I was invited to try this new moisturizer that comprises of two ingredients very familiar to me… tho not in the form of skincare!
The first is CAFFEINE, which we all know is prevalent in coffee.
And the second is GINSENG, the traditional root which brings to my mind, old folk ingesting it for health purposes. :p
Who would have thought that the two would be made to go hand-in-hand to perform little miracles on one’s skin?
It all came about because Origins is known to go hunting the world for old wives’ tales on various herbs and plants that people of different cultures use, and then run scientific research on them to see how true it is!
Once they’ve garnered a list (of what i heard are THOUSANDS) of these ingredients, they’re narrowed down with further tests to pinpoint the enigmatic handful which achieve the MOST results.
And two of these ingredients out of the THOUSANDS they’ve researched have ended up being… caffeine and ginseng!
Panax Ginseng is known to help strengthen and eliminate visible signs of fatigue;
while caffeine is a powerful anti-irritant.
Together, they’ve been included into Origins’ latest product called GinZing™ Energy-boosting Moisturizer, to “wake up” tired, dull skin.
I don’t know about you but after all these late nights working+partying and morning meetings+errands, i’m open to all the help i can get to look LESS TIRED without having to cheat with make up all the time!
I love the design of the jar (packaging means a lot to me) as it’s humble yet contemporary. I think it really signifies Origins’ tagline – Powered by Nature, Proven by Science – cos all their ingredients are focused on those found in nature, yet they have its benefits backed up by scientific research. Best of both worlds!
The consistency of the moisturizer is a unique gel formula that i personally feel has the texture between a gel and cream. It glides on real smooth and isn’t greasy in the least, but the most amazing thing i noticed about it is how FAST it absorbs.
Seriously, by the time i rubbed the moisturizer unto the back my hand and picked up the camera to take a picture of it, it was GONE.
You can’t even see any light reflecting on it cos it absorbed so fast!
One of the Origins ladies told me how a couple of women returned to buy their second jar of the GinZing™ Energy-boosting Moisturizer despite having just bought the first a month prior cos they applied too much onto their faces — it absorbed so quickly that they weren’t used to it and thought it wasn’t enough! I can believe that story now after applying it unto myself. I’ve been ever so tempted to apply more and more tho i know i already put a fair bit!
The fragrance of the moisturizer is lovely — it’s a calming combination of:
Spearmint Oil – to encourage energy
Grapefruit Oil – an uplifting aroma that also imparts clinically proven anti-irritancy benefits
Lemon Oil – a citrus fragrance known to help dispel mental fatigue and increase concentration and awareness
Scent is a very important part of Origins’ products as they believe in a holistic approach to skincare.
Not only should it help you on the outer areas of your body, but from the inner as well i.e. emotionally!
This is me after i’ve just applied the GinZing™ Energy-boosting Moisturizer, i’ve been trying it for a week now and it really makes the light shine somewhat differently on my face.
I later read up that Olives included in the mixture provide oil-free hydration while creating a translucent ‘glow’ to the skin. Dull skin cells are also removed with Chestnut Seed.
This moisturizer is Origins’ big pride and joy right now, with it being splashed all over their storefronts:
I was in the Gardens store to get my moisturizer the other day
They’ve got these fun charts explaining the origin of their products.
(Btw, all Origins products are formulated WITHOUT parabens, animal ingredients, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, PAGA, petrolatum, paraffin, or DEA. All products are tested on a volunteer panels.)
Remember the Panax Ginseng and Caffeine i mentioned earlier? Well, it optimizes cellular energy to help keep skin conditioned while Olive, Wheat and Barley replenish moisture reserves and build a dewy barrier. Dry and flaky layers of skin are removed to reveal radiant and energized skin.
Proven by science to boost skin’s radiance, improve hydration, and smoothen skin; i was really surprised that a 50ml jar of the moisturizer is only retailing for RM100.
I thought it’d be more, considering the standard and type of product it is. Apparently they want it to be affordable for all women!
What’s real cute is their Double Espresso offer… where you get caffeine for your skin AND under eyes at a promotional price.
Origins is available at:
The Gardens Mid Valley
Metrojaya Mid Valley
Isetan KLCC
Isetan 1 Utama
Parkson 1 Utama
Parkson Pavilion
Parkson Setia City Mall
Parkson Gurney Plaza Penang
Queensbay Mall Penang
Aeon Tebrau City JB
Do you remember that blogpost i wrote about when Lucas proposed to Helo?
