Hatomugi Skin Cond Vs Albion Skin Conditioner Essential

Bye bye uncomfortable skin...
Hello Hatomugi Skin Cond Vs Albion Skin Conditioner

 VS

I know -I know.... there has been lots of rave on Hatomugi Skin Conditioner for a couple of years now. But hey, better now then never right? Don't worry, this post is not going to reiterate what everyone else have said... muahahaha... instead, we will be doing a comparison with Albion Skin Conditioner Essential because they both contain the same main ingredient (Job's Tears Extract) and OH MY... The huge price gap... (see my old post on Albion Skin Conditioner Essential)

Okay, since iwannabelenglui have used both the product above and havecompleted full bottles over months, I think it is time we did a comparison chart. Lengluis who have been plagued with acneic skin, please turn to hydrating your skin with either of these skin conditioner. I give both thumbs up for lengluis with problematic skin (since iwannabelenglui is so prone to breakouts).

If you are too lazy to read on, FINAL CONCLUSION = Hatomugi stays because it is budget friendly (LOL... see?? $$$ is a huge factor here!)

	Hatomugi Skin Conditioner	Albion Skin Conditioner Essential
Efficacy	Does not prevent internal Acne But soothes redness and hydrates acneic skin Hydration level is quite normal	Does not prevent internal Acne But soothes redness and hydrates acneic skin Better hydration compared to Hatomugi Skin Cond
Price	RM29 for a 500ml bottle	RM313 for a 330ml bottle
Value for Money	YES!! For that price?!	Not really if you have a comparable alternative hahahaha.. but I still heart it.
Ingredients	Water, Butylene Glycol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Coix Lacryma, Jobi (Job's Tears) Seed Extract, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben	Water, Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Solvent, Aesculus hippocastanum, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-yuen Seed Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glutathione, Hamamelis virginiana, Chondrus Crispus, Menthol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sorbitan sesquioleate, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance
Feel	Lightweight like splashing water on your face Soothing feel to it, non-sticky or greasy no matter how much you load on Fragrance free	Lightweight like splashing water on your face Soothing feel to it, non-greasy But will feel a little twinge of sticky if you load on too much Very subtle fragrance
Satisfaction	YES	YES
Conclusion	Suited for girls with sensitive and acne skin but not too dehydrated Simple but effective at soothing irritated skin Contains parabens as preservative	Suitable with girls with dehydrated, sensitive  and acne skin Contains the extra anti –inflammatory and anti-allergy ingredients but effect seems almost like using Hatomugi Skin Conditioner. Contains parabens as preservative

Just what are you trying to say MR. ACNE P.?

 Just what are you trying to say MR. ACNE P.?

Lengluis, checkout this site >> interesting information on "what our acne is telling us?"

Botani Acne Rescue Cream - Oh Please Save Me Skin!!

I've always had this thing with Organic products. Though... they are always great to use but never gave any miracles. See that Organic shop in the shopping mall? I probably have a membership there... Garner the fact that either I applied for the membership or bought too many products at one go.... LOL... 2012 New Year Resolution.... THIS ONE HOARDER HABIT has SERIOUSLY got to GO!!!

Okay, so this time, the TNS (The Natural Source in Midvalley) shop was too tempting to resists going in. That's when it took me tops 5 minutes to decide on another skincare range - Botani Skin Rescue Kit.

You know... I haven't even heard of this brand until now (2 weeks later of using the Botani Acne Rescue Cream from their product line) Seems like I don't even need to do much reviews on this. The amount of claims that this is an AWESOME product is massive!!! Look at the reviews and the BEFORE-AFTER pics (oooh my....) from these lengluis....

