A Handy Birthday Present

I bought a present for my friend Fuzzy! Her birthday was yesterday, and when we were younger, we always said she's the first to turn older. :P She doesn't appreciate it that much. She has to wait 9 months before it's my turn to "become older", hehe!

Although not really drugstore products, but hey, it fits into the theme of taking care of your skin - I got her the Hand Therapy set from Crabtree & Evelyn!

There were two sets available - Pomegranate or Lavender, and each set contains :
- shower gel
- body lotion
- hand therapy scrub
- hand therapy moisturiser

The pomegranate scent is a bit sharp, but quickly turns out fruity and very invigorating. The lavender scent is just too weird! It doesn't smell like your normal lavender scent! It took very long for the smell to fade off to something more bearable. But regardless of whether it is pomegranate-scented or lavender-scented, it left my hands feeling oh so soft and touchable. Crabtree & Evelyn's hand therapy stuff really works! :)

Anyway, I reckon the pomegranate is more suitable, as I think hand creams are so nice to be used while at the office. The invigorating scent will help you be more alert at the desk too! :)

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Wholesale Dresses

I've been going nuts trying to buy stuff online again. *ashamed* Wholesale stuff. *ashamed* Everytime I do this, I end up with like 10 pieces of clothing, and I end up wearing only 2 or 3 pretty often. So I might as well save the money and buy one very, very nice piece instead, right?

I'm currently very into loose, slouchy, button-down shirts in light fabrics...

USD6.40 on the wholesale market.

USD8.70 on the wholesale market, though I'm not sure about the cuffs & collar. Leopard prints = in or out? They've been around for so long. I guess they are still ok in small doses, right?

I still like color blocking... especially on sweet, summery dresses like these:

USD9.77 - does not come with the belt!

This looks a bit more dressy, but it just shows that color blocking is fun, whatever the occasion. :) USD9 for this dress.

I'm also very into long / maxi dresses ever since I discovered that short people may not be totally sidelined in this trend! In fact, as long as the dress is not too billowy, it can actually help us look taller. That's what I feel anyway...

USD9.25 - navy blue with beaded collar. "Boho style", it says.

This dress encompasses both my faves - color blocking and maxi dress in a very summer-holiday, nautical piece. Going for USD8.65.

Or you can just go wild with the prints! The first maxi dress I ever bought (from Kitschen) is full of prints, but not as many colors. I find this peacock themed one perfectly lovely, and it's only USD9.20. I paid RM75 for mine!

And I love bodycon dresses, if anything it serves as a motivation / reminder to keep fit! I like this mustard yellow one which can be worn in two different ways - and for only USD6!

And guess what? After choosing all my choice pieces ... and a lot of other small stuff (accessories, mostly), I still can't hit the USD$100 that I need to check out. Lol! That's the only problem I have with buying from wholesale websites...

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Hazeline Snow Moisturising Cream

I surprise myself - never knew that I've never written a review about Hazeline Snow Moisturising Cream though I mentioned it so many times in other entries. Since this is a product that I've used quite often (actually, this is only my 2nd 50g tub that I'm finishing - but this thing lasts for a long time!), I thought I should give it the honor of having a separate review page on my blog. :3

Hazeline Snow moisturising cream is a face cream, and is unique because it's not really a cream texture, but has a semi-crumbly that is reminiscent of feta cheese. I know this sounds gross - especially when people describe it as having a "snow" texture (really? I don't think so...), but let's just agree that it has a unique texture. It's also very affordable - somewhere between RM8 - RM10 for a 50g tub that seems to last me more than 6 months! It's definitely very moisturising and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth.

