Late Thanksgiving Greetings And My Busy Week

First, happy Thanksgiving to everyone state-side. I'm sorry this is so late in coming to you, but I had quite an eventful week. 

The first two dental appointments mum had on Friday afternoons saw her coming home way past her bedtime. The sister takes her to dental things, and thought I could do with a break so she spent the rest of the day with her both Fridays. She was to have one more yesterday, so BIKSS took a half a day off work to come hang out with me at home, and maybe get some kink in. *wink wink*

The only kink we got was in our plans. 

Last Tuesday mum did a YAG capsulotomy. Basically a laser eye lens pouch cleaning procedure. (Talk about a summary. Let's move on.)

Her inflammatory response was way too robust and there was more swelling than they usually see, so her eye pressure hit something like 40mmHG on Friday  morning. (12-22 is normal.) She had a throbbing head, heaviness in her eye socket and I had a tense 6 hour visit in the emergency room / eye centre worrying about her. 

Diamox (which was given by IV) can piss off the kidneys. And since she hasn't got the most pleasant kidneys to begin with, I was a little bit *freaking out* on the inside while remaining reassuring and confident on the outside to put mum at ease. This is extremely tiring an endeavour, let me tell you. 

Anyway, eventually her eye settled down and we were finally given the good news that we could leave the hospital. BIKSS came round and drove three very exhausted women home. He be a brave lad, he be. 

(Also I'm binge watching OUTLANDER, and I'm in love with Jamie Fraser!)

Mum was tired out so she went to bed. BIKSS and I cuddled and had some quick and easy play time in the room while she slept. (At this point I think I was a little bit past caring!)

We headed out to dinner after I had sorted out what mum and the caregiver were going to have for din. By then the mother was up and on the couch watching telly. She was in pretty good spirits when we left. 

I wore a pink dress with a bow to dinner. THIS IS NOT USUAL FOR ME AT ALL. But it was kinda fun wearing something I'm not usually used to. Goodness knows WHY I bought a pink dress. 

So it looks like what the people in my country call a housecoat - but in dress form, not an open robe as housecoats usually are, which makes it kinda more like a muumuu I suppose... in any case, when I appeared in it, BIKSS, for the first time in his life, didn't know what to say because he didn't think it was flattering AT ALL but I guess he didn't want to say that cos it would upset me - being excited at wearing a new dress and all. He "ummed" a little, so I pulled a black sash and wore it around my waist, giving it (and me) some shape. The relief on his face was obvious. And that is how I came to wear a pink dress with a bow to dinner.

Tiramisu at this new place was crazy expensive - but also guilt-free as it's keto friendly. I must say, it didn't taste half bad. In fact it was quite delicious. Altho that Italian place is still our go-to favourite joint for the perfect Tiramisu. Still, this is a good diabetic-friendly option.

The steak sandwich wasn't fabulous, it was ok. But they did use sourdough which is a better option for BIKSS these days, so that was a good thing. What I did like was that you could change the fries and mesclun salad to other sides. We had them change it to coleslaw and veggie fries - carrots, beetroot, sweet potato, I believe, the combination was.

Their small-bites were pretty brilliant. This is the fried cauliflower, sitting in a bed of something sauce, I forget. The grilled asparagus comes with grated cheese and flat zucchini strips in some kind of tangy dressing. And my favourite of the evening - spinach-feta-onion quesadillas.

After dinner we went for a spot of shopping and scored some Marks and Spencer shirts at very-very-cheap. I chucked two tees into his lot and we got them all at an additional 20% off on top of the marked down prices. Total damage -USD $80 for 4 work shirts and 2 tees. That's not bad at all. 

When we came home I had to wake the mother up to dump more eye drops into her eye... and my heart just about broke. She was so tired she didn't even remember my doing so when I asked her this morning. There's nothing like looking at a little old woman without her dentures asleep in her bed to make you think just how frail and weak she is now compared to just 10 years ago... or even 5. 

I popped the drops into her eye and she snuggled up against my thigh where I was sitting on her bed and fell back to sleep in no seconds flat. 

(We had another check up this morning (Sat) and everything is fine now. We're just to continue the eye drops till we go back again 2 weeks from now.)

Meanwhile, after the mother zoomed back to dreamland BIKSS and I tested out his new leather belt. 

Only in a kinky relationship : 

Me - Oh is that a new belt? 
Him - Yup!
Me - It's pretty. Where from? 
Him - Marks and sparks
Me - Wooo. Nice!
Him - Wanna try it? 

Me - promptly pulls down underpants and hops into bed, butt up, belly down. 

LOL. 

Yup. I'm definitely a leather gal. Even after so many months and with it stinging way more than it should from lack of practice (haha) I still enjoyed the feel of his leather belt on my cheeks. 

We got up to no good that evening. Cums were had on both our parts, and for the first time in MANY months the sex felt normal again. The getting to it, the getting through it, and the going at it *again*.

*wink*

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(I apologise if this post was written in what seemed like a haphazard manner. I didn't have the luxury of time... as it was getting late and season 3 of Outlander was waiting. :))

Birthday, Presents, Packages

The stuff I ordered has arrived. I started using the 4% salicylic last night and it was stickier than I expected LOL. But hopefully it'll work well.  The spritz toner is fantastic. Feels like nothing on the skin, but is so refreshing. I imagine it's slowly working its way thru the layers of dead skin and helping new skin appear. I do feel a difference in my skin texture now that I've been working on my skincare for a while. Maybe a couple of months? I can't remember when I started paying real attention to it. 

