Vitamilk

On my recent visit to Betong, aside from stocking up my supplies of Pejoy, Pocky and Pepero, I also bought something else. It's called Vitamilk.

I actually discovered this in a Thai restaurant called Frame in PJ when I went there for a meal with my room mate. It was sold at the price of RM3.00 (now with GST and all it's probably already RM3.50).

I tried original, red bean, black bean and they all tasted good. In my visit to Betong, I tried some other flavours: Double Black, Chocolate, Barley & Malt (this is ok) and Banana Milk (yucky unless you like banana).

So far, I like everything except for (perhaps) Barley & Malt and Banana Milk. Vitamilk has a weird but nice taste, it feels rather thick and creamy on the tongue. I read on another blog that this might be due to the thickener additive in the drink. But nonetheless it is one of my favorite chilled beverage!

It's sold at 7-Eleven at 15฿ per bottle, but I managed to find them for 14฿ at K-Mart, so I bought 9 bottles at one-go, because I know I won't be able to go back to buy more the next day. 

If you know somewhere I can buy these in bulk in Malaysia, do let me know!

P/S: I found this article online stating why one should never drink soy milk, so drink at your own expense!

Carpe: The Solution for Sweaty Palms

Imagine yourself in an interview, and the interviewer offers his hand for a handshake. You smile but silently curse as you wipe your palm on your pants before meeting his outstretched hand. Or, during exams you write furiously in hopes of beating the clock, but before you know it, your exam sheet is totally drenched in your palm sweat and some words are smudged. Or when you're playing your guitar, you leave watery streaks on the bridge. You know what is happening and your heart sinks just a little bit.

Before you say I'm just jabbering, I want to remind you that these situations are real. At least for those of us who suffer from palmar hyperhidrosis. Usually people with this issue suffer from another problem as well - sweaty feet. I've been through some horrendous moments in my life thus far involving social faux pas and personal problems caused by this medical condition. Even though it is nothing life-threatening, it is super annoying, troublesome and downright embarrassing. 

Inspired by Carpe Diem - Seize the Moment!

So when I chanced upon this little tube that claims to work wonders on people like me, I immediately contacted the founders of Carpe to request for a tube for review. But knowing it probably wouldn't arrive on time, I went ahead and bought myself a tube from Amazon, because it will be at least 24 hours of flight for me and I want to prevent cold, sticky hands (and feet!) during the whole journey. And I was so happy that it works! I was sweat-free for the whole flight, and remained so even after I landed in Malaysia. 

But in the name of science, I decided to test it for a little longer to see how well it works in different situations. But first, let me share how to use this little tube of magic:

This is the texture of the lotion. Rather viscous.

Initially it's gonna leave you with a weird feeling as the lotion absorbs into your skin.
But after that, you can't see or technically feel any trace of it. 

What I like about Carpe is that the anti-perspiration power stays even though you wash your hands after applying the lotion. Just a small pea-size will be enough. Take note not to slather on too much lotion because the excess lotion is going to make your palms sticky.

I used Carpe in various different settings at different times of a day.  

1. At work (8.45am-5.45pm)

I slather on a thin layer of Carpe on my palms and feet before going to work. It works well, no sweating at all. I have a feeling if it works on my palms, it works on my feet. No shame in admitting that. 

2. Sports (6-7pm)

Usually, I will put Carpe on my palms and feet. My palms and feet are sweat-free even after exercise. No smelly socks, yay!

3. Playing musical instruments (8-9pm)

I find this one to be more of a hit-and-miss. Perhaps my fingers get a bit overworked sometimes, or maybe it's just my brain stressing. But even when I do sweat while playing piano or guitar, it's dramatically less than what I used to have. No more water puddles on piano keys or guitar bridges, just a slight moisture on my palms. 

4. Social settings (random time, usually on weekends)

This one is also a bit of a hit-and-miss, though most of the times it works perfectly. If I sweat, it's real little though my palms will still feel a little cold and clammy. 

I have a feeling that how well Carpe works depends on my emotional state. If I'm super hyped, I might start to sweat a little even with Carpe, but when I'm in a relaxed state of mind, it works perfectly fine. Nonetheless, it's a really great product when you need to be sweat-free instantly.

I'd say Carpe is a good investment for long-term victims of palmar hyperhidrosis since a tube of 40ml / $14.95 can last you for 1.5 months (44 days) with regular daily use. That's only approximately $0.35 daily. It also claims to be able to stop sweating completely with constant use, I tried to experiment it in short-term usage, like putting it on Day 1 and stop on Day 2 to see the results. And even though no Carpe is applied on Day 2, my palms are still sweat free. But Kasper clarified that sweat-free situation can only be achieved with long-term usage, if you stop using it completely sweating will probably return to normal levels within a week or two. The main active ingredient in Carpe is Aluminum Sesquichlorohydrate (15%). Rest assured that it is used commonly in anti-antiperspirants products and is shown to be highly useful without any harmful side effects.

I'm happy to know that Kasper is from Utah! Call it Utahn pride!

