rinnah's consumer views|a straight talking, tell-it-as-it-is consumer lifestyle blog

In my ongoing quest for the perfect moisturizer, I picked up a travel-sized bottle of this body lotion from Watsons Singapore figuring that the handy size would make it perfect for stashing in my drawer at office.

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For a product that has both the words olive and butter in its name, this body lotion is surprisingly not super oily. It makes my hands feel soft and well moisturized all over and does a stellar job of it. But that’s all the good things that I can say about this body lotion. Because other than this, I developed an intense dislike towards this product because of its scent.

By golly, is it ever so strongly scented!

Not that it’s an unpleasant scent, on the contrary it smells like olives and reminds me of The Body Shop’s olive shower gel which I loved. But whereas my nose could stand TBS’ olive scent, my sinuses decided to rebel against Palmer’s olive scent.

I’ve tried it a few times now and each time with just the teeniest smidgen for my hands and arms up to my elbows. (A smidgen = less than half a pea sized amount of the body butter.)

It’s so strongly scented it gives me an instant headache barely minutes after application. And the scent lingers. One hour later and I swear I can still smell it in the air. It bothered me so much between the scent, the headache and the sensitive sinuses that I actually went to the washroom to try and wash it off (since I’d only applied the body butter on my hands). I ran my hands under running water, rubbing and a scrubbing without soap for close to 5 minutes and I can still smell the scent on my skin! Argh! Talk about being potent.

But to give it credit where credit is due, this body lotion did not break out my sensitive skin. Just that my nose can’t stand it. I’m sorry Palmer’s, while I liked the moisturizing feel of your olive butter formula, the scent just kills me. Literally.

Yes factors : Nice and moisturizing without being oily, convenient travel sized bottle
No factors : Strongly scented, gave me a headache

I’m a sucker for packaging and I’d been lemming after getting me one of these cute-sy Steam Cream tins for the longest time. What can I say? There’s just something that calls to me – the minimalistic aluminium tin with a variety of limited edition designs to cater to your every whim and fancy.

I picked up my Steam Cream while I was in Hong Kong for HKD 138.00. Score! Because after currency conversion, it worked out to be cheaper than Malaysia (anywhere between MYR 59.00 to 65.00) and Singapore (SGD 26.00). The moment I realized it was cheaper, my friend couldn’t pry me away from the Steam Cream display at Harvey Nichols Beauty Hall until I’d bought one to take home.

Here is the design I’ve chosen – Liberty, featuring the Stars and Stripes of the American flag. Yes, I know I’m not from America, but it was either this or the Union Jack and I’d seen that design available in both Malaysia and Singapore, whilst the Stars and Stripes have not made their way to the online stores here. (Actually, it was also because my friend remarked that I didn’t seem to be the type to go for a pinky, flowery, girly or frou frou design. Haha.)

But enough about the tin and the designs! How does Steam Cream actually fare when it comes down to use?

Steam Cream is supposed to be a cream manufactured with the latest concept of skincare in mind, pioneering the use of a steam technique to create a unique, gentle and loosely bound emulsion which is supposed to work on both your face and body. Essentially, it is a multi-purpose cream!

I like the scent, which is really relaxing and smells like lavender to me. But me being me with my sensitive nose, I can’t slather on lots of Steam Cream at one shot without feeling overwhelmed by the scent. So it’s a no go on my face for me. With a bit of practice, I’ve found my nose adapts best to the scent when it is massaged on in little doses at a time, so for now Steam Cream shall be my new relaxing nightly ritual and body moisturizer. I’d wager the scent helps promote better sleep for me too, because I always feel like I have some aromatherapy going on with the soothing lavender scent.

As for the cream itself, it initially feels a bit oily to the touch, but when used sparingly, it sinks into my skin fast enough and leaves behind a hint of fragrance that makes me happy. I find Steam Cream works best on slightly dry or normal skin because I find my arms and body to be loving it. But I’m guessing it would take a lot and frequent applications for it to work on the dry scaly skin on my legs (yeah, I have super dry skin there that looks like scales and flakes off in chunks).

