Hair Care

The Body Shop - travel size hair care, try before buying full size

There was a sale on travel sizes 5/$10 so I wanted to give these a try.
Rainforest Balance Shampoo: Reduce excess oil for hair that looks clean and fresh all day, oily hair
Rainforest Shine Conditioner:  Smooth hair's surface for incredible shine, normal to dry hair
I used the Balance Shampoo to remove oily buildup on my scalp and then protected it with Shine Conditioner.  Love how light the hair feels and more volume.

Rainforest Radiance Shampoo: Remove dulling residues for prolonged color radiance using a gently cleansing shampoo , color treated hair
Rainforest Radiance Conditioner: Condition and moisturize color-treated hair while prolonging radiance using a protective conditioner

Phyto hair samples:

Shiseido Tsubaki Head Spa Extra Cleansing with Essential Oil:




Shiseido Tsubaki Damage Care set:

Shiseido Tsubaki Shiny Hair set:

Kracie Naive Aloe Conditioner:

I got this conditioner at my local Japanese store Marukai.  It came in a set with one refill for $13.  It's on the pricy side of supermarket brands but it works well.  I only needed one pump to cover my hair and rinses nicely.  My hair doesn't feel heavy but it has much shine from using this.  The only thing I didn't care for is the smell.  I know it's aloe based so it will smell very green.  The smell goes away quickly after hair dries.
















hair care:

QVC Beauty Test Tube - Sept 2011

This is my first New Beauty Test Tube Set from QVC.  I read very good reviews from previous sets so I decided to give it a try.  This is the September 2011 kit which contains 8 beauty items (deluxe samples and full size) and a magazine.  QVC has a special price $29.95 (plus $6.47 shipping) the first few weeks when they first started selling them.  Now a month later, it's priced at their regular $33.00 (plus $6.47 shipping) and waiting to be stocked.  Wow, that tells you how popular they are.  You can also enroll in their autodelivery program so you don't miss out on future kits.  But I like to see what they have in the kits before I buy, so I will have to keep an eye on the next one, probably every 4 months or so.

Here's what is in the kit.

It Cosmetics full-size brow pencil.

Smashbox full-size lip gloss in color Flame.  Deluxe sample size  Fresh Sugar lip treatment in Rose.  I really like the Smashbox lip gloss.  It's not too sticky and the color is shiny natural look.  The Fresh Sugar lip treatment has no shine and very little color but very moisturizing.  I will probably use this for the no time for make-up days.

Philosophy Microdelivery Wash 2 oz.   Perricone Face Finishing Moisturizer 0.5 oz.  Lavanilla body butter in vanilla grapefruit 2.75 oz.  I have the full size Philosophy Microdelivery Wash already and love it.  So this small bottle will be great for traveling.  It's a cleanser and gentle scrub in one product.  But I feel that it's not enough for my deep pore cleaning routine when I use a grainier scrub and purifying mask.



Lea Journo hair conditioner 3 oz.   Oscar Blandi Pronto Invisible Dry Shampoo 0.75 oz.

Eminence Organic Skincare

I often get massages at my favorite local spa but never had a facial.  During my last visit, I browsed around their skincare shelves and found an interesting brand that I got some samples to try.  This brand is pricey at the spa but I found better pricing online.

Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant:
I love this natural rice based scrub, so much that I started looking to see where I can get it for the lowest price. It comes in a dry powder form that you mix with your favorite cleanser or water.  I used only water to create a good paste on my hands and exfoliated my face with gentle circular motion.  The granules are very fine but powerful so I could feel it working on my face and hands too.  After rinsing my face, it felt so soft and my hands were so much smoother than before too.  This is definitely going to be on my list of exfoliants to buy.  The cheapest place I found online for this scrub is still $42.00.
http://www.lovelyskin.com/details.asp?PID=119469&MID=0

Strawberry Rhubarb Masque with Hyaluronic Acid:
I was not that impressed with this masque.  It is a nice strawberry moisturizing mask priced at $52 online.  But I found that Laneige's Strawberry Yogurt works about the same for $25, so I probably won't be getting this.

