Bare faced glow 想拥有不上妆也上镜的肌肤吗？

On my recent month-long trip to Japan in November/December 2015, I was bowled over to find sooooo many skincare products that are mid-priced but top-notch in terms of efficacy.

I could spend the whole day at beauty specialty shops like Ranking Queen and departmental stores like Tokyu Hands just browsing, comparing ingredient lists and prices, and making a mental note of the uniqueness of each offering.

在韩风炒热之前，日本是众所皆知的美容护肤品天堂。夸别10年，论化妆技术和整容的普及化，韩姐韩妹无可厚非傲领潮流，由于五官打扮妆容都大同小异，走在街上可随手捉一位冒认亲戚。（拥护韩星的朋友们，别生气喔！）相比下，日本人所提倡的美丽是classic 百年不变的：除了一头乌黑亮丽的秀发，美的准则还是以晶莹剔透的肌肤为基础，淡妆只是为了衬托其优越的肤质。

如今科技发达，HD高清化妆品已不再是明星歌星的专利，很多女生会不惜掏腰包购买整山的化妆品，利用这工具猛修容貌。再加上各式修饰照片的Apps, 这边加那边减，然后把写真上载，期盼的是陌生人的赞美：哇，女神，好漂亮！即使她们心知肚明，写真经过加工后跟本身的庐山真面目的差距实在大得离谱。。。

重点是，你我并不是生活在2-D 的照片里。每天卸妆后，在夜深人静只有你跟你的镜子面对面时，你觉得你的另一半在镜子里有什么话要说吗？不晓得大家怎么想喔，不过我的想法是：与其花费时间与金钱在浓妆和Apps上面，倒不如从底层做起，改善肤质，增加自信。我们对肌肤的要求都不同，唯一相同的是：无论荷包有多深，没有人会愿意花冤枉钱的，你说是吗？

It was in Osaka that I chanced upon this new-generation facial cleanser:
SANA Hadanomy Aquaplacenta Esthe Foam.
Nothing fanciful about its packaging, but what caught my eye was the promise "facial effect after merely washing your face with this". This product ranked number 2 in its category, and I thought, oh well, another sales gimmick with empty promises. But I couldn't resist purchasing it, as the thought of covering my mien with mousse like foam sounded like F-U-N! 

在大阪地下铁购物街我偶然的踏入外表喧闹的店面Ranking Queen, 哇，其琳琅满目的护肤品多得令人乍舌，我在这里花了足足4小时研究产品！所售卖的护肤品大多是排行榜上头10名的，这里介绍的是排名第二的Sana Aquaplacenta 炭酸洗颜泡，是新一代的洁肤方法。包装简单，但是承诺可一点也不简单喔！据说，用后的效果等于做一次facial喔。真的吗？让我亲自来见证吧！

SANA Hadanomy Aquaplacenta Esthe Foam

moisture retention formula made in Japan

bare faced glow, untouched photo: after cleansing 洗脸后看镜子：白里透红滑溜溜水嫩嫩的美丽肌肌马上登场，好开心喔，此照片完全没经修饰

a dollop of magic 挤出一小泡泡污垢死皮马上洗掉

If you have nil or light makeup on, you can apply this straightaway as a cleanser. However, if you have oilier skin or heavier makeup on, I would suggest that you use a makeup remover prior to using this cleanser. But first, wash your hands first. Most of us remember to wash our precious faces but forget that it all starts with clean hands! You wouldn't want to be transferring germs from your hands to your face, would ya? Ready? Let the magic begin:

1. Wet your face with water. 

2. Shake the bottle a few times and gently squeeze a dollop onto your palm. It looks and feels like hair mousse.

3. Apply an opaque layer over the entire face, avoiding the delicate eye area.

4. Gently massage all over in circular motions for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

5. Rinse. Pat dry.

6. Admire. 

如果无妆或只上淡妆，可以直接用来洗脸。建议上较浓妆的朋友卸了妆才用此产品洗脸。温馨提醒一下下：先用肥皂洗手才碰脸，不然细菌会从手掌直接漂到脸上喔。准备好了吗？

1.用水泼面。

2.轻轻摇瓶罐几下，然后挤出一小搓（看图）在手心。

3.均匀涂一层在整个脸蛋，眼睛周围要注意些。

4.轻轻用手指在脸上打圈圈，约30秒到1分钟。

5.用水冲洗干净，然后用毛巾轻轻拭干。

Notice how clean your face feels, but minus the tight feeling that some cleansers give you.

