This past year or so I’ve been battling bad bouts of eczema on my face (which was not a problem I’d had before) and even switching up my skincare regime didn’t seem to help. On one of those particularly bad days, I was trawling the aisles of my local Guardian when I saw a cute travel sized bottle of my former love – Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel. I remembered how good Simple used to be on my skin (granted that my skin condition then and now is in rather different circumstances) and I thought why not give it a go again?

I approached my night time cleansing ritual with trepidation that first night. Who knew what had changed in the years since and would Simple work its charms on me again?

Now, if the story had gone badly, I would still blog about it. But luckily, all went well and I’m now wondering why did I ever stray from Simple in the first place. Either my skin has changed somewhat or they’ve reformulated this facial wash gel, but it seems to be even gentler on skin than before. I like how fresh and clean my skin feels after using this – no more oily feeling but yet I feel comfortable and not dried out. If you’re looking for foam, you’ll need a different type of cleanser because this baby does its work quietly and efficiently without fanfare. Also, there is no scent in this cleanser – after all, we’re keeping things simple here.

I’m now quite partial to reaching out for it on days that my face is less oily and when I don’t need to think if I need to calm or scrub. I would say that it’s one of those products in your arsenal that’s reliably there when you need it but doesn’t necessarily wow. So yup, Simple and I are back together again, but it isn’t *that* kind of love this time around. Hello old friend, it’s good to have you back.

Yes factors : Gentle on skin, not drying, no scent, decently priced drugstore brand
No factors : Nothing I can think of

Read other blogger reviews here :
Shirleen
Tine

Packaging : 50ml, 150ml

Ingredients : Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Sodium Hydroxide

Having used Style Aromatherapy Pro Hair Care Natural Anti-Aging Shampoo for about a month now, I think I’ve established my thoughts enough to blog about it.

First off, I like the bottle design as a change from the usual shampoo bottle. Buying the travel sized version of this shampoo also means that it fits nicely in my hand and the flip-top cover lets me use it one-handed. I’m not sure how bulky the regular sized bottles may be, seeing that they’re also flip-top caps and not pump versions.

The scent of this shampoo is also nice although I can’t describe it. It doesn’t irritate my sinuses either, so that’s a plus point in its favor. It doesn’t lather up excessively, but enough to get the job done.

Now comes the part where I’m rather on the fence with this shampoo.

I find that it does a good job of cleaning my hair when it felt greasy and not overly drying, but it also left my hair rather static. What I mean by static is when you run your fingers through your hair, it doesn’t feel smooth and your fingers seem to meet friction even though there are no tangles? While it doesn’t leave any product behind to weigh down my hair like some other shampoos I’ve used, my hair also didn’t feel as soft nor did it have shine. For a shampoo that’s supposed to be formulated for normal to dry hair, I found that it didn’t have enough moisturizing effect for me.

I figure I’ll alternate using this shampoo with my other, regular shampoos until I finish up the bottle. Waste not, want not!

Would I repurchase? Probably not.

Yes factors : Cleans oil and grease very well, nice fragrance
No factors : Does not provide enough moisture to hair ends, hair felt ‘static’ after use

Read other blogger reviews here :
Ling Tung
Vivian

Category : Intensive repair for normal to dry hair with Dead Sea minerals, enriched with borage seed oil and burdock extract.

Description : Style Aromatherapy Shampoo with innovative “natural anti aging” technology nourishes and moisturizers your hair while leaving it feeling light and refreshed. Enriched with borage seed oil the shampoo is a natural anti aging source for your hair and scalp. The aromatherapeutic properties of burdock extract and Dead Sea minerals impart intensive nourishment to the hair resulting in increased softness and suppleness.

Directions : Apply a generous amount of shampoo to wet hair and work into a lather. Rinse well. Repeat if necessary. Suitable for daily use.

Packaging : 100ml (comes in 400ml version as well)

Recommended retail price : SGD 2.90 for 100ml

I happened to be at my local Guardian drugstore today and noticed that they had a special offer for Avène’s Extremely Gentle Cleanser (which I use but have not yet reviewed) – the 200ml size bottle was on offer at MYR 48.88 compared to the normal retail price of MYR 64.90. Needless to say, I snapped it up immediately, since it also came with a free travel size (50ml) Avène Thermal Spring Water spray which normally retails on its own for MYR 18.90. Is this a great deal or what?

