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: 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.

Unusual beauty: Sosuku foot pads

Looking at these pads for the ball of your foot, their virtue as a beauty product is not automatically apparent. Unless, like me, you adore high heels and have developed hardened callouses on the soles of your feet. Well with time these little cushions not only prevent the callouses from forming, they even give you back soft feet with prolonged use.


How they work
These simple foam pads have a soft felt-like cotton side which cushions your feet and a side with non-slip little flowers on the underside so your feet don't slip around in your shoes the way they do with stockings.

Unlike Scholl's party feet, these cushions are attached to your foot with invisible rubber bands (not tight) that slip over your biggest and littlest toes. These prevents friction between your foot and the padding. In fact the padding protects your foot from most of the friction.

As these are made of material and not silicone they are also cooler and more comfy throughout the day, absorbing sweat and preventing odour. You can also pop them into a little net laundry bag and toss when in the washing machine to clean.

Conclusion
I can't live without these things now. Guardian also sells their own version but I find the sosuku brand lasts longer, stays more cushiony and often even costs less. I bought these from Watsons (on offer?) For RM6.71 and Guardian sells theirs for over RM8!

You put WHAT on your hair?!

I thought I had heard everything wacky beauty related: sheep placenta and baby foreskin in cosmetics, cockroach facials (Kahani still refuses to let me post the video of that one)... But nothing prepared me for this one:

Bull semen hair treatments.

This is definitely one for the books.

Most of us in Malaysia have heard about the urban legend of the rich old Datin, her young toyboy drivers and her belief in sperm-based facials. Sperm-based hair treatments? Now that's new.

On one hand, it does make sense. After all, brittle hair is lacking in protein and if anyone remembers from our high school biology lessons, sperm is chock-full of protein. So, if you are into naturally derived products, why not use already existing resources from the bull?

"Wait," one of my choking male friends said, "so does that mean that you are going to go a salon, let them wash your hair and then bring out a bull to stand over your head?"

Ack, no. The semen is treated and mixed with another protein-rich plant before being refrigerated in straws. There is no smell and the treatment is said to leave hair looking glossy and full. Its pretty pricey though as a course costs £55 to £85 (USD $90-$138) and the semen comes from Aberdeen Angus bulls.

"I have to ask," another friend piped up, "how do they extract the semen from the bulls? Do they stick a needle in there or... ?"

Grins ran around the table.

Check out the original article here.

A perkier bum can be yours!

For just RM12.90. No surgery needed!

Spotted in one of Amcorp Mall's odd stores located on the LG level. Photo taken with my BB so the quality isn't the best.

But yes, pop these babies on and your'll have a tush to rival JLo's. =P

The Naked-Man Gloss: Urban Decay's Pocket Rocket in Eric

Oh you knew this was coming. It's a fabulous gloss with an equally fabulous undressing man on the top. So of course I got my greedy hands on it as soon as I could.

The makeup mule this time was my colleague and her really amused family who just gor back from the US. At US$19 it's not a cheap gloss which is why I only bought Eric, and not David as well. But hey at least I know there's nothing like this in Malaysia!

Packaging
I'll admit that what I'm really buying is the packaging. After all, a gloss is a gloss. But the packaging and marketing of this is crass, cheeky and ingenious.

Each guy has a backstory. Here's Eric's:

American born, but schooled abroad, Eric retains many European

sensibilities, including Italian bravado, French table manners, and
German soccer skills. Undress him for a little Spanish fly.

Any wonder why I chose him? Besides the fact that he's a red gloss. Somehow, if I was going to own a gloss as racy as this I knew it had better darned well be red!

The tube itself is large and surprisingly flat. With 8ml of gloss in it though, it contains more than your average gloss. The applicator brush is lovely and there is never any gloss on the applicator's shaft. The design is that good.

Oh and it's printed with pheremone ink. You rub it to activate it - causing all men around you to become instantly attracted to you - crashing cars, dueling for your handkerchief and all that.

Honestly, I've never had the guts to try.

The Gloss

Eric isn't just good looks though. He's really a great gloss. This sheer true (maybe slightly cool) gloss is not overly tacky but still longlasting. It's also very glossy and really gives you a pout in the poutiest sense.

And omg he smells YUM. Like creme brulee. Only not artificial - too sweet vanilla-y creme brulee. This gloss smells warm and baked, with a custard sauce drizzle. Any wonder why I've been craving apple pie, bread and butter pudding, and creme brulee? Mmm...

Conclusion
I don't know if I'll repurchase as it's pricy, not available in Malaysia, and there are so many other men to choose from. But I am really pleased with Eric.

