Crazy Rumors HibisKiss Lip Colour Review

I am not a constant lipstick wearer because I don't really like the obvious colours ending up being too red, too pink or too dark on me and the heavy & thick feeling that most lipsticks seem to leave on my lips. Because of that, I much prefer lip tints, sheer coloured gloss and lip balms.

Crazy Rumors (the company that sells vegan lip balms) also carry a line of lip tint under the name of HibisKiss Lip Colours.  These also got quite raving reviews on the internet by beauty buffs and naturally, it got me very interested, so I decided to try their lip tint (ordered together with the tube of lip balm in my last review).

The Crazy Rumors HibisKiss Lip Colours is said to have the same moisturizing benefits of their signature lip balm added with a kiss of all natural mineral colour and they are topped with enchantingly fragrant Natural Organic Hibiscus flavour. There are six shades to choose from which are:
- Tropical : rouge colour
- Coral : deep pink/cabaret colour
- Sunset : brick red/trinidad colour
- Sunrise : gold drop colour
- Pearl : light pink/petite orchid colour
- Breeze : lighter shade of rouge/sante fe colour

All the shades look so enticingly wearable so I kind of got stumped in choosing one, and in the end I bought two tubes in the shade of Pearl and Breeze.

The size of the HibisKiss Lip Colour tube is slightly smaller than Crazy Rumor's lip balm. Each tube weighs .09 oz (2.5 g). The label of the tube is very nicely printed and looked so cute just like their lip balms. The Crazy Rumors logo and the HibisKiss lettering is printed prominently on the label. Below that, the shade is printed in a smaller print. The colour of the label represent the colour of the lip tint inside the tube.

Size comparison between the tubes of HibisKiss Lip Colour and a tube of lip balm.

My two choices: Breeze and Pearl.

The tube of the lip colour was safely sealed with a conjoining seal attached to the label. Twisting the cap either to the right or left will break the safety seal and the cap can be pulled off.

The tube of lip colour with the safety seal still intact.

The ingredients printed on the label is: *Jojoba oil, *shea butter, *extra virgin olive oil, candelilla wax, soy wax, mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, *natural flavours, vitamin E, *carnauba wax, natural stevia & hibiscus flower. (* indicates organic ingredient).

This is how two tubes of freshly opened and untouched lip tints looked like:

Two newly opened and unused lip tints.

It is packaged in a clear plastic tube with a twister at the bottom.  The cap could be removed much easier than my Peppermint Twist lip balm's cap. Closing the cap will give a click sound. To use the lip tint, you'd have do some twisting action with the twisting mechanism at the bottom of the tube. I did encounter a bit of a problem when I extended the tube too much and it didn't really want to cooperate going back into the tube.

Twisting the lip tint out and then trying to get it back inside the tube.

The lip tint glided nicely over my lips and the texture is not heavy nor sticky like lipstick or gloss.  I found the texture of the lip tint to be a bit less moisturizing if compared to their lip balms. Wiping it off made my lips a bit dry. When I first smelled the lip tint, I didn't quit like it because it reminded me of heavily scented flowery balm (I really am not that into heavily scented flowery stuff). But the smell eventually grew on me and I was able to wear the balm without feeling the urgent need to wipe it off because of the smell. It smells kind of like berries fused with a hint of flower (hibiscus flower I think).

Once the cap had been removed, you can see that the colour of the lip tint is somewhat dual-toned and a bit shiny. Here's what both shades (plus one extra shade which I swatched from a tester tube) looked like on my skin:

Top: Coral, Middle: Breeze and Bottom: Pearl (more than one layer applied for each shade)

The Pearl shade is very sheer and almost hard to see. When I applied just one swatch over my lips, I wasn't able to see the shade at all (it is that sheer!). So I applied two or three layers to see the effect of the colour. Too much layers made my lips looked too pinkish/peachy. So I think it's better for me to just stick with one or two layers on my lips. It gave my lips a pale and subtle pinkish colour upon application but turned a little bit darker later when it had been absorbed into my lips.

