Wakilala - Solution for Dark Armpits

Ahhhh... dark armpits! I think it looks really " not nice '' especially for people who likes to wear sleeveless clothing. But then, nobody wants to have dark armpits, so here comes the wakilala!

I was introduced this brand long time ago, I used this before and the result is very clear and almost instant. Some pregnant lady tend to have darker armpits, well, I'm one of them. Few weeks ago, when I was trying to remove a toothpaste stained on my glass mirror, I noticed my armpits looks so dark and it horrified me. I quickly tell my hubby and I showed him my dark armpits, yes, hubby is so straight forward too. He told me my armpits look so dark and dirty as if I'm never wash my armpit at all during my shower. Oh dear...

The next day, I went to Sasa and bought a set of wakilala, a tube of exfoliating cream and a bottle of armpit toner. I went home happily and immediately popped into shower AGAIN!

So, I applied the exfoliator onto my dry armpits and massage it gently for few minutes, then, add some tap water and massage it for another few seconds. Later on, I went for shower. Using a cotton pad, apply the armpit toner, apply onto the dark area, more like rubbing of the dark stain at my armpits.
Have a look on the cotton pad, yucks! the dirt on my armpit was transferred to the cotton pad.  Well, I would say the exfoliator and the armpit toner works really well also it deodorize any body odour too.

I have been using it for weeks now, the results is good but because the main cause of having dark armpits is due to pregnancy pigmentation I only hope it reduces the appearance of dark armpits instead of getting back my fair armpits. Haha... too much information!  Some people will have darker bikini lines too, and this can be used around the bikini area too.

All in all, I really enjoy using this Wakilala set. It doesn't mean this set targeted consumer must have dark armpits/ bikini line, those who have body odour can use this too because it smells really clean and fresh. Unlike other deodorant in the market, which actually blocks your sweat glands to keep you smell good, but this actually works like a sterilizer, killing/removing the smelly bacteria from your armpit surface to keep you fresh. At the end of the day, you'll still sweat, but with nice smell.

Be Gone Itchy Skin

At the very beginning of this mama whale journey, my skins all over the body itch and sometimes it is very nerve wrecking because parts like boobs are getting bigger and it hurts to even just a slight touch. I do scratch my boobs more than my tummy and sometimes when I'm work, I wish I could just grab it out and scratch as hard as I could. TMI (-.-|||) So, getting some body lotions, oil, creams, body butter... anything that works will be my cup of tea. The whole belly growing journey is fun and exciting!

When it comes to body care in pregnancy, I'm very concern with ingredients and always opt for the pregnancy version or natural ingredients because my brain said these items are safer and almost risk free.

1. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - this is lotion is scent free and what I do really like about it is the texture. It feels like a thicker, denser type of lotion and absorbs nicely after apply. Sometimes, I just use this all over my body before heading to work. Anything the scent free sooth my sensitive nose.

2. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Spray Lotion for Stretch Marks - I started using this since the beginning of my pregnancy. Most of the Cocoa Butter series smells terrible in my opinion. The cocoa scent just linger around for the whole day and I don't like it at all. Somehow, this spray version has lighter scent and even though there's still a teeny weeny smell, it isn't that strong and bearable. I use this everyday too, especially after morning bath and my tummy, boobies feels nice, I mean, no more itchy skin. Haha~ happy!

3. Burts Bee Mama Bee Belly Butter - another recommended item from fellow bloggers and Youtubers. I even saw it in my pregnancy books to. So, I think this must be something good about it. The label there written 99% natural and infused with shea butter and vitamin E. I think any mom-to-be should try this, it is amazing. It is very thick and creamy but it absorbs so well without leaving any oily residue or glued your skin with your clothes. Sometimes, if my skin itchy and flakes, I will use this on top of my spray lotion and immediately it soothes my skin issue. One more thing, no worries as it wash off easily even without soap and your hands still clean and oil free. yay!

4. Burts Bee Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil with Vitamin E - I bought this to replace my skin itchy oil from Palmer's. The oil is thick and dense, so basically I just smear it all over my skin after shower. It smells like yummy lemon tart, only IF it is edible. If compared with the Palmer's oil, this one feels thicker and of course a little goes a long way but it will leave some stickiness behind. Other than that, it works just nice and skin feels more hydrate after use. Good thing to tell it is 100% natural.

5. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula For Dry, Itchy Skin - this is a nice oil for dry skin and it contains vitamin E, collagen & elastin. Honestly, I really dislike the cocoa butter scent, it is way to strong and it makes me feel like cocoa pudding. I will say it works better for dry skin and keep the skin super soft and moist. I prefer to use this during night time because the cocoa scent bothers me a lot, no no when I'm going to work. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law use this during their pregnancy and they didn't develop any stretch marks. Anyway, it is a good oil for those who have dry skin, not that you must be a mama whale criteria only allow to use.

All in all, I hope my short reviews helps and if you have any recommendations, please share, it will be great to know more about items that works for itchy skin.

Review: Hada Labo Lavender/ Whitening Hand Cream

Hello, I've been a fan of hand cream/ hand lotions. Since I'm staying in an air-conditioning room for almost 24/7, having a hand cream has become a must for me. My hands, especially the edges around my nails will start to peel off and it isn't nice to look at nor good to touch. Ouch!

I spotted the Hada Labo hand cream awhile back, but never really got the interest to try it. Well, this time, I decided to give it a try. It comes with 2 variations, another one is rose -pink color tube, which is meant for hydration. I think I like lavender scent better, so I picked up this purple buddy.

It contains:

• Arbutin and lavender essential oil which can maintain the youthfulness of our hands
• Contains hyaluronic acid which can maintain & hydrate the hands
• Contains vitamin E and vitamin B5 which will repair dry and dehydrated skin
• The lavender essential oil is obtain from Europe. The scent is soothing and relaxing, plus what's great about it is that it helps to whiten the skin and keeping our hands more hydrated and supple.
• Coloring, fragrance and mineral oil free.

A month of friendship with this purple buddy, I would like to say, it works quite well. I have less problem with skin peel off around the edges of my nails and less scaly hands. The scent is very calming too. However, I still couldn't tell if it really helps in whiten my hands. The cream itself is quite creamy, very easy to rub and blend into the skin. It also doesn't leave any oil or sticky residue after apply. I like to reapply the hand cream from time to time as I'm dealing with lots of paper work which sometimes got myself a bad papercut ( >.<)

Price is slightly higher than regular drugstore hand cream, I still think is consider more affordable than those high end hand cream.

Overall, I give it a thumbs up. Anyone who like the lavender scent, you'll definitely like it. I don't think it will serve well for terribly dry winter weather as you will have to reapply quite regularly. For me, this is a good hand cream for my current needs yet didn't burden my wallet.

Is All About My Drugstore Products Adventure For The Month of May

Hello... well, today is all about drugstore products... and seriously, I think I liking them a lot.

So, start with the stuffs in my bathroom

1. Sunsilk Damage Reconstruction Conditioner - cheap and effective, leaving my hair soft and fluffy
2. Tsubaki Head Spa Extra Cleansing with Essential Oil - deep cleanse my scalp, leaving a cool sensation before rinse off. I feel it strips off my natural hair oil, so after use, I must follow up with a conditioner. Use once a week. Well, no more itchy/oily scalp for now.
3. Nivea In-shower conditioner (Normal skin)-  after shower, just lather it all over the body, leave it for about 1min, and rinse off. I think it is quite fast and easy, but I'm not really liking the sticky hint left behind. So.... I give this a thumb down.
4. Neutrogena Deep Cleanse (Brightening, Mulberry) Cleansing Foam - I'm in love with this, gentle yet effective. I actually got quite a lot compliments on my skin lately. It smells amazing too. The dispenser pump out just the perfect amount of foam for my entire face :)
5. Lactacyd Feminine Wash (Nourish) - seriously I think this works better for me as compare with the other versions. Smell fresh and just keeps my V clean. I'm a loyal user.
6. Simple Kind to Skin Exfoliating Body Wash - no scent and more like a gel consistency. It contains loofah which works as the exfoliator. I think daily use is okay, but if you are looking for a higher strength of exfoliation for the body, this is slightly too gentle.
7. Dove Instense Repair Shampoo - one word : perfect ! Even without using conditioner my hair is still soft and smooth. Well, so far so good, I didn't see any split ends appear.

Next move to the face part: skincare!