• https://www.beautyheaven.com.au/skin-care/acne-blemish-prone/25180-botani-rescue-acne-cream
• http://www.soompi.com/forums/topic/345278-botani-rescue-acne-cream/
• http://aquaheart.multiply.com/photos/album/48/Botani_Skin_Rescue_Kit_for_Acne_And_Normal_Skin?&show_interstitial=1&u=%2Fphotos%2Falbum

Conclusion PROS:

• Works in gradually killing off bacterial acne (tiny bumps that's starting to turn huge will just slowly DISAPPEAR... muahahahahaa)
• Does not dry the skin and its pretty nice to use (even thought the scent is umm... rather interesting)
• Anything that helps the skin... is a PRO

Conclusion CONS:

• Seems like the shelf life of this product is pretty short... Hopefully it does not turn ineffective before at least 2 months is up
• This WILL NOT get rid of acne caused by internal factors. It will help maintain it at a... ummm... acceptable size... lol... but... Your acne will stay till you do something about your DIET... See my post on Lemon Juice and Apple Detox

First Step To Say Begone Body Acne!! - Hexagon Shower Filter

So umm, remember the post on Coway Water Softener? huhuhu.... iwannabelengui ended up not getting that because she trialled the water softener for a short period of time and... got the brilliant idea that... the first step to getting rid of body acne should be just a simple water filter! Okay, so maybe Uncle Google helped a little there... lol.... Get rid of the rust that you don't see and chlorine that would end up being bad for you lengluis in the long run.

And being true to her words, iwannabelenglui stuck by the shower filter (Hexagon Shower Filter to be precise) for several months already. Conclusion = OH-FOR-GODS-SAKE.... go get yourself a shower filter! If spending like RM100 or less for a simple filter that would last you 6 months without cartridge replacement means making so much of a difference to the skin, think about when you spend hundreds on your oh-miracle-skincare.

Go wrap a white cloth around your shower head and run the water through several minutes. If you see the cloth turning yellowish brown, baby, it's time you invest in a shower filter. It doesn't matter what brand you choose, just get a reasonably good one that lasts.

Conclusion for Hexagon Shower Filter:

• Seriously? No more chlorine taste or smell
• LOL... I really don't see the rust any-ways but yes... the back-acne reduced
• When you shower, it feels good... Like showering in drinking water...   
• Money-well-spent....  muahahahahhaha...
• Reason for getting this brand? 'Cos its easily available and replacement cartridges are sold everywhere (cosway markets them) 

Biogreen Pytho-Essence - Skin and Colon Food?

Again, I'm down with food allergy... This time, dairy is the main culprit. Been a couple of week of uncomfortable toilet trips and umm... hahaha... diarhoea all thanks to... cheese and cream... Okieess.... so when this happens... poor skin, hair and nails suffer the most!! Aiyooo.... I'm so-so sorry skin... the ravioli plates were too much to resists... sigh... I love ravioli with the tomato cream sauce... haahhahahaa... even if it spells danger-danger to poor lactose intolerant stomach... How now brown cow???!!! haihhhhh...

Remember my posts on Bioxil, Juvanex and all the detox product thingi?? Since they all work on the almost similar principal of fibre, prebiotics and probiotics to help flush out the accumulated toxins and acidity, lets go for Biogreen Phyto-Essence Skin and Colon Foods this time round. Lets just see how it measure up to Bioxil and Juvanex. hohohoho....

Summarized info:

• Product of Taiwan
• Partially Organic ingredients (which I'm kinda skeptical about)
• All natural ingredients that help detox your colon
• Which eventually leads to nicer skin... as usual the claims are exaggerated... hahahhaa
• What the hell... the prebiotics and probiotics are the ones that work and they ware the main ingredient I've been eyeing... 

After 6 days of a once a day regime of  Biogreen Phyto-Essence:

• Oh the stomach feels so much much better
• Given the fact that the pre/pro biotics are working nicely (Hey, to those lengluis who can take dairy, vitagen is your yummiest bet)
• Digestion is back to normal
• Skin... umm... no new breakouts... but the old acne stays put...
• Umm... But the cystic acne is shrinking... hohohoho...
• Huuhuhuhu... please-please let the skin hair and nails go back to normal before the next dinner I have to attend... I wanna wear the cute off shoulder dress that's been sitting in the wardrobe for ages... 
• Lets wait for more reviews when iwannabelenglui complete the 450gm dose huh? lol...

