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.

My ESP Drink Recipe

There are so many ways to drink ESP but my personal favourite is to mix it with juice. You can use whatever juice available in the store i.e. Tropicana Twister, VeGood, Marigold Peel Fresh, etc, and you can use whatever flavour that suits your desire. I personally like to mix ESP with a quite sour juice because ESP will make it sweet. Not that ESP is highly sweet, but I found that mixing already sweet juice will make it sweeter so I don’t fancy that.

I use a 300 ml water bottle because I only make a serving for me. I found this cheap water bottle at Kedai 2.00 for only a few bucks. But this bottle is good because the cap is really tight so it will not leak if you shake it hard. Plus, it has measurement on the side so it always come in handy.

So, my recipe is:

Put 2 tbs of ESP inside the water bottle

Pour about 250-300 ml of juice of your choice

Shake well

Once it’s done, you will get this frothy goodness that  tastes really delicious. It’s like having a soda in juice form.

CHEERS!!! It is better served cold.

Introducing…Shaklee ESP

I have been consuming ESP for more than 3 weeks now and I’m delighted to say that I’m very happy with what it does to my skin!

For your information, our new facial cells grow every 21 days. As we age, the number of new cells decrease, making our skin sag and lost its elasticity. Just imagine a wall without enough bricks, a few holes here and there, surely it is not a very sturdy wall, is it? It’s breakable, it lets dirt going into our house and it’s not very nice to see, right?

Our skin is like that wall, our cells are like those bricks and what glues them together, the cement, is the collagen (but I’ll get into this in the future).

What builds our cells? The answer is simple: it is Protein. That’s our cell’s food and to produce healthy cells, we must eat enough protein. There are 20 types of proteins and our body is able to build 11 out of 20. But the other 9, we must take it separately. The common sources of protein are eggs, fishes, chickens, cheese, yogurt, soy, just to name a few.

When I first consume ESP, I don’t even know what I talked about just now because I consume it for a whole different reason (which I will tell, also, later in the future). Having a good, clear, glowing skin as a side result is just a bonus, and who doesn’t like bonus? I welcome it with open arms *smile*. Anyway, I got all the information from a sharing I attended last Saturday, led by Master Norita, an accomplished Shaklee user and businesswoman and her husband (sorry kak forgot his name! *shame on me*). Since I was new, I only able to digest the first half of the sharing, which was the science of it – and I’m always good in Biology anyway.

Anywhoooo…(I keep getting out of track here) ESP, yes, ESP is one of the best sources of protein that is essential for our body (ahem, cells). What does ESP stands for? ESP is Energizing Soy Protein. Yes, based on its name, it is made out of soy. ESP provides 14 grams of non-GMO soy protein with all the amino acids, including the nine essential amino acids our body needs for protein synthesis.

Okay, so what it does to my skin?

Since our new facial cells grow every 21 days, the clear result only could be seen after 21 days. However, I noticed a difference even after the first week of consuming ESP. I noticed that my face has become tighter and brighter. Bumps (not acne, just uneven skin) and redness around my nose and on my cheeks lessened. Skin began to feel moist and elastic. My blackheads and whiteheads have been reduced. Entering the third week, it’s only a week left until Aunt Flow (AF) comes, that is to say, I’m in my PMS week, I noticed that I HAVE NOT HAD a single blemish on my face, and even on my back. How AHMAZING is that.

I admit that aside from ESP, I also take a few other Shaklee products that might be contributing the goodness of my skin, but I solely believe that ESP is the main reason that made my skin the way it is today.

 

Skin after work. Had taken off BB cream. Haven’t had a bath yet (that explains the shine!).

And this is how ESP looks like:

It is 850 grams per canister. It is HUGEEE. Max 3 tbs a day, it can last more than a month, perhaps two, so it is very affordable. I consume ESP along with my housemate and I still have enough to last me two weeks.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you are interested. I don’t bite. Hehe.