Biore Daily Deep Pore Cleansing Wipes Reviewke

This is one of the things that I currently use in my constant fight against acne. 

I wear makeup because I hate the acne scarring on my face. The downside though, is that the makeup can cause more pimples.

To avoid aggravating, or at least to help prevent new blemishes, I try to make sure that I clean my face thoroughly.

This is a convenient product to use to take off my makeup. No need to fuss with cotton pads. Each pack contains 25 wipes, which is about 1 month's supply. The pack is easy to carry around and suitable when travelling overseas.

The cloth is textured and helps to exfoliate the skin as well. However, I find that it is not enough on its own to help prevent blemishes. I think it's because makeup residue is still left on the skin. Please note that it may be too drying for some people, depending on your skin type. On me though, it's fine to use, but I do moisturise asap.

This is normally only the first step in my nightime skincare routine. For my complete routine please click here.

Cleansing skin at the end of day - help to prevent acne!

Another weapon in my fight against acne is a blackhead extractor. I purchased this from a pharmacy in Hong Kong, but most pharmacies in any western country should sell one.

Unfortunately my I Phone can't zoom - there is actually some sebum on this. Ooooh my chipped nail polish looks horrible! Sorry....

 It's very simple to use - just position over blackhead and press down. Be careful not to bruise the skin.

I normally do my extractions after I have removed my makeup using the Biore Daily Deep Pore Cleansing Wipe, washed my face with cleanser and toned with the Biore Triple Action toner. 


Doing this helps to ensure that my pores are clear to help breakouts.


See the results below. Ewwwww.

The sebum clogging my pores usually lead to this:

As soon as a blemish begin to form, I usually douse it with the Biore toner or with Dr Perricone's Skin Clear Toner to help tone down the inflammation.

The Dr Perricone is more effective than the Biore toner. However the price difference is vast. Here the Dr Perricone costs $99 whereas the toner wouldn't be more than $15. So I save the Dr Perricone for big blemishes.

 

Final step - I moisturize with Mandom Barrier Repair. As mentioned before, salycylic acid does dry your skin, so it's important to ensure that you mositurise adequately. I love this moisturiser because it plumps up my skin without being greasy. A great gel moisturizer. Claims to have a high penetration of hyaluronic acid.

I wish I can show you what my chin looked liked a few months ago. At one stage it was really really bad. It looked as though my chin erupted.


Grateful that I discovered salicylic acid and the extractor to help control the breakout.

Paradise Ranch Episode 10 English Subtitles

OK, found a faster way of getting subs. 

You can download .srt files with the subtitles from here. This is the fastest site that I can get subs from. The subbers have requested that no hard subs be uploaded, so sorry I can't share mine with you.

Then all you need to do is find a raw file and then you can stitch them together with software such as submux from Vobsub.

If you can't be bothered, then try the site as linked on my previous post here!

Good luck and enjoy!

My sunflower bloomed!

A quick snapshot of my balcony garden.

Well, given the floods that Queensland suffered recently, food prices have spiked. If you want some greenery and would also like to save some $$$, why not grow some vegetables on your balcony?

Work has been crazy and I feel as though I am on steroids. I get crabby so easily and am snappier than I like to be. I'm sure my adult acne is also a by-product of this stressful work life.

Other than making hand puppets and talking through them, I decided to turn my hand to gardening for some therapy. I highly recommend it! In a world where so little is within our control, gardening is something where your control and influence results in something.

Give it a try, all I did was sow the seed, water, fertilise and voila!

The corn seedlings

Sunflower seedling

Easy hazelnut crepes (includes reviews of Le Pain Provencal Crepes and Bulla Light 98% Fat Free Vanilla Ice Cream)

OK, this marks the first of what hopefully will be a series of posts on cooking for those who:

a. don't like to cook.

b. don't know how to cook.

On what authority do I base my series on? The fact that I meet criteria a and b.

These days though, I am not disliking cooking so much, mainly because I am trying to lose weight and save money.

Today as I was roaming the aisles of Coles, I discovered this:

So I thought that I will give it a try. Before, I used to order crepes in cafes and restaurants; but at around $8 - $15, I think that it's time to give the at home version a whirl!

I decided to fill the inside with Nutella (because I love hazelnut chocolate), and top it off with low fat ice cream.

 

The million dollar question: is it as good as the ones in the restaurant? 

Of course not! The crepes that I like are normally almost paper thin with that doughy, rubbery texture that I like. The Le Pain Provencal ones are much thicker and more like a very thin pancake. I suspected that they might be a bit dry and rubbery, so I heated it in the microwave for 10 seconds.

The Bulla Light 98% fat free vanilla ice cream

is not bad though! Bear in mind that it is diet, so it cannot compare to the full fat versions! However for a diet ice cream, it's quite creamy.

