Lancome’s Mobile Lash Lab Coming Your Way...

Ever wanted to squeeze in a mini-makeover during your lunchtime but work too far away from your nearest mall? (seriously, I used to have that problem…) Well, now you can have the chance to do just that with Lancome’s Mobile Lash Lab which will be making its way around Peninsula Malaysia for the next month. (thanks PB for the pic!)

The star product for the mobile lash lab is the Lancome Oscillation mascara – and yes, this is the ‘vibrating’ mascara everyone’s talking about. :)

We had a chance to see the full effect of the Oscillation mascara on a model – okay, so she already had HUGE eyes to begin with, but the difference is still quite astounding. I also had a chance to try it out myself earlier this year – you can check out my nice lush lashes here!

So, want to see what the ‘buzz’ is? (teeheehee!) Just drop by the mobile lash lab and have your lashes diagnosed using the unique lash ruler and see the difference once you’ve tried the Oscillation mascara. While you’re at it, why not indulge in a mini-makeover as well to complement your new skyscraper lashes?

And if the thrill of seeing yourself with long, lush lashes wasn’t enough, there’s more:

The first 50 customers to visit the Lancome Mobile Lash Lab for a lash diagnosis will receive a sample tube of Lancome’s signature Virtuose mascara as well as an eyebrow trimming voucher worth RM50. If you’re not within the first 50, don’t fret – there are still other Lancome goodies to be gotten worth up to RM70 per person.


So, to check if the Lancome Mobile Lash Lab road show is coming to your area, here is the list of locations:

Kuala Lumpur
- 29th April (Wed): Jalan Raja Chulan (near Hotel Istana)
- 30th April (Thurs): Jalan Putra (near The Mall Shopping Center)
- 4th May (Mon): SS15 (near Asia Cafe)
- 5th May (Tues): Jalan Raja Chulan (near Bangunan AmBank)
- 6th May (Wed): Damansara Uptown (near Uptown 5)
- 11th May (Mon): Jalan Sultan Ismail (near Menara KH)
- 12th May (Tues): Jalan Raja Laut (near Bangunan KWSP)
- 13th May (Wed): Puchong Jaya (near HSBC)
- 14th May (Thurs): Bukit Tinggi commercial area, Klang
- 15th May (Fri): Aman Suria
- 16th May (Sat): Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (near Sogo Shopping Center)
- 17th May (Sun): Alamanda Putrajaya Shopping Center, Putrajaya
Johor Bahru
- 1st May (Fri): Jusco Tebrau City (Entrance 2)
- 2nd May (Sat): Plaza Pelangi
Malacca
- 3rd May (Sun): Mahkota Parade
Penang
- 7th May (Thurs): Jalan Northam
- 8th May (Fri): Gurney Plaza
- 9th May (Sat): Queensbay Mall
Ipoh
- 10th May (Sun): Kinta City

Opening Hours:
Weekdays (Mon - Fri): 11am to 3pm
Weekends (Sat & Sun & Shopping Malls): 11am to 6pm


Do share your Oscillation mascara experience – Connie has a great giveaway happening on her site for those that visit the Lancome mobile lash lab…check it out over at her site!

The Body Shop Wild Cherry Collection…

Sorry for the long absence peeps…it’s been a long week in more ways than one…

LOL…don’t worry, it’s merely a thermometer (I’d have some serious explaining to do if otherwise!) but yeah, I’ve been laid up trying to ward off…I dunno what. The doc says it’s viral, but not contagious, and the fever definitely didn’t help. I probably gave a few of the girls a scare on Sunday too when I got hit by a real doozer of a vertigo attack and went completely pale.

Anyway, enough about that…I was passing by Body Shop on my way back, and came across their new Wild Cherry Bath & Body range.

Somehow, anything other than the actual cherry fruit that I’ve ever come in contact with has always reminded me of cough medicine (who was the smart aleck who decided on that flavor I wonder) and that’s not exactly a nice reminder, so I’m always wary of any cherry-flavoured or cherry-scented stuff.

