My Lists

Diamonds Top 10 List

1. Paula Begoun
2. AHA & BHA by Paula Choice
3. Real Lasting Eyeliner by K-Palette
4. Opal Hair Oil Treatment



Duds Top 10 List

1. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Body Smoothing Leg Gloss
2. The Body Shop Plastic Foot File


My Wish List

1. MakeUp Forever Sculpting Kit

Little bumps on the back of the arms

Do you have these tiny little bumps along your upper arms? No matter how much you exfoliate, it doesn’t want to go away and just looks unsightly. Is that the end of wearing sleeveless?

What are these tiny little bumps? That was the question burning in my head for a while. I finally managed to find out what it is.

“Keratosis Pilaris (KP) is a common skin disorder, typified by “chicken skin” bumps on upper arms, thighs, torso, buttocks and occasionally the cheeks. Excess skin forms around individual hair follicles, creating the characteristic minute, rough, grater-like bumps. Keratosis Pilaris affects almost 50% of the world’s population and is particularly likely to affect anyone prone to eczema, asthma or hay fever”. (http://www.keratosis-pilaris.com/)

“Keratosis pilaris tends to be more severe during the winter months but no one is sure why that is the case and it definitely isn't consistent for everyone. Basically, the bumpy rough spots are clogged pores that sometimes get red and irritated but rarely itch. Regrettably there is no available cure or universally effective treatment, though it is generally well accepted that unclogging pores and reducing inflammation can improve matters greatly (Source: eMedicine Journal, July 2, 2001, Volume 2, Number 7).”

It seems that pure exfoliation alone doesn’t help (as I’ve tried) and that it NEVER goes away! Once you get it, you have to be prepared to treat it constantly. Sigh!

Based on the website and others, they recommend using a product which have AHA in it. So, I turned to my favourite AHA product. It definitely helped. The bumps are less obvious and don’t look inflamed. Even though the AHA helped to improve the appearance of it, it was still pretty obvious close up.

Frustration again! Until I read an article by Paula Begoun where she mentioned about this. What she said made sense, “Lactic acid (a very effective form of alpha hydroxy acid) can help exfoliate skin cells, but lactic acid isn't effective for dissolving lipids, so it can't penetrate into the pore and exfoliate the lining of the pore that is a major cause of the problem.”

She recommended using a product which salicylic acid in it that has a low enough pH for exfoliation to be effective. I followed her recommendation and YES!

Using both the AHA and BHA product alternatively, those bumps have reduced so much that it can hardly be seen. However, you need to keep doing this regularly or the condition just comes back (can’t be lazy here!).

This was what I tried and experimented with and now works for me.

So, if you have Keratosis Pilaris as well, why not give this a go?

Shower Gels by The Body Shop

Recently, I started trying a few of the shower gels from The Body Shop. In small pocket sizes, handy to bring it when you're traveling or going to the gym.

Strong wave of the Brazil nut smell. The lather is sufficient and is much creamier and a lot more moisturising that the others.

I am not a huge fan of this. But if you like the smell of mango, this can be a good option.

The smell of cocoa butter is quite soothing but it isn't as creamy as the Brazil nut version.

The strawberry smell is really powerful.

Overall, I think that there are better shower gels out there. It felt more like I was washing myself with the perfume rather than the actual cleansing agents.

Luv ~ If you like strong fruity smells from your shower gel.

Don't Luv ~ Doesn't feel that it cleans well.

Full spectrum Wipes SPF15 by Dermalogica

I was in a beauty salon when I noticed this. Dermalogica has come up with sunscreen wipes.

Further information on their website says that a pack (contains 15) have individual towelettes and can cover hard to reach areas without worrying about spills or mess.

It contains sunscreen ingredients that protects against UVA, UVB and infra-red rays. However, the website doesn't detail what sunscreen ingredient is used. I'm not sure if SPF15 is sufficient enough either in the summer. Winter would be sufficient when the UV alert is low.

Dermalogica has also included anti-oxidant properties from botanical extracts. There is grape seed, green tea, vitamin A, C and E. To calm and soothe the skin, there is balm mint and coneflower.

It contains no artificial fragrance or colour.

I think that the wipes are good to carry around for those occasions where you need to touch up or reapply or just plain forgotten to put on sunscreen. I probably wouldn't substitute it with my regular tub of sunscreen.

Hot & Cold shower

Do you feel sluggish or need to give your body circulation a boost?

