Say Yes To Carrots

During my last trip to Singapore, I came upon a counter in Watson’s in Ngee Ann city selling a very interesting brand - Yes to Carrots. I’d never heard of it before and there was a whole skincare and body range made with carrots! Yes, the orange vegetable!

I was actually looking for a day moisturiser and contemplated the Day Moisturiser from this brand because it felt light and absorbed well. Besides it is supposed to be paraben-free. (You can read my previous post on parabens)

Yes to Carrots combines vitamins and beta carotene from carrots and other orange based organic fruits and vegetables with dead sea water which is supposed to be rich in minerals. The formulation is light and they are created to be suitable for sensitive skins.
Continue Reading >> Say Yes To Carrots

Review: Skincare: Origins Organics Nourishing face lotion

I have never felt compelled to check out Origins skincare for some reason. But I received a sample of the new Origins Organics Nourishing face lotion and with great trepedition, decided to give it a try.

The Origins Organics Nourishing face lotion comes in a pump bottle which is hygienic. However, because its solid, you can’t tell how much you have left in the bottle. The texture is liquid and light and I found it spreads easily and absorbed quickly into my skin.

There is a strong herbal/medicinal smell. It doesn’t bug me, and in fact, I rather like it. However, there are people who don’t like it at all so make sure you take a healthy sniff at the counter to see if you do like it. The smell doesn’t linger for me though.

The Origins Organics line is supposed to be certified 95% organic. The Nourishing face lotion contains the following key ingredients as quoted from the website:-

Organic Cocoa Butter: Creates a superb protective barrier between skin and the environment.

Organic Coconut Oil: An effective moisturizer, it helps rehydrate dry skin.

Organic Glycerin: Glycerin is a soothing humectant which draws moisture from the air to the skin. It is most well known for its skin soothing, softening, smoothing and hydrating properties.

Organic Rosemary Extract: Known to help tone skin and reduce dryness.

Now, some people who are more familiar with ingredients have said that cocoa butter and coconut oil on your face is a sure recipe for disaster. These are supposed to be pore clogging and can cause pimples and worsen acne.

My sample lasted me nearly 2 weeks with day and night use. I personally had no problems with the Origins Organics Nourishing face lotion in the first couple of says. However, I also did not see my skin looking any better for having used this lotion exclusively. After a few days I noticed 2 painful spots appearing. I’m not sure if its 100% attributable to this lotion but this is the only new item in my skincare routine. Needless to say, I’m not continuing with my experiment!

So, my answer to whether I’d purchase this is No. It also has no SPF but that doesn’t trouble me because I use a separate sunscreen everyday anyway.

A 30ml bottle retails for US42.50 (RM136) I’m not sure how much they are actually retailing for here.

Pros: Hygienic packaging, light and absorbed quickly

Cons: No SPF, ingredients are potentially pore clogging, expensive

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Review: Skincare: Blue Silk Cream - no more dry skin!

I was given a generous sample of the Blue Silk creme by the people from Blue Silk to try. Now, I know about the benefits of silk for the skin so I thought Blue Silk cream contained this very moisturising ingredient. However, it doesn’t.

The list of ingredients - plants oils and butter based - include aloe vera, jojoba, liquorice, primrose oil, shea butter, vitamin E, squalene and rosehip oil amongst others.

But I think I know where the silk in the name is derived from - after using this, your skin feels as smooth as silk! This might look like a promotional spiel but I’m being honest. I dislike disrupting my normal skincare routine with untested products, but I tested this on a whim and I found that I loved it! Continue Reading >> Review: Skincare: Blue Silk Cream - no more dry skin!

Review: Skin Care: Kanebo Impress Emulsion moisturizer

The Kanebo Impress Emulsion 2 is going to be my holy grail of night moisturizers. This is the final step in the basic skincare regime of double moisturizing and follows the Kanebo Impress Lotion.

I test drove this moisturizer in 2 conditions. The first time was while I was on holiday. I was out in the sun during the day, and in a hotel at night. Both situations are very drying and my hands and feet suffered the effects. However, my face never looked better! Granted, I was test driving the whole Kanebo Impress skin care line at the time, but it was really wow! I was already pretty impressed at this stage.

The second time I tried it was after I had a bad breakout after using some cream that did not agree with my face. After bringing the breakout under control and returning to my Kanebo Blanchir skin care line, I came upon another sachet of the Kanebo Impress Emulsion 2 and thought to give it another go, but this time, I only used it at night. In 4 days, my skin was glowing and radiant and never looking better!

I knew I’d found my holy grail night moisturizer. I like the Kanebo Blanchir Milky Conditioner for the day because its light and non oily. For the night however, although the Blanchir Night Conditioner is nice and all, I found something lacking in it, possibly because I sleep in an air-conditioned room which can be drying. Kanebo Impress Emulsion 2 seems to be the answer.

The Emulsion comes in 2 types:

• Kanebo Impress Emulsion 1 - Fresh for Normal and Combination skin
• Kanebo Impress Emulsion 2- Moist and Smooth for Normal to Dry skin

The emulsion is white liquid with a viscous texture. I find that very little is needed because it spreads very easily and then you help it adhere with the Adhesive application method. As an example, a 2g sachet lasted me about 4 to 5 uses and that is saying a lot!

Prolonged use of the Impress Emulsion is supposed to help with coarse and dry skin and to refine the skin and help it retain moisture. From personal experience, I can say it does all this and more. My skin is radiant (even my facialist commented on it) and my pores are much less noticable.

Even when I do my makeup, I find I only need some concealer and light powder foundation and I have as close to flawless skin as I can get. It is pretty amazing for me because its been years since I’ve had anything resembling flawless skin.

I also tested the Impress Emulsion 1 which has a lighter texture. However, I did not find it moisturising enough for me and I prefer the suppleness of the skin after using Emulsion 2.

So, whats the price of radiant close-to-flawless skin? RM380 for a 100ml bottle. Ouch? Very. I’m going to wait till I’ve used up my Blanchir night conditioner before I switch over to this Impress Emulsion. It’ll give me time to set aside the money in the meantime and I’m consoling myself with the fact that it will last me a long while if used only at night because only so little is really needed.

Pros: Effect of radiant skin, reduced pore size, better skin texture
Cons: Expensive

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