Over the Counter Treatment for Cystic Acne

And then when the cystic acne starts appearing again after a bout of allergy, suddenly I see this:

Renée Rouleau's Anti-Cyst Treatment (USD$38.50)

Oh what a way to start a blog post... hahahhahaa.... iwannabelenglui would like to apologize to her frequent readers on the "hardly-ever-updates" on this blog. As usual... work's been taking up all her blogging time... Okay, back to the topic of cystic acne...

And it seems like this product actually gets a positive respond from the reviewer. And no, it doesn't seem like she's written a bias review... So all's good!

READ the review from BellaSugar site

READ real-users reviews

More research is going to this and hohoho... We'll so find out how the hell we can get our hands on this like soon.... hahahahhaaa....

We can buy this on-line shipped from the US from here

Adult Acne - DIY Lymphatic Massage

And here comes the main post which is the reason for my previous post on differentiating between adult and adolescent acne... So there is a reason sugar_cupcakes actually posted that up.. lol... cunning....

Regular DIY massage at home can help reduce the blockage of our lymph nodes which is one of the main causes for jawline acne... And because I'm so prone to getting jawline breakouts, it's time to share a translated step-by-step Japanese guide with you lengluis. I hope my translation with Uncle Google's help is accurate... LOL... The original step-by-step guide is from the Japanese Beauty Site - All About Mico

Notes:

• Always make sure your hands are clean before doing any skin massage
• If you've already got severe acne on neck, chin and jawline, doing the massage incorrectly may further simulate sebum secretion and aggravate inflammation. Avoid this if you're not sure!
• This helps with prevention for lengluis with the occasional jawline acne breakouts so I am a fan!
  

The 2 types of Acne - Adult Vs Adolescent Acne

I figured, a write-up on the differences between adult and adolescent acne would be too silly since I'm no dermatologist. Go ask Uncle Google and ye shall be enlightened. However, the reason for this post is to share with you lengluis a simple pic on easily identifying if your acne type is adult acne or adolescent acne?

I found this pic while reading some Japanese beauty site - All About Mico. (Umm,... been going through lots of literal translation by Uncle Google... hahahahaaa) Not a definite full proof pic, but... it helps...

Adolescent Acne

• Adolescent acne -  forehead,cheeks and T Zone 

Adult Acne

•  Adult acne - temple and forehead, acne around the jaw

Adult acne and adolescent acne are treated differently. If you don't know this by now... I hope this post is of some help before you lengluis start Googling for more info. Knowing the type of acne you're suffering from will greatly help in combating our utmost detestable skin enemy... ACNE...

Sana Body Refining Spray Vs Ettusais Medicated Body Whitening Mist

Okay, so I'm not just dealing with jawline and facial acne when down with food allergy. Its the back, tummy and decollete area that's irritating! I mean... doh... how's a lenglui suppose to wear bare back or umm... lets see... a little skin showing clothes during summer?! And, not to forget sugar_cupcakes is staying in a 365 days all year round HOT tropical climate... (--)"

So... here's to the 2 worth blogging about products over the years -> the must-win battle with body acne...

Ettusais Medicated Body Whitening Mist

• Nice to use
• Pretty pricey for a small can (I mean duh... your whole back is a HUGE area)
  
• Not very easy to spray when you hold a half full can upside-down (covers a small area only)
  
• Yes, it helps fade away red marks left by acne
• Though its not a full proof get-rid-of-acne spray.. Duh! If that was possible why are we still dealing with acne
  

Sana Body Refining Spray

• Quite worth it since its costs less for more (when compared to ettusais)
• Yes, it helps... Keeps acne in check (salicylic acid)
• Smells faintly of salicylic acid and sorta like a real mild tea tree oil tinge to it
  
• The spray bottle is really nice-to-use. Sprays on well even when you turn the bottle upside down (spray covers a huge area)
• I don't see the acne getting less red, but they do reduce in size over time (the anti-bacteria thing sure helps)

Conclusion:

• I like SANA one 'cos its more umm... value-for-money
• And the spray bottle is pretty nice to use. Easy to cover most area of body with a spray
• Both work to help keep body acne in check
• Of course you'll never be body-acne free just because of these products if your hormones are still imbalance and the food you eat is causing all sorta skin allergies (okay okay, speaking of the devil... hohohoho)
• If you're battling body acne, I really do recommend these. (they are sure-keepers)
  

Lemon Water - for clearing up skin...

