Naive White Facial Cleansing Foam

I'd been using Shiseido Benefiance Creamy Cleansing Foam off and on since last year and finally finally finished the tube recently. You know what means, right? I got to go shopping for a new face wash, of course! :D

And then in my excited stupor I grabbed this Naive White Facial Cleansing Foam at my local Asian store without even looking. So needless to say, I'm not exactly happy with my purchase, especially since I'm not into anything "whitening." You can imagine what it was like when I got home, "What the...? White Facial Cleansing Foam?!? Damn it!!!" Despite that, I decided I to give it a try anyway. I'm just too lazy to bring it back.



This face wash is okay. It foams like crazy but the foam is thick and creamy, along the lines of the Shiseido Benefiance. It's actually more gentle than the Shiseido Benefiance, with the exception that it stings a little whenever there's a cut on my skin. Yeah, so much for gentle, huh? But, my face did feel very clean afterwards, and absolutely no tightness or dryness whatsoever.

So why do I think it's just okay? Well, aside from the stinging, it was the scent that bugged the heck out of me. For the first several uses, I could have sworn it smelled like a rosy Scrubbing Bubbles. I mean, it just felt wrong to be scrubbing my face with this stuff instead of the sink or bath tub or something. I know, not exactly appetizing descriptions. And then I guess after that, my nose must have gotten used to the smell or something, so the scrubbing bubbles scent wasn't as strong and in my face anymore. But still, it still smelled too chemically, the bad kind. I guess this means it's a no go.

The Body Shop Raspberry Puree Body Lotion

I'm still in my crazy The Body Shop phase, can you tell? :) I got this Raspberry Puree Body Lotion at the same sale as these Strawberry gift sets.



I think I might just try out a few other their puree body lotions. They're seriously wicked stuff. Their texture is like a gel and they go on like water. Of course, I'd probably be soaking in this stuff during the winter and my hands would still crack, but for the humid summer, they're pretty good lotion that doesn't succumb to sweat and turn my hands all clammy. Yuck.

Scent wise, this particular one smells like artificially flavored raspberry jam :) It may sounds bad, but it's not. I put some in a tiny container and carry it with me in my bag at all times. Oh, and this may be nothing special, but I thought it was convenient that the pump bottle can be twist-n-click to open and close. Very small detail and not unique at all, but that makes a difference for me.

Anderson Soap Company Fresh Cut Rose Soap

If you like roses, you absolutely must try Anderson Soap Company's Fresh Cut Rose Soap! It literally smelled like a fresh cut and fragrant bouquet of roses! And you know what, both hubby and I liked it. Now that's saying something. I will definitely buy it again, at least as gifts for those I know for sure are fans of roses. I've already sent a bar to hubby's grandma and she loved, loved, loved it!


***Picture from Anderson Soap Company via Etsy.

Like the Celsius Shea Butter Soap, this one was also a shea butter bar. For some reason though, it didn't feel as moisturizing as the Celsius bar. Still, it was mild enough to not dry out my hands. Hubby and I really enjoyed the soap. It jazzed up our sink area a bit with the kind of romantic aura associated with the scent of roses, not that teeth brushing and gargling are very romantic, but...


Also, the thought having real rose petals sprinkled throughout may look and sound aesthetically pleasing, as soon as the petals washed off though, they left behind stains that made the otherwise white bar of soap looked very...diseased. LOL

Skin Aqua UV Moisture Gel SPF27 PA++

On her visit my sister brought me this Skin Aqua UV Moisture Gel SPF27 PA++. Okay fine, I sent her a picture of it, and she was so sweet to indulge me :) More like she totally spoiled me rotten, and I'm the big sister LOL

This Skin Aqua line is relatively new, introduced in spring 2008 (the other older line is Sun Play). But up until now, I was still trying out different sunscreens out there, starting with Sofina Perfect UV, then Allie Comfortable Sunscreen EX (both Perfect and WaterTouch). So I guess I'm totally ready to try something new.

See the list of ingredients translated from Japanese.

Olay Age Defying Revitalizing Eye Gel

Aside from the Avon Hydrofirming Eye Cream, I finally found another eye cream for day use that doesn't melt my waterproof sunscreen - Olay Age Defying Revitalizing Eye Gel.

Of course I haven't tried all the eye creams out there, but I'm glad to have found a replacement for the Avon Hydrofirming, for now. I'd used the Avon cream faithfully for a few years and simply wanted to move on to give other eye creams out there in the world a chance. I have my eyes on a few others as well, in case I get tired of this Olay eye gel :D



I have to say though, so far, this Olay eye gel has been great! As you can see, it's a clear gel, but it's decently moisturizing. It absorbs pretty quickly too, so I don't have to wait long before applying sunscreen. Keep in mind I'm only looking for a moisturizing product, so I can't really comment on the "reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles" claim. What I will say, and perhaps it is just my imagination, is that the gel seems to brighten up my eye area and I no longer come into the office looking delirious every morning. Granted, a few weeks back while I was still using the Avon eye cream (before my vacation, visiting my parents), I was delirious, so I actually don't know if it's just me surviving another busy season or it's the Olay eye gel.



