Valen’s Vanity Square

Thanks again to Jess from Lolyco for giving me this valuable Bio-essence Non-Surgical Face Lift Pine Pollen Trial Pack to ‘test’. I have been wanting to try their face-lifting cream before considering the full-size jar.

Bio-essence Non-Surgical Face Lift Pine Pollen Trial Pack (RM27.96)

Let’s see what are inside this promotional pack…

Deep Cleanser (10g)

• Cleanses skin without leaving a tight feeling after wash
• Removes makeup & impurities
• Skin feels refreshed & soft after use

To me as long as a cleanser cleanses well and doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry, it’s good enough to be used every day. But at night I will still carry out my double cleanse ritual - first with cleanser milk or cream, followed by a foaming gel like this one.

Skin White Revitalizing Exfoliator (10g)

• Removes dead & aging skin
• Makes skin finer, fairer and smoother
• Removes blackheads, whiteheads, dark spots & pigmentation

If you have used Ginvera Marvel Gel before, then this is something similar. An exfoliating gel that comes with natural micro-rice beads suitable for daily use, it is a gentle way of removing dead cells from the skin without making my skin dry. But I most probably won’t use it every day if I buy the full-size product, because it’s doesn’t come cheap (neither does Ginvera Marvel Gel)!

Radiant Youth Essence (5g)

• 95% enriched with green tea essence & Ginseng
• Locks in moisture, keeps skin hydrated and soft
• Refines pores for radiant skin

I LOVE this one! It may ‘look’ oily in its form, but as long as you massage it slowly and until it is fully absorbed into the skin, it won’t leave any trace of greasiness on your face. Instead, you will feel that your skin is silky smooth… so soft… so tender… I am definitely putting this into my next shopping list.

Face Lifting Cream (10g)

• Firms and lifts face contours
• Shallows visible aging lines
• Restores skin firmness & elasticity
• Refines pores

This cream doesn’t contain SPF, so I am using it only at night, immediately after Radiant Youth Essence. It can be used during day time as well, as long as you remember to apply your sunscreen lotion. Initially I was quite concerned if it would be too heavy for my skin (i.e. causing my skin to become oily). But, so far so good. I would prefer lotion though, if they have one.

The cream causes a cooling sensation once applied on the face. So far I haven’t noticed any obvious reduction on lines, or increased firmness of my face. But I do feel a mild tightening effect every time I apply the cream (though visually I haven’t observed any difference). I’m not sure if this means the cream is working to pull and lift my face… I hope it is! Perhaps I have to use it more often and for a longer time.

So, I still couldn’t decide whether to put Bio-essence face-lifting cream into my shopping list. Hmm, may be I should first try L’Oreal’s face-lifting cream. I wonder if they have trial pack as well…

Just several days ago, a tiny pimple popped out on, not my face, but my upper lip, right at the lip line.

While I have acne solutions for skin, I have no idea what to do with one on my lips! I can’t possibly apply tea tree acne cream on them, can I? Thankfully, it’s sort of flatten down now, but there is still a red mark there.

This is my first time having a pimple on the lips. I wonder if that’s common. If lips don’t have sebum glands (as I mentioned in my previous post), then there should not be a problem of excess oil production, which can cause acne.

Is it due to my recent diet, or the way I slathered different stuffs onto my face? You know me.

I read that certain chemical ingredients in face care products are known to cause acne problems, including:

• Mineral Oils
• Harmful alcohols
• Parabens (cheap preservatives that many people are allergic to)
• Harsh soaps (e.g. sodium laurel sulphate, ammonium lauryl sulphate) that may lead to itchy and red skin.
• Benzoyl peroxide, a common acne treatment ingredient, may be harmful instead of helpful if there is too much of it on your skin.

So for those of you really want to go all natural with acne treatments, you can check online about Acnexus products, which are made with plants and herbs known to relieve acne problems and benefit the skin in general.

As for the pimple on my lip, I will just let it heal naturally (and refrain from eating spicy food for a while), hehe.

Here I am, sitting in Starbucks @ Genting Highlands, typing this entry and sipping on a cup of ice Passion tea. It looks quite foggy outside, and I’m feeling some chills even though I’m sitting indoor.

