Absolutely loving my Konjac sponge ~

The first time I've ever heard about the Konjac sponge, was when I saw it on Tine's post here. And she was right. I did go "Kuu Kon.. WHA?"

By the time I was done with her post, I did manage to get the name right though, and decided it was sponge I had to try. And that's how I ended up having a big black blob of a sponge in my bathroom.

Beauty chat: Rediscovering old loves

I've been sighing and shaking my head at myself. 

It beats me why -  when I KNOW something works, have even raved about it in the past - I'd just sort of forget about things that work and stop using them. 

Perhaps its because they became such basic and intrinsic parts of my beauty routine that I sort of forgot what they did, took them for granted, neglected them... and skin paid for it. 

Take for example, Neutrogena's Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Scrub. It wasn't readily available in Hong Kong when I arrived so I just shrugged and did without. Well on a recent trip back to Malaysia I toted a tube back to HK with me (I had one sort of just sitting around) and dear goodness. My skin's been keeping clear up, my scars fading, it feels smoother, makeup goes on better... WHY did I ever think I could live without this?

Thank goodness that before I go into a full-scale panic attack about the lack of this baby in Hong Kong, they launched it! It's now in every Watsons and Mannings praise the skincare gods. 

Autumn/Winter Skincare Routine

(Would have taken a better picture but my camera died on me)
L-R: Olay Complete Moisturising Lotion, Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum,
Clinique All About Eyes Serum, Natio Eye Gel, Clinique MoistureSurge

Winter is just around the corner for us in Australia and I have been tweaking my skincare routine to deal with the change. While summer is all about sunscreen, exfoliation and brightening products, my winter skincare routine revolves around hydration.

Products that I have left in my routine are Clinique MoistureSurge, Natio Eye Treatment Gel and a Clinique All About Eyes serum. The latter was part of a Clinique travel exclusive set and I have only just started using it since the weather started getting chilly. I can't say if it has improved the area around my eyes but it feels quite refreshing especially on days when you didn't have enough sleep.

Care for a scrub of tea?

St Ives Green Tea Scrub, that is.

In my perpetual search for something to satiate my scrubby needs, I came across this tube of green tea goodness whilst I was drugstore prowling in the States last year.

Did I really need another scrub? No.

Did I want another scrub? Especially one that has 1% salicylic acid? Heck, yes.

My Favourite Things: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub

My goodness. What a name.


But what a scrub. Really.

Pretty darned good! Etude House Baking Powder Crunch Pore Scrub

I'm finding my "travel scrub" to be a pretty darned good use. While Etude recommends you use an ENTIRE sachet each time you scrub your face you'll never be done scrubbing! I find half a sachet at a time will do and the sachet will keep it from drying out even if you scrub on the alternate day.

The scrub is a thick white cream with very fine scrubbing granules, presumably baking soda. It has a light fresh citrus scent that isn't overwhelming but that I enjoy. As you scrub the grains will dissolve and disappear at which point you can rinse off and reveal glowing, clean and lovely soft skin. I find it helpful in clearing up clogged pores and pimples too.

My Sweet Lips ~

Ooh la la.

I'm not really talking about my sweet lips. More like LUSH's Sweet Lips - a yummilicious vanilla and chocolate sugar lip scrub.


And friends, it smells divine!

Budget Beauty: Daiso "Italy Towel" Scrubby Glove

For an RM5 item, this bath glove is truly multinational. It's bought in a Japanese franchise shop in Malaysia, claims to be Korean Beauty and resembles the Italy Towel. I'd been curious about the Italy Towel since Eli's review and when I saw the pattern on this glove and the "Korean Beauty" claim, I snapped it up. I believe, even though I've never handled an Italy Towel that it is much the same thing.

Now, I know you girls, Syen in particular, love your luxuriously creamy, grainy and gorgeously scented body scrubs. But I gotta tell you that Eli's right. This unglamorous glove beats them ALL for silky smooth exfoliated skin.

Aruba, Jamaica, Moringa...

I just love travelling, and I love my holidays. I mean, who doesn't, right?


Unfortunately, though, there's only so much travelling one can do in light of the time off and cash needed. And when I can't have that, I indulge in something else that brings out the holiday mood for me - The Body Shop Moringa Body Scrub.

Truth be told, I never gave this product much thought before. But since I really wanted to pick up the Coconut scrub and it was on a BOGOF offer, I went around sniffing for something I'd like and came up with this. And boy am I glad I picked it.

Don't Knock It til You've Tried It: The Italy Towel

If you thought that today's post has me raving about some ultra-soft cashmere towel, think again. The Italy towel is a piece of synthetic cloth which looks so unglamorous and ugly, you wonder what the hype is all about.