However, I’m happy to report that after sniffing and trying the products, there’s no “cough syrup” smell…with the exception of the lip butter. The rest of the range smells pretty subtle and mild, so I have no objections to it. I’ll be steering clear of the lip butter though.

Prices for the Body Shop Wild Cherry Bath & Body range are as below:

• Wild Cherry Shower Gel (250ml) – RM24.90
• Wild Cherry Soap – RM8.90
• Wild Cherry Body Scrub – RM59.90
• Wild Cherry Body Butter – RM59.90
• Wild Cherry Body Puree – RM42.00
• Wild Cherry Lip Butter – RM26.00

Of course, if you’re game for trying more than one product at the time, why not try one of the sets instead?

Wild Cherry Body Bliss – consists of Shower Gel (250ml), Body Butter (50ml), Body Scrub (50ml), Soap (100ml) and a two tone bath lily.
Wild Cherry Spring Quartet – consists of Shower Gel (60ml), Body Butter (50ml), Body Scrub (50ml) and a bath lily.


Have any of you tried or checked out the new Wild Cherry range yet, and what did you think of it?

Sales and more sales…

It’s Thursday!! Yay…only one more day to go before the work week is up!

For those of you that want to try falsies or if you’re already a pro, now is as good a time to stock up at inuovi’s Beauty Bazaar Sale.

* only applicable at their Sunway Pyramid standalone store

I’d say the Top 5 must-try things from there would be…

1. False eyelashes! (you can read about my inuovi falsies experience)
2. Full-size brushes (Connie’s loving the foundation brush)
3. Skin Spa base (which I’m in lurrvve with at the moment, will post about soon!)
4. Splash Away makeup cleansing oil (totally impressed me when I tried it, Prettybeautiful has done a great review)
5. Gelbase liquid foundation (if you’re looking for something sheer, Paris has given the lowdown on it)


Oh, and since I’m on the topic of sales and promos, here are a couple more that you might be interested in happening over this weekend:

DKSH Stock Clearance


L’Oreal’s Annual Great Deals sale

You can click on the respective images for larger versions. Oh, and at the risk of divulging my age to all of you, my year is up for New Zealand Natural!! Hehehe…bring on the ice cream!!

Life is a Series of Ups and Downs…Literally...

While looking through some old pictures, I realised that it’s taken a really long time for me to be comfortable in my own skin. And talking to friends, it seems to be a similar problem all around…but manifests itself in different ways for ladies and men. For the ladies, it’s usually the obsession about weight and beauty that always results in a balancing act. If we’re lucky, it takes a few years…if we’re not so lucky, it can take the better part of a lifetime.

For me, I’d say it’s taken the better part of 15 years. I’d never been one of those skinny children – at least according to my family. I was always the ‘chubby’ one amongst the cousins (still am till now!), which ironically, led to me gaining quite a substantial bit of weight in my early teens. This was further aggravated by a hit-and-run accident – I tell you, there’s nothing quite as damaging as being bedridden and stuffed like a turkey with well-wishers bringing their respective concoctions to bring on speedy recovery. Don’t get me wrong, it was very much appreciated, but the side effects were something else!

This was taken when I was about 15, travelling around UK and Paris (the first time I’d ever been to Disneyland, and we went to the one in Paris no less!) Beauty-wise, this was a bad time – imagine this: I was wearing a bright red bomber jacket, with absolutely bright red lipstick. It’s worn off somewhat in the picture above, but let’s just say you wouldn’t want to see the other photos! (by some weird coincidence, I just found out that Paris and I had met briefly WAAY back then…but neither of us have much recollection of that occurrence!)

