Review : Avalon Organics Lavender Shower Gel

Product Description

Nourishing botanicals, gentle cleansers and the soothing aroma of organically grown lavender replenish your skin and revitalize the senses. Formulated with a special blend of gentle, plant - based cleansers, our certified organic herbal blend, certified organic essential oils, our signature Vitamin and Amino Acid Complex and special skin conditioners to moisturize and soften the skin

This is the second Avalon Organics shower gel I owned which I used, right after I finished the Rosemary version. The formulae have been pretty consistent, with the only difference being the scent. 

With a light and pleasant scent from the calm and soothing lavender essential oil, lots of foam without much lathering, it leaves the skin feeling soft and not taut. It still delivers the same performance for my dry skin in the harsh winter season in Minneapolis. 

I am most impressed by that as I have developed some eczema due to the weather change but I know that I can trust Avalon Organics and truly, it did not disappoint me. It did not irritate my dry ecezma skin at all. At 355ml, for just $9, its a value for money promotion when I bought it from Watsons. 

Where To Purchase : Iherb | Amazon

Avalon Organics Lavender Shower Gel

Ingredients :

Certified organic lavandula angustifolia (lavender), calendula officinalis (calendula), chamomilla recutita (chamomile), ginkgo biloba and camellia sinensis (green tea) extracts (aqueous)(1), cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium cocoyl sarcosinate, sodium lauroyl lactylate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), soyamidopropalkonium chloride, tocopherol (vitamin E), bisabolol (chamomile), arginine (amino acid), babassuamadopropalkonium chloride

Review : Loccitane Lavender Hand Cream

Product Description

L'OCCITANE en Provence with AOC Lavender essential oil from Haute Provence

A signature L'OCCITANE essential. A worldwide best-seller. Blends the nourishing benefits of Shea Butter with soothing AOC lavender essential oil and rosemary extract. Contains vitamin E, shown to help encourage cell renewal, and--for sheer pleasure--bestows the subtle fragrances of the Mediterranean upon your senses. Feel transported to Provence with every application.

Surprising freshness for this light textured hand cream. Delicately fragranced AOC lavender essential oil offers antiseptic and soothing properties. Enriched with plant oils and honey extract, it leaves the skin feeling soft and moisturised*.

My 30ml sized hand cream from Loccitane Hand Cream Bouquet during the Sephora haul gives me yet another chance to try another of their bestseller. I really wish that i can say I love Loccitane hand creams like what people all over the world do. However, I am sad to say that it doesn't deliver the kind of stellar performances I would expect from a premium brand with its premium prices.

This Lavender hand cream is not as big a disappointment as its bestseller, Shea Hand Cream and is comparable to its Cherry Blossom Hand Cream. I do like the lavender soothing scent as well as its light and fluffy texture without any greasiness undertone but it doesn't moisturises very well, for my very dry hands.

 
Even though I know it doesn't serve me well under the humid weather in Singapore, I still brought it along on my trip to Minneapolis in its severe winter season, thinking perhaps it might behave better.

I have lost count of the countless times I whipped out the hand cream for my hands throughout the 20+ hours flight, in the hotel room as well as in the office over there. It just does not moisturise well and hence I have to reapply again and again.

 
The packaging tore before I even brought it to Minneapolis, probably due to the wear and tear of the pressing motions. There was a cut where the cream oozes out and I used a tape to secure it from further damage.

Where To Purchase : Amazon | Shopee   

Ingredients
Aqua (Water) (Water), Glycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) (Shea Butter), Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch (Corn), Cyclomethicone, Mel (Honey Extract), Polyacrylamide, Ceteareth 33, Phenoxyethanol, Malva Sylvestris Flower Extract (Mallow), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil (Coconut), C13 14 Isoparaffin, Perfume (Fragrance), Lavandula Angustifolia Oil (Lavender), Cera Alba (Beeswax) (Beeswax), Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Xanthan Gum, Methyl, Butyl, Ethyl, Propyl, Isobutylparaben, Laureth 7, Linalool, Menthol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Limonene, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract (Rosemary), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Sunflower), Coumarin, Citral, Benzyl Alcohol, Geraniol

Review : Ettusais Speedy Eye Make Off

Product Description
Removes even the most stubborn waterproof mascara in no time! This speedy eye makeup remover leaves no sticky feeling behind too. Fragrance-free and colorant free.