Also, those of you who are fastidious about your skincare may not like the open tin concept of Steam Cream, but you can easily get around this decanting into a smaller jar or even a pump bottle (since the formula is not so thick) but that would just make the whole idea of the tin’s design meaningless, yes? I prefer to keep mine in the tin that it came in and make sure that it lies flat so that the cream doesn’t spill over the top when I unscrew the lid.

In a nutshell, I love the design factor and luxury feel but I’ll probably need something more moisturizing (and less scented!) for long term use.

Yes factors : Lovely scent, cute designs, does the job well enough on normal skin
No factors : Scent can be too strong for some, tin design doesn’t encourage hygiene

Packaging : 75ml

Recommended retail price : MYR 60.00 or SGD 26.00 (online pricing)

Read other blogger reviews here :
Beetrice
Connie
Muse
Paris B
Pretty Beautiful
Sesame
Tine

Ah Hong Kong! How I miss shopping there already… and I’ve only been back for a week.

Being a total newbie (it was my maiden trip to HK), I was totally unprepared for the bright lights and myriad stores. But I was lost the moment Kahani introduced me to Bonjour.

When she showed me the section on sample/travel sized products, I was completely sold on the concept and there was no turning back. The majority of the stuff you see in the picture below is from Bonjour, with a purchase each from Sasa, Harvey Nichols Beauty Hall and duty-free at Changi Terminal.

In no particular order, I came back with :
1. Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Rose Perle
2. Steam Cream
3. Lanvin Marry Me perfume miniature
4. Talika Lipocils Expert eyelash serum
5. Lancome Hydra Zen Neocalm detoxifying moisturising multi-relief anti-stress gel essence
6. Lancome Hydra Zen extreme soothing moisturising cream-gel
7. Lancome Genifique Youth Activator serum
8. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex serum
9. Estee Lauder Hydrationist Moisture Barrier Fortifier ultra-hydration serum
10. Dior Capture Totale One Essential skin boosting super serum
11. Diorsnow White Reveal essence
12. Shu Uemura UV Armor high protection face cream SPF 50
13. Shu Uemura Deepsea Hydrability moisturizing gel cream
14. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
15. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial micro serum
16. Laniege Water Sleeping Pack_Ex
17. Guerlain Orchidee Imperiale exceptional complete care serum
18. Clinique Take The Day Off makeup remover

Whew! That’s a lot of miniature stuff, methinks!

And did you notice anything about the list above? It’s mostly skincare with a heavy slant towards hydrating stuff and anti-aging stuff.

I’ve been lemming quite a number of these serums for some time now, so yes, I am one very happy camper. Let’s hope that my sensitive/problematic skin takes kindly to me experimenting in the next few months!

How I wish I had access to these miniature pretties in Singapore or Malaysia all the time…

Read other blogger notes on shopping in Hong Kong here :
Kahani
Paris B

Tagline : Wave bye bye to dry skin

Description : Treat your baby’s precious skin to this moisturising lotion, featuring natural emollients like buttermilk and beeswax to seal in moisture. This rich formula also includes nourishing botanicals like sunflower and coconut oils to soothe baby’s skin.

Directions for use : Massage lotion all over your baby’s body as often as needed.

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My review :

Yep, I’m a baby to be using Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion.

When I stopped by the Burt’s Bees standalone store at the Curve to pick up a tin of their famous hand salve, I couldn’t help but be attracted to the display of their baby products. The sales assistant told me that the Baby Bee products is formulated to be gentler than the already mild Burt’s Bees lotions and that sold me on the range instantly since I have rather sensitive skin.

