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The Nécessaire Body Care Review

October 2, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello, darlings! Happy Fall to you all. Starting to feel the chill? I’m starting to fall for Fall, even though I know I’m still wishing for Summer days. What are you hoping for this coming season? Any Fall pictorial plans?

Le’ts start this season with some exciting body care reviews. Let’s talk about this very interesting brand that I’ve been eyeing for some time. This is one of those brands that belong to the category of “Instagram Made Me Try It”, LOL :-). Haven’t y’all did? I know…right.. So, let’s talk about The Nécessaire Body Care products. Familiar much?

I have been longing to try this brand because I see their stuff everywhere on Insta. Everyone seems to be loving and raving this brand’s products and that sparked my curiosity. For starters, I really like their packaging. For me, their large tubes look sleek and have a nice and cool minimalistic flair. Theirs are the kinds of packaging I would do if I have to design my own skincare brand – simple and sleek.

So, here are my thoughts about The Nécessaire’s body wash, body exfoliator, and body lotion.

The Body Wash – For most of Nécessaire’s products, they come in three different types: fragrance-free, sandalwood, and eucalyptus. I picked the sandalwood scent out of curiosity and I really really love it. The scent is earthy and fresh, and the body wash itself foams very well. This is a daily multi-vitamin body wash with essential oils that are perfect for any skin type. I really like that this is made of clean ingredients and this feels really mild on the skin. For me, this doesn’t feel very stripping. In fact, this feels quite moisturizing. Using this feels so good as if giving me that spa-like experience. I find that this is quite softening and this gives me that relaxing feel. I also like the design of the tube, which makes it easy to dispense the product.

The Body Exfoliator – This exfoliator is also available in fragrance-free, sandalwood, and eucalyptus scents. I personally picked the eucalyptus because I wanted an exfoliator that is invigorating. I can definitely say that this exfoliator fits the bill perfectly because this will definitely awaken your senses. The eucalyptus scent is not very strong, but it’s enough to transport you into another dimension of self-care, lol. It has bamboo charcoal, AHA/Glycolic Acid, and BHA/Salicylic Acid which are perfect for a thorough exfoliation. I do feel that this scrubs gently compared to some other exfoliators I’ve tried in the past, so, this can work really well for those with dry or sensitive skin. Also, this is made of clean ingredients.

The Body Lotion – This lotion feels so creamy and so smooth. This has the right consistency and weight, which is not too thick and not too light. However, this only comes in fragrance-free type which is unfortunate, because I would love to have this in several different scents. I really like the way this feels on my skin because this doesn’t settle much on the surface. Even though this is fragrance-free, this doesn’t leave any weird lingering scent because this really is devoid of any fragrance at all. Also, this feels so calming and is made of clean ingredients, which is perfect for any skin type especially for those with very sensitive skin. Further, I like that this has multivitamins and is ph balanced.

Bottom line, I’m really impressed with this brand. Their body care products are worthy of Instagram raves. For me, their products are very interesting and I hope they’d expand to more product types and more scents in the future. Also, their products are perfect for that on the spot self-care.

Are you a Nécessaire fan? Which products do you like the most from this brand?

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Fresh Citron de Vigne Review

May 7, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

A few months ago, I reviewed the Fresh Beauty Lychee bodycare products, which you can read here. In this post, I will be reviewing another interesting Fresh scent for bath and body as well, and it’s the Citron de Vigne. This scent comes in candle form, perfume, lotion, and hand cream, among other things. While I have not tried the soap, candle, and fragrance versions, I do have a review of the shower gel, body lotion, and the hand cream below.

As an overview, the Fresh Citron de Vigne scent is what I call a good sweet citrus scent. It doesn’t have any acidic notes that you’d typically notice in most citrus-blended fragrances. I find it to be mild and definitely pleasing to the senses and has that overall Summer and vine vibe to it. When comparing it to the other citrusy scents from Fresh Beauty, like the well-loved Fresh Brown Sugar (which doesn’t smell like brown sugar at all) or the Fresh Sugar Lemon, well, the Fresh Brown Sugar has a really strong citrus scent which is very spa-like, and the Sugar Lemon isn’t my favorite because it has a really weird blend of lemon and probably too much sugar that it smells more like a popular toilet spray. But anyway, the Fresh Citron de Vigne is a very good light scent that is not heady and is not overpowering.