The Breeze shade is more prominent and is somewhere between a lighter shade of rouge and  brownish red in a subtle way. One layer is enough for me to see the shade on my lips. Too  much layers will probably make the colour too prominent and looked brownish. Like the Pearl shade, the color turned a little darker after it had been absorbed.

The Coral shade looked like deep/warm pink. Applying one layer is enough for me to see a subtle nice sheer colour on my lips but just like the Breeze shade, too many layers would make the colour stand out too much for me.


Update: Here's a swatch for all six shades.

All of these lip tints have a little bit of tiny sparkles to them. I don't really like those sparkly little things in lip glosses, lipsticks or lip tints because they tend to stick to the skin and is quite hard to be removed. So I usually stay away from products that contain these sparkles.

My verdict: The Crazy Rumors Lip Colours are great for those who wants a little bit of colour to their lips. It also has that moisturizing benefits but not as much as the lip balm. For me, I really like the smooth gliding texture of the lip tint but I'd apply a lip balm before and after applying this lip tint to get that extra moisture to prevent my lips from becoming too dry. They didn't smell that bad either once I get used to it. Thumbs up from me on that point! ( ^ _ ^ ) The only downside for me is that they contain some sparkle bits in the texture which I don't like in any lip products that I put on my lips.

You can check out Crazy Rumors Lip Colors at their official website.
You can also go to this local website to purchase these lip tints in Malaysia.

Crazy Rumors Lip Balm Review

My search for the perfect lip balm to use as an overnight lip treatment had resulted in this little obsession of looking up lip balms on the internet and then buying them! I've been dying to try Crazy Rumors' Lip Balms since I read a lot of raving reviews saying how great the product is.
 
Crazy Rumors Lip Balms are all natural, cruelty free (contains no animal derived ingredients) and vegan. They are made with organic ingredients and slightly sweetened with stevia. The packaging is also one of the factors that swayed me more into the 'I need to get this!' zone. They are oh so pretty!

Crazy Rumors offers quite a range of lip balms divided into eight groups of flavours which are:
- Soda Pop (Fizzy Soda Fountain Inspired Lip Balms)
- A La Mode (Decadent Ice Cream Inspired Lip Balms)
- Fresh Squeezed (Refreshing Citrus Inspired Lip Balms)
- Gumball (Classic Bubble Gum Inspired Lip Balms)
- Perk (Captivating Coffee Inspired Lip Balms)
- Brew (Rejuvenating Tea Inspired Lip Balms)
- Candy Cane (Festive Peppermint Infused Lip Balms)
- HibisKiss (Gorgeous Hibiscus Inspired Lip Colours)

After much contemplating and debating with myself, I narrowed down my choices to a lip balm and two lip colours for my first time trial (actually I was very tempted to try out more but had to restrain myself). The flavour that I chose for the lip balm is Peppermint Twist which falls under the Candy Cane category (I just love minty stuff especially the smell). The description of the flavour is 'cooling and refreshing lip tingling mint'.

My package arrived via PosLaju. The lip balm and lip colour tubes were securely wrapped in two layers of bubble wrap. I really appreciated the fact that the seller is kind enough to give that extra protection for the product they are selling.

My lip balm and lip colours have arrived!

I definitely love the packaging because they are really cute! The combination of the colours are very attractive to my eyes (I am really a sucker for cute packaging!).

My haul of the day!

Ok, now let's concentrate on the lip balm. As I mentioned earlier, I chose the Candy Cane's Peppermint Twist Lip Balm. The tube of the lip balm is made out of clear plastic and is almost the same size of My Lip Stuff's tube of lip balm. The tube weighs .15 oz. The Crazy Rumors logo and the group of flavour (Candy Cane) is printed prominently on the label. Below that, the flavour (Peppermint Twist) is printed in a smaller print. The label is packed with information but it is neatly arranged and cleverly designed.

The eye catching tube of balm.

The tube of the lip balm is safely sealed to retain freshness. To open, you would just have to twist the cap to the left or right to break the safety seal.

