Based on my Nike+GPS running app, I have ran 19.12 km so far in 2012.

Let me illustrate with my experience of simply buying a book. Usually normal people step into a bookstore, pick up a book, read the blurb and maybe a chapter or two to decide if they want a book. For me, it’s a crazy affair involving opening at least 3 tabs on my browser.

First I browse my favourite ebook store. I see a book I may be interested in. I read the Opener and/or free chapter. Then I go to my favourite book review website. I look at the general rating, the expanded introduction and other information about the book.

You’d think I stop there and make the purchase already.

I’m not even half done.

What I do next is to go to the NLB Searchplus catalogue to see if it’s available in the library, or Overdrive. If it is, I’d borrow it. If not, I go on to another search engine – an ebook price comparison site. After comparing prices, I then decide if I want it. Then I browse Bookdepository to see if there is a cheaper paper version, as well as AbeBooks to see if there are reasonable quality used books (especially when it comes to pricey non-fiction). So buying a book requires me to trawl through 6 websites.

Now, that happens when I’m at home. If I’m already in a bookstore – I do every of those step on my iPhone. I usually wind up not buying the physical copy, opting for a library copy or an ebook. This is also why I can spend such long time in a bookstore. Not only do I comb the physical shelves, I comb virtual shelves and library shelves on my portable device.

In the words of plebs, FML.

I am a self-professed lipbalm junkie – how does this lipbalm measure up?

I was given a sample of the Mentholatum Mogitate Kajitsu lipbalm to try. I received the Mogitate Orange and Mango scented one. According to product info, it contains natural fruit juice, honey and beeswax. Sounds fab already!

I am lipbalm junkie – I have dry lips that crack very easily, so I always have a tube of lipbalm with me. I have used almost every lipbalm from Mentholatum, and more from other brands including both locally available and overseas brands. I need my lipbalm to be emollient, tasteless (I abhor lipbalm made with artificial sweeteners- a common ingredient in American brand lipbalms) and lasting.

The Mentholatum juicy lipbalm has several ingredients that are good for lipbalms – beeswax, grapeseed oil and glycerin. These give it a very smooth emollient texture that glides on to the lips effortlessly. I love the scent, but it is not lasting on the lips. An added bonus is the UV protection – lips need their sunscreen too!

So does this lipbalm pass my test?

I have certainly used better lipbalms (such as the Mentholatum Lip Pure range). This lipbalm is no frills, smells good and passable. I won’t mind using it, but it is not my holy grail lipbalm. I like the UV protection, which is not common among locally available lipbalm, which makes it unique. Do check it out if you are in need of a lipbalm!

I had the opportunity to try two products from Sophie Monk – the Strawberry Bye Bye Blackhead set and Double Lifting mask. Read my review below!

The Strawberry Bye Bye Blackhead set consists of 3 steps – first a softener, then a peel-off mask, and then a pore minimizer. After massaging the skin softening for 2-3 minutes, rinse it and apply the peel off mask.

The peel off mask is pink! It smells faintly of strawberries. The mask will dry in about 20 minutes. Please apply LIBERALLY so that it will be easier to peel off. After peeling off, apply the pore minimizer.

Verdict: I do not have a lot of blackhead, but the skin softener did help to surface some of the whiteheads, which we know to be the precursor of blackheads. The peel off mask is pleasant but I suggest only using it on the t-zone because it can get quite tight after drying. Unless you have blackhead problem on your cheeks too, you can just apply at problem areas. Like other peel-off masks it serves to cleanse the surface of the skin of excess dead skin and micro hair. The pore tightener/ minimizer doesn’t seem to work; I am not sure of the mechanism behind that. Do I recommend this product? If you are in the market for a peel-off mask for your t-zone and would like something that smells pleasant, you can consider this. (RRP: $25.90)

The next product I tried is the Double Lifting Mask, also from Sophie Monk.

The full range consists of Super Moisturizing (blue), Shiny Brightening Whitening (pink), Youth V-Shape (yellow), Deep Cleansing Soothing Pore Minimizing (green) and Anti-Aging SOS (black). For the purpose of testing, I used the most potent of them all – the black one.

