Hot Yoga- Bikram

Hot yoga is becoming increasingly popular.  Recently, I have decided to give it a try after much persuasion from my friends.  Since I have very low tolerance for heat, I cringed at the thought of exercising inside a room of 105 degrees Fahrenheit.  Nonetheless, I like to give everything a try before writing it off, so I did.  Aside from a slight headache after my first session of Bikram, I actually enjoyed it.  While you are in class, the air may feel stuffy and moist.  You may even find it a bit more difficult to concentrate due to the intensity of the heat.  It is very important to keep yourself hydrated throughout the class.  I believe that my headache from first session was from a very minor heat stroke due to dehydration.  In order to avoid that, it's good to drink an adequate amount of water throughout your workout (bring 2 regular water bottles at least).

What makes hot yoga so appealing?  After a few classes, I do understand why it's addicting.  The deep stretches help loosen the tight muscles and make you feel much lighter in places where you felt tense before.  By the end of the workout, you also feel a sense of detox from all the sweating, which is quite exhilarating.

Before becoming a member to any hot yoga studio, you should take advantage of their new student trial memberships if they have one.  If not, you should take a couple classes at different locations before deciding.  The floors of hot yoga studios are extremely important since you don't want to stay in a room where it's very stinky and germ-filled.  I would suggest picking a studio which has wooden floors or non-porous and non-absorbent premium mats.  Ventilation is equally important to flooring since you will not want to stay in a room with no proper air flow.

As for teaching style, every instructor is a bit different.  Moreover, everyone's body is different.  It's important to try different classes and different instructors to see which suit your style and needs best.  Bikram is considered the hottest, but the movement is not as difficult as for example, hot power yoga.  You may like yoga classes which is slightly cooler in temperature but harder in movements or vice versa.  It's important to listen to your body!

Magnetic Nail Polish

When I have time, I like to get a mani and pedi.  Aside from having effortlessly beautiful looking nails, the whole experience is quite relaxing.  However, it can get quite pricey if you visit the salon on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.  Moreover, it's also a very time consuming habit.  In order to save myself a few trips to the nail salon, I like to play with nail polishes at home when it's a quick fix like color changing.

Recently, I tried this new magnetic polish from Sally Hansen and it's very easy to use.  You apply 1 thin coat first followed by 1 heavy coat.  Afterwards, you quickly put the magnet over the second coat without actually touching the nails and the wavy pattern will appear in a matter of seconds.  I'm not sure who or how they came up with this, but it's quite a discovery.  Unlike painted nail arts that require a lot of skills, most will be able to use magnetic nail polish with minimal efforts.  Moreover, it's so easy to carry.  There is no need for brushes, stickers and etc, just one bottle and you're done.  I definitely recommend giving this product a try.  There are many other brands that also carry magnetic nail polishes, but Sally Hansen is more cost efficient when compared to most.  One bottle cost less than 9.00 USD in most places, both online and in retail stores.  Who can say no to something that's cheap and works great? I know that I can't!

Beaute d' Orient Perfume

I don't wear perfume everyday, but when I do, I want to smell fantastic and like me.  Because of that, I take the time to smell a whole lot of perfume before purchasing. I'm glad that my favorite ones are usually not the ones plastered all over magazines and billboards since I prefer to smell unique.  This is the most recent addition to my perfume collection.  It's perfume and not eau de toilette so it lasts much longer.  A little spray will last you about the whole working day.  It's not too sweet but does have a hint of floral embedded within a woody and fruity smell.  There is not one scent which over powers the other, but instead, it's a nice blend of a bit of everything.  I like it because it smells fresh, feminine, confident, and crisp.  Smell is very subjective, so it's wise to take the time to try it before purchasing.  Moreover, it's also a good idea to bring a friend if you have a difficult time selecting.  You will be amazed to find how quickly your friends or spouse can tell you if it fits your style.

This perfume is expensive to buy in retail stores but very reasonably priced online.  You can find it on Amazon.com for less than 20.00 USD.  For most fragrances, you can usually find a cheaper deal online, but buy from reliable sources since there are counterfeit perfumes as well.

Shiseido Anessa BB Sunscreen

Summer is here and we all need a little more coverage to protect our face from the beautiful yet harmful sun-rays.  BB cream is popular these days due to its easy usability and nice coverage.  Although some have excellent coverage, it leaves your face with an unnatural hue and the thickness of some feel too heavy for summer.  This particular BB cream with medium coverage is not too thick in density and doesn't add an unnatural tone to your skin.  I especially love how it is a combination BB cream with sunscreen although it did raise a concern in me when I first heard it.  Since BB cream and sunscreen can be somewhat greasy in itself, I was worried about its greasiness if combined.  To my surprise, it's not overly greasy.

These days, I like carrying this item in my purse.  With the blistering sun, I reapply every so often and when I do, I also freshened up my makeup!  The problem with normal sunscreen is that it's hard to reapply after makeup, because you are afraid of smearing.  You won't have to worry with this since you are also reapplying your makeup base at the same time.  I was able to get away with being a bit lazy but equally beautiful as before.

You can find this on eBay for around 30.00 USD

Me Time: Emergency Beauty Treatment

When I first started this blog, I thought that it would be easy to keep it up.  The occasional once or twice a week updates and maybe more if time permits.  These days my life seems overburdened with my new business that I've neglected every other parts of my life, starting from friends and family to little things like picking up clothes from the dry cleaner.

