I b.liv

I b.liv in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I b.liv you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned
I b.liv the grass is no more greener on the other side
I b.liv you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

The lines above are from the chorus of Affirmation by Savage Garden. Affirmation is a song where every sentence starts with 'I believe' (but I'm using I b.liv, more on the reason later) because the song is based on his opinions in life. I happen to be a very philosophical person in nature if you know me close enough. Thus, I have a lot of opinions in life.

That is one of the similarities that Darren Hayes (lead singer of Savage Garden) and I share. The others are no doubt that we're both good looking, takes care of our appearances and gay. What? I mean we're happy. What were you thinking? Lol.

Let me cut to the chase, today I'm going to share with my dearest readers on skincare. Yes, yes it's damn vain and gay to use skincare (most likely coming from straight guys who are not aware that appearances are damn important in life) for a guy, but trust in me, all your favorite male celebrities use skincare products. Where else did you think Rain, Edison or Daniel Wu get their smooth skin and nice facial complexion?

All skincare, mates.

I do think, some of them might even have resorted to Botox or surgery (not sure on who, don't want to be sued for defamation). So using skincare products is the least you should do if you think you wanna care about your skin and face before people you meet keep looking behind you while they talk to you to avoid looking at your face.

Let me be honest with you guys. I haven't been using skincare products for the last 6 months. Now, you guys be honest with me and tell me if my looks have deteriorate? The answer is obviously yes. Sigh. Main reason was due to the fact I'm normally way too exhausted to apply skincare products after work and I always sleep late at night thus waking up late = inadequate time to apply skincare products before leaving the house.

As a result = ugly Robb.


Thankfully, the good people from Cellnique got in touch with me and provided me a whole range of products that could help me look good once again. Among the products I received are;

• Off With Those Heads
• Squeaky Clean
• Quench Me
• Got Me Covered
• Glow and Shine
• Leach Me
• Shrink and Tighten +
  

The names of the products are no doubt catchy and straight to the point. You don't exactly have to be a Harvard graduate to decipher what they do from a general point of view.

Squeaky Clean is a gel based exfoliating cleanser with beads. I personally enjoyed using this cleanser compared with the cream based cleanser which often proves too be oily on its own which I wonder if the cleanser makes my face even oilier, LOL.

Off With Those Heads is an amazing sebum gel that takes care of..


Nose not mine, I'd have killed myself if it is
Blackheads and whiteheads!

No longer do you have to painfully squeeze out your black/whiteheads as the sebum gel is capable of softening the clogs that blocks your pores. This is perfect for me as I am having some skin irritation, remember the rashes? Here, take a look.


They're quite nasty, I assure you. When I receive the range of products, I was so hoping that they would help me take care of my skin irritation. I'll let you know by the end of this post if they helped. Now let's get on with the products I'm introducing.

Quench Me is a perfect name for a Moisturizer if you ask me.


Got Me Covered is a very awesome product!!! You know why? It's a freaking sunblock + foundation! Shielding your skin from UV rays at SPF35, it also helps oil control on your skin.

Shut up! Foundation is important for guys too. Especially if you're a person who meets lots of bloggers. When the camera starts flashing, it's very unforgiving towards uneven skin color. Now that you've stopped judging me, let me continue.

Glow and Shine is a weekly mask which aims to smoothen your skin. It helps exfoliate damaged, scarred or unhealthy skin, to reveal the smooth, flawless complexion lurking within. Yes, all of us have a flawless complexion hidden somehow, but some of us didn't bother to bring it out, that's all. It's pretty easy to use too.


There, it's not that difficult for a guy to use a mask right?

Alright, alright. I know I looked like a freaking male geisha but what do you expect someone to look like when he's doing mask? You can continue laughing while I go on.


Leach Me is a moisturizing mask which performs 3 functions at one go: it moisturizes, prevent signs of aging, and restore our health glow. Keeping your face moist is very important especially when you’re indoor exposed to air conditioning most of the time.


The mask itself is filled with sebum which is very nourishing for the skin. At first go, it might sting a little for people with sensitive skin (such as me) but once the sebum works its magic, you'll feel very very rejuvenated.


Shrink and Tighten+ is a special product the team from Cellnique picked for me. It is special concentrated pore-diminishing night complex sebum which eliminates large pores, while ensuring our skin’s firmness and brightness at all hours. It works its magic in the night to stimulate collagen production, to make sure our pores will always be out of sight.

It’s most effective if you use it nightly and it’s pretty simple to use it too!

1. Pump 2-3 peasized drops of Shrink and Tighten + onto your palm.
2. Apply gently over your cleansed face using circular motions until fully absorbed.
3. Follow with application of moisturizer.

All it takes is a few drops and you’re set for tighter pores on your face and you don’t need to worry about your clogged pores anymore. In addition, it also repairs your weaken skin protection barrier as your age goes up (something we can’t avoid. T_T )

When I applied it to my T-zone, it was a little sensation due to the fact of my clogged pores and some sensitive skin, but it was all good when the sensation stops. After continuous usage for 3 to 4 days, I can actually feel that my T-zone is much smoother than before. In fact, when I looked in the mirror, I’m actually amazed with what it has done!!

After using the set of products from b.liv for a few days, here’s how I look.

It's much better than the first picture you saw above right?

I'm not kidding and I assure you none of my pictures are edited (except the fact that I added the texts). After this product test, I'm actually very glad that the good people from Cellnique gave me such a good opportunity to discover their wonderful products.

If you would like to have an opportunity to test their products why not help them a little and they'll help you back? b.liv is having a New Tagline Search for their relaunch this coming October. Just check out their microsite at http://www.blivskin.com/2micro/index.html and submit your creative tagline along with your personal details such as name, I.C. No, contact number and email to blivskin@nuffnang.com.


Wanna know what's for grab?

• The first 30 person who send in their entries will be given b.liv products worth RM200!
• Top 10 best taglines will walk home with b.liv products worth RM500
• Grand prize winner will win cash and prizes worth up to RM1500!

The contest is only open for Malaysia residents who are 18 years old and above as of 1 September 2009.

What? You don't know what a tagline is? Shame on you.

I'll give you some examples;

KFC - It's finger lickin' good.
McD - I'm loving it.

Now that you're clear, I wish you good luck in your participation in this contest. After all, the prizes are their very good products which will be able to help everyone's self esteem. Mine is already better after using them for a week.


Grateful that he b.liv,
Robb