Practical Charm

April has run out of moisturizing hand cream! What a perfect excuse to go do some shopping and try a new product!

So happens I was passing by a Crabtree and Evelyn branch when my then bottle of moisturiser exuded it’s last drop. A bright pink sticker for ‘Women’s Weekly Malaysia choice of best hand treatment’ was plastered next to a wide selection of tubes of fragrant hand creams

Results are immediate and you'll have hands that anyone would die to hold!

The great secret in these products is mostly can be explained through it's chemistry.

Shea Butter: Used particularly in high end moisturising products for a softening effect and as an emollient

Bisabolol: A natural extraction from chamomile that works to soothe irritated skin and stimulate skin healing.

Glycerin: I figure very much that this works as a humectant (moisture attractor) Chemically, it's hygroscopic

Either way, one is sure to tickle your fancy

Rosewater
Goats Milk
La Source
Summer Hill
Nantucket Briar
Gardener's Hand Therapy cream

I personally had this rubbed on my shoulders one night while out for a club and there was a guy who just couldn't stop breathing me in. (Most decently of course!)

Product : Crabtree and Evelyn's 'Hand Treatment' Cream range (Available in 50mL & 100mL tubes while gift packs come in three tubes of 25mL)
Price : RM43.00-120.00
Application : For instant soft silky hands
Shelf Life : Not available
One Tube of 50mL: I'll be using one tube so often i think i can run through one tube in a month!
Tips: No real tips! This product is so good, if i could afford it I'd slather it on every minute of the hour!

If you do happen to meet me, I'm very proud to show off my feet cause it's one of the most paid-attention-to spots of my body ^^

Ever since as of late, my feet have not been really well looked after. My job requires me to move up and down alot… so go figure.

It was then I decided, enough was enough. I need pretty feet (although they are not bared as much as the rest of my body) BEFORE it starts accumulating a mass of callus, stink bomb fungi and disfigurements of toenails.

Here are some rules I've developed in a long line of my years of experience with my own feet and I guarantee a difference in your foot texture when you follow these diligently and regularly

April's Guide to Beautiful Feet

1) NO HOT WATER!
As much as we have the idea of thinking that absurdly hot water will do some necessary bacteria of fungi assasination, Hot water tends to dry your skin incredibly fast. Opt for warm water instead and a rinse with cold water after everything is done.

2) Its all about the shoes baby!
I'm so sorry to say that it's definitely those pairs of kitty heels and sandals that aren't doing justice to your feet. Confound air conditioning if you like, but exposing the tips of your toes and heels to dry air is just plain asking for it.
Also hard surfaces of certain shoes tend to thicken the skin further.

Instead of wearing pretty heels at all times, give your feet a rest and try sneakers in college. For the working ladies like me, I keep a pair of socks in the drawer to wear around the office, or you could by a pair of those furry cute bedroom slippers.

3)Sandwich your feet!
I like to put body butter and dressing on my feet every gosh darned night. Forget it if you just put on your favourite lotion or cream, and then plop off to bed. All that hard work won't pay off much. Sandwich your creamed feet in fresh/clean cotton gym socks! You'll see the difference the next day!

4) File, Pumice, Brush
Most women I know don't even own a decent foot file! Or even worse, owning one but not going into changing their foot file when necessary. Always file your foot once a fortnight, Pumice everyday in the shower and brush of dead skin and file and pumice dirt which get caught in between skin linings with a medium strength brush.

5) The nails need some loving too!
Always trim your toe nails straight across! Cutting it in too deep can lead to in-grown toe nails! Buff your toe nails constantly although no one is going to go upclose and run their index finger on your nail to go "OOOOOOO SMOOTH!". Grains of dirt can get easily trapped in between the surfaces of uneven toe nails making your feet look incredibly dull.

Treat yourself. Go get a pedicure.

6)Bloody-flow
Massaging, cutting down smoking, and physical activity helps with ciruclating the blood flow and maintaining a healthy glow on both skin and nails of your feet. My nails are a healthy pink from all that pampering. Yes Sir-Ree!

