Food + Masks from the Asian Supermarket

I'm staying with my family on Long Island, NY, and took a trip to a local Korean supermarket this afternoon to feed my Asian food craving. The store, H and Y Supermarket, isn't as charmingly sketchy as the Asian groceries I frequent in Maryland, but it was alright. I got two containers of sushi, miso broth, Concord grapes (tart black grapes with seeds, yum), kiwis, a salad and...these good things:


Chapagetti. Strange name, tasty instant noodles. Ever since my Korean friend made some for me in Maryland I keep getting the occasional craving for it.


"Men's" Pocky?? I didn't know biscuits could have a gender! I guess it's more masculine than those Lotte cookies with strawberry koalas on them, but still...these are covered in bitter chocolate and taste very good.


Korean face masks. (My poodle Chestnut felt this would be a good time to hop on my bed and get in the shot, hehe.)

Five of them are made by Dermal, one is made by Tundisi. I've seen other bloggers use them so figured it can't hurt to try one myself. I've highlighted the different varieties below:

I don't know what "charcoal collagen" means...or how my skin will react to any of these...I'll post a review once I try one.

Good For My Skin and My Peace of Mind

I've been cutting down on my impulse buys lately. But after trying The Body Shop body butter sample that Maayari sent me a few weeks ago, I felt compelled to get a bigger tub of that stuff ASAP.

I haven't cared for my skin the way I should since getting sick (read: cared for it at all) and that, combined with the bitter cold spell sweeping the nation, has resulted in me being dry and itchy all over. I tried the Mango body butter sample Maayari sent me by running a comparison test: post-shower, I put the body butter on one leg and on the other, a Bath and Body Works lotion that I've been relatively content with in the past.

There was no contest. The next day both my legs were softer than they'd been before application, but the body butter side was as smooth as when I put it on. It stayed that way through the afternoon (and when you want to touch your leg to feel its softness while at the office, well, I think that's a sign that a product is working).

The body butter is thicker than regular body lotion. It comes in a tub and you use your fingertips to scoop a little bit out, which will go a long way. I make sure my hands are clean enough that I feel comfortable rubbing anything onto my body before I put my fingers in the tub, so the hygiene aspect doesn't bother me too much of using the exposed tub versus lotion from a pump/tube. And it's thick enough that unless it melts, I don't think you'd have a problem with the content spilling all over.

A day or two after the comparison test I picked up body butter in Vanilla Spice. Normally the 6.7 oz tub costs $20, but this seasonal merchandise was on sale for $7. (Mmm smells good.)

So far I find it lives up to its tagline of being "indulgent, spicy and festive all-over creamy moisturisation." That's probably because its main ingredients include soy, sesame and babbasu oil and cocoa and shea butter.

In addition to nurturing my skin, I like the fact that The Body Shop has a social conscience. For example, the company is against animal testing. (There's some controversy over this, especially in light of the company being bought by L'Oreal, which does animal testing...but The Body Shop founder left all her money to charity when she died in April so I'd like to see some good and think that the company sale wasn't out of sheer greed.) Anyway, in the case of items like cosmetics, I'd rather buy products with minimal animal testing because these items are superfluous to my life. It's not always easy to get around testing all components of a product without animal testing, but science is making leaps and bounds on that front.

Another cause The Body Shop supports is community trade. This issue came on my radar after writing about fair trade a few months ago, and though I don't know first-hand whether The Body Shop lives up to all its goals (since I'm not auditing the company's actions), I think creating awareness of and setting goals for community trade is important. The mission of community trade is to work with laborers in underdeveloped locales to stimulate economic growth, provide livable and stable incomes for the workers, and promote environmental sustainability.

Even though my budget is tight as a young professional, I'm starting to think more and more about how I can do a little part to support causes I believe in with minor alterations to my life and my wallet.

The Soap That Made My Legs Soft Again

Earlier this week I had an exfoliation emergency, if you will.

Despite being prone to dry skin, I almost never exfoliate my body. Combine this with a cold/dry home, cold/dry weather and a stagnant/dry office, and you have quite a recipe to let scaly skin get out of control.

Well, a few days ago I had enough. My legs itched...all over...and felt horribly rough. It was time for action.

I futilely searched CVS for body scrub (crossed my fingers for Alba Sugar Cane Hawaiian Body Polish after reading good reviews on Makeup Alley) but alas, there was nothing. Maybe one bottle, but nothing worth a second glance! So at 11 p.m. I went to Safeway supermarket and purchased Burt's Bees Citrus Spice Exfoliating Shower Soap on a whim.

Don't be fooled by how smooth the bar feels when you initially open the package. Once you start rubbing it on your skin it is definitely abrasive enough to get the job done. It was a bit too rough for some parts of my skin, but it almost felt rough in that good sort of way...like a little pain for a lot of gain, I hoped.

Though the bar isn't the most attractive color, the scent is nice. Spicy and citrusy - just as it advertises - but not overpowering. To me it's a unisex scent (I just suggested it to a male friend with super dry skin without a second thought). It lingered subtly on my skin post-shower.

