Natural and multifunctional skincare products | D'RAN wonder series review

Working for long hours with many meetings and backlogged administrative work create much stress and sleep deprivation for me in the past month. Not to mention my two cute boys who consistently wake up before 7am. These spell recipe for a skin disaster-- dull complexion, blocked pores, blemishes, dark circles, eye bags and a puffy unrefreshed face. What the others in the healthcare line will amicably call it as a post call face. The hot and humid weather speed up your aging process even faster unfortunately.

Therefore I'm genuinely excited to unbox these D'RAN Korean skincare products! All I want is good skin without much makeup on. That's why I only use and introduce you all to quality products!

D'RAN Korean skincare products do not contain mineral oil, paraben and alcohol which are common additives in skincare products. These may cause allergy or dehydrate the skin. For vegans and animal lovers, be reassured that D'RAN products are cruelty free, ie not tested using animals.

 

D'RAN Korean skincare has introduced the wonder series to tackle skin problems like mine. It aims to protect our skin from losing moisture and maintain oil balance, thus halting the skin ageing process. The 4 main functions of this series are: quenching dry skin, maintaining firm skin, brightening the skin and protecting the skin. Let me bring you through the 3 products I have been using lately.

D'RAN wonder hydrating cleanser

This foam cleanser lathers easily and cleanse the skin from impurities effectively yet is not harsh or irritant to the skin. Moreover, it helps to maintain moisture and pH balance of our skin. It's suitable for daily use twice a day.

The active ingredients are

-Argan Oil is rich in polyphenol, vitamin E and Omega 3&6. These are potent antioxidants and soothes irritated skin.

-Jojoba seed oil is similar to the structure of sebum produced by our skin in order to lock your moisture and prevent water loss from the skin.

-Macademia nut oil is well absorbed by the skin aka the vanishing oil. Containing palmitoleic acid, it restores the skin by maintaining elasticity.

D'RAN hydrating mineral mist

This facial mist can double as toner. The spraying action allows the active ingredients and moisture to penetrate into the skin. It's a great product in hot tropical weather like Malaysia because it also has a cooling effect. What's even better is that it can also be easily used on a face with full makeup on without destroying the look.

D'RAN hydrating mineral mist is made from:

-Alaska glacial milk is rich in natural minerals which also provides great hydrating effect to quench thirsty skin and keeps the skin radiant

- Hydrolyzed marine collagen is an important skin component to maintain elasticity. If you want to know more about the benefits of collagen in skincare products read my previous post.

How to use?

-For first use, keep pumping until the first spray was delivered.
-Aim the mist about arm's length.
-Spray it onto the face.
-Repeat as frequently as needed when the skin feels dry.

D'RAN wonder snail treatment cream

After cleansing and toning, it's time to moisturise and pamper you skin with this awesome treatment cream! It also functions similarly to a sleeping mask. D'RAN wonder snail treatment cream has anti wrinkle and skin whitening effect. It helps to fade scar, enhance skin barrier, restore radiance and moisture by the means of antioxidant effects.

The active ingredients include

- Snail Secretion Filtrate, although sounds yucky, is actually a great skin food containing hyaluronic acid, glycoprotein, proteoglycans, antimicrobial and copper peptides. This interesting article talks all about the use of snail in beauty.

-Silkworm Cocoon Extract is taken from silk fibre threads which contains sericin that is a great moisturiser as well as exfoliator.

How to use?

Apply and lightly pat the cream onto the skin at least every night before sleep.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

I always advocate the use of natural and plant based ingredients in my skincare regime. Therefore, D'RAN Korean skincare totally fits the bill. These are called phytonutrients and have so many beneficial effects that I have recently talked about in this post.

Furthermore, D'RAN products are multifunctional. Perfect for those with a hectic lifestyle who needs a good and simple skincare regime. I just need these 3 products to get through my day, perhaps just to add on a sunscreen as the last step before I head to work.

This is a short YouTube video of me trying out the D'RAN products. There's a reason why I don't like wearing my glasses. Look at the difference in the video! I look so much more matured and aged in my specs.

