For Beloved One Melasleep Whitening Bio-Cellulose Mask Review

For Beloved One is a Taiwanese skincare brand that is most famous for its masks, which are apparently used by its local celebrities including Barbie Hsu(大S), Annie Yi(伊能靜), and Niu Er (牛爾). One of its best-selling masks is the Melasleep Whitening Bio-Cellulose Mask, which features what the company calls is a "bio-cellulose" texture - meaning that instead of using plain ol' paper like the rest of them cheapo masks do, this expensive mask (S$63.00 or US$45 for a box of three pieces) is made of some biological fiber material, whatever that is. This mask has style, baby!

The mask itself comes in a clean-looking, sleek white box. Unfortunately the box got a bit dinged on its way to me. But it still looks cool, right? Unlike most Asian brands, which tend to drench themselves in cutesy packaging, For Beloved One keeps it clean and simple.



The individual mask packs (yes, that's S$21 for each pack here) comes in a sealed pack, and the design is exactly like that of the box.



The mask claims to have three awesome ingredients in it that will brighten and whiten your skin: Lumiskin, Melaclear, and Matrixyl. Now terms like that are just marketing jargon, of course, (you know, much like the "Age Rewind Complex" from Maybelline's Age Rewind line, or Pond's "Derma-Recovery Complex" from its Time Rewind Wrinkle Cream) but a closer look at the ingredients shows that they are just a bunch of other ingredients - fatty acids (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride), glycerin, water, as well as some ingredients that may help with skin brightening, and are usually used in cosmetic products for skin whitening or pigmentation (Diacetyl Boldine, dithia octanediol). The good thing is that they at least bothered to make the active ingredients the top three ingredients in the list, so they probably aren't skimping on the good stuff in this mask.



This is what you see when you first open the packet of mask. You get one layer of mask, sandwiched between a papery layer and a plastic foil, and the mask is swimming in the facial essence, which is a milky white liquid.



Anyway, I did mention that one interesting thing about the mask was its selling point of being made of a "bio-cellulose" (another marketing jargon there) material. What this means is that the mask is actually not made of paper, but some filmy substance that kind of feels like a thin layer of jelly. It reminds me of that agar jelly substrate we had in petri dishes back in the days when I was still in school. It kind of has that squishy feel. Here's a shot of the mask material:



One thing I liked about this mask was that because the mask material wasn't made of paper, it felt a lot less flimsy than other masks I've tried. In fact, the manufacturers claim that the mask naturally sticks to your skin, and you can walk around with your mask on your face. I tried that, and I think they're right. Because the mask is made of this film-y material, it adheres to the skin better. I was essentially working on the computer while using the mask.

Here's a really unglam shot of me wearing the mask. Look, ma, the mask is actually staying on!



After application, the mask leave behind a film of liquid on your face, which takes awhile to sink in. The instructions on the package encourage you to continue with the rest of your skincare routine without washing off the mask residue. After usage, I did feel like my skin looked a little brighter. However, I personally felt like it was better when I washed it off, because when the residue was left on my face for too long, my skin seemed to react to it in a negative manner, with my pimples experiencing some swelling. I'm not sure exactly what ingredient it was, but my skin is usually ridiculously sensitive, so it could have been anything. I doubt mosts people would have this sort of reaction to a mask.

Anyway, at S$21 for each application, this mask isn't cheap. I personally believe that you don't have to spend a fortune on good skincare (and in fact, some of the best skincare products I've come across aren't actually expensive), but I do think this mask has some good points going for it if you're willing to splurge. For one, I like the fact that it clings to your skin when applied, so you don't have to lie around comatose on your bed when using this mask. I also feel that enough thought and care has been put into the ingredients to make them work, and the mask seemed effective enough on me. If price isn't an issue, this mask would be worth checking out.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

TheNatureLab Oxygen Shield Bubble Mask: Does It Work?

TNL (short for The Nature Lab) is a Korean brand of skincare that has recently launched one of its star products, the Oxygen Shield Mask, in Singapore. It's a foaming mask whose selling point is that it helps to deliver oxygen to your skin. This is supposed to help improve circulation, and bring about a whole slew of skin benefits, from whitening and brightening to improving skin texture.



First things first, the science is clear that injecting oxygen into your skin doesn't actually help it, so all the masks selling oxygen as an anti-aging therapy are just doing it as a marketing gimmick. Sure the mask does foam, but it doesn't deliver oxygen to your skin (it's just air bubbles, people, not special oxygen bubbles), or help improve blood circulation or anything. It's just fun to see a mask bubble, I guess.