Really? Does lemon water help clears up your skin?

pic copied from http://toddfrisbie.wordpress.com/2009/07/

If you google enough, you'll eventually be convinced that a lemon a day keeps the skin doctor away... lol... As skeptic as I would like to sound, I actually went on this lemon water regime without knowing its benefits... It all started with my mum's kidney detox...

She was on 8 lemons a day for 10 days... Uh-huh... imagine the amount of lemons I've been seeing in the kitchen... So I decided I needed the perk me up and half a lemon (stolen from my mum's stash) a day would be just the thing... hohoho...

The daily regime:

• Bought the RM5 citrus juicer

• Dilute the half a lemon juice with warm water
  
• Morning before breakfast is good (don't worry about gastric, when lemon juice goes in your digestive system it becomes alkaline.. read on)
• If you have a sensitive stomach, please take this very diluted.. And have something light for breakfast...
  
• Do this everyday (either half a lemon or 1 lemon a day)

So here's to my conclusion:

• Feels fresher every morning (sheesh... thanks to the sour mornings)
• I had allergy... but guess what....? No cystic acne breakouts anymore...
• Surprisingly... it actually helps
• My skin cleared up.. Though I still get minor breakouts from food allergy...
• Seriously, TRUST ME... THIS WORKS!
• Coming from a skeptic who spends all her money on crazy skincare
• Emm.. of course you need to watch your diet too... duh... you are what you eat...
  
• Helps with digestion too
  

If you're feeling all skeptic... go on... read the links below.
They are the experts after all:

• http://www.lookgreat-loseweight-savemoney.com/lemon-water.html
• http://www.energiseforlife.com/wordpress/2006/02/10/lemon-water-alkalising-superstar/
• http://www.lifemojo.com/lifestyle/top-10-health-benefits-of-lemon-water-1422542

Albion Skin Cond - Miracle for troubled skin?

http://www.albion.co.jp/

Read all the raves on it? Now its my turn....

Seriously girls with internal acne problem, allergy skin.... I'm telling you... I could hug this to sleep...
Apologies... Earlier, this post was neglected!!

Albion Skin Conditioner is like SKII miracle water for lengluis with troubled skin. Only setback... huhuhuhu... The price... Its RM313 for a 330ml bottle! That's like what?! Almost RM1 per ml... Uh-huh... But I'm telling you... Its a real comfort for troubled skin!

• Asian legluis rave about SKII... But if you really need to know the truth, not every lenglui get crystal clear skin with their miracle water (really!)
• That's cos' breakouts are usually caused by internal factors (Again... see my post on lemon!!)
• Albion Skin Conditioner soothes irritated acne and sensitive skin (You'll need to lightly wet pieces of cotton with it and place it on your acne like a mask)
• Acne size reduces over time (if you do the mask thing religiously)
• Light subtle fragrance that's comforting
• No, you don't automatically get crystal clear skin... Sheesh, if thats the case... I'd have skin like Fan Bing Bing... lol... But... you'll feel like your skin's rejuvenated with extra moisture and the acne part would feel pretty soothing
• I'd treat this as my facial mask on days of poor tired sad skin... 
• Most of their other products were umm.. alright... (I've only went with some sample-sized stuff)
• But the Albion Skin Conditioner... two thumbs up! That's if you're in for a splurge... hohoho....

Facial Sprays - Are they really worth the buy?

Been neglecting this blog for a while now... (was busy battling acne... lol)

Living in a hot climate encourages crazy skin antics like breakouts. Same goes when you live in cold and dry climate... Then again... same goes everywhere!! lol... For the people who battle with acne... I FEEL YOU! So yeah... lets talk about some facial sprays to calm those itching uncomfortable acne...

Okay... so what's all this craze about facial sprays and mists? Aren't these just water?? I mean okay, there's thermal spring water and spring water and alkaline water and all which claims to do the skin good by increasing your skin's hydration on the outer layer with soothing minerals. But are they really worth the buy?? You see, with the economic situation in the downs and people struggling to earn a living... I think.. there's a need to think twice before splurging on stuff that you don't really need. But yeah... back to the point...



