Until the lovely meetup with fellow bloggers Sukie of A Little Bit Of Everything and Hanny of Hanny’s Random Ramblings (And Hanny‘s friend, Miaw) :D You can read about it here! I have to say that I really enjoyed spending time with them- we just clicked very well, and I am looking forward to more meetings with them in the future ;D Also in the plans together, a trip to Ipoh to visit fellow blogger Lily of Chloe.Ash :)

We were wandering around MidValley Megamall and The Gardens and visited almost all the beauty/makeup/skincare shops and kiosks, including L’Occitane. It was then that Sukie mentioned that she loves the Repairing Conditioner. I had a look at it and didn’t think much of it, and we continued our little wandering :P Then somehow it sparked in my mind to try it out, and so we returned to L’Occitane and I got it. It was the last one!

L’Occitane 5 Essential Oils Repairing Conditioner For Dry And Damaged Hair

“Formulated with a natural vegetable complex of 5 essential oils (angelica, lavender, geranium, ylang ylang and sweet orange) and sweet almond oil, this conditioner helps repair dry, damaged, colour-treated or chemically-treated hair. Strengthening and regenerating, it nourishes and helps to restore capillary fibers. It will detangle, soften and add lustre to hair.“

I’ve been using it and liked it so much, I got another bottle from L’Occitane in 1 Utama recently as a backup and also to bring along on my upcoming Labuan trip. Apparently, the second bottle I got comes in a different coloured bottle, but no worries, I’ve checked and the contents are the same, just probably a different batch. I have dry, damaged (I’m sure it would be damaged), colour-treated and chemically-treated hair, and I have to say that it works very well! Sukie was initially concered that it may weigh down my hair, but I can assure you (And her) that it doesn’t at all. The smell is also simply divine, as also vouched by Sukie- it’s not flowery or herbal-y, it’s kind of hard to pinpoint it exactly, but it leaves your hair smelling really good! I like that a lot :D And a random observation: See those raised dots on the bottle? Braille. Simply amazed at the detail L’Occitane put on their products.

It’s a little runnier than most conditioners that I’ve used (Previously it’s Kiehl’s Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner), but I don’t need to use a lot on my hair- maybe a 50 sen sized dollop. The cap is really small (And adorably cute in my opinion), but don’t be fooled- I’ve accidentally dropped the bottle twice in the shower and the cap didn’t break off! I expected it would, being so small, but it didn’t. Usage instructions on the bottle says to leave it on for 1-2 minutes before rinsing off, and I leave it on for around 2 minutes then rinse it off. My hair feels really soft and smooth during and after rinsing, but it’s not a temporary thing and it lasts until I style my hair and even long afterwards :D I don’t react to this negatively either- if I use hair products that aren’t suitable, I get tiny little pimple-like bumps on my scalp or hairline, which isn’t very pleasant, but this doesn’t. I can also see that the condition of my hair is getting better, not dry and frizzy and damaged-looking, but healthier and shinier, and that makes this product a keeper in my books.

The L’Occitane 5 Essential Oils Repairing Conditioner For Dry And Damaged Hair costs RM 75 for 250ml.

Ingredients: Aqua/Water, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Tilia Platyphyllos Extract, Parfum/Fragrance, Angelica Archangelica Root Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Augustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopherol Acetate, Panthenol, Glycerin, Ethyhexylglycerin, Behentrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Limonene, Linalool.

The state of your hands, that is.

Not to boast but long before I heard about this “tip” (If it may be called so) I already had a hunch about it many many years ago- I think it was Victoria Beckham‘s and Madonna‘s hands? I was commenting to Mum about how they spent thousands of dollars (Or more) on maintaining their “young” faces but neglected their hands mainly so you can still tell their age by looking at their hands and not their faces. Not too sure about the state of their hands right now though, but there you have it :P

You can maintain the youthfulness of your hands the way you take care of your face, except in less steps- by just moisturising! With a hand cream, or if you have some unsuitable moisturisers lying around you can use them on your hands. My personal favourite hand cream is O.P.I Avoplex High Intensity Hand And Nail Cream. I find that it smells nice, absorbs fast, keeps my hands soft and is not greasy or slimy or make you feel like you have sweaty hands, all of which are important criteria to me as I use my hands a lot.

