The first time I tried St Ives’ Whipped Silk Advanced Body Moisturizer, it was like a revelation. “Oh my, I can’t believe I have never tried this!”. The 59ml tube of body lotion which I have was a gift-with-purchase item. I’m normally not too thrilled about body lotions as the free gift as I’m very particular about body lotions.   

My criteria for choosing body lotions – they have to be light, non-greasy, and most importantly, they have to smell good (subtle scent, not overbearing). A lot of the body lotions I get are pretty rubbish. But the Whipped Silk … aahhh, I think I’ve found my holy grail of body lotions. Why? Because I actually bought another bottle of it. And I have never bought more than a bottle of the same body lotion after it is finished.

Yeah, I’m picky like that.

Description:

An indulgent moisture formulated with Hydrolyzed Silk proteins that leave skin silky soft, not greasy. Treat our skin to a whole new level of luxury and softness.

• Specially formulated with Hydrolyzed Silk Protein to provide intense moisture without a heavy, greasy feel
• Specially formulated with Moistureguard™, a patented blend that continuously binds moisture to the skin by forming an invisible barrier to prevent moisture loss.
• Dermatologist Tested
• Hypo-allergenic

When I first applied the lotion on my arm, I noticed that the lotion was non-greasy, and was very quickly absorbed into the skin. That’s a very good thumbs-up from me, as I hate greasy lotions. The thing I love most about the Whipped Silk body lotion is the smell! It’s simply heavenly. It has a very subtle, lightly floral fragrance, and really, I just couldn’t stop smelling my arm after application!

Check out the star-shaped dispenser.

This is one that gives the “whipped” effect to the lotion. How cute :p

A thing to note about the Whipped Silk body lotion though. As it is very light, multiple applications may be required. This is good for summer temperatures, but it will not be sufficient for cold and dry winters (you’ll need a more heavy-duty one for that). As the lotion is so light and quickly-absorbed, there are some which may think that the lotion is not effective. Well, it worked for me; the scaly skin on my legs have significantly improved, and is a lot smoother and softer now. Good enough for me 🙂

This 59ml tube retails at RM6.90 and the 354ml bottle retails at RM15.90 at all St Ives counters.

What I like about this: Light, non-greasy, and I absolutely LOVE the scent!

What I did not like about this: On the contrary, this is too light for cold and dry weathers.

My next review will be on a body lotion which I recently discovered, but before I go to that, I’d like to ask you ladies a question. Wearing perfume with non-matching scented body lotion – yay or nay?

I do not like scented products on my face, but on my body, I’d love to smell good. I love the not-over-the-top, light floral fragrance in body lotions. However, I will not slather on scented body lotion before heading to work (I need the fragrance-free ones, which aren’t an easy find for body lotions). I wear perfume to work, and somehow, scented body lotion and non-matching perfume tend to clash, regardless of how nice the individual scents are.

Let me give you an example. This has got to be one of my most embarrassing moments, but it was a valuable lesson to learn. When I was in Japan, I used a lot of The Body Shop’s Spa Wisdom African Spa Body Balm, as the humidity was very low, and my skin tend to peel very badly. I’d get excema, and the rashes would hurt terribly.

A couple of weeks later, I received an email from a colleague back home. He told me, in a very embarrassed tone, that my Malaysian colleagues in Japan told him to tell me that I stank. These were men, by the way. Men told me I smelt BAD. What could be worse?! They were too embarrassed to tell me face-to-face, but they couldn’t take the smell anymore, so they had a close colleague of mine break the bad news to me. Apparently my mixture of the cocoa butter and perfume had emitted a foul smell to them, even though I was oblivious to it all.

In short, after that incident, I never mixed perfume with scented body lotion ever again. Of course, perfume ranges with their matching body lotions are fine; the scent lasts longer that way anyway. But I’d keep the rest at bay.

What about you? Do you use scented body lotion? Better yet, do you also wear clashing ones with perfume?

I love my makeup brushes to bits. I won’t exactly call them the love of my life, but I do treasure each brush I bought (I bought a lot of my makeup brushes from The Body Shop, when I was studying in the UK. It was during one of their many sale periods, for ONE POUND each!), and treat them with care. Do you know that with proper care of your makeup brushes, they can last up to ten years?   

Anyways, today I’m going to introduce another Elianto product to you, which is the Elianto Brush Cleaner.

Description:

The cleaner that specifically works for makeup brushes, it cleans, disinfects and conditions the brush fibres so that the brushes will last longer. It is convenient to use and is specifically designed to extend the life of high quality brushes. The brush cleaner leaves your brushes clean, and helps shorten their drying time. 

Ingredients:
Water, Alcohol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Hexylene Glycol, Isopropyl Alcohol, PEG-32. PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Methylparaben, Triclosan, Fragrance, C142090

Makeup artists use professional brush cleaners as they need to wash their brushes in between makeup jobs, and most importantly, they need the brushes to dry very quickly.

What I like about this brush cleaner is that it does not only clean the brushes out real well, the brushes dry really quickly too. I normally use shampoo and water to wash my brushes, but they take a significant amount of time to dry. If you want to prolong the lifespan of your brushes, I’d recommend using a proper brush cleaner. Elianto’s does quite a good job.

To clean your brushes, pour an optimum amount of the brush cleaner liquid into a cup or a small glass. Dip the tip of the brush and swirl gently, avoiding any liquid on the metal area or the handle. Softly press the washed brushes on tissues or a soft cloth to shape the tip. Allow to air-dry naturally. After the washed brush dries completely, use as normal.

Okay, with the pros, come the cons. Well, I do have a small gripe about the brush cleaner, and that it is too little! Each time you clean your brushes, it takes quite a lot of brush cleaner liquid. I normally clean my brushes once a week, and a 255ml bottle lasts me only a month. I’d prefer if they sell it in a much bigger bottle; that would be a lot more economical.

A 255ml bottle of Elianto’s Brush Cleaner retails at RM18 at all Elianto counters.

What I like about it: It cleans brushes effectively, and the brushes dry really quickly.

What I did not like about it: A tad expensive for such a small bottle.

Oh, and here’s a video tip by Tricia Sawyer on how to clean your brushes. It’s not of the same brand, of course, but the method’s just the same. Enjoy!