I’m not sure how long this promotion will be on, but if you use Avène, I’d say get going to your nearest Guardian and grab this bargain while you can.

Review on Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser will be out soon.

There are only four shades available and they are all on the lighter end of the spectrum, so this may not be targeted at the darker skinned ladies. A tube retails at SGD 39.00 which I think is still reasonable, although on the high end for drugstore brands.

I’m pretty interested in this one since Vichy products have proven to be compatible with my sensitive skin and Paris B likes their BB cream (which is available in Malaysia). Here’s hoping that Vichy Laboratories brings this to Malaysia!

Tagline : Perfect X Simple Skincare

Description : Contains advanced skin hydrating ingredient – Super Hyaluronic Acid, with twice the moisture retention capacity of Hyaluronic Acid (1 gm of Hyaluronic Acid is able to hold up to 6 liters of water). Replenishes essential moisture to visibly improve skin texture and prevent dryness so skin stays soft, hydrated and supple.

Directions : Use twice a day after cleansing face. Apply on palms and gently pat onto skin until thoroughly absorbed.

Packaging : 170ml

Recommended retail price : MYR 40.90 (do look out for regular sales – around 10% off – on the Hada Labo range at your local pharmacy)

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My review :

So I gave in and finally hopped onto the super hyaluronic acid bandwagon a few months back. How could I not, with various beauty bloggers touting the “toing toing” effects it had on their skin and the combined lure of 10% off at Guardian? That was how I ended up with a bottle of Hada Labo’s Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion (from now on referred to as Hada Labo SHA).

Call me naive if you must, but with the word ‘acid’ in the name of the product, I was initially very wary of how this product might react on my sensitive skin. But if it worked for Connie of SkinDeco who has sensitive skin, surely it would work for me too, right?

Anyway, Hada Labo SHA is a lotion, which in Asian skincare terminology means the Western equivalent of a toner and is meant to be applied after you cleanse your face and before your regular moisturizer.

The packaging of this product is so Japanese because it is practical and useful. It’s not fancy to look at, but it gets the job done, especially the outlet hole at the top of the bottle – it only lets out a drop of the product at one time, so unless you get carried away you’re not likely to end up pouring too much out at a go.

Once you get by the simplistic ‘Zen’ packaging, there’s nothing to look at when you pour out the product onto your palm. Hada Labo SHA looks exactly like water because it’s clear and the consistency of water. There’s also no fragrance, which adds even more to the illusion of water. These are plus points in my book because my skin has been known to react against excessive color or fragrance in products.

I like to apply my Hada Labo SHA on a damp face – i.e. don’t completely dry off your face after washing and before applying Hada Labo SHA. I find it helps to lessen the sticky feeling and seems to help the product be absorbed into my skin faster, without me having to ‘slap’ my face for ages. Here’s the video showing you how to ‘slap’ your Hada Labo SHA the right way:

I find that for me, the benefits of using Hada Labo SHA is not seen immediately but in the following hours after I use it as hours later, my skin still looks nice and plump and fresh as only well moisturized skin can be. Having experimented with using Hada Labo SHA both with and without a moisturizer, I can say for certain that it does work way better with any of my moisturizers layered on top as I would then get that soft and lovely feeling coupled together with that ‘toing toing’ bouncy feel. But in a pinch (although I wouldn’t dream of doing this all the time), I can use Hada Labo SHA on its own and still feel that my skin is adequately moisturized.

Would I repurchase this? Well, it’s going to take me a really long time to get through my bottle of Hada Labo SHA but I would definitely come back for more ‘toing toing’ goodness when I’m done!

Yes factors : Does a great job moisturizing skin, non-fragranced, works on sensitive skin, relatively cheap selling price
No factors : Can be time consuming to apply

Read other blogger reviews here :
Beetrice
Connie
Eli
Giddy Tigress
Jenn
Paris B
Plue

Tagline / Description : I’m deliciously hydrating. Give your dry hair a drink with my moisturizing conditioner. I say you can never get too much of a good thing. So say “hello” to a deep dousing of lush hydration with my rich formula fused with moisturizers, orchids & coconut milk. Drink up and replenish your hair’s much needed moisture. It’s time to be reunited with manageable, silky, smooth hair.