In fact, if the mask really introduced oxygen into your skin, it would seriously damage the skin, since oxygen is a free radical and is actually aging to skin - that's why we have a whole line of anti-oxidants to combat the oxidative reactions brought about by these free radicals. So any oxygen-based skincare is just a marketing gimmick. The Bliss Triple Oxygen Mask is another such mask using a similar marketing strategy, so it's not just TheNatureLab.



The mask comes in a sensible pump tube, and in a sturdy yellow plastic bottle and a brown box. All in all, the packaging is sensible and sturdy.



The mask out of the pump is a clear gel, with a few bubbles in it. Ooh, look, bubbles! The gel is clear and light, and odourless.



The instructions for using this mask are quite complex. First you're supposed to apply the gel on your face, then leave it on for a few minutes. The mask then starts foaming, with little bubbles appearing. This, of course, is the "oxygen bubbles" they're trying to sell - but really, they're just air bubbles. Then again, air is 20% oxygen, so I guess they aren't entirely wrong, LOL!



After that, you're supposed to massage this foam into your face, and let your skin absorb all that "oxygen goodness". When you massage the foam into your face, it sort of breaks up, and forms a thin film on your skin, as you can see in the photo below.



After this, you're supposed to wet your palm slightly and massage the mixture into your skin. The water mixes with the mask to form this thin, colourless film on your skin.



Lastly, you're supposed to wash the film off. It foams as you wash it off.

To be honest, after I used this mask, I didn't feel like my skin had improved. In fact, I didn't feel any effects whatsoever. Perhaps I had too thick a hide for this mask to work, but I felt like it was more of a cleanser than a mask - it cleaned the skin and removed dirt, but didn't do anything more. So, I decided to dig deeper into the product to find out why it didn't work for me.

And as you know me, the first place I stopped to look was nowhere else other than the ingredients list. And here I think I've found my answer:



When I look at ingredients lists, I usually focus on the first 5-7 ingredients in the list, as those are the ingredients that make up most of the product, and the rest of the ingredients are usually added in tiny amounts. In this product, the first few ingredients are water, cocoamidolpropyl betain, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, chamaecyparis obtusa water, glycerin, and cocamide DEA.

Here's a breakdown of the ingredients:

Water, chamaecyparis obtusa water: Okay, we know this one as water.

Cocoamidolpropyl betain, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, cocamide DEA: These are all surfactants, which are the foaming agents in the product. They are what makes the product foam, and are most commonly found in shampoos and soaps.

Glycerin: This is a hydrating ingredient to the skin, when combined with water.

As you can see, the Oxygen Sheild Bubble Mask is really mosstly comprised of a bunch of surfactants, water and glycerin. So when you use the mask, all that's really happening is you're workiong up a lot of foam, but the only ingredients that are really working on your skin are the glycerin and water combination, which moisturize the skin. The surfactants just add to the cosmetic appeal of the product. No wonder why this product didn't work for me!

I wanted to like this product, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by it. And yes, this is indeed a product that was provided by PR people for review, but I simply can't cook up a positive review when that's not my honest opinion. To me, the mask appeared to be mostly surfactants and water, and I felt that the formulation of the mask was poor, as more attention appeared to be paid to the bubbling hype, and not enough attention was given to the actual beneficial effects of the mask. The good thing about this is that it does cleanse the skin, and is quick to use - the whole foaming process takes only a few minutes. If you like the idea of cute little bubbles and want a simple basic mask, this is for you. But sadly, I can't say this mask worked for me. But if you're interested in trying this out for yourself, you can LIKE The Nature Lab Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/TheNatureLab )& play the Spot & Win game to win a bottle of Oxygen Shield Mask worth S$48.90.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I got this for review, and I actually said I was disappointed by it, so obviously I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Benefit Cha Cha Tint: Review, Swatch, FOTD

I can't tell you how excited I am to share this post with you - Benefit has done it again! The brand that is most famous for Benetint and Posietint has now come out with another kickass product - and this time it's none other than their new release, Cha Cha Tint!

Cha Cha Tint couldn't have arrived at a more opportune time - Benefit describes this as a "juicy mango" colour, but to me this is a coral with a hint of pink - perfect for summer!



