealer, foundation, blush, lippie and mascara.

Do your standards drop as well through the week? Click on comments and share!

And I'm Back! With my UK Haul!

Hello lovelies!

Didja miss me? Ah well, you couldn't have missed me, could you, since I had those posts scheduled for the weeks I wasn't around.

Apologies for the very late replies. Trying to get access to the Net there proved rather hopeless as we would be out and romping about the whole day and by the time we'd be back at the B&B/hotel, I would be practically knocked out. Truly!

Anyway, I'm sure you girls are more interested in what I've brought home, aye? (Note: I'll give you the price in £ if I can remember. Exchange rate was about RM5. You do the math.)

So here goes!


Tubes in the backrow (l-r):
1. Batiste Dry Shampoo Blush (150ml) - found this in a store called Sally Hair for about £2.10
2. Colgate Total - liked the packaging and picked it up in a Buy 3 For 2 along with number 16 and a teeny tube of John Frieda's Brilliant Brunette Shampoo (next to big condi tube). I had wanted a travel sized condi, but picked up the wrong tube instead. Damn.
3. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Liquid Shine Illuminating Conditioner
4. John Frieda Root Awakening Strength Infusing Conditioner
5. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Release Moisturising Conditioner - got 3,4,5 in a Buy 3 for 2 as well! Brilliant, no? I'm now swimming in hair condi. Ah well.
6. Jergens Naturals Total Nourishment Body Moisturiser with Acai Berry - have heard so much about Jergens, it's about time I tried!
7. Dove Visible Effects Body Lotion - we don't have it here? =P Also because it seemed a tad similar to the next moisturiser, so I wanted to do a comparison. Do I really need to make more excuses?
8. Dove Visiblecare Brightening Creme Body Wash - we don't have it here?
9. Vaseline Sheer Infusion Stratys-3 Mineral Renewal Body Lotion - AT LAST! I get my grubby fingers on this. Been itching and itching to try this, and by George, it blody works! (Yes, yes, a more comprehensive review will come along shortly.)
10. Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream (118ml) - had to get a backup of my HG hair serum. Picked it up at SpaceNK for £17. It was a bit of a splurge.

Front row (l-r):
11. The Body Shop Moringa Body Scrub
12. The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub - I know we have TBS here, but this was on a BOGOF offer! AND we don't have the Coconut range here, something I've reeeally been lemming after. So it was 2 body scrubs for £12.50. Whee!


13. Eve Lom Cleanser - I read one review and was sold. My hugest buy so far at £28 for a 50ml tub. Gosh, I really hope I don't get hooked on this. *gulp*
14. LUSH Sweet Lips (vanilla & choc sugar lip scrub) - Do I have to explain this?
15. LUSH Almond & Coconut Smoothie (shower soap) - sounds and smells yummilicious.


16. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter (minitub)
17. L'Oreal Chrome Intensity eyeshadows in Timeless Green, Jade Silver, and Dazzling Khaki - again, Boots' done me in with their Buy 3 for 2. They were £5.99 each.
18. Vaseline Rosy Lips - preeetty!
19. Boots tinted lipsalves - they were cheap?

Ahem. And they're not all. Conspicuously missing from being photographed were 2 small bars of LUSH Honey I Washed the Kids and Vanilla in the Mist soaps. And a bottle of Happy Hippy. A certain someone is going to be very happy. =P


As for this one, it's totally non-beauty related, but I thought it was quite cute. £1.30 fluffy leopard print bedroom slippers from Primark. Needed something to wear in the rooms over there, and this was cheap and sorta cute. *tee hee*

So. Wadaya think?