After that, things just went from bad to worse – every diet or tip I tried saw me losing maybe 10 pounds or so, but then gaining it back…and then some. This must have been the heaviest I’ve ever been…and this was in 2004 while I was in Perth studying…I’d started experimenting more with makeup then, but as you can see I still needed plenty of help! LOL…

But there’s always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and once I’d managed to address all the issues that led to my comfort eating (and found other constructive ways of getting through them!), the weight slowly came off. A couple of friendly tips on makeup didn’t hurt either… :) This was taken during my Barcelona trip last year, and for better or worse, I’ve lost another 8 kilos since then… (yes, I’m in shock too!)

Of course, in the event my looks don’t hold out…there’s always Photoshop right? Anyone can look this good with industrial-strength makeup and some time on a computer…LOL

I just realised Plue has done something similar with her photos too…I wonder what inspired us…haha…oh I’m just going to go with ‘great minds think alike’.

Do any of you have similar stories? Come on and share – and celebrate how far we’ve come since then!! :)

Cherry Culture Customer Service – HEINOUS!

Just got a package I ordered from Cherryculture, and boy, am I PISSED! This is the culmination of an impossibly LONG series of screw-ups with the site and its customer service.

Oddly enough, the first two orders I placed with them were more or less fine – it was only the past two orders that have been totally irritating me. It all started with an order they mis-shipped to SWITZERLAND (of all places!). I was initially impressed by the fact they let me know in advance, and offered to send a replacement package…but said package never arrived, and I never heard from them after that.

After sending them repeated emails, they didn’t bother to reply my email, and instead just sent me a gift card notification for the value of my missing order. WTF? That’s considered “customer service”?? Better yet, since all the items I had ordered were making use of a 20% discount on the site, that would have meant added expense on my part, not to mention time to replace the order for something that THEY screwed up. I had emailed them to say I would have preferred a replacement order rather than a gift card, but they never responded. If that is their idea of customer service, they FAIL!!

Anyway, there was no way I was going to give them free money by wasting the value of the gift card (since they had already charged it to my credit card!), so when a similar promotion came up, I had to reorder everything. And they didn’t have a lot of the stuff I wanted either!

This is the second time they have gotten the address wrong! I clearly specified that the package was to be sent to a FRIEND and gave that address…and they STILL addressed it to ME (as a gift!) but to my friend’s address…wtf?? And what the hell is returned goods??

One of the items that I ordered was apparently out of stock, but rather than inform me or refund my money, they probably saw it fit to REPLACE it with another item – just because it was the same shade?!? Hello? People buy these items for a REASON! Just because it is the same shade on the inside doesn’t mean you are allowed to do that! I can understand the replacement if it was a free gift, but for something that I have PAID FOR, this is unacceptable!

The total number of items I bought – and if I thought the problems ended with the arrival of the package, I was mistaken…there were even MORE problems!

Odd that ONE item would arrive in such a bad shape – usually I have had items arrive cracked, but never in this condition…

It was completely shattered…how could this have happened when nothing else in the package was in this condition?

Better yet, this item totally pissed me off – even shrink-wrapped, the pan was already out of place! Is there no quality control at this place before items are shipped off?? And before you tell me that it could have happened during shipping, let me show you the other part…

Is it common practice to send almost expired stuff? I would have been fine if they had given clear warning on the site during ordering, but no…you send stuff that’s merely TWO MONTHS away from expiry?? What, you thought it was perfectly fine to foist off old stuff on customers?


I’m so going to write a scathing letter to the people running this company – I know it’s cheap and all, but this abysmal level of service and product quality is way too bad. Seriously, if this had been an order in the US, I can guarantee you consumer rights people would have been up in arms already!

Stila: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly…

There have been a whole slew of blog posts flying about on the Stila sales, some good, some bad. I’ve heard stories of people queuing up for hours to grab stuff, others who’ve hawked literally entire store supplies with the intent of re-selling them off (with ‘service charge’ to boot!) as well as complaints about the counter staff and how pre-order lists were just chucked to one side when new stocks arrived.

