Personal Favorites of 2009 - Part I: Seasonal Delights

One of those things that I love about the cold cold months is the opportunity to use products with soul-warming scents and sensuous textures.  Everything gets suited with an extra oomph that they might have otherwise not gotten if it wasn't for our need for richer and stronger products during this time of the year.

Two of the products that I fell in love with at the end of 2009 (and they are both on my Personal Favorites of 2009 list) are from The Body Shop's Nutmeg and Vanilla line.  (Yes, I do hope to complete this list soon and am crossing my fingers to release this list throughout the month!).  These two products are:  The Nutmeg and Vanilla Lip Balm and the Nutmeg and Vanilla Bath and Shower Gel.  And just so you know, the Nutmeg and Vanilla line is one of three of their festive lines and limited edition for 2009. 

Although both products come from the same scent family, the two of them do not have identical smells (thanks goodness!).  The lip balm has a very spicy and sweet cake scent in that -just stepped into a

bakery which also sells spices kind of way.  Whereas the scent of the bath & shower gel takes on a completely different note.  It has spices and it has sweet (and less vanilla) but it has the added oomph of a kick of candied fruit.  And when added to a tub of hot steamy bath water, it does not smell sweetly sickening like most spicy vanilla concoction usually smell like, this smells divinely sensuous thanks to the added touch of sandalwood.  I mean this is this is the stuff that will spice up your bath and your evening.

Onto the packaging.  I know that most of us are not fans of open lid containers and prefer squeeze tubes for lip balms.  I do have to say that it feels great getting some balm out of a round tin because it makes me feel as if I'm getting a cookie treat out of a cookie jar.  And the bronzy color on the inside of the lid just makes it ever more special.  As to what you do with the leftover balm on your fingers after you've applied balm on your lips; give your cuticles a little treat as well!  The bath & shower gel's packaging is really nothing intriguing until you dial down the lights and light a few candles.  The transparent and amber-tinted bottle looks sumptuously warming and glowy in the candlelight and in the steam of my mostly white bathroom.  Quite a treat for the eyes I must say!


The texture of the lip balm.  This is a rich balm indeed with all of its most conditioning ingredients topping the ingredients list.  Like most of The Body Shop's old school lip balms, this one is also extremely emolient, transparent and have a high sheen finish.  I personally prefer this type of balm (I really loved the older version of TBS' balms) as they simply are longer lasting on the lips and are especially good for wearing to bed.  And you know why this one is especially good for wearing to bed?  It is because the balm has these subtle fine gold shimmers that just makes the lips look so pretty. The added bonus is that the balm has a slight tint that warms up our pouts in a natural kind of way. 

These and other TBS seasonal delights are currently only available in very limited quanitities at their stores in Amsterdam and some of them are on sale at 50% off.  Check them out and leave your thoughts and comments!


Website:  thebodyshop.com
Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use)
Disclaimer:  Things I had purchased myself.

Things To Do After A Tiring Day

Feeling tired is not only a physical state but one that is truly tied in with how we feel mentally.  I am amazed at how quickly I can feel revived if I just spend a little time on other and on myself that my outlook is instantly lifted; not to mention my complexion.  And everything good will just follow.

A few suggestions on how I go about getting my groove back:

1.  Trigger fantastic sensations.

We have powerful senses.  Often times they are so over stimulated than it might just need a reset.  I like to do so by awakening one that is not often used.

One method:  Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask
This mask contains alot of ingredients to brighten the complexion and to fight off free radicals.  But the best thing about it is that it is a mini version of Bliss' signature Triple Oxygen facials at their salons.  The fluidO2 infusion turns into a bubbling and fizzing foam upon contact with wet skin.  The sensation it creates on my skin feels fantastic that I literally feel my brain releasing happy hormones.  Works just like those scalp massagers that you see.  The citrusy scent is uplifting as well!

2.  Center-ing.

Perhaps the all important key to life and healthy living.  Feeling centered and all over balanced is an important aspect to remembering inner strength.

