Isabel Lee | Malaysian Beauty & Lifestyle Blogger: July 2010

7 Day Lip Balm Challenge

I've always had dry lips, probably due to lack of water. Starting from today, I'll put myself on an 'experiment' : To wear lip balm at every available opportunity. The purpose? To see if lip balm really helps to save chapped lips or will it make it worse? You see, there's a myth that applying too much lip balm makes your lips accustomed to having that layer of moisture there so it stops producing it's own moisture. Hence, when you don't wear lip balm, your lips turn really really dry.

Google brought me to this website : http://www.healthexpertadvice.org/forum/Other-General-Health-Care/Does-using-lip-balm-or-chapstick-on-your-lips-make-your-lips-stop-making-their-own-moisture-171607.htm

First of all, I don't think our lips have glands to secrete oils/moisture.. Imagine having oily lips. Ewww... So how exactly does wearing lip balm stop it from producing moisture?

Secondly, there are about the same amount of people supporting both sides of the story so it's hard to tell who's right.

Well anyway, my little experiment will help me conclude if the myth is real. This is the perfect time to test it as the extremely hot and dry weather is making my lips crack. For the 7 days, I'll be using only Lipice lip balm and no lipstick, lip gloss etc. as they tend to dry out my lips.

My Soapy Experience

with Cyleina soaps

On the 7th of June, I received my parcel from AliceQ of LowYat.net. I ordered a bunch of samples and full bar soaps. Today, I'll be reviewing the Cyleina soaps (I also ordered other types). The kojic soap came in a box since I ordered the full bar while the samples came in small zip lock bags with labels on them.

Alice constantly has offers, ranging from discounts to free soaps. She also sells different types of organic soaps like Spa Ingredients and BB Organics. She patiently answered all of my questions and suggested soaps based on my skin type and requirements. There are currently 15 different types of Cyleina soaps for sale. The hot selling ones are Black Pearl and Rice Bran.

Since these soaps are organic, they do not contain certain chemicals so the soap will 'melt' pretty fast. To ensure your soap lasts long, cut them into smaller portions and store in a container instead of a soap dish. After using, I would leave the container open to let it dry before closing the cap. It dries quickly so you probably need to leave it for only a few minutes. I prefer cutting them long as I hold one end with my dry hand and lather it on my other hand. Compared to wetting the entire soap, my soap actually lasts longer this way.

Kojic soap

Love the smell of this!!! It smells like oranges, kinda like the orange flavoured Pim Pom lollipop. ~~Have yet to see any overall whitening effect although I think my feet are getting fairer. How odd.. Maybe I can't see the effect because I'm looking at myself everyday?~~ When I use this on my face, I can't leave it on for too long or else it stings sometimes.
Edit : After some thinking and examination, I think my body has grown fairer! But the change is most significant on my ankle area. Because I used to wear covered shoes to school everyday, my feet would be fairer than my legs. Now, it's the same skin tone! Also, because I only use this on my body (Black Pearl for face) my body is much much fairer than my face =.=

Black Pearl

Okay, first of all, this isn’t black. It’s actually really dark purple, like the purple-black colour of iodine (excuse me if I sound like a science freak >.<). I don’t see any difference on my face after using it for a month+ (supposed to be for whitening, I think?) but there’s this nice cool minty feeling after washing it off. And it smells really good! This is pretty good when I need a quick 'pick up' after a tiring day. Not to mention, there is a temporary brightening of the face after using it.

Tomato

Doesn’t do much for me & I don’t really like the smell either. Can’t feel the oil controlling effect but lathers pretty easily into a reddish looking foam (It’s not exactly red but my palm looks redder than usual). After washing it off, my cheeks have a slight pinkish-reddish radiant glow. Sometimes however, I have a really bad stinging sensation that hurts. This soap can dry out your skin if left on for too long. However, if used correctly, skin is soft but doesn't feel dry.

Rice Bran

Now I understand why this is a HG to so many girls. I had a new pimple on my forehead one night and decided to try this soap. It looked like it was going to become a big red inflamed volcano but the next morning, it shrunk and within 2 days, the pimple was gone. This soap seems good against blemishes (yay!) and my nose agrees with it. It contains small black specks which are supposed to be for exfoliating but my sample was too small for body use (and I gave away half).

