Tip of the Day

I read on Missus Smarty Pants (She blogs about style, dressing well and looking your best no matter what your age) today that a good way to ensure that your nail polish is always easy to open is to smear a little Vaseline around the lip of the bottle before you start using it. This keeps the cap lubricated and it is easy to open everytime!

Do you do this already?

Garnier Pure Active Exfo-Brusher Review

I was in Singapore recently and I picked this little thingamajig up when I saw it at Guardian Pharmacy. It's called Pure Active Exfo-Brusher from Garnier and what caught my attention was the brush like attachment at the top ~ although I must say the tester at the pharmacy was a little grimy looking....ewww! That did not put me off though so I purchased one to try. Apart from the brush, the other thing that caught my attention was the claim that the product would eventually fade acne scars. I do have a spot or two which I am in the process of trying to rub into oblivion and I thought that this could give it the much needed boost it needs.

It is a big bottle and you get 150ml's of product. I have been using this on and off for two weeks and I am quite pleased with what I am experiencing so far.

To begin with, I do have oily skin and this leads to the occassional breakout or two. As a result, I do have a few marks on my face, which is why I was interested to see if there was any truth to the claim that this will help diminish acne scars as well as lessen the sebum production a little too.

The active ingredient in this product is 2% Salicylic Acid. For those who would like to know, here is a little information on Salicylic Acid taken from E-How.com:-

• Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid derived from the bark of a willow tree. It has both cosmetic and medicinal uses. It is often found in skin care products because of its ability to treat acne, psoriasis, warts and other skin conditions.
• Salicylic acid has many cosmetic benefits and is usually used to treat blemishes. When applied to the skin, salicylic acid works by causing the cells of the epidermis to shed properly. This prevents the pores of the skin from getting clogged up and being infected with bacteria. It's basically a chemical agent that aids in the process of exfoliation by eliminating surface skin cells and opening up pores.

The Good:

The Exfo-Brusher head has180 ultra soft flexi-bristles which together with the liquid cleanser that it dispenses works to clean the face and exfoliate at the same time. I thought this was really unique that an exfoliator did not come with harder bristles to really rub the life out of your skin....so this was a pleasant surprise indeed.

What I did like about the product is the smell of the cleanser - it is fresh, pleasant and clean smelling and not at all cloying which is a big put off for me. The soft bristles was also another bonus and this meant that I would have to deal with a red face or be afraid of how much pressure I assert on it as I am scrubbing my face. I did like the lovely soft scrubbing sensation on my face as I used it. It cleans my quite oily face without leaving it taut and dry. My skin feels truly clean after washing with this.



To ensure maximum benefits, you need to turn the bottle upside down and press until some of the liquid comes out of the little hole in the middle of the brush (as you can see from the photo below). The cleanser is not gel like but rather very runny so you need to be sure that you do not over squeeze like I did the first time. This results in a lot of the product dribbling down the sides. Thoroughly wet your face and begin brushing this in a circular motion all over your face. For obvious reasons and you will see as you look at how the brush head is designed, this is not meant for more delicate areas such as the area under your eyes. I stay away from that area and concentrate more on five areas :- my cheeks; my forehead; my chin; my nose as well as my neck. A little bit of the product can go a long way as I use one generous squeeze for all these areas.

The cleanser is not overly foamy too which suits me fine.

I find that this product is more effective on a face that is devoid of makeup - so I do not use this when I get back from work to remove make-up. I remove my make up with moist towels which come pre-soaked in cleansing oil and then I wash with a cleanser. I keep this exfo-brusher for when I wash my face just before I go to bed. I like the slight tingly feel of a well cleansed face and you do get a tingly clean feel because the scrubbing action gets your circulation going and prepares the face well for night lotions and potions!

 

What Can Be Improved:

I think the overall design can be improved a little. For starters, the brush head is a little too big. If it were smaller, I would be better able to handle it and target specific areas. I found the areas on the bridge of my nose and around the nose area generally hard to handle because of the big brush head.

Also, the bottle becomes harder to manage when your hands are wet and soapy. I suggest rubber grips on the side to give more control over it's use.

If the cleanser was a little thicker, this can prevent too much product from dripping out as you turn it over to dispense the liquid.

I cannot comment on whether it has lightened my acne marks, because I have not used it long enough. I am not keeping my hopes up high but if there are any noticeable changes in a month or so,then I will report back.

Va J-J Visor! Protection For Your Privates - Strange but True

Whilst trolling some websites, I came across this curiosity! Yes, you read it correctly, it’s a Va-J-J Visor! How interesting! And, I must add, quite useful if you um, need coverage of a more personal kind.