Packaging : 160ml or 300ml

Recommended Retail Price : MYR 9.90 (160ml) or MYR 16.90 (300ml)

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My review :

Hello Hydration indeed! This Clairol conditioner has got to be my new Holy Grail (HG) conditioner for hair and it was a rather surprising find at that.

I’d finished up my trusty L’Oreal Elseve Smooth-Intense conditioner last week and was in the market for a replacement conditioner. Not that L’Oreal didn’t work well for my hair. It was doing fine, but it tended to make my hair feel just a bit limp and heavy around the 3rd wash. So I made myself what I like to call a Real Deal. I’d pick up a new conditioner but if it didn’t work out I’d go back to my L’Oreal and promise not to stray. Well, at least not until that bottle ran out! Heh.

Now the problem with reading many beauty blogs is that I end up with a very long list of “maybe” products. As in, ‘Maybe I should try this since it worked so well for so-and-so’. So off I went to the nearest pharmacy on a mission. How then did I end up with this conditioner? I blame it on reading way too many of the SoLoverly gals’ posts on shampoos and conditioners and hair masks. Did you know that I’ve never used a hair mask before? Shock, gasp, horror. Such ill-treatment I’ve given my locks but yet they don’t give me much problems. Fingers crossed that is.

So there I was in my local Guardian, walking up and down the haircare aisle, trying to figure out which brand of conditioner I’d eventually settle on. The array of choices was slightly overwhelming, not to mention that I kept on remembering various different blogposts about different brands and treatments. I was actually holding on to another brand of conditioner when I saw Clairol Herbal Essences and my mind went, ‘Oh, Kahani raved about Long Term Relationship!’ Interest piqued, it wasn’t too long before I was sniffing away between Break’s Over (anti-breakage formula) and Hello Hydration (hydration/moisturizing formula). To tell the truth, I preferred the lavender smell of Break’s Over, but the knowledge that my poor hair needed hydration won out. (I also caved and got myself a tub of hair mask from Sunsilk but that’s another story for another day.) It was the pretty light blue color and the bottle shape that won me over. Honest!

After all that yarn-spinning above, how does Clairol Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner (hereafter referred to as HH conditioner) fare in my opinion? Excellently well.

Firstly, the texture of HH conditioner is creamier and thicker than what I’m used to and you can really feel the difference when applying it. You only need to use a minimal amount of conditioner (unlike a previous experience I had with Pantene anti-hairfall conditioner where I had to use up to a tablespoonful of product before my hair felt sufficiently conditioned). The moment I started to rinse my hair, I had the thought that it felt exactly as if I’d just done a salon treatment from the way that my hair slipped through my fingers. As Kahani so eloquently puts it – ‘It feels like watered silk’. I even think that the HH conditioner could be used like a hair mask because of its slightly thicker texture.

Even though my hair isn’t all that long (currently it ends just slightly below my shoulder and it takes an awfully long time to grow out) already the ends are drying up and starting to misbehave when I let them be. So it was such a glorious feel to run my fingers through my hair and think, ‘Whee! So smooth!’ And now I have perfect tangle-free hair that is so soft to touch. Yes, I am definitely sold on this product and would repurchase in a heartbeat.

The only minor flaw in my happiness is that I’m not really a big fan of the scent. It’s supposed to be a combination of orchid and coconut milk and while it’s not exactly overpowering or anything, it’s just not me! Now if only they would tone down the scent just a little bit I’ll be a happy kitty. But I’m sure it’ll grow on me in time. I hope. Would it also be too much to ask for if I wanted it to make my hair super shiny as well?

Yes factors : Leaves hair soft, smooth and tangle-free, minimal amount of product needed each time, reasonably economical drugstore product
No factors : Scent may not be pleasing to all

Read other blogger reviews here :
Beetrice (Break’s Over – same brand, different range)
Eisse J (Color Me Shiny – same brand, different range)
Kahani (Long Term Relationship – same brand, different range)
Pretty Beautiful (Long Term Relationship hair mask – same brand, different range)