Genting is a really great city of entertainment with its casinos and theme parks. Lots of food to eat, too, haha! (Eating is a kind of entertainment to me!) The cool weather here also makes it a perfect place to escape from the hot weather down there.

Yes, the air is so cool here, but it’s also drying the skin if you don’t apply a face moisturizer! I now even apply lip balm from time to time as I saw the skin around the corner of my lips started to peel yesterday. I didn’t use to like putting on lip balm; I think most of them are sticky and oily.

I know it needs to be oily to prevent lips from drying, I don’t like the sticky feeling though. I only used a lip balm if I was holidaying in a country during winter. But since I bought my Biotherm lip moisturizing balm with SPF8, I so totally love to use a lip balm now (well, only this one, not others! ;P). It’s so ‘tasty’ with a sweet fruity smell, mmmm…. And it is able to provide some sun protection besides moisturizing my lips with a shiny effect.

Yeah, just like our facial skin, lips also need moisturizing and sun protection. There is one difference though - unlike our skin, lips don’t have sebum glands to produce natural oil to keep it moisturized. As a result, lips can become dry quickly. Without the protection by sebum, lips become more susceptible to sun damage. And just like the skin, tissues that maintain the fullness of the lips degenerate, leading to increased (ugly) lines on the lips (arghhh, we gals definitely hate to see such signs of aging~) . Worst of all, sun damage also increases the risk of skin cancer!

How about lip glosses? Can they prevent lip dryness? While lip glosses do moisturize the lips to a certain extent, giving them a good shine and making them so kissable (mmmuahh!), experts suggest that shiny lip glosses can actually cause more harm to the skin. What they are saying is that these lip glosses can intensify the sun rays on your lips (as if you’re putting a magnifying glass on your lips). Can you imagine what kind of damage your pout is going to suffer (if sun ray focused on a piece of paper can cause it to smolder!)???

While there are no actual scientific proof to this yet, it will still be wise to apply a lip balm with SPF before putting on that shiny, shimmering lip gloss. Or, to save money, time and trouble, get a lip gloss containing SPF!

So, remember, besides preventing lip dryness, it is equally important to protect your lips from the harm of the sun rays! Always apply and re-apply a lip balm or lip gloss with SPF!

With the increase of global petrol prices, the cost of living is on the rise too. Oooh… that hurts, coz it also means less shopping, less eating out, and forget about an oversea holiday next year!

However, it doesn’t mean I have to endure zero shopping or traveling.

My radar for skincare products and cosmetics continues to scan for new and interesting items, but just that it now focuses on products below a hundred bucks.

For my next anti-aging cream, I would either go for L’Oreal Revitalift Double Lifting Cream or Bio-Essence Face Lifting Cream with Pine Pollen. For problems like fine lines, I could try Eucerin’s latest intensive wrinkle-filling series - Hyaluron-filler creams for face and eye. These Eucerin products are priced around 90 ringgit, but with recent sales and promotions, one can get them at around 70 or 80 ringgit, depending on individual pharmacies.

As far as traveling is concerned, those who are firm with their oversea vacation plans, you may want to work out a new travel budget coz costs of accommodation and transport are expected to be higher than before. For example, if you are heading to Hilton Head Island, then better check out the latest Hilton Head rental. As for me, I will have to be contented with a Langkawi Island retreat with family next February. (Every year is Visit Malaysia Year…. )

As mentioned last week, I received free samples of skincare products to try out. They are products of Institut Esthederm Paris, given on the courtesy of Lolyco.com.

There were three of them:

From left to right: Eye contour gel cream, pore refiner concentrate, royal jelly vitalizing cream

Eye contour gel cream
This cream has a nice sweet fruity smell. It is rich and very moisturizing. For me, it may be a tad too heavy. But if you have dry skin around the eyes, I believe this eye cream is able to help.

Royal jelly vitalizing cream
A moisturizer with a mild but pleasant smell, it can be used day and night. But since it doesn’t contain SPF, so it must be followed by an SPF lotion in the daytime. I’m only using it at night. It doesn’t feel too heavy on the skin after application. So far I haven’t noticed any difference from using this cream (3-4 applications).

