Why do I have dead skin?

Unsightly, stubborn, hardened, dry dead skin appear again on my foot, strangely this condition mostly appear on the joint of my right big toe.  And when I was trying to find out the appropriate name for this part of my toe,

I learn from the net that the protruding part of my toe (as pictured) is actually a problem that can be treated. Now, I know it's called bunion. Cutting and clipping the dead skin away is not a solution as it will come back again, leaving a very rough surface.

I know those footcare shops can be answer to my condition. But, yucks! I can't stand the pungent smell of those shops and what if I am caught walking out of this kind of shop by someone I know?

Perhaps, it's time to visit my pedicurist.

Beauty does not come cheap

The only thing I don't like about visiting a beauty salon is you will end up with a lighter pocket and go back with a bagful of skincare products.

To solve my skin tag and pigmentation problems, I was advised to use more products.

Exfoliant

Power masque  for my skin tag problem

Hydrating booster to hydrate my dry skin

Barrier repair good for my pigmented skin

I only bought the exfoliant as I still have supply of booster and barrier repair (from free samples I got earlier) and it came in an offer package which has a small-sized hydrating booster.  I have no choice but to part with my money for the sake of a more youthful skin.  Otherwise, what I will get will be aging and dull-looking pigmented skin.

How to solve my skincare problems?

I have finally found help.  I have requested to transfer to another centre, hoping that I can get the advice and service I need from my previous beauty consultant.  You see, this beauty consultant who is the supervisor of the outlet has long been transferred to another outlet.  I will call her SF.  After some waiting, I was finally able to meet her for my first facial session at this centre at Ampang.

Although she wasn't able to attend to me personally, she had made sure that I was taken care of by an experienced beauty consultant. True enough.. This experienced consultant gave me a lengthy explanation of what skin tag is and why I have them. She also analysed my skin in detail and enlightened me of my problems and how to overcome them.  She made sure I understood them and gave me the necessary advice.

So, she had extracted all my so-called skin tags which the consultant at the previous outlet neglected to do.  They were not exactly skin tags but have the potential to turn into them if I don't take good care of them.  According to her, they were white heads which have hardened and were quite stubborn to be removed.  Only an old hand like her can handle these problems.

Whatever it was, I walked out of the salon, feeling satisfied that my skin problems are being attended to and that I will be undergoing a series of 'repair' sessions which this consultant promised.  She assured me that she would help me to solve my problems provided I heed her advice to go for regular facial session and adhere to  regular skincare regime.

Now, this is what I call service for the money that we part with.

Why I bought these handbags?

These two handbags were bought to usher the Chinese New Year, sort of, or just another excuse to buy new bags.. . By the way, I had 'worn' off at least 3 handbags in 2+ years.

I bought both these on the same day at Sogo, not too pricey, less than RM80 (USD26). Let's see how long they last.  Why I chose them?

* They are of a size big enough to store my Netbook.  This is necessary so that I do not need to carry another bag if I want to bring my Netbook along.
* There are many compartments. I go for those with a zip compartment at the back of the handbag where I usually keep my mobile phone.  At least, when my mobile phone vibrates, I can feel the vibration as it is closest to my body.  Internally, both have another 2 more compartments, a zip one and another 'twin' one to store my receipts and other stuff which I do not like being 'mixed' up with my other junks in my handbag.
* They are of a length which suits me. I dislike bags which have too long a strap.  One which is slightly right next to my elbow when clutched is perfect for me.  This enables me to open my handbag to take out stuff and still have the handbag strap on my shoulder without removing it from my shoulder, safer, right?
* This is optional but I love those handbags with an additional external compartment.  The brown handbag here has one, just behind the bow. In times of emergency or when I need to be quick, I can easily slip a receipt or some money into the compartment.  My old handbag even has 2 side compartments similar to what backpacks have.  I stuff my pocket tissues in those compartments.

Cheap handbags don't last

I felt shortchanged.  I bought a white PVC handbag at 50% and paid about RM80 (about USD26) assuming that a handbag which costs more than RM100 (USD32) should be of reasonably good quality.

After using it for about 3 times, peeling started to appear at the external bottom of the bag and there was some powdery thing dropping from it.  More peeling appeared.  Geezzz..

Cheap is not necessarily good.  I told myself to go for better quality bags which are more costly when they are put up for sale at offer price.

Back to brown

Just had a highlight on my hair, almost everyone does it to usher the Chinese New Year.  Well, actually I  went there just for a fringe cut. Somehow, I obliged when the shampoo girl suggested a highlight for my hair.  I don't go for colour for economical reason, what else?