I've been reading on water therapy and there has been many research and books on this.

Just before you head out of the shower, switch for 2 minutes or so to the hottest water you can stand (please make sure that it's a comfortable tolerance), which draws the blood to the surface, and then switch to the coldest water you can stand for 30 seconds to a minute, which will force the blood back into the internal organs. This is supposed to be done for at least three cycles(hot and cold) before ending the shower with cold water.

This helps to boost your body circulation, especially if you don't do regular exercise. Every little bit helps to minimise orange peel looking skin and dullness, I say.


Note that Woman on their menstrual cycle and pregnant women should skip this treatment. And anyone should stop the treatment if you become dizzy or start shivering uncontrollably.

Getting the most from your mask

I was reading a recent interview by Da S in a magazine where she talked about her beauty regimen and gave some beauty related tips.

One of the things that she said was that she uses a mask everyday and you need to do it to get maximum benefits.

I've heard before that you shouldn't use a mask everyday as you need to let your skin's natural renewal system to accommodate.

However, I decided to give it a try and started doing this with my Neutrogena Fine Fairness mask. I wasn't getting as a good a result as I was hoping when I used it the first time.

To my surprise, my skin gets better and better with each day of us. I think it really help as well as the last few days was really windy and cold and the masks prevented my skin from peeling.

I think it's fine to use a mask everyday when weather conditions are really harsh and is creating havoc on your skin. That is when you need something more potent to restore your skin's condition.



Or else, I would use masks which have lesser percentage of ingredients (i.e. a mild mask) for other times when you still want to use a mask everyday. Kose sells masks that are meant for everyday use.

For me, I'm happy to use my whitening mask every 2 days in a row and rest for the next 2 days. It works for me and my skin condition really improves tremendously.

Fine Fairness Mask by Neutrogena

Winter is one of the best time to super charge your whitening regimen and I started using my whitening mask. Having heard good reviews on this product, I bought quite a number of this when it went on sale.

According to Neutrogena,

"This is an intensive facial treatment mask that effectively lightens your overall complexion and improves your skin’s fairness, clarity and translucency.

Shaped to fit your face, each mask contains a deep penetrating whitening essence with Vitamin C, Vitamin B3, and liquorice root extracts, that immediately brightens your skin, leaving it radiant and healthy.

You’ll experience visible results after just four masks in two weeks."

This first time I used this, it was really hydrating but I couldn't see much whitening effect. Later, I discovered that I need to leave it on for longer than the recommended 20 minutes. I leave it one for about 30-35 minutes and when I remove the mask after, my face was a lot clearer and the pore on my face seems to have almost disappeared. That shows how hydrating this mask is.

I love this mask.

Luv ~ Very hydrating, really minimises the pores, skin was really clearer and translucent after using.

Don't Luv ~ Very expensive in Sydney.

Asience by Kao

Asience - the hair products with Zhang Zi Yi previously in the commercials and now Jun Ji Hyun. The name came from the joining of 2 words - Asia + Essence.

This range of shampoo, conditioner and hair treatments are specifically targeted at Asian hair. As shown on their website, asian hair is rounder, thicker and coarser than caucasian hair so we need shampoos and conditioners that can penetrate deeper into the hair shafts to moisturise and nourish.


The product line has been developed with the intention of enhancing female Asian beauty by revitalizing hair fibers from the core, enabling the hair to become suppler showing fewer signs of disturbance after a hairstyle is removed, even if the hair has been braided. It boasts to be the first to have MEA Hair Technology which replenishes and restore hair to its smooth and lustrous condition, like virgin hair.

The logo for this brand has been developed with a meaning.

Symbol of a flower surrounded by ivy

The red flower of the symbol in the center of the product package is on the verge of blooming. Ivy, growing in its random fashion around the flower, symbolizes vitality. The five petals of the flower indicate the five elements of oriental bioscience – wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

It uses an array of natural ingredients to improve hair texture and treat potential hair problems.

• Soy protein and pearl protein for revitalizing
• Rice extract and Korean ginseng extract for moisturizing
• Eucalyptus extract for protection

- Supply lost protein to damaged hair
- Retain moisture and prevent dryness
- Provide a sheen to the hair

I started using the Deep Nourish shampoo, conditioner and hair treatment which is for dry, damaged hair. After using for a few weeks, I noticed that my hair texture has improved a lot! Less frizzy and more manageable, this is a huge feat as I have dry, flyaway and frizzy hair. =(

The hair treatment is amazing! My hair came out really smooth, extremely soft and light. It continued to remain that way even after going through a blow dry and hair straightener. I couldn't stop myself from running my fingers through my hair the whole day.

