Stuff I'm Using Now ( My first beauty blog entry!)

Ok, I decided to create a separate blog for my posts about drug store products that I'm using right now, and also for erm... contests, swag grabbing and such. What better place to place ads than at a place where I'm talking about brand names for free... Hmm... ;)

Anyway, a little background about moi... I was introduced to the world of drugstore beauty by my colleague Pauline. It's been about 4 years + of checking out what goodies places like Guardian, Watsons, Boots (in Thailand) and even places like Carrefour can reveal to drugstore addicts like us. My love with make-up goes a bit further back though --- been dabbling since I was in high school, though I'm definitely no expert. In fact, I've been a bit lazy nowadays and just going to work with moisturiser and lipgloss. *gasp* Sacre bleu!

I digressed... back to the topic. Stuff I'm using right now :


1. Clairol Herbal Essences None of Your Frizzness Shampoo & Conditioner at the gym for my hair. This is my go-to shampoo since I go to the gym about 4x a week and I ALWAYS shampoo and condition after every workout. It's just gross not to. I love this shampoo for its fruity smell and to me, you can't go wrong with Clairol Herbal Essences. All the shampoos just smell so awesome. :) However, in terms of whether this ACTUALLY works out all the frizziness... well, I was hoping for miracles, so I guess it's a no for me. I'm about to finish both bottles soon, so I'm looking forward to trying something new and reporting it back here. ;)


2. Schwarzkopf Asia Glatt shampoo & conditioner for home use. Yup, I hate repacking my gym bag and stuff I use at home, and this way, I get to try out more stuff! :D I'm also going to finish this pretty soon, and I say, I CAN'T WAIT. This shampoo is awful... it smells really weird when lathering up, and it smells even worse after the hair has dried. :( My friend Sidney quipped, "With a shampoo name like Asia GLATT how did you expect it to even smell nice?" I guess I was drawn in by the fact that it's supposedly formulated for Asian hair, but it does squat for me. Not interested, nuh-uh...


3. Original Source Lemon Tea Tree Shower Gel for the gym. I love Original Source, and was first introduced to this brand by my buddy Ben when I was in London. And was so glad to see that Singapore has it too, so at least I will be able to stock up MUCH easier. Sucks when Malaysia doesn't have awesome products like this. ;) It's awesome for use after a workout, cos the lemon really invigorates your tired muscles.. and tea tree has some healing properties as well right? Plus you feel really, really CLEAN after showering with this. I just love citrus fragrances for shower gels, so this shower gel is pretty much THE BOMB for me. I've tried about 90% of the whole Original Source range, and I loved every single one. If not for the fact that I'm really in love with trying out more stuff, I would be 100% loyal to this brand. Lol... in fact, I have a bit of a problem with shower gels cos I have sensitive skin... I cannot use stuff from Fruiser and from Palmolive (this includes Lux), cos I'll get rashy after that. Blehk. So hard to find cheap stuff that won't irritate me... My boyfriend is recommending that I stick to solely Eucerin or Dettol, but ... I like variety. :) And yummy smells. :)

4. Johnson & Johnson's Peach Baby Bath for morning showers at home and when I don't go to the gym. I have a LOT of Johnson & Johnson's stuff to try out, cos I've been entering one of those "Buy & Win" contests. -___- I first tried J&J baby bath's when my skin was getting rashy - no thanks to crappy brands - and I thought --- they won't try to break out a baby's skin right? It was cheaper than brands like Sebamed and Eucerin, so I thought it won't hurt to try. After finishing an entire 1l of J&J baby bath with no untoward results, I'm sold. :) This works for me too and I'm happy. The peach baby bath has a very mild smell, and because it's soooo gentle, I don't really recommend using this if you've been rolling around in mud or something. However, for showers in the morning, and especially before bedtime ... this is perfect. =) Really makes you feel like a baby.

5. Peaches & Clean Shower gel from Soap & Glory for body scrub --- every now and then. You'll need a body scrub every now and then, especially if you're like me and you don't use one of those bath mitt thingys... I got scared of them ever since my dad had one and it never really dried out properly and fungus grew all over the dang thing. *shivers* I bought my shower gel some time back in Thailand's Boots. Soap & Glory is pretty pricey, but the packaging is soooo witty and cute and dang, the stuff works! Peaches & Clean has a strong (but lovely) peach smell with bits of what feels like smashed peach pit (it's really just exfoliating beads) to really scrub off your dead skin. I'm loving it! And I heard that the new Sephora that opened opposite Pavilion stocks up on Soap & Glory stuff, so that's good news for all Malaysians! :)

6. Simple Refreshing face wash gel for the gym. This facial wash really lives up to the name of being GENTLE on the skin... you can't really feel it cleaning your skin up, but the results show. I have this bad habit of not removing my make-up with a make-up remover.. but I head straight for the face wash. Note : I don't wear really thick make-up, so I think it's ok?

