Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel Review (HG!)

I'm a total convert in this one. =D

I still remembered the days I keep bugging fio to order new cleansers for me every two months!

Argh! Seeing these cleansers make me realize how poor I am (=P). These cleansers just never stay on longer so I can save some dough for other things! Also, finding Mr.Right for the skin is never easy. Either it feels like bleach or the cleanser smells funny. -_-

The love story began when I was introduced by one of the dermatologist when I was signing up for their "free skin test". I was totally sold by them after their detailed explanations of what my skin lacks at that time. I believed this situation would be the same for any beauty co. would do. (ahh, there goes my money)

So I gave in and bought their normal/dry skin kit for a trial after they convinced that their product would suits me perfectly. Damn. Never did I realize this was a love-hate relationship with Dermalogica.

Hate because they price tag is so ugly (haha, that was part of the reason).Actually, I hated their skin smoothing cream (moisturizer). =.= It was too oily for a normal-combi skin user like me. And I had pimples with free milia seeds on my skin (too rich I supposed)! Argh! But I love love love their cleansing gel! :D

I'll tell you why later in this part. Now picture first.

This the bigger bottle btw. 500ml.

Comes with a "authenticity" seal (I think!).

I heard a few friends of mine said there are "fake" ones selling in the market/online. As a side note, do be careful when purchasing. The "seal" can be one of the ways to detect the authenticity of the product.

The pump dispenser that I like.

And their printed dates below the bottle.

The description.

Dispense pea size amount of gel and you'll get a foamy cleanser.

The Product: 500ml

Description from Dermalogica:

A concentrated, soap-free,foaming gel designed to thoroughly remove impurities without disturbing the skin's natural moisture balance.Contains no artificial fragrance or colour.

Gentle, soap-free cleanser is listed as a "Secret for getting gorgeous skin".

Price: RM229 (Retail Price for 500ml); RM153 (Retail Price for 250ml)

My thoughts:

I loved it! I have been using this for two freaking-long-years now. My brother swears by this and my SO loves it too! My friends too, bought their 2nd bottle of the special cleansing gel after I've introduced this to them some time back. Gosh. DERMALOGICA should have pay me for this. LOL!!

Anyway, what I wanted to say is that this 500ml bottle of special cleansing gel can last most of us users for a whole year. RM229 / 12 months= RM19.10 per month, 60cents for day and 30cents for each wash. =D Crazy I know.

I super love this is because my skin doesn't feel dry or have those "squeaky clean kind-of-feeling" after cleansing (I know some other brands are like this which is a little annoying for me). The skin feels "supple" after each wash and I also noticed my acne goes away after a few consistent use of this cleansing gel. On the other hand, I think I can declare my brother as the numberone supporter for this as he even bring this to Singapore (now Lyon) for his studies. I remembered he told me that this gel has help preventing his acne "friends" from partying hard on his skin. :D

Cons?

It takes a little patience in lathering up the foamy gel. Sometimes I get a little frustrated (especially when I'm late for work) as it doesn't lather up quickly as I wanted it to be. :P

Would I purchased this again? Definitely! I already got my fourth bottle (this time salon size one :P) standing gracefully at my messy cupboard. =D

Last but not least, the ingredients:

So have you tried this brand? If not, do ask for a sample from their dermatologist.

Crazy Rumors Lip Balm Review

Yeah. Lip balm brand number three. First was Vintage Sisters and Second was My Lip Stuff. :D

The best thing about lip balms is that they never goes out of style because they are colorless(well, most of them!) and they "protect" the lips from flacking and chapping.

I got two boxes of these yummy balms. You read it right. Dua kotak. 6 x 2 = 12 balms for 1 person. LOL! In the end, I have to sell them away here coz I can't finish them.

edit: I didn't know they only have 4 flavours for each category now. so outdated! sorry! :P

Here's one of the boxes.

A la mode means:

A La Mode Lip Balms swirl the sweetest, most delectable Ice Cream Flavors together with nature's most extraordinarily moisturizing ingredients to leave your pout in pucker up mode.

Yeah, crazy I know.

And they are vegan too!


Made in the U-S-A!


The balm.

Sleek designs huh?

Ingredients:


Yummylicious!



This is Orange Creamsicle by the way. Just spelling out the name makes me craving for orange juice >.<

On the lips.


The Product:0.15oz

Price: $4 @ Crazy Rumors

My thoughts:

I would like to compare this against the 3 balms that I've used and I'll conclude my thoughts on these balms.

When I compared with MLS (My lip stuff balm), it shows that MLS is more moisturizing than Crazy Rumors.

See the difference?

If compared with Vintage Sister's balm, they were pretty comparable!

The effect from VS and Crazy Rumors looked and felt literally the same on the lips. But in terms of their moisturizing level, Vintage Sister balms are a little more moisturizing than Crazy Rumors.

Here's the three of them on the lips.

MLS = My Lip Stuff
CR= Crazy Rumors
VS = Vintage Sister

On to my thoughts, I wouldn't be able to generalize each of them because it is more of a personal preference. If you prefer more moisturizing ones, MLS has pretty good ones and have over 400 flavours too! If you look for less sheens/matte ones, then either get Vintage Sister or Crazy Rumors.

As a side note, all these balms have to be stored at a cool area. Do not left them under the sun because they do melt right away! But then again, you can get them back in shape by putting them into the refrigerator.

Here's some shipping information for those who are interested in Crazy Rumors:-
$6 if you buy only a few sticks or free shipping if your purchase is $75 or more!