Anyhow, here is the final product:

My final verdict:

Easy hazelnut crepes

Taste: 6/10

$$$: 8/10

Hassle rating: 9.5/10 (it only took me 5 minutes to prepare!)

Le Pain Provencal Crepes

Taste: 5.5/10

Hassle rating: 10/10 (already cooked!)

As expected from pre-prepared crepes, slightly dry. Nothing like the real deal!

Bulla Light 98% fat free vanilla ice cream

Taste: 8.5/10

Hassle rating: 10/10

Quite creamy, although as with all diet ice creams, somewhat lacking in that 'full bodied' flavour that fat gives to food. Flavour becomes one dimensional as all you can taste is sugar. However, not bad as far as diet ice creams go.

Packaging very convenient. Some genius thought of a flip top lid!

Will I make it again? Yes as I have 6 more crepes to go and it's very convenient to prepare. However, next time I will have to see if I can find a way of substituting the crepes.

Paradise Ranch Episode 9 English Subtitles

Aggh English subtitles for episode 9 is still not out!!! The 
IS FINALLY READY!!! HALLELUYAH! Please click here for English subtitles!

Chinese ones are already out for even episode 10!  Click here for the Mandarin subtitles. See below for the English subtitles link.

I have just started following this Korean series which is currently airing in Korea. I love it because the storyline is quite humorous and it's definitely a feel good series. 

It's romantic comedy (my favourite genre!) and centres around a very happy go lucky girl with modest desires and in true Korean drama style, she has romantic possibilities with her childhood ex who is rich but unmotivated, and a more mature rich successful businessman. Yes, yes, highly unrealistic but isn't that the point?

Reality is ugly. Anyhow, who doesn't love a love triangle with 2 eye candies. One of the male leads is a famous idol singer from the famous group DBSK (Dong Bang Shin Ki), Max Changmin (pictured above, and below).

To be honest, I don't think he is as good looking as the other male lead. His ears are big, and his eyes seem too big too - actually his features just seem big! The character that he portrays is quite appealing though, one can't help but root for him.

Lookswise, I prefer the second lead, played by Joo Sang Wook

You probably think that I have bad taste. I have a thing for middle aged men dressed in suits.

If you are anything like me, you will be impatient and desperate to watch the latest episode but can't understand Korean. For the latest update, I recommend this site. For this particular series they seem to be the fastest updaters.

I am not one to review dramas in great detail. If you enjoy reading more detailed critical reviews though, I find this writer, Dramabeans, to be quite good. She is also good if you are dying to watch the next episode but the latest episode has not been subtitled yet. You can watch the raw, unsubbed episode and still get a basic understanding. You can check out her reviews here.

Well, if you are bored and looking for entertainment, I recommend you join me in watching this show. Enjoy!

Dying Phalaenopsis Orchid Lives Again???

Well, looks like maybe my thumb isn't so black after all - I posted earlier about my dying phalaenopsis orchid here, and until today it still hasn't died. In fact, it is now growing a new leaf!

Not sure if this new leaf is living off the remaining leaves, at their expense, and maybe the orchid is just dying a slow death, but I am hoping that the little stump of a root is enough to keep it alive until new roots emerge.

Oh well, I guess only time will tell. If anyone has any previous experience, please let me know. I really want to save this plant, especially since it cost me $55!

Shiseido Pureness Matifying Moisturizer product review - good for oily skin!

This is part of Shiseido's Pureness range, which has been designed to cater to the needs of those with oily skin.

My skin is the normal/oily combination type, whichis dryer on the cheeks with an oily t-zone.

I find this extremely frustrating, especially when I wear makeup, as an oily complexion leads to my makeup moving. It is not flattering to see foundation and powder form wavy lines on my face!

To help combat this problem, I decided to look for a product that moisturises, but doesn't contribute to the shine problem. After looking around I decided to give this a try.

I have to say that I am very happy with it! The light emulsion absorbs quickly and dries to a matt finish, as promised.

I use this product as part of my day routine, and when I combine this with my base primer, it really helps to prevent that shine.

I also believe that it helps to manage my adult acne, as it helps to reduce the sebum produced by my face. I highly recommend this product for those who share my skin problems.

Garnier Pure Active Exfobrusher and the war against adult acne - product review

How many of you have adult acne?

I do! *waves hand in the air*

It surprised me that my acne problem in my thirties is much much worse than when I was an adolescent. In fact, when I was a teenager, the number of pimples that I had I could count on my fingers, and they were not the horrific big pus filled ones either!

I read up on the internet and books regarding what causes acne and there seems to be a number of things - lifestyle related mainly. I say lifestyle because I believe that lifestyle factors such as diet, stress, sleep and exercise all have an impact on our hormonal levels which in turn affects facial oil production etc etc.

