Best Skincare Purchase Ever!!

It's my Michael Todd Soniclear Elite! I got mine in the color 'Mint Dream' (It comes in a variety of colors), if you are a follower of my blog you already know about my love for all things colorful🌈, especially green😁.

Source: theglamorousgleam

I bought this brush around Labour Day in 2015 along with some of their other skincare products (so i got a 25% discount, btw they always offer discounts) through my friend in the USA. However she wasn't able to send down the Brush till sometime in August this year and it has honestly upgraded my 'Face-Care' Routine (I plan to do a post on what i use and how they've worked so far so stay tuned for that). I have combination acne-prone skin but thanks to cutting out cheese and severely reducing my dairy intake, i only have acne/pimples when my period is approaching or when i eat certain foods i know i shouldn't like pizza, groundnuts,etc and the scars happen when i pick my face, which i 'try' not to do.

Sept 2015 (Thanks to Pizza cheese)                                    Nov 2015

November 2015

I try to keep my product use minimalist and simple (a.k.a lazy)and this brush was exactly what i needed to achieve that, i use it in combination with my Forever Alpha-E Factor, Aloe Sunscreen and Forever Living Sonya Skincare Kit  (which was my initial Best Skincare purchase before purchasing the brush, i have practically exhausted and dreading a re-purchase thanks to the current exchange rate situation *sigh). I currently use the Boots Traditional Glycerin & Rosewater as i'm out of my Sonya Aloe Refreshing Toner from the kit, its working out well thankfully.

Sonya Skincare Kit

Alpha-E Factor

Aloe Sunscreen

Boots Glycerin & Rosewater

Empties😢

I get a good cleanse for my face using this brush and love that i can decide how intense a cleanse i get plus i feel a lil bougie and pampered every morning after use.lol. It has really helped reduce the appearance of my acne scars and i'm done battling my white heads with ACV. I have also tried out the body brush and was surprised how squeaky clean i felt afterwards and how well it got rid of my pityriasis rosea scar dry skin peels but i think i'll need to purchase the Extension Handle to use it better.

I've been getting great comments from my friends on how clear my skin is and questions on what i'm using. For me personally its a big deal to have good skin 'cos i quite like being without makeup and i believe the skin is a reflection of how healthy we are so even though i can be quite lazy, i take pride in having somewhat clear (if only i'll stop picking my face!👀), firm, glowing skin 😉

August 2016

August 2016                                     Sept 2016

Sept 2016 (Compare to 2015 above)

Oct 2016- No Makeup/Makeup

The Brush came with a bigger body brush, its charger base and plug and a manual (which my friend forgot to include, thankfully they had thought of scenarios like this and have an online manual!)

The Soniclear Elite is Sonic powered • 6 Speeds, Rechargeable, Waterproof, has a built in timer to tell you when to move the brush to another area of your face(cool feature 'cos you can easily overscrub), has C-Boost™ Technology- an additional pulsating massage mode and claims to be the World's first antimicrobial protected sonic skin cleansing system brush that guards against 99.9% of bacteria that can form on brushes between use so the brushes stay cleaner and fresher longer.

It is definitely my all-time favorite skincare 'product' and i'm glad all my research and review reading paid off in helping me purchase the best brush brand. I intend to get some of the additional accessories i can use with it in the future such as the Extension Handle, Pedi Smoothing Disc, Infuser Head and maybe a Men's face brush 'cos of hubby.

Check out their Website for more info. There's also Worldwide Shipping and Free Int'l Shipping for Orders of $75 and above.

My office looks (Oct-Nov 2016). Check out my post on Chic Schooling.

                                     Oct 2016                    Nov 2016 (No foundation or Concealer)

Nov 2016

Nov 2016

Toodles!XooX

Beyond Indulgence Spa Review

spa premises

My bestie, Antonia, was in town for the Christmas & New year holidays! I hadn't seen her since December, 2013 (she was around for my birthday) and it was an absolute delight having her around and catching up. She got me a lovely spa set, notepad, caftan and a birthday card containing the sweetest words for my birthday. I hosted her, my sis and other friends @my house with plenty food, small chops, drinks, cake and karaoke for my birthday (i shall do my usual bday post with more info) it was really fun. Coincidentally her house is just 'bout a 5min walk from my house so we got to see each other every other day *big grin!

Anyways i digress, i had been wanting to visit the spa for a while and when i mentioned it, she said i should pick a spa and we could go together as my birthday treat (isn't she just the bestest!). That's how i started spa hunting-googling & making calls -i wanted an affordable spa and sadly my usual spa (MB hammam) have hiked up their prices.