DIY Facials

Gentle Oatmeal Mask For Acne:

Combine three quarters a cup of oatmeal with half a cup of water and cook medium heat for a few minutes.  After cooling off a little, stir a quarter cup of honey into it. The oatmeal will absorbe the oil from pores and act as a gentle exfoliant. The honey is to help the mask stick to the face and moisturize the skin. Be careful not to get any of the mask in the eyes, as this may irritate them.  Leave mask on for at least 15 minutes before washing mask off.  When washing off mask, use circular motion to rub the oatmeal around for exfoliation.  This is cheap to make and can be used once or twice a week.

My Experience with Sasa.com 02-2011

Since they carry many Asian brands that I cannot get in the local store here in the U. S., I have been trying to get an order from them since last year.  My first order back in Oct. 2010 kept being delayed in processing and then they said they were moving to a new warehouse and all orders were being held until later.  They charged me already in Oct but the order was held forever.  My order was finally cancelled because multiple items were not in stock any more by the time they finally began processing my order.  But since they charged me already, I had to deal with my credit card company to get my money back.  What a hassel.  But with there products back in stock, I was so tempted to try again.  I just placed a new order with them Jan. 27, 2011.  Let's see how long it will take for me to get my goodies.

Update: I got notified that my package is shipped out on Feb 7.  Expecting shipping to take 14 - 21 days.

Update: I finally got the order on Feb. 24.

Cleansing Oils 2011

Kose - Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil, $9:

I can easily find this at my local Japanese supermarket and it's cheap.  It only takes 2 pumps to clean the entire face, with light makeup, including mascara.  It comes out a clear liquid that you rub into your dry face.  Then add a little water and it becomes milky white.  Then I rinse with water and it does not leave my face oily at all.  I still double cleanse with a light foaming gel though.  Overall I love this basic cleansing oil for it's price and cleansing performance.

Origins - Clean Energy, $19.50:

This is my first non-Asian brand cleansing oil that I have bought. It is thicker consistency than others that I have tried.  I placed a little bit of the oil on my hands and spread it over my dry face.  Then I added a little bit of water to the face and the oil becomes a white milky film.  I continue to work the cleansing oil all around my face until it is clean.  After rinsing my face, I noticed that my face was smooth and seemed brighter.  I double cleansed with a gel cleanser and skin is still very smooth.  I highly recommend this oil cleanser for those who cannot get access to Asian brands.

Best Face Cleansing Regimen

Double cleansing the face is important if you wear makeup.  The first cleansing is to take off the makeup, usaully better with an oil cleanser. The second cleansing helps remove oil out of pores and any left over makeup from the first cleansing.  I like gel foaming type of cleansers for second round cleansing.  Good ones that I use are Avalon Organics gel cleansers, The Body Shop Seaweed gel cleanser, and The Body Shop tea tree cleanser.  I think that we all need to regularly mask with a good clay mask to get rid of blackheads.  I have never had a facial before, nor extractions, because I feel that with regular skincare, I don't need it.  I believe that extractions can temporarily clean pores out but you need to keep it clean.
Do the following at least once a week and you will see improvement.

1. Wash face and exfoliate
2. Steam your face for about 5 minutes to open the pores and soften the skin, or shower will do 
3. Apply a clay mask and let dry for 15 minutes
4. Don't apply anything that night, let skin breathe with clean pores
5. You can put your regular stuff on next day

Good clay masks that I have in my bathroom are :
Mary Kay Clarifying Mask 3, http://www.marykay.com/skincare/classicbasicskincare/10347300/10347300/default.aspx
Origins Clear Improvement, http://www.origins.com/product/3857/11588/Skincare/Daily-Essentials/Masks/Clear-Improvement/Active-charcoal-mask-to-clear-pores/index.tmpl
The Body Shop's Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask, http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/facial-masks/prod808821