This time, instead of trying to be bold and choosing red, I opted for the conventional brown.  And, I wasn't charged the 'Chinese New Year' price, so it's fine.  The salon's business is flourishing. When I stepped in at 10.07am, there were already 3 customers who were having their hair done.

And I was there at about 9.40am. Thinking that I was too early, I went for a 'nescafe tarik' at the mamak shop next door, not knowing that customers were already walking into the salon at the dot of 10am.

Combs that last more than a decade

After having this pink comb for something like more than 10 years, it finally broke another few tooth and can't be used anymore.

I bought a new one from Guardian but mind you, the teeth of this new comb are too sharp to comb gently on my already weak scalp. It's not cheap though, at RM7.90.  So, I went searching for combs with big teeth. Believe me, I actually went hunting at Carrefour, Jusco, S&M and finally one at Sogo supermarket.

It's huge, at least the biggest comb I've ever owned and it's cheaper at only around RM5. I feel so much less 'discomfort' with this comb. With crowning glory such as mine, I don't really mind the hassle.  If I can find one with therapeutic effect which can soothe my problem scalp, I don't mind paying for such comb.

Can you find sneakers at this price?

They may not be of any branded label.  You can't find a pair of reasonably good sneakers at RM34 per pair.  Who cares if they are branded or not?  Sneakers are not often worn and if I wear them, it will be at rare occasions since I am not a physically active person.

They were offerred at 30% discount and if two pairs were bought, another 20% was given on the net price.  So, not thinking twice after doing a brief mental calculation, I chose 2 pairs. One for shopping purpose and the other pair for sports purpose.

The black mark is gone

After a few days, the black mark at the corner of my right eye was gone. Phew...

And I thought it was due to some kind of pigmentation or an aging symptom. My son is right, it's just due to a very minor bruise on this sensitive area of the face causing the dark spot.

What's that black thing at the corner of my eye?

As though my skin problems are not enough, I am now 'plagued' with this small tiny black patch (it looks like the eye-liner which was drawn too thick) at the corner of my right eye? Could it be pigmentation?

It isn't bulging and I can't peel it off or scrape it off.  My son says it could be a mild bruise. I certainly hope so.

Get those shoes or clothes while you can

Have you ever gotten yourself ready with a clear mind and pack yourself with energy and a nice seasoned pair of flatties, ready to invade the shopping mall? You are clear on what to buy, in fact, you have a list stored in your mobile phone what to look for. You psychoed yourself you wouldn't leave the mall until you get X number of pairs of shoes or Y number of blouses or pairs of pants.

Your eyes are ready to feast on the numerous offers, your feet feel so strong.  But, after hours of browsing over clothings on offer, you can't seem to find something you would kill for.  You 'up' your budget and start to look for more expensive apparels.  Where are they? Either the size is out-of-stock or the colour is not available.  Gee.. how disappointing!

Now, I've learnt this lesson umpteenth years ago, which women don't? Never shop only when you are ready. Shop when you are not ready too. As soon as you come across any nice pair of shoes or clothing, grab them! (..even when you have exceeded your spending for that month.But, be sure you can afford this.)

You may just have strolled into a shop or boutique or departmental store and expect the least to part with any money. Alas! a nice pair of shoes, on offer, caught your attention.  They are on half-price. But, I don't need another pair of shoes yet.  Grab them first!  How often can there be an offer and the item is something you like? Busy moms like us don't have such luxury at times. You will end up feeling satisfied that you've gotten a good offer for something you like.  And, you need not shop for the rest of the year too.

I bought four pairs of shoes and sandals, all within an hour.  So lucky! I don't have to crowd with Chinese New Year shoppers for shoes.

My medical examination is overdue!

Can one look beautiful when she is unhealthy? NO! So, I am going to include posts relating to health in this blog.

When was your last medical check-up? Mine is overdue by at least two to three years.  I am overdue for my gynaecological as well as a general health check-up. How sick am I then? Ignorance is bliss.. not always, though my Mom always believes so when we touch the topic of chronic disease.

If such, why procrastinate? Except for general health screening, gynaecological examination is not the most pleasant one to go through, I have to admit and I believe most females would not disagree.  We possess the most tender and vulnerable anatomy, yet they are the ones which do not get the most attention.  How ironical?

Quick, quick, pick up the phone and date your gynaecologist.

Are those skin tags on my face?

This is something new, as always new but not good.  Worse still, if they are found on my face.  My beautician identified them as skin tag. But, I'm not really convinced yet.  After googling, skin tags are those 'unwanted' tiny bulging (some are those 'dangling' flesh) found mostly on neck and armpit areas. 