It has a nice fragrance too, not over powering. I am loving the products.

Luv ~ Affordable price. My hair became incredibly smooth, light and soft.

Don't Luv ~ Nothing.

Real Lasting Eyeliner by K-Palette

I bought this when I was in Japan some months ago. With my limited Japanese, I couldn't really understand anything other than by looking at pictures when I was browsing the cosmetics shops. What I ended up doing was to look at items that they have tagged with #1 selling item or #2 or #3 and buy those.

Anyway, this was labeled as #1 selling item so I bought it. It was really cheap too at about 1000 yen. I started using it and I was just amazed at the result.

It is a liquid eyeliner in black with a slim tip. I never liked using liquid eyeliner as I was only starting to use eyeliner then and being a beginner, less clumsy with pencil ones. Amazingly, this was really easy to use and I think any beginner would love this due to the ease of control. The eyeliner goes on really smoothly and you can apply it really thin like a pencil eyeliner would give and yet apply a really thick line too. It lasts the whole day and didn't smudge.

I was so happy and an affordable eyeliner that does a great job, you'll love it. This just earn itself a place in my Diamonds Top 10 list.

Apparently, it is really popular in Japan and is K-Palette's best selling item. You can check out their website here.

Luv ~ Affordable price. Really easy to use and control. Doesn't smudge and creates a really beautiful line (whether thick or thin).

Don't Luv ~ Nothing.

Trick for attractive eyes

I saw this on Sasa and it shows certain tricks especially for Asian eyes on how to make them stand out.

For those who've always had problems with how to apply eyeliner, this is a good basic step by step guide. It took me lots of practice to apply my eyeliner correctly too.

Step 4 is really useful as Asian eyes tend to slant upwards if you end the stroke upwards. It's better to have the stroke ending a little downwards.

White eyeliner across the lower eye line and inner corners is a MUST! I always do that to make my eyes look bigger and brighter.

I personally find gel and liquid eyeliner a lot easier. However, there are times when a normal eyeliner works better on certain looks that you're trying to get.

One of the best eyeliners that I've used was bought when I was in Japan and it was not an expensive brand either. The review will be posted soon.

Another trick that I learnt was to only line 70% of your upper eye leaving both ends not lined. It can also make your eyes appear rounder and bigger.

If anyone else has more trick, do let me know. =)

Sunsense Aftersun Cooling Spray

We all need to be diligent about sunscreen but what about the times when you inevitably forgot to apply sunscreen or happen to get sunburn?

Aloe Vera Gel is something that I always use if I see my skin going red or after getting a little too much sun. Lately, I came across this cooling spray and decided to try it.

What attracted me to it was the added Vitamin C and grape seed extract. The grape seed extract is well known for being an anti-oxidant and Vitamin C for whitening. The spray bottle also means that there's no need for rubbing , which can irritate your sunburn and cause pain.

It has a little nozzle click which prevents its contents from spilling accidentally which makes it safe to carry in your bag as well.

I totally love the smell and this product after using it. There are times when I forgot to put on sunscreen and this helps to soothe my red and hot skin and I find that I don't tan or my skin doesn't darken as much when I use this every time I return home from outdoors.

I sometimes use it even just for the moisturising effect and smell. You can leave this in the refrigerator which will enhance the cooling effect even more.

At a bargain price of AUD$7.99, this is definitely a steal.

Luv ~ Bargain price. Has antioxidant properties to maintain youthful and anti-aging skin. Great smell. Really soothes the skin.

Don't Luv ~ Nothing.

Feminine hygiene

1. Wash your hair? Yes

2. Shower everyday? Yes

3. Are you really clean? hhmm..

I was watching a show recently and they posed this question. Are we really clean?

Do we really ensure that we clean every part of our body? Little places that we sometimes miss are:

1. Behing the ears

2. Belly button

3. Soles of our feet

4. V - area

Haha..yes the V area. Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable, itchiness, discomfort down there?

The v area actually has a different pH level to the rest of our body and a normal body cleanser isn't enough and could actually disrupt the delicate balance. Our body is meant to be around pH 6.1 -7 while the V area is pH 3.5 - 4.5.