Which guy would you choose?

What the - Shills Bubble Magic PEEING??

It's hard to think of a worse typo than one like this, on a zillion bottles, worldwide. >_<

For the record though it's RM49.90, and it along with other Shills products, can be bought at a store near the Midvalley-Gardens bridge on the Midvalley side of things. The shop's called "somethinginchinese-Queen" if that helps!

Video: Friday is for geeky fragrance action!

I don't know about you girls, but I think 'ol Jay Leno here's being a wee bit tough on the Star Trek cologne. I'm one gal-geek who'd be delighted with a man fragranced with Tiberius, or even Red Shirt. I'm... not too sure about Pon Farr though...

Guest Beauty Essay: Viagra for your thighs anyone?

Eli's been getting all chemical and reading New Scientist, and comes up with this. Hey girl, you sure you want your boyfriend and viagra mentioned in the same sentence online? Oh what? I just did? Oops...

Viagra: Good for your heart, sex life and your cellulite too

None of us likes cellulite and would resort to all kinds of ways to try and get rid of them. But how would you feel about rubbing “Viagra cream” on your thighs?

When boyfriend sent me this article from New Scientist, I immediately looked up the journal article to make sure that it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke. The journal article was a bunch of goobledegook to me – science isn’t my best subject – but it was published in February, waaaay before April Fool’s so I am guessing that this isn’t a hoax.

A bunch of Croatian researchers are suggesting that moisturisers containing the drug sildenafil i.e. Viagra, might be able to get rid of cellulite.

The New Scientist article states that “enzyme inhibitors like sildenafil had been shown to break down fat in test tubes, so it might do the same to fat deposited under the skin. And since Viagra famously boosts blood flow, a moisturiser containing the drug might break down fat and then whisk it away.”

Before anyone gets all excited and starts crushing up Viagra pills to exfoliate their thighs, this is only a PROPOSAL and no proper research has been done on this yet. I am guessing that the researchers are hoping for funding from giant cosmetics companies before they start making miracle cellulite creams.

Is this a weird idea? Oh, yes. But considering how haemorrhoid cream is used for dark eye circles, anything goes in the wacky world of cosmetics.

Laser-etched nails, a *facepalm* moment

I wrote this creative nutter up for Kiss and Makeup, but just have to post the video here too. While his idea of using laser-etching to cut out designs in nail polish is amazing, using his own finger AND miscalculating is just cringe-worthy and made me *facepalm* in real life. Video after the jump.

Is It Worth It?

Okay, I know all you girls must be thinking I've gone absolutely bonkers putting a picture of a HOUSEFLY (courtesy of Britannica) on a beauty blog. But I have a good reason for doing this. Really.

(Just a little warning though, that what I'm about to tell you is slightly high on the gross-o-meter. Just so you know.)

Recently my mom told me (she's a teacher, by the way) that one of her students came up to her and told her that her friend had taught her a brilliant way of losing weight.

Look at the picture again. Can you guess what is it? No? Read on, then.

What she was told by that brilliant friend of hers (seriously, I'm reporting verbatim) is that everytime she needs to lose a few pounds instantly, she goes hunting.

FOR A HOUSEFLY.

Eat is raw, and you're sure to get hit by diarrhoea. A bad, bad wave of diarrhoea.

Apparently, that brilliant friend of hers went on to say that by purging your inards out, you're sure to fit into that sexy LBD for a night out. (Okay, she didn't exactly say that, but something along those lines).

GIRLS. (And guys). Please, please use your common sense. When you go on a purging spree like that, what you're losing is water. You're dehydrating yourself. And you're not losing any weight in fat.

This site called Rehydration Project also describes why diarrhoea is dangerous.

"Diarrhoea causes rapid depletion of water and sodium - both of which are necessary for life. If the water and salts are not replaced fast, the body starts to 'dry up' or get dehydrated. If more than 10% of the body's fluid is lost death occurs. Severe dehydration can cause death."

And if that's not scary enough, this site says that the common housefly is "capable of carrying over 100 pathogens, such as typhoid, cholera, Salmonella, bacillary dysentery, tuberculosis, anthrax, ophthalmia, and parasitic worms".

I know you want to fit into that LBD/brand new pair of skinny jeans/leather pants etc. But seriously, eating a housefly is not the way to go.

I'm no authority to tell you how to lose weight (as I've got quite a bit to lose myself), but do you really want to be putting all that bacteria and virus into your body? Heaven knows what the long term effects could be.

Seriously - is it worth it?