Want to give D'RAN Korean skincare a try? Head on to their Malaysian websites now.
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Eversoft multicorrective replumping serum | Home Tester Club Review

I grew up with Eversoft avocado facial cleanser. It's a time when life was a little bit more difficult and I wasn't financially independent. Eversoft was such a household name. The cleanser was both cheap and effective. Since then, Eversoft has introduced so many other products. And today I want to introduce you all to Eversoft multicorrective replumping serum.

Eversoft multicorrective replumping serum is part of the Skinz Timeless Youth series. It harnesses the power of phytonutrients using Japanese technology. The other products in this series include cleanser, toning lotion, day defense SPF30 PA++ and night solution.

The active ingredients in this serum are

- Wakame extract which fades fine lines and make wrinkles less visible because it's enriched with plant based collagen

- Ume or Japanese apricot extract which helps to maintain skin radiance and avoids dull/sallow complexion. This is called anti-glycation. 

- Rosehip oil which reinforces the function of skin as barrier and helps to lock moisture in the skin by the virtue of vitamin A and essential fatty acids.

Eversoft products are also cruelty free- no animal testing. They are suitable for sensitive skin as they don't contain paraben, alcohol, artificial colour or fragrance, phthalates and mineral oil.

How to use?

Best effect is of course when one uses all the products in the Skinz Timeless Youth series.

Step 1- cleanse
Step 2- tone
Step 3-serum
Step 4- moisturise

Eversoft multicorrective replumping serum could be applied over the eyes and face once or twice a day during step 3. A single pump is enough for each application. 

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

I love how I don't have to get a separate serum for my eyes because Eversoft multicorrective replumping serum can be used for eyes as well. It's light weight and doesn't burden the skin too much. The natural apricot smell is also relaxing.

Interested? Eversoft multicorrective replumping serum is available in most pharmacies/supermarket.

Eversoft website

The benefits of drinking tea | T3aLong review

Tea has been regarded in centuries as a healthy beverage. It's therefore, not surprising that many research has been done about the benefits of drinking tea. Freshly brewed tea, for one, doesn't have any downsides-- not much caffeine and no calorie or sugar. A lot of brews are considered as tea including certain fruits/flowers infused drinks. However, purists only consider green, black and white tea.

How do we differentiate the types of tea?

Green tea is made with steamed tea leaves and has a high concentration of antioxidants called flavonoids in which ECGC is the most potent. This has been linked with anti-cancerous properties, the ability to burn fat and reduce risk of dementia. Black tea, from fermented tea leaves, has the highest caffeine but is great for flavoured teas and instant teas. It has been shown to protect lung damage due to cigarette smoking. White tea is not processed (not cured nor fermented). Theoretically, this will lead to the highest concentration of anti-oxidants.

The caveat being we are still not sure how much tea do we need to drink to get the touted benefit. But it's better than none. Read more about the benefits of drinking tea at WebMD.

However, not all teas are good. In fact, the FDA has issued warning for certain herbal teas which may potentially lead to bowel problems, liver and kidney damage, even death. Read the labels and make sure your tea doesn't contain the following ingredients such as senna, aloe, buckthorn, comfrey, ephedra, willow bark, germander, lobelia and chaparral.

This is particularly why I only drink good quality teas. T3aLong hails from Singapore and relentlessly source the best tea from China. This is the place of origin for Chinese teas because the climate and geographical location is suitable for tea growing. The finest and purest leaves are obtained in a pollution free area at a high altitude near 1600meters at an average temperature of 10-18 degrees Celsius with average annual rainfall of 2000mm (The exact location remains a secret).

The tea leaves go through these following process- plucking, withering, tossing, oxidization, fixing, rolling, drying and finally roasting. How does one quickly know that T3aLong tea is of high quality? Only leaves are used in their Nanyang Savour Tea (not powder which is usually of the leftover after processing and is used in tea bags). So true tea lovers only buy premium tea leaves such as T3aLong from Singapore.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

I am absolutely in love with the flavour of T3aLong Nanyang Savour tea. It's just at the right strength which doesn't affect my sleep even if I have it near bed time. In fact, it helps me to relax and wind down just before that. The flavour is also balanced with a hint of floral scent, neither bitter nor stale. Even if after I steep the tea for over 10minutes.