Pore refiner concentrate - must have!
This is what I like and will recommend! As it name says, it did really refine my pores after 4-5 applications! It is applied after the toner and before the moisturizer. My usually enlarged pores looked ‘tighter’ and so much less obvious. Too bad I have finished up the sachet. One 50-ml bottle of this concentrate costs RM223.50 at Lolyco.com. A bit pricey. But it will be a good, shall I say, ‘investment’ for a smooth, silky skin? Furthermore, a 50-ml bottle can last for quite some time. Hmm, I wonder when I will receive my pay checks…

I don’t know where else one can get Institut Esthederm products apart from Lolyco.com. Anyway, if you are interested, do check out their online store, okay?

My bottle of Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher is going to be empty soon. Although the pores on my skin do look slightly smaller than they used to be 4 or 5 months ago, but frankly, the product didn’t work wonders on me. So there won’t be a second bottle of this cream on my dressing table.

May be my expectation is too high. I shouldn’t expect my skin to revert to its youngest days when one would need a magnifying glass to see clearly the pores on my face, haha! The fact is, once pores are stretched, there is no way to permanently shrink them back to their original size. However, we can do a few things to help minimize the appearance of pores and prevent them from becoming even larger.

Below are some suggestions from skin experts:

• First and foremost, practice good skincare habits. Wash make-up AND sunscreen before go to bed at night. My personal opinion: Some people tend to use moisturizers with SPF at night. That’s a no-no! If you want to use whitening products, use whitening moisturizer designed for night use.

• Do not pop or prick pimples as this will stretch the pores further, as well as lead to scarring. (May be I’ve done this too much when I was younger! )

• Use skincare products that increase levels collagen and elastin (e.g. products with vitamin C and retinol because they increase collage production) to prevent the pores from stretching.

• Use products with alpha-hydroxy acids that will help exfoliate skin, keeping it clear of oil and dead skin cells, which are culprits for enlarged pores.

• Pores look more obvious when they are clogged with oil or sebum. For oily or acne-prone skin type, experts suggest using products with salicylic acid to clear out oil in the pores.

• When the skin around the pores swells slightly, the pores will appear smaller. Experts believe facial serums containing vitamin C can do the trick. I rely on facial masks - feed my skin with water, it will ‘pump’ up and soft to the touch.

So, looks like I still have a long road to go when it comes to pores matter, huh?

I’m thankful that nowadays I do not need anti-acne treatment in my daily skincare regime, except for the occasional whiteheads, which I can rely on my Cellnique Pro Sebum Gel to work it wonders.

Unlike 10 or 20 years ago when we used to apply acne cream containing chemicals like benzoyl peroxide, today increasingly more people favor natural acne treatment over conventional acne medications. Natural ingredients, as some people claimed, may be friendlier to the skin, causing fewer allergic reactions or side effects to the skin.

While tea tree oil has been proven effective in treating acne, other plants that may help in acne problems and soothe the skin include aloe vera, green tea, jojoba oil, chamomile, bergamot, lavender and Ylang Ylang, to name a few.

Essentially, what you want is a product that not only heals the acne, but also prevents more from emerging. Even better if the product can help hydrate, nourish and repair your skin. Well, may be that’s too good to be true, to have all wonders work in one single bottle of potion.

Besides ensuring that my skin is well hydrated, I have also included anti-aging products into my daily skincare regime. I’m currently using Estee Lauder’s Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Lotion for day use.

I started to use it last December, and do notice that my skin is slightly firmer now. Yes, just slightly, and not some major extra-super-obvious changes as I hoped for.

While the bottle can still last me for another couple of months, I’m already thinking of the next possible anti-aging cream to try.

Instantly tightens the skin and fight wrinkles effectively

I’m considering L’oreal Revitalift Double Lifting cream. Well, firstly, I envy how Gong Li looks at her age, hehe. Secondly, I think the application system is unique. You can have two exclusive complementary formulas – a lifting gel and an anti-wrinkle cream – to provide an enhanced anti-aging treatment in one application. (Guys, if you don’t understand what I’m talking about, think of it like those HDMI switches that simultaneously connect up to three high definition video sources to give a high definition display of your DVD or PS3 player. )

Of course, it is also a less expensive option that won’t hurt my wallet.

I don’t know of anyone who uses this product. Any of you have tried? Was it effective?

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!