One method:  Bergamot essensial oil
Rather than being a stimulating essensial oil, bergamot is categorized as an uplifting one.  What it does is that it makes one feel better in a more relaxed way.  It is often used in aromatherapy for people with anxious, tense or depressed symptoms.  Just one smell and you will know what I mean.  Blend bergamont with other oils such as lavender or geranium (if you want even more relaxation) and infuse your bath water, body lotion/oil or your home frangrance system to surround yourself with positivity.

3.  Get a glow on. 

If you don't have the time or the needed manpower to give yourself or receive a massage (face and or body), there are other instant methods.

One method:  Make Up For Ever Professional Compact Shine On Iridescent Compact Powder

I have the compact in #3 and #5.  They are both fine, glowy pressed powders that give an ethereal finish.  #3 is a shell shade and #5 is peachier and both are universally flattering.  I use the lighter #3 to highlight and the slightly deeper #5 shade to round off and give dimension to the glow.  

4.  Give treats.

At times when we are tired, the last thing we wanna do is to think about others.  But when you are tired, it helps to give treats to those around you.  Paying attention to someone else for a change takes the focus off of your own tiredness/malais and being surrounded by happier, more relaxed people just makes better atmosphere and things easier.  Not to mention the fact that the act of giving stimulates happy hormones. Think small and meaningful....chocolates, tea, manicure (not a gift certificate to one!), or even a smile.

5.  Drink up.

I don't mean alcohol.  All it takes is 5 minutes to give yourself that little break.  Drinks containing nutmeg or clove, or foods containing rosemary, thyme, basil, or marjoram feeds the body in the sense that they help us to come back from fatigue.  Add to your latte, tea, or pasta.  Take a few deep breaths in to oxygenate your body along with them and surely you will feel revitalised again!

....and of course you know I'm not a doctor.  These are a few things that I do that help me.  Let your family doctor know if you feel severe fatigue or malheureux.


Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use)

A Fruit Obsession

I am addicted to anything that smells, tastes or remotely looks like pineapples. Why, don't we all have a fruit that we just can't get enough of?

The pineapple has long been used as an aid for intestinal problems. It contains the enzyme bromelain which is good at breaking down proteins. In skincare, pineapples are valued also for bromelain because it gently yet effectively sloughs off dead skin cells and smooths what I refer to as 'beginner' lines. Pineapple's high levels of Vitamins A & C furthers this action and boosts skin's radiance and also feeds the skin with nutrients. The addition of allantoin in the facial mask helps to smooth the skin by increasing extracellular water content while providing wound-healing and anti-irritation properties.

I have been all over my tube of Natura Bisse Ananas Finishing Mask (Mascarilla Revitalizante) for the past few months. If you can imagine a kind of calming pineapple smell, rather than the sensory stimulating kind, this one has it! The mask dries rather quickly, and with a matte finish, but applies creamy. I always feel happier after having pampered myself with it. My mood is brightened and my skin feels refined and softened. I think the mask is well worthwhile for those looking for a weekly treat which helps to gently brighten the complexion and mood.

What is your fruit obsession?

Website: naturabisse.es
Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use), wikipedia.org

The Comforter, my comforter

Christmas is next week! Feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement, I am again unprepared this time around. I am not very good with handling the stress that comes with festivities even if I absolutely love them once they are here. The prepping, planning, counting number of heads, getting to the store in time, ordering the right turkey, getting cards out on time....oops, sorry for stressing you too!

My personal remedy:

You might have noticed that food related bath products have been playing a part in my beauty routine. The story behind this is this and because of this. I have somewhat rediscovered them again after a long time of avoiding them.

The thing is, we eat food everyday. We are very comfortable with the way they taste and smell to us and, we have lots of experience identifying the components that make up our favorite dish. So that is why I find the simplicity of edible scents comforting and unassuming. Given that there is a good concentration of real food ingredients in a bath product, there is usually not a lot of guess work involved when trying to decipher the different components in it.

