Essential Oil: Tea Tree Oil and its benefits

One of the essential oils I make sure I am never without is Tea Tree Oil. These days, this oil is very common but I remember a time when it was quite hard to get hold of this oil whether as an oil or in skincare products and I had to request friends in Australia to get them for me.

Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca Oil) is extracted from the Melaleuca tree which is found predominantly in Australia. This explains why many skincare brands that contains Tea Tree Oil are Australian based. Tea tree oil is known to have some medicinal properties when applied on the skin and it is also supposed to be anti-bacterial and a disinfectant.

This is possibly why Tea Tree Oil is well known as an acne buster. There’s More! Continue reading →

Review: Skincare: The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost

Not many skincare products from The Body Shop thrill me. I used to use their Vitamin E cream but it did not work out for me after a while. So, when I first read about how effective The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost was, I was quite sceptical. So sceptical in fact that I only checked it out in the store and put it back because I wasn’t sure the silicone feel would work for me.

A couple of years later, I came across this glowing review on the Vitamin C Skin Boost on Beetrice’s Reviews and something in me snapped. I had to try it!

What this Vitamin C Skin Boost does is to give a boost to the skin of your face. It promises to brighten the face, improve elasticity, neutralise free radicals and soften skin and restore suppleness and strengthens the skin’s natural defence system. All very lofty claims indeed. But what is it really? There’s More! Continue reading →

Review: Skincare: Kanebo Blanchir Whitening Smoothing Conditioner

I was told about the Kanebo Blanchir Whitening Smoothing Conditioner ( Medicated ) when I visited my regular Kanebo salon for my facial. Its not a new product but its new to me and is recommended for oily skin.

The Blanchir Smoothing Conditioner is actually a treatment. It absorbs oil and mattifies the skin and helps to smooth and skin and reduce pore sizes. Its recommended for night use only and is supposed to help the skin control oil production too. It is only to be applied where needed - usually on the forehead and nose or the T-zone.

Does it mattify? Yes it does. It also makes your skin feel super smooth where you apply it. However, I don’t quite know about the pore reduction and I stopped using it after a while.

However, I’ve since discovered a new use for this cream - pimple cream! Seriously, its one of the best pimple creams I’ve ever come across! One tiny dab of this cream on an inflamed pimple and the next day, its either gone or reduced and the redness is gone. I think its to do with how it dries up the skin around it. You don’t end up with flaky skin like what you get with regular pimple creams like clearasil or oxy - just normal smooth skin with no pimples. Awesome!

Used as a pimple cream, it would take forever to finish so price wise its pretty good. However, it’d be too expensive to buy it just to cure pimples.

Pros: Wonderful for curing pimples, mattifies and smoothens skin

Cons: Expensive

Rating:

Stay beautiful,

Review: Skin Care: Kanebo Blanchir Whitening Clear Conditioner Mask

I have been using the Kanebo Blanchir Whitening Clear Conditioner Mask - Sheet-Type ( Medicated ) off and on for a while now. Like most ready made masks these days, it comes in the form of a moistened sheet that fits over your face with the cut outs for your eyes, nose and mouth and is individually packed.

The mask is moistened with the Kanebo Blanchir Whitening Clear Conditioner ( Medicated ) liquid that is the same as what you get in the second step of the Blanchir skincare process, which is commonly called the toner, but in this line is called the first step of double moisturising.

The mask does have a bit of a smell but it isn’t terribly unpleasent to me. What I like about it is that it isn’t dripping when you remove it from the foil packet. Masks that are dripping are too messy, I find and put me off. Also, it isn’t sticky - another plus point in my book.

Once you place it on your face I find that it imparts a cooling feel to the skin. I like to place it in the fridge for a few minutes to further enhance that cooling feel and to help cool down the skin after a long day. It is supposed to help with evening out the skin colour and tone while keeping it moisturised.

I find that it does do what it says i.e. even out skin colour and moisturise. My skin looks less blotchy and red after using it, especially if I’ve been out in the sun during the day. I used this after a bout of travelling and I found that it helped my skin return to its more even tone even though I was out in the sun most of the time and my skin was turning red.

You are only recommended to leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Any longer and apparently, it starts to work in reverse, leeching moisture from your skin. I’m not sure how true it is, but I have noticed that if I leave it on for longer than the recommended time, my skin doesn’t feel as moisturised. However, if the mask is still moist then I use the remainder on my neck and arms. No point in wasting it!

A box of 6 retails for about RM180 and it is recommended to use it at least once a week. When my skin is looking bad I use it once a week and it calms it down and then I use it about once every two weeks thereafter. I found this one tons better than the SK-II mask and a lot cheaper! This mask is available at all Kanebo counters and also on StrawberryNET.com.

Pros: Moisturising, helps reduce redness of skin and improves skin colour

Cons: Rather pricey

Rating: