AM in PM : the 02-02 girls night

Shoe shopping turned girl bonding. It was how I would describe my previous night with my good friend AM. The original plan was to raid Melissa's store and find some great flats because they had a Vday sale - but it was a disappointment. I must say, their Christmas sale is way better...50% off baby!

The night was still young and we never run out of stuff to talk about (to think, we are actually housemates and we see each other almost everyday) so it was the perfect time to bond over Happy Lemon's Cocoa with Rocksalt and Cheese, beauty products, tea and macarons. Besides, the boys were out too playing bball. :p

First stop after Happy Lemon: Sephora
Such a happy place. Think of it as a toy store when you were young. That's how we felt about Sephora. All those pretty little things - shiny and smelling so good! Just like this Lemon+Sage body butter from Bliss. The name Bliss says it all. Definitely a must try!

Second Stop: TWG
The girls got tired of walking so need to continue the chat sitting down with a nice warm cup of tea. The Silver Moon Tea is also a must try. A TWG blend of green tea with a grand berry and vanilla bouquet, suave, with just a hint of spice. It's very subtle and mild. Great for a chillax evening.

 Mr Tea Pot short and stout. So cute mah!

It was a delightful night with a great girlfriend. Too bad, Charms is on mommy duties and we can't just steal her away from her adorable baby Caitlyn. 

More girls night to come! :)

To Softness and Beyond: The Body Butter, Lotion, Scrub and Hand Cream Saga

I was naturally born with a dry skin. I didnt make a big deal out of it until early this year when I had a major allergy attack. Red rashes keep appearing on my arms. It wasn't that bad before and I managed to live with it. But this time, it went from bad to worst and it actually led me to think I had dengue (READ: Paranoid). I just came back from the Philippines that time and here's my cray cray formula: fever spikes at crazy hours + rashes + news of people coming back from PI with dengue = a panic attack waiting to happen!

Oh well, I did the blood test and had my rashes checked. Turns out - I was just too tired hence, the fever and the rashes were caused by my extremely dry skin leading to skin allergy. See how dry skin can initiate such paranoia? It's berserk! Doc gave me a Besatone cream to treat it and reiterated that moisturizing my skin is the best prevention for my kind of skin allergy.

Since then, I make it a point to hydrate my dry skin every now and then. It's quite liberating and so the saga starts...

My stash mostly consists of gifts from friends. Thank God for generous and lovely friends! Now, let's start off with the lotion:

First stop: the lotion

1. The Body Collection Australia Naturals Pomegranate Body Lotion - a gift from my friend R from her short and sweet Australia stint. I love her for knowing that anything that smells like coconut oil will kill me so she gave me something with a sweet smell. :) 

♥: The smell! It's fruity, fun and the scent lingers. A body lotion and fruity perfume in one. 

♡: The texture is more on the thick side. You have to blend it thoroughly so it wont feel heavy on the skin.

My rate: ✰✰✰ 
Recommendation: A very fun pick-me-upper for those gloomy days. This will set your happiness mood meter from 0 to 5! 

2. Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E - bought this for it's promise (Heals & Softens Rough, Dry Skin) and name. I've been hearing good raves about Palmers so I decided to buy it. I forgot the price but I thought it was expensive. If I remember correctly, it was somewhere around 17-20sgd for the big bottle. I guess it does the job. Moisturizes my skin right after bathing.

♥:Plastic bottle comes with a pump so it's very easy to use. I've been using it since the allergy attack and I've seen improvements on the rashes and dark spots on my arms.
♡: I love eating chocolates but smelling like one? I have a certain level of tolerance for that. I think the cocoa smell is a little too much for me. I saw that they have the olive formula - I think it smells better and I will try that next time. 

My rate: ✰✰✰

Recommendation: It's quite good in softening your dry skin and blending the uneven tones but not recommended for those non chocolate lovers.