The tube of balm with the safety seal still intact.

The ingredients printed on the label is: Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Candelilla Wax, Soy Wax, Natural & Organic Flavours, Pure Essential Oils, Vitamin E, Organic Carnauba Wax & Natural Stevia.

Ingredients printed on the label.

This is how the tube of lip balm freshly opened looked like:

A newly opened and unused tube of lip balm.

The tube of the balm is just like any other lip balms which has the twisting mechanism at the bottom of the tube. The cap of the balm is quite tight and had to be pulled open with a little bit of strength (hey, I am not that strong!). The balm glides smoothly in and out of the tube and didn't encounter any problem going back in even after I extended half the balm stick out of the tube.

 Twisting the balm out.

Closing the cap will give you a loud satisfying click (a telltale sign that the balm is kept freshly inside).

Me trying to push the cap close. You really can't miss the click sound.

The lip balm glides smoothly over my lips but the texture felt a little bit thicker and creamier than MLS's lip balm. It doesn't have that waxy balm taste that can be found in most store bought lip balms. I did felt a subtle tingle of the mint after a few seconds of applying the balm but that goes away after some time. The cool minty feeling lasted quite longer though. The smell of sweet peppermint is obvious and it is quite pleasant and calming. The combination of the minty freshness and the sweet peppermint smell gave me a cool and refreshing feeling. Even my breath felt fresh! There is a little bit of sweetness to the taste of the balm and I find that very pleasing. The balm goes on clear and leaves a subtle shine to the lips.

The subtle shine of Crazy Rumor's lip balm. It goes on clear.

My verdict: The balm does indeed keep my lips moisturized for a few hours and most importantly it doesn't have that waxy taste or feel on my lips. The moisturizing effect of the balm lasts for a few hours (unless you eat or drink). The glide is satisfyingly smooth but not as smooth as MLS's lip balm and the latter has a little bit more moisturizing effect. But all in all, this is a good lip balm and is going to be one of my favourites. I'll definitely repurchase this again! They are soooo cute!

Click here to go Crazy Rumors official website.
Click here to purchase Crazy Rumors lip balms in Malaysia.

Bali Ratih Hand & Body Lotion Review

Bali Ratih is a company that produces various home spa treatment products from Bali, Indonesia such as body butter, body cream, body scrubs, hand & body lotion, face & body mask, body wash and even shower gel. So, for this post, I am going to do a review on the Bali Ratih's Hand & Body Lotion (thanks to Jac who sent me the product for my dissecting purposes).

The Bali Ratih Hand & Body Lotion range has quite a number of variants to choose from:
- Milk
- Green Tea
- Chamomile
- Strawberry (best seller)
- Aloe Vera
- Tea Tree (antibacterial)

I have here in my possession is the Strawberry scented lotion (strawberry products are one of my favourites. They look and smell yummy!)

A new and unused bottle of Strawberry Hand & Body Lotion.

The bottle comes in a clear 110 ml (3.72 fl oz) slim bottle with a pump at the top. There is a stopper pinned at the neck of the pump to ensure no lotion is accidentally pumped out unintentionally (especially when the bottle is squished somewhere inside your bag during traveling motion).

The stopper securely pinned at the neck.

The ingredients for the lotion is: Stearic Acid, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Methylparaben, Titanium Dioxide, Mono Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Butylated Hydroxy Toluene, Triethanolamine, Fragance, Essential Oil Blend, Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aquadest.

The Hand & Body Lotion's main properties are moisturizing, softening and conditions the skin leaving it revitalized and rejunevated. It is suitable for all skin types.

The pump head have to be pushed down to get the lotion out of the bottle.

Pumping the lotion out.

The colour of the lotion is a very pale pink (almost the same as Johnson & Johnson's Baby Lotion) and the texture is less thicker than body butter but it still felt soft and creamy.

Here's how the lotion looked like on my hand:

This is how the lotion looked like after it was partially rubbed on my skin:

Sorry for the blurry picture. 