Cha Cha Tint comes in a similar packaging to Benetint and Posietint. It comes in the same box with a feminine, cheeky vibe, and also comes in the same bottle with a brush that looks like a nail polish brush.



I've found that you do need to be careful with application for this, due to the packaging. There's always the risk of spillage, and the brush can be a little hard to work with. Still, the gorgeous stain is so worth it!



When I first saw the tint, I was scared of the neon coral colour of the tint. However, once it's blended, it actually sheers out to a very wearable coral, as you can see from the swatch below. I'm starting to think this might just be my favourite coral blush of the sesason!



Cha Cha Tint, like the rest of Benefit's tints, is meant to be used on the lips as well as the cheeks. So here's a swatch of Cha Cha Tint on my lips. I love how it looks - it really adds a gorgeous coral hue to my lips.



And because I love Cha Cha Tint so much, here's an FOTD featuring the tint! I'm wearing Cha Cha Tint on my lips and cheeks. As you can see, it really adds a very pretty coral tint to the lips, and despite the neon-ness of the colour in the bottle, it's actually very wearable.



Lasting power of the tint was excellent on the cheeks. At the end of the day, there was still colour left on my cheeks. However on the lips, the stain tended to fade when I ate or drank. However, as long as I didn't have to eat, the stain seemed to last.

I'm absolutely loving Cha Cha Tint right now, and if you're looking for a gorgeous coral tint, this is absolutely for you! Perhaps the only drawback to using such a tint is that your fingers get tinted coral as well, after you've blended it on your lips and cheeks!

Edward Bess Storm Eyeshadow: Taupe of the Day EOTD!

*Rings alarm bells* TAUPE ALERT, EVERYONE! TAUPE ALERT! And it's a brand spankin' shiny new taupe to boot! Edward Bess has just released two new shades to his Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow range (just so you know, I've swatched the Edward Bess eyeshadows before), and one of them is a taupe! *Starts hyperventilating* As a taupe lover through and through, you can't imagine how excited I was. I was positively, eagerly, holding my breath for this to come in the mail.

So here it is. Behold, everyone, the newest taupe to my already burgeoning taupe eyeshadow collection. Edward Bess Storm.



Although the colour name is Storm, Edward Bess's rendering of this colour isn't exactly stormy (lame pun, I know). In fact, it's positively tame. The colour is neutral, and light - in fact, it's exactly the kind of eyeshadow colour you could wear to any office.

The eyeshadow packaging puzzled me a bit. I hadn't realized that Edward Bess had changed the packaging for his Ultra Luminous Eyeshadows, but unlike the other previous eyeshadows I swatched, Storm didn't have the brand name imprinted on the eyeshadow surface. And the eyeshadow pan was round, not square. And the material of the casing seemed different. Still, the packaging retained the chic black exterior, and comes in an expensive-looking box, and a luxe looking velvet pouch.



The eyeshadow itself seemed surprisingly light in terms of pigmentation. Granted, this is a lighter colour, not so much a taupe like MAC's Satin Taupe, but more like Bourjois's Brun Nylon. In other words, a light, beige-ish kind of taupe. I found this lack of pigmentation a little bit disappointing, because previously when I swatched Edward Bess's Luminious Eyeshadow range, I found the colours to be very pigmented. Perhaps these shades are meant to be sheer for Spring/Summer. Here's a swatch of the eyeshadow.



Here's an EOTD (Eye of the Day) with Storm on. Here I used it on my lid. To contour the look a little more, I paired it with the darker shade in another eyeshadow duo I've featured before, the L'Oreal's Sassy HIP Duo. The L'Oreal HIP shade is just a little bit in the contour area.



As you can see, it's a lighter, browner, beige-ier kind of taupe, perfect for conservative offices. It also has a hint of shimmer, although I do think Storm has more shimmer than the shades I previously swatched in the rest of the Edward Bess eyeshadows. Still, this is manageable shimmer, not OTT, and quite pretty, too.



I quite like this shade, and for me this is something wearable that I could definitely see getting heavy usage in my stash. It's just that if you were expecting a deep, dark taupe, this isn't it. Come to think of it, I should swatch this with some of the other taupes in my eyeshadow collection, and see if there are any similar taupes out there.



So, would I recommend this? Well, if you are NC/NW25 and above, I'm not sure if this shadow, being a light shade, will show up on you. It would probably be used as a base, or an all-over lid shade in that case, so if you want it for that reason, great, but if not, it may disappoint you. Also, if you are looking for a shadow with strong pigmentation, this may not be for you. But if you want a simple, wearable taupe, then this could be worth checking out.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

BeautyUK Baked Eyeshadow in Wave: OMG I'm Wearing Blue Eyeshadow!