No horrible skin reactions to it either, and it gets absorbed very fast, leaving you able to continue with the rest of your make-up regime. I liked it so much the first time I bought it that I insisted on putting some on my boyfriend's face! I felt like it was something super magical that everyone should experience at least once, even if they won't be using it foreverly forever. :P

The only cons about this product? Well, for those who are super anal about cleanliness, the idea of dipping your fingers into this jar and swiping it all over your face will have you throwing fits, I suppose. Yes, generally moisturisers are applied with hands anyway, but there's just something about putting your hands INTO the whole packaging and sullying the rest of the product inside the jar. (I think I complained about that regarding body butters in tubs too!) The second part? I've mentioned it multiple times on my blog too - if you don't apply it properly, there's a HUGE possibility of you having white streak marks on your face ala those olden times people who apply "shui fan" on their face. Exhibit A:

The Hazeline Snow especially loves to get trapped in my bushy eyebrows, inadvertently "dye-ing" it white in color, lol!

All in all, I feel that it is a pretty good "drugstore beauty" product, and if I were still a student, I would use this as my staple. Since I'm not, and I love trying new products, I will probably not repurchase this until I've used finish alllllll the face creams that I currently have!

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Current Products!

Since I started this blog with an entry saying "Stuff I'm Using Now", I think it's apt to start 2012 with a review of stuff that I am using "now" too. :P

Face Moisturiser
Hazeline Snow Moisturising Cream - haven't done a review of this before, though I mention it several times on this blog. :) I use this when I'm lazy and when I'm not going anywhere special because it's affordable.

Benefit's Dr Feelgood - finishing this soon though! Not a repurchase for me.

Toner
Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Elminating Cooling Toner - I bought the whole blackhead eliminating set last time, and the face wash is already long finish, but the toner and the other "deep heat" warming treatment are still a long a way to go. The toner is like a normal toner... nothing special. Don't feel it especially helps my blackheads. Will review this properly later, I guess.

Face Wash
Pond's Clear Solution Anti-Bacterial Scrub - a really good face wash from Pond's! I have just started using it, mainly use it at home. :)

Simple Refreshing Face Wash Gel - Using at the gym, and I've been using it for the longest time ever! It's an effective face wash, but too boring for me. :P I don't know whether it lasted so long because I've not been such a gym bunny recently or because it's really worth your money. *scratch my head*

Shampoo
Lush's Cynthia Sylvia Stout - Finishing already. :( 100ml only, so couldn't really expect it to last forever. Considering it for a repurchase if Lush doesn't come up with a new product that attracts my attention instead. The only bad part about this shampoo is that you need quite a bit of it to build up a lather. I use this at home.

Follow Me Blooming Fresh Shampoo - I put this aside when I started using the Cynthia Sylvia Stout so a great amount of it still remains. :( But I really don't like this shampoo. If you don't wash your hair DAILY, it will make your scalp itch! And of course it's not caused by the weather or whatever dirty condition you think I'm rolling in. The "itch" doesn't occur with other shampoos! On the plus point, the Happy Scalp conditioner is ok lah. I use the conditioner at home too.

Clairol Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship - I use this at the gym... finishing soon. The scent overwhelms me a little, and I don't think it really makes my hair "strong and weighty". Not a repurchase for me.

Clairol Herbal Essences with Camelia Hot Oil Treatment - My conditioner at the gym. It *is* a repurchase for me because I got the shampoo & conditioner again when I was at Singapore. *glee* I got a bit sick of the scent at one point because the shampoo keeps spilling over in my gym bag, but I'm loving it again. It's truly one of the best shampoos I've ever used cos my hair always feels smoother & silkier after washing up. The Lush shampoos make my scalp tingle and feel squeaky clean and happy... but I don't think it changes my hair itself much. Then again, I'm happy that I can use both at the same time - best of both worlds, yo!

Body Wash
Dove Go Fresh in Nectarine & White Ginger - my super refreshing morning shower gel! The only bad part is that I can't use this continuously for a long period of time, otherwise I will develop some rashy reaction. :( However, I love the refreshing feeling of the whole Dove Go Fresh range and the scent is super nice! It's a really good morning shower gel!

Lush's Honey I Washed The Kids Soap - There's like 1% of this left. :( It's a really good soap, and one of my fave soaps from Lush now. A definite repurchase the next time I find a Lush counter. The only bad part is that it seems to melt really fast in water, that's why this soap finished so fast! :(

Soap & Glory "Scrub Of Your Life" scrub - My body scrub at home --- and it's a very effective body scrub, though I prefer using ...

