Pantai Hospital Klang Pink Charity Run 2014

I completed my very first 12k race! Yay!!!

The 12k Route Map

After the hilly 10k TM Fan Run, I'm thankful for the fairly flat terrain of this run. I must admit that I was pretty hesitant about signing up for this 12k five months ago as I wasn't sure of my ability to go such a distance.

Okay, I know that 12k is really nothing to most other seasoned runners out there but for me, it is a BIG challenge. The only other option is the 5k but I've come to a point where I feel that 5k's are a tad too short of a distance. So at the very last minute (yes, I mulled over it for a lllooonnngggg time), I took the plunge and signed up for the 12k (while at the same time wondering what possessed me to do so!).

I woke up early today to go to this event in Setia Alam (I had no idea that it was that far out when I registered for the race). This event was well organized with plenty of water and 100 Plus provided at the hydration stations. I particularly liked the watermelon served at the end of the race. There were also many pics of me caught in action on camera!

Talking about many pics of me caught on camera, I particularly liked it that one of the photographers brought his especially well trained dog to the run and the doggie was just chilling out --- a pretty cool dog!

Johnson's Baby Lotion as Makeup Remover

Yup, this is my makeup remover. It's a product that has been around for as long as I can remember. It does the job without irritating my skin and it costs a fraction of all the other makeup removers out there. What's not to like?

Getting to the Product at the Bottom of a Tube

There is normally about a week's worth of product at the bottom of a tube which you can't get to unless you cut the tube open (this is especially true for me when it comes to body lotion and moisturisers). I used to cut the tube at the very top end of the packaging but discovered that this wasn't the best solution as the product left in the packaging would be exposed to air and then cake up.

So, in order to overcome that problem, I now cut away the middle portion of the packaging and then use the top half as the cover for the lower half. In this way, it stops from the product still left in the bottom half of the tube from being exposed to air and caking up.

Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes

Guardian had a one day promotion for the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes a few weeks ago. The value pack which consists of 2 packs of facial wipes were going for RM20 instead of the usual retail price of RM25. I purchased it for RM15 since I had a RM5 Guardian voucher. Sounds like a steal right?

A pack contains 25 wipes and since I don't use a lot of makeup (I intended of using it only to clean off my facial makeup and not my eye makeup) I figured that I could stretch it out if I cut the wipes into two and thus, it would last twice as long.

This is what the product claims:

"simple goodness...

2 VITAMINS

PRO-VITAMINS B5 AND VITAMIN E

0 ALCOHOL OR OIL
NON DRYING AND NON GREASY

0 NO ARTIFICIAL PERFUME OR COLOUR AND NO HARSH CHEMICALS
SO IT WON'T UPSET YOUR SKIN

Dermatologically Tested and Approved

simple ingredients... impressive results"

I used it to remove my makeup and followed it up with Simple's Facial Cleansing Gel Wash, which I have been using for quite some time. A few minutes after washing my face, I felt a stinging sensation on  my skin. I thought I was imagining things, as I have never had a reaction to skincare products.

I went through the same routine the next time I had to remove makeup. This time, I not only felt a stinging/ burning sensation, but my face was itching as well. You see, I started feeling the stinging, burning and itching sensations only after washing my face with the Simple Facial Cleansing Gel Wash. Maybe, it has something to do with using the combination of the two products one after another?

Unwilling to let the product go to waste, I decided to keep trying to make it work. So, the following day I decided to just use the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes and then rinse with lots of water. While this seemed to work out a little bit better, I still had the itching sensations. To make things worse, I had a small paper cut on my thumb and contact with the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipe while I was using it to clean my face resulted in my thumb feeling itchy as well, even after rinsing it with lots of water. Even as I write this review, I can feel the itching sensation, and it has been over 10 hours since I last used the product and rinsed it off with a lot of water.

I don't consider my skin to be sensitive and I am surprised of my reaction to this product, especially with its claim to be "Kind to Skin". Looks like this is one product that is anything but "Kind to Skin" as the Simple company would like to have us believe.

Apparently, I am not the only one who had allergic reactions to this product. Many other people reported similar problems, if not worse, online.

The Good
1. It's convenient and less messy than having to remove my makeup with facial cleansing lotion on cotton squares.
2. It smells fresh.
3. RM15 for two packs seemed like a good deal at the time of purchase (though not anymore now).

The Bad
1. It is certainly NOT "Kind to Skin".
2. Stinging, burning and itching sensations that can be felt minutes after using the product and doesn't go away even after HOURS of using the product and after rinsing my face with lots of water. This is definitely caused by the nasty chemicals in the product.

Verdict: Definitely NOT Recommended. Stay away from this product.

In retrospect, I don't know what got into me that day as I normally would not purchase something that I have never used before  in bulk. I normally would purchase the smallest possible packaging even though the unit price would cost me a little bit more just in case that the product doesn't agree with me.

Lesson Learned
1. Always purchase a never tried before product in the smallest possible packaging available. Better to pay a little bit more and be sure of a product's suitability with you rather than wasting money on what may initially seem like a cheaper price when bought in bulk.

2. Never assume that ALL products from the same manufacturer are going to work for you. This is one such example where I have used three of their products prior to this and have had no complaints.

I'm ditching the whole idea of incorporating the use of cleansing wipes in my makeup removal routine. My research revealed that facial wipes are one of the nastiest beauty products out there which are most likely to cause undesirable skin reactions.

I'm just going to finish my current supply of Simple products and replace them with other skin care products.

Research the Product Before Making the Purchase

I'm always looking for ways to not only save money but also to cut down on the number of stuff that I purchase and thus reducing clutter. I want to make sure that everything that I purchase is something that I would definitely use. I just hate to see things go to waste.

There are just so many beauty products out there and I just love trying out the product testers at the drugstores and Sephora. If I find a product that interests me, I don't make a purchase right there and then. I normally would make a mental note of it and do some online research by reading reviews on it when I get home. I find that it helps me make better decisions on which products to purchase and which to pass.

I think I have enough stuff in my makeup box for the time being. I have made a wish list of stuff that I'd like to purchase once I run out of the products that I'm currently using. It's sort of an idea list that I can go to when the time comes for me to replace the products that I run out of. Products are only added to the wish list after they have been researched online. In that manner, my purchases have been thought of and are planned and not made on impulse.