BeautyUK is a UK-based brand that has been getting lots of raves for its range of colours and cosmetics at an affordable price. I have to admit, the brand has never been on my radar very much, but I've begun to like their products quite a bit.

One of the products I've tried and liked lately is the Baked Eyeshadow. These are domed eyeshadows trios, similar to MAC's MSFs and other baked products, but in eyeshadow form. There are three colours in each eyeshadow pan.



The Wave eyeshadow trio basically consists of three types of blues - a light pastel blue, a medium cobalt blue, and a blackened blue. All of them, being baked eyeshadows have a shimmery, almost frosty finish.



Here are swatches of the eyeshadow. You can see the shimmery, frosty finish, as well as the excellent pigmentation. These are swatched using a finger, on dry skin.



And of course, no review of an eyeshadow trio would be complete without an EOTD (Eye of the Day), right? I used all three colours so you could see the gradiation in colours.



Here's a shot of the EOTD with my eye closed. Hopefully, you can make out all three colours on the eye. All the colours blended easily, and were very pigmented with a base.



I really quite like this trio. It does totally look awesome, doesn't it? With all the blue and the shimmer, and the sheen - it's gorgeous, even if blue isn't typically the colour I'd wear on my eyes.



If you want a cheap, cheery baked eyeshadow, this is definitely worth checking out. It's easily available, it's cheap at just £3.99, and it works.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Liz Earle Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer: Moisturize with a Hint of Shine

Liz Earle is a UK-based brand that is pretty popular within the UK for its brand of quality skincare emphasizing natural, plant-based ingredients. The brand's focus has remained squarely on skincare, and thus they sadly doesn't produce makeup, but being a makeup junkie, I got my hands on the most makeup-like item in their entire range - their Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer.

Liz Earle's Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer is marketed as a lip salve with a sheer hint of shimmer, so it's still a skincare product, as opposed to, say, a lipstick with moisturizing properties. But it's very pretty. The Lip Shimmer comes in a simple, tiny little pink tub that matches the pink colour of the lip shimmer. You get a decent 5g (0.17oz) of product, which is about the same size as most lip balms on the market. I have to admit that I don't really like lip products in tubs - it just seems more fussy to apply and more unhygenic - but I guess given the texture of the product, it would have trouble keeping its shape in stick form, and would be too solid for a squeeze tube.



The ingredients list is pretty impressive - unlike other lip balms that start with mineral oil and petrolatum, you can clearly see that Liz Earle made an effort to consciously use better quality ingredients. The first three ingredients are hazelnut oil, shea butter, and rosehip seed oil. Here's a close up shot of the balm.



Although the Lip Shimmer looks flat and hard on the surface because the oils in the product are in solid form, once you touch your finger to the product, it quickly becomes a shiny, emollient, very soft balm. Despite the pink shade in the tub, the product doesn't actually have much colour once it's applied, as the swatch below shows.



On the lips, the Lip Shimmer feels very emollient, without feeling waxy. Because of the high amount of plant oils in the Lip Shimmer, it feels a little more liquid in feel than your average lip balm in stick form. And although it doesn't have much colour on the lips, it does impart some sort of shine.



All in all, I rather like this product. The ingredients are those of quality, it's emollient without being waxy, and it's moisturizing on the lips. However, this functions as a lip balm, and imparts barely any colour, so if you're looking for a tinted balm with more colour, you'll be disappointed by the lack of colour in the Liz Earle Lip Shimmer. I'd recommend this if you want a lip balm and don't care about the colour, and if you don't mind the fact that it comes in a tub.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Nina L'Elixer: Fruity, Floral, Girly Scent

It's always unfair that the West gets the best stuff before we in the backwaters of Asia do. Take for instance, Nina Ricci's latest perfume offering, Nina L'Elixer, which has just launched in Singapore. L'Elixer actually launched last year in the West, although to be fair it was in the second half of the year. So much for the "global economy". But anyway, I'm sure you're all wondering - for us in Singapore, is this worth the months-long wait?