I can attest to a few of the areas I mentioned above, having made several trips to a couple of Stila counters over the past week or so. And before any of you start asking, no, I’m not buying them to sell – the items I bought are either for myself, or to be given away.

Despite the bad experiences I heard about how people’s ‘reserved’ stocks were sold off to the buyers, the SA I left my list with DID keep some stuff for me. Granted, it wasn’t everything on my list, but I’m fine with that since it saved me the hassle of having to fight with others to get my stuff. Half of the items were my friend’s, and these four were mine.

Stila Hydrating Finishing Powder (RM60), Contouring Trio (RM40), 2 Lip Glazes in Brown Sugar (RM45 each)

But before I go any further, let me just say that I’ve experienced BOTH ends of the service spectrum. I had a HORRIBLE experience at the Isetan Gardens Stila counter, where the girl was completely CLUELESS. I had gone there with Paris when we first heard of the sale, and picked up a powder for a friend. What ensued was a total MESS – first, the girl tried to sell me refills (RM40) and a case (RM20) separately, when my friend had bought it at the KLCC outlet for RM40 (full compact).

Better yet, when I went back there to complain and exchange the item, she told me that I had two options – to buy the empty case (and waste RM20? I don’t think so) or “just put the refill into any old compact case lor” (wtf? that's not the point!) Totally not bothered to help, until I insisted that I wanted to change it. Finally after speaking nicely to her for about 10 minutes and not getting anywhere, I told her point blank that I wanted to change it, and please speak to the Isetan cashier about how to make the exchange.

She came back telling me another incredulous thing – I could only change it for ONE item that cost MORE than the original item (RM40). As far as I knew, as long as the cost of the replacement met or exceeded the value of the returned item, it didn’t matter how many items I bought. She insisted that this wasn’t the case, and tried to sell me all the items over RM40 (ie. lipglazes in horrible colours, palettes…while the entire time muttering under her breath why couldn’t I just BUY the damn empty case and be done with it. This woman think money free ah?)

In the end after I questioned her AGAIN about the exchange policy, she replied with an exasperated “if you don’t believe me, go ask the cashier yourself”, to which I hauled her along to the cashier counter. Following conversation with the cashier ensued:

Cashier: “Ya, apa hal?” (What’s the matter?)
Me: “Nak check, untuk exchange barang ni, boleh tukar dengan lebih satu barang asalkan jumlah harga lebih daripada harga barang untuk ditukar?” (Want to check, to exchange this item, I can change with more than one item as long as the total value is more than the item exchanged?)
Cashier: “Ya betul” (Yes that’s right)

Guess who ended up looking sheepish? I didn’t bother talking to the SA after that, and just picked out two items to replace the value of the refill foundation. To be fair, she apologised after that, but with a sour look on her face the entire time. What’s more, she was giving me dirty looks behind my back, rolling her eyes and whispering to the other SA. Needless to say, that was the only two trips I made to the Gardens outlet, and I’ve gone to the 1Utama outlet ever since.


For those of you still trawling the Stila counters for stuff, here are some tips which may be helpful:

1. Check the product expiration date BEFORE you pay – this saves a lot of trouble of having to go back to the counter and exchange, especially if they may not have stocks left by the time you go back.
2. Check the product itself BEFORE leaving the counter – the casing may look fine, but what about the inside? There have been cases of palettes coming with cracked pans, so check to see the item is in good condition before you buy it.
3. Be considerate – there are a lot of people wanting to buy stuff, so wait your turn instead of trying to ‘jump queue’. Want first pick at the stock? Go early.
4. Remember, the SAs are only human – this is one area a lot of people forget. The staff are not being paid extra to deal with the hordes of people, and if you think about it, their jobs may not be secure either. So try to be nice instead of throwing a hissy fit over why the eyeshadow colour you want isn’t in stock, why they didn’t call you when new stock came in, or why they didn't manage to get you EVERYTHING on your reserved list - certain things are beyond their control. Of course, if it really is a valid case such as saying no to exchanges on expired stock or wrong prices, then by all means make your point (but counting from 1-10 before saying anything will help!)
5. Do your research – it’s crowded there, and the SAs will most likely not have the time to stand there and answer your questions about “What does this powder do ah?” There are plenty of price lists floating around online too.