We were all really looking forward to the wedding that was gonna happen on a little island off Terengganu… it was gonna be the wedding of the year (for us)!
Over the past six months,
I followed Helo on a couple of dress-hunting expeditions,
i bought a dress that was the exact tone i wanted according to their theme,
French friends and family flew in from Europe for a few weeks,
the ones in Malaysia all took leave,
we paid for all our rooms rather excitedly so we would be next to each other,
a group of us borrowed an MPV so we could travel together on Friday morning…
Then we read a message on Thursday morning, that Lucas got into a car accident.
At first we all thought it wasn’t serious and wondered on our whatsapp group chat whether the wedding was still going to take place… then as we got bits and bobs of worrying news throughout the day (Thursday was a nail-biting day for everyone, but definitely much worse for Lucas, Helo and the family) we knew for sure on Thursday evening that the wedding wasn’t gonna happen.
We were supposed to leave for Kuantan on Friday morning, and all of us had taken leave,
so instead of moping around at home and staring at our work,
we all went over to Cammy + Kenny’s place to spend time with each other, talk, and make Lucas a giant card.
Saturday was the first time we went to visit him, which is when we heard exactly what happened from him.
This isn’t a blogpost to tell you what a terrible thing happened to them and lament about it.
I really wanted to write this cos i was so shocked and angry at how things turned out after the accident itself.
To start from the beginning, Lucas and his father were gonna drive his MyVi to Kuantan. For the first three hours, Lucas drove. Then they stopped for a coffee and his dad insisted he drive, and Lucas said ok. It was just a VERY bad unlucky thing to happen that his dad fell asleep at the wheel while Lucas was also asleep next to him.
Anyway, the car hit against the divider then rolled multiple times on its side. When it was over, Lucas got out of the upside down car and shouted for his father. All the wedding alcohol that they were carrying in the car had crashed and Lucas was stepping in broken glass… when he looked down he saw that he’d suffered big slashes on his arm… he thought they would have to amputate it cos he said he could see the muscle moving as he breathed. Crazy! I would have fainted… He saw that his dad was still in the car, and somehow… with his injured arm, Lucas managed to bend open the car door with his good arm. I’ve heard of how humans get superhuman strength in times of distress and shock, and this is the first personal friend i know who’s done it. Lucas pulled his dad out to the road, and saw that his father had two big cuts to his head and was bleeding a lot.
Cops came and Lucas borrowed one of their phones to call Helo to tell her what happened. They were on the phone the whole time it took the ambulance to arrive – 40 to 45 minutes. While waiting, Lucas took some shirts to wrap on his father’s head, and was slapping his face to keep him conscious. At the same time, he wanted to grab their passports from the car and asked the policeman to help him – either keep his dad awake or get the passports, but the cop did nothing. I don’t think it’s a matter of miscommunication cos Lucas speaks fantastic English and even some Malay. Clem said maybe the cop isn’t allowed to touch someone who’s hurt, maybe it’s in their protocol or something. Even so, i asked why couldn’t he have helped take the passports from the car? Anyway, we’ll come back to THIS later.
I don’t know how Lucas did it, but somehow he managed to keep on talking to his dad, slap him conscious continuously, talk on the phone to Helo, and grab her wedding dress and his suit. When the ambulance finally came, there was nothing in the ambulance except a hard bed. Not even the mattress type. There wasn’t even a BOTTLE OF WATER. I couldn’t believe it… Not only that, but Lucas told me that he saw the two medical attendants hold TISSUE to his father’s head and was like what the fuck are you guys doing and grabbed more cloth to hold it to the head.
I was just shocked over and over again as he told us what happened. I mean, seriously, even from WATCHING TV you know to hold a cloth to serious bleeding. I hold a cloth to my FINGER when i cut myself in the kitchen! TISSUE?! I don’t know what to say about the medical education in our universities now…
And to think the ambulance didn’t have WATER. Lucas said there was a tap in there, but they told him it was spoilt and there was no water -_- Fuck man. In situations like this it’s a matter of life and death, and the ambulance didn’t even have WATER. WATER. WATER OKAY!!! I am still not over it.
Story not over.