My hand holding the camera-phone wasn't cooperating very well at the moment this picture was taken.. huhu..

The soft and smooth texture of the lotion made it easy for me to spread the goo and rub it into my skin. The lotion did left a tad greasiness (I think all lotions have this tendency) after it is applied but that goes away after it had fully seeped in. The smell of the lotion reminded me of a strawberry candy I used to eat back when I was a little girl (yum!). There is a distinct sweetness to the smell and it blends quite well with the strawberry fragrance.

My hands did felt smooth and moisturized after using the lotion. I did a water test to my well moisturized hands and like any other brand of lotions, it became runny and a bit oily so I had to wipe my hands dry to get the greasy feeling off. But the softness and moisturized feeling was still there even after I wiped my hands though. Up to this day I still haven't found a lotion that doesn't turn runny when in contact with water (maybe there isn't one?).

I did a three-way comparison between the Bali Ratih's Hand & Body Lotion, The Bodyshop's (TBS) Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Lotion and Johnson & Johnson's Baby Lotion (JJ) just for the fun of it. I found that Bali Ratih's lotion has a thicker and creamier texture amongst the three brands. TBS's lotion has a softer texture and the consistency of the substance is not as thick as Bali Ratih's. TBS's lotion is also a bit translucent in colour. JJ's lotion has the same consistency with Bali Ratih's but the texture is more softer. The moisturizing agensts in JJ's lotion is very obvious because the lotion slid down my finger easily whilst the other two stayed put.

The JJ's lotion sliding down my fingers.

Here's how the lotions looked like applied on my skin side by side:

Comparison of the three lotion's consistency.

In the picture above, you can see that TBS's body lotion is more translucent that the others whilst Bali Ratih's texture seemed to be a little bit thicker than JJ's lotion when spread out. JJ's lotion felt a little bit more watery than the rest. All of these lotions gave the same moisturized and soft feeling after the creamy substance had been fully absorbed into my skin. The water test also resulted in all three lotions becoming runny after my hands came in contact with water.

My verdict: Bali Ratih's Hand & Body Lotion is basically just like any other lotions out there in the market. The difference is in the consistency and texture of the lotion but the end result of the application is the same - moisturized and smooth skin. So it all goes down to each and everyone's own preference. But all in all, this is a good product to try (plus, it is not that expensive either. Thumbs up for that!).

Click this link (Jac's website) for further information on Bali Ratih's Hand & Body Lotions.

Bali Ratih Ultra Rich Body Butter Review

Body butter is actually a type of skin moisturizer. They are heavier than creams and lotions because they have less water in them. Normal lotions may contain up to 90% of water but with body butters we get all of the oils and the butters. Body butters are a little bit richer than normal lotions but it absorbs quickly and can last for quite some time. Most body butters are made using a seed or nut oil as their base ingredient to produce the most moisturizing recipe.

I received a jar of Bali Ratih's Ultra Rich Body Butter from Jac (thanks Jac!) along with a couple or Adudya Lulur Pengantin Body Scrubs and a bottle of Bali Ratih's Hand & Body Lotion. Bali Ratih is one of the famous brand names for beauty products from Bali, Indonesia.

The Bali Ratih's Body Butter is suitable for all skin types and comes in four flavours:

- Avocado : rejuvenates dry skin

- Chocolate : tones and tightens skin

- Coconut : moisturizes skin deeply and provides long-lasting protection against dryness

- Mango : moisturizes skin deeply and provides long-lasting protection against dryness

The body butter I received was the Mango Body Butter.

The ingredients printed on the tub's label is:

Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Theobroma Cacao Butter, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cyclomethicone, Glycerin, Glycine soja, Cetyl Alcohol, Beeswax, Mono Propylen Glycol, Methylparaben, Sorbitol, Carbomer, Butylated Hydroxy Toluene, Lanolin, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Titanium Dioxide, Triethanolamine, Fragance, Extract, Essential Oil Blend, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aquadest.