Some recommend using a heavy moisturiser/cream at night while they sleep, and/or slip on gloves, but I find it rather cumbersome and restrictive and I usually wake up in the middle of the night to remove them. Or that my hands become greasy and feel uncomfortable. But they do give really soft hands!

Now I thought I’d let you all have a little peek into my “virtual” cupboard and let you see my skincare and makeup routine :P

So this is what I do in the mornings:

I cleanse with Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cleanser, tone with Cellnique Soothing And Hydrating Lotion, apply Cellnique Intensive Hydrating Complex followed by Melvita Calendula Oil and top it off with Marie Veronique Organics Moisturizing Face Screen SPF30- Light Tint. Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Eye Serum goes around my peepers after cleansing and before everything else.

Depending if I’m going out, I’ll apply my pressed powder, line my eyes, curl my lashes and apply mascara :) For now it’s T. LeClerc Pressed Powder in Banane, Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Perversion, Mircoz Magicurler heated eyelash curler and Chanel Inimitable Extreme Mascara in Pure Black. That’s usually all. No blush, no eye shadows… mainly because I do not know how to apply them yet but ssh! :x

I remove my eye makeup with Empro Perfect Eye And Lip Makeup Remover, and of course cotton pads.

And this is what I do at night:

Double cleansing begins with Dermalogica Precleanse then Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cleanser, followed by Cellnique Soothing And Hydrating Lotion, Cellnique Intensive Hydrating Complex, Melvita Calendula Oil and Melvita Sweet Almond Oil. And like in the mornings, Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Eye Serum around my eyes after cleansing.

About twice a week I’ll add in a scrub and mask routine, with Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and then Cellnique Intensive Soothing And Hydrating Masque. Right now I’m also experimenting with some sheet masks, and I’ve been alternating between Cellnique Intensive Hydrating Silk Masque and B Liv By Cellnique Stem Cell Revival sheet masks.

Before bed, I usually apply lip balm to help with my dry lips. My lip balm of choice for now is Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF15.

My skincare routine is relatively stable, my makeup routine less so because I could be experimenting with different powders and/or foundations (If the whim is there), different eyeliners, different mascaras or even sometimes different eyelash curlers! But I’ve been using the ones featured here for quite some time and I always come back to them so yeah. I doubt I’ll have another one of these posts because of the stability… but I’ll be sure to update if there’s any changes to my routine! :P But if you’re really curious- I do keep my routine updated on the About page too!

Confession: I don’t blow-dry my hair. I don’t like to, unless of course it’s a special occasions but even then I try to not blow-dry my hair.  I think that my hair is pretty fragile as it is already, so I don’t want to heat damage it too much further :P That, and I can’t blow-dry my hair without a diffuser, or else I’d look like a horrid frizzy mess. But on times I do blow-dry my hair, I find that this tip does help- it does help cut down drying time.

I towel dry my hair by having my hair wrapped in a hair towel after I wash and condition it and squeezing out excess water, and after showering go about with my skincare routine and get dressed. Then I release my hair and blot it with the towel- I find that by now my hair would be sufficiently “dry” enough to not be dripping water all over me or down my back. I’d then comb out my hair (With a wide-toothed wooden comb from The Body Shop), apply styling products (The bane of curly/wavy hair- the need to apply styling products to keep the hair looking good), style and let air-dry, or in this case, blow-dry.

