Review - SK-II Facial Spa

Hello gorgeous!

Two weeks ago, I had the chance to try out SK-II Facial Spa at one of SK-II counters. There are only four counters that able to carry the facial service, Sogo Plaza Senayan, Seibu Grand Indonesia, and I forgot the other two (sorry!) But unfortunately, SK-II Facial Spa is limited for members only with minimum spending per year and it’s given as a complimentary birthday gift. My birthday was on November and luckily I was still able to redeem my spa voucher on February. So here I would like to share my experience in having the facial.

The treatment was done by the Beauty Advisor and I was greeted nicely by her. Before we start the treatment, she asked me to change my top with the tube top spa towel so the treatment will not ruin my clothes. All the products used are from SK-II and the BA asked me first which skincare range that I usually use every day. My skin love Cellumination and Stempower, so she used those products on my skin. She also introduced me to LXP range (it’s actually for 40 something) which she said can help boost up my skin condition during the treatment. Definitely an offer that I couldn’t resist because LXP range is the most luxurious range from SK-II hehehe

The first step was cleansing my face. She used Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil to cleanse all the makeup from my face and then wipe it clean with a washcloth after she emulated it. Then, she applied Facial Treatment Clear Lotion to tone the skin. We will not forget about SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, right? This miracle water was patted down to my skin to complete my skin preparation. 

The next step is the SK-II LXP Activating Massage Fluid. The BA massaged my face and neck using the massage fluid and it felt really good. This product is used to help your skin fight the uneven skin tone, dullness, and lack of firmness. Enriched with Pitera, Niacinamide, and Vitamin C, this fluid is an oasis for your dull skin. She let the liquid to sit on my skin for around 10 minutes before she wiped it off and continued with the next step which is putting hot steam on my face. The steaming process is to open your pores so it can be cleaned and your skin can received better absorption from the products. Of course after steaming, came the extraction process to clean out the pores entirely from the whiteheads and blackheads. We want it to be thorough, yes? The process was not painful since it used a suction tube instead of the facial sharp tool. So, it’s bearable and you will not shed any tear because of it.  

Afterwards, for the mask, she applied SK-II Skin Rebooster, a gel mask that will help to moisture your skin instantly, leaving your skin supple and translucent. After the mask is applied, the BA then reached for the Ultrasonic tool and massages it all over my face which I assumed to enhance the penetration of the mask to my skin. Then, she left the hot steam again on my face for 5 minutes. After it’s done, she wiped off the mask and started to apply the skincare routine such as serum, moisturizer, and sunscreen. And we’re done! The BA leave me to change to my clothes again and doll myself up before I go. 

It’s not a fancy facial treatment with cutting edge technology. It’s a simple and basic facial treatment to pamper your skin. If you are an SK-II user, you not need to worry that the product used in the facial treatment will give you bad reaction. I love how it instantly boosts up my skin suppleness and luminosity. It felt moisturized and translucent just like what SK-II always promised. I wonder if it’s because of the LXP or the Skin Rebooster. Those two products are now officially going in my skincare wishlist!

You could see on the picture that my skin looks amazing! No makeup applied, fresh from the facial spa. I could say that I have a happy and grateful face. I wish that SK-II Indonesia will open its Facial Spa service for public such as the one in Singapore, the SK-II Boutique Spa by Senze Alus. I read many wonderful things about the boutique spa and hopefully one day I’m able to experience a facial there. 

Thank you for reading my review, hope you enjoy it. Have a lovely weekend, gorgeous!

Cheers,

Stef

Unboxing - Sociolla Box February

Hello gorgeous!!

As we know, February is the month of love, a month where we celebrate love. How is your month so far? Any event or moment in this month that you cherish or grateful about? 

After a little hiatus on January to enjoy some downtime after moving to the new house, February is the time to step things up again. For me (and my family), February is a busy month. Pardon me if I haven't got a lot of time to update this blog. I have some projects going on related to my personal projects (beauty and sweets related) and our family project. And we have many things to celebrate this month too! There was Lunar New Year and Valentine, and next week is my hubby’s birthday and our open house for the family. So basically, it’s party and hustling this month hahaha.. But I’m grateful for every moment of it, to be able to share and spread the love (and enjoy some loving too from the family). 