My skin felt smooth when I hopped out. I slathered myself in body lotion and went to bed.

Well oh boy, when I woke up in the morning I remembered what my legs felt like when they were soft, because they were soft again! That's been the case since I used the soap - no more itchy and flaking.

I'm sure the lotion had a lot to do with iproving my legs too, but I've used lotion on several occasions in the recent past and never had results like this before exfoliating, even after a regular shower.

I will definitely be using this soap again.

Burt's Bees Citrus Spice Exfoliating Shower Soap retails for between $2.50 to 5. I read some info that says it might be discontinued - surprising, since it was abundant in my local supermarket, but who knows - in which case you might want to try getting this fast.

Why Didn't I Try These Before?

NYX lipglosses (specifically, lip gloss with mega shine)
Packaging info: Standard lip gloss tube with doe-tip applicator.
Price: $2.99
Hadn't tried before because: I never saw them in my local drugstore.
Trying now because: I saw them at a beauty supply store near my new place.

Thoughts so far: I picked up "La~La~", a bubblegum pink color, and "Juicy Red," which looks just like it sounds on my lips, kind of like I've been eating a tasty red lollipop. The consistency is really smooth, not too sticky or too runny. Both colors are fairly sheer, and I don't know if that's what the whole line is like or just the colors I chose. But if I keep liking them as much as I am after the first few days, I will definitely purchase more! There is a wide color selection and you can't beat the price when it comes to quality.


Nivea Creme (small size)
Packaging info: Blue tin with hearts on it <3
Price: $1.99 for one ounce.
Hadn't tried before because: I use moisturizer with SPF during the day and don't generally use night cream at night. And if I do, I tend to just slap on whatever body lotion I have around x_x.
Trying now because: Something dried my skin out horribly a few days ago and gave me a temporary allergic reaction. It could be the Neutrogena grapefruit scrub I purchased that was accidentally open. Maybe the package not being sealed properly did something to the contents? It only has 2 percent salicylic acid which isn't normally too much for me, but maybe there's another irritating agent in it. I haven't taken an in-depth look at all the ingredients, I figured stopping it for the time being was a good solution. Plus, I'd recently read that Nivea is a potential low-end substitution for the much hyped La Mer, and this seemed like as good a time as ever to try an intense moisturizer.

Thoughts so far: I love the smell and the way it melts into my skin. I love how rich it is. My little tin is adorable too! (If I write more about it I will take a pic, since I can't find one online.) My skin is thankfully clearing up, though not using the Neutrogena scrub and trying to take good general care of my body could be helping just as much as this cream. Nevertheless, I'm going to continue using it for a while at night and see how that goes. So far, so good. Again, the price can't be beat for the quality.


Watching America's Next Top Model online
I'm such a sucker for bad TV...especially if I can watch it online. I don't watch the regular television much anymore, or almost at all. When I did though - especially over the summer if was having a lazy day - I'd occasionally catch ANTM marathons on VH1. Yes, it's cheesy. But instead of cleaning my room tonight or going out, since tomorrow morning is work and my friends are all busy, I decided to find some more Internet TV shows. My real guilty pleasure is MTV's "The Hills"...and now that I know I can watch the even-more-cheesy ANTM online, well, I'm going for it.

Are there any products you'd recommend? Or guilty-pleasure TV shows I can catch up watching online?

Dear Neutrogena

The text of my comment form to Neutrogena regarding a recently-purchased bottle of pink grapefruit foaming scrub:

I love the product itself - the scent is great, the texture is great, and it cleans my skin without making it too dry. HOWEVER, shortly after opening the big plastic seal around the product (it was sold with a smaller promo bottle) I noticed that the top corner of the big product was split open about a centimeter. (The very top, where the two edges of the container come together.) I only realized this when I was trying to open the plastic wrap around the two bottles and noticed a puddle of pink face wash leaked onto my bathroom sink.

Did you get all that? Yeah, it sucks. But the scrub smells delicious, just like a grapefruit. It foams, it gently scrubs, it feels great. Just wish the bottle wasn't messed up. Hopefully the face wash itself will continue to be on my good side though.

Rapid Fire: My Five Daily Essentials

The five top items in my current beauty stash in no particular order:

1. Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara: A few swipes instantly open my eyes without making it look like I'm trying too hard. It gives me the look I wish I'd rolled out of bed with at 8 a.m. -- one that says I had a full night's rest and balanced breakfast instead of a few measly hours of sleep and a handful of cereal while running out the door. This stuff doesn't flake or smear but is still easy to remove at the end of the day.

2. Almay Clear Complexion Concealer: It is easy to blend and long lasting. Plus it contains 1 percent salicylic acid, which should help dry up blemishes. FYI, I don't use it under my eyes, just on select spots on the rest of my face, and it's never made me break out.

3. Milani Blush in Luminous: I actually didn't bring this with my on my current trip because I'm using NYC's Color Wheel in Rose Glow - it's a good combination of peachy and rosy for the last warm days before autumn kicks in. Luminous is tauted as a dupe of Nars Orgasm, which I've never tried but is an insanely popular color that supposedly works well on all skin tones. Luminous is a pretty, natural, rosy flush color on my fair skin, with just the right amount of tiny shimmer particles in it.