What I love about The Comforter Bubble Bar from Lush (see picture above) is that the instant you put your nose to it, you know that it contains some sort of edible berry. Upon closer inspection and a few more breaths in, you might identify that the berry is cassis (also known as blackcurrant). Lush has chosen the right berry to use in this bubble bar. While I often find berries such as strawberries or raspberries too 'innocent', the deepness of the cassis is suitable for use when one wants to drift off in a bath. Its bright fuchsia color brings something feminine and fun to bath time as well, while a splash of bergamot oil lends just a hint of maturity and mystery to the formula. This is a great bubble bar to use alone or share with another as it is not overly sweet (BFOG-approved). Plus, I find sitting in a bath full of pink hued water and lots of luxurious bubbles comforting indeed (hence, the name of Lush's bubble bar).

This 7oz. bar will be good for 6 baths and guarantees long-lasting, fluffy bubbles. Lovely!


I am curious what you like in your bath. Which scents do you like when?


Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use)

Baby Soft Skin. The Scent. The Texture. The Result.

French adults have reported that a whiff of this (above) brings back fond childhood memories for them. Those who grew up being bathed by Mustela's bebe Lait de toilette (Cleansing milk) remembers it by its unique scent and the soft cleansing texture. Those of us who never had bathtime with rubber ducky and Mustela can still use it today as a makeup remover or a soothing bath soak.

The Scent: There is definitely a baby-soft powdery scent to the lotion. However, it finishes with more florals than the baby powder smell that we are familiar with. It is not over powering but is enough to send my mind drifting off to a comfortable zone.

The Texture: The white liquid has the consistency of a runny whipping cream. It does not lather at all and I find that I need quite a lot if used in the shower.

Result: It does not irritate any dry patches of skin I might have on my face or my body. Skin feels soft but cleansed but I would not use it as an eye makeup remover as it did irritate mine. It is quite an amazing soother in the bath and it is easily one of my favorite soak products around.

I purchased mine in a pharmacy in Paris but Mustela is available at beauty centers and baby supplies stores in Asia, Europe, USA & Canada. I may just have to stock up on this and many other Mustela products (such as the Hydra-Stick with cold cream and the Massage oil) my next trip to Paris.

Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use)
Subscription to this blog is available on the sidebar.

Which Category Do You Fit Into?

Just a heads-up on The Body Shop's new line of body products that aim to take care of our inner and outer selves. I have been to their store and tested most of the products myself. Granted, the wellness approach is nothing new, but I think they have done a convincing job at creating some lemming-worthy items to treat our body and soul.

The line is divided into four categories (see image above) and is driven by ingredients that do double duties in terms of provoking a state of mind via scent and active properties. I think I am going to have to get something from each category since I suffer from each one of them at different times. For example, I could really use some of that Total Energy Exhilarating body wash (state #1) during that one time of the month when I can use a kick of energy at that time. Or, I could hand over that bottle of Divine Calm Relaxing Massage oil (state #2) to BFOG when life is stressing me out. And when I feel like getting some detox action, I would probably give the Rejuvenating Bath Soak (state #4) that contains wasabi (!) a try.

As soon as I get my hands on these, I will let you in on the scoop!


Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use), thebodyshop.com
Subscription to this blog is available on the sidebar

Beauty Walking The Silk Road

So it seems that silk in beauty is hot again! Manufacturers of beauty products have quickly jumped on the trend and have added silk to their products for the extra added appeal.

Silk is wonderful.
If you have ever run your hand over a silky garment (like that of a traditional Chinese dress "Qi-pao"), you would know what a wonderful sensation that is. Who wouldn't want their hair or skin to feel exactly like that? The benefits from silk lies in the fact that it contains 18 amino acids that have the same PH balance as our skin. These amino acids are said to have anti-aging effects and help to hold moisture in the skin. We typically see silk part of the ingredients list in our skin moisturizers, mineral makeup, or hair care products. But lately, you may come across silk used in the most unexpected or unusual places.

