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.

Because You're Worth it- La Prairie Cellular Hand Cream

My hands get so dry during the winter that they feel like sandpapers and that's extremely unattractive. With all the cooking and scrubbing at home to typing and shuffling papers for work, I think that my hands deserve some quality care. I tried Aveeno, Avon, Neutrogena, L'Occitane, Eucerin, Kiehl, just to name a few, but none of them work as well as this product.

My biggest surprise of all was the wonder it did for my hubby's hands. My hands can get dry but they are still relatively soft, which was definitely not the case for my hubby after he spent days working on his lovely cars. His hands get so rough and dry that they simply didn't absorb the other hand lotions or they did, but the lotions were just not moisturizing enough. This lotion was such a miracle worker for his hands. Although it works like a charm, some might be turned off by the hefty price tag. I personally think that our hands work so hard every day that they deserve to be treated well and a tube lasts for quite a while, because it actually works so you are not constantly reapplying.

A pair of dry and scaly hands simply doesn’t match a well maintained face or figure. It's the first thing that people see and feel when they shake your hands and we all know how important first impressions are.

Retail: 95.00 USD, but can be found online for about 83.00 USD

Beautifully Smooth Hair

I'm very fortunate to be blessed with naturally soft hair and when I was younger, I didn't need to apply anything for it to look shiny and smooth. However, my hair along with the rest of me tends to need a bit more attention as I get older. Maintenance is key to keeping your youthful appearance and that applies to every part of you, which includes your hair. Weather and external surroundings also play a vital role in how our hair or skin will look and feel throughout the day. I'm sure some of you noticed how your hair looks extremely flat or frizzy depending on environmental changes. These days I turn to these two products when my hair decides to go haywire on me.

John Frida's Frizz Ease (Original Serum) works well when your hair is very frizzy but I don't recommend this if you are looking for an overall leave on conditioner unless you have natural frizzy curls. If not, it gets to be too thick and oily. However, a few dabs of this work wonders on those frizzy ends.

Biosilk's Silk Therapy is less dense in consistency and works better if you are thinking of applying it to your whole head. However, too much of this can still leave your hair feeling greasy.

Although you can apply these two products before or after blow drying your hair, I find it to work best when I apply a thin layer of Silk before blow drying and use Frizz Ease on those ends which needs a bit more work after blow drying. By combining the two, I get a whole head of super silky hair that I can run my fingers through without over conditioning some part and under conditioning the end.

John Frida's Frizz Ease, Original Serum 1.69oz: Retail for 9.99 USD, but you can find it for 7.00 USD online.
Biosilk's Silk Therapy 2.26oz: Retail for 13.99 USD, but you can find it for around 9.00 USD online. It comes in a lot of different sizes.

Love At First Try Lip Balm

At first, Fresh only carries the "sugar", non-tinted version, which I already absolutely love. After they came out with their "rose" tinted version, I switched over and haven't been able to quit my addiction to this product ever since. Although I am never the kind to retouch my makeup every chance I get, I am often seen reapplying my lip balm periodically throughout the day. The reasons are probably because I am often dehydrated from not drinking enough water even though I drink water diligently and/or humidity in the air is close to non-existent and when that happens, I have a terrible habit of biting on my lips when it starts getting chappy!

For those of you who have the same problem as me, you know that it's not a great habit and your face looks distorted when trying to chew your own lips. I am happy to say that I got rid of that nasty habit after using this product and no other lip balm is as moisturizing or long lasting. With most other lip balms, it lasts me probably less than an hour before I have to reapply, this lasts me closer to half a day before I need to reapply. Some people may not like it at first, because it's thicker and creamier in texture. However, it really works and your lips look less wrinkly and much softer after a few try.

I tried looking for a possible replacement for this item, because it does seem a bit pricey as a lip balm. However, I have yet to find one. The good thing is that since they came out with "rose", I use it as a lip balm and lip color so it's a much better deal and more convenient for on the go purpose.

They now have several shades:
Sugar-Original
Rose-Pink
Passion-Red
Honey-Carmel

Unlike most lip balm with colors, their colors are quite vivid for Passion and Honey. Rose is a bit subtler.

Retail: 22.50 USD

My Cheap & Broad Spectrum Sunscreen!

I use this product by itself and/or under my foundations. When by itself, it serves as a light sunscreen that helps even out slight facial discolorations. When I'm out running errands or grocery shopping, I use this product with a few dabs of Benetint on my cheeks to create a natural, makeup free look as my base.

A lot of sunscreens are too sticky, too heavy or it makes me breakout. This product is extremely light so I don't have a problem wearing it under foundation as well. I don't like how layers of products on my face make me feel and this one doesn't make me feel greased out.

The package may look different from picture shown and there are a few different colors for the actual product. The lavender color helps cover dark circles better under foundation, but by itself, I prefer the transparent and/or beige. Moreover, the lavender one doesn't work as well for tanned skin since it makes your face looks a bit too pale in comparison to your neck.

Retail: 22.50 USD, but you can find online for close to 15.00 USD.

I like a couple other sunscreens as well, but I find this to be the best choice in this price range and my favorite for sunscreen with teint.

Tip: PA measures UVA while SPF measures UVB

Misconception: Higher SPF doesn't mean it's necessarily better; the SPF number is an indicator of how long a person can stay in the sun before experiencing sunburn. (SPF 30= 30 times longer, which means a person who was going to burn in 10 min without SPF 30 sunscreen will experience burn after 300 min when it's applied.)