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter is actually Shea Butter, derived from the karite tree, and is a staple  ingredient for body butters. Shea Butter is always considered to be a good emollient. The body butter also contains Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) which forms a barrier on the skin, slowing water loss. In addition, it temporarily protects exposed skin from harmful stimuli.

Bali Ratih's Body Butters comes in round plastic tubs with screw-on lids just like The Body Shop's  (TBS) body butter tub. The tub opens with a counter clock-wise twist to reveal the moisturizing concoction inside.

An opened tub of body butter.

At a glance, the texture of the body butter looked a little bit like mayonnaise (suddenly I feel like having a burger.. or maybe a sandwich? Am I hungry??) The colour of the substance is very pale cream and the surface has a pale sheen to it. This is how the body butter looked like:

Looks like mayonnaise, doesn't it?  

The texture of the body butter is slightly rich, thick in consistency and creamy but not too greasy.

 The creamy and rich body butter on my finger.

To use the body butter, you would have to scoop out the goo according to your moisturizing needs and apply them to your skin (most best for areas like your elbows, knees, heels and any other dry patches of skin). The texture felt a bit rich just like any body butter would normally feels like.

Here's how the butter looked like on my skin before I spread it evenly:

Here's how the body butter looked like after it is slightly massaged into my skin:

There is a slight cooling sensation whilst I was massaging in the body butter. There is also a slight greasiness on the area where the butter was applied and it took some time for the butter to be fully absorbed by my skin. My skin did felt moisturized and soft after the rich buttery moisturizer sinks in. The body butter left a very subtle mango smell fused with a bit of sweetness to it but not too much.

I did a side to side test of the Bali Ratih's Body Butter with a TBS's Body Butter and found that both have the same thick consistency in texture but TBS's body butter has a slightly more softer & richer texture and it spreads more easily. After both is applied to my knees, I could feel that TBS's body butter left a tad greasier feeling on my skin compared to Bali Ratih's. The absorption rate for both body butters are almost the same and the greasy residue left on your fingers after rubbing yourself with the body butter is also the same.

My verdict: There's not much difference with Bali Ratih's Body Butter when compared to TBS's product but I consider it to be a good substitute for TBS's Body Butter for those who are in need of a body butter with the fraction of TBS's price. It could be a great gift for people you love and the price is easier on  your wallet too! Now, the chocolate flavour looks sooo interesting! I guess I am hungry.. haha!

Where to shop for Bali Ratih's Body Butter? You can find further information at Jac's website.

Ayudya Lulur Pengantin Body Scrub Review

Body scrub is one of the compulsory beauty routines that every woman has (and should never never never ever be skipped if you ask me!) I am a big fan of body scrubs because it's a great method to keep my skin healthy and clean through exfoliation. Over the weekend, I received a couple of body scrubs, body butter (read the review here!) and lotion (read the review here!) plus a request to do a review on those products from dear Jacqualine (thanks Jac!) who's retailing Ayudya Lulur Pengantin and Bali Ratih products in Malaysia. You can check out Jac's website here!

First off, I am going to do an honest, unpaid and unbiased review on the Ayudya Lulur Pengantin Body Scrub.

Ayudya Lulur Pengantin is a brand from Jakarta, Indonesia and has been around for almost 10 years. Some spas and beauty saloons in Malaysia do retail them and the scrubs are a favourite amongst brides to be (hence the name Lulur Pengantin which means Bridal Scrub!).

There are eight types of body scrubs from Ayudya that you can choose from:

1. Mutiara (Pearl) - to soften and brighten skin like a pearl (this one is the best seller and comes highly recommended!).
2. Bengkoang - for whitening and moisturizing (also one of the hot selling scrubs!).
3. Herbal Spa - to heal body pimples, mosquito & insect bite-marks and rashes, great for polishing dull skin.
4. Green Tea - calming, enhances mind concentration, prevention of skin infection and improves skin elasticity & firmness.
5. Avocado + Vitamin E - anti-aging.
6. Milk Bath (Mandi Susu) - to soften and moisten dry skin.
7. Aromatherapy Spa - relaxes the mind and body, improves mind concentration and removes flaky skin and other impurities.
8. Coffee Scrub + Lavender - has a de-stress effect, helps reduce cellulite & tiredness of joints, improves blood circulation.

