The Skin Food Merry Christmas, My Honey Winter 2013

Who doesnt like holiday season and honey? The Skin Food combines both theme this year. Presenting you: Merry Christmas, My Honey!

the collection includes lipbalms, body wash, hand and foot care, moisturizing cream, lip and cheek balm. I'm interested in the lip and cheek balm... is it really balm?!?

picture from theskinfood.co.kr

Haus of Gloi Soft Bubbling Scrub in Snow Wolf

Recently I am so smitten by Haus of Gloi. They packaged their boxes well, and the Pumpkin Butter in Three Treasures was heavenly. Unlike some stuff claiming 'handmade' but still using pre made bases, Haus of Gloi made everything from scratch. Adding cherries on the cake, their products are vegan and cruelty free. How lovely. Another item I ordered together with my pumpkin butter was Soft Bubbling Scrub in Snow Wolf.

(picture from hausofgloi.com)

I am not sure how I will like this soft bubbling scrub concept, therefore, I ordered a tiny sample of 2oz (56 gr) size. Let me tell you, it doesn't disappoint!

Soft Bubbling Scrub is basically whipped scrubby soap. The product is water activated, so, apply after you wet your body. Massaging in circular motions will cleanse your skin while the scrub particles is doing its job. 

The texture of the bubbling scrub is like dense whipped cream - still light but retains its shape when taken from its jar. I am keeping my jar away from water and making sure my hand is not dripping wet when I dig into the jar. The whipped cream melts easily on my skin while I massaged it. Just because the name is 'bubbling scrub', dont expect bubble bomb here... on me, it doesnt bubble much - intensity of the bubble is just like when you applied shower gel without bath lilly/bath sponge. The scrub particles are just nice - not too fine, not too large/rough for me. The scrubbies too, will dissolve when you slowly massaged in the product. 

Upon seeing shea butter as one of the ingredient, I was kinda worried this will make my bathroom slippery. But it doesnt, that's another plus point. After rinsing, my skin feels clean and fresh yet nicely moisturized. I think Haus of Gloi have another winner here. 

Now, the fragrance, Snow Wolf is balsamic fir with a dash of vanilla to round it off. It reminds me of walk in pine forest... the freshness of the air with homey, familiar, comfortable vanilla. This is a perfect scent for me to unwind after a long day in the office. relaxing yet fresh. Part of me wish they add a little minty stuff to give the scrub a little sparkling coolness factor. But, hey, I am not a perfumer... but  a girl can wish, right? ( I do hope someone from Haus of Gloi reads this paragraph...)

Bottomline, 

another winner from Haus of Gloi... perfect sized scrubbies, lovely texture, moisturizing quality. Plus... wonderful Snow Wolf fragrance makes this one a favorite in my bathroom. 

Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter in Three Treasures

I couldnt remember how I came to know Haus of Gloi... was it the vintage image? was it the handmade factor? or was it the fact that products are vegan? Anyways... finally I clicked that checkout button and puff! A tidy box filled with nicely wrapped lotions and potions arrived on my desk. How lovely!

(picture from hausofgloi.com)

Haus of Gloi is Matt & Britton, each order is always accompanied with lovely handwritten thank you note. Appreciated personal touch! I am loving the way the pack things in my box. Each item was carefully wrapped with paper and the box is sturdy. Too bad my itchy hands has opened everything before I remember to take pictures of the nicely packaged stuff. Oh, another thing, they also sealed the jar with Styrofoam seal - I love details like this- making sure my precious drops of butter dont spill out and products stays fresh.

Ahem, enough about boxes and wrapping materials. now the product. Gloi's Pumpkin Butter is thick glossy cream. It gets absorbed rather easily when applied on my skin, but due to the richness, this might be too thick for whole body use for those with normal skin. But I do think this will benefit everyone with dry elbows and knees. 

The moment I opened the jar, I was just awestruck. The fragrance simply fills the air with goodness. Smooth resinous frankincense, not smoky, but fresh and rounded. I am so getting another tub of this!

And now I cant stop sniffing my hands... ah... the fragrance!!!

Bottomline, 

Fantastic product -very moisturizing and rich. and the fragrance... heavenly. I am definitely getting another one before this one runs out. 

