Anzu Oil, or Apricot Kernel Oil

I haven't done one of these "beauty" posts for a long time now.

Yanagiya Anzuyu is a top selling hair product in Japan. It is actually apricot kernel oil and it is supposed to be good for keeping hair moisturized and protected against damages.

I can tell why this oil is so popular with Japanese ladies. Having used it for a couple of months now, I find that applying a bit of this oil after I've washed and towel-dried my hair makes my hair smoother, shinier and a lot more manageable. Because apricot kernel oil has anti-inflammation properties, it is suitable for people with sensitive scalp like me. Most other hair products usually cause irritation to my scalp. But I've had no problems whatsoever with anzuyu.

If you read Japanese, the Yanagiya anzuyu website is quite informative and pretty simple to understand. Directions on how to use this oil and its benefits can be also found on this website

The only thing is.. I'm not sure if this oil is available in Singapore. It is certainly easily available in most drug stores in Japan.

Japanese Drug Stores

Many of my friends like going to Japan to shop. Especially my friends from Hong Kong.

Here is a brief summary of what they say you should buy :

• Burberry Blue Label (Unique to Japan, although you can find some parallel imports in Hong Kong)
• Agnes b. (Much cheaper and they sometimes have items only for the Japanese market)
• Shoes (all department stores. Buy those "Made-in-Japan" ones - the design and quality is good)
• Selected factory outlets are very good, especially a very large one near Tokyo
• Uniqlo and Muji (for their Made-in-Japan/ Available-in-Japan items)
  

Me?

I would just say you should make sure you go visit a Japanese drug store. Chances are you'd end up visiting several, like I always do.

Japanese drug stores sell a lot more than medication. Many of them devote a very large section to beauty products and cosmetics. Some even sell snacks. "Matsumoto Kiyoshi", "Kokumin" and "Sundrug" are major drug store chains.. but you'd find also many smaller ones in most cities.

It is the beauty products and cosmetics section that attracts me to the drug stores. Many beauty products and cosmetics are launched in Japan first before exporting to other countries, if at all.

Think SKII's claims to renew your skin in 28 days (or something) fantastic? Apparently there are products that can now renew your skin in just 20 days (or similar) found in Japanese drug stores.. at a fraction of the price of a bottle of SKII.

For me, going into a Japanese drug store is like stepping into a huge candy store when I was a child. There seemed to be an endless array of products and choices available. Deciding on what to bring home to try is most difficult.

I could usually stay in a single store for a long time, trying to pick out stuff to bring back home.

The better stores usually mark out their best sellers, though you have to be able to read some Japanese to understand the signs.. or else some Mandarin and guess work would also do at times.. Those are usually good to buy back home to try. Or you can also do some research online before going - this website (which I know also has a shop in Shinjuku) ranks the most popular items in various categories, including beauty products like facial products, bath products etc.

My spoils from Japanese drug stores..

And for those who are into buying vitamins and medicine to stock up at home.. Japanese drug stores have an amazing collection.. but you'd probably need a bit of Japanese to help you out there.

Hair Shop

I know him by the name of Ah Kam.

The Husband have been going to him for many years now for his haircut. Only Ah Kam seemed to be able to tame those unruly, slightly curly hair really well.

At first, I couldn't understand why The Husband insisted on going to Ah Kam each time he visits Hong Kong. When we lived in Beijing and he travelled frequently to Hong Kong, he used to try to time his trips so that he'd get to visit Ah Kam at least once every 4 or 5 weeks.

Last year, I decided joined him in one of his visits to Ah Kam's. Then I understood.

It is the feeling that you are in the hands of someone who knows what he is doing. Someone who likes his job and does it well. Someone who wants to make sure you leave his shop, not looking like you've just got a haircut, but just looking fresher. Someone who wants to make sure your hair is good and is not just there to sell you unneccessary services.

At least, that is how I feel each time I go to Ah Kam.

No wonder his shop is usually packed full.

Ah Kam's shop is interesting. It is located in a commercial building. If you don't know the place, it's really hard to find.

For one, it is on the 26th floor. And his shop has no name. It just says "Hair Shop" on the outside.

Once you step in, you see 2 sofas. It is usually occupied if you go there later in the day (Anyday..). there are about 10 seats in the entire shop with mirrors in front and the usual kind of hair dressing equipment - steamers, curlers and the works. All the seats are usually also occupied if you go late.

Ah Kam is the boss and the only one who cuts hair in his shop. His helpers will help to wash, dye, curl and do whatever is neccessary on your hair.. but only he cuts it. And he likes to cut your hair in this particular seat so when it is your turn, you move over to that particular one.

Then he cuts your hair.. in about 15 to 20 minutes, he's done.

But you might have waited for quite some time for your turn.

The Husband, being an old customer, knows the trick to not waiting.