Those factors aside, all the written material seem to point to oiliness (sebum) creating a fantastic environment to breed acne bacteria which yup you guessed it, turns into a pimple.

Again there is quite a lot of literature out there regarding how to treat acne, from oral prescriptions to topical.

You may need to consult your doctor or see a specialist if your case of acne is a bad one. Judging from the pictures on the internet mine is not as bad as the more extreme cases out there.  E.g.:

I didn't see a doctor or a specialist in working out how to deal with my acne, and decided to experiment. One of my current favourite tool in dealing with the prevention of acne is the Garnier Pure Active Exfobrusher.

I chose this because the Exobrusher is great for exfoliating my skin. It's gentle enough to use on your face, and the way the bristles are designed they allow you to clean all the surfaces of your face, including the awkward space where your nose meets your cheeks etc. The liquid cleanser contains 2% salicyclic acid - the main ingredient I was looking for. For more information regarding the Exfobrusher click here.

Salicyclic acid is great for clearing out your pores. I have noticed a big difference since I used products containing salicyclic acid. If you wear makeup on a daily basis, as I do, salicyclic acid is great for preventing product build up in your pores. For a bit more information regarding salicylic acid and acne click here.

The only downside to this product is that it dries out your skin. So make sure that you moisturise! 

 I moisturise immediately after I pat my face dry (after using the Exobrusher). I will post details of the moisturiser that I use soon.

Another benefit of this product is that it helps to fade away the brown pimple scars faster - maybe due to the exfoliating action? I am Asian and my skin is prone to scarring (brown discolouration type) that takes an extremely long time to fade. Apparently, this is quite common amongst Asians.

I hope that this product will help you as much as it did for me, and I am certainly interested in knowing how well it works for you. Feel free to drop me a message. Happy brushing and good luck!

The orchid diaries

The madness about orchids continues! Maybe it's because I keep acciddentally killing them, maybe it's because they are beautiful....whatever it is, I am currently mad about orchids!

My beautiful Phalaenopsis ^_^

I started off with one humble plant from Bunnings, and knowing nothing about how to grow it, proceeded to do the worse thing you can do to a Phalaenopsis orchid: I repotted it in a porcelain bowl with no drainage, and I watered it generously.


In about 1 week's time, the poor thing shrivelled and the leaves became mushy and at one touch of my hand, fell apart...


Refusing to give up, I bought another one, and two small mericlones. From Bunnings again (because it's cheap there!). I went away on a 4 week holiday and before I left, I was worried that my orchids will die from lack of water. So I put the orchids submerged in a bowl of water.


When I came back, the orchids looked alive and I thought that they made it. The 2 mericlones are a Cymbidium and a Cattleya, and they are doing well now. The Phalaenopsis however, died again. I still have this as a reminder:

My husband said that I need to stop buying orchids because they are expensive and I keep killing them. ^_^
Undeterred, I insisted on going to the House of Phalaenopsis ( a specialist orchid nursery in Lane Cove), and bought another Phalenopsis. The plant was so healthy, big white blooms with a purple lip.


This time, I googled videos on YouTube and a few sites about how to care for this challenging plant. I thought that I was careful about watering the plant and even used a kebab stick to test the soil.


However I started to notice slight shrivelling in an orchid leaf. Silly me thought that because the kebab stick was not really wet, the reason for the shrivelling was because it is not getting enough water. So I watered it thoroughly.


No improvement ensued and instead, the wrinking looks even worse. Finally, I was brave enough to lift the plant out to inspect the roots. To my horror, ALL the roots were brownish black and mushy, a sure sign of rot. After removing the rotting root material, I was left with only one tiny stump of a root not even one centimetre long.


Searching for rescue methods on the net, I was tempted to "sphag and bag", but was too lazy and not convinced. So I created a sort of orchid terrarium so that I can see what is happening and just sprayed the leaves with water everyday in the hope that it will survive.

 In the meantime, my friend who is also a newbie orchid collector bought 2 new orchid plants for my birthday. A phalaenopsis with blooms exactly like my dying phalaenopsis plant., and an Oncidium with dramatic looking dark wine brown flowers. My home was instantly brightened....I love how plants make a home feel......homier

The replacement Phalaenopsis from my friend - an exact replica of the dying one

The new Dendobrium! Hehe check out my lucky bamboo in the background

 Today, my husband kindly bought a Dendrobium orchid. It looks quite different from the phalaenopsis, but beautiful nonetheless. It's my first dendrobium and looks badly in need of a repotting, but I won't do it just yet.

Crossing my fingers that there will be no more dead orchids. These things apparently can last for hundreds of years.......please live my babies.........


Oncidium



Close up of the Oncidium blooms



Note the limp looking plant in a tall glass towards the back - hopefully it will survive