We settled on Beyond Indulgence Spa 'cos it had the most affordable price, looked decent from our research and i wanted to try a different spa.

MB Hammam

Basic Hammam N15,750 (used to be N10,000)

Traditional Hammam  N16,800 (used to be N12,000)

Six Senses Spa

Body Scrub N11,500

Morroccan Bath N18,500

Special Bath N25,000

Beyond Indulgence Spa

Basic N10,500

Complete basic (with Henna) N12,500

Traditional/Herbal Hammam N15,000

Soukhla Hammam N20,500

Reception

I called to book our appointment for 4:30pm, we got there on time and were welcomed at the reception. I asked if they have a PoS, they said it wasn't working but after the treatment they would have someone follow us to the ATM and collect the money. No wahala. We were led to the waiting area and were offered tea and water, which we declined. 

Waiting area

We only waited about 5mins before we were led through the salon to where we changed our shoes and were given constructible slippers and up the stairs to the spa section. We were led into the changing room which was really small and not quite welcoming (maintenance issues); we changed into towels and were given shower caps and free disposable undies.

Stairwell

Changing room

We went into the bath area where some olive oil based black soap was rubbed on us and we were led to a real nice steam room (it was white and bright with seats and looked like something out a sci-fi movie), i noticed the steam took a while to build up though n escapes real quick when d door is opened and this happened a couple of times. We were given a face towel for stopping sweat getting into our eyes and bottled water to drink in the steam room. There was nice soothing music playing in the background all the while.

Steam room

After about 20 minutes, we were taken out of the steam room and back to the bath area which had two tile slab beds with yoga mats (mine was yellow and had black stains and dots on it. i wasn't happy with that) on them. Warm water was used for us throughout, we laid down face down on the slab and were lathered with soap n were scrubbed proper and then we turned over for a repeat. The yoga mat was quite unstable and i kept sliding up and down the direction i was being scrubbed, i had to grab unto the tiles to avoid sliding off and there was no cushion to put head on so my braids got wet during rinsing. I'm not sure if the scrubbing sponge was new n used just for us.

Bath area

Bath area

The scrubbing was quite vigorous for me but definitely much needed, i guess their staff was bent on ridding me of all the dry peeling skin from my spots thanks to my Pityriasis Rosea episode (i'll do an update soon on my current situation and the effects harmattan has had on my skin) She did a good job. We were rinsed afterwards and given soap to wash our face, after proper rinsing we were sprayed with rosewater, tied our towels and headed for the changing room. Sadly we had to use the same 'unravelling' slippers we wore in the bath area to the changing room, it was soaking wet and frustrating 'cos it wouldn't stay on our feet.

Unravelling slippers and wet floor

Thanks to our wet unravelling slippers, the carpet in the changing room also got wet and it was difficult sliding moving around to change.The towel i was given was shedding n left annoying white fluff on my body, there was no moisturizer in the changing room n everyone knows how drying Hammam is talkless of during harmattan, luckily we brought along body moisturizer n shea butter which we used. It would have been nice to have partitions for privacy to change & dress up and a seat to do my makeup. I had to makeup in d lounge restroom which had better lighting

They had attentive n courteous staff, no PoS like i mentioned earlier so we had to drive Keystone bank with their guard n give him d cash

It was nice getting to have a spa time with Antonia this time around, the last time i had to leave her all alone at MB Hammam.
I rate them 6/10. They lost points for the following:

• Need for minor renovations on the premises-peeling wallpaper, cracked walls, etc.
• Not having a Pos 
• The several black unknown dots/stains on the yellow yoga mat placed on the slab where i was scrubbed
• No moisturizer or chair to seat or privacy partition in the small changing room
• Small showercap and no cushion to place my head during the bath so my hair got wet at the back
• Towel was shedding white fluff (sooo annoying)
• Tacky slippers that kept unravelling and making it hard to walk
• The scrubbing sponge used did not look new and we were not informed if it was or not

Toodles!XooX

Pampering Me!! MB Hammam (Ladies Spa) 2

Hi hi hi, i have missed blogging soooo soooo much!! wish u all could take a pic of my brain...i sometimes tink in blog about stuff i wanna share but don't get around to sharing...anyway enough whining...

Anyway this is a sorta continuation to ma post which can be found at this link http://tamikoadyms.blogspot.com/2011/06/pampering-me-mb-hammam-ladies-spa.html

I love sharing the fun experiences i have with people i love, so it should come as no surprise that i shared ma spa experience with two of ma friends. I gave one of them as a birthday present and the other just for the fun of experiencing it.

