Mud and Clay Masks for Combination Skin

As I have previously mentioned, I have a combination skin type - an oily T-zone when all the other areas are normal to dry (slightly sensitive too). Blackheads or comedones are commonly spotted on and around my nose area, which is an unpleasant sight for people to look at (I can't even stand them myself even if they're not very obvious). I learnt they are not gonna disappear completely and the only thing I can do is to minimise the pores. I find applying masks extremely useful to get rid of these blackheads, but you need to regularly use them due to their temporary effect. I particularly fancy mud and clay masks as they work effectively for me and I often saw immediate result. They both have pore minimising, skin purifying and softening benefits - very good for acne-prone skin. The only difference I experience is that mud mask often draws out excess oil more effectively than clay mask, thereby making my skin relatively tighter. 

My findings (application time: 15-30 minutes for each):

1. When I tried applying the mud mask all over my face, the oil excess around my T-zone was drawn out, but all the other areas (especially my cheek) became slightly dry. 

2. When I did the same thing with the clay mask, all the other areas were not as dry, but the oil excess wasn't as effectively drawn out. Maybe it would work better if I had more time to experience with this.

3. I started using the combination of both - mud mask on T-zone area (and neck, if necessary) and clay mask on other facial areas. I did get better result and my skin felt less oily without irritation. I did this 2-3 times every week at home. 

When I was at home, I tried Nu Skin's masks (they're not very easy to find in the UK, but pretty big in Asia). I used the Epoch Glacial Marine Mud (picture above) and Clay Pack Deep Cleansing Masque (picture below). 

I also tried Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Cleaning Masque (picture on the right), which is essentially a clay mask. It's good (it actually works really well in minimising pores), but I often felt like something's piercing my skin for the first 5 minutes after application. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to feel that way - definitely need to research more. I bought another brand of mud mask last week - much more affordable one called Dead Sea Spa Magik Mud Mask (picture below). It has stronger smell than Nu Skin's and it doesn't work that effectively. I actually felt that my blackheads didn't disappear, while the skin around my nose became dry. I'm not a big fan of this one so far.

The purpose of this entry is to share my own results and findings. I'm not saying you have to follow my way since it works differently for everyone. Some people might have easily irritated skin types, mixing might not be such a good idea. Let me know if you have other ways to reduce the blackheads. Thanks! 

Affordable Body Lotion with Instant Effects

I think when it comes to choosing body lotion, you don't need an expensive brand to get the kind of healthy, smooth skin celebrities have. Often we need to spend within our budget and there are actually many types of amazing body lotion sold in high street shops. I know because I've tried using some really cheap lotions to branded ones like Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Body Lotion. I can afford trying different kinds (including scented ones) as I don't have sensitive skin - you might wanna choose carefully if you're allergic to certain ingredients. Nivea SOS Relief Body Lotion has become one of my favourite lotions since last year. It's affordable and you can easily get it from any Boots stores. It used to come in a 200ml tube when I first discovered it last year (it used to cost more too) and recently, I can only find the version displayed above. Clearly, it's aimed for people with very dry skin whose skin needs to be instantly relieved and soothed. My skin type is normal to dry, which means I don't really need this lotion, but I still love it. It soothes the skin immediately and you'll get a baby-soft skin in about 10-15 minutes after application. A friend of mine who accidentally touched my skin last year actually asked how I managed to keep it soft and smooth. I used to have pretty bad skin, but I think it's because I never really use lotion regularly at home due to the humidity and heat. Since coming to England, I couldn't really afford doing the same thing ( I hate the idea of cracking skin) and started the habit of applying lotion regularly. I love having a silky smooth back and I absolutely hate it when my back is not moisturised enough - this lotion does a perfect job.

A few pointers about the application. You might find it sticky and annoying if you put on too much during summer (especially if you're living in a humid country), but this is not a really big problem in the UK. Try to apply moderately and see if it has covered most of your body. I particularly love using it after shower and before sleeping at night since I would no longer go out (lower probability of sweating). I personally also find it more effective if you apply it immediately after taking shower, especially because my skin absorbs more quickly that way. You can still feel that your skin stays smooth the next morning. The downside is it's scented - if you have sensitive skin or are allergic towards fragrance, you might not want to try this. 