Texture wise, the eye gel is a bit, umm, slippery and a tad stickier than a gel should be. That said, once applied, it is not sticky on the skin. Phew! It is fragrance free, just as claimed on the Olay USA page for this product. Also, it has an unexpectedly short ingredients list that is alcohol free. Main ingredients include witch hazel, cucumber extract, which, I'm guessing, probably accounts for the slippery and sticky bit. If your skin is sensitive to colorant, fragrance, or alcohol, but can tolerate witch hazel, this eye gel is worth a good try.

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Polish

While in my Body Shop kick, I got both the Strawberry Sunshine Gift Set as well as the Strawberry Love to Pamper Gift Set. As a result, I ended up with 2 of these Strawberry Body Polish tubes :) I tried it right away, of course :)

The Strawberry Sunshine Gift Set includes (taken from The Body Shop USA website):
- 2.5 oz. Body Polish
- 2.0 oz. Shower Gel
- 1.7 oz. Body Butter
- White Bath Lily
- Mesh bag (which I use as a makeup bag)







The Strawberry Love to Pamper Gift Set includes (taken from The Body Shop USA website):
- 8.4 fl oz Strawberry Shower Gel
- 1.7 oz Strawberry Body Butter
- 2.5 fl oz Strawberry Body Polish
- 3.5 oz Strawberry Soap
- Red/Cream Two Tone Bath Lily
- Two piece rigid box with twisted paper lid and PET window


***Picture from The Body Shop USA.

Again I don't have a picture of this gift set because, like the Wild Cherry Body Bliss Gift Set, I kept the Strawberry Shower Gel, Body Butter, and the Body Polish for myself and gave the Strawberry Soap away. If I didn't like the strawberry scent so much I probably wouldn't have kept the Body Polish either.

- Strawberry Body Polish: I think I've already established the fact that I love this scent. That said, I'm not quite sure how to use this body polish O.O The way I'm using it now is probably wrong? I don't know. So may be this review is a bit inaccurate :X



For the first few times, I just put some on my hands and massaged away. But then it was really hard to reach all of my back with just my hands. Since I use a bath puff and body brush to exfoliate daily anyway, I thought I'd try the puff and brush with this body polish instead of body wash. Once I did, honestly I couldn't really see the point of using this body polish. I mean, if your hands can reach all of your back, this would make a decent body exfoliator that is actually kind of moisturizing. But because I already exfoliate daily with a body brush and then apply body oil afterwards (Oshima Tsubaki Camellia Oil in Water in the summer, pure Camellia Oil in the winter), I couldn't tell the difference with this body polish at all.

So yeah, if your shower habits are similar to mine, this product will probably be useless, so don't get stuck with 2 tubes like me.

Rose & Co Apothecary Rose Petal Bath & Shower Cream and Rose & Glycerine Lotion

Yet another late review for the Rose & Co Apothecary Rose & Glycerine Lotion and the Rose Petal Bath & Shower Cream. These came in travel size from the Ballerina Net Gift in Rose Petal, which also includes a full size Extra Fancy Soap in Tea Rose.

The Rose & Co Apothecary Ballerina Net Gift in Rose Petal


I brought the Bath & Shower Cream and the Glycerine Lotion with me on my trip to visit my folks as back ups, you know, just in case. I know that sounds so unnecessary because I'm visiting my parents and I can always borrow some toiletries from them. But then again, I have all these things collecting at home that are from GWPs, as samples, or from promotions that I couldn't pass up. So as silly as it sounds, travels are good opportunities for me to try something I would otherwise never reach for at home.

In this particular case though, boy was I glad I brought backups, because otherwise I wouldn't have survived the lavender assault from The Body Shop Divinely Calm Heavenly Shower Gel (which I quickly relinquished to hubby's sole enjoyment) :D Now I regret not getting a Ballerina Net Gift in the Lavender scent since I really liked their Extra Fancy Soap in Lavender. See, there are tolerable lavender-scented body care stuff out there. Damn! I want to try the Lavender Lotion and Bath & Shower Cream so badly!

- Rose & Glycerine Lotion: I kept this little bottle with me at all time in my messenger bag for use on the go. I was actually pretty impressed with it. It was a light yet potent moisturizer. So what was the problem? The scent. Don't get me wrong, I didn't have any problem with the scent. Hubby did. Yep, he hated the smell of this lotion and every time I put some on in the car, he would put down all the windows to "air it out" LOL! To me, the rose scent was surprisingly bearable, and that came from me who used to hate ALL rose fragrances. It was definitely rosy, but it wasn't strong at all. Just for some reason, it gave hubby a headache every time I use it. So we both agreed to not buy either The Body Shop Divinely Calm Heavenly Shower Gel or this Rose Glycerin Lotion again. Funny how things worked out, but I guess that was reasonable. If you haven't figured this out by now, hubby and I share all the bath and body stuff at home, even many of the skincare products too :D

The full size Rose & Glycerine Lotion


- Rose Petal Bath & Shower Cream: this shower cream was a different story. Hubby could tolerate this scent, and admittedly it was much lighter than the lotion. Since he preferred the Divinely Calm shower gel anyway, I got this shower cream all to myself to use :D It was okay, definitely more moisturizing than the Divinely Calm shower gel, but it still didn't lather much. I guess I shouldn't complain too much since soaps that lathers well sometimes ended up being too harsh on my skin anyway. Still, I guess I didn't like it enough to buy the full size.

