Allure from Hand to Toe

Had a HOT weekend cruising!

The cruise was relaxing full of sea breeze and sunshine, but I’d got a whole lot to prepare the night before. First it’s the bikini, then the super water-resistant sunblock, the sunglasses, the flip flop…oh, don’t forget removing the embarrassing body hair. And I got my body a refreshing scrub.

In a cruise people probably took the first glance on your swimsuit. The second one could be on your arms and knees. For women who wear high-heels all the time, it could be embarrassing considering the rough heel skin. Surely you don’t want to expose dry, dull and rough skin. So I’d recommend giving yourself a body scrub beforehand. This time I had one with In Essence Exotic Sandalwood Body Scrub.



In Essence Exotic Sandalwood Body Scrub
A scrub from this well-known aromatherapy brand using 100% pure essential oils. (A must-try brand for aroma fans!) Hand and body scrub are its hero products and so I picked the body one to try this time. I have quite an expectation on the scrub. (At least it will have a natural relaxing scent, won’t it?)

What I thought first opening the jar:
- A HUGE jar so that you can apply as much as you want
- A subtle scent mixed with sandalwood and citrus
- An even and reasonable distribution of scrubbing particles
- Particles in medium size

[ With evenly distributed walnut grains ]

What I thought in the shower:
- Easy to spread
- The walnut grains have quite strong scrubbing power, so please gently scrub.

Conclusion:
- Leaves a thin film of plant oil, quite moisturizing
- Smoothes your skin instantly. Do gently scrub. I was too careless and scrubbed too hard in the beginning. The result: my skin got reddish!
- The grains are quite large so it makes a better scrub for extra rough body parts. My heels got smooth and regained natural glow with this.

Just tired…. EYE MASK, please!

As Editor, I have to sit in front of the computer all day. So my eyes get tired easily. For the health of my eyes, I don’t wear contact lens often. Yet they are still necessary for after work gatherings with friends. A few days ago, my eyes got so exhausted that they got red just after a few hours of wearing contact lens! Dry lines around eyes are another trouble. Well well, I guess eye mask is all I need!

Some say that women should start preventing fine lines after 25. For me, I try to play safe and have already started using eye mask even since 23. And recently I have got this good eye mask find.


Methode Swiss Eye Contour Bio Lift Mask
I love wash-off eye mask more than the jelly or sheet type of eye mask. It is more money-saving to apply them twice or thrice a week. You needn’t worry that the mask will fall off. And you may even apply wash-off eye mask in a bath of 10-15 mins. How money and time-saving it is!


Kelly’s main eye concerns:
- dry lines
- a bit puffiness
- darkened skin tone

Feeling after using Eye Contour Bio Lift Mask:
- Great scent! Soothing and full of floral tenderness.
- Rich and moisturizing. Will not absorb too fast. Still smooth and hydrating after 10 mins.
- Eye area got immediately lightened and smoothed.
- Eyes looked less puffy. Not sure if long-term effect is more obvious.

[Still rich and hydrating after 10 mins :>]

For sensitive eyes: Darphin Soothing Mask Eye Contour
Some of my friends have skin so sensitive that they are allergic to many face cream. In their case, they really need to be SUPER careful selecting a suitable eye mask. Otherwise it would get devastating with irritated and itchy eyes! So I’d recommend eye masks which are extra gentle, e.g. the one from Darphin. It does not contain fragrance and the texture is thicker than the Methode Swiss one I mentioned. It is kind of ointment. Don’t hesitate to apply a thick layer. It’s going to absorb super fast and easily.

Slim tricks revealed. Eat more of these.

Now comes the season of bikinis, mini skirts and shorts! We start to get busy with slimming, not mentioning the always-at-top-priority whitening issue. Just look at the slimming products coming to the top of our sales.


Recently I have come across an article from a foreign magazine, which offers slimming tips. I’d like to share some with you. You may lose patience and want to take diet supplements or slimming pills for quicker results. Do bare in mind, extreme diets never make real beauty. Lose your weight and still look energetic.