The metal packaging makes it easy to store the tea leaves. Comes with a pack of desiccant, this enables me to maintain the freshness of the tea for even longer. Since I don't really drink coffee anymore, tea has also become a good companion when I need a good teatime.

Intrigued and want to try T3aLong? These are the websites. Quote yingzangel when you check out for 10% discounts!

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Popular Hari Raya food | Medical department Open House

Hair Raya is all about eating and open house. At least for me. Our very own medical department had recently held our open house. This means free food! These are the following popular dishes for this Muslim new year available at our open house. This is a month's long celebration.

Rendang chicken

This is a spicy chicken dish in which the chicken pieces are fried before then. The chicken are then slowly cooked with a spice mixture called pemasak (ginger, gal gal, turmeric leave, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, coconut milk and chillies). Rendang chicken goes really well with dahl  vegetable curry (brinjal, long beans, potatoes and carrot), achar (pickles of cucumber, carrot, chili, onions with mustard seeds) and crackers.


Laksa

These springy noodles go great with the spicy fish based broth and julienned cucumber, onion, lettuce and hard boiled eggs. It has a slightly sour and spicy flavour but the fish is not overpoweringly strong in flavour.

Nasi Dagang

This is a popular rice dish in the East Coast. Rice cooked in coconut milk that goes so well with a chunk of fish curry, pickled cucumber and carrots.

Soto noodles

Noodles or vermicelli (boiled or deep fried) in clear herbal broth (made from lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, black peppercorns, Thai basil, coriander and cumin seeds) that goes well with chicken breast strips and potato begedil (deep fried minced beef with potatoes).

Satay

This needs no additional description. An absolute crowd pleaser, skewers of grilled chicken pieces marinated in turmeric with peanut sauce, cucumber, onions and nasi impit (rice cubes).

Cendol

Cendol is also a well known dessert consists of green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. Mixed with shaved ice, it's the perfect way to chase away heat.

Fruit rojak

Rojak basically means a mixture of many fruits such as mangoes, sengkuang, pineapple, cucumber in a spicy paste (made with shrimp paste, palm sugar, ground chili pepper and peanuts) which gives it a tangy flavour.

Raya cookies and cakes

A delicious selection of pineapple tarts, cakes, red velvet cookies, semperit and almond London.

Of course, we have to take lots of photos at the booth for memory keepsakes. So if you want to organize an open house, consider all the above dishes!

Korean Lunch | Daebak Cafe Kuantan Unpaid Review

It can be quite a rare occasion to have enough lunch time to enjoy a cuppa in a local cafe during weekdays. The task becomes even more difficult to have 2 young children in tow during weekends. So we were fairly lucky to be able to try these Korean lunch menus at Daebak cafe recently.

Daebak Cafe
Jalan Taman Beserah, 25300 Kuantan, Pahang
017-914 8747
https://g.co/kgs/rzkAAm

This cafe is owned by a Korean lady. When it first started up, the menu was mainly about coffee, certain special beverages, waffles and its famous crepe cake. So far, we have really positive experience dining here so we were really excited to introduce their lunch menu to everyone. 

The atmosphere in the dining area was calm and soothing. Great for a few hours of chit-chatting and relaxation. 

These are the lunch menu options:

Muesli raisin toast

Topokki 

Ramen and rice ball

Cream soup + toast

Smoked salmon salad

Kimbab roll

Spicy chicken rice

Rappoki noodles

Smoked chicken salad

Bibimbab rice

Bulgogi rice

Japcha

Croissant sandwich (cheese & tomato, egg& potato, smoked chicken, smoked salmon)

We ordered 3 different types of coffee. The coffee blend here is just the right flavour for me aromatic yet not too bitter or sour. Or what Mr husband would call as full body.The beauty of having coffee is that it's practically sugar free and only contains the calorie of the milk. 