And if it helps, I know the Stila counter at Parkson 1 Utama said that there will be stock of palettes coming in today or tomorrow. Good luck, and have a good weekend ahead!

Stila & MAC mini-hauls…

Why is it mini? Because I didn’t overdo it this time…I think… :D Anyway, let’s start with the Stila stuff first…

I’ve dropped by various Stila counters over the past week or so, and found that I had mixed experiences – some were really good (like the IU Parkson outlet) or really REALLY bad (shame on the Isetan Gardens outlet!). But that aside, I did manage to grab a few items that were a steal at the going rates.

Two Stila single e/s with a blush – I loved Mist in particular because it shows up as an iridescent white-pink, and looks absolutely scrummy with a black eyeliner I have…

These would have to be my absolute favourites – Stila e/s duos…I think it’s not hard to see why right? The pans are as soft as I remember them, and they’re really easy to blend. It’s a bummer the tops aren’t see-through, which makes it hard to know which is which, but I managed to find a way around that too…

Since the labels are a similar silver colour and fit quite nicely on the base of the case, I peeled them off the plastic cases and stuck them on the bottoms! Problem solved for now…but what do I do when I forget what each name looks like? LOL…


Next up, the tiny MAC haul…this lot is thanks to Connie, who gave me the tip-off…I’m wondering whether or not I should actually thank her now, since she made me spend more $$!! What’s more, I added to my already substantial lipgloss collection…eeps!!

MAC Little Darlings – this contains 5 coral lipglasses / lustreglasses in a cylinder…so pretty!!

Not content with that, I also picked up two other full-sized lipglasses as well…hey, after the discount, they were cheaper than even Silkygirl lipglosses! :D

MAC Lipglass in Soft & Slow (muted rose shade) and Pink Grapefruit (orangey-pink). Now, I won’t be keeping ALL of them for myself…some will be going to new homes (you may or may not know who you are! LOL…) but they’re just so pretty all the same, no?

I found this a bit peculiar when checking the tube cases – there are slightly differing prices on the tubes (one was from Pavilion, the other from Midvalley). Not sure why but ah well, the end price was the same at any rate! :)


Did any of you guys get any good hauls at the recent Stila sales / otherwise? Share share! :)

Happy Easter (Monday) all!

Hi hi…hope you all had a lovely Easter over the weekend (mine was spent getting stressed out conducting my church’s Easter cantata, and there’s still one more to go this Sat!), but hey, at least my Saturday was fabulous. Why? Because I went for this…

To be honest, I hadn’t thought that much of David Archuleta since the American Idol results – I liked his songs though, and when a client offered us tickets to go watch his first ever live performance in KL, I figured why not?

By the end of the showcase (he only did 5 songs, boo!) me and my colleague were screaming right alongside the other 6,000-odd fans at the Sunway Lagoon Ampitheatre. Amazing to think he’s only eighteen, but his stage presence and performance are incredible – I totally SWOONED when he started playing Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” on the keyboard (and yes, I have a thing for guys who can pay musical instruments or sing well…and he fits both categories!)

In the words of my colleague (we were both in the same boat when we went for the showcase – just “okay, it’s David Archuleta”) after the showcase: “Damn, I’m feeling positively paedophilic right now!” (but only because David's so young!)

Sounds so wrong, but you get my drift! :D Hope you all had lovely weekends too!