Today, I’m going to share Sociolla’s love by posting the content of Sociolla February Box that I got a week ago. The box of happiness came in Sociolla’s signature pink box, unlike the month before (the sturdy white box). I wonder is it because of Valentine? Let’s see what March box going to be like next month to see if my assumption is right or not. Well, aside from the packaging matter, this month’s box is actually a lovely one. 

The first thing I saw when I opened the box is a pink cardboard with writing on it, Share The Love. Inside the cardboard, there are list of the items inside the box along with the description of the product, its ingredients list, how to use, and why Sociolla chose it. We did not have this on the previous box and I think it is a great idea! It helps us to understand more about the product and how to apply it correctly. 

Another surprise greeted me in a form of cute heart shaped cookies inside the box, adding more sweetness to this month’s box. As usual, all the products are individually wrapped in bubble wrap to keep it intact. 

And here they are:

Menard Exstretch Mask (full size)

Itsy Nail Wraps (full size)

Juara Clove Flower & Turmeric Anti-Aging Serum (2ml)

Utama Spice Body Lotion – Rose Allure (30ml)

Dr Jart Premium Beauty Balm – (sachet)

Five products total inside the box with two of them are full size products. The worth of the products is almost 400.000 IDR, definitely a great value for the subscribers. The one that interest me the most is the Menard Exstretch Mask and Juara Clove Flower & Turmeric Anti-aging Serum. Will do a review later after I tried them. 

Oh yes, I have another surprise for you next month regarding Sociolla. So stay tune on my blog to know more about it, ok? ;)

Have a wonderful day, everybody!! Keep smiling :)

Cheers,

Stef

Review - Frank Body Coffee Scrub and Frank Body Body Cream

Hello gorgeous!

Today I’m going to welcome February with a dose of caffeine. Last month, Benscrub kindly send me two products to try and review. I was utterly excited as the beauty package arrived at my doorstep. Not only because it contained a wonderful product, but also because the loveliness of the package itself. 

I actually took some time in opening the package and adored it. I gotta say that this is the best beauty package I ever got from an online store. The goods are carefully put inside a shoebox with a girl’s face picture on it and has a mica sleeve with a mask, so that when we put the mica sleeve, the girl’s face will look like she’s wearing a facial mask. Talking about some creative idea! Benscrub even put that box inside another shoebox that I assumed specially made for this new year due to the 2016 drawing design. It has lovely pink pastel and gold color. Look at the pictures down below and you will understand why I need to dedicate one paragraph just to elaborate the packaging for you.

Now, let’s talk about the products. I got myself Frank Body Scrub in Original and Frank Body Cream. Both are essentials for a smooth and glowing skin. One is for buffing and the other for moisturizing. As usual, any skincare that I am going to review, I will need at least two weeks to one month of trial. Why? It’s to ensure that I really feels the difference between before and after on my skin. Skincare doesn’t work instantly, it takes time to show results.

The first one is Frank Body Scrub Original. How many of you have heard about it? The infamous ground coffee scrub that claims to be able to get rid of dry and flaky skin as well as targeting other bothersome skin condition such as eczema, psoriasis, cellulite, and stretchmarks. 

I heard about this famous scrub some time ago and was tempted to try one, but since I still have some (oh not many, only four tubs *guilty*) scrub products waiting to open, so I attempt on self control and restrain myself from buying it. But when it came on my doorstep, well I just have to try it! Stat!

The scrub is packaged inside a brown paperbag with foil on the inner side. A similar bag you get when you buy coffee beans or ground coffee at the coffee shop. No need to worry about to move it to other container (you can if you wanted) because the bag has a sealant like a ziplock. You just need to scoop the scrub out (2 full tablespoons are enough for my face and body), put it on a little dish, close the sealant, and you can start buffing. 

 

I consider the scrub is dry, which the ground coffee is mixed directly with the oil instead of other liquid (water). And because the main ingredient is ground coffee, it doesn’t melt when it contacted with water such as sugar or salt, allows you to polish your body as long as you want without spending too many products wasted down the gutter.

