humility at the cosmetic counter pays off January 17, 2008

Once you hit a certain age (probably about 30), there is a fine line drawn between you and the cosmetic counter girls. Their recommendations for buying eye cream suddenly seem, well, insulting rather than helpful.

Recently, I was walking through Selfridges’ cosmetic floor in London, hoping to see some new products when I was approached by a girl (I say girl here because she looked about 16) working for 3Lab. She (seemingly) singled me out of a crowd and handed me a sample of their ‘H’ Serum. I saw immediately that it was an “anti-aging” product and promptly marched off — slightly affronted — but still clutching the sample of course. (Rule No. 1 – always take the samples)

Back at the hotel, humiliation in check, I gave it a try. I managed to squeeze out about 4 days worth from the packet – and I mean squeeeezed out. I loved it.

3Lab is a relatively new company (2002) and this is its signature product. The “H” stands for human growth hormone, which is more commonly injected into the skin to improve its tone and elasticity. “H” Serum uses the first bio-engineered topical growth hormone and is considered to be a breakthrough product. Reviews seem to concur with this pronouncement.

After only a few days, I believed my skin looked and felt better. However my desire to continue evaluating the efficacy of this wonder product has been thwarted somewhat by the exhorbitant price tag (US$175 according to various websites).

Perhaps my pride can stand another beating and a return to Selfridges may be in order. I’ll be sure to skip the eye cream that day and walk slooowly...

3Lab products are available in Hong Kong at Harvey Nichols.

the skinny on body butter January 17, 2008

Butter. I am cautious about butter. It’s rich, decadent and heavy and should only be consumed in moderation – so what are we to expect from a body butter?

Body butter. Just saying it makes me feel greasy. I normally reserve body products that leave a shiny film for toast-tanned legs in summer time. But a recent visit to the cold, dry air of London has changed my mind.

I have been packing around a sample of Bliss’s Plum Body Butter in my travel toiletry case for about a year now, convinced that it would be too rich even for my dry skin. I finally ripped it open in a desperate attempt to combat the dry conditions in my hotel room.

The body butter was not like butter at all, at least not like body butters I have tried in the past (mainly the Body Shop’s version). It went on thick but disappeared quickly into the skin, leaving hardly a trace of shine. And best of all, the plum fragrance didn’t have an over-powering, jam-like sweetness  to it, like many other fruit-fragranced products do.