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're looking for a exfoiliator of a decent price, with an afterglow, look no further than searching the shelves for Za's Metavoltage cream.

Marketed under it's True White whitening range aimed to promote translucent, milky white skin by exfoilating excess keratin and melanin (dead skin)

Like all exfoiliating products, you can't use it too often. I found it rather tiring to keep moving my fingers in circular motions and to really rub the cream against your skin

This is a product of various mixed reviews. It is the job of a critic to be sincere about what I think. From my own personal take there was a noticeable improvement to my skin. With all the dead cells taken off, there is a slight snowy glow to it. However upon first use there was a tinge of redness from overrubbing. It's hard to actually draw a line between rubbing and over-rubbing until the product is used.

Some tell me that there is no glow but a softer feel to it. The only way is to try it out yourselves. Would I really recommend this product? Yes. As a choice of a smoother exfoilating product.

Product : ZA's Metavoltage cream
Price : About RM28.90 per tube
Application : For removal of horny cells (cells of the stratum corneum) and a bright glow to skin
Shelf Life : Not noted
One Tube: Used as an exfoilant: 2-3 times a week. Lasts for 3-5 months depending on frequency of use

I first of all would like to thank the first people who came up the with the ingenious idea of inventing facial wipes. You are life savers I don't have to bring a bottle of heavy liquid makeup remover all the time.

However, you have got to love this product! I have a pack at home, one in my car and one in my bag ALL THE TIME! Now you know why there are over 6,000 packs sold a day alone in the U.K.!

I've used a couple of brands along the way (including alcohol baby wipes) before landing this God Sent package. It's Alcohol free, oil free, pH balanced, neither colored nor perfumed! I mostly use this as a daily refresher to wipe all the sweat and grime off me face.

It's proclaimed use as a makeup remover is however debate-able. Some ladies are able to completely remove makeup with just one sheet. Others find it a little more difficult to get a complete cleanse from this. My personal take is that, it depends how much make up you slab on your pretty face, of course its difficult to take out all of that makeup with a single wipe. I would still strongly advise on still using a cleanser at the end of the day to completely remove the makeup.

It's proclaimed use as a makeup remover is however debate-able. It depends how much make up you slab on your face. However I would still strongly advise on still using a cleanser at the end of the day to completely remove the makeup.

What sets this apart from other brands available in the local market is it's fresh after feeling. Some brands leave a real sticky feeling after a good wipe but this doesn't. Simple has also been really generous with the surface area of each strong bound towel like sheet. You can practically stretch the entire sheet to cloak your face!

As of recent there has been a slight change in the packaging but personally, if there was something more that could be done to the re sealant, I'd gladly appreciate it!

Product : Simple Facial Cleansing Wipes, Available in most pharmacies
Price : Ranging from RM13.00 to RM16.00 depending of available discounts
Application : For basic makeup removal, refreshing and cleansing face on the go.
Shelf Life : Not available
One Pack: Of 25 sheets usually lasts me a fortnight
Tips: Cleanse even after use to completely remove makeup.

It's a darn well known fact that spices were regarded as a precious item of barter in the centuries of exploration due to it's flavour enhancing properties. But I also believe that spices have great body regulating and muscle relaxant qualities.

I have been using ginger infused products to calm my muscles after a long hard day's work, and after a shoppung trip with Minishorts, I stumbled upon a jar filled with Cinnammon Soap at a Harnn Natural Home Spa's branch in Bangsar One.

It's fresh ground cinnamon scent is good enough to give you a tantric sense of relaxation. Filled with itty bits of grains to exfoilate the skin it sends tiny sears of warm sensations inbetween my muscles and joints that makes me feel all relaxed and internally massaged after my bath.

Total relaxation and rejuvenation in a fresh bar.

Product : Cinnammon Soap by Harrn Natural Home Spa
Price : RM12.00
Application : Best used for achy muscles and joints
Shelf Life : 1 1/2 years
One bottle : With a loofah you can spare one soap to last you for a good month!
Tips: There are only two outlets for Harnn as of current that I know of, 1 Utama's new wing and Bangsar One.

Since April's been gushing about her eye-gel collection, I thought I'd talk a bit on what I use.

Actually, this is what my mom uses, I actually use eye gel too since I've got oily-combination skin. (Note, if you have oily skin like I do, avoid creams like the plague, like I do). I'll probably tell you what brand I'm on for the eyes another time.