There are several if not many brands of facial sprays and mists that claims to refresh facial skin with spring water (heck... shu uemura has the deep sea mist which lotsa bloggers claim to work wonders) But back to what I've tried so far over the years... Evian, Avene and Uriage. Yeah, so they claim sourced from different locations... with vaguely differing mineral content (the marketing that claims to sooth problematic skin). But still when sprayed on.. feels the same, very refreshing... and calms itching acne... But really... look at my conclusion below:


Conclusion:

• Feels real refreshing (eg; when your acne is itching and the dry/hot weather is not helping, imaging someone spraying cool spring water into your face... fuuuuuu....)
• Calms sensitive skin acne (with all the special mineral content goodness)
  
• Hydrating? Yeah... umm... obviously misting your skin with water is hydrating... what isn't?
• Worth the buy? I think... rather than purchasing by paying for the brand and all research done in producing these special water... you might as well bottle up your own facial mist. Aerosol spray cans are not exactly eco friendly either... Unless you can afford to have spring water for drinking, cleansing and your basic daily water needs, buying a can to spritz on each time you need a refresher isn't really going to fix your skin problems.
  
• Some links to creating your own facial sprays:

1. http://www.recipezaar.com/Rose-Water-Facial-Mist-352753
2. http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/b/marie-claire/3425/diy-spa-rituals
3. http://www.noixia.com/blog/?p=535
   

For me, I just bottle up simple mineral filtered water (lets say Diamond or Hexagon or water from a good water ioniser like the Panasonic one) into a spray bottle with nozzle that sprays out ultra fine mists. There you go... our skin may not get those special mineral content from the mountain spring or a deep sea... But heck... good clean healthy filtered water will do just fine..

Busting Food Allergy Acne - Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Adult Acne Treatment Kit

Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Adult Acne Treatment Kit

So yeah... I'm still battling with food allergy acne. After 1 month ++... its still secreting puss and... the all acne are concentrated at my neck, back and jawline. Imagine... clear forehead, clear nose area... cystic acne at jawline and neck and back. And eczema on feet... Sigh... really. What did I eat this time...?

The itchiness is really killing me and I refuse to see a dermatologist or a doctor this time because the signs are obvious... I'm having food allergy. And the only thing the doc can do is give a me a good lecture on my food discipline, anti-histamines, maybe topical antibiotic serums, and probably a hormonal check. So no. This time I'll take matters in my own hands... And if the acne still stays... doc... I need help.... lol

I've taken a macro shot of my neck and jawline which I might upload soon enough. You'll see reddish cystic bumps all over. But don't quote me on this... If the kit shows no result, there's no way I'm uploading any before-after pics here.. Does not justify the means... lol...

Below is the list of stuff I've stocked up on for this sure-win battle... muahahaha...

• Bioxil Inner D-TOX
• Lotsa Red Crunchy Sweet Apples (my failed apple detox.. hahaha)
  
• Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Adult Acne Treatment Kit (RM178 retail - I got it at RM133 off eBay)
  
• Ettusais Medicated Pre-Acne Care Sheet (RM95 retail)
• Lotsa Water
• Averine Medicated Cover Spot Concealer
• Ettusais Acne Body Whitening Mist (hopefully to get rid of red marks on my tummy and back... sigh...)
  

Now, lets not deviate from the main point of this post. This post is really more of a review for the Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Adult Acne Treatment Kit. After many days of Googles and reading tonnes of reviews on acne kits, this kit has got the most GOOD reviews. So I decided to try it out. It costs me a bomb for several small tubes of product that will probably last me less than 2 weeks. But heck... who would want to be battling acne with the same product for more than 2 weeks? Okay-okay... I'm being impatient 'cos this has been going on for more than a month...

pic credit to www.makeup.com

In the kit:
* Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash - 1.7 oz / 50ml
* Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier - 0.50 oz / 15ml
* Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gel - 0.50 oz / 15ml
* Dermalogica Concealing Spot Treatment - 0.10 oz / 3ml
* Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Masque - 0.75 oz / 20ml

What the kit says:
For Acneic and Breakout-Prone Skin. Experience clearer skin faster! MediBac Clearing products work around-the-clock to actively treat, clear and prevent breakouts. Use MediBac Clearing morning and night as your complete acne-fighting system to maintain consistently clear, healthy skin.

