Monthly Archives: April 2012

Review: Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

This is a very much raved about product in the UK and it took me ages to purchase this product as Liz Earle’s pretty difficult to come by in stores other than in John Lewis (which I do not have access to in Canterbury) so I am pretty late in hopping onto the Liz Earle bandwagon!

I’ve been using this on and off for a good 5-6 months now as initially I wasn’t too sure of this product!

 

Here’s what Liz Earle has to say about the product:

Our plant based cleanser has a two-phase action, phase one is the cleansing. Free from mineral oil, it has a rich and creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make up, even stubborn mascara.


Phase two is the polishing. Polish off the cream using the pure muslin cloth to gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean, soft and radiant skin.


I purchased the starter kit which costs approximately £13.25 which consists of a 100ml pump bottle of Cleanse and Polish with 2 muslin cloths. This cleanser is arguably one of the most talked about hot cloth cleansers in the UK and nearly every beauty blogger / columnist have been waxing lyrical over this product which I presume prompted other brands such as No7 and Sanctuary Spa to come up with their very own versions of the hot cloth cleanser.

So what is hot cloth cleansing? It’s essentially cleansing using a cream-based cleanser which is wiped / polished off with a muslin cloth. This not only removes make up but the muslin cloth acts as a gentle exfoliator too.

The Liz Earle website states that this can even be used to remove ‘even stubborn mascara.’ However, I recommend against doing so as the muslin cloth seems harsh for our sensitive eye area. Being the ‘good’ *ahem* beauty blogger that I am, I decided to put the Cleanse and Polish to test and see if this cleanser actually removes ‘stubborn mascara.’

I recently acquired Shiseido’s Perfect Mascara Defining Volume (which is amazing – no smudges, holds curl perfectly) but like most good things comes a con…. It’s a pain to remove!

Sadly, Cleanse and Polish failed to remove this stubborn mascara and my eyelids felt sore after even though there wasn’t any rubbing involved. An eye make up remover should be the first step before moving on to the Cleanse and Polish for all you ladies who paint your beautiful peepers!

Application and usage of this product is easy enough: I do not use a lot of make up (just a bit of foundation over my nose and chin area, loose powder and blush) so one pump of Cleanse and Polish is more than enough to dislodge all the gunk. Lightly massage the cleanser all over dry skin and soak the cloth into warm water, wring dry and gently polish the make up off your face!

I usually rinse the cloth and repeat 2-3 times to ensure there isn’t any residue left before using a regular cleanser.

The end result? Soft, clean skin! The product stays true to its claims of being able to remove make up and gently exfoliates the skin. I have noticed a reduction in blackheads around my nose area since I’ve started using this and I have not been using any facial scrubs over the last couple of months as I’ve been lazy! :D So yes, this product is good but as it’s difficult to come by for me (available online and at John Lewis stores only) I do not know if I will repurchase! I wish Liz Earle’s available locally though!

I have not tried other hot cloth cleansers but am eyeing the No7 one which I may purchase when my trusty Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil runs out!

Have you tried hot cloth cleansers? Let me know what you think of them!

 

Hello, you gorgeous thing!

Hello everyone! This has got to be the most random post I’ve done yet… Are you ready for it?

You sure you are? Brace yourselves!!

Okay I’ll cut the chase! The above photo is a shot of my very first Chanel lip product but we ain’t gonna talk about that today!!

I received a tablet from my parents today and this marks my first post typed with it! See it as more of a silly test post and I promise regular blogging will resume as soon as yours truly stops hyperventilating and actually reads the manual before breaking the tablet with her stupidity! ;)

How did your weekend go? :)

 

 

 

Trigger-Happy Thursdays: some ninja shots and more! =D

Spotted at the Guerlain: They now have a whitening range! 
I’ve got my eye on their liquid foundation but the SA kept insisting my shade’s 03 which I thought looked too dark for me so I guess I’ll wait until someone *cough* Paris *cough* reviews this! =D
I headed down to Malacca a while ago and bought quite a few things from this lovely hotel lobby shop called Flower Fairies at the Renaissance Hotel, Malacca. I think I’ll just dedicate an entire blog post to this lovely shop because it just caters to my love for BATIK and ALL THINGS PRETTY. 

These two bags are handmade by a lovely local Malaccan named Rosa. These photos do not do justice to the beauty of the bags so lets just say this is a sneak peek of my little Malaccan haul post! =D
I’ve been crazy over Rakuzen’s Beef Nabe (hotpot). Been going for this with the boyfriend as the broth is extremely refreshing and don’t you just love the look of marbled beef? ;)
A while ago, we spent the weekend at Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. The lovely check-in staff at the Horizon Club gave me this book so I thought I should have some sushi whilst indulging in a bit of chick lit! ;)
We stayed in one of Shangri-La’s gorgeous suites:
Perfectly made bed with the plushes pillows one can sink their head onto.
Nespresso machine to make the perfect cuppa. We have a Nespresso machine at home and I always ship Nespresso capsules back to the parents when I’m in the UK so we asked Mr. Mike Chan of the Horizon Club on where they purchased the capsules! In addition to us getting Nespresso Malaysia’s contact number, he even gave us an entire sleeve of Nespresso capsules and another handful to take home with us!!! Thank you so much <3 
We even had a mini study! =)
Finally, I managed to persuade Mum to start using this! =D