Kiehl’s Dermatologist Solutions™ Ultimate White Surface Brightening Exfoliator…

Who would’ve thought Earth Hour would’ve seen the discovery of a new love? It all started when Kiehl’s came up with a “Shop in the Dark” hour at their 1Utama outlet. While browsing through their range of products, one product stood out in particular – Kiehl’s Dermatologist Solutions™ Ultimate White Surface Brightening Exfoliator (whew! That was a real mouthful!)

Description:
Our high-performance, foaming exfoliator is formulated with micronized shells to dramatically improve surface texture by removing irregularities from skin and promoting a smoother and brighter skin surface. Combined with potent whitening actives of Plum Fruit and Botanical Extracts, as well as Ascorbyl Glucoside, this effective scrub helps remove dead and damaged surface skin cells and draws away surface melanin, helping to minimize dullness and boost cell turnover to promote and even and bright complexion.

With daily, continuous use, complexion is notably brighter with a more even and luminous tone. Dermatologist-tested for safety and gentleness. Tested and developed to meet the particular needs of Asian skin.

The Verdict:
I really have Paris to blame (oops…I meant thank…hehe…) for this. She told me I simply had to try this, and after her claim that it would give me skin “as smooth as a baby’s bottom”, I was seriously tempted. The thing I like about Kiehl’s is that they’re more than willing to give you samples to try before buying. That way, you can tell whether the product works for you or not…and to be honest, that dramatically pushes up the chance of me buying the full size product, especially if it works well.

Kiehl’s Surface Brightening Exfoliator comes in a sturdy plastic tube. I don’t like too much packaging with my products (unless they’re absolutely too gorgeous to resist, but you get the idea) and the great thing is that most, if not all of Kiehl’s products are set out in rows of neatly stacked products – you’ll hardly see boxes in the stores, and even their bags are made from recycled paper. But I’m getting distracted here…

The contents of the tube come out as a white grainy substance (that would be the micronized shells) in a clear suspension. It has a rather pleasant smell, although I can’t quite place the scent other than a faint hint of citrus. This is great for me in the morning as a whiff of citrus just makes the day start a little better, don’t you think? :)

The directions are quite straightforward – apply a small amount to clean fingertips and gently massage into facial areas in upward, circular motions, avoiding the immediate eye area (for obvious reasons!). I’ve found that I like to apply it to my skin ‘neat’ (without added water) and exfoliate for a while before gradually adding water.

Once water is added, the suspension emulsifies, forming a pasty substance. It comes off easily enough when rinsed with warm water or with a damp washcloth. But oh, the results! I love the way my skin feels afterwards – and when added with inuovi’s Skinspa (that’s coming up in another post), it leaves me with a porcelain-smooth canvas for makeup application. Heck, with the sheen on my skin, I can get away with just a light layer of powder and a touch of blush. No need for layers of makeup when my skin looks this good!

However, the Surface Brightening Exfoliator can be rather abrasive. Don’t get me wrong, it performs superbly, but daily use is definitely too much for normal skin. If I had used this every day, I think my skin would become parchment-thin. I would say I’d use this maybe twice a week, three times at most for maximum effect. But otherwise, this totally gets stars in my book.

At the price of RM105 per tube, it’s pretty affordable since I only use a dollop the size of a 20sen coin each time. Dammit…every time I think I’m not going to diverge off my usual skincare, something comes along to throw me WAY off. Most of the time it’s touch and go, but this one was a real gem. (Paris, you happy now? LOL…you’ve totally converted me!) Just check out the before and after shots – using the back of my hand as the guinea pig.

Before…decent skin, but it could be much better, right?


After…’nuff said. Me likey!

I’m including the ingredient list below for those of you that have skin sensitivities to take into consideration. Oddly enough, I can’t find a specific page for this product online. Can someone help me out?