Slide your palm over your cheeks and savour the plump, smooth sensation.

Look closely into the mirror and observe a light glow. (Seriously!)

Afterwards, continue with your usual skincare regime.

啊~靠近镜子瞧瞧，皮肤好干净，还亮亮的喔！再用手摸一下腮帮子，是不是感觉水嫩饱满的？

ESTHE FOAM contains placenta extract, three kinds of hyaluronic acid and acerola extract. The chemistry among these ingredients yield moisturising, whitening and brightening effects.

炭酸泡含有胎盘素，三种玻尿酸和针叶萃取 。综合后发挥深层保湿，美白和亮肤的明显功效。

Personally, I prefer to use this ESTHE FOAM once a day, at night before I sleep.

After using it once a day for a week, I find that my skin is super smooth, with an au naturel glow.

As I don't use much makeup, and I dislike the look of blushers, it's a pleasure to achieve this sans cosmetics.   

我个人喜欢在晚上睡前用一次，持续用了一个礼拜后，发觉皮肤比以前更嫩滑，好像有柔和的灯光打在上面然后反射上来，亮丽粉嫩，对不上浓妆不擦腮红的我是喜讯喔。

My skin type is pretty sensitive and prone to dryness. I have tried and tested many other products on the market, both high-end as well as drugstore brands, and some doctors' brands as well...and I must say, that ESTHE FOAM exceeds my expectations, yeah!

I'm unable to use many other products because of the alcohol content and other skin sensitizing agents. I hope to share information on skin sensitizing ingredients with you later on.

有敏感易干燥皮肤的我，学会了在购买护肤品时读标签了解成分，也用过很多不同品牌的洗面霜，当然也有其它功效特佳的牌子，但这款Esthe Foam 真的是物超所值。

In the day, I am alternating between two other made in Japan gentle cleansers. I'll reveal those wonderful products in my next review.  

早上起来我轮流用另两种性质温和的日本品牌洗颜乳，这里先卖个关子，日后揭晓，好吗？

So, which is the BEST cleanser you've ever used? and the WORST, ever??

那你用过的洗颜霜里，最棒的，最烂的又是哪些呢？

欢迎大家一起在我的部落格上分享经验心得。

LA Rose Hair Mask, Body Soap, EDT: Review玫瑰花护肤美发花露水

A Rose is as sweet by any other name. For some inexplicable reason, I've been in love for the longest time ever... with the ROSE. 

莫名我只喜欢你，深深的爱上你，从见到你的那一天起。这是我对万花之后 - 玫瑰花 - 的宣言。

Wait! Let me correct that... I've loved roses for as long as I've loved cats. And I think they're similar too in several ways.

自幼，我就对玫瑰花情有独钟，喜爱她的程度可以与喜爱猫咪的程度媲美。无可否认，两者之间存在着许多共同点。

Cats, regardless of how you might feel towards them, are unarguably one of the most graceful and elegant creatures to be prowling the face of the earth. They are fiercely independent and won't hesitate to show you a paw or claw when the occasion calls for it. But once you have gained their trust, they offer you their friendship and loyalty for life. And yes, they smell good too! 