 

The ground coffee chocked full with caffeine stimulates the blood flow helping the skin to repair the skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, cellulite, and stretchmarks.  Another ingredient is sweet almond oil (one of my favorite oils) which high in linoleum and oleic acids that promotes skin healing. It is also hydrates and nourishes the skin while reducing the appearance of pigmentation. A plus point is all Frank Body’s product is free from animal testing. 

The scrub is quite abrasive, and as such, you who have sensitive or thin skin will feel it’s a little bit rough on the skin. You might want to buff your skin gently at first to get used to the texture. I guarantee your skin will be as smooth as baby’s bum afterwards though. I like to shower myself with water first before I start polishing my face and body with the scrub, that way, the water can help the scrub slides better and will not feel too harsh on the skin. 

As for application tips, since the scrub is going to be literally everywhere and it can be a little bit messy, better to use it inside a shower box where the mess can be contained. I’m actually wondering whether the ground coffee will clog my gutter eventually due to it. Buff your body well from your face to your feet with a circling motion. Focus on your problematic areas or the areas that is extremely dry or flaky. If you have sensitive facial skin, you might want to test it out a bit before you scrub all of your face. As for me, I have been using it on my face for several times and all is well. Let the scrubs sit for 5-10 minutes. A little tip, before you start scrubbing, put on your hair mask and while you’re waiting for the scrub, you can massage your scalp to let the hair mask is well absorbed. Other thing that you can do while waiting is to polish the sole of your feet with a foot scrubber to remove the skin deadcells.

 

Buff your skin one more time before you rinse the scrub away and then lather on your favorite shower gel to clean your skin. You might want to wash your body really carefully because the scrub leaves brownish residue on your skin after you rinse them away. You don’t want to stain your towel brown, don’t you? 

My skin felt exceptionally smooth afterwards and even after washing it with soap, my skin did not feel dry. I supposed the sweet almond oil really work its charm. What’s great is my skin still feels smooth even after several days passed. Love love it!

As for its claim for reducing the appearances of cellulite and stretchmark, in my experience, it has not proven to be true, yet. Let’s just be realistic here, my stretch marks are 6 years old, which I supposed will not be gone within only 1 month usage of the scrub. And as for cellulites, the caffeine in the coffee will help the blood circulation better, but I still believe that clean eating and exercising regularly will do wonders in eliminating them (something that I have not done in a long time *guilty*). Will I continuously using Frank Body Scrub? Hell yeah, I will! Even though my main concern is not about my stretch marks (I already make peace with my stretch marks hehehe). I’m just amazed with how my skin feels with regularly scrubbing it with Frank Body Scrub. 

The next product is Frank Body Body Cream. Encased in a round wide short tub with the iconic brown font, this body cream is filled with a lot of moisturizing oils such as sweet almond oil, shea butter, and coconut oil. Frank also adds cacao butter and grape seed oil too in this cream, makes it a mean moisturizer for your body. 

The coffee scent is not too overwhelming and the texture is pretty lightweight for a body cream which makes it easy to absorb by the skin. If you are spending a lot of time in air conditioned room, then Frank Body Cream is perfect for you because it will help to keep your skin supple. I would not recommend it for you who have a lot of outdoor activity though, because the cream could melt and makes your skin feel greasy. 

I personally, love to apply it before bedtime to keep my skin smooth and supple while I’m sleeping. No more dry flaky skin when I wake up in the morning. Woo hoo!! My favorite bedtime body cream is Bliss Body Butter due to the coconut oil ingredient that is potent in keeping my skin moisturized, but the price is quite steep, so I’m glad I found Frank Body Body Cream to accompany my beauty sleep.

There you go.. my lengthy review on both products hahaha.. Hope you enjoy reading them and can help you to decide whether it is going to be a good product for you or not. Or have you tried Frank Body products before? Tell me what do you think about them on the comment section below, ok?

You could find these products at Benscrub, an online beauty shop that sells Australian beauty products. With their mission, to rethink beauty by presenting a line of essential that celebrate realness than to cover it up, Benscrub has stole many of Indonesian babes’ heart. You can find brands such as Aesop, Kora Organics, Sukin, Grown Alchemist, and etc there. Good service great product, I couldn’t ask for more. 

Check their products here:

Instagram : @benscrub

Website : www.benscrub.com

Facebook : www.facebook.com/benscrub

Until next time, gorgeous!! 

Cheers,

Stef