Valen’s Vanity Square

The mentioning of Kose Sekkisei toner in my previous post somehow ‘inspired’ me to write this one - a short list of sun-protection and whitening products that I have used and would like to recommend to everyone. Those that I don’t like will not be mentioned, that’s why this list is so short.

I don’t intend to have a snowy white complexion, but I strongly advise the daily use of sun protection and regular whitening products to maintain a healthy looking and glowing skin.

Olay White Radiance day lotion with SPF24 - Protecting the skin from the damage of the sun light and whitening the skin at the same time. Very wallet-friendly and does it job so well! I could really see a difference after using it for some time.

Garnier Light with SPF15 - Gentle to the skin,pleasant smell of lemon essence. More for sun protection, suitable for daily use if whitening is not your primary goal.

Kose Sekkisei Lotion - the greatest whitening toner of all! Well, at least to me. Hydrating, softening, clarifying, calming, whitening… everything I need in a bottle!

Biotherm White Detox Botanic[A]lyzer Corrective Make-up Base with SPF25 - I bought the white colored make-up base that provides instant whitening effect. However, I found out that the purple colored corrective base (one of the freebies I got from my purchase of Biotherm products) suits my skin color better. It gives an instant correcting effect by diminishing the ‘yellowness’ of my skin. I use either of these to brighten up my complexion (after day moisturizer) daily. The make-up base smells nice, too.

(Note: Start with just a tiny squeeze of the make-up base, and gradually add on if necessary. The whitening effect is drastic if you apply too much of it. You won’t want to look as if you just painted a thin layer of white paint on your face, hahaha!)

Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion for Face and Body, SPF50, PA+++ - Last but not least, this lotion that I have just recently bought is a ‘big’ investment worth spending. If you are going outdoor and want good sun protection from top to toe minus the sticky feeling and typical smell of sunscreen lotion, this is a good one!

Ever since I came back to KL, I noticed my face and arms to become darker. I wonder if the sun in KL was more ferocious than the sun in Penang?

Actually I know why this happened.

First of all, I have stopped using my Olay White Radiance night cream because I am currently using Biotherm Aqua Gel for skin hydration. Guess I have to switch back to Olay White Radiance night cream very soon, so that damage can be repaired before it gets worse!

Secondly, I’m now staying in a landed house. The sun shin drops right at my front door in the morning. I can’t avoid going out because I have to hang up my washed clothes. And when we go out during daytime on the weekends, I have to stand under the sun to open the gate for hubby to drive his car out. In short, more exposure to the sun light now! Nothing that I can do about this until we have our automated gate installed. (Don’t know when!)

What I can do is to make sure every morning I apply my Nivea Body UV Protection Lotion before I go out of the house, even if it’s for a short while. The only problem with this Nivea Body UV Protection lotion is - the lotion has only UVA/UVB filters and Iso-Protectine. No SPF is indicated. The labels says it can prevent skin darkening and premature skin aging though.

Iso-Protectine

A nature-derived anti-oxidant that works dynamically inside your skin’s deeper layers, boosting your skin’s own protection system to help prevent premature skin aging and make it 3 times more resistant to the most damaging stress factors, such as pollution, smoke and UV rays.

I’m just wondering if this lotion will actually help since there is no SPF.

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 opened up a copy of the latest women’s magazine and was amazed to see a whole plethora of skin whitening products on the market today. Even Dior is having a commercial for its latest DiorSnow Sublissime range on TV now. If you are really into this whitening affair, here is a list of the currently available whitening essence you might want to check out.

• DiorSnow Sublissime Whitening Repair Essence (RM350/30ml)
• Dior Prestige White Collection Whitening Revitalizing Essence (RM700/30ml)
• Estee Lauder Cyber White EX Extra Concentrated Brightening Essence (RM350/30ml)
• Shu Uemura White Recovery EX Activating Whitening Essence (RM230/30ml)
• Clinique Derma White Advanced Brightening Essence (RM240/30ml)
• Chanel White Essentiel Ultimate Whitening Essence (RM332/30ml)
• SK-II Whitening Source Derm Renewal Essence (RM285/50g)
• Lancome Blanc Expert 8H Ultimate Whitening Night Essence (RM330/30ml)
• Elizabeth Arden White Glove Intensive Revitalizing Essence (RM252/30ml)

Looks like there is quite a price to pair in order to be a fair lady. (Anyone out there who has tried using any of them, let me know if they are worth the price?)

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