即使您不怎么欣赏猫，我相信您也得认同：猫是创造物之中气质最优雅高贵的动物之一。它们十分独立自足，必要时还会在您面前挥挥小拳头，亮一亮它们的爪。可是，人类一旦赢得了猫的信任，就能一生享有它们的友谊忠诚。还有喔，猫咪的身体是香香的！

Roses, on the other hand, are widely acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful and sought-after flowers, if not THE flower. They're delicate and pretty but careful! Watch out for those thorns. Rose essence-infused skincare and haircare products smell simply HEAVENLY, yeah, make that in capital letters. Rose oils are so precious that rose based perfumes are always amongst the most expensive. Roses are thus the epitome of unrivalled feminity, fragrance and fantasy . 

窈窕淑女，君子好逑。玫瑰花粉丝如云，她美丽柔弱的外表令众多仰慕者都忽略了她身上细小的刺儿，就如猫咪的爪。

含有玫瑰香精油的护肤美发产品都特香，而以玫瑰做主打的香水肯定是最昂贵的。所以我认为梦幻似的玫瑰花代表了无以伦比的女人味和芳香。

So what's the connection here? You might be pursing your lips and tapping your fingers impatiently. 

所以呢？

You see, once a cat-lover, forever a cat-lover. Once you've fallen in love with the rose, no other flower will come close. 

一旦喜欢上猫咪了，一辈子都会守护着它。

一旦为玫瑰花动情了，恐怕不能接受邻家小妹了。

Today, let's turn our attention to this trio of rose-based products from LA ROSE, HOUSE OF ROSE, Japan. I managed to squeeze just three products into my suitcase from this tiny but amazing shop in Namba Station, Osaka. 

今天，让我们把焦点转移到以玫瑰花香精为卖点的日制产品。去年11月去大阪时，行李箱快爆了，所以只勉强塞进三样！

BTW, the range of restaurants (low-mid-high priced), cafes, and itsy-bitsy shops here with all sorts of paraphernalia will take up a full day of browsing, buying, eating, snacking and instagraming. I'm a Singapore girl but Orchard Road pales in comparison...

顺便简约提点一下下喔：大阪的南波站应有尽有，恨不得把喜欢的都搬回家去，无论是餐馆，咖啡馆，服饰店，还有很多稀奇古怪的精品店，唉哟，一整天两条腿再长都走不完。即使是喜欢逛新加坡乌节路的我，都会觉得那里真是个血拼的好去处喔！

From childhood to puberty to adulthood, I must have sampled hundreds of rose-infused products, ranging from shampoo, hair conditioner, hair mask, facial cleanser, toner, sheet mask, jelly mask, body wash, bath soak, body scrub, foot scrub, mascara,  eau de toilette & eau de parfum. My mum is averse to body odours and foul smells so... 

自幼受母亲大人的熏陶，我用过的玫瑰花香精护肤美发产品少说也有数百个咯，因为我妈咪她最受不了体臭，发油和任何的异味哩。

What sets this trio apart from the competition is

(1) they really do what they're supposed to do! 

(2) they don't cost you an arm or a leg!!

今天的主角功效有目共睹喔，而且最开心的是不用花太多的日币就打包回家了！

Are you sold yet? 

(I)  La Rose Hair Treatment 玫瑰花护发膜

This 200g tube has lasted me for 2.5 months, which is value-for-money, considering the fact that I wash my hair once a day, everyday. My hair is straight and fine, and reaches to the middle of my back. I've never coloured or permed my hair before, so I don't have an issue with split ends. But due to its length, it is still prone to dryness at the ends from time to time, if I don't condition it regularly. 

仅仅200g, 物超所值，为什么酱说呢？因为我本身头发长至半背，每天都洗头，可是竟然可以用了足足两个半月才用完叻。跟您分享一个小秘密喔，我从未染发或电圈圈，真的，有时候有股冲动想试试，可是到了美发院，理发师把我的长发托起，捧在他手里，然后跟我说：像妳酱的发质要绝种了，去染或烫掉真的太可惜...我又打退堂鼓了。

可是即使发质再好，若不细心呵护，也会变干燥的。

La Rose Hair Treatment smells as fresh and sweet as the real flower itself and even Kashmir, my sleeping partner, has become addicted to the uplifting fragrance. She loves to bury her furry feline head into my hair when she lies on top of my head to sleep. 