Gee, I cannot believe that the website posted a spelling mistake with the word "fragrance". I cannot tolerate well-established companies with spelling mistakes, it just shows how "detailed" they are.

I picked this up from my Japan haul since I was running out of eye make-up remover. I cannot remembered the exact price now, but it seems to be slightly cheaper than Singapore prices. Previously, I was using its Hyper Eye Make Off but it wasn't the best for me.
Checking out reviews for Ettusais products can be quite a daunting task as the blogsphere is filled with Ettusais ambassadors who seemed to scream "perfect" for every Ettusias product they are using. Can anything be that 100% perfect for everyone?
I just need someone with that honest opinion of something they use. Is that so difficult?

Similar to to Hyper Eye Make Off , it leaves a slight layer of oily film behind after each cleansing. I appreciate the fact that its housed in a simple, no-frills translucent packaging, which you can see clearly that its finishing soon. However, it has a subtle whiff of alcohol scent or is my nose playing tricks on me?
I didn't think that this product is spectacular for its 100ml $22 retail price in Singapore. For daily light eye make-up, it can do the job but not for heavier or waterproof eye make-up. You probably need lots of cotton pads to do a thorough job with lots of stares into the mirror to ensure all gunk have been removed.

Source : Ettusais

Review : Skin Food Oat Meal Hand Mask

A hand mask containing oat meal extract that softens and smoothens dry, rough hands with its superb moisture-retaining ability.
Designed to fit like a glove, this intensive hand mask is enriched with oatmeal containing fatty acids, polysaccharides & proteins. Its unique form prevents moisture evaporation, softens dry and rough hands for long lasting radiant and smooth skin

I owned 2 sheets from my last mini Korea haul and brought it along for my Minneapolis work trip thinking that I should badly need it under the extremely dry weather.( -7 degrees )
Even though I did not turn on the air-conditioning in my hotel room, it was still extremely cold. My soles and hands were so dry and wrinkled. Using these hand masks only relieve them temporarily, like almost 2 hours only. I was so disappointed.

I actually quite like its convenient usage which is non-messy and can even be used on the plane under the dry cabin air. 2 plastic gloves with an extra inner layer for you to slip in your hands. Non-dripping, non-messy and totally fuss-free.
The immediate effect is that my hands look almost a shade lighter although the description did not state about any brightening capability. It smells nice and hands feel softer and less dry.
However, 2 hours later in my hotel room, my hands are back to its old wrinkly stage.

Source : Skin Food

Work Trip to Minneapolis

I have been away on a work trip to Minneapolis, USA last week. I wasn't looking forward to this particular winter season, coupled with the fact that I have to travel for 20+ hours.
The snow storm have also delayed my United Airline flight to the following day so we were stuck at San Francisco for that day.
SG to Tokyo to SF to MN
MN to Chicago to HK to SG

Shot 1 was taken outside my customer's company

Shot 2 was taken outside the hotel which I was staying at.

I extended a day and went shopping myself while my male colleague headed home, anxious to see his children.
Shot 3 was taken at Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in Minneapolis. I heard from my colleagues that its the largest in USA as well. It was taken on a weekday hence the crowd is not that bad.

There is an amusement park right in the center of the mall.

And this is my beauty loot. It was less than expected as I was intending to visit Target and some drugstores in USA but due to the weather and time constraint, I wasn't able to do so. I actually had a whole list of the drugstore brands I wanted to get, but its just too bad that I wasn't able to get it this time round.

Crabtree and Evelyn Citron Honey Hand Cream 25g ( not featured here) : US$3 ( original US$6 )

Pop Beauty Correct and Protect : US$24

Dr. Bronner Lip Balm : US$2.99

Orly Mini Nail Colour : US$3.49

Lollia Mint Julep Shampoo, Conditioner, Shower Gel : US$8.99 each

Living Proof Shampoo and Conditioner : US$US$24 each

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer : US$52

Makeup Forever HD Primer : US$15

Makeup Forever HD High Definition Powder : US$15

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara : US$10

Burts Bee Lip Balm : US$3.24

Trio Nail Polish US$3

Estee Lauder Eye Make-up Remover : US$14

Eye Shadow ( from VS) : 2 for US$12