I couldn't comment much on their shipping rates as it is pretty much comparable from other brands. Overall, I do like my MLS more even though Crazy Rumors has a nicer packaging. But don't worry Crazy Rumors, I still have you as my back up balm in the office! Hee Hee. :D

Advanced Hydrating Neck Firm Gel Review 玻尿酸美頸水凝膠

I never really came across neck creams until a few online friends came to talk about them. Frankly speaking, the neck area was not even in my area of concern since I was just in my 20s back then.

Oh boy I was wrong! I was pretty horrified seeing myself having those "zebra"-like wrinkles when standing in front of the mirror. *_* (pic below) It was even more disgusting a few months ago when they were darker than the picture. Fio said it was probably due to "not properly" cleanse when bathing. Or in other words called "laki" (hokkien) xD

I remembered people said by looking at your neck, your age will be revealed without even asking! =_= Finally, I gave in and got myself a neck "gel" instead of those buttery cream ones since I don't fancy them that much (think oil slick + body acne = horrifying pimples. argh. or maybe I think too much! lol!)

For a newbienoobie like me, I opted for Skincology from Niu Er since I'm pretty confident with his skin care range.


If you have not known, one of Niu Er's famous line is their hydrating range.


Because I hate the "oily" feeling of creams, I got the gel one instead.


BTW, don't their packaging just look alike? The right one was my HG Moisturizer. Talk about cost saving packaging! :P


The box that came with it.


The Chinese description that comes with it.


In English and the ingredients of the neck gel.


The actual product.


Bottle packaging.




Nicely printed manufacturing and expiry dates.


The Advance Hydrating Neck Firm Gel.


And yes, I have been using it for about 2.5 months now. Almost time to change another one soon. LOL!

The gel.


The Product: 30g
Price : RM48 (from Fiobeauty.com, as usual)

From fio's website & payeasy:

頸部專屬，全方位「保濕+緊實+抗老化」防護保養!!
這款清爽的水凝膠專門針對容易鬆弛的((頸部肌膚))所設計，
含有高單位的玻尿酸、蘆薈及乳酸萃取，能提供深層的給水補水功效，防止肌膚乾燥細紋，加上生大豆蛋白及，能促進肌膚緊實，防止肌膚鬆弛老化；維他命B3及銀杏萃取則能活化肌膚，促進肌膚更新活力。
吸收迅速，使用後便能讓頸部肌膚感受緊實細緻的膚觸！

頸部細紋、乾燥專用，創造天鵝般細緻、光滑的粉頸美人!!頸部肌膚特別容易出現鬆弛、疲憊、乾燥、缺水及細紋的情形，
這一款凝膠質地清爽，具有極佳的保濕及滋潤度，吸收迅速、
分子細緻，使用後肌膚不覺黏膩。
經常使用讓頸部肌膚更柔滑、緊緻。

Basically, it emphasizes on three things:
＊保持頸部肌膚緊縮，預防鬆弛 = Firming
＊吸收迅速，使用清爽、不粘膩 = Light, non-sticky & Fast absorption to the skin
＊改善粗糙、不光滑的頸部肌膚 = Minimize Wrinkles/lines

My thoughts:
I'll let the picture do the talking. I'm just a little lost for words.

Do you noticed any difference? =X Let's look at the plus points first, I like how the gel feels, light weight and non-sticky. It also smells good and refreshing too! I think that is all I can say for the plus points.

Cons?
A handful of them. I do not see firming and I still see my obvious neck rings after 2.5months. I did not hope for a miracle by using this but at least it should show some improvements right? I'm not sure if it is me but I noticed my wrinkles are much more visible now. :(

Overall, even though the gel does feel relaxing and refreshing but I don't think I would repurchased this again. Maybe I should try the cream version of this instead. Please do let me know if you have a better neck creams/gels to recommend too! I just don't want to reveal too much of my age to the public yet. :P

The Moisture Monitor (or the "Pen") 數字式肌膚水分測試儀

How'dy~ :)

I got a few mails asking about the "pen" that I used in my previous posts here and here.

Being a "kay-po-chee" (busybody) like me, here's some info that I can gather for you people out there. xD

The promo pic of this moisture monitor (couldn't found any in English, sorry!!):

The Moisture Monitor that measures your skin moisture level :)

It sure does look like fatter version of marker pen. xD

Parts and bits of it.


The little "scanner".


The results monitor.


It uses AAA batteries by the way. :)


I believe this pen is made in China. Anyway, here's some info from fio. ;)

使用人体皮肤水份测试仪对肌肤科学精细护理的意义：
在科技飞速发展的今天，虽然市场上提供了大量优质化妆品和保健产品供人们美容使用，但随着人们要求的不断提高，美容要借助各类仪器才能做得更加完美，人体皮肤水份测试仪就是其中之一，在发达国家这种仪器就已经摆在了超市的货架上，开始走进千家万户，并且逐渐成为时尚。这是因为有如下几方面的意义和作用：

1）量化了肌肤与水。皮肤水份量实现了数字化，可以准确测出角质层水份含量，使使用者对自己的皮肤水份情况有数值的认识。
2）精细护理。当经验感觉和观察不能判断皮肤是否缺水及到底缺水多少时，可根据测试结果判断，尤其是在水份正常值偏低时及时补水，从不缺水的皮肤是有效延缓衰老的保证。
3）通过测试，可以正确选择适合自己皮肤特点的化妆品，做到经济美容、科学美容。
4）水份是一切营养补充的前提。水是人体的组成部分，只要有水份补充，人至少可以维持三天不吃东西。皮肤水份测试仪有效揭示了人体肌肤与水之间的奥秘，及时提示您进行靓肤和保健。

Under normal circumstances, the skin should be at least 35%


I got this from fiobeauty and she told me her new batch of these "pens" will arrive this week. If you need one, you can contact her at her website.

The price for this moisture monitor is RM55 btw. ;)

I hope these information helps!! Have a good weekend everybody!