玫瑰花护发膜清香扑鼻，连每晚跟我睡的猫咪卡斯蜜儿都上瘾了，一股脑钻进我头发里，当成是她的被窝。

It leaves my hair silky smooth and marshmallow soft. And i can blow-dry my hair sans serum or leave-in cream if I'm lazy. 

用后头发马上柔软如丝，顺滑光亮，不搽润发乳直接吹干也OK! 

(2) La Rose Body Soap玫瑰花沐浴露

Unfortunately, where my body is concerned, I've very sensitive skin on my legs prone to eczema attacks. Well, nobody's perfect, right? Most commercial brands leave my skin feeling dry, tight and itchy, so I was skeptical about this body wash at first. But I survived, yeah! No tight and dry feel at all! I'm fact, my skin feels so comfortable and tofu soft. 

每个女生都有令她困扰的皮肤或头发问题，包括我在内。我的双腿的皮肤特敏感，很容易变干燥，然后变痒痒的，所以很多牌子的沐浴露都不适合我用，可是这个用后皮肤好舒服喔，像豆腐滑滑嫩嫩的，好开心喔！

I would've preferred a more intense fragrance. Here, the rose fragrance is more subtle - not as rosey-sweet as the Hair Treatment. But neither does it have an artificial plastic smell either, thank God. But I know that too much perfume in skincare products is sensitising, so this is actually good for me. 

它的香味比护发膜淡许多，对皮肤敏感的人其实是好消息喔。

(3) La Rose Eau de Toilette玫瑰花花露水

I can head out the door without makeup but not without my signature rose fragrance. (Look what you've done, Mum!!!) 

很多女生没上妆不会出门，而我呢，出不出门都有喷香水或花露水的习惯。

If you've sensitive skin on your body, you can still get away with fragrances by spritzing on strategic spots, such as your wrists, the crook of your elbow, the small of your legs, as well as mist your underwear and clothes from a short distance. This EDT lasts around 6 hours on me. Even when my nose can't detect it after a good many hours, people ask me, hmm, Jewel,  why do you smell so sweet? 

即使有敏感肌肤也能用花露水，只要喷在小小的部位，例如手腕，弯头，小贵腿，或者轻轻喷在内衣和衣服上，香气可以维持6 小时耶！

I highly recommend this for a daily dose of calorie-free sweetness! 

我大力推荐这支甜而不腻的花露水，赞！赞！赞！

 La Rose Trio makes bathtime a real pleasure 天天都能宠一宠自己

With Nakajima -san at La Rose Osaka

有幸与中岛女士在她超可爱的大阪La Rose 店面合影

Lunar new year blues

It's the 1st day of the Lunar new year and I felt rather detached from all that celebratory jazz. From the third storey of my bedroom, I could hear the slamming of car doors and the chirpy voices of my neighbours and their guests resonating in the crisp morning air.

Before I moved to Johor Bahru, I, too, was caught up with the mandatory rituals: spring-cleaning the house, shopping for new apparel and stuffing the kitchen cabinets with new year goodies. Of course, visitation was  de rigeur too. But all that is alien to me now.

To avoid the crazy Causeway jams, as well as to avoid clashing with my parents' duties at the temple on the eve of the Chinese new year, our reunion dinner was held one night before. I was glad to see most of our family at the dinner table, but disappointed at the same time, as everyone was far too polite. I had wanted to seize the opportunity to share with them my experiences in JB, and to air my anxieties. After all, they're family, aren't they?

But each time the topic was broached, it was stealthily swept under the carpet within seconds. And as everyone continued to chew, swallow and comment on the dishes laid in front of them..."ooh the curry's really tasty... You like it? I simmered it for hours... " etc etc. , I felt like I was seated among strangers.