Latte- hot

Cappuccino

Cold latte

In terms of the dishes, we ordered the following:

Topokki is Korean rice cake which is slightly sticky and chewy. I love how much the onions add to the sweetness of the dish and balance out the spiciness of the sauce. The fish cake and hard boiled egg complements the dish perfectly. The sauce if also of generous amount. 

Japcha is a vegetarian dish. Glass noodles with springy texture mixed with bak choy, mushrooms, julienned carrots, black fungus and onions. It has the fragrance of sesame oil. Even though it looks heavy, but it's actually quite refreshing and light in flavour.

Spicy chicken rice. I love how wholesome this dish is. An average portion of rice with spicy chicken strips stir fried with cabbage and onions. Crispy seaweed salad adds crunch to it. And it also comes with a sunny side up egg. 

Of course we have to try their signature crepe cake. My favorite is the original flavor but only matcha was available that day. The green tea is surprisingly good and not too sweet. The cake was light and the layers add texture. 

Overall our verdict is 8/10! Lovely cafe with great food and coffee. Although we would love more meat in the food though :p 

Comprehensive skincare | Dr Eslee product review

Dr Eslee is founded by Prof Lee from Korea. We are so lucky that it's now available in Malaysia as well. It's a skincare brand made and also used by doctors. It's in fact currently sold in more than 670 dermatology clinics. Dr Eslee's products also embrace the principles of evidence based medicine which only uses the most effective ingredients proven by relentless research.

Dr Eslee's products are made of eco-friendly phytonutrients. These ingredients are plant based and sourced from quality suppliers all around the world. Read more about the power of phytonutrients in my previous post here. Not only do phytonutrients make good supplements, but they are also great skinfood. Of course, the products are also free from potential allergens like parabens, SLS/SLES, chemical UV absorbers and artificial fragrances.

Let me bring you through the step by step way of complete skincare using Dr Eslee products. Note that the following products are useful for people who have combination skin like me. I have dry face. Yet my T zone is often oily with clogged pores causing acne and blemishes.

1. Cleanse/exfoliate
-Wash foam
-Enzyme wash doubles as face cleanser and as scrub if less water is used. Suitable to be used 2-3 times a week

2. Tone
-AC skin lotion is a convenient 3 in 1 product (toner, moisturiser & skin colour toning)

3. Anti acne
- Intensive care gel applied on the blemish

4. Moisturize
-Enriched water gel
-Hydra emulsion or drynix lotion (oil based moisturiser)seal skin moisture off

5. Sun protection
- Physical Sunscreen contains SPF50 which is more than enough to protect our skin from photoaging

6. Conceal
-Intensive blemish balm functions to reduce scar appearance and acts as foundation with UV protection

Besides this, Dr Eslee also has different range of skincare for various skin types- oily, dry, combination, aging and lastly sensitive/eczema prone skin. One can either purchase the products in their normal sizes or just in cute sachets like the ones I show in the photos. Excellent size for traveling. Each sachet is conveniently packed for single use.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

Dr Eslee's products provide a complete solution for almost all skin problems. If you go through their website, they also include many useful advice for skincare tailored to skin types. It's not just skin deep! If you are like me, with no time for so many skincare steps, Dr Eslee also has products that are multifunctional.

Being a doctor, I fully realised how important it is to put evidence based medicine into my daily practice. And Dr Eslee is exactly following the same philosophy. This makes me trust the products even more. Made of natural plant based ingredients, I don't need to worry about possible allergic reactions.

Interested to find out more?

Dr Eslee Official website
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As my readers, quote NJQFJH to get 20% off your first purchase! 

Getting Phytonutrients using Natural Plant Extract |Bio-Nutricia Extract Product Review

As our healthcare system improves its service, people are living longer and healthier. So non infectious diseases or what we call lifestyle diseases are becoming more and more common. The 3 highs such as high sugar (type 2 diabetes mellitus), high blood pressure and high cholesterol become the main concern. Therefore, the mainstay of the treatment being a good diet rich in vegetables and fruits. This is also what is more technically called as phytonutrients.