I haven't the faintest idea how the Italy towel came by it's name but I do know that (1) it's a Korean thing, (2) it's used for sloughing off dead skin cells, and (3) it works pretty damn well.

Green Beauty: Microfibre Face Towels

I've always felt slightly guilty over the waste in tissue paper that my nightly cleansing ritual generates, and thanks to MakeupAlley girls I believe I've not only managed to save the trees - I've one-upped the tissues!

Microfibre towels are super soft, dry quickly and wash out easily. Because they are comprised of very fine fibres, they pick up minute particles without scratching or hurting the surface. Mostly they've been used to dust around the house and polish cars - until the girls at MUA discovered that by jingo, it polishes skin really really well too. Bless them. Oh and they also mentioned that the cheap house cleaning towels you can get at Daiso for RM5 work perfectly too. So of course it's off to Daiso I went!

Although I already have the Nexcare Microfiber Face Cloth which actually works very very well, I felt it was a bit too expensive for daily wear and tear - especially since I can't get it in Malaysia. So a cheap, readily available alternative like Daiso's cleaning cloths was something I was keen to try out.

I cut the 40cm X 40cm towel into four squares - but I gotta tell you, even though the girls at MUA suggest this, next time just buy smaller towels. The ends flake like no tomorrow!

So how does it work? Pretty amazingly actually. My normal cleansing ritual is to wash my face with Johnson's Head to Toe, dry off, then rub in Deep Clean and tissue off. This usually takes two rounds to clean off Revlon Colorstay (it really does stay). The microfiber cloths do it in one round. The second round is squeaky clean.

The first time I used it, I could have sworn I saw it WIPE away some of my blackheads! With daily use the blackhead count has gone down and after some slight purging my skin is looking clearer with tighter pores. Whee! It's also very effective to just rub it over skin after a cleansing face mask - that gets out the more annoying blackheads. For this I use Nexcare's face cloth as it has a side with longer fibres that seem to get more gunk out. ;)

After using I simply rinse it out with Head to Toe and they're dry by the next morning. Easy peasy! =D

Conclusion

I'll be going to back to see if Daiso has a stack of smaller sized towels rather than just one big one. If you're going to give this a try, I recommend the soft slightly furry ones - not the smoother ones that are more for polishing.

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*

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?

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.

Want a Carroty-clean Face?

A couple of months back, when bestie Mich was returning from the UK, she was kind enough to ask if I wanted anything from Boots. Note that she asked if I wanted anything, not whether I needed anything.

(C'mon, be honest. Who needs stuff from Boots? Okay, save maybe for John Frieda.)

Anyway, OF COURSE I wanted. And one new product I decided to have a go at was Yes To Carrots Gentle Exfoliating Facial Cleanser. Blended with organic carrot juice, pumpkin, sweet potato, spring water and dead sea minerals, it sounds almost good enough to eat. Almost. Because I've got second thoughts about the dead sea minerals.

Frankly, I wouldn't really call it a cleanser. It's all scrub to me. The product itself feels like light cream, with very fine scrub beads. The beads, while finer than Neutrogena's Deep Clean Gentle Scrub, can still make me go "Uh-oh", should I scrub too hard and too long. A light hand works best here.

I usually use this after a cleanser, and my skin definitely feels squeakier compared with the Deep Clean scrub. But it doesn't cause any tightness or discomfort, so no biggie there.

Pricewise, it's not exactly cheap as I paid about £6.97 (~RM39) for it. I'm not aware if it's available here in Malaysia as this came all the way from ye olde England. So I'm afraid that unless you have a makeup mule... But then again, many brands are slowly becoming available to us here. So one can always hope. If you're desperate, I believe drugstore.com (where you can purchase online) is now also shipping internationally. Only problem is, Singapore is as near as it gets. Sigh.

Anything else I need to tell you? What's that? Whatsit smell like? You reeally wanna go there? Sorry ladies, blocked nose. Really. Hah! Not that it'd have made a difference anyway.

So verdict? I'd say it's a nice to have. While it's lovely to use and a great option when I'm in the mood to stray, I don't feel like I. must. have. it. Especially since it takes so much effort just to get hold of.

Have you tried it? You like?

Monday's Beauty Bit: Scrub that face!

Yes, just one Bit. Seeing as I don't really have bits to share with you girls today, I thought I'd introduce you to a neat little product I've only recently found.