Soap & Glory "Peaches & Clean" shower gel + exfoliation - the Soap & Glory "Peaches & Clean" scrub. Though it says it is a shower gel, the exfoliation beads are so big that I treat it as a scrub. The sad part is that though I prefer this to "Scrub of Your Life", I don't see this being sold anymore. :( Otherwise I would consider repurchasing it. Meanwhile, I rotate between this and the "Scrub of Your Life" for my weekly exfoliation needs. [But both also finishing soon... SOB!!]

St Ive's Apricot Exfoliation Body Wash - haven't reviewed this yet as I've only used it a coupla times at the gym! I always like to use something for at least 2 weeks before I review it (except for masks at other 1-time usage stuff)... so will be reviewing this soonish..

Daytime Body Moisturiser
Vaseline Healthy White Skin Lightening Lotion - my current lotion is about halfway finished! I've gotten used to the less-than-nice odour, and it's a good enough moisturiser to keep the skin feeling soft, but in terms of lightening, not so. Maybe evens out the skintone better? It's not a repurchase for me... I kinda prefer my Nivea moisturisers! Or Palmers!

Johnson's 24 Hour Lasting Moisture Body Lotion - my travel moisturiser is also about halfway finished. -__- It's also not a repurchase for me as I don't really fancy the scent. When I first started using it, I thought that it was super moisturising and makes my skin much softer --- but then I started using even better products, so this product is only worth it if you're on a tight budget!

Nighttime Body Moisturiser
Johnson's Melt Away Stress Daily Calming Lotion - I just started using it. Literally JUST. Will review this soon-ish as I've used this before! Repurchased it only for contests, but don't really regret it because it's worth your $$.

Eye Cream
Mary Kay Timewise Firming Eye Cream - stings my eyes, costs a pretty penny (thankfully I got mine FREE) and doesn't work to boot. My boyfriend has been commenting how BAD my eyebags are ever since I started using this, so I guess it's a no-brainer that I'm not going to buy this when it finishes.

Neck Cream
Lush's Mirror Mirror - It's totally down to the last droplets! I'm so sad to see this go because even if I wanted to repurchase, I can't because they don't manufacture this anymore! And Lush doesn't even have a different neck cream in place. I guess they reckon we should just use normal moisturiser on our necks. But in fact the reason why I liked Mirror Mirror was because it was supposed to be extra nourishing because our neck is more sensitive and REQUIRES the extra hydration! Sigh... I'm going to commemorate the end of this product with a proper review soon!

Hair Serum
Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Relax Serum - an awesome hair serum to decrease frizziness in your ends and generally makes your hair behave. I thought it was an awesome recommendation, a definite repurchase.. until I saw a cheaper buy from L'oreal... which is what I would get next!

Liese Juicy Shower Hair Mist - I put this on before I go to bed to ensure that my frizzy hair ends get moisturised even when I'm asleep! However, not a repurchae for me because I feel it doesn't really help, it doesn't smell good to me (after all that hype too!) and it's very pricey!

And there's a lot of other stuff that I'm using, but this is getting way too long. Hope you had a great New Year's Eve celebration, and here's to having a lot more moolah to get more stuff to review for 2012! ;p

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Another Reason To Like Singapore..

Randomly walking around Orchard Road also can get free samples! By the way, I'm so keen on getting more free samples aka stuff I use on holiday that I sign up for all kinds of Facebook promotions. I've been getting all kinds of shampoo samples til I don't even know where I've chucked everything! And of course - lots of spam mail too. -_-"

I got two random free samples in Singapore earlier this month. Both also not cheapo stuff, so quite happy with it:

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil. Randomly handed a sachet when walking past the counter in ION, I think...

Rainforest Shampoo & Conditioner from The Body Shop. They were having "Christmas Giveaways" along Orchard Road. All you have to do is line-up and grope around inside a bin (no peeking) and grab a sample. After I got the shampoo sample, Tron said he groped around for something that is "different size" and claimed he brushed against something HUMONGOUS... but since he was taking so long, and the line getting longer, he decided against really finding it. Hahahaha... so he got a shampoo sample too in the end...