Phytonutrients or plant food is a more complete way to 'supplement' our diet instead of individual minerals or vitamins. This is because various research has shown the significant benefit of consuming whole food. Examples of phytonutrients include carotenoids, flavonoids, resveratrol and phytoestrogens. To understand more about phytonutrients, read this interesting article on WebMD.

However promising the research results may seem, please note that phytonutrients do not and cannot fully substitute the need for proper medication and follow up in most patients. But they can be useful and safe adjuncts. Many studies have been done but mostly not in huge numbers (less than a hundred subjects), use animal models or only deal with molecular structures.

Therefore, it can be difficult to determine how great the effect is, the dose required and whether the result can be generalised to the whole population. On the contrary, medications are tested in at least thousands of patients in terms of efficacy and safety before it's widely used.

Bionutriciae natural plant extract concentrates are produced with the most stringent standards using fresh leaves. It aims to preserve freshness yet to save the trouble of extracting the juice manually in the kitchen which often requires long hours of cooking and multiple tedious steps. This is very useful for full-time working mothers like me who want to put good quality food on the table using the least time. We are talking about dinner ready in 30-60minutes.

There are 4 main plant extracts available- Pandan, Butterfly Pea Flower, Roselle Hibiscus and Lemongrass. These products fulfill quality food production standards such as GMP, FDA and HACCP. Read about these quality assurance bodies in my previous post here.

Fresh Natural Pandan Extract Concentrate

Our Pandan Barley Soup makes a refreshing and healthy afternoon tea whether served cold or hot.

Pandan as known as vanilla of the East, is no stranger to most Asian kitchens. It's widely used in many dishes and desserts for it's attractive green colour and fragrant smell as well as flavour.

Containing many flavanoid compounds, pandan neutralizes acidic pH found in kidney diseases, has anti-oxidant properties, detoxification properties,  improves stamina and boosts energy levels. It may also prevent surging in blood sugar levels, reduces risk of depression and anxiety. 

Fresh Natural Butterfly Pea Flower Extract Concentrate

Homemade blue rice makes it more appetizing.

Butterfly Pea Flower gives an attractive blue colour from anthocyanin phytonutrient. When added with some acid such as a squeeze of lemon, the colour turns from midnight blue to violet then pink. It is a popular tea/beverage in Malaysia, Thailand , Indonesia and Philippines. Certain food such as pulut inti, nasi kerabu and nyonya dumplings uses Butterfly Pea Flower aka Bunga Telang as natural colouring. 

Not only is this visually pleasing, but it also contains water soluble anthocyanins which has antioxidant properties as well as the ability of enhancing vision,  reducing inflammation, controlling blood sugar, reducing the risk of heart attacks and preventing cancer formation. 

Fresh Natural Roselle Hibiscus Extract Concentrate

Sponge cake in progress with Roselle swirl baked by my mom.

Roselle aka Red Sorell has been traditionally used to treat urinary tract infections, cold and hangovers. It can also be made into beverage or jam. As the color remains stable with high heat, it is widely used in pastry baking as well.

Roselle is high in Vitamin C, anthocyanin which gives its brilliant red hue. It also has antioxidants and lowers starch absorption which helps in weight loss. 

Fresh Natural Lemongrass Extract Concentrate

Flavoursome home cooked curry laksa 

Beside being used in cooking curries, tomyam, soup and laksa, lemongrass can also be drank as tea. It can also be found in essential oils especially to repel insects and mosquitoes.

Lemongrass is high in citral which is the key of its flavor and smell. The phenolic and flavanoid compounds in lemongrass are strong antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. It can also lower cholesterol and sugar. 


What does Dr Yingzangel think?

I have two young children at home and it can be a real struggle to get them to take their fruits and vegetables. However, these natural plant extracts have such great flavours and interesting colour that makes preparing food and consuming them so much fun. I often get my eldest to be involved in preparing his own meal so he really appreciates the whole process and gain some skills necessary for basic survival. Not only did we drink the extracts on their own, we also add them to our food as depicted above -- my boy really thinks it's magic!

Interested?
Bionutriciae Official Website
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