 I'm sure that I'm not the only one who feels like they are constantly running on fumes.  As one blossom with maturity, wisdom, femininity, and other wonderful things with age, responsibilities also feel heavier.  While time seems to go slowly when we were younger, these days 24 hours just don't seem enough.  I applaud those who work, go to school, and have a family. Being the greedy person that I am, I also want the whole lot.  Without a doubt, I also want to manage all that with style, which is harder than it sounds when sleeping is considered a luxury.  Although I try hard to wash my face with care and gently put on all my skin care products everyday, I would be lying if I said that I was able to give my skin the same care everyday.  Considering how little "me" time I have these days, I probably missed a spot here and there when moisturizing.  I probably also didn't clean my face as well as I would've liked and shamefully, I completely neglected my skin once or twice because I was simply, too tired.

If you know what I'm talking about, you would also know how easy it would be to just tell yourself that it's ok to not care so much about appearance, because it's not as important as other things in your life.  Is it really not?  Sometimes, it's not just about attracting other people, but it's about our attitude and how we feel about ourselves.  Although it may sound stereotypic, but a lot of times, we females do end up spending more time taking care of others.  Although it’s a wonderful thing, we also don't want to end up neglecting ourselves.

After draining your energy away with chores and works, one will have to stop and say, " I need some ME time".  A mere 15-30min. of "ME" time feels quite rejuvenating.  Maybe you haven't watched TV in weeks, haven't picked up a book in months or maybe you haven't "really" looked at yourself in the mirror in years!  Well, ladies...no matter what age we are at, we need to FEEL refreshed and not yucky.  During my "me" time, I will give my skin a little treat to make up for lost times.  I love trying out different masks, because I can care for my skin while reading a book or do pretty much anything else relaxing.  If you are a workaholic like me, please refrain yourself from the urge of working during your "me" time and persuade yourself that wearing a mask = relaxing, because it's not.      

Shown in Picture:

These two masks are super great deals.  They work so well and it's not pricey.

They made my face look brighter and it’s softer and firmer to touch. 

I recommend once a week.

These two masks both contain hyaluronic acid, which is super moisturizing.

On the Left:

Japanese brand: (Hisamitsu) Lifecella

Product Name: Lifecella Essence Sheet Mask Hyaluronic Acid 5's

This product comes in two different packagings, so look for either one. 

The mask if made with soft cloth.  (standard for most masks)

Leave on for 15min. 

Price range online: $9 to $23 for a pack of 5

If you don't want to bother with international shipping, I would recommend getting it from Amazon.com.  If you want the cheapest deal, you can get it from Sasa.com, but you will have to purchase a minimum amount to qualify for free shipping.

On the Right:

Korean Brand- The Face Shop

Product Name: Baby Face Hydrogel Mask-Platinum

The mask if made with hydrogel, which delivers active ingredients effectively into skin by reacting directly to skin temperature instead of air.  It also has moisturizing content that is about 15% higher than regular sheets.  It feels like jelly and it's cooler than regular sheets.

Leave on for 20-30min.

This product is more difficult to find in USA and not as widely sold online.

There are a few stores in CA, TX, and NYC.  You can check their website at www.faceshopen.com for location.  As for purchasing online, I did find a couple of websites that carries it, but haven't bought from them so am not sure of their credibility. 

Price range: 6.50-7.99 per piece. 

It's pricier, but definitely worth the try.  

SK-II (New Review)

Sorry for MIA!
I've been very busy these days that I've completed neglected my dear blog. In addition to my busy schedule, my allergy has been acting up and unfortunately for me, my allergy always equal to small bumps/rashes on my face.

However, it's because of my allergy that I realized that I've been unfair in my review for SK-II. When my allergy acts up, I usually have a hard time deciding which products to use, because they usually do more harm than good. I decided to give SK-II a try and it worked really well. It was very moisturizing even when I'm getting my rashes (which later turns into dry patches), but it's delicate enough on the skin that I'm not getting adverse reaction. My experiences with other facial lotions during times like this have been less than positive, since they often make it worse or it's not moisturizing enough. I guess that SK-II really came through this time around for me and it's when I need it most!

SK-II

This product has gotten a lot of praises over the years by my friends and family. Although SK-II is actually a sub-brand of Max Factor, there are few who knows of it or at least, most people that I know doesn't know about it. I find that to be quite a smart marketing strategy, because SK-II successfully became a high-end skincare product using a different brand and image. The main ingredient for SK-II is Pitera and it's interesting how they found this ingredient. It was actually found by studying and researching the cause of extremely soft hands for Japanese women who worked in sake brewery.

Unfortunately, It's hard for me to give SK-II a terrific review due to a couple of reasons. Although I do find it to be a fairly well balanced product, which hydrate my skin quite nicely. It's very difficult for me to tolerate the smell. I find myself applying another layer of lotion immediately on top of this product so I don't have to smell it on my face. For me, it sort of smells like saliva and that really bothers me. Secondly, the cost is definitely high in comparison to a lot of other toner/lotion and although I can tolerate expensive items, I need to find it worthy. For me, this particular product from SK-II was only ok and not great for the price.

For 7.3 oz. bottle, it's retailed for 195.00 USD, but you can find it for 140.00 USD online.