Honey and Oatmeal

Wow! This soap makes my skin feel so insanely smooth! Even more than the other soaps. ~~However, my sister suspects it's due to wax in the soap. Will ask Alice to clarify on this matter.~~ Alice has replied that the soaps do not contain wax. Also, it has a very sweet smell, sometimes too much so not suitable for those with sensitive sense of smell. Lathers easily like the Cyleina Tomato soap. Has bits of oats in it. Real oats! I feel like I'm using a cheaper version of Lush soaps (although Lush soaps are obviously more packed full with oats).

Label says (Kojic soap) : A natural soap that is formulated with kojic acid, organic papain enzyme and organic orange peel oil, which help whiten and soften your skin. Complexion becomes fair and acne-free.

Ingredients : Ok so Alice was kind and patient enough to compile the entire list of ingredients for every single soap

Apple Cinnamon - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, Sunflower oil, Apple Extracts, Organic Cinnamon Powder
Pineapple & Carrots - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, Sunflower oil, Organic Pineapple extracts, Organic Carrot extract
Triple Citrus - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, Sunflower oil, Organic Calamansi Extracts, Lemon Extracts,Orange essential oil,
Rice Bran - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, Sunflower oil, Castor oil, Rice bran oil, Organic Rice bran powder
Papaya with Goat's milk - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, sweet almond oil, organic Papaya extracts, goat's milk
Strawberry - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, sunflower oil, organic strawberry extracts, organic poppy seeds
Chocolate Milk - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, milk solid
Tomato - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, sweet almond oil, organic tomato extracts
Coffee - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, organic coffee grounds
Lavender - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, lavender essential oil, marjoram extract
Shea Butter - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil,raw shea butter, vanilla extracts
Honey Oatmeal - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, organic palawan honey, organic rolled oats,organic vanilla extract
Grape Seed Extract - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, grape seed extract oil, jasmine essential oil
Green Tea - Saponified Organic Vegetable oil,Jojoba Oil, green tea powder

Weight : 120g except 45g for Black Pearl
Price : RM 20 for a full bar, RM 2.50 per sample, except RM 5 for Black Pearl
Seller : AliceQ
Made in the Phillipines, if I'm not mistaken

Pros : It's organic!, makes bath time fun, suitable for use on body & face
Cons : Expensive as body soap, doesn't lather much, can only purchase online

My conclusion: I find myself liking Cyleina soaps very much. Something about colourful and fragrant soaps make bath time just more enjoyable.

If you guys didn't know, Hada Labo has a page on Facebook. They were having a giveaway recently and I decided to join in to get the free samples. They sent me a super cute 9ml bottle of the famous lotion plus a 3ml sachet sample of their new Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Cream.

Ok, so I admit I'm one of those people who like reading the labels on products and amuse myself thinking that all these could actually be possible.

Label says :

Contains advanced skin hydrating ingredient - Super Hyaluronic Acid, with twice the moisture retention capacity of Hyaluronic Acid (1 gm of Hyaluronic Acid is able to hold up to 6 litres of water). Replenishes essential moisture to visibly improve skin texture and prevent dryness so skin stays soft, hydrated and supple.

Instantly hydrates skin and helps preserve its optimum moisture balance.
Replenishes and locks-in moisture for complete hydration. Skin feels significantly soft and supple.
Helps improve dry and dehydrated skin, leaving it silky smooth.
Skin pH balanced. Low irritation.
Free of fragrances, mineral oil, alcohol and colorant

Directions : Use twice a day after cleansing face. Apply on palms and gently pad onto skin until thoroughly absorbed.

Although it says to use twice a day, I only use it at night as it's wayyy too moisturizing for day use (oily combination skin). For me, I only use 2 drops for my entire face. It's definitely enough as after you rub your palms, it spreads and somehow just manages to cover your entire face. For dry skin, I would recommend 3 drops. At the rate I'm using it (I actually have the full bottle), it's going to last me a very long time. I would tip the bottle until 2 drops fall onto my palm, rub them together and pat on my face until it's not sticky anymore, which may take about 30-60 seconds.

After that, my skin feels smooth and hydrated. My dry cheeks are gone but my T-zone is still oily so I usually apply it on my cheeks first, then the rest so only a little goes on my T-zone.