These body scrubs comes in 300 gm refill packs, 1 kg refill packs, 150 gm jars and 300 gm jars.

For my reviewing purposes, Jac had supplied me with two 150 gm jars of body scrubs which are the Mutiara (Pearl) and the Bengkoang scrubs. The Mutiara scrub is said to be great for skin refining & whitening and skin will become softened and brightened like a pearl. It has seaweed extract plus vitamin E for anti-aging effects. It also contains the combination of squalene and olive oil to make your skin supple.

The ingredients printed on the jar label for Mutiara Body Scrub is: whitening milk, seaweed extract, olive oil, vitamin C & E, squalene, natural oils and minerals.

The other jar of scrub is the Bengkoang Body Scrub which is supposed to be great for body whitening especially areas like your neck, armpit, folds of your thigh and black nodes/spots on your skin. It also contains Vitamin E which is good for skin moisturization and protection.

The ingredients printed on the jar label for Bengkoang Body Scrub is: whitening milk, bengkoang extract, olive oil, vitamin C & E, natural oils and minerals.

The two jars of body scrubs: the left is Mutiara Scrub and the right is Bengkoang Scrub.

The jar is made of durable plastic with screw-on lids. An unopened jar is sealed safely and has to be twisted counter-clockwise to break the safety seal and open the jar.

The jar with the safety seal still intact.

The mouth of the jar is wide enough which makes it easy for me to scoop out the scrub paste. This is how the two opened jars looks like:

Two opened jars of body scrubs.

The colour of the Mutiara Scrub is off-white and the Bengkoang Scrub is purely white.

Can  you see the difference?

To use the scrub, you would have to take a shower/bath (shower for me!) and then pat yourself dry with a towel. Then, you can spread the scrub onto your dry/damp skin, then scrub the creamy scrub paste on your skin in circular motions until the creamy substance turns into dry particles that will drop off easily. The circular motion is very effective in helping the natural ingredients seep into your skin (no circular motion but more unorganized pattern of motion if I am in a hurry! Hehe!). Then you would have to rinse yourself clean with water (no need to use soap). It is advisable to use the scrub once in three days or once a week.

The texture of the Bengkoang scrub is creamy with fine granules in them:

 Oops! Scooped out a little bit too much!
The fine granules is almost invisible to the naked eyes.. (my naked eyes, I guess!).

The texture felt light against my skin and the lotion-like cream made it easier for me to spread the scrub all over my skin. This is what the paste looked like before I put my scrubbing action into gear:

Had to reduce the quantity of the too much portion scooped out for this scrubbing test on the back of my palm.

Here's what the scrub looked like after I started scrubbing in circular motion for about 10-15 seconds:

The scrubbing action took about 30 seconds to turn the fine granules and creamy substance into dry particles. 

 The creamy and fine-granuled texture had turned into dry particles. 

Can almost see a lighter patch of skin underneath.

The smell of the Bengkoang Scrub reminded me a lot of Lux Bar Soap (the white one) that I used to use when I was a little girl. The smell of the Mutiara Scrub is a little bit more subtle and has that light flowery note that I can't pinpoint (lavender plus some other sweet smelling flowers perhaps?). Both the scrubs have fine granules but the Mutiara Scrub has a slightly coarser granules in them. I can actually feel the difference between both scrub granules when I was doing the side to side scrub test with my arms.

The result: Soft and smooth skin. Love it! The scrub really made my skin felt supple and it left a nice subtle & soothing smell that lingers. Hmm.. nice!

Can't really tell from the picture but my skin did felt smooth and smelled nice after rinsing it with water.

