Dreaming of a Chocolaty Christmas!

We probably all have our little secret cravings, yes? In times of stress, some people will start craving salt, starch, spice--or even sweets. When I'm up to my ears in work, I start craving chocolate. Badly.

Instead of nibbling on something dark, rich and milky, I decided some information would be a nice distraction.

A few sweet facts about chocolate:

• Chocolate is made from cacao beans. Cacao flowers and pods grow straight out of the tree trunk! The tree itself has the scientific name of Theobroma--which means 'food of the gods'.
• The Mayans used cacao beans as currency--some people even tried to counterfeit them by carving little clay beans.
• In early times, fermented, dried cocoa beans were ground and mixed with hot water, spices and flowers, and then frothed between two containers. (Sounds a bit like Milo tarik…)
• Way back when, it was a drink for the rich--the Aztec King Montezuma was said to drink 50 cups of it a day!
• When the Western world discovered chocolate, it was considered a health food and medicine. It was prescribed for fevers, to cool the body, aid digestion and relieve pain.
• The first milk chocolate bar was invented in 1875, by Daniel Peter and Henry Nestle. They added condensed milk to solid chocolate, and voila! White chocolate is white because it doesn't contain any actual cocoa solids--just the cocoa butter. 
• We know now that cocoa has anti-inflammatory properties, and it's a great antioxidant, which eliminates free radicals from the body. Weight for weight, dark chocolate has more than 5 times the antioxidants of blueberries!

There's also another type of chocolate to indulge in that absolutely won't affect your weight.

SkinFood's Choco Smoky Makeup Line

We've just introduced a brand new makeup line in our Malaysian stores, and this is it! The Choco Smoky Makeup Line is a softer, smokier and sweeter alternative to harsh, dark eye makeup--but just as dramatic. Deep, chocolaty shades will enhance your natural beauty, while the cocoa in every product minimizes skin irritation while moisturizing and protecting your skin. You'll love how it just melts onto the skin and lasts for as long as you need it to.

(In this case, chocolate's really a girl's best friend.)

Start off with the four-colour Eye Palette (RM73.90), which contains three eye shades and one eyeliner for perfect smoky lids. Then match it with our delicious Volume Mascara (RM42.90), which curls, coats and lengthens lashes without clumping--or our Eyebrow Jam (RM31.90), for brows that resist sweat, water, oil and smudging. Enhance the look further with one of our four nude shades of Lip Color (RM31.90), with natural wax, mango butter and coconut oil for shine, not stickiness! Finish off the whole look with out Nail Kit (RM31.90)--three delicious that make nail gradients easy to achieve, even for beginners at home. It's a look delicious enough to eat!

You can get the whole Choco Smoky Line for RM212.50 at your nearest friendly Skinfood Outlet--it's the perfect last-minute indulgent gift for Christmas, for friends, or just because. Since when have we ever needed reasons for chocolate? ;)

A Sweet Solution for Sweet(er) Skin

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Pumpkins have always been somewhat mysterious to me. Thanks to the French author Charles Perrault, my earliest association with pumpkins was that of a mode of transportation. Imagine that!

Over my growing up years, the mystery that surrounded pumpkins only grew. With its popular tie-in to anything horror story related and holidays like Halloween, that was pretty much the only thing I knew about pumpkins. I only learnt much later that pumpkins had actually a lot more to them than just being a prop or a part of festive decorations.












Here are some interesting facts on pumpkins in case you never knew:

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1. The name originates from the word 'pepon' (πέπων), which in Greek means “large melon" and pumpkins actually belong to the squash family.
2. Contrary to popular misconception, pumpkins are actually fruit and not vegetable because of the botanical fact that they are the ripened ovary of a flowering plant that contains seeds.
3. If you're looking for the Password to Beauty, here it is! Tomorrow, the username is SFpumpkin and the password is potironaulait. Remember, both are case-sensitive. You will have to enter them exactly as they are.
4. Besides its multi-use for eat and drink, pumpkins are (also) AWESOME for your skin! Surprise, surprise. 

Hard to believe? Well, believe it! The orange hue of pumpkins are actually owed to carotenoids. They are wrinkle-fighting plant pigments that help to neutralise free radicals in skin. Pumpkins are filled with vitamins A, C and E as well as powerful enzymes which are extremely effective for cleansing skin.

It comes as no surprise then to know that there are so many wonderful home-friendly pumpkin recipes out there that are so easy to make and that you'll definitely benefit from but for the days that you're less inclined to step foot in the kitchen and get your hands messy, here's a simpler (quicker, too!) alternative:

Skin Food's Potiron au Lait

Potiron au Lait ♥

Potiron au Lait is actually French for Pumpkin Pudding but loosely and directly translated, Potiron au Lait simply means "pumpkin in milk." Individually, pumpkin and milk both are already amazing food entities that are essential for good healthy skin but combined, they are even MORE amazing!

Skin Food's Potiron au Lait skincare range gives you all the richness and nutrition of genuine Pumpkin Pudding in three easy-to-carry bottles and one lightweight compact tub. The line-up comprises of a toner, an emulsion, an essence and of course, a cream. For even more intensive nourishment, there's even a rich cream.

The steps are simple. After your regular cleansing routine, pour a modest amount of Toner (MYR 50.90) in your palms or on a cotton pad and apply directly onto towel-dried face. Follow with Potiron au Lait Essence (MYR 60.90), Emulsion (MYR 60.90) and finally, Cream (MYR 60.90).

The Rich Cream (MYR 60.90) here is optional because the entire range by itself is already super rich and nourishing. Only in extremely dry conditions would I recommend the add-on of the Rich Cream thus, if you're living in a very cold/wintery-prone climate country or even a desert-climate country (where it's extreme heat during the day and extreme cold during nightfall) then the Rich Cream would be the perfect finish for you and your skin.

Due to its incredibly rich content, I, personally, would only recommend the use of this range at night (before bed). Thus, if you're still looking for products that will restore full nourishment to your skin while you sleep and not have to burn a supermassive hole in your pockets then look no further. For only MYR 416.30, you may obtain four of these products featured.

Potiron au Lait is available in all leading Skin Food outlets strategically scattered throughout Malaysia.

Stay beautiful!