Ok..i know i was supposed to do a post since forever on my raffle draw win at MB Hammam and how it felt et al and trust me i have done it in ma head countless times...lol.

It was great guys!!!i enjoyed every bit of it and i dint pay a dime!!it was an authentic win!!not the type that u'd have to pay a lil something to get ur win. I called to book a time that i'd be available then went there. I showed the ticket from my massage which had entitled me to the win and they went to work straight away. I did the Basic Hammam then had a foot massage in the lounge while waitin for the person to do my facials...I had a Jordanian Dead Sea Facial (tink that's what its called). The Basic Hammam was almost the same as the Traditional Hammam i did with my friends which i am writing about, just that some products were not used.

I got to the venue first since i was sponsoring...i had called earlier in the week to book for 3 of us at 2pm on Sunday. Mel came in jst a few mins after i did. The lovely lady at the reception called someone to usher us to the changing room where we changed into our robes and slippers and shower caps and we kept our belongings in a locker and had the key on us.

A Morrocan Lady came to get me and poured some warm water on me, oh did i mention u only have your panties on so we went with spare panties although they had disposable panties there for those who were not ready to use theirs. Anyway yh...after pouring the water on me she rubbed something dt looked like black soap (Saboul Beldi-Olive based soap) on me then they shipped me off to the steam room in a robe. Mel and Chide met me in dere and we relaxed with our cool cups of lemon water. We jisted while sweating out all za toxins..lol...i left d steam room 1st since i came in 1st (20mins). She rinsed off all dt stuff and sweat off me then used some nice scenting  soap to bathe me and then she rinsed that off again then told me to lie on the tile slab in the shower room and then she began the dry scrubbing with a Loofah-like sponge (you get to keep the sponge and use it on other visits) after wetting it and rubbing what looked like 'alum' on it.

I felt awesome mehn! She scrubbed all the dead skin off practically every inch of my body and it felt heavenly. When i was bout to turn on my other side, i saw all d dead skin that had been scrubbed off and i just felt greeeeeeeaaaaattttt!!lol I swear u have to experience it to understand, anyway after all the scrubbing, she rinsed all the residue off then used some Moroccan mud/clay mix (Rhassoul) all over me and some on my cheeks and forehead, left it for a bit and den rinsed it all off with warm water. I then got a proper rinse down.

You have to bear with me as my description of the experience is what i can remember.

She then sprayed a mix of Argan oil and Rosewater all over me so my skin was glistening...She wrapped me up in a robe, wore ankle socks on ma feet and made me wear some therapeutic looking slippers like that with stones bulging out of it dat are supposed to target some parts of the body...think i v some pics so u get what m saying.

                                            

                                                               therapeutic slippers

I was led to the lounge by anoda lady where Mel and Chide came to meet me later on, we were served tea in the cutest lil cups and crackers and laid down on the flat bed in d lounge.It was very cozy and serene and also had a massage chair for whoever was interested and a leg massage machine.We just chilled and jisted and later had to snap out of it...

the outer area of the lounge with the leg massage machine

We went to the dressing room,rubbed some of their Argan body lotion (and changed into our outfits went down to the reception and looked at some of the other services they offer and took a look at their Ladies Gym.

Mel and Chide thanked me for the treat and i was happy they had enjoyed it. I took a cab home with a grin on my face throughout...
Ok!!dats d full detail of our Spa day. Hope u kinda enjoyed the experience with me as you read.....xOxO :D

Oh and before i forget i needed a Manicure and Pedicure badly to make the Pampering Me Episode complete, the hands and feet work too much to be neglected or not pampered. There's this lady-Mamana-she's d best mehn!! I've shared the pedicure experience with two oda peeps, a guy and gal. Had to tk dem to experience it..Imagine both of dem had neva had a pedicure before!!O.O I just had to treat them!!..lol imagine afterwards they dint wanna walk on the ground again o...sooo funny...But 4real dis Mamana Lady is the Truth! D energy she puts into her work keeps me coming back for more. :D...ok dts all for now xOxO                                     

that's mamana!!

22 enjoyn herself and dodging my camera lens

soaking away the stress

                                           

Me in grinning mode wen it was all over

Pampering Me!! MB Hammam (Ladies Spa)

I believe in pampering myself o!! taking breaks, going on vacations, etc. I don't believe in storing and storing money for some 'rainy day'. I believe in having savings o, dont get me wrong but some people believing in saving all their money and not spending on themselves at all!!! Ko JO Mehn! I mean who are you storing up all the money for? kids? husband? even the bible says Love ur neighbour as thyself meaning u gotta love urself 1st b4 u can love ur neighbor or kids and husband as the case may be.