Then my cleanser crisis came along and I was still on the hunt for the “one” replacement cleanser, and decided to give the cleanser a try again. To date I ended up with two products from the Dr Andrew Weil For Origins range :P

Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cleanser

“This milky cleanser features Dr Weil’s proprietary Mega-Mushroom blend plus skin soothing Bisabolol from Chamomile. Gently, yet effectively melts makeup, dirt, debris and impurities without upsetting sensitive skin. Leaves skin comfortably clean and calm. Great for sensitive and reactive skin.“

I bought the Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cleanser before my last trip to Labuan in December 2011 and used it for the entire duration I was there. I love the smell- it smells like the serum- earthy. It doesn’t foam up and the texture isn’t milky as claimed- it’s more like a balm because it feels rather thick, so only a small amount is required for the entire face and it rinses off easily. I even use the cleanser around and on my eye area to no ill effects, and it does seem to remove some light makeup when I tested it, but I still prefer to double cleanse at night. It does leave my skin feeling calm, non-reddish and feeling soft after washing, and throughout my entire time using it I did not experience any adverse effects e.g. whiteheads or breakouts, which is great. Plus points for coming in a tube, as it’s travel-friendly and easy to dispense and control the amount dispensed. I did try a few cleansers after this one but I still went back to it, so I think my search has ended :P

The Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cleanser retails for RM 130 for 150ml.

Please click on the image to enlarge if you’re interested in the ingredients list. It’s too long to type out and makes the post oh-so-wordy :P

Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Eye Serum

“This lightweight, moisturizing eye serum with Dr Weil’s proprietary Mega-Mushroom blend instantly quiets and calms vulnerable, redness-prone eye zones. Visibly reduces under eye puffiness and dark circles. Eyes look healthy, refreshed and comforted.“

I loved the cleanser so much, I wanted to try the other products in the range, but was worried about my skin’s reaction (Especially since I reacted negatively to the serum), so I decided to give the Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Eye Serum a try instead. The eye serum did not smell like the face serum or the cleanser at all, but instead smells more “savoury”. The texture and consistency is neither too thick nor too thin, and is easy and smooth to apply. It does seem to have reduced my eye’s minor puffiness, but I can’t really vouch for reducing dark circles- they’re “now you see it now you don’t” but it doesn’t seem to get worse for sure. My eyes are pretty sensitive but not sensitive enough to react to everything that goes near it, but I do feel that my eyes do feel “calmer” after using this serum, and definitely looks fresher! It also does not interfere with my eyeliner applications- they all go on smoothly. I love the eye serum too!

The Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Eye Serum retails for RM 200 for 15ml.

Please click on the image to enlarge if you’re interested in the ingredients list. It’s too long to type out and makes the post oh-so-wordy :P

They may seem quite costly, and I don’t deny that they aren’t expensive especially when you’re buying them for the first time, but you only need a small amount of product each time you use them based on my usage- the Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Cleanser has lasted for about more than 3 months for me with twice-a-day, everyday usage, and the Dr Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Eye Serum only requires a small amount, not even a pump. I find that  a “drop” (Very gentle press of the pump) is even more than enough for both my peepers, so I can foresee the tiny bottle lasting me quite a while.

Origins has something called a “purity promise“, which is a huge plus, along with the Dr Andrew Weil For Origins range’s pledge that after-tax profits from royalties from the sales of products in the range are donated to the Weil Foundation for research on integrative medicine. Thankfully though, I’ve had no negative reactions to these two products (Touch wood!) despite the incredibly long list of ingredients, but in fact love them, so it’s all right :P I’m already on my second tube of the cleanser, too :D Sukie also happens to love the Dr Andrew Weil For Origins range, especially the face serum and the lotion!

I read this tip quite a while back (Apologies for losing the source), and I have to say it’s my first time hearing it :P I used to exfoliate (With my homemade scrub I mentioned here) or my other scrubs AFTER shaving, as I thought it might help “scrub away” potential ingrown hairs, though I can’t say if my method worked. I didn’t experience any irritation, though. But I can understand the “extra smooth skin” part, as you’re buffing off the dead skin.

However, now that I’ve turned to waxing (At WAXxx) for my go-to hair removal method, I hardly shave unless for super important occasions (But then again, waxing keeps me hair-free for a relatively long time), but I still do exfoliate once or twice a week depending. It helps prevent ingrown hairs (As well as making your skin smooth), this I can confirm! :P