Things that we can do:

"Many women are unaware that rayon and rayon-cotton blends are widely used in the manufacture of tampons. Rayon is commonly chlorine-bleached, and is a highly absorbent fibre. Dioxin, a toxic carcinogen, is a by-product of all chlorine bleaching methods and is also found throughout the environment in varying levels as a by-product of pesticide spraying and pollution from incinerators. Dioxin has been found to collect in the fatty tissues of animals, including humans and should, therefore, be a real concern for women. Published scientific reports have shown that evidence is growing that even low levels of dioxins may be linked to cancer, endometriosis, low sperm counts and immune system suppression. Considering a woman may use as many as 11,000 tampons in her lifetime, she may be subjecting herself to additional dioxin exposure." (credit)


1. Try to use cotton panty liners and tampons. These are chemical and perfume free which is much better.

2. Use feminine products specifically for the V area.

I found after doing this that it definitely help me with discomfort and itchiness that I've previously experienced. Maintaining is definitely a better option that waiting for something to happen, I say!

Products that are useful are:

Lactacyd Daily Feminine Wash

(There are also other brands such as Eve and Vagisil).

When you need to relieve itching, works like a charm.

This is such an important area as our babies come into this world from there and we need to make sure that we do not neglect that area.

Suffering from the flakes?

Everyone hates the dreaded flakes. Especially for us ladies who loves our black clothes and those flakes just loves standing out on black! Grr....

Do you know what I'm referring to? Yes, it's the dreaded dandruff!

Is this your expression when all you wanted to do was to touch your hair and you look in horror as this happens (pic above)? I've been through it and totally understand. I started getting the flakes when I moved to Sydney a few years ago and it definitely has to be the change in weather and with Australia being a lot drier. I felt like I've tried everything but nothing seems to be working and days turned to months and months turned to years!

Finally, enough is enough and some drastic action is required.

No. 1 - Time to do a bit more research (i.e. internet).


According to Wiki, dandruff is caused by excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. It has nothing to do with not having clean hair etc...

For people with dandruff, skin cells may mature and be shed in 2 - 7 days, as opposed to around a month in people without dandruff. The result is that dead skin cells are shed in large, oily clumps, which appear as white or grayish patches on the scalp, skin, and clothes.

No. 2 - Doctor, where are you?

Went to the GP to check once and for all what is the problem as I was getting yellow, scaly scab flakes and bleeding. Realised that I have Eczema of the scalp. This is getting worse than just plain old dandruff, my scalp was getting so dry from the anti-dandruff shampoo (Head & Shoulders) that I've been using that I've now developed Eczema.

No. 3 - Shopping time.


After a few tips and advice from the internet, I discovered several faux pas that I've been doing and went to buy what was advised. Sorry ladies, but Head & Shoulders just did not work for me.

Now, I put my plan into action and in 2 short months, I now no longer have dandruff and have been free of that for months and I have stopped using an anti-dandruff shampoo for many months now and it hasn't returned.

My tips from what I've learned:


1. Leave the anti-dandruff shampoo on your scalp for at least 1-5 minutes before rinsing for it to be effective. I've always just lather up, massage my scalp and rinse off immediately (this process was possibly 2 mins tops!). No wonder it didn't work as I didn't leave the shampoo long enough on my scalp for it to work.

Change your shampooing routine, lather up the shampoo and massage it into your scalp. Then, leave it and clean the rest of your body ( this should take at least 5 minutes which should give the shampoo plenty of time for it to work!). Come back to rinsing off the shampoo after that and then comes the conditioner. It increases your shower time and what do you do while waiting for the conditioner to do its magic too? Find something I guess, I know I had to.


The 2 shampoos that I found to be super effective were:

Nizoral® A-D Shampoo

Kiehl's herbal shampoo and scalp treatment for dandruff

Start using the shampoo regularly and every 2 weeks, slowly reduce and replace with your normal shampoo. There will come a time when you find that you no longer need it as you no longer have it anymore.

2. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise.

Your hair and scalp will be uber dry when using anti-dandruff shampoos so remember to use hair conditioner and hair treatments for both the hair and the scalp. Even after there is no more dandruff, keep your scalp in check by using a scalp treatment weekly.



Doesn't have to be $$$, I use

Missha Provice Scalp Care Treatment

Dandruff can be an embarrassing issue for many and I hope that this helps.