I'd recommend a good anti-acne moisturiser to go with this. The eBayer who sold me this kit added in a sample of Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion which was pretty okay. I started on this Medibac regime last night. And lets catalogue my skin's reaction to the product:

Day 1 - 31st March 2009
Skin feels fresh and clean but maintains supple. Unlike products like Oxy and Clearasil and Neautrogena and Clinique, my skin experienced NO dryness. Acne has subsided a little (not fully cos they are still there).. but...no new appearance of acne. And the Concealing Spot Treatment is a little tinted so I could go to work without any make up.

Day 2 - 1st April 2009
Emm.. My neck and jawline acne is still very very obvious (no miracles huh?) and uh-huh... I'm now seeing zits popping out on my tummy! Okay... this is it... no more suspicious food... food allergy is not exactly a fun thing... its definitely burning a hole in my pocket! Oops... back to review on the Mediback Kit.. at least my face don't feel that itchy anymore.. and the kit is not killing my skin like how those industrial strength acne treatment does... lol..

Day 3 - 2nd April 2009
Still there. Acne not going away. Heck... at least there are no more zits popping out. And the old acne seems to be subsiding... real.... slowly.... lol.

Day 4 - 3rd April 2009
Reduced blackheads and whiteheads. But previous acne... still there.

Day 5 - 4th April 2009
Decided to check with doc on my allergy. Doc insists that I needed antibiotics to clear the already-there acne on the neck, back and tummy. He gave me the LOOK when I insisted on a no-go for oral medication. Heck... it feels stupid to think that I would need to put any pimple gel on my tummy to get rid of tummy acne... Eeeeeeeeek... So okay... I listen to the doc for now. But still... I think my daily regime found a new add-on - Medibac Clearing Mattifier. Nice cos' blackheads and whiteheads have hugely reduced even without any medication. hehhehheh...

Day 6 - 5th April 2009
Previous acne - check - still there.

Day 7 - 6th April 2009
Decided to add on DHC Acne Whitening gel to my daily regime for clearing up the red marks left by subsided acne. But acne on the neck area are still very much obvious.

Conclusion for this 1 week:
There are no miracles in this world that would cure severe acne in a matter of days! Not even laser! (Cos my beautician friend tried that) The Dermalogica Medibac range is really as good as everyone raved about. Its not a miracle cure, but... it does keep your skin in check with reduced blackheads, whiteheads and prevents formation of new acne. One thing I needed to add on though... this kit is only as good as it gets when purchased as a mini kit. Don't all of a sudden go and purchase the full bottled range in your effort to fight off acne. Its not gonna work and you'll just end up with super uncomfortable skin and a huge hole in your pocket.

The 3 day Apple Detox - you might as well just kill me now...

Again... I'm down with food allergy.. And the acne on my neck, back and cheeks are itching like a bitch!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhh... So itchy!! Okay... so I have been greedy. Heck... I'm not even sure what went down my tummy the past few weeks.. Geez... if only it was that easy to control my food intake..

I wish I had a camera with me now so I could show you how many apples I downed today... My colleagues saw me carrying a HUGE bowl of apples and gave me the SHOCK of shocks look... I mean HUGE.... there were 14 apples there... in that single HUGE bowl... And its suppose to last me through the day...

As you already know... I've got a best friend... Google... So everytime I get in trouble, I turn to Google.. Yeah... and I Googled up "Acne Free In 3 Days!"... Whoaaaaaaaaaaaa... I'm amazed... hahahahhaa... Okiee... So I didn't exactly completely followed the suggested regime. Instead, I followed the apple part though... You could eat as many "Red Delicious or Granny Smith" apples as you want in that 3 days... apples and only water. Thats it. No other stuff... Thats suppose to help clear your colon a little... And... the detox started.... as of....... THIS MORNING!!! hauhauhuahuahua...