Second stop: the hand creams

1.Fragonard's Creme Pour Les Mains a L'amande Douce (Hand Cream with Sweet Almond) - another one of R's gifts when she went on her Euro trip last November. 
♥:Everything about it is nice! I love the smell, the texture and how it feels on my skin! The smell makes you feel so gentle and vulnerable just like a little girl. 
♡:It's very hard to find :( I haven't had any luck so far. R said it's kind of a secret place somewhere in the borders of Monaco. Huhu. I recently found out that the Raffles Hotel gift shoppe is carrying the brand Fragonard - but they only sell the perfume. Too bad. Anyone going on a Euro trip? Give me a shout. :)
My rate: ✰✰✰✰

Recommendation: It's perfect for any occasion! The gentle smell can bring luxury to your skin without too much fuss. The tube is also handy and you can take it anywhere!

2. St Ives Whipped Silk - bought this for 1sgd on the recent John Little Sale at the Expo. I must say I grew up with St Ives products and I have been using their facial scrub since I was in high school.

♥:The very light texture! True to its name, it's silky and very light. Seconds after applying it, you won't even notice it's there. It's also easy to find. Readily available on your local beauty stores. 
♡: I noticed that it doesn't stay that long. You have to re apply it again after some time to have that moisturized feeling. Not very reliable on really cold days when my skin's really dry.
My rate: ✰✰✰

Recommendation: Go for this one if you're on a budget and you just want to use it on a simple and laid back day. Also great for days when you want to put a very nice perfume. This cream will not overpower your lovely scent.

3. Etude House's MISSING U Hand Cream (The Pink Dolphin Story) - gave some of these away last Christmas for some of my girl colleagues and decided to leave one for myself and just try it.

♥: Isn't it the cutest? It's like having a hand cream and a desk display in one. Can probably be used as a paper weight as well. Like the scent too. I can instantly smell a hint of olive on it.

♡: The container is a little bit small and it won't last that long with everyday use.

My rate: ✰✰✰

Recommendation: It's everything kawaii! If you epitomize cute, you want to bring it all the time and doesn't have a huge space on your purse - this one's for you!

4. Bath and Body Works Cucumber and Melon HandiBac Anti Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Lotion - a gift from my friend B (who is also obssessed with such products) when he came back from the US.

♥: It totally brings me back to the summer haze. The texture is not that heavy compared to other hand lotions. Feels very refreshing. Also comes with an anti bacterial formula so it's kinda like a hand lotion and sanitizer in one.

♡: The scent doesn't last that long.

Recommendation: Suitable for on the go people. Will instantly refresh you on a hot summer day!

Third stop: the scrub, body polish

1. St Ives Renewing Collage Elastin - another one of my John Little purchases. Intrigued by the name - oooh, body polish! 

♥: I like how it smoothens your skin in the shower. Perhaps thats the collagen elastin working it!

♡: Not a very big fan of the smell and I wasn't able to see much of the body polish promise.

My rate: ✰✰

Recommendation: Another one of those over the counter products. Very easy to find and not that expensive. 

2. Bali Ratih Green Tea Scrub - recent discovery by R! She's like my skin care dealer :P Bought this because of my current green tea phase and I knew it..green tea is the answer to every problem hahaha!

♥: It is just awesome! Smell, texture and the moisturizing effect are all at par! 

♡: Absolutely nothing to hate!

My rate: ✰✰✰✰✰

Recommendation: Try it! I'm sure you will love it! :)

Fourth stop: the body butter

I have yet to try the apple and white rose but by the smell of it, it's for sure going to my favorite list. Will let you guys know soon and do a separate Bali Raith review.

Whew! This was such a long post! I know I am no skin expert and we have different kinds of skin types. My advice: Don't stop searching for that perfect skin regimen you can count on. I'm sure you will find it! :) 

For now, I leave you with my second current favorite from the Bali Ratih collection (top spot goes to the Green Tea scrub)...the strawberry body butter!