1. Olay White Radiance Brightening Intensive Serum 50mL - it just does what it says. My skin become fairer, seriously and my beautician was keep on asking me what I've done to my skin. lol. It applies easily, just 2-3pumps and it absorbs quite fast too, no oily at all.
2. Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturizer - I'm just so addicted to this thing. Basically, it just keeps my skin clean and matte but not drying.
3. Simple Hydrating Light Moisturizer - I only use this at night, not every night but 3-4 times a week, when I'm too tired to layer my skincare and just want to have a quick moisturizer. Squeeze, rub between my palm, spread onto face. Viola! Somehow, I really not liking to massage it on my face because I notice the longer I massage/apply onto my face, the vitamin E scents become stronger. Hmm, I just not enjoy that scent.
4. Palmer's Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Lip Butter - nice name, nice scent, nice texture
5. Sunplay SPF60, PA+++ - first of all, I got this simply because the lil chick is so cute, yellow is cheerful color. The sunscreen itself is runny, shake well before use. Just like a regular sunscreen.

And now for my feet. Keep it simple. I received a sample size of Ellgy cracked heel cream last month which came in with my monthly must read magazine, so I tried it and miracle happens. I noticed my heels become smoother, well, obviously I don't have the perfect "NO CRACKED HEELS". So 1 day application keep it hydrate, 2nd day application I started to see less noticeable cracked heels, and some dry patches have been cleared off. Once the little sample finished, I quickly bought a tube, just so happy to tell, it heals my cracked heels! Wheeee ~~
(p.s -- the socks is perfect in size, stretchable and breathable, I wear it after apply the cream)

I even use drugstore products before heading to work:

1. Clinelle Powder Compact (Ivory) - super natural on my skin, very flattering. Most important is the matte finish, not cakey, no problem for my pores size too.
2. Revlon Brow Crayon (Dark Brown) - almost matches my original brow color. 2-3 strokes, and use the spoolie attached, and I got a nice and natural looking brow.
3. Za Ever Brow (Natural Brown) - super easy to use of compare with the Revlon Brow Crayon, totally dump proof, perfect for beginners. I also like the little spoolie attached. Well, I think I just meet my drugstore holy grail for my brows. As much as I like my Revlon one, I can assure you, I like this very, very, verrrrrrry much! Thanks Cynthia for recommend this to me.
4. Za Perfect Fit Concealer (02) - just nice. Well, I might looking for another brand to try out. So far, I'm quite satisfy with it.

Lastly, is all about my lotions. When you stay in a cool, dry condition, whether you like it or not, you must have lotions, so do I.

1. Vaseline Hand and Nails Lotion- Smell good. Very smooth and soft, non oily.
2. Nivea Intensive Moisture Body Milk - I can't believe I'm actually liking this more and more. Really soothes my dry skin, bye bye itchy skin and Hello silky soft skin.
3. Vaseline Total Moisture Nourishing lotion - I use this a long time ago, probably during my University years. Basically I like Vaseline lotions, smells good and non sticky. The only Vaseline lotion I can't use is the pink bottle lotion : Perfect 10, B3, Whitening... the list goes on. I think I'm allergic to the perfume in it, making my skin very itchy.

Wow.... such a long, long journey and story to tell about my drugstore products adventure. I guess, that's all for today. I like using drugstore products, they are affordable and quite efficient. Looking forward for more drugstore products adventure in the future.

Have a nice day!

Review: The Body Shop Body Butter Beurre Corporel

Be gone dry skin! shoooo.....
Although I'm living in a tropical country, I do still experience dry skin around my hands, elbow, knee.... and it is not a good thing at all. I do drink water regularly but sometimes my skin just need some heavy duty cream, something rich yet non oily.

On last December 2013, MWW (My Womens' Weekly) magazine gave out a Body Shop body butter as a free gift, I picked up that magazine and tested the body butter.

Well, I know Body Shop has a variety of body butter with different scents to choose from. I have to say this 50ml last me awhile. I like the consistency, perfect for office use because it is so small and easy to carry around. The body butter is thick and melt only during application.

As for the scent of this one, I don't really like it as it smells like man perfume, yuck @.@ thank God the scent fades away quite fast, so not a big problem. It spreads on nicely, creamy on my skin without any oily residue leave behind. The body butter just sink into my skin, making my skin feel super happy. The dry skin gets hydrate and the body butter just serve like a savior. Other than that, a little goes a long, long way. See, I still have almost a full pot to go on.

Personally, I use it during night time, in office but not outdoor. It will definitely feel slightly greasy if used outdoor. I will consider this as a treat but don't think I will think twice before purchase as the price maybe a lil bit expensive when compared with drugstore lotion such as Vaseline/ Nivea which do almost the same job.
Vaseline has a lighter texture whereas Nivea normally tends to be a little bit oily.