I use this lotion on my hands and body just before I go to sleep and feel very, very babyish indeed. In actual fact, the lotion smells of buttermilk, and while I’ve never smelt any babies smelling naturally of buttermilk (normally they smell of baby shampoo or spit-up milk! LOL), but just because of the words Baby Bee on the bottle, I think I smell like a baby! This would not be a lotion I would be applying if I wanted to be doing some other type of nocturnal activities, if you know what I mean. *wink*

The lotion sinks into my skin fast enough so that I don’t feel overly oily when I slip between the sheets and it does a fine job of keeping my skin moisturized – no dry flakes when I wake up in the morning, so that’s a plus point in my books since my skin is dreadfully prone to flaking. It doesn’t do anything super fantastic that other moisturizing lotions won’t do and it’s not exactly the cheapest lotion out there, but I like using it and feeling pampered like a baby every now and then. Oh and the buttermilk smell will be either a hit or miss, so be sure to take a whiff of the smell before you purchase.

Yes factors : Keeps skin soft and moisturized
No factors : Buttermilk smell; higher than average price for a moisturizing body lotion

Description : Vaseline lets you nourish your hands and nails healthily with the following 3 nourishments: 1. Vitamin E that moisturizes and softens hands. 2. Keratin that strengthens your nails by 30% so they won’t break easily. 3. Olive Essence, extract from olive oils, that softens the cuticles and smoothens hands to keep them beautiful.

Directions for use : Apply on hands and nails regularly everyday.

Packaging : 100ml

Recommended Retail Price : RM8.90

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My Review :

I picked up a free bottle of this hand and nail lotion as a purchase with purchase when I bought a bottle of Vaseline’s new moisturizing range. Since I seldom use hand lotions at home, I brought it to work so that I could have some hand lotion to use after washroom visits. Did I like it?

I like the packaging design. It comes in a plastic bottle that stands on its cap, which means that gravity will automatically help me to squeeze out the last bits of lotion. Also, the size of the bottle fits nicely in the palm of my hand and the flip-top cap lets me use it one-handed, something extremely useful in the office when more often than not I am using my free hand to do something else. When I did a Google search for a picture of the bottle, I found that this bottle design appears to be unique to the Thailand/Malaysia market.

The texture of the lotion is not very oily and sinks into the skin fast – which is good because then I won’t leave oily smudges all over my work laptop. My hands feel nice and soft after application but not as if I’d slathered on tons of moisturizer, if you get what I mean. I like that there is no filmy feeling when I wash my hands as some moisturizers/emollients tend to leave a layer of film over your skin – to me this feels like the moisturizer has been completely absorbed into my skin!

The scent of this lotion is rather strong and I only use a tiny amount each time. I don’t know how to describe the scent, but it sometimes reminds me of a cross between a stronger, sharper smelling Johnson’s baby lotion and a shampoo that I used to use a long time ago. So yeah, the scent does absolutely nothing for my olfactory senses.

As for its claims to soften cuticles and strengthen nails, I don’t have brittle nails to begin wih nor do I trim my own cuticles so I will refrain on commenting on this section.

In conclusion, I probably wouldn’t spend money to re-purchase this hand lotion, but as long as it lasts, I’m more than happy to use it.

Yes factors : Keeps hands soft and supple; non-oily; long lasting scent
No factors : Strongly scented; only acts as a hand moisturizer, nothing fancy

Read other blogger reviews here :
Stuff Critique

I received a nice email from the good folks at Indochine Natural earlier this year, inviting me to review their handmade natural soaps. I said yes but due to a number of factors in my personal life (changing jobs and moving house), I didn’t get around to using the product and conducting my review as quickly as I would’ve liked to.

I was sent a number of their best-selling soaps to try, all nicely packaged up in a cardboard box. I like that the packaging is reasonably eco-friendly with a minimum of plastic wrapping, unlike commercial soaps. The side of the box tells me that the soap is handcrafted from all natural ingredients in a cold process.

