Valen’s Vanity Square

Bought a magazine few days ago, and attached to the magazine is a sample bottle of skincare products. It’s Hada Labo’s Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer Lotion.

I’ve seen Hada Labo range of products being sold in the pharmacies, but I didn’t really pay attention to them, coz their labels are mainly Japanese characters!

It’s claimed that this Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer Lotion is sold one bottle every 4 seconds in Japan. Wow, it must be very good then.

So I tried it for a few days. Because it doesn’t have SPF factor, so I used it at night. I now see why it’s such a popular skincare product. I sleep in an air-conditioned room, so usually when I wake up in the morning, my face looks dull and dry. It reflects on the enlarged pores.

But after using Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer Lotion, my skin actually stays quite supple in the morning when I wake up, and my pores are not as large as usually seen.

The lotion is colorless and odorless. It’s quite watery, when applied to the skin it feels a bit sticky. But it gets absorbed into the skin soon.

I think this is a good skincare product for those who stays long hours in an air-conditioned room, whether during working hours or sleeping at night. It helps to keep the skin hydrated but doesn’t appear to cause oiliness of the skin. I think I’m going to get a full-size bottle after I finish the sample bottle.

Bought a magazine the other day and was happy to find a sample sachet of Lancome’s UV Expert Neuroshield High Potency Active Protection 12H UV-Pollution SPF50 PA+++. I tried it on the next day before I left for my morning exercise session in the park.

I expected the moisturizer to be really creamy and heavy since it has SPF50. But to my surprise, it is rather light-weight, easily blended over the face, and it smells good too. I basically finished up the whole sachet, applying it generously on my face and neck, haha! For a lotion with SPF50, Lancome UV Expert Neuroshield does not leave a feeling greasiness on the skin. I like it very much!

Lancome UV Expert Neuroshield High Potency Active Protection12H UV-Pollution SPF50 PA+++

I don’t know its price, but my guess is it should be around RM200. Nope, I won’t be buying it this time around, as I still have lots of other bottles of lotion and cream to finish up, hehe. If I were to buy every skincare product I like, then hubby probably would need to buy drive one of those travel trailers, so that I could carry all my one hundred and one skincare items whenever we travel to KL.

Anyway, if you are looking for something with equivalent SPF but comes with a cheaper tag, check out Garnier UV Protect Advanced Daily UV Blocking Lotion SPF50/PA+++.

Garnier UV Protect Advanced Daily UV Blocking Lotion SPF50/PA+++

I haven’t gotten any sample to try on this one yet. If I remember correctly, its price is less than RM40 in the pharmacies. Hmmm, wonder where I could get free samples of this to try…

I haven’t really started using the Biotherm products I bought last month as I still have Estee Lauder’s day use moisturizer to finish. One thing about Biotherm creams and gels is that they don’t contain SPF ingredients, even if they can be used for both night and day.

Naturally, to use it during daytime, I need to apply a sunscreen lotion for the face following moisturizer. So, I went to Sasa last week and bought its SunGuard with White Tea extract with SPF30 and PA++, which costs RM32. Hey, that’s RM100 cheaper than Biotherm sunscreen lotion with SPF50!

I tried using it last Sunday morning together with my Biotherm Aquasource gel when going out for exercise in the park. Hmmm, SunGuard really …. smelled weird. I mean, I can accept rubbing a sun block cream with that smell onto my arms and neck, but on my face? I did hesitate when I smelled it… but I applied it anyway. May be it’s just me. May be I’m not used to the smell.

As I mentioned before, my first ‘impression’ on a product at first encounter determines if I will continue to use it. This, is not so a pleasant one. But I will try my best to finish it. May be I could keep it till I have my holiday on sea on one of the caribbean cruises, haha! (That would be so way passed the product’s expiry date.)

Oh well, guess I just have to do outdoor exercise more often to finish it up as quickly as possible.

I went for a short holiday at Langkawi Island last month. Although it was not a typical beach holiday that I dreamed it to be, i.e. sun-bathing on the sand or frolicking in the water (in a bikini perhaps), I still find myself slightly tanned on my hands and legs, and my face was at least one tone darker.

When my face still didn’t look any brighter 2 weeks post-holiday, I decided to get a whitening product for night use. Since I have used Olay White Radiance Intensive Whitening Lotion (SPF24) and like it, I figured I could try its Night Whitening Cream from the same range.