This product was developed by a gynecologist in Washington, but there is no mention on whether the creator was a woman or man though! Men have a similar product for themselves, called the ‘cup’ to protect their bits and pieces and now women have THIS.

The VJJV (as it shall now be known) is a disposable shield that protects a woman’s privates, namely the inner labia, clitoris and vaginal opening. It is soft and flexible and stays in place using your body’s natural muscular tension. No strings attached baby!

Uses of the VJJV includes during hair removal – however you like it done girls, whether it be depilatory creams, hot wax, razors, and scissors, as well as during laser and electrolysis treatments – you can use this to keep the tender bits covered and for a little modesty as well.

Importantly, this can be used while you are trying out swimsuits so it’s more hygienic, though personally I have never stripped down completely when trying on swimsuits.

If you are into tanning – which I dare say is not that big in Malaysia yet – then you can use this to protect your parts from a big blast of UV rays. Also, if you suddenly feel the need to tattoo or pierce your private area then this will be great to ensure that the instruments involved don’t venture too near the danger zone!

Check out the colors! Really cute!

Quite useful don’t you think?

Bloodshot Eyes - But I Am No Drinker!

This is a plea to all my readers for natural remedies on how to restore my eyes to it's white glory. For the longest time I have battled the whites of my eyes looking all reddish and bloodshot. I am sick of people asking me:-

1. if I just cried;
2. why my eyes are red (if I knew, would I not do something about it?);
3. why I look tired;
4. if something is wrong with my eyes;

I have had quite bad sinuses which get infected easily and am allergic to excessive dust and am affected badly by the air conditioning. Can that get any worse friends? My GP mentioned that my congested sinuses are the cause of the red eyes but she said nothing much can be done about it unless the sinuses clear up....which, seeing that this runs in my family looks like a no go for me!

So here is my plea, if you have any natural remedies which you can share with me on how to overcome this and restore my peepers to its pearly white lustre, I would be eternally grateful! Is there a herb that I should boil and drink the juice of? Are there specific dietary changes I need to make? Help!

Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer

A friend from Kentucky was kind enough to pick up a few things for me when she came to KL for her annual family visit. One of the items she brought was Covergirl & Olay’s Simply Ageless Serum Primer. I was so very excited to try this to see if this primer was any good compared to Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and even Monistat Chafing Gel.

On the website, there are several claims which state:-

Hydrates and smoothes skin for an ageless canvas 

• Hydrates and smoothes skin for an ageless canvas
• Helps boost skin’s elasticity
• Creates a finish that looks instantly firmed

This product goes on above your moisturizer however, it says on the packaging tha you can forgo moisturizer and use this alone under make up. As with all products I use, I give it a minute or so to allow for it to be absorbed well. I instantly noted that this product did not feel like silicone but rather like cream on the face.

What I liked:-

Here is what it looks like.

I love the pump packaging which dispenses just enough product hygienically. It looks mousse like and has the consistency of moisturizer. I did not notice any fragrance which is great as I hate a medley of contradicting smells on me. It also did not feel like heavy silicone ‘sitting’ on my face.

As you can see above, the primer looks very white and I was afraid that it would leave a whitish cast on my face. After blending and patting it in, you can see a slight sheen but not a noticable white cast. 

What I did not like:-

Here is the sad truth….this is not for babes with oily or combination skin. I found the primer to be quite oily as early as two hours after application. This is totally the opposite of what I experience with my current primer which in fact works very well to manage, control and diffuse oiliness on the face. In fact, I really felt uncomfortable and I found that I needed to pat my face with a tissue throughout the day. This is totally not the case with my other primers. When my face became oily, I noted too that my make up did not stay fresh and I looked almost washed out. This was caused by two things:- Firstly, the greasiness 'melted' my make up causing the colors to fade and secondly, I kept constantly dabbing my face with a tissue and this also caused make up to come off onto the tissue.

Well readers, I did not give up on the product easily. I tried it again after some time and this time I chose to leave out my moisturizer thinking that this will contribute less to the oil slick I experienced the last time. Sadly the result was the same. My face did feel unusually greasy and I still needed to pat off the oil several times during the day. I tried applying a thin dusting of face powder at lunchtime but that just felt heavy and was not comfortable at all. Needless to say, my day at the office was not so pleasant.

The Verdict:-
Unless you have dry or mature skin this is a product that you can do without. I gave this to my mum and she has not experienced the extreme greasiness that I felt. Not a product that can challenge Smashbox Photo Finish Primer or even the cheaper Monistat Chafing Gel. I would not recommend this at all. It was worth a try just for this review though!