Found an amazing place that serves amazing afternoon tea! Scones with REAL CLOTTED CREAM in Malaysia at a reasonable price. It’s close to where I live too, which is an added bonus!! 
Last month, I lost yet another favourite restaurant of mine – Country Farm Organics Restaurant at Bangsar Village. They serve the most amazing brown rice bee hoon soup, as shown in the above photo. T___T
Also another favourite that will be missed: Their Viking Lover smoothie: 
All sorts of berries crushed and blended with soy ice-cream (which is the bomb). You will be missed. *tears* 
Shouldn’t end the post on such a sad note, should I? ;)
Scallop topped with caviar. Drool-worthy much? =D
How has your week been? =) 

Bottoms Up: March Empties and Favourites!

I call March the moisturiser month seeing I’ve used up 3 different types of moisturisers! =p It’s been 4 months since I came home, and I did come home with quite a few moisturiser samples so I’m happy I’ve used some of them up!

(From Left – Right)

1. Kiehl’s Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant Cream
I’ve got sweaty underarms. This prevents me from getting sweat patches of epic sizes. I’ve gone through tubes of this and I have to say it’s the best anti-perspirant I’ve used this far. However, a recent outing with the boyfriend made me sway and I’ve purchased…. A man’s deodorant. Yup you read right. Review to come. ;)
2. Sunplay SPF130 PA+++ Super Block
Took me ages to use this up because it dried me out so! 
3. Clarins Hydra Quench Cream
This is a deluxe-sized sample (30ml!) came as a GWP from Clarins. I alternate between this and my Guerlain Issima Happylogy Glowing Overnight Treatment and it works a treat! May consider purchasing a full-sized tub of this once the Guerlain one runs out.
4. Kiehl’s Oil-Free Gel Cream
I finished a tub of this last month and here’s a new tub! Lol am only joking. I got this from the boyfriend who didn’t like the moisturiser so I’ve used yet another tub up! =D
5. Biotherm’s Aqua Source Gel Moisturiser
Non-greasy, light yet moisturising. The perfect gel moisturiser for hot, humid weather.
6. Estee Lauder’s Advance Night Repair Serum
Finally used this up after over a year! I only use 2-3 drops a time and I find it good value for money seeing I only use this once a day. 
Also, I thought I’d just squeeze in some products I’ve enjoyed using in March! 
1. Shiseido Perfect Defining Volume Mascara
The mascara that does not smudge nor irritate my sensitve eyes! Only downside? It’s a pain to remove! I think I’ve jumped onto the mascara-wearing bandwagon again, thanks to this!
2. Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Had this for absolute ages (3-4 years?) but the poor curler did not get much loving from its owner as she never uses mascara! I foresee a lot of use with this baby seeing I’ve found a mascara that doesn’t turn me into a teary-eyed monster!
3. Make Up Forever HD Primer
Got this at the persistence of my best friend, KH. We were hanging out at The Gardens Mall when I dropped by MUFE’s island shop and got a makeover. He then gushed over how good primer made me look, prompting me to grab a bottle of this. I usually save this for evenings out but I’ve been using this quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. 
4. Shiseido Perfect UV Protector SPF50+ PA+++
This is fast becoming my new HG! I used to rave so much about Kose’s Sun Protector (which I must review before it runs out) but an ‘incident’ made me rethink purchasing stuff from the brand. That aside, this product spreads evenly, leaves me with no unsightly white patches / breakouts! One of my best buys of the year! (Okay, this and the Shiseido Mascara)
5. La Mer’s The Lip Balm
Been suffering from dry, chapped lips as I’ve been spending over 14 hours in an air-conditioned place. Every single day. I love being in a cool environment but my lips are paying the price! This really helps moisturise them and only a thin layer is needed!
6. Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow Creme in Golden Sands + Mochachino
The lovely Lily  got me hooked onto using cream eyeshadows! These shadow cremes are proof that impulse purchases sometimes turn out for the better! I am really loving these two shades. So much that I’ve been using eyeshadow nearly everyday. 
7. Guerlain Nuit d’Amour Rouge Automatique
I have been wearing this as a stain. Turns my lips into a pretty berry red when applied using a lip brush – with a very light hand! 
8. MAC Tendertone in Hush, Hush
I never wear this alone even though it’s considered to be a moisturising lip balm / gloss hybrid. This has been a permanent fixture in my handbag and I think it’s going to stay in there until I use it up! As Guerlain’s Nuit d’Amour tends to settle into my lip lines, Hush, Hush gently evens those lines out and voila! Soft, plump lips at your service! ;)
March has been an eventful month in terms of favourite products as I’ve discovered quite a few gems! Now bring it on, April! 
Do share your March favourites with me! =)