There's no fragrance, no exfoliating beads... so although this is a product that works for me, it's not 100% me... in the sense that I like fragrances, and I like squeaky clean feeling after washing my face. I know, I know.. that's supposed to be really bad for you because that would mean the face wash is too harsh. It never did anything bad to my face before this... *sulks* I guess what I'm trying to say is that this face wash is just too boring for me... but it works! However, I've been getting really horrible pimples recently, and I don't know whether it's because this product is too gentle or because of the other face stuff I've been using...

7. Garnier Light Fairness face wash for home use is a lemon-y facial wash, also without exfoliating beads and is also awesome for me because it removes my make-up without need for make-up remover. I quite liked it when I first started using it, but now feels that it leaves a rather oily feeling residue on my face after I'm done. I also don't feel the squeaky clean feeling of a fresh face after finishing with it, so I'm disappointed. Also have a feeling that this facial wash could've contributed to the sudden emergence of pimples. Hmmm... and the bad news is that I bought two of these face wash because there was a 2 for 1 deal in Watsons... hahaha. -__-

Oh and I don't think I got any fairer after using this... but I don't really mind because I think it's odd if my face ends up fairer than my body.... =p

8. The Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead removal range was a total disappointment! Also bought it because of the Johnson's & Johnson's contest, and also because I was wondering if there WAS another way to get rid of blackheads. I've always heard good stuff about Neutrogena, although I personally did not like the smell of their face wash (the deep yellow in color one... I forgot if it's supposed to be fragrance-free or not, but it had a weird smell! Since I said it had a weird smell, you'd think that it must NOT be fragrance free... but you never know! I just remember it as being weird!). Anyway, the Deep Clean Blackhead range consists of a face wash, these weird "heating" cream things which is supposed to open up your pores and make it easier for the blackheads to be removed, and finally, a cooling toner. The whole set set me back about RM75... so you could say I'm SERIOUSBUSINESS about removing blackheads.


However, I was very disappointed with the whole thing. I did like the face wash because it had exfoliating beads, and you definitely get a very clean, very fresh feeling after washing your face. Did it eliminate blackheads? No. So I proceeded with the warming treatment. The warming treatment was interesting... it really does heat up in your hands very quickly... but did it magically make all my blackheads dropped out or easier to be squeezed? Another resounding no. Finally the cooling toner was... like what a toner should be. Nothing extra special that made it ought to belong on a blackhead removal range. Very sad.

I guess the warming treatment was nice to play with... but will it be worth your money? It's expensive lor... and so far I've only used one tube. And somehow or other, it seems like it's not heating up so fast or so much anymore. Disappointment. And I have been getting those pimples (this is the third time I'm repeating this...) is this the cause!?!?!

If you've read til this point, yes I'm using 3 different facial cleansers at the moment, no wonder I can't figure out what's the root cause of any skin problems that I face. Tsk! And if you're really wondering what you can do about those dang blackheads, instead of using the deep clean range, may I just recommend to you the cheap & lovely Biore pore strips?! They now come in orange & pineapple fragrance which I love. I also have the regular and the black colored strips (I don't even know why I bought the black color one... just fatt hao I guess...). If you're not one for the pain, you could always remove it slowly, but I just love ripping out the dang thing and then studying the massive whiteheads and blackheads stuck. Gives me so much pleasure. At least there's a difference after using the Biore pore strips. I study myself after using the deep clean range and more often than not, you're back to squeezing out your whiteheads and blackheads, as if you didn't even use the range at all. Why spend the money then?

Ewww... I just Googled for the pore strips, and check out what some people managed to yank out on their pore strips... I'm glad that I don't have such severe problems! Lol!

9. Phytodefrisant Anti-frizz Balm for the hair... yes, I'm facing frizzy hair as evident from the shampoo I use, and the hair care products I use. I bought this when I was in France, so I don't think you can get it here... Pretty pricey (it is about RM80+!!), and the only reason I bought this was because I Google-d for "good pharmaceutical buys in France".. what a freak! ;) Ben bought something from Phyto as well, and he said it was shite (don't remember what he got). So how goes this balm? Well, I have to say that I must be quite insane to buy something where the directions are all in French, so I had to guess what I was supposed to do with it. In the end, I reckoned that it is a leave-in type of balm, and I have to say... this works. It really makes your hair more manageable and less frizzy. However, I have to use a LOT of it and I hate the texture of this anti-frizz product. It's very watery and slimey and reminds me of erm... baby juice. It also has a rather unpleasant smell about it, so I'm very careful not to use this before I meet my boyfriend, haha! For something nicer smelling, and rather effective (though not as POWERFUL as Phyto..), may I recommend...