Verdict: The mask does not fit my face properly, quite like the Sexylook one I tried. The ear hooks are tight, so they are meant for a smaller face. The mask lifts up from the nose area, they are meant for people with flatter noses? The scent of the mask is strange; it reminds me way too much of mall toilet air freshener, if you get what I mean. That is a big difference from the nice strawberry scented products. However, I like how hydrating the mask is! It is quite SOS in the sense of erasing (most of) the signs of late nights I suppose. Is it lifting? I can’t tell the difference. (RRP: $2) At the price of $2 each, they are quite affordable if you are looking for a hydrating mask that treats the chin too!

Both of these products are available at Guardian stores islandwide. Do check them out if you are interested!

Read about my ordeal below.

First, the auspicious bib number.

The run was held at the Tampines Mountain Bike Trail, previously used in the 2010 Youth Olympics, now open to public.

The terrain is filled with hills and slopes, making it rather challenging.On top of that, the recent rainy weather caused some serious mudslides and water pockets. You get what I mean – it is indeed a terrain run where we are bound to get dirty and gross.

I wore my Vibram Treksport for the run. I didn’t blog about my running gear previously because I was suffering some kind of complex – many common runners regard this as fad footwear, many barefoot proponents consider Vibrams antithesis to barefoot running. I am not a huge proponent of barefoot running; let’s just consider me a whatever-works runner. If you can run well in supportive shoes, by all means. For me, I’m better when I’m in minimalist footwear as such. This photo showcases my clean shoes. The stony terrain for biking later proved to be uncomfortable for runners like me; I spotted quite a few Vibram and minimalist footwear runners in the group, so I assume we all suffered the same agony of olive-size rocks pressing underfoot.

Person on the right is the one responsible for roping me into this run, also known as my sister. A seasoned runner she finished the race some 20 minutes ahead of my snail pace. We both didn’t manage to hit our target times; both were off by about 5 minutes. So I guess that’s not too bad.

An unglam finishing line photo of me.

Aftermath

Along the trail was a jungle environment with streams and mud pockets. I sank ankle-deep into the mud; some people lost their shoes in the mud. Then I went almost calf-deep into streams and what some runners behind me called “paddy-field”. I soiled and cleaned my feet multiple times through the race, fearful of my wet feet devleoping blisters, which thankfully did not happen. It was actually fun to wade through mud and water; a certain rugged charm to it. Of course, it is important not to slip and fall on the muddy slopes; those were agonizingly difficult.

The race was definitely challenging; the multiple slopes and rough terrain slowed all of us down; most of the trail I was walking, either due to slopes or painful rock-filled trails. I actually liked the wet paddy fields and streams; let’s just say I am comfortable with wading and running through water. Mud, that’s another story. The race felt slower than it should be; by 2 km I felt a little stretched due to the steep climb. By 4km I was already looking forward to the end, counting down. At 5km I was very dispirited; just halfway and I felt 3/4 gone. I assume I should not feel that way. Thankful for the enthusiastic road marshals (with whom I struck conversation or thanked), it wasn’t a lonely activity. Despite this being a mob run it can get hauntingly lonesome and demoralizing. I spoke to some fellow contestants; warning the ones behind me of deep mud pockets, talking to a dude who lost his shoes and had to barefoot-run another 4km, saying Hohoho to two Santa costume-clad crazy people… was there camaraderie in a mob run? Don’t think so though.

Only the final 50m dash was tarmac; I don’t think I have looked forward to tarmac that much in my life.

Finisher Medal.

I finished with a timing of 1 hr 45 minutes; bad for a 10km but I think not bad for a beginner. Will I do trail again? I’d have to lose my mind first.

Two new bubble facial wash in the market, how do they measure up against each other?

Read my review below!

1. Bubble Integrity

When you first pump both out of the bottle, there is hardly any difference between them, except for the scent. They are both fluffy and cute, but the difference show up quickly.

Top: Biore. Bottom: Amethystory

Within a few seconds, you can see that the Amethystory one start to disintegrate; the bubbles have no integrity after a few seconds and the mixture becomes drippy. The Biore one, on the top, still maintains its surface tension and holds up nicely.

Top: Biore. Bottom: Amethystory

By the time the Amethystory one has mostly dripped off, the Biore one still remains fluffy and whole.

With regard to bubble integrity and fluffiness, Biore wins hands down.

2. Ingredients

When it comes to the list of ingredients, Biore is superior. Amethystory contains a considerable amount of sodium laureth sulphate (SLS), while the Biore one does not. SLS is the public enemy when it comes to skincare, so that’s that. Again, Biore wins.

