The Body Shop Tea Tree Cool and Creamy Wash Review

WHAT IS IT: The Body Shop Tea Tree Cool and Creamy Wash

THE PRODUCT(S):

The Body Shop Tea Tree Cool and Creamy Wash: This cool new cleansing sensation is the perfect wake-up call for blemished skin, use daily for a velvety-soft cleanse with a blast of cool freshness. Cool, creamy texture, designed for blemished skin and helps remove impurities.

The texture and consistency is actually more like toothpaste than facial cleanser, no matter how many times I squeeze it out. Or maybe it's just me only, since I like squeezing out my cleanser into weird figures and stuffs like that xD

The cleanser felt instantly cool to the touch when applied onto the skin. A real wake-up call as the product claims, but more of a real wake-up call to my senses first, before the skin and face though. Works just fine the way it is for me.

VERDICT: The scent itself is a blast of tea tree and mint and because it isn't the overly nauseous minty scent I tend to associate with from my childhood, I personally find it rejuvenating for the senses just from a whiff of it. I used to fear mint and menthol flavoured and scented stuffs from when I was a kid, as I find it overly cooling from a 3 year old point-of-view. I only dare to try my first mint-flavoured ice-cream when I was around 15 or 16 in Secondary School. And because I was only a 3-year-old many donkey years ago, my simple mind back then just couldn't process that it is a cooling type of flavour and scent, it just felt "spicy" on so many levels LMAO

Anyways, I find the texture and consistency is a little similar to toothpaste. Don't ask why, I just have itchy fingers that loves to feel everything between them since I was young. But still, despite it looking and feeling like toothpaste, I found that this facial wash is actually easy to spread around on the skin with the help of a splash of tap water. It lathers up pretty well in a milky-esque way without the actual soap suds associated with facial cleansers and it wasn't hard to wash off either. The refreshing and soothing feeling almost made me not want to wash off the facial wash off my face, to be honest. I wish I could spend an hour each time I cleansed my face.

As my skin sometimes get a little angsty for no apparent reason, almost as if it has a life of it's own, my skin only felt the refreshing and soothing sensation from application to post-wash. There were no burning sensation even hours after washing this product off my face. And my face felt so smooth and velvety like a baby's backside and there were absolutely no dry nor flaky spots sighted nor felt anywhere on my skin.

As my skin is really bad with tea tree oil, I personally found and realized that product that contain tea tree oil doesn't really hurt my skin at all, unlike pure Tea Tree Oil applied on it's own onto my skin. It helps with my breakouts by controlling the occurrence and also, it calms also existing pimples on my skin without making them feel irritated and painful to the touch too. I find that it helps to actually "cool down" actual existing pimples on my skin when using this product and hours after washing this off, my pimples weren't that angry and sore at all. It's almost like my pimples went into some sort of a Zen-like state for that moment.

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: Easy to apply and washed off and my skin felt so smooth and velvety. And best of all? It doesn't irritate existing pimples and it helps control my skin breakouts decently too.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: No sample for redemption. However, you can pop by any The Body Shop outlet near you and tried it on the spot :D

Why not like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PuNiaosProductReviews to be informed of latest samples I found, which is duly updated? Also includes updates to health, beauty & lifestyle tips at least once a day. It will definitely save you the trouble of having to hunt them down :)

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Brand's Innershine Marine Collagen Essence Strip Natural Acai Berry Flavour Review

WHAT IS IT: Brand's Innershine Marine Collagen Essence Strip Natural Acai Berry Flavour

THE PRODUCT(S):

Brand's Innershine Marine Collagen Essence Strip Natural Acai Berry Flavour: InnerShine® Marine Collagen Essence Strip is specially formulated and designed to complement your active, urban lifestyle. It contains micro-collagen for better absorption, and Vitamin E for added anti-oxidation benefits! Only 12K Kcal per strip and zero fats, each yummilicious jelly strip is compact and light, perfect for snacking your way to beauty!