Made in China

Ingredients : Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Disodium Succinate, Methylparaben, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Succinic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Weight : 170 ml

Seller : Guardians

Price : RM30+ (on sale), normal price is RM40+

Pros : Very moisturizing, good packaging, cheap for size

Cons : May be too moisturizing for oily skin, takes time to apply

Overall : Satisfied with this product. Cheeks are less flaky but it does not make the oily parts overly oily like some products. Highly recommended for dry skin.

Btw, I'm craving for the new Lip Moisturizer. Since the lotion was so moisturizing, I hope the lip balm will be equally as good, if not better

Update : After using it for months, I noticed that my skin is no longer so dehydrated and it started to absorb the lotion better. However, after that, it absorbed more & more until even 6 drops is insufficient. If you experience this, I suggest taking a break before using it again.

I shall kick start my blog with a post on one of my newly received items, the Milani Minerals Blush with Brush in Luminous. I’m pretty sure you girls have heard of this, if not owned one already but I just want to share my experience with it. I read that it’s similar to Elf’s Studio Blush in Candid Coral, which I own and use most among all my blushes so decided to join a spree by mandyl of LowYat.net. Got it for RM 20.70 from Cherry Culture during the 20% off sale which they often have.

My first impression on the product was that they spent too much on packaging when the amount of product could be increased instead. I can’t see how much there is in the pan but from the looks of it, it isn’t much. Also, the packaging was kinda fancy with the push-to-open button, mirror below the blush and a small round brush (which sheds bad!) in the compartment below. Despite the fancy packaging, my product didn't come with a box! Even the RM10 Elf Studio Blush came with a box.. And I happen to be one of those people who collect empty boxes and stuff them in other empty boxes and don't know why.

So today, instead of my usual Candid Coral I decided to use Luminous instead. It was much lighter (I had to apply more) and gave a certain natural healthy glow that made me look radiant instantly. Candid Coral is orangey coral so it made me look slightly darker but Luminous just made me glow. It was pinker (looks kinda like a peachy pink, not anything like the Cherry Culture pic) than Candid Coral and had fine shimmer. Candid Coral had a rather fake orange sheen in it which I didn’t think was quite natural

In the pic above, you can clearly see that Luminous (above) is more pink. Candid Coral is also chalky while Luminous is smooth.

Well anyway, any bad thoughts about it are gone now. This product was absolutely worth it! I have oily skin and usually by the end of the day, my blush would be almost non existent or faded. This stayed put until I removed it!

Ingredients : Talc, Octyldodecyl Strearoyl Stearate, Dimethicone, Zinc Stearate, Nylon-12, Silica, Zeolite, Sorbic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Isopropylparaben, Methylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Polymethyl Metacrylate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Octyldodecyl Lactate, Octyldedecanol, BHT, Isononyl Isononanoate

Weight : 0.155 OZ/4.40g

Price : RM 20.70

Seller : Cherry Culture

Made in USA

Pros : Lasts long, beautiful colour, has fine shimmer, cheap, has mirror, has brush, lock/button on compact prevents accidents in bag

Cons : Bad brush, doesn't come with box, spree takes quite long

My conclusion : An awesome product! I know it’s raved for being a dupe for NARS Orgasm but I don’t own that so I can’t compare. I would wear this for those ‘natural days’ or when I just want to brighten up my face.

Some photos of the blushes on me:

Without blush

With Milani Luminous on, different camera settings. Sorry about the pale lips. Didn't have any lipstick on.


Wearing Luminous

Wearing Elf Candid Coral

Welcome

So today marks the birth of my blog, which is temporarily named Sugar Coated Muffin as I can't think of a suitable name for it. In my process of finding an available URL, I've come to realise that people who come up with weird blog names (like me) are aplenty! Example : 'thepinkmuffin' was taken. So was 'blueapple' and other names like 'thepinkcloud' and 'pinkmoon'. And why do so many of them even have the word pink?! I must find an original name for myself. Or at least one that is ME so it can actually represent me.

Alright, so my blog is supposed to be about the beauty products I've tried but come to think of it, I don't really try alot of stuff so I think this will be a collection about all the crap in my life instead. Besides, my crappy camera is unable to capture the true colours of all my stuff, dammit. I wonder how the other girls do it. Hmm..

Enjoy~