Guess what... its now 7pm... And... my apple detox failed miserably as of..... an hour ago.. After 8 medium sized apples in a span of 8 hours.... I'm still craving food!! So I downed a banana... And half an hour later.... I'm STILL STARVING.... FOR REAL FOOD!!! lol.... Couldn't get any worse than that... So there goes detox... I went down and ordered vegetarian indian curry rice set... and cleaned the plate through... talk about greed. Man... Sheesh... I could have been more disciplined and took a sandwich or something... But no... it had to be a full plate of curry rice... SIGH>>>>>>

And... now... an hour later... I'm truely regretting it.... Could have pulled through another 4 hours of apples right? Geez... I've already gone through 8... whats another 4?? So there you have it. NO DISCIPLINE... Give me apples any day... I'd have a go at this again... And the next time... I'll try sticking by it...

Skin Allergies? Lactose Intolerance? Welcome to my world - Bioxil Inner D-TOX

Pro-biotics and Pre-biotics...?

I came across this by accident when I walked into Asterspring beauty saloon which carries Dermalogica and Averine products. No, I didn't go there for facial.. I stop facial ages ago after realising my breakouts are caused by internal factors and, facial only makes things worse. I went there to get the Averine concealer... But... the Bioxil Inner-D range were displaying on the racks... and whoaaa.... NEW STUFF. **cooool!!** And, it claims to help skin problems due to allergies...! muahahaha...

And I did the predictable... Start bombarding the beautician there with questions... Hmm.. I think she's more of a sales rep than a beautician. Lol. Okay, so fine. I'll just have a go at it. It costs RM128 per box of 30 sachets. So I guess that's not too much to ask for since I keep "accidentally" ingest dairy products...

Conclusion:

• You may take 1-2 sachet a day on an empty stomach
• Dilute with water at room temperature
  
• Tastes emm... surprisingly quite nice... like powdered room temperature unsweetened ice cream shake
• Light pinkish coloured
  
• Claims to have both prebiotics and probiotics that keeps your intestine happy
  
• If you're lactose intolerant and have lots of stomach bloatedness or discomfort after ingesting dairy products, this may be worth a try. I seem to digest my food better after about 20 sachets...
• I think my first box did help clear some blemishes... But I only saw results after one whole box... Then again... my nice clear skin then was probably because I was a good girl avoiding forbidden food... lol
• I've been relying on this to help my stomach problem each time I ingest dairy products... So yeah... I've purchased several boxes over the years... Sometimes, you can get this at a lower price online... if there's a willing seller...
  
• If you've already got nice clear skin and no stomach problem... don't waste your money. Go eat lots of fruits and veggies... Thats much better than ingesting some processed stuff like this
  

Red Acne Marks... Be gone... be gone!

Ettusais Medicated Whitening Essence Vs DHC Acne Whitening Gel

I don't have flawless skin.... and will probably never have flawless skin... unless I stop eating food I'm actually allergic to... but-but.... I love my food... sigh... So now, after a very short cycle of being a good girl and actually having skin with no blemishes... I'll finally return to the days of blemish loaded skin... sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Now. That, I have to deal with... since I have hardly any discipline when it comes to food.. But the aftermath is always horrendous! Imagine... suffering itchy skin for almost a week... then... watching the zits slowly pop up on the skin with puss... then... all the whiteheads and blackheads start clogging my pores... and... then.... the scars!!! (--)" lousy red marks that take forever to heal...

So I did some research on fading all these red marks and found that products that contains bleaching agents gets rid of these scars in matter of days! But, the most commonly used bleaching agent in skincare would be hydroquinone (go check your skin lightening product). Yeah... it works... but... its been banned by the FDA cause it contains cancer causing properties! So yeah... I avoid beauty products that contains hydroquinone... Anyway, I aim to be tan... not fair-skinned...

So next in the line would be high concentration of stable vit-c... That's what the 2 products below contains... And yeah... these two Japanese products shows satisfactory results! Read my conclusions on them...

Ettusais Medicated Whitening Essence

DHC Acne Whitening Gel

Conclusion:

• Both Ettusais and DHC works well to diminish red marks left by acne on the skin, though... not immediately... Come on... give it a few days... You don't expect good-stuff to work like miracle...
  
