Reading: Bridget Jones

I don't know what is it about Bridget Jones - maybe it's because she's such a mess? maybe because of Mr. Darcy? maybe because of the utter british-ness of it - but I love her diaries. Bridget Jones's Diary and its sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason are must reads in chic lit.

For those who don't know, Bridget Jones is a more modern version of Pride and Prejudice, with a heroine you can relate to more than old-world Elizabeth Bennet. If you've watched the movies (with Colin Firth - THE Mr. Darcy), then you'd know how much more likeable Bridget is - and how much of a disaster.

It's hard to believe but I've found that she's a bigger, more interesting character in the books than in the movies, as are the others. Unlike the movie sequel, the book version is as interesting as its predecessor. If that's not enough, the second book mentions Colin Firth and his wet shirt!

I think Helen Fielding has successfully created one of the best contemporary pieces of chic lit I've ever read (I'd put P&P as one of the best classic one ;) ). I'd recommend this book for anyone with ovaries.

Secret Recipe at Shangri-la Mall

So yesterday I went over to Shangri-la Mall because I heard about a Kiehl's challenge over at Animetric's. That's gonna come later. I'm excited about it, but that has to wait!

Shangri-la Mall East Wing

 The new wing at Shangri-la Mall. It was actually a pretty nice shot until these two walked in. Haha.

TWG Coming Soon

 Hee. TWG is coming over to Orti. It's not looking as nice as the one over at Greenbelt, but it would be nice to have a tea place close by.

Shu Uemura - Shangri-la

 At Floor 2/3 -Is a Shu Uemura.

Kiehl's - Shangri-la

And a Kiehl's where I got my 5 free samples.

While waiting for some family members, I ended up waiting at Secret Recipe on the highest floor of the Mall and ordered an Americano with milk (P95 - according to munchpunch, it's called a Flat White).

Americano and Free Cake

 Apparently, you get a free slice of one of their cream cakes when you order a coffee hot or iced. Yay!

Coffee and Terry Pratchett

 I'm not a big fan of Terry Pratchett, but he is funny, especially his footnotes.

Chocolate Banana Cake

 The free slice, while by no means can be considered a sliver, is a little on the lean side. I don't know why I got a plastic fork with it, but it was yummy! :))

Americano

 I did like the foam art, along with the service: very prompt and very hospitable servers. I got a glass of iced water sometime while I was reading without prompting. The coffee went excellently with the cake.

Chocolate Banana Cake again

I would definitely buy this if it were a bit bigger :)) But I'd rather have it free with a coffee, even if it's a smaller slice.

Would I return? Definitely yes, if I ever had to wait for someone at Shangri-la, or any other mall with a branch as long as they had this promo and I had a good book.


Secret Recipe is at the 5th floor of Shangri-la Mall.

Review: Kojie San Kojic Acid Soap

Note: This post has been edited on 04/11/2015 with additional information and pictures.

I've been using Kojie San on and off for the past 5 years. I've only used this brand because in the past, it was difficult to find a mainstream brand of kojic acid. When I last went to Watsons, it was the only soap that listed kojic acid as the first ingredient.

While the picture below shows the Kojie San soap for P50, I've previously bought the bigger versions for cheaper at P120 for 3.

Kojie San Whitening Soap

In the back, you can see the expiration date quite easily, along with the ingredients list. I find the box quite strange.

Ingredients: Kojic Acid, Sweet Orange, VCO, Glycerine, Vegetable Extract and Vitamin C.

As you can see, Kojic acid is really what you get when you buy this product, the sweet orange probably acting as a preservative for this product. It also acts as a pleasant orange scent for the duration of application. It washes of quite easily, so don't be afraid to use a second wash or lotion after it.

 For those who don't know, here's a bit about kojic acid: it's an acid that's capable of inhibiting melanin, or dark spots, on the skin. It's antibacterial, but its safety has been determined at concentrations of 1%, and any further use can cause sensitivity. Unfortunately, kojic acid at that level won't cause any skin lightening. It is not considered to be carcinogenic.

Kojie San Soap Box Ingredients

I've found that this product, is very good at cleaning the face and skin: I've found that even a henna tattoo stays on half as long when I use kojic acid. Long term use leads to increased succeptibility to minor cuts and abrasions, probably due to increased skin fragility. However, short term use is already irritating on sensitive areas such as the face and groin so it's best to wash it of as quickly as possible after lathering it on these places. It's fine on the thicker parts of my skin. Also, while my face gets a bit red if I leave it on longer than a few seconds, I don't break out from it.