The ambulance took them to Kuantan Hospital, where i heard they were made to wait for a few hours before a doctor attended to them… AGAIN. Matter of life and death anyone?? Helo and Lucas’ mom said how there were flies everywhere in the hospital landing on Lucas’ wound. I still flinch even while typing this. I never knew hospitals outside the city were so impoverished. I somehow assumed every state in Malaysia would have ONE decent hospital?? I guess i’ve just been really IGNORANT.
Helo knew that they weren’t gonna get proper treatment/surgery there, so she arranged for Lucas to be transferred to Prince Court in KL as soon as he could. He finally arrived in KL at night, and had surgery the next morning – 24 hours after the accident took place. The doctor said something that chilled us all to our bones – that the cut missed his artery by 1mm. If it hadn’t, Lucas would have bled out… and as Helo says, he wouldn’t be with us today. HE is so LUCKY!!!
As for his dad, he suffered a brain hemorrhage and had to be stable enough before he was transferred back to KL on Saturday. We saw him on Sunday and the family said he’s already awake and started complaining… meaning he’s fine 🙂 He still has to do more brain scans tho, so we’re all still asking after him.
But the worst is over. Lucas’ arm is looking ok according to him and Helo. They didn’t want to send pictures and scare us.
We felt so bad for how this had to happen just before their wedding, and what made us even more angry, is the knowledge that they were robbed of EVERYTHING they had in their car. From the time the ambulance left the accident scene, to the time the car was ready to be towed, Lucas and Helo estimated a window of 20 minutes. In that little window, all the stuff for the wedding was stolen from the car. Helo went back to look for anything but there was nothing. The only thing left behind was some Vietnamese souvenir and miraculously, a pair of sunnies.
All their luggage with clothes, the groomsmen’s bow ties, the decorations for the wedding they bought from the Philippines (i know there were starfish, #%@* dead starfish also wanna steal!?), the soft drinks, all the cameras and video equipment, even the CARJACK was stolen. Lucas said the last he saw of the car still filled with their things was when the police were there around it, and there were some public on the other side of the highway taking pictures (makes me sick, how can you photograph others’ misfortune?!). So… i don’t know. Why don’t we all come up with our own analysis of how these things all DISAPPEARED.
I am so mad that some people can be so BAD… to STEAL from people when they’re practically dying on the side of the road!!! I NEVER THOUGHT people would stoop to this level! I figured only people in war-torn countries would be this desperate!
… I don’t even know what else to say about it. I just sat here stoning at the laptop not knowing how to continue. I am virtually speechless!
In the BIG PICTURE, we’re happy they’re alive. It’s just such a shit kick in the ass to know all your wedding stuff is ALSO stolen right after you just had a terrible road accident.
After visiting them to hear all the above on Saturday, we all went home with new reminders of what’s important in our lives. I couldn’t stop thinking about how GLAD i am that everyone is safe… everyone is safe, everyone is healthy, nobody’s dying, and THAT’S ALL that matters. It just JOLTED me to REALITY that i have to truly appreciate each day and person. We take life for granted so easily, what with the distraction of work and money and goals, i forget that life is truly about living. Oh man i sound so cliche, but all i can say is that that day, i canceled all my rsvps for fashion week, stayed home with Clem and held him close.
I’m not attending all the shows cos i have work i need to do from home, so i only went for Jonathan Liang’s show last night. I ffk-ed his last show at Publika cos i was caught up at work, so by hook or by crook i made sure i went for this one! Paiseh you know, ffk a fashion show… :p
Click back to read the full post later, i’m adding pix as i go along cos there’s so many…
Claudia, me and Jami. For some reason a number of us wore white that night…
It’s fashion week in Pavilion with the first day kicking off yesterday. I knew i’d be out all day in Pavilion so i stayed up till 3:30am the night before doing work! Felt quite dead in the morning as i rushed and decided last minute what to wear before running errands and rushing to the city.
I didn’t even have time to grab lunch and was dying by the time i got there. Free ice cream saved me.
#Word: The Cooler Lumpur Festival, is a multi-arts festival that takes place this Fri-Sun 21st – 23rd June at venues around Publika. Celebrating words in all forms, the festival packs a vast array of activities into the weekend, ranging from panel discussions to performances, readings and more.
There are creative writing workshops, children’s activities, and programs for lovers of art, film, books and ice cream.