For really sexy and healthy beauty, make reference to the following advice. Foreign studies suggest us eat more of these foods for more weight loss. Consider these tricks designing your own diets!

Trick 1. Drink vegetable soups.

If you drink vegetable soup before meal, instead of chips or pretzels, after a year you can lose 11 pounds more (assuming the soups have the same calories as the latter). The soup makes you sated. In this way you will eat less of the main dishes.

Trick 2. More, more, more fruit

Well, we all know fruit is wonderful but we don’t need to take fruit-only meals. Research has found that overweight people taking apples or pears in 300 calories have more successful weigh-losing results than the ones who don’t eat fruit. You may even have half a grapefruit or a glass of its drink before each meal. Do it every day and you may lose 3.5 pounds in 12 weeks!

Trick 3. Cereal for snack time

Feel like some night snack? Instant noodle or unhealthy snack is not a wise choice. Try cereal. Those who take cereal would take in around 400 calories less than others every day.

Trick 4. Fish

A Swedish study has found that men who had fish instead of beef at lunch took 11% calories less.

Editor’s remarks:

These studies based on western meals so I’ll just take them as reference. Especially about the soup issue, I have met a Chinese medicine practitioner who didn’t even agree on drinking soup before meal. To him this hurts our stomach. Maybe we should take a safer stance—drink not more than 1 bowl of vegetable soup before meal?

Save as Draft

Save lashes in danger: GOOD makeup remover wanted!

Seriously, Kelly has been looking for a makeup remover that can remove waterproof stuffs. Usually I wear only mascara to ensure a refreshed look. Hence I just need a makeup remover for eyes and lips before the cleansing procedure.

The problem is, the mascara I often use is waterproof and super difficult to remove. (Every MJ fan knows how difficult it is!) Honestly I didn’t try removers from Shiseido Majolica Majorca but I did try the one from another Japanese brand. The mascara of this brand is known to be harsh to remove as well. And I had this logic in mind: Its mascara is hard to remove, so its makeup remover must be more potent.

Sadly the makeup remover is just too gentle. It didn’t work for my waterproof MJ mascara. Some of my lashes even fell off. I was optimistic enough to think that the black stuff on the cotton puff was probably the mascara fibre!

I have to STOP the nightmare! Referring to the opinions of my friend and the Net, I have found a stunning gentle makeup remover for eyes and lips!

Cyber Colors Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
One of the hittest products on Sasa.com. Its packing is a bit similar to L'Oreal Paris Gentle Lip & Eye Make Up Remover, with double layers of water and oil. Oil is necessary to completely remove waterproof cosmetics. So far I have used this remover from Cyber Colors for a few times and found it an excellent buy. Here I have even invited my co-worker, Man Man, to show you how it works!


Pros:
- The ratio of oil to water is just right. Leaves no greasiness or blur on eyes.
- Gentle and fragrance-free, causes no irritation to eyes.
- Potent cleansing ability. Just a few drops is enough to remove MJ mascara.
- Small opening to easily control usage.
- Effect as good as Lancome’s remover but at a more reasonable price.


Cons:
- The bottle is too small. It may be convenient for travelers but if you use it at home, you really need to store up a few. One bottle is enough for around 1.5 month uses.


Man Man’s testing on the remover:

[ (Before) Wore pearly and olive eyeshadows, with MJ waterproof mascara
(After) All makeup cleared! ]

[ Just put dampened cotton on eyes for 15 seconds. Most of the makeup is removed. Now you just need wipe for a few strokes more.]

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Mind when you clean: Make sure you don’t pull harsh removing makeup. Keep your eye skin tightened!

1. For contact lens wearers, remove the lens before makeup remover.
2. Shake the remover well to mix the oil and water.
3. Dampen the cotton puff with remover. Put on eyes and hold for at least 5 seconds.
4. Gently wipe downwards. Don’t pull.
5. Fold the cotton puff. Clean the remaining makeup on lash roots with corners.