Body Lotion (10 oz: 26 USD) – This lotion is paraben-free, sulfate-free, and is mostly made of clean ingredients. Also, this has shea butter and Vitamins C & E that really moisturizes the skin while being lightweight and creamy in texture. Like most Fresh body lotions, this cream doesn’t sit on top of the skin, therefore, this gets absorbed easily. On top of that, this is not sticky and you can double this as a foot cream because this really delivers intense moisture on the skin and there is no need for reapplication. Once a day is enough.

Bath & Shower Gel (10 oz: 23 USD) – This has the same scent as the lotion and has the same texture as with most Fresh shower gels, which is thick yet very easy to lather. You only need to use a few pumps of the product and you’ll get a nice refreshing shower.

Hand cream (1 oz: 14 USD) – I would have totally fallen in love with this hand cream but I have a few reservations. While I don’t question the super-rich and moisturizing texture of this, as well as the wonderful scent, I don’t like the fact that this hand cream is really small. Not so much in terms of packaging, but more like in terms of content. It seems like the whole tube is only filled with half a product. Other than that, this cream really keeps your hand from drying.

Bottom line, the Fresh Citron de Vigne is a really nice mild scent that won’t give you a headache. Also, I recommend the body lotion and the shower gel if you haven’t tried them already, but I’m not quite sure about the hand cream.

What d’ya think? Have you tried these before?

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Palo Alto, California

February 18, 2020 / TRAVELS & PLACES / 0 comments

Every year or so, I get a chance to visit Palo Alto. It is absolutely one of the most exciting trips I look forward to out of all the trips I planned because it puts me in a California dreamin’ mood. It’s nice to see palms, pines, and lots of sun again.

On this trip, I stayed at the historic “The Cardinal Hotel”. It is probably the oldest if not one of the oldest hotels in Palo Alto, California. It has a charming old-world vibe with a quaint lobby and a vintage elevator. Entering this hotel will give you a glimpse of what it’s like during the old Palo Alto times. Just outside the hotel, there are lots of restaurants and shops to choose from. It’s what I really love about California, the varieties of things to see, the shops to explore, and the people from all walks of life, busy crossing the streets, just going about their daily lives, not to mention the fresh air in a very sunny yet slightly chilly early Fall. Yes, the Fall in California can still feel like Summer at most times.

Just around The Cardinal Hotel is Bistro Maxine where they have such delicious crepes and hot chocolates. I highly recommend that you try any of their breakfast specials because they’re all so good.

Whenever I’m in Palo Alto, I always make sure to visit the Stanford Shopping Center. This is one of my most favorite places to shop. I just love the whole laid-back vibe of this outdoor mall, and the decor is really beautiful. I could spend the whole day in this mall without getting bored just because some of my favorite shops are here. I love seeing Aesop’s unique store and Madewell has some really interesting styles that I could not find at my local Madewell store. The same is true for Sephora where here they have such a wonderful collection of Pat McGrath products. Also, the Anthropologie store in this mall is very fun to explore. If luxury is your thing, you will find several high-end brands here, and Neiman+Nordy are just around the corner.

A visit to Palo Alto is not complete without a visit to “The Farm” a.k.a Stanford University. As to why it’s called The Farm? just ask google, lol. I love the look of this school. It has a very relaxed unassuming architecture that gives you a sense of prestige nevertheless. Whenever I enter this campus, I think of the great minds that have been here, and also of the minds of the ones who are about to change the world.

Getting to Stanford University is a whole lotta walking especially if you came from shopping at the Stanford Shopping Center. However, the long walk is worth it because you get to stroll along and enjoy the view of the very scenic Palm Drive, which will remind you that life indeed, can be a peach. 🙂

Walking inside and around campus is like walking through a bunch of gardens, vintage corridors, and passing through bicycles after bicycles. Students bike a lot here because the campus is very vast. I would not have been able to survive walking around here if it wasn’t for my comfy APL sneakers that didn’t need breaking in and can withstand hours of walking in different terrains. The nice thing about this campus is that there are plenty of seats to relax upon and chill.

I concluded the end of my trip to Palo Alto with a nice dinner at my favorite spot along University Avenue which serves delicious Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Food. The restaurant is called Gyros Gyros and I highly recommend this place, but you have to come here with an empty stomach. 🙂

Have you been to Palo Alto before? What are the favorite spots you like to visit in California?

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