Pretty Nails in Bali

I was looking through some old photos when I came across this from my trip to Bali. I had my nails done on the beach by a local lady who used the sharp bit of a nail file as her only tool to draw ALL the flower patterns from scratch. Amazing. My only contributions? I chose the colours and I paid her very generously to do the rest. :)

Close up picture - a bit blurred thanks to my non-existent photo-cropping expertise... :)

Power Cuts, Burn & Crash, and Buckfast Abbey

Last weekend we experienced 6 power cuts in 2 days, leaving us feeling cold and powerless (pun intended). Hubby was bored as there wasn't any power supply for the laptop, good thing he has a wind-up radio to kept him entertained. I was using my reading light to read the TV guide for the week. Yup, pretty useless, as there wasn't any power for the TV. Next time when we have our own house I'm going to insist on having a bicycle-powered TV or a solar-powered TV or a mini wind farm to power the house, or something like that. :)

Yesterday I went to practice my cycling skill at a country lane nearby. That was the very first time I took my new bicycle on a proper country ride. I couldn't remember how to balance my shoulders. Result: I crashed into a bush, got my hands scratched by the thorns, the bike fell on me, resulting in spectacular bruises on my both legs. The "crash & burn" incident didn't deter me from finishing the 1km track. I still can't figure out how to work the gears, but I'm happy enough that I managed to go about 60m at a time without crashing into anything. I also managed to steer my bike away from cow pats, horse poos and dogs poos so I didn't have to clean the wheels. :) Hubby thinks it's going to take sometime before I could remember how to cycle properly.

That was my weekend adventures.

Now to Buckfast Abbey in Devon. We went there on our last break. According to the webpage, it's "home to a Roman Catholic community of Benedictine monks." The abbey itself isn't that old as it was being rebuilt quite recently in 1900. The weather was pretty bad so we didn't take many pictures of the gardens around the abbey. We had a proper Devonshire cream tea: scones with fresh clotted cream, homemade strawberry jam, and a cup of tea there. It was absolutely tasty! We slathered our scones with the cream and jam in the right order: the cream first before the jam, the Devonshire way. Apparently the Cornish way is to do it the other way round: the jam first before the cream.

The abbey is supposed to be famous for their honey but we didn't see any for sale in the gift shop. It probably has something to do with the disappearing bees in England in general. There was an interesting building in the compound where they sell different products produced by other Benedictine communities around the world. I would have bought some toiletries if I wasn't on "No Buy Challenge".

We didn't see any monks around, only fellow tourists. It was quite an interesting place altogether, you should visit the place if you're ever in the area.

Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator

I've been using Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator on and off since 2004. It's a product that I always come back to everytime my skin needs gentle exfoliation. It's especially good for those times when my fussy skin turns more sensitive and looks more rubbish than usual.

Let's see, what do I love most about it? The rosy scent, the rounded spheres that exfoliates without scratching my tender skin. I find that it works very well as a morning cleanser, too.

Overall, my experience agree with what Elemis says: "Hydrating Absolute of Moroccan Rose and smooth micro-spherical Jojoba beads very gently exfoliate, leaving skin silky soft to the touch. Gentle enough to be used daily, Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator is a subtly fragranced gel exfoliator, ideal for all complexions, including the most sensitive."

It's always a good thing when a product really does what it says. Needless to say I've re-purchased it numerous times, I can't remember a time living without it. I even took some with me when I lived in New Zealand and Australia (prior to Elemis' launch in OZ). :)

Verdict: my only dependable gentle exfoliator. Another winner from one of my favourite skincare brands.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Jojoba Esters, PEG/PPG-14/4 Dimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Rosa Damascena Flower Absolute, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Carbomer, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Tromethamine, Sodium PCA, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Red 4 (Cl 14700), Methylisothiazolinone.

Smooth-365 Intensive Clarity + Smoothing Peptide Serum

With a long name like Smooth-365 Intensive Clarity + Smoothing Peptide Serum and all the hype when it was first launched I had high hopes for this serum. Especially when the blurb on the packaging says this: "Results: Immediately: 71% measurable improvement in skin clarity in clinical studies. After 4 weeks: 3 out of 4 subjects felt their skin was velvety smooth. After 8 weeks: 52% visible reduction in lines and wrinkles in clinical studies."

I have been using this serum for about 6 months, minus the time when I had chicken pox. In general I like the way it makes my skin feel smooth after application - I guess that must be the silicones working. I wanted to love it, but discovered that my face doesn't like it. I persevered for a few weeks before stopped using it on my face as it caused congestion on my skin. My neck didn't react to it, so I ended up using it as a neck serum.

Like mentioned in my previous post I'm trying to deal with some pesky lines on my neck, so I've been watching it closely to see whether the serum does something. I wanted to see whether it really does what it says on the webpage: "Smooth-365™ improves skin 3 different ways, 365 days: Clarity-promoting extracts perfect skin tone for a more uniform, translucent complexion. Optical diffusers instantly, weightlessly and invisibly blur imperfections, lines and wrinkles. High-tech power peptides—in an effective delivery system—surge on to wrinkles, helping to ramp up the natural collagen production that helps keep skin firm and less lined."

Going by their clinical result claim, I'm with the 29% who couldn't see any improvement of "skin clarity", whatever that means. Obviously my skin isn't going translucent as I can't see the inner parts of my neck, to my relief, as I don't want to be known as "the lady with the transparent neck"!! Though I could be famous if I were to have a transparent neck. LOL.

Back to the topic. I'm also with the 48% who couldn't see any reduction in lines. The lines on my neck are still as visible as my Flamingo coloured toes. Therefore I conclude that this serum does nothing for my skin. My conclusion is backed up by an almost empty bottle of serum as the result of 6 months "private trial" - sponsored only by myself. :)

Would I like to receive a year's supply of this serum for free? No, thanks, I'd rather receive a year's supply of Godiva chocolates.

Verdict: it doesn't work for me.

Disclaimer: no animals harmed during my private trial, no offense intended. I can't be held responsible for any grieve caused by wanting to eat posh chocolates after reading this post.

Boredom Brings Beauty

Grubby hand and grubby foot out in the midday sun with my latest toy: Barry M Vivid Purple - NP161. The sun makes the purple looks bluer than what it actually is.

P.S. I forgotten that I also used a blue-ish photo effect to make the picture a bit more artistic. That's why my pale skin looks really tanned on it! :)