January Favourites

I never done this before, but I saw so many of these “favourites” going on on Youtube so I thought I should try doing a blog post about products I’ve been loving for this month. I don’t have a lot though.

In clockwise direction:

1. Hada Labo Air BB 10-in-1 Function SPF50+PA+++ & Eau Thermale Avene Hydrance Optimale Light Hydrating Cream

My Avene moisturizer does not have any sun protection and I’m not really fond of the Hada Labo BB cream texture – I feel like it is quite heavy – but I love combining these two to use as my foundation! I just squeeze a little bit of each onto the back of my hand and blend, and apply it to my face. The result was amazing! The Hada Labo BB cream gives coverage and the Avene moisturizer dilutes the BB cream and makes the texture light on my skin and hydrates it as well!

2. The Body Shop Cushion Wooden Pin Hair Brush

I just bought this and I cannot express how much I am in love with this brush! Since I’m currently pregnant, I chose to use a natural shampoo and let’s face it, natural shampoo doesn’t clean as well as shampoo with SLS. And I don’t use conditioner at all because I’m lazy haha. That makes my hair really tangle after I wash it, and pretty much stays that way all day everyday. Every time I run my fingers through my hair, they will always get stuck. Same goes if I try to detangle my hair using a wide-tooth comb. That will result in hair fall.

So I thought using a large brush could solve my problem. I want a good quality brush that is gentle on the scalp and hair. I know The Body Shop sell some hair brushes and the reviews on them are good too, so without hesitation, I bought one. This particular hair brush cost me RM 58.00 but I have no regret in buying this because this brush is awesome!

It detangles my hair easily with minimal hair fall and also very gentle to my scalp. If there’s a hair fall, my hair doesn’t stick to the brush unlike any other brushes and this brush is easy to clean too. Major love!

3. Shaklee OmegaGuard

Before, the thought of swallowing a couple vitamins a day makes me nauseous. That’s why I only take what is necessary for pregnancy i.e. folic acid and obimin. Since I no longer experience morning sickness, I think it is time for me to add supplements to my diet. I chose fish oil for baby’s brain development and calcium pills because I don’t really like to drink milk.

I only consume OmegaGuard for about a week but I already notice a difference. I no longer constipated and I sleep more easily at night. And no matter how much I eat, it seems like my weight gain is slower this time (maybe because I poop almost everyday haha). I took only 1 capsule a day. Not sure if it’s because of OmegaGuard, but I eat pretty much the same everyday and the OmegaGuard and calcium pills are the only thing that changed in my diet.

4. Safi Olive Oil Plus Rose Hip

Someone recommended this to use as stretchmark prevention and I bought this specifically for that reason. Even though I love it, my belly is allergic to it. It does moisturize my belly but it makes my belly itch. I also got a few rashes on my skin. Strangely, that only happens to my belly. I’m not allergic to this product on other body parts so I use it to moisturize my hands and sometimes I use it on my hair.

This product is so multifunctional because it is also great to use as massage oil! I asked my husband to massage me the other day using this and it works wonderfully. Although this is an oil, it doesn’t feel sticky on the skin at all. It absorbs to the skin easily.

New Love: Eau Thermale Avene Cleanser & Cream

My skincare routine is very simple nowadays; just wash, tone, put some eye cream and moisturize. I don’t know if it’s because of pregnancy that made me skip a few steps (I’m lazier), but I definitely need less products than I used to. I don’t use serum or oil anymore, and I never do a facial or use face mask like before.

Since my pregnant hormones stabilized (I guess I could say that), my skin has changed from very dry (earlier in pregnancy I suffered from really dry skin condition) to almost normal. I think my skin is normal-sensitive now. It has the right amount of oil – no excess oil on my T-zones, I don’t break out (neither on face nor body) even when I only wash my face once a day, and without the use of serum or oil, my skin is never dry. It’s the best skin condition I’ve ever had in my life.

I’ve been loving two products recently; Eau Thermale Avene Gentle Gel Cleanser and the Light Hydrating Serum. I just switched to these two – the gel cleanser I have used for over a month and the cream for only a week – but what a wonder they do to my skin! I will review the products one by one, starting with the cleanser.

1. Eau Thermale Avene Gentle Gel Cleanser

Forgive my pregnant brain, but I don’t know how much this was priced because I bought it over a month ago. I think it was around RM 79.00? Around that price range la. Bought it at Guardian. This has 200 ml of products and this could last me a very long time, maybe over 6 months. But I use this often and quite generously so I will be surprised if I ever reach 6 months! This cleanser has a sturdy plastic bottle that feels almost like glass, with a pump so it is very hygienic. The only thing that I didn’t like about the packaging is that it didn’t come with a cap, so it’s not travel-friendly.

It has gel texture so it doesn’t foam up very easily. Use it correctly, it will clean your face without stripping off the excess oil so it won’t dry out your skin. How I use it: first, I’ll wet my face, then pump a decent amount of product on my fingers, put a little on my forehead and evenly distributed the rest on my cheeks, chin and nose, gently massage the skin for 30 seconds and rinse it off. After cleansing, my skin doesn’t feel as tight as other products did to me. It still feel a bit moisturized.

Another thing I love is the scent. It has a gentle, pleasant scent that is calming to me. My nose is very sensitive nowadays, and normally I would avoid any products that smells, but I give an exception to this cleanser.

Avene Gentle Gel Cleanser is specifically for normal to combination sensitive skin.

2. Eau Thermale Avene Light Hydrating Cream

This product is to replace my Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream that I had long loved. The reason is simple: there is no Kiehl’s store in Kuantan, thus it is hard to replace a product once I’m out of it, and I have fallen in love with Avene.

I bought this moisturizer once I’m sure that I really like Avene and ready to use moisturizer other than Kiehl’s. I bought Avene Light Hydrating Cream in Sasa. It was originally RM 89.00 but I got 10% off so I only paid RM 80.10. It has 40ml amount of product, so since I use it day and night, I don’t think it will last me very long.

This moisturizer comes in a tube so it is hygienic, has a pleasant signature Avene scent, has a very light texture and spreads easily on the face. Although it is light, it is very hydrating. It is more hydrating than Kiehl’s I must say.

I found that this product doesn’t produce excess oil on my face. I only use it for a week but I already notice a huge difference on my skin! My skin is more soft and supple, more hydrated, my blackheads and whiteheads have significantly reduced and I don’t have a single zit on my face. I have great love for this product.

Avene Light Hydrating Cream comes in two version; one with SPF and one without. Mine is the one without SPF because I overlooked the detail. I only realized that it has SPF version once I reached home. I was bummed for a moment because isn’t it good to have a moisturizer with SPF so that I won’t have to use sunscreen anymore? But then I thought I will use up this moisturizer so fast that will be able to buy the one with SPF next time.

Avene Light Hydrating Cream is specifically for normal to combination sensitive skin.

Bonus: I still use Kiehl’s Cucumber Toner (which I really love but I might change it to Avene once I finish it) and my eye cream is from Shaklee.