Inside the box, there were 3 different types of soap – No Fragrance, Lemongrass and Rose Geranium. I found the Lemongrass soap to have a stronger fragrance, so I passed it on to my guest reviewer to test out (to be reviewed in a separate blogpost). I personally tried the Rose Geranium soap, which had a sweet floral fragrance to it.

With my sensitive skin and skin problems (eczema), I was keeping my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t have any adverse reactions to the soap and thankfully, nothing happened. The first time I used the soap, I felt my skin was a little bit tighter (not dry though) than when I used my normal emulsion bodywashes but that feeling disappeared with subsequent use. The soap itself does a decent job of letting me feel that my skin is getting clean even though the soap doesn’t really lather up – those who like lots and lots of lather would be disappointed.

The rose geranium fragrance is pleasantly sweet but not overpowering. In fact, this left me just a little disappointed as I had expected the fragrance to linger just a little longer. However, the moment I finished my shower, that was it. No lingering scent in my bathroom and none on my skin too. Sigh!

I had no adverse reactions to the soap but it did not exceptionally help with my long-standing eczema problems either. I’d say this would be a nice to have soap that I reach for when I need a fragrance pick me up in the shower, but it’s not my everyday staple either.

A full-sized bar of Indochine Natural soap costs USD 6.00 and you can order Indochine Natural soaps online or check out a list of their local Malaysian retailers here.

Yes factors : Does not cause sensitive skin to over-react, nice soothing scent
No factors : Scent does not linger, not easily located

Read other blogger reviews here :
Paris B (bodywash from the same range)

Disclaimer : I was sent this product to try and review. Beyond the product itself, I have received no monetary incentive to review and the above blogpost represents my honest opinion of the product.

Ingredients : Amebia euchroma, roselle, verbena, patchouli, petitgrain, eucalyptus oil, beeswax, olive oil, grape seed oil

Description : It can reduce eczema and detoxify when used externally. This soap is created for those who develop prickly heat easily and whose skin is too oily and dull. For people with acnes, prickly heat, eczema and itchiness due to unknown causes, inflammation, allergic skin and athlete’s foot; also kills bacteria, stops itchiness and heals wounds.

Recommended retail price: MYR 22.50

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My review :

When one is an eczema sufferer, you’ll find yourself willing to try out just about anything to stop that itch!

I first read about Yuan handmade organic soaps on MyWomenStuff.com and immediately thought of trying it out since it was reputed to help eczema sufferers. But as it was not easily locatable at that point of time (only at selected organic standalone shops), I did not go searching for it. However, I was pleased to find a whole selection of Yuan soap being sold at BodyBar on one of my forays to Tropicana City Mall.

Originally I intended to get the Wild Patchouli soap as I had read a blogger review on this particular soap that said that it gave relief to someone with hand eczema. However, Noor, the sales assistant at BodyBar, introduced the Purple Gromwell & Roselle soap to me instead, mentioning that it had helped other customers with eczema. So that’s what I purchased instead.

Firstly, if you’re not used to traditional Chinese herbal medicine, be forewarned that the Yuan soaps give off a very strong herbal smell which lingers in the bathroom after you’ve finished your bath/shower. However, I like the smell, so it doesn’t bother me at all. Using this soap in the shower, I find that it doesn’t lather up like the normal varieties of soap, which is a plus point in my opinion. Also, it left my skin feeling clean but not tight, although I did feel that it dried out my skin more than my regular dermatologist recommended Oilatum or Eubos cleansing liquid. All those were plus points for me.

However, there was just one thing that bugged me about using Yuan soap. Technically the soap variety that I bought – Purple Gromwell & Roselle – was supposed to help with eczema problems. How did that work out for me? Not too well. I found that using the soap tended to aggravate my skin after my shower, leaving me with a strong burning/itching sensation at the areas where my skin was affected with eczema. It was totally not the kind of reaction I had expected. The burning/itching sensation would start the moment I applied the soap and lasted for up to 30 minutes after I’d stepped out of the shower. Not even applying my normal moisturizing lotion immediately could halt the burn/itch. I did find with some experimentation, that showering with hot/warm water increased the sensations whilst cool/cold water helped to calm down the skin somewhat (but still with the burn/itch sensation). Despite the irritant factor, it might be helpful to note that at all times, my skin did not become inflamed (red) nor did my eczema grow worse, just that there is the discomfort of an underlying sensation of burning/itching. Some might say that it is an indication of the healing properties of the soap at work, but I personally feel that my skin is not suited to the soap.

