This is such a popular skincare product in Asia and has been around for the past couple of years. I cannot believe I haven’t even tried it out till about 6 months ago. In fact, it’s so popular in Japan that apparently one is sold every 4 seconds.

Description:
Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion instantly hydrates skin and helps preserve its optimum moisture balance by replenishing and locking in moisture for complete hydration. Skin feels significantly soft and supple, while dry and dehydrated skin is improved, leaving it silky smooth. Skin pH balanced with low irritation, and free of fragrance, mineral oil, alcohol and colourants.

Ingredients:
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Disodium Succinate, Methylparaben, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Succinic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

The thing with Asian skincare ‘lotions’ is that, more often than not, they’re not moisturisers, but toners. Even calling them toners is not exactly the right because they’re not meant to remove any other impurities that cleansers missed (like the toners we know and are used to). Japanese lotions are something like essence for the skin. Something you use in liberal amounts on either facial cotton or just your hands. They’re meant to make the skin soft and ‘springy’, and to prep the skin for your serum.

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I saved this interesting article I read in Paula’s Choice January-February 2011 newsletter just to share it with you. It’s about the things your hairstylist shouldn’t be doing to your hair. Unfortunately, other than #1, I get the rest all too often. I used to feel guilty telling my hairstylist to stop doing a certain action to my hair for fear of her disliking me. It took me many years to realise that at the end of the day, it’s MY hair, and I’m the one paying for it (with hair, scalp AND money).

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1. Have an oily scalp? Tell your stylist to skip applying conditioner to the roots of your hair

No matter what the claim on the product or how much menthol or eucalypstus it contains (which has no benefit for hair or scalp) it will just make your oily scalp feel greasy faster. Conditioners contain emollients which are great for hair but a problem for someone with an oily scalp.

2. Ask them to please not be so rough on your hair

Here’s what happens: You’ve just gotten done with a wonderful shampoo and then to dry your hair, the stylist or assistant takes the towel and begins to roughly rub it over your entire head and the length of your hair. This is a BIG no-no. Any kind of friction over your tresses breaks down the hair shaft, eventually causing split ends and breakage. They’re supposed to press, dab. and squeeze to dry the hair, not rub it around. If more stylists (or their assistants) did this, they would spend less time smoothing damaged, unruly hair when it’s time to style it.

3. Only comb wet hair in sections; don’t try to get a brush through tangled hair in one fell swoop.

Combing hair is small sections is far better for the hair and your scalp. The problem? Some stylists just plow through your hair without a thought to what they are doing. Maybe they don’t know how hard it is on the scalp and the hair to try and undo tangles by yanking on your hair. Using fingers to gently separate hair and comb through each section is the healthy way to start the styling process.

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Have you heard of emerginC?

emerginC was one of the first brands to become paraben-free, petro-chemical-free, synthetic fragrance-free and incorporate the highest quality ingredients, sourced naturally wherever possible. There are a lot more technical terms that came with the description, but in short, their products are free of the bad shizz 😉

I recently had the opportunity to trial emerginC’s Red Carpet Primer.

Description:
This advanced, naturally-tinted primer contains cutting-edge filling sphere technology derived from acacia and hyaluronic acid: it hydrates, plumps, and fills in wrinkles and fine lines, instantly reducing the appearance. It also contains a highly potent, cutting edge, lipid soluble form of vitamin C that has demonstrated to effectively fight UV damage as well as brighten the skin. Silicone leaves skin silky-smooth and matte and also helps to instantly minimise the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines as well as conceal large pores. Also primes the skin for flawless, long-lasting makeup application.

The texture differs from Face of Australia’s Face Base Primer, which I recently reviewed. It’s not a lotion; in fact I would say it’s more like Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer, which means it’s packed with silicone.

As I’m not a fan of heavy-silicone primers, I was apprehensive in using this one. Would it break me out? Would it feel funny and slippery on my skin, as most silicone-heavy primers would? With some hesistance, I pushed on.

It’s not white or clear as primers usually are, but a warm chocolate brown. Okkkaaayy. You could tell that my apprehension was building.

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