Ingredients: Aqua/ Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, PEG-8, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Plyethylene, Palmitic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Lauric acid, Coco-Glucoside, Parfum/ Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Polyquaternium-7, Limonene, Tetrasodium EDTA, Linalool, Ascorbyl Glucoside, CI 77163/Bismuth Oxychloride, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Titanium Dioxide, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Aluminium Tristearate, Alumina, Prunus Yedoensis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Prunus Domestica Fmla


Kiehl’s Dermatologist Solutions™ Ultimate White Surface Brightening Exfoliator is available at all Kiehl’s outlets nationwide, and retails at RM105 for a 150ml tube.


Rating: 4.5 / 5
Value: $$

Cats Whiskers – Final Markdowns…

It’s a sign of the times, I tell you…first the overwhelming number of warehouse sales flying about, then Stila decides to have 50-70% sales off all their products (I’ve got a LOT to say about that mind you, but I’ll save that for later), and now this pops into my email…

Anyone up for it? I reckon 70% is pretty attractive, considering their items are usually quite affordable.


Cats Whiskers outlets:-
Sri Hartamas: 34-1, 1stFloor, Jln 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2300 1264)
Damansara Perdana: 22-2, 1st Floor, Jln PJU 8/5G, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya (Tel: 03-7728 5662)
Bangsar: 7-1, 1st Floor, Jln Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2282 7317)
Subang Jaya: 32A, 1st Floor, Jln SS15/4D, Subang Jaya (Tel: 03-5638 3520)
Damansara Utama: 52M, 1st Floor, Jln SS21/58, Damansara Utama (Tel: 03-7710 5217)

Coming Up: Maybelline Lash Stiletto…

Don’t you just love it when you get packages in the mail? I know I do!

Sometime back, I was contacted by this person called Kristen, who was doing promotions for Maybelline’s latest mascara, Lash Stiletto. I had previously seen the Muse’s review on it and Kristen had kindly offered to send me a sample…until she realised I was based in Malaysia (which wasn’t on the list of her approved countries).

I was a bit disappointed, but shrugged it off and thought nothing more of it…that is, until Kristen contacted me again about a month ago and said she had gotten approval to send me a sample (thanks Kristen!)

As you can see on top, the package arrived rather mangled (thanks to the wonderful postal service), but the contents were fine – they had better be, considering she wrapped it up really well with bubble wrap!

She even included a nice note – it’s always nice to know your site’s appreciated. :)

After much wrestling with the wrapping (she REALLY wrapped it up!) and finally resorting to scissors, ta-daaahh…

I’ve tried this out a couple of times already, and I must say it’s quite impressive. Also checking with the local Maybelline people to see if this is actually coming in or not since the original point of contact came from the US, so stay tuned!

Something to stave off the Monday blues…

Yup, Monday’s here again…but for a select few, this week’s going to be just a tad sweeter (those born in 1979 to be exact!) thanks to New Zealand Natural ice cream:

The bummer for me? I don’t fall in that category (not even close enough to fake it!) so sadly, I’m excluded…c’mon NZN, gimme a year I can work with eh? LOL…

Hope you’re enjoying yourselves so far! I’m hoping my colleague (who IS born in 1979! Yay!) will be nice enough to “transfer” his treat to me…teeheehee…

~H2O+™ Face Oasis™ Hydrating Treatment...

In early Feb we had an event with ~H2O+™ at Pavilion (get a refresh of the event here), where I got a tub of ~H2O+™ Face Oasis™ Hydrating Treatment to test out. It’s been about two months since then, and I’ve been using this quite regularly, so I figured it was about time to do this product justice.

Description:
A moisture-intensive treatment gel that hydrates skin instantly, day or night. A penetrating liposome delivery system and Sea Mineral Complex™ help attract, transport and distribute moisture equivalent to eight glasses of water, hydrating skin while at the same time firming and diminishing the appearance of fine lines. Marine extracts of wakame, sea lettuce, and sea fennel, provide vitamins A, C, E and Provitamin B nourish and protect the skin.