If Yuan soaps work for you, that’s great, but for me, the search for a compatible product goes on.

Yes factors : Unique selling point, herbal smell, all natural ingredients
No factors : Quite pricey, not easy to find, herbal smell, may irritate sensitive skin

Read other blogger reviews on Yuan soap (other varieties) here :
Paris Beaverbanks
Sesame

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Tagline : Moisture the way nature intended™

Description : Hypoallergenic. Fragrance and colorant free. Used and recommended by hundreds of dermatologists. Conventional lotions only attempt to replace natural moisture with artificial moisture. The problem is they come off when you wash. For moisture to really do any good it needs to get below the second major layer of skin; only your natural moisture is going to reach that level. Gloves In A Bottle will not wash off, helps keep out moisture-robbing irritants while helping retain natural moisture, resulting in smoother skin that is not dry. Comes off naturally with exfoliated skin cells.

Packaging : 240ml / 8 fl oz

Recommended retail price : USD 12.95

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My review :

Ever heard of a shielding lotion called Gloves In A Bottle?

I didn’t, until I read of this very uniquely named product through a review on Tine’s beauty blog. The name alone was enough to intrigue me and want to try it out and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bottle to review.

The reason I delayed so long to write this review was because I had a bad rash outbreak right after I received it so I was rather wary of testing anything new that might further irritate my sensitive skin. So I stashed it away in my beauty drawer and forgot about it for a while, using my skin specialist recommended Balneum lotion.

Then last month, I had a short holiday up to Cameron Highlands and was looking for an effective moisturiser to bring along. I remembered reading on the website that shielding lotions were perfect for use in cold, dry conditions so I promptly dug it out and packed it in my bag.

You could say that I put it to the acid test!

Firstly, the product is in a lotion form, not too heavy or oily. (I personally dislike thick heavy oily lotions/moisturisers on my skin as it makes me want to go take a bath immediately after application!) The lotion spreads easily and is easily absorbed. I like to apply it after a shower while my skin is still slightly damp as it feels even softer and easier to apply.

Does it work? Well, for me it does. You see, I had a very bad patch of dry and reddened skin on my neck – an ezcema rash actually. The skin was so dry it was actually flaking off in big pieces and leaving behind tender raw skin. It sounds bad and believe me, it was. I applied the lotion immediately after my shower and occasionally throughout the day whenever I thought the skin looked (or felt) dry. (You don’t have to slather it on – just a little bit is enough to cover an arm or a leg.) By the second day of my vacation, it was at least 50% improved! But that’s not all. I also used the lotion for the rest of my body as protection against dryness in the colder temperature of the highlands and it worked a charm. In fact, I do think that my skin never felt softer and smoother than those days when I used it exclusively whilst on vacation.

Now that I’m back in the city, I have reverted back to my other lotions, but whenever I see that my skin needs something “more” out comes the Gloves In A Bottle. I have to say that my normal lotions only keep my skin from getting worse but they do not produce results the way Gloves In A Bottle does. The only reason why I’m not using it for everything is because I can’t get it in Malaysia. *sigh*

Yes factors : Works like a charm, only a little bit is needed per application.
No factors : Currently not available in Malaysia. Nothing else.

Read other blogger reviews on Gloves In A Bottle :
Tine
Beetrice

If you have a blog and would like to review Gloves In A Bottle, you can drop Pete Grimaldi a line at petegrimaldi [at] earthlink [dot] net. However, if you live in either US or Canada and only need a sample, you can get some from their website here.