One of the hardest thing to solve with regards to skin care is blackhead problems. At least that’s my problem. I’m quite fortunate that I don’t have other skin issues, but this one is a pretty hard one to solve. I just find that blackheads are something that just keep coming back and there’s no end to it. Has anyone ever found a way to keep them away for a pro-longed period? If you have please share. And I would appreciate a painless way to get them out too!

I’ve used several products from those blackhead strips to Face Shop’s blackhead cream and other related skin care products, but nothing really worked for me. I wonder if there’s really something that can help. It’s just like getting rid of freckles, they just don’t go away.

At least with acne problems, there’re all kinds of creams and acne treatment available. But not as many choices are available for blackhead problems. Maybe because it’s not such a bad problem to have compared to acne, but still, I personally find it a rather irritating problem to have!

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Blackhead solution, anyone?

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• Anyone likes Hada-Labo skincare products?
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I was recently going to replenish my Vichy Aqualia Thermal Fortifying & Soothing Hydrating Concentrate (read the review of the facial essence here) when I suddenly had the itch to try out some other brand called Hada-Labo. I’ve never used it before but what attracted me to it is that it’s a Japanese product. I don’t know why that’s important or attractive to me, but I just thought that things from Japan are good quality stuff.

So I bought a bottle of the essence which costs about half the price of the Vichy essence that I’ve been using. I thought if this works as well, then I’d be saving some money spending half as much as Vichy’s product.

However, that is not to be the case because I don’t like it. It’s real sticky! I used the same small dollop that I’ve been using with Vichy but it is way too thick and sticky in texture. So much so that I wonder if it’s even absorbing at all. So I resorted to using an even small dollop to make it less sticky.

Well this product is definitely not going to stick with me. I guess as soon as I’m done using this bottle, I’m going back to Vichy. I won’t bother trying out this brand’s other skincare products too.

Has anyone tried this brand? Any experiences to share?

Oh speaking of sharing, if you do know of good anti aging face face creams, perhaps you can also give me a tip or two. I figured I’d better start using some of these sooner rather than later. I’m already in my thirties, when better than now to start taking better care of ourselves, right?

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Anyone likes Hada-Labo skincare products?

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This is a long overdue review of the Botani range of products. I’ve written some before (reviews of cleanser and a repair cream) and this last installment of the Botani products I’m going to touch on the Olive Hand Cream. I must say that I don’t usually use hand creams. I normally would just use general moisturisers or lotions whenever I feel that my hands are a bit on the dry side. But since I was given some of this cream, I tried it anyway.

How did I find the cream? I actually found it to be quite nice and softening on my skin. The scent is a little strong for me but it did grow on me over time and I didn’t mind it as much after several uses. The texture is quite light which I found to be to my liking. Some years back I used some hand cream from Marks & Spencer and what I didn’t like about it is that the cream was rather heavy and thick and didn’t spread on nor absorb very easily.

The Botani Olive Hand Cream absorbed well on my skin and most importantly I didn’t feel like I just oiled my hands as well. But that may also be dependent on the usage amount. I used the cream sparingly. So it could be this reason that it absorbed better and didn’t leave my hands feeling as sticky.

This cream is available in a 100g tube and retails for RM88.50. You can purchase it from Nature In A Box’s website. The site offers quite a few brands and products, so do browse through. Recently I’ve been looking for the best acne products I could find and saw that the Botani range has an acne product too. However, it does seem a bit pricy for me so I decided to look around some more.

Hope you’ve enjoyed all the reviews written thus far on the Botani range. Do share your opinions if you have tried this range of products too

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Review of Botani Olive Hand Cream

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• Why I love the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Fortifying & Soothing Hydrating Concentrate

Of all the face moisturisers I’ve used for years, I’ve finally found one that I truly love using and it is none other than the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Mat Hydrating Gel. It is quite a mouthful, but bear with me.

Previously I wrote a review on the essence from this same range, which is Vichy’s Aqualia Thermal Fortifying & Soothing Hydrating Concentrate. I absolutely love this essence and now I feel the same about the moisturiser too. I think this Aqualia Thermal range works for me and I’m planning on sticking to it for quite a long while

Some information about this moisturiser extracted from Vichy’s site:

For the first time, a mattifying ultrafresh moisturizer combines the cellular hydra-mist of mineral-rich Vichy Thermal Spa Water, to help soothe and visibly fortify the skin, and Diakalite sebo-absorbing microspheres that regulate excess sebum to intensely mattify skin.

Tested under dermatological control. Fully hydrated, skin regains the freshness and radiance of a healthy complexion. Visibly transformed, it is matte, shine-free and silky-soft.

I fully agree with what’s said above. I truly enjoy the matt, shine-free and silk-like feeling on the skin after applying this moisturiser. This feels more hydrating than the Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care which I use as a day moisturiser.

I use this Aqualia Thermal Mat Hydrating Gel at night as recommended by the lady at Vichy’s counter. Since I love how this works and feels on my skin, I sometimes also use it as a day moisturiser just to give my skin an extra boost of hydration, especially if I know I will be outdoors a lot.

This liquid moisturiser is not too thick in texture and applies and absorbs very easily. I pump a very small amount, pea-sized to be exact, and that amount is sufficient to cover my face and leave it moisturised throughout many hours. The scent is mild and quite pleasant. I actually find the scent to be a good pick-me-up in the mornings.

You can find Vichy’s products quite easily, mostly at Guardian and Watson outlets. This 50ml of moisturiser costs RM100 if my memory serves me right. I definitely give this product a thumbs up and would recommend you to go for it too.

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Recently I was introduced to a new range of organic skincare and didn’t say no to trying out the cleanser called Botani Olive Soothing Cleanser. This organic skincare product is a product of Australia but can be easily purchased here in Malaysia via Nature In A Box.

This organic cleanser does not contain sulphate and is suitable for all skin types, especially for dry and sensitive skin. Some of its active ingredients are listed below:

Plant Squalene (derived from olives)

Jojoba oil

Calendula

Olive leaf extract

Chamomile extract

This cream cleanser feels very much like a milk cleanser to me. It doesn’t foam much at all and rinses off easily. However, I personally like a little foam when cleansing my face, and I don’t like using milk cleansers so it took some adjustments for me to get used to the texture of the cream cleanser.

It does its job alright, it doesn’t dry my skin after washing and that’s very important for me because I easily slip into the dry skin category if I use drying skincare products. It does have quite a strong scent from the ingredients used, but it doesn’t disturb me much since it doesn’t linger on after rinsing off.

This organic cleanser from Botani is a little on the expensive side for me, but comparing it against the general market rate for organic skincare products, I think it is around the same price range.

For a 100ml bottle, the Botani Olive Soothing Cleanser retails at RM106.50. If you are unlike me and are used to using milk or oil cleansers to remove make up and cleanse your face, then you might find that this is a pretty lasting cleanser. You only need to use a small amount for a thorough cleanse. So value wise, you might be getting a good deal for an organic product.

So if you are keen to try out this cleanser, head on over to Nature In A Box and check out how you can purchase with just a click of the mouse and have the product sent right to your doorstep.

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