I'm looking forward to try the other body butter from The Body Shop when there is sales. So far, I consider myself as a newbie towards The Body Shop products. I don't know much about this brand but whatever I've tried this far, I can assure one thing --- The Body Shop never fails me.

Review: Skinfood Coffee Almond Nail Scrub

Nails. I used to love and enjoying nail polishes. I think they make my nails look better and more polish. However, long term of usage, definitely make nails turn yellow. Ahhh!!!

When come across nails, I only know about trimming and buffer, and I don't know that there's such thing called NAIL SCRUB.

Before taking my pre-wedding photo, I have to get my nails done. Asking me to get my nails dress on from nail salon seems to be harder than paint it my own. So, I decided to take a walk in the shopping complex. I don't know what shades should I wear for the photo shoot and I lost my nail buffer before that. Well, I then got myself some nail polishes and too bad nail buffer was out of stock that time. I went to the next booth - Skinfood. The SA recommended me nail scrub, wow, sounds very interesting.

We usually just have our face, body, feet scrub, yet never have our nail scrub. After thinking for sometime, I bought it but with some hesitation. Hah~ back home, I immediately try it on and now here's my review.

(adapted from skinfood.sg website)

The nail scrub comes in a tiny plastic jar. The packaging is simple.

It contains 10g of grained coffee and almonds. I bought it for about RM35++, quite pricey actually.

Once the jar is opened, you can see some beads (grained coffee and almond I supposed) soaked in oil. I'm not sure what oil is that, but it is quite thick and moisturizing. I also attached a picture of the beads. The crystal beads I believe is either sugar or salt crystal.

A little goes a long way. I scoop out a pinch size of nail scrub, put it onto my nail and rub for around 1min. Personally I think the beads are pretty coarse and able to exfoliate the nail surface, but using it around the nail is slightly painful for me. I only use it on my nails and gently massage around the nail and wash with tap water. Sometimes, the oil get emulsify by water and leave some semi-solid oil around the edge. I dislike this part, so instead of wipe it off, I will take my shower gel to wash my entire hands again.

I will put a piece of clothes/ tissue on table before start nail scrub. The process is a bit tedious and messy but still able to achieve the silky smooth, polished nail.

Here's my outcome. I think the nail look shinier. You can apply some ointment or lotion later on.
All in all, I don't think I will repurchase this, but a jar might able to last me for a long time, maybe 6months or so.

You can always DIY yourself the nail scrub with some simple ingredients.
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 3/4 tablespoon of salt/ coarse sugar
** mixed well, and you're done **

Have a nice day!

Review: The Skinfood Sugar Hand Cream (Wrinkle Care)

Uhhhh.....Ouch..... ahhhhhh DRY HAND....

Hey bloggerinos.... happy weekend. Today is Sunday and I'm glad that I can see my parents soon and we are going to have sumptuous lunch together with my in laws.

Without further delay, here's my take for the Skinfood Sugar Hand Cream. I bought this when I visited to the new Skinfood stall near my neighbourhood. The SA said that my hands are very dry, true to say, they are! I've been spending almost 24/7 in air conditioning room and I seriously can't stand with any hot weather these days.

For 45ml I paid around RM 24+, I like the packaging, sleek and cute, travel friendly. I didn't use it everyday nor every night. It really depends on my mood whether to use it or not as I still have some other lotion/creams to treat my 'mickey mouse' hand. Yes, my hand is small and meaty, barely able to see the knuckles, hubby called them mickey mouse hand. Haha!

The hand cream claimed to have wrinkle care function but I don't think I've noticed any wrinkle improvement on my hands. I prefer to normal hand lotion from Skinfood. Besides, I'm not fond to the scent too. It smells a lot like melted plastic without any hint of sugar at.

The texture of the product is quite thick but blend into skin easily. It feels slightly oily but doesn't bother me too much. Layering the products will definitely make the whole hand feel sticky and uncomfortable which other products do not have such problem. Actually the overall experience with the hand cream is quite disappointing. I was expecting it to work at least better or should be equivalent like any other hand cream does. The price is off course slightly higher too.

All in all, I will not purchase this anymore. The price and the quality is just Bleh....
Up until today, I'm still liking and loving my Vaseline hand and nail lotion which is creamier, smell great and make my mickey mouse hand soft and smooth.

Have a nice day~