"You either go early in the morning, to be the first few customers of the day.. or call in to make an appointment. But it is better go go early in the morning."

Once, I went at 3pm on a Monday afternoon without an appointment and got turned away by Ah Kam. "Full day - too busy. Come back tomorrow". I protested.. I'm leaving Hong Kong tomorrow! "Okay, come back at 5pm. It'd be better then." When I returned, it was an hour's worth of waiting.

So now, whenever we go Hong Kong, we'd set aside one weekday morning to go for our haircut.

My favourite mask

Most of my friends knows I like to buy and try out different facial products.

And I especially like masks. But I don't like many facial masks out there.

The rinse-off type of masks - whether gel or clay masks, I find a bit too troublesome. It's troublesome to bathe, put on a mask and read for say 15 minutes, then disrupt the reading to go rinse off the mask.

Those overnight ones are more bearable. But even my favourite overnight mask, Laneige's Water Sleeping Pack, feels a little sticky at first. And sticky is uncomfortable, so it isn't good.

Those facial sheets ones are the worst. Although many good masks comes in the form of facial sheets (e.g. SKII, For Beloved One), I don't like them because I feel very wet and sticky for that 15 to 20 minutes when they rest on my skin. No matter how good the results may be, I just don't feel comfortable when leaving it on. And so, even if there are good and effective, I don't use them a lot.

Hisamitsu's Lifecella mask is my favourite mask. It is a pre-formed gel mask, meaning it is like the facial sheets type where you peel of the backing and leave it on your face. But it is a gel mask, so it is not wet, sticky or messy to use. And if you put it in the fridge before using it, it is very cooling and comfortable. It does have a little wee-bit of a smell.. but it's a smell I can bear with.

Results wise, I feel that it is pretty moisturising, and is as good as any other facial sheets mask out there.

For some reason, I couldn't find these in Singapore anymore (maybe it is just because I'm ill informed). They used to sell it in Watsons. So, I often stock up on them when I go Hong Kong. But during my trip to Taiwan, I found they come in a few more varieties in Taiwan.

In all, I've seen the following in this Pre-formed Gal Mask series:
- Orange Mask (Picture below)
- Whitening Mask (Comes in red packaging)
- Moisturising Mask (Comes in blue packaging, Taiwan)
- Moisturising Clay Mask (Comes in grey packaging, Taiwan)

Skin Facts (or maybe myths)

I don't claim to have great skin.

But I think I can safely say I have reasonably good skin, thanks to a combination of good genes (Thanks mum!) and no make-up (Just lazy).

But since I returned back to Singapore, I feel my skin has become a lot oilier.

Which is quite alarming because blackheads start turning up on my nose.. and I start to think my nose kind of resembles a strawberry at times. Now, strawberries usually conjures up images of nice cocktails or desserts.. but a strawberry nose... is very yucky.

So, I've started trying out different skin care products - stuff I've never tried before, and starting seeing a skin doctor.

And here are a few interesting facts (or myths.. only time will tell) I have learnt:

1. Forget about The Night Cream
Source: Dr Hauschka

Shocking, isn't it? Apparantly, when we sleep, our skin is working to regenerate itself, balance oil production and expel impurities. Applying night cream disrupts our skin's work and our skin becomes less capable of taking care of itself. Applying a cream all day long tells our skin to reduce moisture production and results in a drier skin.

Change required: Use serum instead of creams at night

2. Good skin can still be clogged
Source: My skin doctor

My doctor has been complaining about my clogged skin, even though I protested, saying that I have no pimples. But having "good" skin doesn't mean that your skin is not clogged.

So, how to tell if you have clogged skin even if you have no pimples or acne? Telltale signs are things like tiny little clumps that appear at your eye bag areas, blackheads and whiteheads.

Change required: Use a cleanser that is "strong" enough for you, even something with AHA, especially if you have oily skin (BTW, he advised against using Fancl and Kose, which he says is usually not strong enough for combination skin.)

3. It's too easy to overscrub your skin
Source: Dr Hauschka and my own experience

Since our skin is no kitchen floor, we shouldn't be scrubbing it all the time. When I first came back, because I found my skin to be oilier, I scrubbed my face about 3 times a week, sometimes even more. But I found that my skin only got worse with scrubbing. Now, I do it about once a week, sometimes less, and I find that my skin actually improves.

Change required: Scrub your skin only as neccessary. Or don't even scrub at all if the products you use are exfoliating in nature, already.

4. Wear sunblock even at night and indoors
Source: Taiwanese TV program - 女人我最大

An owner of a modelling agency mentioned on one of the shows that even when indoors or at night, we should ensure we wear sunblock, not to protect against the sun, but to protect against UV rays emitted by halogen lights, fluorescent lights and UV LEDs.

Change required: Wear sunblock that is at least SPF 50 most of the time. (I personally think this is quite hard though...)


