Mirror Mirror On The Wall

Hi y'all,

I know this isn't a beauty blog, but I was so inspired to share this with you so I'm going to write it anyway ok?

So a couple weeks ago, the Hubs, kiddoes and I took a vacay to LA.  It was all about theme parks and shopping.  The weather was absolutely divine.  Sunny yet breezy cool.  But that's where it got me.  The sun, I mean.

I'm not a big beauty products person.  Had really bad skin growing up.  And, I mean, REALLY BAD.  And it didn't help that I was a compulsive picker.  I pretty much tried everything and nothing seemed to work.  But, as soon as the hormones started settling down and it was around the same time that I discovered Olay's Total Effects moisturiser, things began to clear up.

I decided to go with Olay because my grandma swears by the stuff.  She's going to be 85 in July and still wears the original formula Olay (used to be knows as Oil of Ulay) in the pink bottle with the black cap.  I remember coming home from stage shows when I was 10 or 11 and she'd scrub my face clean of all the stage makeup with her Oil of Ulay lotion.  It used to smell so good.  (I suppose these days people want their products fragrance-free).

My Grandmum and her 9th and youngest GREAT GRANDCHILD :D

So, anyway, I'm not one to religiously clean my face before bed (I know, I know, smack me).  So, if you ask me about my beauty regime, it's a cleanser during my shower in the morning (Purity by Philosophy - just lather it all over your face, makeup's gone and no dry and tight after-feel), then I slap on the Olay Total Effects moisturiser with SPF 15 and I'm out the door (lipgloss goes on in the car; maybe some eyeliner and mascara if I decide I need a bit more help on some days).  Powder?  I discovered Ronasutra when I was in Australia (get it here) and I love it because it's a mineral powder and doesn't require much face-washing at the end of the day (omaigod, am I really a girl?!).  And then, I found the Garnier BB Cream SPF15 (in Australia) which I love to death - totally ditched Olay Total Effects!  The texture is light and grease-free and makes my skin look amazeballs - pores be gone!

So, about a week before our trip to LA, I ran out of my Ozzie Garnier BB Cream.  Bought meself a tube of the local one and was happy to note that it had SPF 30 (wah! double the SPF, must be good la right?).  The texture was slightly heavier, so you have to work a little bit more to spread it evenly all over your face.  And although it wasn't greasy, but it made my face feel greasy after a few hours.  Not too happy and was contemplating switching back to Olay Total Effects.

So now we get to the good stuff.  LA's cool breezy weather made you kind of forget that the sun was shining bright.  After a week outdoors at the theme parks and shopping at the outlet malls, I looked like this.....

The Reverse Panda Effect thanks to ultra-glam oversized sunnies ala Nicole Richie.

Garnier BB Cream SPF 30 my arse.  So, unbeknownst to me, our last couple of days which were spent traipsing down Rodeo Drive and Hollywood Boulevard, I looked like a total fool.  (I will never forget the Hottie in Oakley that asked us "where you guys been?  you're totally tanned! - bongoks).

As soon as we reached KL, I spent the next few hours hunting down whitening products.  I didn't want to spend a fortune on stuff that I won't ever use again so I needed stuff that I felt would potentially work and wouldn't cost me a bomb.  I had already spent so much stocking up in Sephora, LA because Sephora, KL doesn't carry Philosophy (remember my pemalas cleanser?).  So, I ended up with the Olay White Radiance Intensive Brightening Serum which costs a little over RM50 at Watsons.

Loving it!  It's pink-ish, has little balls that explode when pumped out and has a light fresh scent.  I love the texture too, light and instantly absorbs into your skin.  On top of this I slap on the tried and true Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 moisturiser.  This is what I looked like after a week....

This was taken under flourescent lighting (horror!) summore.

Pretty awesome, right?  I was so impressed by the power of "beauty products" that I decided to splurge on a small bottle of SKII's facial essence treatment.  So, watch this space for updates.

xoxo,
Emm

p/s: so are you more shocked at the results or that I finally revealed myself?  Shall we make Elly do an appearance next? :D