On another note, a lot of leave-on kojic acid products are currently in the Philippine market. I'm not comfortable leaving something like this on my skin though.

Tips:  Don't use this product more than once a day, and moisturize straight after. You might feel a stinging sensation right after application, due to the fact that you are peeling your skin.  Thus, you should use a sunblock religiously if you decide to use this or any other peeling/whitening product.

Kojie San Kojic Acid Soap

While I don't have much experience with whitening products, I've noticed that using this soap has kept me from darkening during summer, as compared to when I use other, non-whitening soaps. I tend to use a bar of this every summer just to keep from changing my skin color. I also end up using a bar of this every 4 months, especially when my face is breaking out severely (due to its antibacterial properties - trying to control the bacterial spread of P. acnes). However, using this for too long will actually irritate my face even more so I tend to stop after 2 weeks and finish the bar for just my body. I have found that it does lighten my acne scars, though slowly compared to chemical peels from my dermatologist.

How does this compare with other whitening products? It doesn't work as well as hydroquinone but better than, though more harsh than papaya soap.

What I dislike most about this soap is that it melts easily! I used to cut a bar in half to keep it from melting quite so quickly. I buy the smaller versions if I'm too lazy to cut. Keep it away from possible sources of water and it will last around 4 weeks of heavy use.

Let's recap.

Yays

• antibacterial - may help control acne
• cleaning
• whitening - effect on both normal skin and post-acne scars
• inexpensive

Nays

• can be irritating (drying or stinging)
• melts easily
• Not for long term use

Hays

• Do not leave on sensitive areas for more than a few seconds
• Use a moisturizer after
• Use a sunblock after

Okays

• Those interested in skin whitening
• Those who are acne prone should check for a reaction first
• Not for sensitive skin

Buy Again? Yes. Unless I get a definitive report I'll probably continue purchasing this product. I'd switch if I found a cheaper one with near the same ingredient list though.

It's a long weekend for me! This Monday, aside from the Starbucks promo, CBTL also has a special treat for Swirl Card holders: Get half of the Moroccan Mint Tea Latte from 3-5 pm as the last of their Thank You for 50 promos.

I'm kind of torn as to which one I'll probably get...

Happy weekend everyone!
-SS

Review: Bath & Body Works Sheer Freesia Body Lotion

Okay. I'm too lazy to list all the ingredients, but the first are water, glycerin, petrolatum, cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, dimethicone and fragrance. This is probably where all the moisturizing and scent come from. However, they do list these as pampering ingredients:

Conditioning Aloe Vera
Protective Grape Seed Extract
Nourishing Vitamin E & C

While I don't think these ingredients do anything at the amounts they probably are in (note that they all come after fragrance), it might have an effect... I haven't felt anything other than the standard moisturizing I get from other lotions.

What I love about B&BW is that their lotions mostly smell really good.  As you can see, this one is nearly gone. It's a very feminine flowery scent and it lasts for quite a bit. You can actually go out without perfume on a date night with this product. On the other hand, I feel that the scent is not as strong as Victoria's Secret lotions - nor quite as sensual? (brand imaging works sometimes). Honestly though, I prefer this over VS because of the less "girly" packaging. It's also easier to hold because of the curved, textured top.

Another nice thing is that you can see how much product you have and the slit-cap makes dispensing easy. While it is less contaminated than a screw cap, it's not as good as a pump-top apparently (performing around a flip-cap's level). However, pump top products, if they don't have a cover, tend to spill as I tend to throw them on the bed, which is where the former two have an advantage. Yes, sometimes, packaging does matter.

The consistency is neither heavy nor light. It takes a couple of minutes to sink into the skin but does not leave a greasy feeling. Then again, don't expect this lotion to do anything other than keep you moisturized and smelling like a freesia.

Since this is not a local product, it could be considered expensive compared to some lotions or depending on your supplier. However, I have a lot of B&BW stuff thanks to my mom and my sis on their trips. B&BW tends to go on sale a lot. Out of the ones I've been rotating right now, the list of what I prefer from most to least and why:

1. Sheer Freesia - girly, good for going out
2. Country Apple - fruity, for feeling good coz I love apples! I like the pinkish red color the lotion.
3. Twilight Woods - a bit too strong for me, apply sparingly
4. Coconut Lime Verbena - not fond of coconut so I use this as a hand lotion

The sad thing is that they tend to discontinue scents, so if you fall in love with one, you might think of hoarding these products. I'm not really in love with any of them, luckily.

Frequent hand washing is one of the best things you can do to prevent spreading germs/illnesses/whatever. But hands tend to get dry easily if you do this. Use a (hand) lotion when you can to keep them soft and silky!