Case 1 - Hairdryer

The Imetec Nutriheat hairdryer is said to release silk proteins while drying hair. The silk capsule inside the dryer releases a stream of silk when hot air blows through it. It seems that these capsules need to be replaced about every 6 hair-drying sessions.

What do you all think? Do you think this is a must try for me? Is this where I should invest my money into, instead of say, a new pair of shoes? Or maybe you already have this and have something to say about it? I would really love to hear what you think.

Case 2 - Pillows Cases

This pillow case from SilkSkin is supposed to slow the process of aging, wrinkles, bed head, decrease bed mites, help with thinning hair (as tossing and turning is supposedly rough on our hair!) and give you a better night's sleep. I love the idea of sleeping on luxurious silk sheets and on decadent silk pillow cases, but for the price of them I think I would rather invest in another face cream.

What is your take on this? Perhaps you think that this is worth its price (approx. 70 USD) and would like to share your reasons why?




Photo credits: chinadaily.com, silkskin.co.uk, trevorsorbie.com

Getting Started With Decléor

A set containing 4 of Decléor's products is the training wheels that eases us into Decléor's special method of maintaining good skin.

The kit contains the Stick Lèvres, Crème Hydratante “Nectar De Fleures”, Aromessence Néroli, and Phytopeel.

I believe Decléor is skincare made for and created by scent gourmands. Being a company who's products are made in France, they recommend a method of skincare which I find is quite typically French. The reason is that their line focuses on the use of good quality essential oils. Looking at the steps which we follow to apply these products, it seems that the French way is that we must take time when caring for our skin.

First the skin is gently cleansed, then the face and neck are massaged with an essential oil blend until absorbed. Third is the application of a moisturizer (for day), or a balm (at night) to seal in moisture and perfect the tone of the skin.

The Decléor scents transcend me. My favorite scent comes from the little bottle of Aromessence Néroli, which, by the way, has been really good to my skin. Layering Crème Hydratante “Nectar De Fleures” (it has a rather nice scent and texture as well) over the Aromessence Néroli completes the experience, as they work to calm and hydrate my skin. All is done in a luxurious and elegant way.

The tube of lipcare is a pleasant surprise. It smells of candied orange peel and has great softening properties. Nothing sticky or shiny about it, just a simple, elegant product.

A disappointment however, is the Phytopeel. I despise the smell of Marjoram which is predominant in this product. And the worst of all, the product must be smeared on, left until dried and then rubbed off. It left me with reddened skin and my mood deflated.

All in all, Decléor is a skincare line created to be savored by our noses and as a savior to our skin. This kit packs the essential items and is a wonderful introduction to Decléor. Following the company's recommendations will ensure excellent skin hydration.


Credits: Grayburn

A Little On The Cosmetics Convention & A Lot Of Online Fun

Just dropping by to say a quick hello to everyone and to let you know that everything went very well today at the cosmetics convention. Boy did I get a whole lot of information today! I need to sit down and digest everything. There are lots of ideas and questions floating in my head about the cosmetics industry and I will try to get to the bottom of some of them during this convention.

The main topic today was, and the focus of this year's convention revolves around, organic or natural beauty products. Out of curiosity, I would like to know what you fine readers consider as 'organic' or 'natural'? Do you think that these products are just as good, better, or worse than more mainstream products? I will be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

So for now, I must say goodnight, because I'm exhausted, and leave you to play on a website I have come across lately. Let me introduce you to Taaz. I had so much fun giving myself, and other celebrities, a computer-generated makeover. At their site you can actually 'try on' certain brands of foundations, lipsticks, concealers, ligloss, eye colors, hairstyles and so forth! Let me tell you, I didn't think that Lucy Liu would look so great with vibrant makeup (since we always see her in neutral tones), nor that I can laugh so hard giving makeovers.

Have fun with it and let me know how you did and/or share your transformation success or failure with us!


Credits: Grayburn

Off To A Cosmetics Conference!