Oriental Princess – Body Cologne Cream in Story of Happiness Oriental White Flower

I totally feel intrigued with the name of this product... “Body Cologne Cream”... is it a light refreshing cream? Is it cologne in cream form?

Oriental Princess is a Thai brand, easily found in shopping malls. Usually their products are sold in concept boutiques. Oriental Princess covers pretty much all your beauty need... from cutesy hand creams, various hair care and stying products, make up, perfumes... you name it, they got it. not to mention that the products are pocket friendly!

(picture from orientalprincesssociety.com)

I am loving the packaging. Look at the pretty box and frosted glass tub... this is the perfect gift for a friend! Sure it is not travel-friendly, but I’m sure it looks pretty on top of the vanity table.

The “Story of Happiness” series belongs to their perfumery line. Beside this Cologne Cream, the line also offers hair cologne and body cologne. The cologne cream promises velvety, well moisture skin with long lasting fresh yet soft fragrance.

The cream is thick and rich. It glides nicely on my skin, unfortunately, it doesn’t get absorbed that easily. I feel like the cream is sitting on top of my skin. Even though the cream is thick, it doesnt feel  super moisturizing. It just make my skin feel comfortable, but it doesnt improve dryness.

The fragrance itself is not as white-flowery as I expected. It was more like floral-rose infused baby powder.

Bottomline,

Pretty addition to my cream collection, but not moisturizing enough for my dry skin. 

Gwendolyn Body Lotion in Sandy Sweetpea

This is new local brand from Indonesia. With kawaii girly illustrations on the bottle, I thought it is some kind of new Korean brand.

Dont you agree? It comes with the cute pink bag too!

Currently the shop only offers body lotions in 5 fragrances. I picked Sandy Sweetpea. The SA says 5 more fragrances are coming soon, with lines of antibacterial hand rub and lip balms. Lotions come in 95mL bottle (smallest), 200mL and 400mL.

The lotion contains jojoba oil and vitamin E. It says it also helps whitening your skin and UV filter. Non sticky and suitable for humid tropical weather. Sounds like lotion made from heaven.

Sandy Sweetpea is light and sweet with hint of flowers and fruits. Kinda reminds me of one of Victoria Secret - Secret Garden fragrance. Couldn’t remember which though. Simply said, it is light and lovely – not intrusive but nothing extraordinary. Since the fragrance is light, it doesn’t linger very long – about be 2-3 hours.

Light and baby pink in color, it just calls me over and over to apply more of it. It absorbs easily and wonderfully, leaving the skin lightly fragranced and wonderfully moist.

One thing I am really particular about with my lotions is, if the lotion wash off or makes my hand feeling slick after rinsing my hand with water. Gwendolyn body lotion, feel a little like that. Not so slick, but still, I feel like the lotion is gone after mild rinsing with water. But with the price, this is still a good buy.

One thing though, I think this lotion is not available in many places yet.

In Summary...
Packaging: simple plastic bottle with cute girly pictures
Texture: lightly fragranced body lotion
Is it worth it?
Collateral Damage: IDR 25,000 (approx 3 USD) for 95mL
Yes if... You live in humid climate, you want lightly moisturizing lotion
No if... want heavier lotion

Kose Cosmenience Happy Bath Day Precious Rose Body Powder

Rose overload! These few days I have been spray happy with my favourite rose fragrances, like The Perfumer Workshop Tea Rose or Thierry Mugler Angel La Rose. I love rose and with mood like this, I will grab anything rosey! And I did... Kose Comenience Happy Bath Day Precious Rose Body Powder. As you know, Kose is Japanese cosmetics brand which brings us, of course, Kose line of skincare and make up and Fasio, the drugstore make up line. After some consulting the wise Uncle Google, I figured this product has been around for few years in Singapore. (again, where have I been?!?). In the shop where I got this bay, there was a tiny rack filled with pink colored, rose scented products from Kose. Ranging from hair care to soap to cologne... thanks to the cute packaging, I ended up with the body powder.

Look at that cute pink rose shaped handle on top! The powder comes with pink soft powder puff with pink ribbon on top. Unfortunately the lid is not one of those twist/screw to close. So, if I forgot that and grab the cute pink thing by the rose shaped handle, it will just tumble down... how do I know...I tried... (more like it happen accidentally then purposely trying taking it by the handle...)

