Environmental aggressions such as UV rays and pollution affect our skin’s immunity, often leading to skin sensivity and accelerated aging. But this is not my case, I have been told that I look 10 years younger than my age. My secret? Dermatologist tested products. I actually have a long list of products that I used. I know some will say using mixed brands is not good but I think we should try in order to get to one that we really like that suits our skin. After all, the facial products are dermatologist tested and approved by KKM, right?

I recently been given a set of facial products by Clinelle to try on. A set of  Basic 3-Step: Deep Cleansing Gel, Purifying toner and Intense Skin Moisturizer as well as a set of special care: Skin Smoothing Scrub, SnoWhite Mask and Brightening Serum + Nano C Bright. The sets were given to me according to my skin type and age. Ehem, I am 43.

Now, some of us, in addition to naturally drying skin, also have problems like clogged pores, blackheads, breakouts and sensitized skin condition that we’d like to treat with non-prescription skin care products. Clinelle has outlined 6 secrets to Happy Skin to address the problems:
—No artificial coloring
—No artificial fragrance
—No comedogenic ingredients
—No lanolin
—No mineral oil
—No SD-alcohol.

These 6 secrets are the ingredients to its latest skin products.

I began to use the products two weeks ago. Some of you might see the photo on my Instagram. Here are what I have to say about the products individually:

Basic 3-Step:
Deep Cleansing Gel [for normal to oily skin]—This gel cleanser contains Ivy extract, a natural cleansing agent with emollient and skin refining properties to deeply cleanse and purify imbalanced skin condition. I have been using this cleanser for two weeks now and quite like it. Love the mild aromatherapy scent. I like that it’s gentle but cleanse well without drying or irritating my skin. It has a nice light gel texture, not too thick, not too thin nor too liquidy either.

Purifying toner [for normal to oily skin]—A skin refining liquid with protecting properties to help prepare cleansed skin for maximum moisture absorption. It contains Tea Tree oil to control acne while promoting cell renewal. This toner is wonderful; it does not sting as it’s alcohol free; as per stated on the 6 secrets above.  It leaves my skin smooth and takes off hidden dirt that cleansers cannot get rid of.

Intense Skin Moisturizer [for normal to dry skin]—A phyto-nutrient rich, medium weight moisturiser that seals in skin’s natural moisture to prevent moisture loss. It helps hydrate, firm and protect the skin. This moisturizer is perfect companion for the face wash and toner. It goes on very light on my face and does not leave that awful oily residue. I feel it absorbed into the skin and not sitting on top of it.

Special care:
Skin Smoothing Scrub [for all skin type]—A unique scrub with dual exfoliation functions—liquid and mechanical—to gently remove dull skin surface while instantly leaving skin noticeably smoother and radiant. There’s a Yeast Protein in this scrub to assist in maintaining skin’s elasticity and minimise fine lines and wrinkles. The micro beads are very gentle and it goes on smoothly without any pain. I have acne during the first week of using and so I did as what the direction told me to do—leave scrub for 5 minutes before rinsing off. I did just that for  2 to 3 times a week and the acne actually subsides.

SnoWhite Mask [for normal to dry skin]—A rinse-off, whitening and hydrating mask to brighten dull and lack luster skin. Helps reduce dark spots and strengthen skin’s barrier function for a brighter skin tone. This one has to be applied on face and neck for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing it off with water. I love the cooling effect it brings and the fresh feeling after using it with the purifying toner and intense skin moisturiser. In two weeks I can see that my skin has quite even skin tone but the result of brightening take about 28 days. I will continue and see the result.

Brightening Serum + Nano C Bright [for all skin types]—A high performance skin brightening serum with clinically proven ingredients to brighten and even out skin tone as well as reduce dark spots. It also prevents damage from free radicals. The Nano C Bright (time-released Vitamin C 3% for dark spots) comes in a form of powder and it has to be applied on targeted dark spot areas after applying the serum. I don’t think this product made most of my dark spots disappear but just made them lighter or less noticeable which I like.  It glides on with a silky texture, not greasy and it doesn’t irritate my skin.

The quest for the perfect skin lightening solution can be daunting. But if you are searching for skin whitening cream that works, I can vouch for its efficacy. It’s a game-changer, offering visible results in a short span of time.

Overall, I think these skin care products by Clinelle is great. Suits my skin type very well. I love the mild aromatherapy scent in all the products which basically consists of  Tea Leaf extract and tea tree oil. If you know the type of skin you have, you can select based on my review above. It’s great to have all the basic items; Deep Cleansing Gel, Purifying Toner and Intense Skin Moisturiser. If you have dark spots or uneven skin tone, you can try the Skn Smoothing Scrub, SnoWhite Mask and Brightening Serum (the Nano C Bright comes free with it). For those looking to enhance their skincare routine and address specific skin concerns, you can explore options like a chemical peel in Dedham, MA to achieve a refreshed and rejuvenated complexion.

Get a happy skin and happy face. More information at Clinelle‘s website.

I have many types of sketchbooks; there’s a sketchbook for rough sketches with pencil, there’s one for pen sketches, there’s one for neat line drawing and there are some for sketches with paint (I mostly use watercolor). For the latter, I prefer Moleskine brand. I have three of them; Watercolor Notebook (13cm x 21cm), Watercolor Folio (A4) and Sketchbook (13cm x 21cm). I have finished two and left with the Folio to complete.

I am often asked where to get these and how good are they. I bought the Sketchbook (two years back) and Watercolor Notebook (a year ago) from The Borders. I went again this year to buy but both were out of stocks. I were told by a friend to get Moleskine from CZipLee Plus. And so I went, I saw and I bought a Watercolor Folio. And I was drooling looking at the collections. There’s Moleskine Passion, Moleskine Limited Edition, Moleskine Diaries with art cover any many more of Moleskine products.

Anyway, let’s get back to the question—how good are they. I have tried many other sketchbooks namely Grandluxe and Derwent but somehow, my preference is Moleskine. This is because the papers are so good. For the Watercolor Notebook and Folio, the papers are made of the top quality heavy paper (200gsm) with 25% cotton fiber, cold pressed on both side (can draw on both side) and acid free. The papers can withstand a variety of washes, ink, charcoal and even markers. And as for the Sketchbook, it works well with pencil, ink, charcoal, markers and light tempera paint. I tried watercolor on it and it bleeds a little. Tried acrylic paint, the pages stuck! But anyway, I had fun exploring it.

So if you like to try Moleskine, you can buy from CZipLee. CZipLee Plus is now closed as they are merging both stores (CZipLee Plus and CZipLee, both in Bangsar)  into 1 new location: No.1 & 3, Jalan Telawi 3 (old Telawi Street Bistro). But parking is hard to find in the area, you might want to go and park at Bangsar Village I or II. To skip the hassle, you can always buy online: CZipLee Lite.

And good news for those who like to try Moleskine!! Alvin Chen from CZipLee has been so kind to sponsor a set of Moleskine Large:

a) 1x Sketchbook
b) 1xWaterColour Album

If you are up to it, here are the things you have to do:

1} Write a blog post and tell why you want the Moleskine Sketchbook or WaterColour Album.

2) Mention about CZipLee and link to http://www.cziplee.com

3) Leave your comment and link in the comment form of this post.

Closing date is February 29th. Hurry! Two lucky winners will be announced on March 1st.