Of late, upon closer examination, I found a few white, bulging spots on my face. Yeah, mine are spots, not flesh.  My 'inexperienced' beautician seemed to stay away from my cheek areas when it came to the blackheads extraction process.  When asked, they claimed that my cheek area were free from blackheads and therefore needed no extraction. 

I'm little convinced by this advice. For two months straight in a row, I was spared from extraction on my cheeks.  This month, just a few days ago, I made sure my 'grievances' were heard by a senior. Somehow, the senior beautifician was occupied and sent me someone more junior than her to 'take care' of me, she assured. I wonder what's this senior doing as I had been hearing her voice chatting away at the reception area while I was in the salon room.

I need to find a way for someone to examine my face so that I can take measures to eliminate these unsightly spots or prevent further growth of them.

Those mats don't last

Rubber yoga mats, just like, sneakers or shoes will turn dry if not used for long.  I've not done yoga for more than a year.  So, my less than two-year-old yoga mat is slowly gathering dust on the outside of the cover.  It is slowly sticking together when rolled up, and the rubber is flaking too when scraped.

I hope it will get totally flaked so that I can find no use of it and discard it. What I fear is if the mat is only partially 'unusable', this will tempt me to hoard it until it is really not functional.

Comfortable innerwear

I found these innerwear very, very comfortable to the skin.Well, I mean when we are in our slumberland.  Forget about the lacy and seductive types first. You can still walk to the kitchen and yet not feel embarassed if you are caught in this by your kids.

As I do not want to be 'wrapped' up in those tight and restraining bra at night, these are good replacement, suitable to be worn for yoga and other forms of exercises too.

Are the whitening agent effective?

Mirror, mirror on the wall, when can I see a fairer me?

One brown spot is slowly whitening, from the middle of the round spot.  So, it looks rather like a ring. How odd and unusual can pigmentation be?

I was told I need to use a few bottles to slowly see effect.  It's only my first bottle of Extreme-C and the second bottle of Concentrate, so it means I need to have more patience.

Is creamy cleanser better than soap cleanser?

Before switching to Dermalogica about 14 years ago, I was a Clinique user for quite a number of years.   I used Clinique's soap cleanser (I think it was No.2) and I liked it because of the fresh and clean oil-free feeling on my face after cleansing.  I didn't have much problems then. 

Probably due to hormonal change, I noticed the tightness on my face each time after cleansing.  And my skin seemed to get more dehydrated that it started to peel, especially on my nose area.  Recommended by my sister, I went to a Dermalogica saloon. From then on, I've been alternating their creamy cleanser with the gel cleanser along with other brands. I had stopped using Clinique's soap cleanser since then.  The results were gradually seen as I don't have anymore peeling skin. 

Well, it has been 14 years and I think I will not switch products, unless I am undergoing another hormonal change.....(hope not so early)

My collection of Swarovski jewellery - Part 4

I like this Swarovski cross pendant for its simplicity and colour. To bring out the colour, this simple yet elegant piece is often worn with a dark-coloured blouse. I normally wore this with a black blouse.

Is this the side-effect of whitening powder?

I had my usual facial session the other day.  When it came to the application of exfoliant, I felt a slight stinging sensation on my face.  Normally, the beauty consultant would pre-empt me that I may have that feeling if my skin is dehydrated. 

I usually have that feeling too but just a little.  This time, the sensation was much greater and it was on most part of my face particularly on both my cheeks.  It was quite uncomfortable that I had to request the consultant to remove the exfoliant when she suggested it.

How could my skin be dehydrated and react to the exfoliant in that manner when I had been diligently using my skin hydrating mask more often? As expected, the consultant commented that my skin is sensitive.  In fact, she asked me to use mask more often.  Not wanting to disagree with her, I obligingly nodded my head. 

I have a strong feeling that the 'powerful' Extreme-C is the culprit.  Why not when the only thing different that month is I've started using this whitening product?  Could it be I've applied too much of it on my spot areas? Well, I thought perhaps a little more will whiten it sooner.

Local X-brand skincare products versus imported ones

Which one would you choose?  Are you a sucker for expensive imported skincare products? Or you are a user of any local X brand products such as Loreal, Nivea etc?

Are local products really effective in getting rid of common problems such as wrinkles or pigmentation?  If local products cost only a fraction of imported products, would they be as effective?  It just keeps reeling in my mind the effectiveness of such products when we can see famous celebrity such as Michelle Reis being ambassador for Loreal.  If these products are really effective, it's ironical that they don't burn a hole in women's pockets. 

How can those imported products compete with these more affordable local ones? Whatever is the reason, I stick to my own range of products which I have been loyally using for the past 15 years or so.  Having sensitive skin, I will never change products unless really necessary.