A gift in the mail from Kikki K at Chadstone. Y’know, just for being a “fan” 😛

I adore Kikki K stationery, and I think it’s a lovely gesture of them to send me a handwritten thank you card with my name on it (even though hundreds of others probably received the same thing as well). Enclosed were 4 cute cloud paperclips. Aww.

Oh Kikki K, you sure know how to win your customers’ hearts, for you sure won mine 😉

I love getting pedicures. It doesn’t matter to me if the nail colour selection is poor; if the removal of cracked heels is good, and the massage of the calves and feet is good, then the nail salon is a to-visit-again in my books.

A new nail salon opened near my apartment a few days ago, and since it was offering a 20% discount on all services, I thought I’d give it a go. Everything was brand-new, and more importantly, the place looked very clean. They had foot spas connected to luxurious massage chairs. They had OPI and China Glaze. I was sold. It didn’t matter to me that the nail people barely spoke English. I wanted it.

Everything was okay, I was enjoying a good massage from the chair and the mini jacuzzi at my feet, until the actual pedicure began. To my utter disappointment, instead of using only nail files on my dry heels, the pedicurist whipped out a corn plane and began shaving at my heels. For those of you who are not familiar with a corn plane, here it is:

I had a very bad experience with this when I was in Bangkok with Beetrice a few years ago. We had a pedicure at one of the better salons (better = at least not dodgy-looking like most of the others), and the pedicurist just went home with the corn plane on my heels. She was so vigourous with the corn plane, that she nicked my heel and it bled. I had to hobble the rest of the trip because the nick became a really bad sore. Needless to say, I avoid salons that use corn planes from then on.

So back to my story with yesterday’s pedicure.

To give the pedicurist some credit, I’m glad she didn’t go nuts with the corn plane on my heels. She held my foot up and shaved like she was peeling carrots. Next came the foot file. She didn’t do a good job with that one, and after the pedicure was over, I left the salon with rather peely heels 🙁

My point is: as much as you can, avoid the corn plane. If done wrongly, it can nick your skin. It’s worse if you don’t know if the salon sterilises their equipment properly. Go nuts with a foot file instead. In Malaysia, I frequent a nail salon called Nails Hansen in Penang, and they do a fantastic job with different foot files, which remove all the cracked bits. My feet always feel like a million bucks when I left that salon. Yesterday’s experience, they felt (and looked) like a buck twenty.

Second point is: talk to the pedicurist and let her know what you want/don’t want. I made the mistake of not telling her to not use the corn plane. She doesn’t speak much English at all (although at one point, with my jeans hiked up to my knees, she caught sight of my legs and asked me “Miss, you want wakshing?” [waxing]) but I should have at least indicated to her I did not want her to use the corn plane. Mum was right. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Now I’ve got to get back to fixing my heels. Sigh.

I’ve never tried any of Avene’s skincare products. The only product I use from Avene is the thermal spring water facial mist, which I carry with me when I’m traveling. I’m a tad apprehensive on trying out new skincare products, so the next best thing would be to try something which would not have an adverse effect on my skin – facial cleansers. As I have combination skin, I decided on the gentle gel cleanser.

Description:

• This cleanser has been formulated for normal to combination sensitive skin.
• Very rich in Avene thermal spring water, the gel acts by releasing all of the water’s soothing and anti-irritant properties.
• Based on only extra-gentle cleansing agents, this very mild cream gel removes all traces of makeup from the face, the eyes and the lips whilst respecting cutaneous integrity. It also leaves the skin soft and supple.
• Its unctuous texture has been enriched with moisturising (hydration of the upper layers of the epidermis) agents to prevent cutaneous dryness and, day after day, leave a pleasant feeling of comfort.

The texture of the gel cleanser is very similar to Cetaphil’s skin cleanser, except that this one’s more emollient. I had no problems removing makeup with this (although I have to say, I only remove foundation and blush with the cleanser. I always use a separate eye makeup remover for mascara, eye shadow and eyeliners). Just like Cetaphil, it’s really gentle on the skin. After cleansing my face, my skin does not feel tight, but refreshed.

The cleanser smells … soapy, if you could even get what I mean. It’s not unpleasant; in fact, it smells quite fresh.

The box suggests that you rinse off with running water and delicate towel-dry before spraying a fine mist of Avene thermal spring water. That sounds a bit extravagant to me, but I’m still going to give it a try to see if it makes any difference to the skin in the long run. Sesame of Viva Woman certainly found it effective 🙂

All in all, it’s a good cleanser for those with combination skin. It doesn’t strip the oils from your face, but gently cleanses the skin. I’m definitely repurchasing this.

Eau Thermale Avene Gentle Gel Cleanser is available at leading pharmacies. I bought this from Chemist Warehouse for AU$24 (RRP AU$29). A tip – if you get your skincare supplies from drugstores, do check out Chemist Warehouse. Items which are not on sale at Priceline are, more often than not, cheaper at Chemist Warehouse. The shops might look a tad rattier, but hey, it’s savings made.

What I like about it: Effective cleanser for combination skin; gentle enough for sensitive skin.

What I do not like about it: Nothing