7)You're already sweet enough
Watch your blood sugar. Diabetic stories can be told from the feet alone

I'm going to add some of my favourite foot care products to share with you all

Favourite foot moisturising cream: Body Shop's Peppermint Cooling Foot Rescue Treatment - I love the easing sensation peppermint leaves on tired feet.

Favourite Foot File: OPI Foot File - Easy to handle with it's ergonomic shape, the dual grit (80 grit and 120grit) leaves a fine smooth almost baby soft finish

Favourite Foot Pads for heels: Party Feet by Scholls! - Anti Slip and great for the balls of my feet

Favourite Foot Soak - My own recipe of peppermint, eucalyptus, germanium and honey in a foot soak bowl filled with marbles - A refreshing and invigorating foot soak with marbles to massage the bottom of the feet.

Let us know if they work for you! Give it a week or two to check it out the amazing results!

Bogged down with work, means having days which require an incredible amount of walking from end to end on insanely painful heels exposing my tender feet to dry Air Conditioned environments. Since I started my Job, I have inherited horrible feet no thanks to the lack of humidity in artificially cool Malaysian buildings.

Owing to the time constraints I have in my job, and figuring on ways how to spend without overspending, I came across some advertising on the Tsuya Tsuya silk factor for callus removal of feet.

Its a simple do at home mask pack that is easy to use and guarantees smoother minutes in just under half an hour which includes masking (5 mins) and a pretty long time of filing (depending how much you can actually file on)

Each pack contains 6 masks sheets enough to cover up a whole heel. So if you are using for both feet to remove callus for the upper part of the foot and heels, that makes four sheets already being used up.

Directions for use:
1. Soak, Clean and Dry Foot

2. Apply Patch for approx 5-10mins

3. Remove patch and file down callus with foot file

4. Rinse, Apply Moisturising cream to maintain softness of feet

Not convinced that it can be so easy? Just look at my own before and after results!

Now isn't that what we all want? The mask is pretty effective. Mom recycled the mask by dabbing a little water to make it stick all over her own feet and got a lot of dead skin removed too! For my self, I noticed there was alot of skin peeling since I had'nt enough stamina to keep filing properly.

A pack goes for RM16.90. I got 3 packs at RM50 with a free foot file. Currently it's not available over retail counters yet, But I'm really hoping they will be soon!

You can contact these people at Miracles Cosmetics Marketing to get your own pack.

Product : Tsuya Tsuya Silk Factor Callus Removing patch
Price : RM16.90 per pack of 6 patches
Application : To remove callus
Purchasing Details: Miracles Cosmetics Marketing, G-2-2, Menara Pan Global, Np. 8, Jln P. Ramlee, 50250 K. Lumpur. Tel: 03-2026 4600

Do you have one of those days that you indulge yourself in finger licking good dishes with bowl-loads of sauces? Then when you walk to the tap to find out that there is no water running to wash your hands?

It doesn't have to happen everyday but day in and day out, I can actually feel grime and dirt accumulate on my hands and it gives this really uncomfortable feeling.

Being a sucker for anything that's easy to carry around, this is a must for any tissue pack carrying obsessed female. Simply squeeze and rub. If your hands are super dirty, you may see and feel little balls of dirt on the hands. It's a fast drying and fast acting cleanser gel and I enjoy using it especially when I have to use my fingers to touch up on facial makeup. And we don't want any dirt on our face, yes siree.

Using any hand held materials for public use during entertainment? (e.g. cue sticks, bike handles, gloves for archery or rock climbing) The stench of sweat from other people's palm end up on yours you say? Then this is the baby for you.

For the lazy folks like me, It saves me that trip to the toilet when my stilettos are killing me just to wash my hands, or I'll use it when there is just NO SOAP. What's more it's even more affordable than some small bottles of liquid hand soaps!

Product : Waterless Hand Cleanser by Guardian Pharmacy
Price : RM3.99
Application : Use as and when needed.
Shelf Life : 1 1/2 years
One bottle : Depending on how much you use, this bottle lasts me for about 3 months.
Tips: Don;t go buying it from other pharmacies except Guardian (of course!) Great to keep in the car to clean those 'frequently handled' areas