Despite it being a berry flavour, specifically, Acai Berry flavour, it wasn't sour and neither was it too sweet to take in. Instead, it's a fruity berry sort of flavour that doesn't leave a sour aftertaste too.

THE VERDICT: Because I got a trial/sample box of 3 different flavours, 1 flavour each, I'm just gonna focus on the Natural Acai Berry Flavour one instead in this review.

Firstly, let's talk about the design of this product. Right on the packaging, there's a OPEN wording with the usual dotted line that is meant to be torn at the exact place specified for easy opening. Sounds confusing? Okay, I'll elaborate a little on products with and without the word OPEN and the dotted (a.k.a tear here) line. Most products I've come across that may or may not have the word OPEN, but will definitely have that usual dotted line that meant "Tear Me Open Right Here!". Most times, I've come across products that seemingly looks like it's easy peasy when it comes to the opening or tearing open part. And most times, I ended up having to use a scissors to cut the package open to get to the food inside.

And the best part is that, just because it says OPEN doesn't necessarily mean it can be torn open the usual way, half the time, it's more like a "guideline" on where to tear or cut open to avoid unnecessary spillage and wastage. So, imagine my surprise when I actually managed to tear the packaging open to get to the collagen jelly. I think it'll just promote us consumers into hunting down for that product that doesn't take too much effort to open up and enjoy it. And at the same time, it can be confusing sometimes as OPEN not only meant "Tear open here", it can also mean "Cut open here". So, the OPEN can be quite ambiguous sometimes LOL

Getting the collagen jelly out of the little packaging doesn't take too much effort too. Just press gently at the bottom of the strip and at the opened part, the collagen jelly will slowly "ooze" out, ready to meet the world (and you of course!). And you can simply just suck on and ease out of the packaging without even breaking the jelly into half. Unless you're a little baby, then it's just chunks of jelly sporadically getting squeezed out for who knows how long it will take. And because unlike regular jelly we're used to, there's no excess liquid inside the packaging alongside the collagen jelly, hence zero mess and leakage and absolutely no dirtying of our hands too.

The jelly itself doesn't taste too sour despite being a "acai berry" flavour. Sometimes, life sucks and we get sour jellies whether we want to or not. But thankfully, this acai berry flavour collagen jelly isn't even sour in the first place and neither is it too sweet too. *Those little perks and pleasures in life* The collagen jelly itself is smooth from the first suck, I dare say too!

And because it is really small, lightweight and doesn't take up much space, and easy to bring out, it's really more than just convenient for someone who is always on the go. Imagine if you're the type of girl who need to have her daily intake of collagen pills, powder, to name a few. And yikes, you're too tired to follow up on the collagen nomming regime after getting home from work, this collagen strip sort of lets you "cheat" every now and then. I normally take 1 before leaving my house to go to work, so it works out fine for me. Collagen essence strip in the daytime, collagen pills or powder when I reached home at night.

And because I wanted to know if it is effective in jelly form, I went out to grab at least a month's worth of Brand's Innershine Marine Collagen Essence Strip that I will take everyday before leaving the house for work, I did noticed my skin feeling more radiant, especially my dark eyebags aren't that dark, as compared to the days I haven't tried any collagen jellies yet. Skin became smoother in a sense that my facial products gets absorbed much more easily too. And best of all? My skin felt so bouncy to the touch and no breakouts at all. None, I'm telling you. My skin only reverted back to it's original sickly, sallow and pimply condition right when my collagen strips ran out D:

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: One little strip of jelly does so much wonders for a full month. And I can practically compare the results from before, during and after consumption.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: No samples for redemption at the moment.

Why not like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PuNiaosProductReviews to be informed of latest samples I found, which is duly updated? Also includes updates to health, beauty & lifestyle tips at least once a day. It will definitely save you the trouble of having to hunt them down :)

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Monthly Topic #24: Back To Basics ~ How To Choose A Bra

~Image Source: Natural Breast Enlargement Reviews~

Hands up those who had themselves measured the last time they bought a bra! If you did, give yourself a pat on your back.