Love Affair: F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is the first entry of the 'Love Affair' series I intend to write about some great people (and their works) I really, really admire. I personally think that if you love reading novels, you ought to love books written by certain author(s). I haven't read much and I've never been a student of English Literature, but I love classics - something that I actually put an effort to read. My first encounter with a Fitzgerald's work happened 3 years ago when I stumbled upon my sister's copy of The Great Gatsby. It's Fitzgerald's shortest completed novel. I couldn't put it down and finished reading it that night. My next encounter didn't happen till earlier this summer. I decided to read all Fitzgerald's novels chronologically, from This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night to The Love of the Last Tycoon. Apart from his last (incomplete) novel, all his novels are semi-autobiographical. They're very much about his life; his problems with his glamourous wife, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald; the society he was living in; and so on. 

I couldn't help falling in love with his descriptive style of writing and complexity of his characters. Events are often described in elegantly flowing prose. In my opinion, most of his characters are often lost, they aren't fully aware with what they want - an aspect I can totally relate to. Besides, they are very accessible to girls. Unlike his contemporary authors at the time (e.g. Ernest Hemingway), his works are very personal and often, they're not of any political nature (considering they were mostly written during an interwar period). In a way, I find this characteristic of his works very real and it is interesting to see that people in the past experienced the same kind of personal problems we're facing now. If you look at the quote below, you'll see that he was writing about how he felt close to the characters he wrote (Amory Blaine from This Side of Paradise; Anthony Patch from The Beautiful and Damned; Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby; Dick Divers from Tender is the Night). This Side of Paradise has references of his university years at Princeton, while The Beautiful and Damned and Tender is the Night show his real-life relationship problems with Zelda.

"Books are like brothers. I am an only child. Gatsby my imaginary brother, Amory my younger, Anthony my worry. Dick my comparatively good brother but all of them far from home." - F. Scott Fitzgerald  in  The Crack-Up.

Another aspect I particularly learn a lot about his works is the living style of the wealthy society in early 1900s. It is fascinating to know more about "The Jazz Age", "The Lost Generation", "The Roaring 20s", and so on - for example, many Americans went to Europe during the Prohibition period. It is a shame that most of the film adaptations of his works ended up not receiving positive reviews. Perhaps the complex characters of his novels are not very filmable. 

I received my copy of Collected Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald from Amazon.co.uk today. Not only has it contained the four completed and one incomplete novels, it also has 24 short stories at the end of the book - a very good buy if you just wanna read for fun or mark the books. It's definitely a thick book, which consists of 1,456 pages. When I get the time to, I'll write some reviews of his four novels that I dearly love :).

My Journey with SK-II

Self-explanatory title. Just like any other girls, I find skincare a very personal matter (the demand is pretty inelastic haha). Certain products work for some people, but not all. My friends and some random people often ask how I've managed to keep my skin tight and healthy. I don't have an acne-prone skin. I haven't used foundation more than twice my whole life and make-up is not something I'm really good at. In fact, my skin's not as good as what people might have thought, I have pore problems due to my combination skin type and having blackheads is almost unavoidable sometimes. Anyway, I've only been using two brands of skincare products regularly, i.e. Clinique and SK-II. My love affair with SK-II started in 2006, when I started my first year in university. Expensive, premium skincare for an undergraduate student, I know. I had used Clinique for years and it was time to switch, a decision partly influenced by my mom. The picture above shows nearly all the SK-II products I own (I forgot the masks and cleanser) - my room is too small, can't find a place to take better picture so that will have to do for now. Don't get me wrong, I don't use all of them everyday. Here are only several products I use regularly. The steps might differ for each user.

1. Facial Treatment Cleanser. The daily facial soap/cleanser. I love its milky, creamy texture and it cleanses off the oily bit of my skin. It won't leave a very dry effect on your face. 

2. Facial Treatment Clear Lotion. This is like the toner, if you wanna call it in everyday's language. It's part of the cleansing process and personally, I feel rather refreshed after applying this with using cotton pads. 

3. Facial Treatment Essence. This is probably the ONE single product SK-II is very famous for. It's often called 'miracle water' or 'holy water'. I love it a lot as it keeps my skin fully hydrated, especially during the winter in England.

4. Facial Lift Emulsion. The ultimate moisturiser. I know SK-II carries different versions of moisturising lotion, but this is the only one that I've been using from the beginning. It's more expensive, but it does its job. When I'm really lazy, I just wash my face and apply this and skip all the previous steps - a bad habit (not recommended). 