3. Efficacy and Comfort

The Amethystory feels like it’s stripping my skin dry; I attribute this to the public enemy ingredient pointed out on top. The Biore feels like it cleans, but the skins still feels soft after that. My fingers don’t feel siap-siap (a squeaky clean feel) after using the Biore. So Biore wins this round too!

Based on the 3 criteria above, Biore wins, no doubts. Also I like that Biore comes in a cheaper refill pack for future use; environmentally more friendly and pocket-friendly too.

]]> http://lovelyloey.me/amethystory-vs-biore-bubble-wash/feed/ 0 http://lovelyloey.me/amethystory-skincare/ http://lovelyloey.me/amethystory-skincare/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:48:34 +0000 lovelyloey http://lovelyloey.me/?p=4913 I was given the opportunity to try out 3 star products from Amethystory – the Mineral Bubble Face Wash, Mineral Aqua Whitening Enhancer and Mineral Aqua Gel.

Read my review below.

Mineral Bubble Face Wash, RRP $14.90

Bubble face wash seem to be all the rage here. A couple of years back I tried one by SANA and didn’t like it – it was too drying, smelled strange and overall not a very pleasant experience. This time round, the Mineral Bubble Face Wash by Amethystory is purported to be good for skin – it contains hyaluronic acid, which all skincare addicts know as a moisturizing ingredient. It also contains Bio Energy Fluid, claimed to “provide ample mineral & trace mineral elements to nourish skin cells and effectively rejuvenate skin and keep skin hydrated”.

Similar to another brand out there, this bubble face wash doesn’t drip (at least not within the first few seconds). I used the face wash, and it’s quite pleasant. There is a faint smell to it that is nice, and it is soft on the skin. It is easy to use – pump out of the bottle and directly on to wet face. (Look out for my next post comparing bubble face wash.)

However, it doesn’t feel as moisturizing as it should be. I attribute it to the presence of sodium laureth sulphate (SLS) in the product. SLS is a surfactant that is quite harsh on skin, and it is quite drying. It is found in most face wash, shampoo and body wash because it is relatively cheaper than its “better” cousins. So those sensitive to SLS products, take note.

Nonetheless, comparing this with regular liquid and cream face wash, it is easier to use and more pleasant.

Mineral Aqua Whitening Enhancer, RRP $19.90

This enhancer comes after face wash, and is intended to be absorbed by the skin. Just take a couple of drops on your palm and gently pat it in. As it gets absorbed it gets a little tacky, then it dries up and leave the skin smooth and tight. For whitening effect, the active ingredient is Tranexamic Acid.

I like how it gets absorbed by the skin, reminiscent of the Hada Labo lotion. A few drops go a long way, so this bottle will last you many months!

Mineral Aqua Gel, RRP $24.90

This is the star product of the range. The mineral aqua gel is a gentle exfoliant. Like the same-brand product Marvel Gel, this gel purports to remove dead skin. This gel is very liquidy, compared to the marvel gel, which comes out of a tube. As you rub this gel into your skin, small white flakes form. I am wary about calling those dead skin cells; such products are not caustic that way to remove dead skin cells chemically. Rather, the gel is formulated to react with skin to form those white flakes and beads so that you can use those beads to massage and exfoliate the skin gently. Really, if just by pouring the gel on my hand and moving it around and dead skin fall off, I’d use it wash the toilet instead.

To me this is a no-frills exfoliating product. I expected more, but it is no different from the other gel exfoliant out there, including Ginvera’s own Marvel Gel.

Overall, my favourite product from this range is the whitening enhancer.

Want free samples? Get a free trial size sample of the Mineral Aqua Gel from Facebook! Simply click the link below!

https://www.facebook.com/amethystory?ref=ts&sk=app_213564948660624

I consider myself a big fan of Maybelline’s make up (primarily their foundation and mascara), and so I had to try their newest range – the Clear Smooth BB Cream and the Clear Smooth Shine Free Face Powder!

Ever since the popularity of Korean Blemish Balm (BB) creams in Asia, most brands have jumped on the bandwagon and developed creamy textured foundation and call it BB cream. Most BB creams have low coverage, but feels good on the skin without the excess weight and thickness of traditional liquid foundations. Easy to smooth and blend out, I can see why BB creams are popular.