Thanks to Kasper Kubica from Carpe for providing me with a tube of this life-saving lotion for this review! I'm very glad I bought a tube earlier on Amazon Prime (it's not available in Malaysia!) because I'm going to be needing it very much (though to my displeasure Amazon sent me one that expires in October 2016 so I only have 3 months left to use it). Mark my words I'm gonna make sure every drop counts.

WHERE TO BUY

1.  The official Carpe website (They ship worldwide, exact charges please refer below*) 
2. Amazon (US only, 2-day free shipping with Amazon Prime)

*Shipping to Malaysia for 1 tube of Carpe:

*Shipping within US for 1 tube of Carpe:

Update by Kasper 07/04/2016: You noticed that 10/2016 expiration date on the tube - that's actually an extremely conservative estimate, since we were only able to get a very small amount of expiration date testing done before we produced that batch of Carpe. While I can't legally guarantee an expiration date beyond that, I can tell you from personal experience that the tube will easily last at least another year without any noticeable changes - especially if you give it a shake before using.

Hermo Makes Me Spit Fire

Last year I didn't manage to get the goodie bag from Hermo because I missed the sale which started on 12th June 2016. However, I still spent around RM350 for acne treatment products. I had a severe case of acne this time last year, and my face is full of toxic little bumps. Out of worry I bought many different types of products but none of them worked. It was a nightmare for me. I was finally healed by a beautician who squeezed all the 'dirt' from my pores but that's a story for another day.

So back to Hermo's anniversary sale on 12th June 2016. I decided to get myself some b.liv stuff, because I received a sample pack last time for off with the heads blackhead remover and a piece of absolute matte mask, and I totally loved the mask. I swear it's the only mask that actually gives you instant effects: matte and glowing skin! And no residue or oiliness is detected thereafter. So I decided to splurge on b.liv products this year. But Hermo's marketing strategy makes me spit fire of hatred I think I won't be buying from them anymore in the future unless there's some awesome deals.

1. They are opportunistic merchants looking to squeeze the most money out of your pocket.

I placed my order on 12th June 2016 and got a free bag (for first 3000 customers) along with a free gift for a new account. I forgot my old account's password, so I created a new account with my umail. 

Note that I bought both the B.liv Squeaky Clean [beads cleansing gel] 130ml and B.liv Glow and Shine [skin smoothening mask] 50ml for RM35.38 each.

Yesterday, when I checked, both of them are reduced to RM26.50! O.O

Like I just lost 8.88*1.06=9.50*2=RM19 on your products in just 4 days! Arghhhhhhh! Why didn't you give us this price when I bought on 12th? This is unfair to early customers.

Congrats, Hermo! I'm officially pissed.

2. Misleading coupon discounts

See how their tagline says RM100 off RM130? That RM100 is actually separated into 5 different RM20 coupons which require a high minimum spend each. That said, you don't actually get any benefit from it, since you have to first spend RM130 to get the RM100, which then requires you to spend more. If you were to use the RM100, you have to spend 130+150+180+150+150+180=RM940! Think about it, RM100 of RM940 isn't that much of a discount pun (100/940*100=10.6% discount only). =.= 

Moreover, you can only use the codes AFTER the anniversary period, when all the prices will skyrocket. Seriously, what's the point, Hermo? 

3. Insincere refund policy

Wah what do you mean items bought during Anniversary are not returnable? So if something is wrong with the items also case is indisputable? Man, your grades have sunk.

4. Limit on coupon usage

This year they have this Fast Finger Game, if you tap >80 times in 12 seconds, you get a RM5 off voucher (no min spend) and if  >120 times in 12 seconds, you get RM12 off RM120. 

Since I was buying RM130+, I thought the RM12 voucher would do me more good, so I asked my friend to help me click (she's really good, she has God-like fingers lol). So I got all my stuff, added a RM6 deal into my cart, and it said my discount was NOT applicable on the deal, and hence inapplicable to my whole order. Like wtf? 

So? My other RM130 worth of product also cannot apply discount meh? What a stupid policy. I buy all the other full priced items, can't you just reduce RM12 from there and exclude the RM6 deal from the discount? It's only a frigging 7% discount out of my total order. Come on lah!

In the end I had to delete my RM6 deal and be gone with only my b.liv products. I was really pissed.

5. Free shipping? Think again!

The free shipping offer does not include their X-OMO deals and RM6.1.2 sections. And there's a stupid limit saying you can only buy one item from one batch of X-OMO and RM6.1.2 sections. 

So, what's the point? I ain't gonna pay shipping for only ONE item that originally cost RM9.90 but now worth RM2 if I have to pay RM6.80 for the shipping! That's only RM1.10 difference from the original pricing anyways. I had better wait for better sales from other beauty websites. 

STUPID POLICY AGAIN. I HATE HERMO'S MARKETING TEAM.

Conclusion

If you think you're getting an awesome deal at Hermo, you might be wrong. They used to be good, but they are starting to suck. Such childish, insincere marketing efforts might seem profitable temporarily, but in the long run customers are gonna choose better options over them. If you are searching for Korean beauty products, Althea might be a better pick over Hermo. 

My conclusion is I will only buy from Hermo in the future if there are crazy discounts with no strings attached. Mark my words, Hermo: playing with too many strings will make you trip yourself.