On a trip to Daiso last week, I was slightly heartbroken to find my (new) favourite variety of blotters gone. I don't know if they're just sold-out, or Daiso doesn't carry blotters anymore, but I sure hope they put it back on the racks. Fast.

But all the scouring around led to finding something else instead - a Face Washing Brush. Yes, you read me right.

As you can see, that thingy I'm holding is a brush for the face. And for RM5 a piece, it was cheap enough for me to entertain my curiosity. Kahani took a look at it and went, "I think I'll pass."

So how did the face brush perform?

Rather well, actually. No wait, let me rephrase that. I was MIGHTY impressed. You'll find out why a little further down.

The packaging states that the brush is made of silicone, and it's really soft enough to not irritate or hurt the skin. Although, I'm not quite sure if people with "weak skin" should be using it. Whatever THAT means. =P

(Just a little note of caution though. If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, you might want to use scrubby very gently.)

After round 1 of cleansing my face, I gave scrubby a quick rinse, squeezed some Johnson's Top-to-Toe wash in my palm, and started lathering it up with it. After that I just started scrubbing my face in a circular motion, covering my entire face, and focusing on my nose area. I also scrubbed along my hairline and jawline, which resulted in a really clean, and well-exfoliated face. Nice.

So what's so great, you ask? Just a little additional information I think I should share with you. Sitting atop my nose, for the last few MONTHS I might add, has been this enormous black/white head which just refuses to go away no matter what I do. Facials, squeezing, Neem face mask, Kose face mask (which works great at removing the minor white heads) etc etc, NOTHING worked. This evil head had given itself permanent residence status.

But lo' and behold. By the time scrubby (who comes with bad translation) was done, the black head just popped to the surface, and squeezing it out (all 3mm of it) was easy peasy. Awesome.

I was very impressed. Aren't you??

I also love the fact that scrubby is small enough for me to bring along should I go travelling. And it works with whatever cleanser you have. I personally prefer one that lathers up to go with it.

PS: Kahani told me to give her time to get it before this post came up. Just in case she can't find any left. LOL.

Clinique's Total Turnaround is Totally Impressive!

When it comes to reviewing skincare I tend to err on the side of caution. I wait a month or more of consistent usage before I rave about it. This is one product however that I feel confident about reviewing after only 2 weeks of intermittent use. In fact I'm pretty sure I could review it after using it only twice! The results were THAT rapid.

Clinique's Total Turnaround Concentrate is a treatment serum designed to"speed up the skins renewal process" and "bring new skin to the surface". To me, it's a gradual exfoliant that chemically sloughs off top skin cells, unclogging pores, and speeding up the skin's turnover rate.

Its active ingredients include Salicylic Acid (an exfoliant and anti-acne agent), Glucosamine (purportedly to aid skin renewal as it is found in body tissues, but I can't find proof that it is effective topically), and Chestnut Extract (frequently used in "brightening" or "whitening" skin-tone evening products). It also contains antioxidants, as well as cosmetic light-diffusing particles to help even out skintone.

The included instructions recommend that you use this product twice daily. Frankly I believe this to be the usual Clinique ploy of encouraging overuse of their products so you'll use it up faster and buy more. Another example of this is their tendency to recommend a Skin Clarifying Lotion one step LESS than you need, so you have to use it twice a day instead of just once at night for the same degree of efficacy.

There is no way I would use this strong serum twice daily. The first time I used it, I was shocked at how much fairer I was at the end of the day. My face appeared radically different from my neck. As such I use it almost as a treatment whenever my skin appears to need a boost. For daily use I stick to the much milder Vitamin C Skin Serum from The Body Shop that Beetrice so heartily recommends (In many ways I feel that the Vitamin C Skin Serum is a much milder version of Total Turnaround).

What I love about this stuff is that it fades acne scars like no tomorrow! It also helps clear up pimples a lot faster - they just slough off. The downside is, as mentioned above, that it fades tans rapidly and your neck and face may take on different hues if you're not careful

Another lovely bit about this serum is that a teenie tiny bit goes a long long way. In fact I strongly suggest you avoid slapping it on, but instead take a tiny amount on your fingertips and really work it into the skin and allowing it to sink in before applying moisturiser.

I received a 7ml sample of this product in a skincare kit along with large sample sizes of the Total Turnaround 15-minute Facial (which to be honest, is fun but a little messy and failed to impress. I believe that the humble aspirin mask, not to mention S&G's Scrub Your Nose In It outdoes it by miles), and City Block Sheer SPF 25 (which broke me out, boo!). So out of the three, I'm terribly glad the concentrate rocks and I discovered a gem!