My verdict: I find that both these Bridal Scrubs are great scrubs and can be used by everyone, not just for brides to be, including men! (I'm not a bride and I did enjoy using them!). They did make my skin felt smoother and clean after using them and the lingering smell is nice and subtle without being too overpowering. The best part is that these scrubs are highly affordable. I would definitely recommend these scrubs for those who want to try them out.

For more information or if you want to purchase these scrubs, you can visit Jac at her website.

My Lip Stuff Lip Balm Review

I was googling for information (as usual) on lip balms (yes, again!) and I came across the My Lip Stuff lip balm which got quite a lot of good reviews on the internet by beauty buffs. It got me interested, I felt that I definitely have to try it out.

My Lip Stuff (MLS) is created by Brea, a vegetarian who concocted her own natural recipe for the perfect lip balm using natural butter, oils and beeswax to moisturize dry lips. Her creation started out for personal use but it turned into a mini word of mouth business. She started to seriously think about setting up a full-fledged business to market her products after she had a bed-ridden pregnancy and had to deliver her baby boy prematurely 5 months into her pregnancy. Now, My Lip Stuff has become a thriving online store with the mission to create products that are skin, earth and animal friendly. The products are handmade in very small batches to ensure freshness.

My Lip Stuff actually have lip balms with over 500 flavours! I can imagine myself being dizzy just to pick a flavour to try! In the end, I decided not to be too adventurous and try a tube of MLS Shamrock Shake (Peppermint and Vanilla Ice Cream flavour). I purchased my MLS lip balm at My Lip Stuff Malaysia (thanks Cynthia!). Each tube costs RM12 excluding postage cost. Postage cost depends on your choice of delivery method either by PosEkspres (cheaper) or by PosLaju (higher price but more secured and faster). I chose to have mine posted by PosLaju, so the total that I had to pay was RM19 (RM12 + RM7).

I received my lip balm a few days later after confirming my order (really prompt and friendly service!) and I loved the fact that it came securely wrapped in bubble wrap.

My bubble wrapped lip balm.

The label is white with the brand printed prominently and followed by the flavour of the balm (you should not handle the tube with wet hands because it will cause the printing on the label to run). A tube contains .15 oz of balm.

See the flavour? Shamrock Shake is actually Peppermint and Vanilla Ice Cream.

The ingredients printed on the label is: sunflower oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, essential and/or flavour oil.

The tube is sealed and the cap had to be twisted to break the safety seal.

Safety seal still intact.

This is how the opened tube of lip balm looks like:

A newly opened and unused tube of lip balm.

The balm is in a usual bottom-twisting kind of tube found in almost every types of lip balms. The balm glides easily in and out of the tube according to how much twisting action you are making.

Twisting the balm out.

As promised and advertised, the balm glides very smoothly over my lips (I fell in love with the first glide!). It doesn't have that waxy feeling that is usually found in lip balms at all. The smell of peppermint and vanilla is obvious but not in a bad way. The smell blends very nicely and gave me a soothing and refreshing feeling. There is a bit of a tingly and minty feeling from the peppermint and the balm is quite tasteless. I would have loved it if it were sweetened with a little bit of stevia (blame it on my sweet tooth sickness!). The soothing smell and tingly sensation dissipates after about 30 minutes later. The balm leaves a nice sheen over my lips making them look wet and smooth.

Here's what the balm looks like on my skin. Looks like a wet patch doesn't it?

My verdict: I find that the balm is indeed very moisturizing and it lasts quite a long time without the need for reapplying. But I do reapply quite often just to smell the heavenly scent and feel the smoothness of the balm gliding over my lips. You should try it. It's really addictive! The sheen of wetness doesn't hurt either. This balm is going to be a favourite. I would definitely purchase this balm again!

Click here to go to My Lip Stuff official website.
Click here to purchase My Lip Stuff lip balms in Malaysia.

Update: I tried leaving the balm on my lips overnight and I woke up with nice and supple lips the next morning. Thumbs up!