BTW, here's an interesting article from National Geographic about our skin - which is our largest organ and covers about 2 sq m on the average in area. Now, that's a large sized picnic mat!

Eating collagen to delay ageing

For a long time, I used to take Fancl's HTC Collagen on and off, with hopes to keep my skin supple and delay the signs of ageing on my skin. This comes in the form of pills, which makes eating it really easy. HTC Collagen is made from gelatin. There is no details of what that is made from but I suspect, it is from pork.

Recently, however, I've found out about alternative sources for collagen supplement.

One is Amino Collagen by Meiji, which is apparently a best seller skin supplement (at Watsons and Guardian, where Fancl is not being sold, so actually, is hard to tell which one is more popular). This one comes in a milk powder lookalike can. You mix it into your juices, soup, tea and whatever you like, it seems. The Meiji website lists some recipes where Amino Collagen is being added into. This collagen is derived from fish.

The other source of collagen supplement is Vitagen Collagen. Of the 3, this is the most convenient, since it is just a drink and there is no need to pop pills or mix it into other food/ drink. The only drawback? It contains 500mg of collagen vs 5000mg daily intake that Meiji suggests we consume.

I tried both and am currently using Amino Collagen, because the idea of collagen from fish sounds better than collagen from pig to me since I don't even like pork very much.

Collagen is a type of protein that connects and supports bodily tissues, such as skin, bone and tendons. It is widely used in cosmetic sugeries, as health supplements and even in cosmetics. Collagen molecules are large and hence most supplements, including the 3 above, sell the concept of collagen peptide (smaller molecules). And apparently, to improve the effectiveness, it should be taken with Vitamin C or other types of amino acids.

With regards to collagen supplements, there are doctors who will tell you not to waste money taking it and doctors who will advise you to take it regularly after some cosmetic procedures such as chemical peeling or laser treatments. So, it is really hard to say for sure if it really works.

For me, I have been taking it on and off for a few years now. I probably will never know whether it really works since I have no basis for comparison.

But for the sake of delaying ageing, I suppose having to mix some powder to drink.. or popping some pills every now and then, is not that difficult to do.

Interesting articles to read
1. What is collagen?
2. Foods containing collagen
3. How to choose collagen supplements

Red wine mask

I finally managed to get my hands on a bottle of this mask from Taiwan earlier this month. This mask was highly recommended by renowned Taiwanese artiste Big-S, in her book, 美容大王.

I've heard that there are lots of imitation products out there due to the success of the book, so when one of my Taiwanese ex-colleague offered to go to the clinic to get them, I was thrilled. They cost quite a bit so I got her to get me a small bottle (60g) for now.

When I got the bottle, I didn't feel that thrilled anymore.

On the rather cheap looking plastic bottle, the English translation says "Direction: Apply thin layer of the mask with a spatula to the face and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Remove the mask with a spatula, then, with adequate amount of water with sponges."

Remove the mask with a spatula? Erm.. the mask is supposed to be on my face, right..?

Very dodgy.

Fortunately, the directions in mandarin were much clearer, just remove the mask with wet cotton buds.

Keen to test out the effects of the mask, I used it everyday, for about half a month now.

And I must say it is good. I feel that it brightens my complexion and my skin feels smoother.

This mask is available on sale at this website. You'd have to be able to read traditional mandarin to navigate this website.. although... I don't really know if it delivers overseas.

But I've managed to secure my channel for future supplies now. It's nice to have friends from different parts of the world.

Tea Tree Oil

I always have a bottle of tea tree oil at home. It works best for me whenever I have those nasty little pimples that crop up when the weather gets too hot.. or whenever I return home from a different climate. My pimples usually disappear the next day. A really red and big one meant take one more day to go away. But it always works.

Tea tree oil also works against mild dandruff. A couple of drops in your shampoo is all it takes.

Hence, I always make sure I don't run out of tea tree oil at home. When a forummer from GCS offered tea tree seeds, I jumped at it. Not that I hope to get tea tree oil out of it of course.. just thought it'd be nice if the shrub gives out a nice smell for my balcony. (To be honest, I don't really know if it does... ) I haven't gotten round to germinating the seeds yet due to my travel plans. I was thinking of doing it in May, after our trip to Hong Kong..

But I've just found out that tea tree oil is a lot more useful than just for pimples.. Apparently, besides being a natural antiseptic, it is also a germicide, fungicide and insecticide! Rummi shared that it can be effective towards red spider mites.. so last evening, I took some chilled water, added a couple drops of tea tree oil and sprayed and sprayed and sprayed.

The smell of my balcony afterwards was like that of a spa. So much so I felt like spraying it on myself. And viola, when I woke up this morning and inspected my plants, I didn't see a single RSM. Not sure if it is 100% due to the tea tree oil, or the heavy downpour last night.

But whatever it is, this is such a nice spray to use that I think I'd be using it for quite a while yet.