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Fresh Sugar Lychee EDP

This was an impulse buy in Sephora, Singapore back in November 2011. I thought Fresh was a new brand, but apparently they've been around for yonks. Another popular product in their range is their brown sugar scrubs (lip scrub, body scrub) and brown sugar perfume. I've tried it before, but I still prefer my Sugar Lychee EDP. A 30ml bottle would cost you somewhere between RM100 - RM150. I don't know exactly because I bought a couple of items from Sephora and I don't keep receipts to remind me of how much I spend. I pay the painful bulk amount to the credit card company and then lick my wounds alone in my room while staring at all the stuff around me.

True story, bro.

This perfume captured my boyfriend's and my heart after just one spritz. It definitely catches your attention, but not in a "I'm jamming my fingers up your nostril" kind of way. It's supposed to be a fresh, fruity scent, but it's really like no other fruity scent (I know of) around. It's so unique, and I bet that if you tell the admirers around you who ask you just WHAT is that wonderful perfume, they won't even have heard about it.

[Maybe I should keep this secret to myself too..]

It is also a sweet scent, but not cloyingly so. It just isn't typical. Trust me... go to Sephora and try it yourself. It smells so delicious, so edible, so REFRESHING. Like a cold glass of juice on a hot day. Just smelling it awakens the senses and invigorates me. I just can't tell you how much I like this scent because I'm not that great with words and I won't do the product justice.

Just don't look down on it's humble, unassuming packaging. You don't have to be so fancy to smell great. ;) Anyway, I personally like the bottle as it is easy to handle, looks classy with it's shiny silver cap

• Top notes are grapefruit, Italian lemon, lime blossom
• Heart notes are lychee, lotus flower, freesia
• Base notes are sandalwood, tonka bean, amber

I guess the top citrusy notes are the reason why it smells so refreshing and invigorating.. I like the middle notes the most, as that's when you can really smell the lychee. However, by the time it reaches the base note, the perfume is not that strong anymore, and to be honest - base notes like sandalwood, tonka bean and amber are pretty common. Sure, you'd still be able to sniff out some traces of lychee if you sniff hard enough, but why don't you just give yourself another spritz and enjoy it all over again. :D

As for repurchasing, I would... but I have a LOT of other perfume already! I would rather just try to finish up what I *do* have than repurchase one item that has finished. Therefore, although I love this perfume a lot, I only use it on special, special occassions. If I were to give this perfume to someone like my mom, she would probably finish it for me within a month. Hehehe...

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Skinlite Aloe Essence Mask

This is the Skinlite face mask that I bought from Sasa, Hong Kong for about RM2. The Skinlite Aloe Essence mask is for ultra hydration and soothing skin. It is enriched with vitamin E, phyto collagen & aloe extract. It is supposedly good for dry skin - claiming to be able to relieve and soften skin within 15-20 minutes!

But you know what? Cheap masks are cheap. -___-" This is one mask that I truly felt silly using. Firstly, there is barely enough essence in the mask. Stingy max! There is absolutely NO scent, and the essence could just be water. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. And ergonomically, the mask is so totally off! I just find it so irksome when areas that I feel totally need the care of the mask is not covered properly. Like the flap to cover my nose is sooooo big. And the holes for the eyes are so big, and it's so hard to manouver a mask to cover my eye bags when they cut the holes so huge. What, they really think all asians have manga eyes?


Usually, after using a mask, I would feel that my skin is immediately softer & more moisturised. There is TRULY no difference with this one.

Yeah, sure it's "only RM2", but why waste your money on something that doesn't work? For cheap masks, I'm sure you could find other better brands. One of which I'm going to review soon enough. ;)

The bad part? After this rather boring experience with Skinlite, I still have 2 more masks from them! Grrr... this is the problem when you see cheap things - you tend to buy a lot and then wind up with a lot of stuff you don't want!

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