Chili's Grill & Bar Restaurant Review

Earlier this year, my sister, her husband, my husband and I joined the Hospis Tresure Hunt 2010 and we received RM100 voucher for Chili's Grill & Bar Restaurant (among other vouchers). Since we never dined at the greatly raved restaurant, we agreed to go on a weekend when everyone is free.

We finally went to Chili's at KLCC and had to wait 30 minutes after leaving our name at the receptionist. We were brought to a table near the window (non-smoking section). We had a view of the pool outside of KLCC. The restaurant is quite packed with hungry people enjoying their lunch.

The menu was quite extensive and there were a lot to choose from depending on your preference for meat, poultry or fish. I chose to have the Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers (RM24.95) which was basically strips of chicken hand-battered then breaded and fried to perfection for the extra crispy crunch. The chicken was topped with Chili's spicy and smoky honey-chipotle sauce. The Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers was served with a corn cob on a stick and fries.

The strips of chicken was indeed fried to perfection and I really liked the honey-chipotle sauce which had that sweet and not too spicy taste to it. The portion of the dish was quite large too.

My husband ordered the Firecracker Fish Fillet (RM28.95) which was a grilled fish fillet (dory perhaps?) brushed with sweet & spicy glaze and garnished with red chile tapenade & sesame seeds. The fish was served with vegetables and rice.

The fish fillet was very tender and moist and it didn't have that fishy smell or taste (thumbs up!). The sauce complements the fish and goes well with the rice. For someone who doesn't really like fish, I find that the dish is delicious.

My sister wasn't feeling too adventurous that day and she ordered the Fish & Chips (RM22.95). The description on the menu for this dish states that this dish consist of prime cut of fish fillets fried in Chili's own crispy batter, served with home-style fries and tartar sauce. There was the usual wedge of lemon you'd normally find on any fish and chips dish.

My sister enjoyed this dish but I find that I didn't really like the tartar sauce (we usually disagree on food taste anyways.. hehe). I had once came across a very delicious tartar sauce but I don't remember from which restaurant. The fish was fried to perfection and also didn't have that fishy smell or taste which is good.

My brother in law wanted to try something different so he opted to have the Fajita Trio (RM40.95) which was tender grilled steak, marinated grilled chicken and spicy garlic & lime grilled prawns, served with onions and bell peppers. This dish was also served with three or four (I don't remember!) fajitas.

The grilled steak, marinated grilled chicken and spicy garlic & lime prawns

The fajitas and garnish plus the sour cream and guacamole (I think) cream sauce

The whole dish altogether

The portion of this dish was very large. I think it really was meant for three people to eat (hence the Trio). The taste of the garnishing and sour cream and the green stuff was not that bad actually. I had eaten fajitas at another restaurant sometime last year and I didn't really like the sourness of the cream. But Chili's fajitas were quite okay for me and my sister did enjoy them (she likes these kind of dishes).

For drinks all of us ordered Bottomless Fruit Juices (Mango, Apple and Orange) except for my sister who opted for Grape Soda (also bottomless). I'd say it was a brilliant move on her part!

The fruit juices were okay but I didn't really enjoy them since they were not too sweet (I have a severe case of sweet tooth!). The orange juice had a bitter taste to it. My brother in law tried to finish off the juice and wanted to change to Green Guava but the waitress always came and took his glass for top ups before he could finish his drink. He ended up drinking three glasses of bitter orange juice! Hehe.. we had a good laugh about it later.

For dessert, we ordered a slice of rich, smooth and creamy cheesecake served with a bit of strawberry sauce. The cheesecake was indeed very rich and creamy. The strawberry sauce compliments the creamy texture of the cake and it balanced the sweetness of the cake. Since all of us were quite full from the main dishes, we had quite a tough time finishing off the cake.

The total of our lunch that day came to a whopping RM189.25.

All in all, it was quite a gastronomical dining experience. I'd really like to go back and try other dishes but I think I will always remember the Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers the best.

Note: The portion of all the dishes are large! No kidding! :)

Here's the link to Chili's Grill & Bar Restaurant (Malaysia): http://www.chilis.com.my