The full size Rose Petal Bath & Shower Cream

***Pictures from Rose & Co Apothecary UK.

The Body Shop Divinely Calm Heavenly Shower Gel

Another late review - I used this Body Shop Divinely Calm Heavenly Shower Gel during my travel to visit my parents.



Hubby loved this body wash, but I was only kind of lukewarm - the lavender scent was too overwhelming for me. I know I said I've learned to appreciate lavender and all, but woowee!!! The moment it lathered up [a wimpy lather], my nose was chock full of lavender *coughs* *gags* I guess that was why hubby liked it - he's a big lavender fan whereas I'm, well, not quite there. I do like it, but I don't love it enough to breath it. Otherwise, this body wash was gentle and mild, although no where near moisturizing enough, given the dry and harsh environment I was in. So I ended up covering myself in moisturizers afterwards, and even then, my skin was still dry! So this one is not for me either, unfortunately. Sorry hubby, I'll find another lavender body wash that's not so overly lavender :P

The Body Shop Wild Cherry Body Butter and Shower Gel

I got this Body Shop Wild Cherry Body Bliss Gift Set at the same sale where I got the Pink Grapefruit Goodness Gift Set. This Wild Cherry Body Bliss Gift Set comes with (taken from The Body Shop USA website):
- 2.0 fl oz Wild Cherry Shower Gel
- 3.5 oz Wild Cherry Soap
- 1.7 oz Wild Cherry Body Butter
- 1.7 oz Wild Cherry Body Scrub
- Red Bath Lily
- Card box with decorative paper panel, PET window and elastic with coconut button closure


***Picture from The Body Shop USA.

I actually don't have a picture of this gift set because I gave everything away and kept only the Shower Gel and Body Butter, both of which I'm going to review.

- Wild Cherry Body Butter: Woh, this scent was very sweet and fruity, a bit too sweet and fruity actually! Unfortunately, this Body Butter was just as I remembered when I tried it at the store - it was a bit greasy and therefore not exactly for use during the summer. I tried it several times, but no matter how small the amount I used, my hands still felt greasy. The texture is more like thick cold cream.


I guess I'm saving this body butter for the winter. My hands can get so terribly dry and cracked during the winter that I'd rather have them feel a bit greasy than rough like sandpaper.



- Wild Cherry Shower Gel: I'm using this right now I must say I like this shower gel much better than the body butter! The scent is still waaaay too strong (hubby says it smells like an artificially flavored cherry drink), so I probably will not repurchase, but the shower gel itself is surprisingly mild and moisturizing! It doesn't lather much, and the lather it creates is wispy and washes away quickly so if you're a fan of a thick lather, it will disappoint. But I like the fact that my skin feels clean but soft afterwards. And no itchy arms and legs! Phew!

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Butter

I got The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Goodness Gift Set on sale for dirt cheap, so I was thrilled to try them out as I love the Pink Grapefruit scent.

***Picture from The Body Shop USA.

The gift set was an awesome deal and came with (taken from The Body Shop USA website):
- 8.4 fl oz Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel
- 1.7 oz Pink Grapefruit Body Butter
- 1.7 oz Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub
- 3.5 oz Pink Grapefruit Soap
- Pink and White Bath Lily
- Pretty curved floral-printed card box with magnetic closure (which I'm not so sure what to do with...)





I wanted to try the Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel, but my experience with the Naive Grapefruit Body Wash left me less than excited to try yet another grapefruit-scented body wash. So I tried the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter instead.



I expected this Pink Grapefruit Body Butter to be a bit greasy as I tried it once before in the store and remembered it being a bit greasy. It turned out to be delightfully light and non-greasy, even lighter than the Strawberry Body Butter! The texture is also a bit thinner than the Strawberry Body Butter, so it doesn't really have the same firm cold spreadable butter shape but more like a vegetable spread (I know, not exactly a palatable description, is it?).



Regardless, I like it so much I instantly added it to my mini assortment of hand lotions/creams on my night stand. I think it makes an awesome summer hand cream for those with dry skin like me, even in this nasty humidity! It absorbs so completely and leaves my hand so comfortably soft, I find myself reaching for it more often than not. That said, it probably won't do for the winter, but I'm not going to bother worry about that right now. Very much eyeing the Pink Grapefruit Lotion and will pounce at the first sign of a good sale :D