Olay White Radiance Night Whitening Cream

• Vitamin B3 provides cellular energy for skin to enhance skin’s renewal process.
• Olay Whitening Complex (vitamin B3, mulberry extracts, vitamin C) actively reduces spots and evens out skin tone while you sleep.
• Multiple vitamins and rich moisturizing mixture to efficiently achieve better texture, clarity and glowing radiance for your skin.

At first I was quite concerned whether the cream would be too heavy for my skin. To my surprise, after using it for several weeks, it’s actually less greasy than I thought, and I didn’t find myself wake up with a shiny face. The cream is easily applied evenly over the face, and it actually does what it promises to “…achieve better texture, clarity and glowing radiance…”.

After using the night cream for about a week or so, I could already see that my skin tone was brighter than before. And now I’m using it on my neck as well.

I wonder if I should also slap the cream on my arms and see if it works there too…. ;P

It’s a bad habit of mine that I can’t stop trying new skincare products, before I even finished what I have on my dressing table, hehe. But it’s just a small pack of NUTOX Oxyfusion Starter Kit that I’m talking about here.

NUTOX Oxyfusion range of products is inspired by a treatment concept called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, which is claimed to help “promote healing, reduce swelling and improve the blood supply to help reverse aging and brighten your skin”.

The starter kit comes with:

NUTOX Oxyfusion Wrinkle Away Cleanser (10 ml)

• Contains Nuroxygen that helps to promote oxygen supply to improve skin vitality & enhance skin resilience
• Helps improve skin regeneration and reduce the visible signs of aging
• Cleanses, whitens and helps protect skin against the formation of fine lines
• Ideal for normal skin

I have finished up this small tube of cleanser and I like it! It doesn’t leave my skin dry and tight after washing. Instead, I feel there is a light shield of moisture that makes my skin smooth to the touch.

NUTOX Advanced Serum Concentrate (3 ml)

• Contains Nuroxygen
• Contains Nubenone, the ingredient used to instantly fill up gaps in between lines to diminish signs of aging
• Blended with Plant Organics & NanoBeta-White to enhance skin transparency & whiten dull complexion
• Suitable for all skin types

I think I almost finish this very tiny bottle of serum, can’t tell much yet about the effect though. This serum is easily absorbed by the skin and doesn’t cause my face to be oily or trigger any other skin problems. I would like to get the full-size bottle and give it a real try, but not now. I still have my very new Estee Lauder stuffs to try.

NUTOX Moisture Emulsion SPF 25 PA++ (15 ml)

• A moisturizing + whitening formulation
• Restores skin’s optimum moisture balance, reduces signs of ageing, whitens and moisturizes to revive skin’s natural smoothness
• Ultra light and easily absorbed
• Suitable for oily to combination skin; for day use

If you are one of those (including myself) that likes tinted moisturizer, then you are not likely to use this. Because it is not tinted, it doesn’t provide that immediate ‘whitening’ effect that instantly brightens up your complexion. Somehow I felt that it is not providing enough moisture for my combination skin. So, I still prefer my Garnier Light or Olay White Radiance moisturizers.

NUTOX Supernatural Night Repair (5 ml)

• Contains Nuroxygen
• Blended with Nubenone and NanoBeta-White to further enhance skin transparency and whiten dull complexion
• Suitable for all skin types

Although this night moisturizer is in cream form, it does not cause greasiness on the face as what creams normally do. The skin becomes supple and exudes a very nice glow after application.

I now can’t decide whether I should get this or Olay White Radiance Night Cream to be my night moisturizer when I’m done with my Garnier Pure Shine Control moisturizer. How eh?

While I ponder over this tough question, may you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Since I’m now a fulltime housewife, I hardly go out of the house except during weekends and when travelling with hubby.

At home, I use Garnier Light Whiten & Protect Moisturizing lotion with SPF15 most of the days. When I need to leave the house, I will use something with a higher SPF.

Currently I’m using Olay’s White Radiance Intensive Whitening Lotion with SPF24, which is suitable for combination to oily skin.

This lotion works in 3 ways:

Corrects – Olay Whitening Complex with higher concentration of Vitamin B3 that effectively targets dark spots and visibly lightens skin.

Protects – SPF24 that blocks harmful UVA/UVB rays and helps avoid skin from becoming dull and dark again.

Enhances – Skin-nourishing vitamins to help enhance skin’s natural radiance from within, and keep you fairer for longer.

