I ran out of my usual night time face cream and decided to try Alba Botanica’s Jasmine & Vitamin E Moisture Cream.

I’ve used other Alba Botanica products before and am usually happy with the product. But my main dislike is the range of scent they use. Last time I bought the Sea Moss Moisturizer and never finished the bottle because I couldn’t stand the smell.  And also the texture was too thick.

With this face cream, the texture is light to medium.  And the smell of Jasmine is not too strong.  It’s a great scent for the summertime and also brings me to Asia or some place tropical.

Jasmine extract ( it’s more of an absolutes) are mainly used to promote good sleep and feelings of happy well being.  The small white flowers have an equally beautiful scent.  There are many artificial version of this flower, but the extract is the best version to use in skincare.

Some of the signature ingredient of this face cream include Vitamin E (derived from wheat germ) and jasmine extracts. As well as gotu kola, vitamin, organic oils sweet almond, kukui nut oil, and carica papaya extracts.

The cream is suitable for all face type. And it absorbs really well into your skin without feeling too heavy or greasy.  I think this cream will be good for my combination skin.

At one time I was tempted to purchase the Arabic Jasmine at our local nursery, but was afraid it wouldn’t grow so well in my hands.

Above is the photo of Arabic Jasmine, it has a really nice fragrant.  The white flower is very small and this version looks like it’s the “double petals” variety.  Jasmine green tea is another favorite use of this flower.

Photo from mondomuse via Flickr.  mondomuse say you can propagate from stem cuttings in the spring.

Photo of face cream from Alba Botanica. Price ranges from $12 to $20, depending on retailer.

I also got a free full size bottle of hand and body lotion from Wei East. The promotion is called “Free Body Give-a-Wei“. Just enter the coupon code “perfection” before checking out the items in the shopping cart. Normally they charge $2.92 for shipping, but if you order other items then it’s combined shipping. Or in my case, my kit included free shipping for both.

I have tried many lotions and I have to say this is a great lotion. It is non-greasy and goes on very easily.  I love that is soaks right into your skin. It’s very moisturizing and your hands feel soft for several days too. I have even used it on my feet (heal) and find that it works well too.

The only thing I don’t like is the scent.  I would say it’s has a classic floral scent. It’s not too bad and you eventually get use to it.  But for me, it needs to be more uplifting. Citrus or mint is always a good option for me.

Read the rest of this entry »

My beauty product review today comes from Wei East Cosmetics.

They have the “Skincare Discover Collections” where you can sample a few introductory products. I decided to get the simple kit for $9.99 and includes free shipping too.  I also got a face mask and free hand lotion, but I will post about that later.

The package arrived in regular USPS mail within 3-5 days. I also like that it came in a cute little box with very little packaging necessary.

This is what got my attention:

The Story of Rice: Nutrient-laden rice milk has been Chinese women’s
secret to bright, even-toned skin for centuries. The first milk of
freshly cooked brown rice, infused with a secret herbal blend, has
helped generations of mothers and daughters add luster, gain an even,
smooth complexion, erase spots and blotches. Wei East marries the
ancient recipes with advanced western beauty technology to deliver
these luminous benefits to you. Glow with the radiance of Mother
Nature.

I’ve never heard of this beauty secret before. This kit I chose introduces the rice milk.

My First Pick Collection includes:

Read the rest of this entry »

I always try to avoid going in this shop when I’m in the mall. It’s not because I don’t like it, it’s because the sales lady are so aggressive and that scares me. That’s partially true, it’s really because I don’t want to end up with more new soaps or lotions.

But I did end up shopping here online. It was because of the great price they had on the FitFlops. I also added a purchase of Coconut Lime Verbena shampoo to my order. My favorite scents is the Signature Classics “Country Apple” or “Sun-Ripen Raspberry”. But this time, I thought I try something new and went with their new “Signature Collection“.

I think the label caught my attention.  Pictures of limes and coconut, reminded me of some place tropical and breezy.  And verbena also makes good tea.

In the herbal world, verbena is suppose to have nice lemony scent. And initially the Bath & Body Works scent for this combination was very pleasing. But after I used it to wash my hair, I noticed how strong and powdery it smelled. Not like refreshing citrus, but more floral.  Almost too overpowering and artificial.  So I just used a small amount.

As far as how well it worked, it left my hair very shiny and smooth.   At one time I got some shampoo running into my eyes, and it was painful! I don’t remember washing my hair with anything that stings that much. As my usual shampoo recently has been pure liquid Castile soap with peppermint oil and aloe vera.

Read the rest of this entry »