Many women make the mistake of buying lingerie that's too small, which is not only uncomfortable but can cause breathing difficulties. A woman's figure is constantly changing, and by measuring herself every time she buys lingerie, she can be sure of buying the right size and type. When correctly fitted, lingerie should:

» support your body

» flatter your figure

» buffer your body from heat and cold

» help protect your clothes

Buying lingerie isn’t something that should be rushed, simply because you need time to try out several different styles before deciding what is best for you. The first step is to get a trained expert to take your measurements whenever you buy a bra. All lingerie outlets should have someone who is trained to take your measurements. A woman's body is distorted when she measures herself, and the expert who does this countless times a day is more likely to get a more accurate figure. She will measure your bust (the highest part of your breast) and your underbust (the area just below your bust). Armed with these figures, you can start trying on items. Once you have the bra on, raise both arms, and try moving to see how comfy it is. No lingerie store should have a problem with you trying on bras; if they do, go elsewhere.

Here's a rundown of some of the types of bras that are available

» Plunging: This type of bra has a deep front centre-cut, suitable for plunging v-necks, so that your bra won't play peek-a-boo.

» Strapless: Like its name, it comes without straps so it's suitable to wear with spaghetti straps or tube tops/dresses. You'll need to choose your strapless carefully. Let's just say, it's far less embarrassing to be caught jumping up and down in the dressing room to test the strapless, than to have your bra slip down... in the middle of a crowded bus or train.

» Push-up bra: There are people who swear they can spot a push-up bra from across the room, then there are others who can't live without them. At worst, they can look, well... exactly like what they are; but at best, they can help fill out the tight sweater look.

» Underwire: Contrary to belief, underwire bras aren't just for the better-endowed girls. The underwire cradles your breasts and provides definition for the more petite girls too. What is important in an underwire bra is getting the right fit, or it may pinch - ouch!

» Minimizer: Regular-sized girls may be wondering what this would be used for. But those of us who are generously endowed know certain clothes look better when your assets are minimized. T-shirts and singlets for one, and luckily minimizer bras not only starting to have more sex appeal but, with wider straps, they support better as well!

The Bra: Where It All Began...

Here's a brief look at the tumultuous evolution of the bra in the last century.

1900: The painful, unhealthy corset began losing favor and a less restrictive undergarment named "brassiere" appeared. The word was derived from the old French word for upper arm (yeah, we don't get it either!).

1914: Birth of the first patented brassiere. Invented by a New York socialite, Mary Phelps Jacob, it was called the "backless brassiere".

1917: The US War Industries Board requested women stop buying corsets in order to free up metal for the war! Thus the bra gained ground.

1920s: This was the era of the "Flapper", and the flat-chested boyish look was all the rage. The function of the bra became to flatten breasts.

1930s: The return of the bust. The bra's function once again is holding and supporting breasts.

1950s: This was the decade of decadence Ds (cups, babe)! "Falsies" were hot property! The heavy padding evolved into push-up bras and bras with stiffened cups with underwire. Strapless bras also became popular at this time.

1960s: Time to burn those bras. The women's liberation movement saw many bra-burning rallies as bras were seen as a symbol of conformity and servitude.

1990s: Bras are back, and they're baaad! From Madonna and her Jean-Paul Gaultier outfits, to Elle and her lace numbers, underwear is increasingly used for self-expression. And the Wonder Bra appears, the ultimate push-up.

Bare Necessities - >Keeping Abreast

» Go braless if your outfit calls for it (i.e. something backless, bikini-cut, halters, etc), but do wear a bra under outfits that you can fit one under, as often as possible. It provides support against gravity, plus, you'll get fewer rude stares from men on the public transport.

» Use stick-on breast support cups if you're uncomfortable about your nipples showing through, or for support if you're a C cup and over.

» Good strapless bras are few and far between. So when you find one that fits, buy in bulk. You'll need at least one each in nude, black and white.

» Please leave those see-through plastic straps where they belong - at the back of your cupboard. They're tack. And yes, everyone can see them.

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