At the moment my sample is still going strong, but when it runs out I have no hesitation is running straight out and buying the full-sized 50ml jar at RM190! Even though it's expensive I know it works like nothing else, and it'll last me forever.

Favourite things: Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It

I have a bad habit of falling in love with something (and sometimes, someone) and then changing countries resulting in much love-lornity and moping. And gosh-darnnit I've done it again. Boo.

But who wouldn't fall for what has to be the best scrub ever. EVER. It exfoliates with fruit acids, polishes with micro-fine particles, and doubles up as an oil-absorbing and deep-cleansing mask with green kaolin clay. And it's even gentle enough for twice-weekly use.

After using it only twice, my skin is calm, clear and my acne scars are fading. Fading I tells ya!

Oh how I love the Soap & Glory line. Their products work great, smell amazing (well this scrub is more minty and chemically than yummy, but heck I love it anyways), and have the cutest puns. And I've gone and moved to a country without Soap & Glory!

Which is tragic-er now I have this to be addicted to as well as Hand Food. Oh woe is meeee....

For those of you lucky enough to still be living in the land of S&G, it's £6 from Boots or Harvey Nichols.

Scrub a Dub Dub~

Don't you just lurve that feeling when you've just stepped out of the shower, feeling fresh and clean? Especially after you've had a good round of exfoliating your skin, and gotten rid (hopefully) of all those flaky bits.

While I adore my The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Scrub, it's a little on the pricey side which makes me save it only for special occasions, or when I really feel like pampering myself (oh, the heavenly delicious scent).

Which leads to the next question: What do I use then on normal scrubbing days?

Enter The Body Shop's Bath Lily.

Okay, I'll be honest with you. I haven't always showered with a bath lily (or bath pouff). When I was (a lot) younger, I used to use a little towel in the bath for this purpose *blush*, which was soon replaced with a loofah bath sponge.

And then I was introduced to the bath lily, and there was no turning back. (I got mine in a pretty Coral Pink for RM15.90 from TBS). =D

I love it. It's huge and lathers up very, very well, which is great so you don't have to use huge amounts of shower gel/cream. One pump is all you need. Actually, just one pump is more than what you need.

But the best part is surely the fact you can use your bath lily with any shower gel/cream you feel like using at the moment (one of my faves is Johnson's pH5.5 Nourishing Body Wash with Honey/ Almond Oil).

It gently exfoliates too, and removes dead skin cells, leaving my skin feeling soft and smooth.

Why exfoliate? Here's why:

• Exfoliation removes the top layer of dead skin cells off, which is usually dull, so your skin looks more radiant.



• It preps your skin for better absorbtion of moisturising products, allowing it to penetrate deeper into the skin.



• Exfoliation also aids in blood circulation, which helps in detoxification process.

So, get scrubbing girls! It's good for you. And your skin will thank you for it.

For the boys: L'Oreal Men Expert Skin Renovator Cleansing Exfoliating Skin Renewer

Here's a nifty product that may just be macho enough for most men, while being desirable enough that the girls will want to steal it. L'Oreal Men Expert Skin Renovator ("renovator", really! Beauty marketing for men is downright goofy at times) is basically a very good scrubby scrub. How good? Well, when packaged for women - it's marketed as step 1 of the L'Oreal Refinish Microdermabrasion Kit which retails for £12.49.

Both scrubs contain high amounts of aluminium oxide micro-crystals which is used in microdermabrasion (the surgical version). In a scrub, they make for a very fine, very effective scrub that should not be used more than twice a week. Now L'Oreal's Microdermabrasion kit comes with a moisturiser to use after - but let's face it, what we really want is the scrub. And if you get your boyfriend to buy 'ol Skin Renovator here for £5.79 you get to nip it for free. And why should guys buy it?

No more ingrown hairs
Girls have long known that exfoliation helps prevent in-grown hairs caused by shaving. This wisdom has been neglected by men for ages, till now. Today's "close shave" is actually a little too close. When you use a razor with 4 blades, you're actually cutting the hair so close that it recedes below the skin surface. This causes the hair to potentially be trapped in the pore by dead skin cells, causing an ingrown hair. Use this scrub on your face, and it will exfoliate all the dead skin clogging up your pores away leaving your face hair free and clear.

Minimize acne scars
Not much will get rid of acne scars completely. But encouraging skin-cell turnover can only help minimize the appearance of scars. It will help lessen pigmentation and redness of recent blemishes.

Fewer blemishes
Blemishes form when a pore is clogged and gets infected. As mentioned above, an exfoliant will help remove the gunk and keep your skin clear(er). Just go easy on it, don't rub all your skin in the "renovation" process!