4. Tinted lip balm: I am definitely a lippie sort of gal, so a product that keeps my lips moisturized and deposits subtle color is an absolute must. Right now I'm hooked on using two products together -- first a petroleum-based product like my new Carmex click stick with SPF 15 (I'm not a Carmex addict though), then Tarte's 24/7 lip sheer in Tea Time. I need something more moisturizing before putting on Tea Time because it's very much a lip stain, not something to rely on to make your lips soft. The color is so pretty though! Burt's Bees lip shimmers are nice and have a bit of color, sometimes I use those. On this front, however, I'm still looking for a true all-around HG product.

5. Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15: Okay, so this actually belongs at the top because it's probably the product I'd most swear by. My 85-year-old grandmother who's always had radiant skin in an Aveeno devotee, so my family used it growing up. Then, as a teen, I eschewed old faithfuls like Aveeno in favor of the exotic colors and overwhelming scents of Bath and Body Works lotions. Now that I'm back to appreciating subtlety -- hey, I still use some B&B products, they can be nice! -- I appreciate the simplicity of Aveeno, especially when it comes to face cream. My grandmother just used their regular body lotion on her face, but I've gone 21st century and picked up this ultra-calming moisturizer.

It is very light and not oily yet makes my skin feel incredibly supple and smoothes flaky areas. It contains feverfew, which is related to camomille, and supposed to calm irritated skin. I don't suffer from persistent redness or severe irritation but this seems to work well on my sometimes sensitive skin. The SPF is a definitely plus, and I'm looking for an Aveeno product with a higher SPF for my next face purchase.

I'd very much recommend trying this product or others from Aveeno, but of course everyone's skin is different and like all the items listed above, what works for me might not work for you! But hey, usually it can't hurt to try. :)

Desperately Seeking...Facewash

I was thinking about this two weeks ago, in need of facewash for my boyfriend's apartment but clueless as to what to get. A late-night trip to the drugstore prompted a decision on a whim: CVS' Oil-Free Acne Wash, a cream cleanser with salicylic acid similar to a Neutrogena product.

I've had lukewarm results with other Neutrogena face products in the past so I was a bit wary of getting this store-brand version. But for once I'd say I'm pleasantly surprised. I feel comfortable rubbing this stuff all over my face at the sink - no scrub beads to lose in my hairline! -and it takes off makeup pretty well. Like a lot of products it can leave my face a bit dry, but in a good way, if that makes sense. It feels like it dries out problem areas...and then I usually put on moisturizer, so it's all good.

I am happy with the other facial cleansers I presently use but wanted to try something more creamy, since I mostly have scrubs. The four products below are items I'd definitely recommend. (Stars are my top products.) And they offer quality for not a lot of cash.

By the way, my skin is normal though can get a bit dry and is slightly on the sensitive side.

*CVS Blackhead Clearing Scrub* (their version of Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing Scrub)
$3.99 at CVS
It's a creamy, light facewash with two percent salicylic acid and little blue scrubber beads. My face isn't blackhead prone so I can't speak to how well this works for that. However, I sometimes get cystic bumps and have read that exfoliation with a salicylic acid-based product can help, and I think it has since I started using this two years ago. What I really like is how the wash leaves my face feeling tingly and clean and doesn't leave any residue behind.

Pond's Fresh Start, Daily Exfoliating Cleanser

$6.79 at Drugstore.com

Another creamy wash with microbeads but without salicylic acid. Instead this product says its "white tea and china clay enriched lather purifies skin, washing away environmental pollutants." I use it when I don't want to overload on salicylic acid, especially when planning to use a benzoyl peroxide spot treatment. I can't say for certain what special things this product does, but it doesn't irritate my skin, feels nice and provides a bit of invigorating exfoliation when I'm not in the mood to use a heavy exfoliant. It's a good, simple wash to keep in the medicine cabinet when you want to clean your face and get a move-on. Check out this review for more info.

*St. Ives Apricot Scrub*

$3.99 at Walgreens

Awesome. A great, oil-free scrub that always leaves my face feeling very invigorated and soft. I tend to use it once or twice a week in the shower. It is pretty rough so I could see it irritating very sensitive skin if used too frequently. But really, if you haven't tried this stuff you must.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask
$3.79 at Drugstore.com

A clay-based mask with a very fresh, minty scent. (I love it, you might have to sniff it for yourself...and for $4 or less, it's a risk worth taking.) Smooth it on and wait about 15 minutes to dry, then wash off with warm water. For me, the application and waiting process is as nice as how it feels coming off. I like taking a few minutes out of my on-the-go life to relax, pick up and book or magazine and have to wait. Makes my face feel sooo soft, but it can be somewhat drying so I only use it once in a while. Check out this review for more info....and this hilarious one too. ("It’s an oldie, but a goodie...Plus, it smells like you’re boozing it up with plantation owners from the 1800’s. Obviously, this scenario would only be cool if it ended with you freeing the slaves, then giving them your Mint Juleps.")

Thoughts? Or products you might recommend?