The situation was exacerbated by the fact that almost everyone was chained to their I-phones or Androids. While I understand that we cannot be uncontactable (so we will need to check for messages and such periodically ), it is really annoying and hurtful to not be able to hold eye contact with your beloved ones for more than 5 seconds each time! And it's not what you might imagine  - the seniors are just as distracted as the juniors.

Honestly?

Given all our crazy schedules and varied commitments, it's a feat to be sitting and eating together in the same room, annually. But is eating peacefully together more important than communicating and caring, conflicts and arguments notwithstanding? Do we really have to choose between the two??

Is this true of just my family, or is it just because of our culture? Anybody out there... enlighten me please?

This feels more like reunion dinner

Psst!!! I'm talking to you, are you listening?? 

The four K's in my life: KAKA

Forever Friends

Welcome to Eco BnB! It's your lucky day if you step in and see a chubby (okok, fat) cat with pointy, white whiskers and large, mesmerizing eyes, gazing in your direction. 

This beauty with glistening, jet black fur and a long tail is KAKA, our mascot (cat) at Eco BnB. 

She loves all the attention she can get from us homo sapiens, and is one of the gentlest cats ever. I named her KAKA as she doesn't ever mew, she only utters ''ka...ka". 

Our paths crossed when KaKa sneaked into the laundry room at Eco to give birth to two handsome boys in December 2014. She was a really skinny little cat then, malnourished and with dull, flaky fur.

All of us dote on KaKa as she is such a loving, responsive, people-centered cat.

Alas, she lost her kittens tragically one after the other last year. KitKit, the more adventurous of the pair, went out one evening and never made it home. He was only 4 months old. We combed the whole neighbourhood but to no avail. KatKat, whom I had developed a really deep affection for, was mauled by stray dogs on his evening stroll soon after. He returned home to Eco one late evening, with a gaping hole in his thigh, blood oozing from little holes punctured in his tiny furry body, omigosh!!!...recalling it brings back the anguish. 

I was desperately calling up every animal hospital listed in JB, but none of them was willing to attend to KatKat, as it was almost 9 pm. Finally, I was so grateful that Dr Edwin @Wondervet arranged for his staff to attend to KatKat. But the infection had gone too deep. Even after hospitalisation and treatment, KatKat was called home to be with the Lord. We buried KatKat in our garden. All of us were devastated. And KaKa could not eat for three whole weeks.

To coax her to start eating normally again, we fed her...and fed her...and before you could say ''whamslambam", KaKa went from size XXXS to XL. So guests at Eco would inquire, "oh, she's so pretty, but is she pregnant?'' The answer is no, she's been sterilised, and that's part of what we do here at Eco BnB: whatever funds we raise is ploughed back to feed, nurse and neuter the street cats and dogs. But we don't call them strays anymore, as we manage and care for them. We call them Community cats and dogs.

about me

Hi, my name is Jewel Shalom, born and bred in cosmopolitan Singapore, but based mainly in Johor Bahru, Malaysia now.🐝As one of the three founding hosts of Eco Bed & Breakfast, I've several hats 🎩 to wear. Thus this blog is my personal documentation of my highs and lows, my discoveries, my loves and peeves while bee-sy 🐝 multi-tasking.

I'm so EXCITED, coz I've so much to share... And I'm delighted that YOU are here with me!One of my fav hobbies is star-gazing. I often imagine if we were all twinkle twinkle little stars - how brilliantly bright we would s h i n e and light up the entire night sky!

And you know what? We can shine and light up the path for everybody else. As George Eliot reminds us,'What do we live for? If it is not to make life less difficult for each other? '

Life is challenging enough, why not care enough to share - information and experiences - so that it is less stressful making the little everyday decisions? So... c'mon inside to my world...

We can talk about enhancing our beauty, beauty of the face, body & hair, which is more than skin deep, definitely. We can discuss how to build breathable, livable, everyday spaces. We can exchange culinary tips that we'll be proud to put on the table. We can also share helpful nuggets of advice on caring for cats and dogs. The possibilities are endless!!!