Nina L'Elixer targets the younger market very squarely, describing itself as a fruity-floral, and the fragrance is fronted by a 21-year old british singer, Florrie. And in the music video for the perfume (below), she's pouting, singing, and generally acting cute and girly. That alone is going to turn some people off. After all, fruity-florals are a dime a dozen when it comes to department-store perfumes. But if fruity-floral is your thing, and if you do happen to be looking for one that is more complex than the other department-store offerings, this could just be worth a look into.



For one, although I myself am not a girly-girl, I have to admit I do like the visuals behind the perfume, and especially the bottle design. It's in the shape of an apple, complete with metal leaves! I love the apple shape, with its connotations of fairytales, and the gorgeous colour palette of pink, red, and white - very feminine, and appropriate for a fragrance targeted to the younger market. And I don't know about you, but to me the bottle looks vaguely like a bejewelled apple. Sort of like an enchanted apple!



Unlike other similar offerings, Nina E'Lixer isn't lazy in its composition. Unlike other flanking perfumes, this isn't a simple rehash of the original Nina perfume from 2006 - you know, take the original, add in a couple of musk or amber notes, throw in more vanilla, and you're done. And it isn't exactly identical to the other comparable offerings either.

Instead, I dare venture that this is better than the 2006 original (sorry Nina). It's deeper, and the hint of lime and lemon in its top notes makes it fresher than the original, too. I know most fruity-floral-gourmand perfumes tend to be overly sweet and cloying, so it's great to have the lime notes in there to balance that out a bit. It's still squarely and firmly within the fruity-floral genre, though, and is still creamy and sweet, but at least this one shows some semblance of balance.



The evolution of the perfume is also one thing in its favour. I didn't like the initial blast of jumbled fruity citrusness that rushed out at me, but the perfume settled down into something a lot more consistent. On me at least, the scent evolved into a creamy gourmand base with some fruit notes, primarily berries, and a detectable jasmine. At the final drydown, I detected musk and amber.



If fruity perfumes are your cup of tea - they're certainly not everyone's, and usually not mine - then this could be worth looking into. The bottle and the visuals are gorgeous, and this is an offering that's better than some of its competitors. Nina L'Elixer launched in Tangs Singapore yesterday, and the launch will continue until the 16th, so do check it out if you're interested.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

BeautyUK Lip Lust in St Tropez: Summer Hotness for Lips!

Now that Summer is officially here, all of us are looking for quick, cheap, easilly available Summer pick-me-ups - you know, that cheap and awesome bronzer, that great teal eyeliner, or - in the case of BeautyUK's newer range of lipglosses, the Lip Lusts, the perfect bronzey, shimmery lip. I have to admit, bronze generally isn't a colour I'd wear on my lips, but BeautyUK's Lip Lust in St Tropez looked so hot, I was sorely tempted to give it a go!



The Lip Lusts come packaged in a small, slim squeeze tube with a black cap. Pretty normal, as far as lip glosses go. The applicator, though, is a fuzzy slant tube, which isn't that common.



If I were brutally honest, I'd say I didn't really like these types of applicators - fuzzy tips, brush applicators, etc - because they do tend to get all gunked up with product and clogged up after some usage, and they aren't the most hygenic way of applying the product to your lips. Fortunately, if you're a lipgloss-germaphobe like me, there's a very neat way of getting around this issue.



Yup, you saw correctly! Simply twist off the fuzzy applicator cap, and use a lip brush! The applicator is simply screwed on by a cap, so you can just twist it off!

The St Tropez Lip Lust is packed full with shimmer, so for those girls who prefer shimmer-less glosses, you have been warned. There are small gold and silver glitter bits, which I think go very well with the bronzey, summery feel of the lipgloss - St Tropez is such an evocative colour name isn't it?



Still, although it's glitter-heavy, the glitter isn't too overpowering, because some of the glitter is hidden in the pigmentation of the gloss. BeautyUK advertises the Lip Lusts as being very pigmented, and they are right. What I love about the colour of the gloss is that althought it's bronze-ish, it's not totally unwearable - I'd call it red-bronze, so it doesn't look like you're applying metal foil to your lips. It still looks like the colour of actual lips, just with a bronzey, shimmery tinge.



Here is a shot of the gloss on my lips. Once applied, the Lip Lusts have this tingly, menthol-ish feeling on your lips, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences. Personally, I'd rather not have the tingling sensation, but as long as it doesn't burn I'm indifferent. They're also not too sticky, which is a plus point.