Mayaltha's Better Eyes. Retailing for about RM89, I think (can't quite remember cause my mom bought this, but I'll update this section the moment I find out the real price). Now Better Eyes comes in a 35 ml pot, so it can last quite some time. Of course, there's the concern for hygiene, since you literally have to dip your finger tip into the pot just to get what you need out. But what my mother does is scoop out a small amount into a smaller sample pot, and gets her daily serum doses from there.

What I like about the serum: The scent! It's naughty to say this, but somehow the scent gives me the feeling that there's a lot of goodness within a pot. The ingredients section mentions Rose Hip Oil, Sodium PCA, Methyl Glucose, Vitamins K and A-Retinol, which are active ingredients which ensure your eyes get the nutrients they need. For my mom, whose been using brands ranging from Shiseido to L'oreal to Christian Dior, she personally attests that Mayaltha is a 'dream -come-true' not only because of the value for money, but also because it's the best eye-cream she's ever used.

'It's not as oily as Shiseido!' says my mom.

My mother is 57 this year, btw. I can't use the serum, because I noticed that after a week of using it, a tiny milia seed appeared at the corners. SO REMEMBER, this serum is not for those of you with oily skin.

Product : Mayaltha, Better Eyes
Price : About RM89, available at all The Natural Source stoes
Application : After daily morning and night cleansing, apply to eye areas.
Shelf Life : 1 1/2 years
One bottle : It's been only 6 months and my mom still has 3/4 left in her pot.

I fully advocate the early protection of skin around the eyes before those nasty lines start to appear!

I have been using this since I was 16 years old and this never fails to do me good! Mom had it over the dresser counter, and curious me decided to experiment with it before getting out of the house.

But don't let it's name fool you; Although specifically designed for the eyes, I slap and smoothen it around my whole face.

It's amazing as a skin refresher and cooler. This gel like texture is Non Oily and leaves a suprisingly smooth, moisturised yet matte finish on the skin. I love to put this as a base on my face before the makeup and foundation application, It makes removal so much easier by keeping my face almost makeup-contact-free.

What's more is that it's a very affordable tube to have

Product : St. Ives, Eye Stress Gel
Price : Approx. RM19.90
Application : Put on and let it COMPLETELY DRY before applying makeup. Also use as daily eye reviver and for night time eye stress reliever
Shelf Life : Approximately 12-18 months
One bottle : Lasts me for about 3 - 6 months depending on frequency of usage
Tips : Available at most retail pharmacies and retail stores. Do hang on until sales like the Great Guardian Sale or Watson's sales for at least 15% discount on the item.

Though there are still no signs to tell that I'm againg, I'm dreadfully terrified of the thought of one day looking into the mirror to find that I have interstate lines making their way round the edges.

This helps me prevent all that, or at least to a certain point delay the aging of my skin arond my eyes. Since I'm constantly exposed to a myraid of fluctuating environments, this moisturising eye reviver protects my skin with just the right amount of moisture. It's very light citrusy scent is guaranteed to wake up tired eyes.

I love it cause as a base around my eyes, it's makes it easier to remove make up too!

Gotta love it's small compact size (about the size of an average bottle of nail polish) makes it easy to carry around. One pump about the size of a teardrop is good enough to keep you going for half the day.

Product : Body Shop's Vitamin C range Eye Reviver
Price : RM65.00
Application : Best results, twice daily
Shelf Life : 6-12 months
One bottle : Lasts me for 3 - 6 months depending on frequency of usage
Tips : Purchasing above RM90 in a single receipt entitles you to a Love Your Body membership card. RM1 = 1 point. In a period of 6 months where an accumulated points total up to 350 points. Members can redeem RM35 worth of Body Shop products.

Since joining TNB I've had an awful pimple outbreak, on the forehead, and especially on my right cheek. I've tried so many things, even going all out to get that Cellnique Pro-Sebum thingy, and using Apple Cider Vinegar + Mineral Water as a daily toner. Nada, my pimples are stubborn dots. They keep resurfacing…

The other day I came across http://www.acne.org/ and found out about the Clear Skin Regimen. When you're desperate, you'll try anything (despite knowing it's not exactly safe to try everything)… but you know what?

OXY WORKS.

My right cheek is clearing up, thank God. It's been 3 weeks. Hopefully it'll get better and I can go on to attacking those dreaded milia seeds under the eyes.