The powder itself is so soft and mildly fragranced. When I opened the seal, there is nothing mild about the fragrance. But upon application, the scent softened a lot and gave me soft candied rose smell. Love...

Fallen in love with the body powder, the next natural thing to do is... grab the cologne! But I didn’t. For I don’t fancy the accords in the cologne, it smells of strong alcohol and artificial roses. Nothing like my beloved body powder. How I wish I could buy another product from this range ...

Even though I don’t usually powdered up my body, this rose scented baby is a definite repurchase!

Packaging: cute pink rose themed, be careful with the lid though...
Price: SGD 25
Texture: scented body powder, very pale pink in color. Texture similar to Johnson&Johnson baby powder
Staying power:
Is it worth it?
Yes if... you like to apply body powder, you like the smell of roses
No if... you don’t powder up so much, you simply cant stand roses

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse OR – Multi Usage Dry Oil

Nuxe is drugstore brand from France, Huile Prodigieuse happen to be one of their flagship product. I’ve heard nice recommendations about this dry oil, but never tried it myself. As it is exxxxppeeennssiiivveeeee in Singapore. But I can’t contain myself seeing the shimmering golden glitter suspended in amber oil...so, I grabbed it.

The website says...
‘EFFECTIVE BY NATURE
Huile Prodigieuse Or is a dry oil with a unique superactivated formula combining 30% Precious Plant Oils and Vitamin E to nourish, repair and soften face, body and hair in a single gesture.
PRECIOUS BENEFITS FOR MY SKIN
Face and body are soft and velvety. Hair is supple, glossy and full of volume. Thanks to its small golden particles, your skin glitters and reveals its beauty whenever you move.
STAR ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
A unique cocktail of 6 Precious Plant Oils (Borage, St Johnswort, Sweet Almond, Camellia, Hazelnut, Macadamia) with a subtle fragrance for a velvety skin, silky hair and an improved overall aspect of stretch marks. Its iridescent golden particles illuminate all skin and hair types with shiny reflections.
IS THIS PRODUCT FOR ME?
This oil is suitable for all skin and hair types regardless of age.’
Sounds fantastic isn’t it? And with that pretty golden shimmer, how can I say no? So... most probably you have noticed the two layers of colors in the picture. The golden shimmer is deposited at the bottom, and you have to shake it (just a little bit will do) before spraying it. My 100ml bottle comes with spray nozzle, just like perfumes. I believe the smaller bottle (50mL or so) does not come with the nozzle, but simple opening on the top of the bottle. But, I had some bad experience with nozzle spraying products a little too generously and ended up messing my application. Not with this one. It dispenses just nice amount of oil every time. I never feel like I wasted my precious oil drops ;) Texture wise both regular and OR (gold) version is the same.
The website says this multipurpose dry oil can be used for body, face and hair. So far I’ve tried on skin and hair and I am loving it... so, the multipurpose claim checked out, how about the ‘dry oil’. I tried finding out what it is...but i still have no idea. Do drop a message if you know what is the difference between dry and non dry/wet oil means...
The oil has this soft lovely white flower smell, still noticeable after application. Don’t be scared with the glitter, as it doesn’t really show. Just give my skin that nice golden glow without being too obvious. The shimmer doesn’t transfer to clothing too! Best of all, this product get absorbed nicely, no sticky oily mess. Ah.. bliss
This one made it to my essential list, along side with The Body Shop Body butter and Badger Lip & Body Balm
In summary...
Packaging: bottle with nozzle spray (100mL bottle)
Color variations: just the oil or OR (with golden shimmer)
Collateral Damage: SGD 85 for 100mL of OR (golden) version, regular version will be cheaper
Texture: light, easily absorbed. Gives skin lovely golden glow. Slightly frangranced
Moisturizing: 4/5, non sticky yet moisturizing!
Is it worth it?
Yes if... you like lightly fragranced oil, you want slight shimmer to brighten up your day, you have ultra dry skin
No if... you have oily skin, you don’t like mess oil might leads you, you don’t like the price, Ha!