• You need only a fair bit on the red scars and... after a week... voila...!
• Both doesn't get rid of blemishes as they claim.. But... they do get rid of red marks left by acne...
• Both are fragrance-free clear-coloured liquid..
  
• Ettusais one costs more... I got that for about RM112 while DHC for about RM50++ and... they both bottled at 50ml
• Ettusais is easily available in Isetan in KL but... I'm not sure about other countries. DHC is harder to find in KL... I got mine off internet shopping...

Updated Verdict 29th Sept 2010:

• After years of sticking to this... go get the Ettusais one..
  
• Reason: A bottle lasts up to a year and its a keeper! Also.... you'd see the effects sooner! :p
  

Kinohimitsu J'pan D'tox Juice (6 Day Program)

The Cranberry One
(not the plum one - I haven't tried that and don't plan to)

Excerpted From the Kinohimitsu D'tox Juice box... (will upload the pic of the box soon enough)

Do you suffer from:

• Poor digestion, stomach bloating
• Fatigue, low energy, sticky body
• Poor complexion, blemishes, skin allergies
• Bad breath, body odor
• Headache, migraine

Do you have:

• Busy stressful life
• Irregular meals and eating processed food
• Constant explosure to unhealthy environment; air, water pollution

In just 6 days Kinohimitsu J'pan D'tox Juice leaves you feeling renew, refresh and revitalize!

Natural, Safe:

• 100% natural, concntrated fruit juices
• No additives - No sugar added, No preservatives, No artifical coloring/flavoring, No chemicals, No laxatives

Effective:

• Fast results within 2-4 hours, after intake
• Smooth motion, without strenuous effort

So okay... I decided I want blemish-free skin (since I have very bad skin allergies).. And, the Kinohimitsu Collagen Drink was working perfectly well... so I thought... maybe I ought to just try the detox juice as well... Its stated 100% natural... Yeah... that was until I saw the ingredients on the bottle and the side of the box.

So now I'm thinking... what made 100% natural juices so effective that you'd definitely go to the loo after 2-4 hours. I drink a lot of juice but... non of them made me go to the loo in 2-4hrs tops. And... I was experiencing mild IBS soon enough right after drinking a bottle... Seriously... you will not have problems going to the loo in that 2-4hrs.. Wow.. juices can do that?!

So I scanned through the labels on the box and individual bottles. That was when I found Mannitol and Sorbitol listed as one of the ingredients on the bottle. (possible diuretics and laxatives!!) That.... my friend... explains so much! If you don't trust Wikipedia, I suggest you Google up for more info on these...

Conclusion:

• Don't trust everything you read on packaging boxes (I know - I know)
  
• There's no such thing as 100% au-naturel and as effective as before you can even say... whooooaaa sshiiiitt!
• Detox should not leave you feeling bloated with stomach discomfort.... (--)"
  
• This is my first and last box. Okay, think I'll just be sticking to the collagen drink. Other than that... no more purchases of consumables from Kinohimitsu for now... My body needs a break..
  

Faking a blemish-free complexion (Averine Cover Spot Concealer)

** to be continued **



The reason why I've gotten so slow on updating this is because... I would like to take a before-after photo to publish here so you can see what difference a concealer makes. All women who's at the losing end of a combat with acne... seriously, you needn't go out feeling like the end of the world... there's always help. For temporary relieve of the heart.. get a good cover spot concealer. You WILL feel more confident going about.

I'm doing a blog on Averine for one HUGE reason: IT COVERS ACNE BETTER THAN ANY OTHER CONCEALERS I'VE TRIED! Not even the BB cream can beat this. When you get HUGE cystic RED acne, only a good cover spot helps. Go Google and you'll see what I mean. You'll find many discussion forums on babes talking about the Averine one. This cover spot was recommended by a good friend of many years. And honestly, its the best I've came across. I've tried Body Shop's tea tree cover spot, Guerlain's one, Yves Rocher... hmm... Vichy... lets see... there were tonnes of others... And non of them did the job like Averine. Cut me some slack time... I'll update the photos to show you what I mean. Trust me... you wouldn't have noticed the acne-loaded skin... after the cover.