Well, hello there everyone. First, just a short thank you for keeping up with me and reading this blog. Seriously. I didn’t really expect much of a turn out but apparently, people have been reading some of my posts and the feedback I’m getting is just heartwarming. Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. 🙂

Also, I just wanted to update you that I tried a new workout yesterday called Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) at Impulse Studio in Bangsar. It’s one of the most intense workouts I’ve tried so far – it lasts for only 20 minutes and is already equal to 4 hours at a normal gym! So yeah, I’m pretty much sore today. But I’m loving the feeling and I can’t wait to go back! Too bad we’ll be out of town for two weeks (will tell you guys about this later on) so I’ll be missing some precious fitness time. But come early October, I’m gonna be back there again. Do check out their site to learn more about EMS and if you want to try it out for free, just mention my blog at the counter and they will give you a free trial. 😉

I’ll write more about the experience soon so watch out for that.

Anyhoo, off to today’s beauty post: I obsess over beauty and skin care as much as my husband obsesses over tech stuff and appliances. The way he reads reviews and researches about his future buys is practically the same method I apply for my beauty-related purchases. We’re not the type to splurge on stuff we really don’t think is worth it after all. To me, beauty is not just about putting on the right makeup or having a gorgeous haircut. You always have to start with clean skin and hair so everything starts from the bath – everyday.

While I don’t have the luxury of using the bath tub every single day, I make sure I have ample time to enjoy my showers. Getting to scrub every nook and cranny of my skin is actually invigorating, relaxing, and very satisfying – or am I just weird. I dunno. Tell me you’re with me on this. While I often get compliments for having clear skin and bouncy hair, I know for a fact that they won’t last unless I take good care of them. And before you use any other product on your skin and hair, it’s best to make sure that you’re really clean. I can’t imagine how a moisturiser or a hair serum (no matter how good they are) to work properly when there’s dust and dirt on you.

They just won’t be able to penetrate. So for this one, I just wanted to share my current favourite bath time buddies which I get from Sephora here in Malaysia. I’m a huge Sephora fan and I would always stop by at at least one store every time I visited family in Europe just to stock up on essentials that I don’t get in Manila. I love how almost everything I need can be bought under one roof – especially my bath time essentials like this little baby:

Sephora Fizzing Bath Cube – Peony (RM5, Php68.83, US1.55, EUR1.20)

While I don’t get to enjoy using the bath tub everyday as it takes too much time and it uses too much water (save the environment!), I always have Sephora bath cubes in stock just in case I need some extra relaxation time in the bathroom. It comes in lots of flavours like Chocolate, Coconut, Vanilla, Toffee, Mango, Orange Blossom, Strawberry, Cotton flower, Blueberry, Lagoon, Green Tea, Lemon Verbena, and Monoi. My faves are Peony and Cotton Flower as they come in sweet scents that aren’t too overpowering. The cube’s easy to use – just fill the tub with water, peel the cube’s wrapper and drop into the bath tub. The cube will fizz and mix evenly into the water by itself and will immediately make the water and the bathroom smell soooo good.

Soap & Glory Glad Hair Day Shampoo and Conditioner (RM35 each, Php481.82, USD10.82, EUR8.43)

I love this shampoo and conditioner combo. It works well with my hair that’s curly but has fine strands. After a couple of weeks using it, I’ve noticed my hair’s shinier and bouncier. The only con I guess is that it can be a bit pricier compared to say, Schwarzkopf’s line. I also love the sweet, raspberry-like smell. It might seem like it’s too strong while you’re lathering up your hair but it’s actually very mild once you wash up.

Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Polish (RM39, Php536.88, USD12.06, EUR9.40)

I love, love, love this body scrub. I use it once or twice a week and it leaves my skin, especially my legs, way smoother than before. I’m also an advocate of waxing and it’s imperative that I never get ingrown hair in the areas that are regularly waxed – or anywhere for that matter. Ingrown hairs are itchy and hideous as they leave dark bumps on one’s skin. I never have such problems with this baby around. It works like magic. The smell can be too sweet but it doesn’t really stay on my skin anyways as I still lather up with a different kind of body wash after washing off the scrub.

Soap & Glory Clean, Girls Skin Softening Cream Body Wash (RM29, Php399.22, USD8.97, EUR6.99)

The scent Clean, Girls comes with has got to be my favourite from Soap & Glory – vanilla with hints of musk and mmm… do I smell freesia? It’s sooo good. Not too girly. It leaves you smelling clean and with just a hint of sweet. One more thing I love about it? It’s ultra moisturising which is great for my dry skin.

Sephora Loofah

I use Clean, Girls with a loofah from Sephora which’s gentle to the skin and is great in working up the lather. 😉 That’s it… for now. 😉 Of course, this isn’t everything I use as I also have other intensive cleaning and moisturising products both for the hair and skin. There’s also facial cleansers, feminine wash, etc. But these are my latest loves here in KL. So yeah. As you can see, I am going through a Soap & Glory phase at the moment. But the products got me really hooked. I’ll let you know once I’ve used them all up and whether I’ll stick with them or try other brands. Toodles for now. Hubby and I are attending a dinner party though I’m feeling kinda lazy cos it’s raining hard and I’m having cuddle spells. Hee. But work’s work. So we go. 😉 Laters, Carol

September 20, 2014