10. Free&Free Damage Aid Serum that I got from Carrefour Thailand! Hahaha... actually, the current bottle that I have is given to me from Pauline (the one who introduced me to all this madness) as she knows how much I love this green bottle. This smells AWESOME.. very fresh and fruity, and really tames your hair. For the price you pay, this is more bang for your buck than Phyto is. Sadly, can't find this brand in Malaysia!

I guess it's unfair to compare Phyto and my favorite Free&Free because one is for damaged hair and the other one is just to control frizzy hair... but the outcome from both products are smoother hair ends and generally more manageability... so that's why I'm pitting them against each other. :) Free&Free, I would continue to buy, but Phyto is definitely a one-off. :)

11. My Beauty Diary masks... got a pack of 16 masks for about RM65 from Guardian... in fact, I'm currently using one (which I may review separately after this). When I first started using these masks, I loved it... the smell, the shape of the masks (there are some brands that get the anatomy of the face so, so wrong.. with bits and pieces of the mask hanging out every which way) and it's like... such a nice indulgence to have a mask once a week, am I right ladies? After the pimple fiasco (which now I'm wondering whether it's hormonal...), I'm also a little bit wary of the masks. I have about 8 more masks to go though, so I really hope it isn't! Anyway, the packaging for MBD masks are really cute, and the name of the masks are all so yummy sounding. Like, right now I'm using an apple one and it makes me think as if I'm putting real mushed up green apples all over my face. Haha, I'm not sure what good THAT would do, but generally after a MBD mask, my face feels softer and smoother. =) Because of the Guardian deal, I got MBD mask cheaper per mask (usual price is about RM6+ per mask), but if you want to try cheaper alternatives, I super recommend Purederm (any mask is good, but I like the aloe one), MJ (usually they have the type of gooey mask that you spread on your face and then peel off when it dries) and even the in-house brands of Watsons and Guardian have good masks for a little less than RM5. Watsons bird nest mask is super good, but that one is considered "premium" and is way more than RM5. I only got to use it because it was given to me as a free gift. =)

12. Vaseline Aloe Cool & Fresh light moisturising lotion for my day moisturiser... just broke in a brand new bottle! Previously was using Palmer's Cocoa Butter and that is one helluva good moisturiser! Palmer's Cocoa Butter has a distinctive smell... for me, I didn't like it at first, but since I just finished a big bottle... obviously I got used to it in the end. :) The cream is a bit thick and you really have to rub yourself (sounds dirty!) to get it all smoothened out. However, the moisturising effects are really just ooh-la-la~! I find myself constantly in wonder that my skin is soooo smooth and soooooo nice to touch. My boyfriend agrees with me. ;) I bought the Cocoa Butter in London for about 2 pounds, and when it first came to Malaysia, the Cocoa Butter was being sold so ridiculously expensive.. now it's ok-ly priced, so I might buy again... though I have a LOT of other moisturisers to try out.

Well look at me go on and on about Palmer's and not talk about Vaseline.. tsk tsk. Well, I really like the smell of the aloe body moisturiser.. and it's really cooling, which is good for the recent hot weather. However, in terms of moist-ness, I would say that it is left farrrrr behind compared to Palmers. Coincidentally, my boyfriend just bought a bottle of the exact same moisturiser today, and he randomly uses it to cool himself down! Hahaha! I guess I can't expect so much from this moisturiser anyway because it clearly states on the bottle that it is a "LIGHT" moisturising lotion. I must look out for the "HEAVY" one then. ;)

13. Nivea Extra Whitening Inner Cell Repair Body Milk for my night time moisturiser... why do I use it at night? Cos it's for whitening purpose, and I reckon it'll be better to use it when there isn't any sun rays combatting with it's whitening mission. ^^ (I just feel dumb now cos I'm studying the bottle now and I see that it has some advanced UV protection, so this IS for usage in the daytime!). I've loved Nivea body lotion for a really long time. I like the comforting fragrance, which makes it all the more apt for me to use it for night. For WHITENING... I don't think it works on me, because I don't see myself getting any fairer. My skin is more evenly-toned, I guess... but I can't comment on becoming FAIRER. I also can't comment on the inner cell repair thingy that they are promoting as I don't know the mechanics of how something that is applied externally can get absorbed into my inner cells... that kinda sounds scary.

But in terms of having softer, more I~wanna~touch~you~ooh~yeah~baby skin... then yes! A million times over that this works. =) I also like the face absorption rate, which is definitely a must for body moisturisers. The Vaseline one is also quickly absorbed... I suppose it's only the Palmer's one which takes quite a while, but since it is so awesome, it's forgiven. =p

Well, I guess that's lucky 13 items that I use rather frequently. My next entry will be on not-used-so-frequently stuff and on my daily make-up! Stay tuned, I guess!