Anything can happen, one could die or something could happen to occupy u that u may not have time for urself anymore. I have taken opportunities to go on trips whenever i can and to enjoy myself. I have been to Singapore, Dubai and Ghana which is actually just the beginning of my trips 'cos i intend to tour the World, 1 Country in each Continent or more if possible. The next place on my mind to visit is London or Turkey, i have not made up ma mind yet sha and my Kudi (money) must be complete.

I split up my income into savings and spendings (transportation, clothing, eating, leisure) and lucky for me i get dashed money a lot so i dont really spend my income (as people think) most of it is actually saved up or used to buy assets (e.g Land) 'cos i believe strongly in investing and saving towards my future, i just dont believe in saving ALL of it. I spoil my siblings and folks as much as i can when i can. I dont know if i will always be around to do that so why not. Anyway that is not the KOKO of this post. 

This post is about my visit to MB Hammam (click to go to their site), a ladies only spa in Zone 4, i first found out about this spa through a free monthly edition of AbujaTop25 in 2008. I was just perusing the articles in the book when my attention was caught by a morrocoan spa, i'm one who has enjoyed quite a few pleasures of pampering and i love spas and reading 'bout them even if i don't go there. 

I had been thinking of what to do for my mum for her birthday, in my own opinion my mum is the best mum in the world, we may have our lil dramas but our communication has improved so much over the years that i can't help but croun her 'Best Mama', we are more like sisters now, i can tell her about male friends,fights,money issues, etc. though there are some 'things' i cant talk to her as per Mother levels and all but those are not really relevant.

I decided i was going to give her a Spa pampering treat, she needed it, she had been taking care of 4kids, myself included, driving to and fro a long distance in traffic to work, a deacon in church, etc. She really did not have time for herself.

I booked a Royal Hammam for her, it included a massage, Hammam bath (u can Google it, its popular in Morrocco), etc. I took her there on her birthday, she made me change our booking twice (annoying), we finally made it there and i was pleased with the outcome, i picked her up about 3hours or so later and she was gleaming and glowing andyapping on and on about how she had enjoyed herself and how she had seen the dirt scrubbed out of her body and how good she felt and bla bla bla...I was happy i had made her day apart from the other gifts my siblings and i had given her, she got to have some pampered time to herself. Anyway since then and the amount of times she had ringed it in my ears, i decided i also wanted a taste of all she had  jabbered into me.

On Thursay, the 2nd of June, i decided my 4hours to and fro in traffic had taken its toll on my spine. I decided it was time for me to get a massage and where else if not my MB Hammam that i'd been dreaming about *big grin*. I called their  line which unlike normal Nigerian lines was functioning!!1st progress, i booked an appointment and i was there on time.

I have to intimate you with the experience to get a feel of it, so here it goes:
I was welcomed with a smile from a fresh skinned Morrocoan (her skin was too fresh and smooth mehn), i told her what i wanted and she called somebody to attend to me, i was ushered into a room where i changed into a robe, comfy rubber slippers and got a shower cap on my head.

I was taken to a steam room where i stayed for some minutes, i was given lime water while in there. After that i was given a warm bath and led to the massage room, the ambiance in the room was warm and relaxing and the room was scented (i love scents). I laid down on the table and this smooth indescribably so hands soothed all the tension in my body away, i wish i had gone with an Ipod or something 'cos music would have made the experience orgasmic. 

I was massaged with Argan Oil,soothing and felt like it was melting into my body. I was massaged back and front!! After the massage i was left to 'simmer' under a cloth, which extremely soothing, i almost slept off! i left after a while feeling as tho i were strolling in heaven. I got home and narrated my beautiful experience to my friends..yeah yeah, they beefed me...My massage cost 8000Naira but it was worth it! I slept better thatn i had in weeks. 

Sadly i had to wake up early the next day 'cos i had to travel to School (Zaria) but i'm used to it anyway and it did not hinder my good feeling.

The best part is, they were doing some sort of raffle draw then and anyway i won!!!!!!!! Yup!! i got a call from them that i was the 10th winner and i can call and book at anytime for my prize (Hammam and a Facial). 

This is the 1st thing i'm ever WINNING and i'm so proud i chose to pamper myself, so don't feel guilty for taking a break, Health is Wealth and a break is necessary for good health.