• Sea Mineral Complex™ - Comprised of sea-derived sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Works as a moisture transportation system to maximize the delivery of sea botanicals, extracts and other key ingredients.
• Sea Fennel – Containing vitamins A, C and E, it has antioxidant, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Encouraging the reproduction of collagen and elastin, it also increases circulation and energizes the skin. Combined with sea fennel and sea lettuce it protects, smoothes and softens by delivering an intensive level of hydration to skin.
• Lavender – Plant used for its stimulating, invigorating and freshening benefits to the skin.
• Vitamin C – Ascorbic Acid. This material has antioxidant properties and is used to clarify and brighten skin.
• Wakame – Containing vitamins A, C and E, it has antioxidant properties and activates the forming of collagen and elastin. Combined with sea fennel and sea lettuce it protects, smoothes and softens by delivering an intensive level of hydration to skin.
• Vitamin A – Retinyl Palmitate. Used to help increase the skins elasticy.Softens and smooths the skin. Has antioxidant properties.
• Sea Lettuce – Containing vitamins A and C, it not only has antioxidant properties, but also energizes the skin and helps it reproduce collagen and elastin. Combined with sea fennel and sea lettuce, it protects, smoothes and softens by delivering an intensive level of hydration to skin.
• Provitamin B – A vitamin B complex that has moisturizing properties to help restore and maintain natural skin moisture. A cellular nutrient, it not only has anti-inflammatory properties but also soothes irritated skin and promotes skin hydration and the tightening of skin.

Directions:
As a moisturiser, apply to cleansed skin in AM/PM. As a mask, spread a thin layer over face and neck. Allow to absorb 5 minutes and massage in excess.

The Verdict:
Looks-wise, the ~H2O+™ Face Oasis™ Hydrating Treatment comes in a lovely glass jar that’s lightly frosted. Admittedly it’s rather heavy which makes it a less likely candidate for travelling. However, the first thing that I saw when I opened up the jar was that the product comes with a dam, or plastic stopper for hygienic purposes – I found this rather odd since after taking off the stopper, it doesn’t actually come with a scoop or anything to take out the gel with which sort of makes the stopper a bit defunct. Fortunately, I had a plastic spatula from a product I had finished up previously, so I used that instead.

Another thing that got me was how blue the gel was in the jar – I must say, since I hadn’t had any prior contact with ~H2O+ skincare products, so I wasn’t sure how my skin would react to this. There was also a rather strong marine scent, which reminds me of the sea (if it was produced as a fragrance, that is!). It didn’t bother me too much though.

Texture-wise, ~H2O+™ Face Oasis™ Hydrating Treatment is a thick water-based gel. When I placed a small dollop on my hand and tilted my hand, the dollop started sliding around almost immediately leaving a liquidy trail that was absorbed quite fast. This is pretty good since I don’t like face care products that have to be rubbed in – the only exception for me is sunscreen since that’s a necessity!

The great part about this product is that it provides almost instant relief if you have dry skin. I found that this was quite enough to keep my skin sufficiently moisturised while I slept, and woke up with plumped up skin – when ~H2O+ promises the equivalent of 8 glasses of water, they definitely deliver! It DOES take a while to be completely absorbed though, so if you’re in a hurry this product may not be ideal for you.

~H2O+™ Face Oasis™ Hydrating Treatment keeps my skin well-hydrated at night, but for day-time use this is a bit much for my oily skin to handle (for some odd reason, my makeup kept sliding off when I use this) so I’ll stick to my usual Clinique moisturiser in the mornings.

I love what it’s done for my skin so far – gone are the small dry spots I had along my jawline, and one jar lasts quite long. After two months of use once daily, there’s still a good one third left. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll be keeping this around for quite a while.


~H2O+™ Face Oasis™ Hydrating Treatment retails at RM159 for a 50ml jar and is available at all ~H2O+ outlets nationwide.


Rating: 4 / 5
Value: $$$