5. Facial Treatment UV Protection. The SPF lotion. This is not available in the UK and is probably only available in Asia. I bought it from home. I apply it after step 4 every morning. 

6. Signs Eye Cream. I prefer this eye cream to Advanced Eye Treatment Film. It's very expensive for its size and honestly, I haven't seen much improvement yet. I have to blame myself for irregular usage though, but it does keep the skin below my eyes hydrated. 

I haven't been using the other products regularly, partly because I don't really use make-up products and there isn't a need to use the Cleansing Oil regularly. My friend told me it's important to use it if I apply the UV protection lotion - thanks for the advice, I should start using it. I also don't really make use of any night cream - one moisturiser does all the jobs for me, which is something I should look into more. I'm not sure how long I'll be using SK-II since now that I'm no longer a dependant, I'll need to spend within budget and SK-II is very expensive, especially in the UK. Some of its products are also unavailable in London (Harrods is probably its only authorised seller). Furthermore, there's a myth that one shouldn't be using the same brand for too long. Nevertheless, I can definitely say that I'm pretty satisfied with the skin results I've had with SK-II for the past 5 years.

A "Kimchi" Postcard

Fangfei's postcard has finally arrived today. It's very nice of her to send one to me. You can see a cute girl who's probably craving for kimchi. She's actually a young Queen Elizabeth. Just imagine if this really happened, it must be hilarious! It's been almost a year since Nanko introduced us (Nanko's her cousin and my coursemate for 4 years). Things definitely brought us closer and I'm grateful for that. She's been there to listen to me when I was stressed out with job applications etc. Look at the sweet message she wrote behind the picture! She said I had been taking care of her. This is a very nice compliment to hear since I don't think I've taken care of myself well. It's very encouraging to know someone finds me rather reliable. Thank you!!! I'm one hell of a lucky girl :)

Glamour of the Gods

Yesterday, I went to the National Portrait Gallery with some friends randomly and I accidentally discovered the Glamour of the Gods: Hollywood Portraits exhibition. Very glamorous indeed. Being a film buff and more importantly, a big fan of classical Hollywood movies, the portraits are not unfamiliar to me. I know most of the featured stars (from 1920s-1960s) and have watched some of their movies. Among the beautiful portraits, my favourites are Rock Hudson for Lover Come Back (its enlarged version is the one you see when you're about to enter the exhibition room), Vivian Leigh for Gone with the Wind (amazing expression - picture below), Greta Garbo and John Gilbert for Flesh and the Devil (sensual as always, I've always wanted to watch this silent film), Marlene Dietrich (divine features), Gary Cooper (looking hot with a cigarette), Joan Crawford, and Carole Lombard. There are also many other pictures such as coloured portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, but I still find B&W ones more appealing and expressive. I couldn't help but think of how those people in the past could look effortlessly beautiful and chic. Did they have something similar to botox back then? 

Vivian Leigh for Gone with the Wind 

Anyway, I am still very happy that I stumbled upon the exhibition. It reminds me of how I fell in love with classical Hollywood cinema. I used to spend hours going through the filmography series of Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Katharine Hepburn etc. If you like classical Hollywood movies and stars, this is definitely not one to be missed. 

When Randomness Takes Over

I am not entirely sure why I'm doing this. I'm simply a girl with too many interests. Books, movies, music - you name it. Born in Indonesia, I came to the UK to study 7 years ago and this has broadened my horizon about various things significantly. I'm not an encyclopedia, I don't know too many things, but I love knowing more about the things I like or even those I don't like as long as my sense of curiosity still exists. A really good friend of mine encouraged me to write about them. I think it's a good idea. Perhaps I can express myself in a different way and do some "soul searching". I often feel lost, not knowing what I wanna do. I used to feel that my "randomness" has prevented me from becoming successful in one area. I sometimes fancy things that my peers are not really into. I'd like to think about this more positively though. I'm not a weirdo. Variety of interests means I'll learn about more things. Isn't life all about endless learning? I hope, by keeping this blog, I will be able to write about the little things that inspire me, random stuff I am interested in and share it with the others. Of course, I wouldn't expect myself to be able to write or comment like a professional critic. It's for fun afterall.