Friday, August 13, 2010

The Pampered Traveller







Hahahaha honestly writing this entree out, I'm laughing at the idea of the title itself? i can imagine myself hydro mask all on being ferried from one end to the other on board nothing less than first class while re hydrating myself with a special kind of mineral water from the Alps that you tend to avoid ordering in fancy places because u are afraid u didn't pronounce it properly. But back to reality its the opposite of the scenario. But why i choose this title is that I'm blessed to have stayed in many great places and choosing the better things in life to use ( one of the reasons why i work that hard )
Well getting to the point recently my beautiful banana leaf friend Nadia from Kiehl's Malaysia gave me a set of Kiehl's product that has yet to launch in stores here locally. this range is called the Cross Terrain range. Now, the name it self is already very adventurer, man vs wild like.. hehehehe and according to Nadia i should give this range a try because it suits my lifestyle as i am constantly on the go in and out of the jungle, dessert, sun, sand and the sea plus this range is 99.9% biodegradable, sodium Sulfate free and Paraben free its safe for me to use this range in the outbacks like in the rivers and all. Since i know how serious Kiehl's is when it comes to being
green (plus i have been in love with their products ever since ) i said ok lets try this out.


the four products from the Cross Terrain Range

now the range comes with 4 products which is Cross Terrain All-In-One Refueling Wash, Cross Terrain UV Skin Protector SPF 50, Cross Terrain Dry Run Foot Cream and Cross Terrain Deodorant. when i first got the products i tot ok looks good, then i started to read all the labels and instructions and following a pattern that Kiehl's have the descriptions is idiot proof but with a twist it makes you sound like captain planet and want to grow hair on your chest.
I'm not a big fan of products that does more than 1 thing for example a shampoo to me should just be a shampoo and not a shampoo plus conditioner in one because i don't think that the product would be smart enough to think for themselves and see who does what first is it the shampoo or the conditioners turn.. so when i saw the All In One i was not excited as i would usually be when i bought something from Kiehl's.. (usual case i would be testing the product the instant I'm out of the shop). After a couple of days i was scheduled to attend a charity event with this newly launched resort in Melaka called The Philea Resort and Spa. so i took the chance and decided to test the products while i am there. oh boy was i in for a very big surprise.


The entrance
a frontal view of the villas and the pools

ok let us first talk about the 1st surprise which is The Philea. when i first stepped into the resort the whole place just didn't looked like i was in Melaka anymore. i was totally transported either to Canada or Russia.. The Philea is a 5 star resort that is very new in melaka. its luxury bought to the nines.. The Philea gets Baki Zainal's approval because they reuse 8000 pieces of disused railway sleepers to make the fencing, 3000 trees were planted within the compound of the resort to shade it and gives it the green effect and they recycled wood from shipwrecks to build up the furniture in the lobby plus everyone of them had a smile on their face which i have to say many other hotels and resort fail to do so which one way or the other made me feel at home. i have a list of hotels that i keep returning to 1. The Andaman. Langkawi, 2.The Hardrock Hotel, Penang. 3 Tanjong Jara, Terengganu. and now i add on 4. The Philea, Melaka.. keep up the good work guys.. you can log on to www.phileahotel.com to find out more..

the front shot of my villa.


My room

anyways this time around while i was at the philea, i decided to give the Cross Terrain a total challenge as i refused to bring my other toiletries, the only other product i added on to the trip was my all time favorite Superbly Restorative Argan Oil as a moisturizer base for hair and body( and honestly it felt great not having to toll around a huge toiletry bag which most of us are cursed with when we travel.) let me tell you how the products fared.

All in One Refueling Wash

now as i said i don't like all this 2 in 1, 8 in 1 stuff, but then this one proved me wrong. i love how it managed to clean my hair, face and body at the same time all at once in the shower and yet did not even dry my skin out. with the right amount of foam it felt good. i love the scent as it has this fresh, mint, manly note. another one of my quirks is i would always prefer a wash that has bubbles or foamy to feel clean (i know its a mental thing) but this baby gave me all while being 99.9% biodegradable and Sodium Sulfate free and Paraben free which means read it carefully baby, next time your in Taman Negara this All in One wash from Kiehls is the ideal wash to use in the rivers.

Cross Terrain UV Skin Protector SPF 50

I am not one for Sunscreen or Sun Block, me no like the oily, greasy feel that these products leave on the skin sometimes they even leave this white colored residue on the skin. plus the damages that they do to our corals, rivers and seas is just bad news. But this UV Skin Protector with SPF 5o from the Cross Terrain range is different. when i opened the lid i was skeptical cause it looked like wax, then after applying it on to the skin and going about my activities for the day which included swimming, walking around taking pictures of the resort at noon and trolling Jonker Street for nick knacks i did not feel greasy, oily nor was i sticky. plus i felt moisturized at the same time and it has this very light smell to compliment the All in One wash. so now i can safely stay tan and yet have healthy skin at the same time :) (ohh i had a few media frens with me and i let them try it out and guess what these vain pots cant wait to get their hands on one of this hehehe)


Cross Terrain 'Dry Run' foot cream and Deodorant

Both this 2 products is a travelers new best friend. both keeping you dry at all times. i love the way the foot cream managed to keep my feet feel fresh, dry and smell free after a whole day's walk and track. This range from Kiehl's gets Baki Zainal's thumbs up. you can log on to www.kiehls.com to find out more or more details on the Kiehl's Malaysian Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/myKIEHLS

well i could say i had a brilliant week. i spent quality time with my family, spent quality time with 'me' and next week its back to the insane schedule of a travel host. but one way or the other i feel blessed .. its the start of Ramadhan so with that Baki Zainal would like to wish everyone a blessed and meaningful Ramadhan..