Sanctuary Spa 12 - Hour Moisturising Shower Cream

Some Christmases ago I received a big bag full of Sanctuary Spa goodies from hubby. Since then I've been a big fan. I even "smuggled" some amongst our household goods shipment when we moved to NZ and OZ. Now that we're back in UK I've started collecting/using them again. So far I'm sticking to their classic fragrance as it was my favourite. I might try their other fragrances once I've finished my current "loot" (hubby's word for my skincare/beauty stuffs).

12 - Hour Moisturising Shower Cream is supposed to "Cleanse, soften and lock in moisture for 12 hours with nourishing shea butter, softening sunflower oil and protective vitamin E".

At the moment it's my most favourite shower cream. Firstly, because it doesn't irritate nor dry out my AC skin (yup: After Chickenpox still...). Secondly, because I love the beautiful scent - reminds me of spa treatments on exotic holidays. Thirdly, because even though it contains sunflower seed oil and shea butter, it doesn't leave a messy/oily gloop allover the bath after I've had my shower. Fourthly, because it's an affordable luxurious treat, perfect for credit crunch time. :)

Verdict: it's no. 1 on my list of "favourite shower things". Fussy me is still in love with Sanctuary Spa products, definitely!

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Sodium trideceth sulfate, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter), Glycerin, Sodium chloride, Sodium lauroamphoacetate, Cocamide MEA, Parfum (Fragrance), Tocopheryl acetate, Guar gum, Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Citric acid, Benzyl salicylate, Linalool, Benzyl benzoate, Hexyl cinnamal, Limonene, Disodium EDTA, Magnesium nitrate, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Magnesium chloride.

GROWN Geranium Leaf, Bergamot & Rose-bud Facial Cleanser

Recently I've been missing Australia in a big way.

Amongst many things, I miss:

- my friends.

- breathing fresh air tinged with Eucalyptus scents in Perth.

- Vegemite: it's better than Marmite, without a doubt! :)

- walking around Swan River and King's Park.

- firework displays on Swan River.

- the carefree lifestyle.

- the fabulous range of natural products available for sale there.

The other day hubby found a bottle of GROWN Geranium Leaf, Bergamot and Rose-bud Facial Cleanser in one of our many boxes in the storage place. I was so excited, it was like finding a long lost treasure! (Well, almost...)

Not only it's gentle to my AC skin (After Chickenpox, in case you forget. Hehe...), the beautiful scent helps me to relax and forget about my trouble for a moment. The instruction on the bottle says to "gently rubs between hands, massage onto face". Most of the time I apply the cleanser neat onto my face, with a tiny bit of water to make massaging easier. Adding more water creates more foams. I always do double cleansing to make sure that all traces of my mineral powder all gone from my face.

Verdict: it's gentle, it smells gorgeous, it works. What more do I want? (Magically being flown back to OZ... LOL... )

Ingredients: Aqua (Purified Water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (White Willow) Bark Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Cocamidopropyl Betain (Vegetable), Decyl Glucoside (Vegetable), PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate (Vegetable), Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (Vegetable), Phenoxyethanol Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), Rosa Damascena (Rose Absolute) Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Oil, Citrus Sinensis (Sweet Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Oil, Polysorbate 20 (Vegetable), Citral (Vegetable), Geraniol (Vegetable), Citronellol (Vegetable), Linalool (Vegetable), Limonene (Vegetable), Caramel (Vegetable).

Bristol, Boats, and Ships

These pictures were taken in Bristol, England, BC (Before Chickenpox). The weather was absolutely brilliant, sunny without being too hot. It took us about 3 hours to walk around the river area.
The one bellow is a ferry that has been converted into a restaurant.Below is S.S. Great Britain. Pity we didn't have the time to explore the sailing ship.

Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Cleansing Wash

Talking about being sensitive earlier, I'm still on my quest in finding the perfect cleanser for my delicate AC (After Chickenpox) skin, hoping that it might help the process of restoring my skin to it's BC glory (or even better, if it's possible...)

The words "mineral water", "aloe vera", and "fragrance-free, lanolin-free" (and the price) attracted me to acquire Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Cleansing Wash. According to the website this cleanser is replacing what was known as Boots Skin Kindly Foam Wash.

I like the new pump packaging. It reminds me of the Simple cleanser's pump packaging I had some years ago. It works in similar way: one pump delivers some cleansing froth into the palm of my hand. Apply cleanser on wet face, rub as usual, voila: cleaner face without much fuss.

With any kind of body and face cleansers I tend to think that squeaky-clean feel on my skin = the cleanser is too drying for my skin. It's not the case here. This one helps to control the oiliness on my face without drying the skin. Amazingly it also removes my face powder easily.

Verdict: no-frills affordable basic cleanser that doesn't irritate my AC skin. Happy using it for the moment.

I'll let you know if I still stick to my opinion after using it longer.

Ingredients: Aqua, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Sodium chloride, Sodium cocoamphoacetate, Glycerin, Aqua mineralis, PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate, Sodium citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Aloe barbadensis, Propylene glycol, Methylparaben, Sodium benzoate, Citric acid, Tetrasodium EDTA

4 Reasons I Hate Summer

1. The sun starts shining at 4am.

2. The birds start chirping loudly at 4am.

3. Result: I wake up at 4am.

4. Feeling tired and grotty the whole day.

(plus having horrible hayfever as a result of living in the countryside)

If anyone is going to suggest I use eye patch/black out curtains/ear plugs, thanks for your concern. No offense, they don't work. Reasons:

1. I've tried ear plugs & eye patch. They're very uncomfortable.

2. I'm staying at a room at PIL's house. Can't change the curtains. Even suggesting I buy and hang my own curtain instead might cause more stress to others and more relationship problems. I don't want to be blamed or be held responsible for any health related problems suffered by others because of it.

Yes, I'm stressed out. Very. Plenty of reasons. It's difficult to stay positive when people around you are being negative and not being supportive. I don't like it when I can't control what's happening around me. Unfortunately I can't seem to speak my mind about things that really matters. I'm gagged and bound by duty to withhold my thoughts, otherwise I'll be accused of all sort of things. Even when I try to defend myself my thoughts don't seem to matter. Once accused as guilty, always guilty. The people pleaser in me doesn't help either.

What do I do when I wake up at 4am?

1. Read the Bible.

2. Pray to God so things get better soon.

3. Praying for vindication and restitution.

4. Blogging, because I might wake everyone else up if I were to do other things.

Well, I have to remember that I'm a positive person, I refuse to be defeated and be conformed to negativity. Though it's difficult not to at the moment.

Thinking about it, actually I have a lavender pillow patch that I used in OZ. I'll try using it tonight, so I can sleep better.

P.S. One positive thing: thank God for my cyber-friends in the Southern Hemisphere. The time difference makes it perfect for "talking time". :)