While Olay Total Effects is now gone from my dressing table (already given to my mom), I have two bottles of Olay White Radiance – one to keep at home, one for travelling.

I like this lotion because it can be easily and smoothly applied across the face. It does not give the feeling of ‘heaviness’ on the face (unlike Olay Total Effects). It is also not oily because it’s a non-greasy, light-weight formula.

I also find the 30-ml bottle very handy. I always keep one in my handbag when I go out, so that I can reapply when necessary.

Olay has come out with their all new Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-aging Cream with SPF 15. Well, I’m not keen to try it yet, as I still have a half-full bottle of Olay Total Effects+ Gentle Formula with UV protection, which is a fragrance-free formulation.

• Powered with 7 vitamins and minerals: vitamin C, zinc, titanium, magnesium and Vitaniacin, Olay’s unique complex of Vitamin E, Vitamin B3 and Pro-vitamin B5
• Helps reduce the 7 signs of aging for visibly younger looking skin

— Visibly reduces lines and wrinkles
— Smoothes skin texture
— Evens skin tone for more balanced color
— Transforms skin dullness to a radiant healthy-looking glow
— Minimizes the appearance of pores
— Diminishes the appearance of blotches and age spots
— Intensively hydrates dry skin

The reason why I tried Olay Total Effects is because of my mom and my sister. My mom is already 60 years old. To me, she looks like she was 50. No, she is not totally free from pigmentation or fine lines. But take a close look at her face - she has no wrinkles! She has been using Olay Total Effects for at least 2 years. I reckoned her skin would be much better if she had practiced a complete skincare regime earlier in life. She is one of those that only washes and moisturizes her face. But still, you won’t guess that she is a 60 years old aunty.

As for my sister, she is 30 years old, but still experienced skin breakouts so often, most likely due to her late working hours. She tried the Tea Tree Oil products from Body Shop, from cleanser to toner, moisturizing gel and blemish gel, but all to no avail. The problem persisted until one day she decided to replace the toner with Neutrogena’s alcohol-free toner and moisturizer with Olay Total Effects. Voila! Her problems resolved not long after she started her new skincare regime. The acne marks also healed quite well. Now, she has a healthier complexion.

I was amazed by the effect, so I got one for myself. But then, what works for some may not work for or received well by others.

I didn’t use it for long, thus haven’t observed any changes. The cream is quite thick and it takes quite some effort to slather the cream evenly over the face. Although it does give a nice, fair glow immediately upon applying, I don’t like the ‘heaviness’ of the moisturizer on my face. This stops me from using it every day. In fact, I almost forgot about its presence on my dressing table until I saw the advertisement of the latest Total Effects.

I don’t know if other users of this product have felt the same way. I don’t think I will ever finish this bottle. Should I give it to my mom?

Image source: www.olay.com

For all the times before I moved to Penang, I was using moisturizer without any sun block protection on. That means, during my working days, I actually walked under the hot sun to banks, to lunch, to bus stops, not knowing that my skin was being damaged by harmful rays.

Funny enough, after I moved to Penang and literally need not leave the house except during weekends, I started using Kose’s Sekkisei Day Essence with SPF25. Then only I realized the power of SPF - it really helps lighten up my skin tone and slows down the aging signs on the skin.

Now, as long as the sun has not gone down the horizon, I won’t let my face go unprotected - I make sure I apply a moisturizer with at least a SPF 15.

Currently I’m on Garnier Light - Milky Lightening Dew and Whiten and Protect Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 15. I absolutely love them!

The Milky Lightening Dew is considered as a toner with hydrating power, and is able to lighten and smooth the skin. I use it only in the morning. While the instruction says to use a cotton pad to apply, I prefer to pour it straight to my hand and massage it over my face. It’s easily absorbed to the skin, and immediately leaves my skin soft and supple. I also love its light fragrance of lemon, very refreshing.

The Whiten and Protect Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 15 also contains lemon essence, which gives it the refreshing and pleasant smell. On top of that, it’s said to fight brown spots because it contains the anti-pigmenting Long Dan extract. The consistency of the lotion is rather light, doesn’t give that ‘heavy’ feeling upon applying to the skin. It’s easy to smooth across the face, so I don’t need to use much. I can feel that my skin is well moistened and my face exudes a healthy glow right after application.

This moisturizer really goes well with my skin. I would say it’s one of the best day-use moisturizers you can find on open shelves. Best of all, I can afford it!