Showtime by Kylie

Stars and celebrities being used to advertise and market perfume seems to be the norm nowadays. There is a new one called "Showtime" by Kylie Minogue. I really like the design of it. The perfume is a sparkling fruity fragrance which features notes of cranberries, strawberries, freesia, licorice, musk and vanilla. Sounds really delicious, doesn't it?

There is currently a promotion, click here to get your free sample from David Jones or Myer.

Ultima II Lightcaptor-C Concentrate

Eyes are one of the first signs of ageing and wear & tear. The sun, constant rubbing of the eyes all contribute to wrinkles and dryness.

The Lightcaptor-C concentrate promises to

- Helps to minimise dryness, wrinkles and fine lines around the eyes and lips.

- Provides effective skin smoothing without without irritation.

The sales lady also mention that it has Vitamin C in it to lighten and brighten the eye area as well as massaging it to rid of toxins.

I've used it for a while now and I like the roller ball as it doesn't pull at the eyes. It also gives a good massage. My eye area definitely looks a lot brighter now. As I don't really have much wrinkles or fine lines, not sure how effective in that area. I bought it mainly for the puffiness that I get when I wake up in the morning and for the lightening effect.

Luv ~ Love the massage that the roller ball gives. I can still use it once it's empty by applying other eye cream next time and using this to massage it in. My eye area definitely was a lot brighter.

Don't Luv ~ Can be $$$.

Tone and Trim Your Legs While Walking

I recently got myself a pair of this and I absolutely love it. Best pair of thongs a.k.a flip flops that I have ever used.

It definitely costs me a lot of $$$ but worth every penny. What makes it worth its weight in gold? It is said to give your legs a work out with every step you take. So, you are burning more calories while wearing this as well as giving some of the small muscles in your legs a bit of a workout.

Its uniquely built multi-density midsole activates muscles midstep to help tone your thighs, your calves and your glutes. In fact, Fit Flops are biomechanically engineered to absorb shock, lessen joint strain, and recreate the gait of barefoot walking - but with a powerful new built-in micro-wobbleboard workout-enhancing effect.

There is a video here which explains how the sole works. It is basically split into three sections. The end is a cushion heel area which absorbs 36% more shock. Mid section uses micro-wobble board technology which slows the eversion rate and requires more energy to walk. The toe section is firmer which promotes faster toe push off to maintain the same walking rate.

This has been one of the most comfortable thongs I've walked in. I can walk in it all day and it really absorbs the shock of hard surfaces so that my feet doesn't feel really sore and tired. The tiredness comes from my calves and bum which means that I am using those muscles!

I will gladly wear this 24/7 if I can, not to mention that the thicker sole adds a few more Cm's to my height. Now I just need to wait till there are other styles that are more suitable for work and formal situations.

Check out their website for more details.


Luv ~ Can walk in it all day and my heels don't feel the brunt of the shock of walking on hard surfaces. Ultra comfortable, increases my height. Works our your legs and bums.

Don't Luv ~ Limited styles and colours.

Pearly whites?

I've heard of skin makeup, but have you seen makeup for your teeth?

Found them in a shop in Sydney and they all have different properties. You can have it looking natural, extremely white and invisible.

The brush is similar to those nail polishes and it even has a small round mirror on the bottle so that you can see it when you apply. It is meant to be applied to your front teeth where it is the most visible for all to see.

Extremely useful for those who teeth are a little yellow and would like to brighten it up before a night out/interview.

Skin good enough to eat?

Ella Bache is having a promotion known as "Skin good enough to eat"!

If you have a facial treatment with them in February, you'll can enter into their competition to win a year's worth of facial treatments.

Wow! As part of the promotion, they are celebrating healthy skin with a endeavour which you can see if you go to Circular Quay.

I went on an afternoon stroll during lunch and met "Ella". Amazing...we were speculating on why none of the birds came around considering that Ella is made of peaches.

As you can see by those cones on the side that no one is allowed to be too close to Ella or touch the peaches. However, we were hidden by Ella from where we were looking from the security guard and we quickly made a quick touch. Those peaches have been waxed or their skin has been chemically treated.

No chances of this peaches rotting under the sun or getting eaten by the birds anytime soon.

Check out here for more details on the promotion and on Ella.

Swatch Seasons Collection 2007

Wow! Has anyone seen the Seasons Collection 2007 that was specially created for Christmas by Swatch?


I just love them. Can't wait to get one.


Enjoy.