Just a note to say that I am off to a 3-day cosmetics conference! I will of course try to keep up the posts. I am so excited and more importantly, cannot wait to share with you all the things I will be seeing and learning there. Looking over the conference programme, I can see that there will be a lot of innovative skin and hair care products coming into the market. The good news for me personally is that almost half of the topics they will be discussing will revolve around making more 'green' products.

While I am there, I will try to absorb as much information humanly possible and hope that there will be lots of photo ops. I pray that feeling a little under the weather will not affect me too much. Wish me luck!


Credits: M. Mariano

Seriously Fun

(Fill in the blank!)


Sometimes it's really important to have fun and to not be so serious about everything that we do. And why shouldn't this apply to cosmetics and skincare? After all, lightening up a little is good for our spirit which undoubtedly should lead to looking better right? I know whenever I'm happy that it shows on my skin. That natural glow that we get when we're happy is unbeatable; as opposed to the glow faked by Stila highlighters.

I try to make sure that I travel at least once every 3 months because I am addicted to making new discoveries. Traveling is so good for my soul and it keeps me feeling inspired. It is the thing I do that makes me glow. So I recently took a trip to the UK to do some shopping and to relax a bit. Armed with my list of places and brands to see, I was ready to experience real life shopping (rather than online). One of the brands on my list to check was Soap & Glory.

Soap & Glory is a company based in the UK. What I am especially fond of, is their packaging (they are fun and full of clichés), and the price of their products. They have a lipgloss called "Sexy Mother Pucker" and it retails in the UK for £8.00! I had alot of fun looking through all the bottles and just couldn't resist getting my own "Wash Almighty Detox Spa Gel". As soon as I have given it plenty of use, I'll share a review with you.



Credits: Grayburn, soapandglorycosmetics.com

Friday Feature: The Alqvimia Approach

The most popular item from my Favorite Things of 2007 list was undoubtedly the Cleopatra Body Oil from Alqvimia . So today as a special Friday Feature, I want to talk about what they are about as well as a new product that they have just launched.

The heart of Alqvimia lies in Catalonia, in view of the Spanish Pyranees, where the plants are still gathered today. Alqvimia believes in empowering and bringing forth the inner beauty of women. The body and soul are treated as a whole and that is why it is a true hollistic beauty approach. Not only does Alqvimia recommend that their products be used for specific issues (e.g. pigmentation), they are also advised to be used for general enjoyment. Alqvimia emphasizes the importance of healthy eating (lots of fruits,veg and grains), and exercises that help to bring out our inner strength (such as yoga, belly dancing and Tai-chi). Now this hollistic approach may or may not appeal to you, their products can surely be enjoyed just because they are each formulated beautifully. Did I tell you that they make some of best quality natural products, in my opinion?













This gorgeous little red bottle is their newest creation called "Sensuality Body Nectar" and it is especially designed to enhance female sensuality (as the name implies). The liquid is a concoction of the essences of Bulgarian Rose, Jasmine from Mysore, Neroli from Morocco, Egyptian Geranium, Ylang-ylang from Indonesia, and Palmarosa from India.

I will surely be picking up a bottle of these soon!

If you missed mine and others' list of Favorite Things of 2007, you can get to it from here!

Read About Caudalie from France

Christmas Wish List item No. 9 - Spa time at home

In these colder months, baths are just what I need. I also use this opportunity to do some much needed pampering and to take good care of my skin. The line of skincare which I adore is from Ole Henriksen. His Skin Inhalation Therapy is great to have at home when you want a spa session in the private of your own home.

This specific one is suitable for all skin types and is so calming and purifying with all sorts of essential oils. Smells like spa heaven!

How I use it: I fill the sink with some warm water and add a few drops of this in the water. I dunk a fluffy face towel in the water and let it soak up all the goodness. Squeeze out excess water. Then I go into the tub and put this over my face. Inhale and exhale....haaaaaahhhh!

All my worries dissipates!

See Christmas Wish List No. 8