The Maybelline CS BB Cream has a more orange tone compared to BB creams from Korean brands (e.g. Skin79 as shown above). The slight greyish BB creams from Korean brands are good for fair skin, or people who want to look fair, I suppose. They always make me look a little washed out. The Maybelline CS BB Cream is different; it is very natural, and blends in with my skin colour.

The back of my palm is very fair, so you can distinctly see how the orangey BB cream colours my hand. The coverage is so-so with one layer, just the way I like it. For more coverage, Maybelline recommends layering since they claim this product is buildable.

I like the BB cream so far; I have worn it on two occasions and I’d say it’s good. On both occasions I set the BB cream with the Clear Smooth Shine Free Face Powder (CSSF powder).

This face powder is some kind of awesome. Prior to this, I am keen supporter of M.A.C.’s Select Sheer Pressed Powder (went through two of them). If I have to compare these two, I’d it’s a tough fight. Both oxidizes a little, but they are both very smooth (finely milled) and glide onto the face easily. I don’t care much for the ridiculously crappy powder puff that comes with the Maybelline one, though. The shine free powder lives up to its promise. I have combination skin and usually I shine at my T-zone. I wore this for 6 hours and I didn’t feel the need to touch up or even blot my nose. It’s not matte throughout (that’d be scary), but it’s a healthy nice kind of glow, I suppose.

As I said I am a fan of Maybelline’s Two-Way foundations and here is a comparison of shades. I’d say Nude Beige is a good match for those using OC1 from the other two range. By the way, I love the Angelfit 2-way too. (Not so much the Pure Mineral.)

There is currently a promotion for the BB Cream and Pressed Powder at Watsons if I’m not wrong. I bought them for $13.50 and $11.90 respectively. Not sure when the promotion ends, go buy it ASAP!

Received an EMS package from Japan, no need to guess whom it’s from. This birthday present is nearly two mores in the making; my BFF told me she bought me my birthday present, but refused to tell me what it is. I kept asking for clues, and only knew it’s utilitarian, and bigger than a fist but smaller than a chair (I am horrible at siphoning clues). So to a certain extent, this is indeed a surprise birthday present (that came late but nonetheless came)!

The Japanese store is great at wrapping gifts.

With my present is the cutest birthday card ever. It’s small but so funny. It basically is about a cat going to spa and relaxing.

So I unwrapped my present, the shape momentarily confusing me…

It’s a folded bag! For those not familiar with this, this is the Longchamp Le Pliage foldable nylon tote. It’s a staple in many Singaporean girls’ wardrobe (methinks). I know a few people with one, I have, on many occasion, expressed my desire to buy one but never really got around to doing it … you get the idea.

Unfolded. It’s pretty big and roomy, great for stashing all the stuff I love to carry with me when I go out. Like a water bottle, umbrella, iPad, little pouches of random items, shawl… The bag is very light and portable, perfect for stashing into luggages when I go travelling, I suppose.

In any case I am very delighted with my present! So to my BFF of 14 years – thank you so so much! :D

P.S.: Believe it or not, this is the first real non-angbao birthday present I got this year, almost a week after my birthday. Not complaining, just stating a fact.

I got to try this newfangled sheet mask from The Sample Store. This sheet mask comes with ear loops and a chin-neck flap for supposed lifting effect. This is my review of it.

As you can see from the picture above the mask has loops which you must place behind your ears. First you loop the face portion, then the chin flap. The mask fits OK, but some places didn’t fit at all, such as the nose area. It does not cover my nose well, and the sides are lifting off. The ear loops make the mask a tad tight, but that’s probably due to my big face.

The mask promises lifting and anti-aging effect. All I can affirm is the hydration it provides. My skin feels soft and supple after using it. As for the chin area, more often than not, that is the area I neglect when applying skincare. Similarly, the skin at that area feels smooth to touch after applying the mask. However, any promise of facial lifting is dubious to me. Particularly with this kind of ingredients:

Platinum? Seriously? I suppose the elastin helps to plump and firm skin, but that’s not lifting by any account. Arguably, effects may be observed after prolonged usage. Which I feel is doable with this mask; if I’m not wrong it retails for S$8.90 thereabout for 5 pieces. It’s not too bad as a hydration mask. The ear loops are so luxe, maybe that’s a reason enough to try this mask.