So if you're looking for a cheap, summery gloss with oodles of shimmer, this is definitely worth checking out. With good pigmentation, good texture, and the very cheap price point of £2.99, you could get one of every colour.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Sudocrem Skin Care Cream: Powerful Moisturization in a Tube

Sudocrem is up to now, a brand that has been most famous for its nappy rash cream - yup, the stuff mothers put on babies. Now, Sudocream has branched out beyond skincare for babies, and the brand has launched a moisturizing skin care cream.

The cream comes in a small, handy tube of 30ml. It's not a very large size, and is a small tube size that would be perfect for throwing into your handbag for use on the go. Convenient indeed!



The cream itself is a thick, opaque white cream, that sinks into the skin after some rubbing in. It's very thick and moisturizing, and I imagine that this would be particularly useful for cold, dry weather, or severely dry skin. Unlike the nappy rash cream, the Skin Care Cream doesn't have any antiseptic properties, and just functions purely as a moisturizer.



I really like this cream, and I think it would be great for really dry skin in Winter, or cold, harsh weather. I think it would be perfect as a skin rescuer on the go. I'm keeping one in my purse for dry skin emergencies!

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Bioessence Inchloss Body Cream: Does it Really Work?

Do creams that claim to give you a slimmer figure really work? While these creams seem to be duds, their popularity seems to indicate that at some leve, consumers believe (or want to believe) that there must be something out there that helps to tone that flab. You know I've always been skeptical of such creams, so I decided to finally put the creams to the test.

For the uninitiated, Bioessence is a local brand whose range of products consists mostly of skincare and bodycare. One of the most popular product lines is its Inchloss line, which has recently added the Inchloss Body Cream Extra Strength to its lineup. I previously blogged about the Bioessence Inchloss line, so I won't go into further detail. Instead, I'm sure you're dying to know if it worked on me.



The two products I used were the Bioessence Inchloss Body Scrub, which is meant to be used in the shower, and the Bioessence Inchloss Body Cream Extra Strength, which is meant to be applied as a body cream after your shower.

The Inchloss Shower Scrub is a clear pink gel, with rather large buffing grains suspended in the gel. The scrub claims to also have some ingredients that help to promote circulation and have a slimming effect. I used it for a week, and while I felt it was inconclusive terms of slimming, it was pretty effective as a body scrub in the shower. The producct has a sweet, fruity scent which is quite pleasant.



The Inchloss Body Cream extra strength is a thick white cream that also has the similar sweet, fruity smell, although I wouldn't advise you smelling at very close range, since it has capsicum inside, which made me sneeze when I inhaled too deeply. However, the cream absorbs well, and also functions as a very light moisturizer.

One of the things I noticed about the cream is that it gives off a burning sensation, and makes the areas which the cream was applied to feel hot. This is supposed to be a sign that the cream is working. Because of the stinging sensation, I strongly recommend that after application of the cream, you wash your hands before you rub your eyes or touch your face, otherwise the cream could get onto the more sensitive parts of your face or eyes and cause a lot of discomfort. Don't say I didn't tell you! :P



I tried out both the Body Scrub and the Body Cream Extra strength for one week, and various measurements from my flabby body parts were taken before and after the week. So did the products work? The results are below. And OMG yes, I just posted all my bodily statistics on my blog. Great, now everyone can figure out how many inches I have round my tubby tummy. *Groan*



Anyway, as you can see from the details, over five parts of my flabby body (both arms, tummy, and both thighs), the total sum of centimeters lost was 1.9 (or 0.75in), which was a bit disappointing. So sadly, the cream didn't really work for me. To be fair though, one week is a rather short period of time for a trial, and during the one week, I didn't significantly change my eating or excercising patterns, as requested by the company.

However, the other bloggers who were there reported much larger losses than I did. The blogger who lost the most lost 15cm (5.9in), and there were quite a few people who had losses of near 10cm. So I was one of the people who lost very little. However, that said, even the girls who lost a lot of inches didn't look any different - everyone looked the same in appearance. To be fair, though, the products claim to make you appear slimmer through toning, so I wouldn't expect any major changes in body size, especially after just one week.

So do these products really work? As with all things, I believe that there's no shortcut to health or weight loss. You do need to watch your diet, eat healthy, and exercise, and these should be the cornerstone of any attempt to keep healthy. So the creams will just be a supplement to the routine. I'm sad to say that for me, any effect was minimal, although perhaps a longer trial period would be needed. However, given that others seem to have acheived better results with this product, I wouldn't write the product off totally - it just didn't work for me.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)