This week we celebrated my mum's birthday. BIKSS was sweet to take us all out to dinner at the marina. The mother has never been so it was a bit of a treat for her. But it started to drizzle as we were walking along the boardwalk so we ran back to shelter and took a drive along our main shopping stretch in town to see the Christmas lights. 

The restaurant was sweet to put a candle on her little sliver of honey cake. It was really good cake too. The picture's been turned upside down cos I took it from across the birthday girl! 

In the spirit of early Christmas gifting, I gave mum hers last night.

She loves it!

She's been having trouble keeping track of days (who wouldn't, when everything is the same day in day out - thank you Covid) and I think having something like this really helps her feel heaps better. It also means she doesn't have to be constantly reminded that she's having trouble remembering each time she needs to ask someone what day/ date / time it is.

And yes, I'll probably give her ANOTHER gift to unwrap when Christmas comes around. LOL.

Learning about the Clean Beauty BS and the ACTUAL Science Behind It

I wasn't sure about the whole clean beauty thing and wondered why derms and doctors didn't really care about their recommendations having all the "nasty" ingredients. I guess now I know. 

Enjoy this video. It's sciency but in a really easy to understand way. 

Italian Dinner and German Bag

We had some non carby Italian food at our regular Italian place last Friday. And BIKSS had a couple of spoons of Tiramisu even. Glucose level after 2 hours - all good. Hurray!

Beef strips with salad

Burrata with mushrooms and truffle dressing

The best Tiramisu I've ever tasted

After that he opened up his Christmas present. I took advantage of the 11/11 sale (every platform on earth seemed to have a sale that day) and got this Buffel clutch at about half off what it's going for in the department stores. He typically carries his card wallet and two fones with him in his hand everywhere he goes, and it can get cumbersome. (He leaves his bag in the car when we go out for dinners etc.)

He mentioned that he'd seen something similar (if not the exact one) at the shops and didn't think it was worth paying over 300 dollars for it, so I went hunting online. It arrived in 2 days. Free shipping too.

He is now the proud owner of a man clutch. And it was kinda out of character for him but I love how he was so thrilled with his new toy. He couldn't stop fidgeting with it and had a grin on his face for a LONG LONG time. It's not often that he gets excited about a seemingly practical purchase, so I guess he really likes it!

Warts and an Excuse for Shopping for Skincare

When I started this blog ages ago one of the first (or the first?) posts was about me and my warts. 

Well, because the HPV lives on your skin, any damage to the skin barrier is gonna be a playground for the damned virus innit? 

Turns out these little bumps (see the gabazillion red dots?) I have on my décolletage are warts. Not tags. Yay me. 

The doctor boss says go laser them off. The derm doc looked at it and said I don't have to. Just try a salicylic acid (SA) treatment. 

So what do I do? I have a SA wash, but that's about it. I also have a Some By Mi AHA / BHA / PHA moisturiser, and since that has SA in it, I'm just using that for now.

That is, until my SA 4% serum arrives. I know the 4% is supposed to be a spot treatment for acne / pimples but the derm says 4% is better than 2% and if that doesn't work then it's medical grade Duofilm (almost 17% SA!) for me. That stuff is strong tho. Like strong. I'd rather not.

This is the Cos De Baha SA 4% I'm waiting for

And this is the Duofilm I'm NOT keen on - mostly because it's so strong it'll irritate the good / healthy skin around the warts and my warts are SO TINY it's gonna be nigh impossible to apply this with the required precision.

Oh, and I also went ahead and got myself a COSRX AHA / BHA toner that can be used as a face mist throughout the day, cos acids are all the rage right? This one contains Betaine Salicylate which does the same thing as SA but is notably gentler on the skin. Which is good, cos me aint got no oily skin,  me just need to get  rid of the bumps! 

Looking forward to spritzing this all over myself (at home and indoors!) - CAUTION : if you're using ANY product with AHAs / BHAs in them use them at night (or when you won't be exposed to sunlight) and be sure to always use sunscreen in the daytime. Sunlight won't make the product irritate your skin, but you will be more prone to sun damage. Read this:


Both AHA acids (glycolic, lactic, citric, malic and mandelic) as well as BHA acids (salicylic) are neither photosensitive nor photosensitizing. But that doesn’t mean that you can use them in the sun without thinking about anything else. These acids work to reduce the dead skin cells in your skin’s corneal layer, which also happens to be one of our natural protectors against solar radiation. Using a product with AHAs or BHAs and being in the sun won’t make the product irritate your skin, but it will make your skin much more vulnerable to UVB and UVA rays. This means that if you use acids without properly protecting your skin, you’ll burn more easily. The exact same thing happens with retinol. The safest solution is to use retinol as well as AHA and BHA acids at night.

Anyway, moving on... according to derm doc, at my age, I need exfoliating acids (AHA/BHA), hyaluronic acid (which is a humectant and not the exfoliating kind), retinol and niacinamide. Oh and it's always great to have Vit C and E and ferulic acid in a combo if you can get it (I found one!). That's a long list. I have most of them, I'm just not a huge buyer of the exfoliators cos I always figured my dry skin wouldn't tolerate them. 

It was nice being able to have a conversation about the SA with the derm doc tho,  now that I've been doing SO MUCH research on skin care products and ingredients!  Looks like what started as a quest for the fountain of youth turned into a genuine interest in skin health and wellness. I do so love learning new stuff! 

Maybe I'll try Differin gel (adapalene aka prescription strength retinoid) once I'm done with my retinol serum. It's supposed to be awesome for anti-ageing, and derm doc uses it herself (her skin really is to die for) and she's only 31. So I guess it's never too early for retinols / retinoids.

BUT it's primarily used to manage sebum / acne so it's not the best product for dry skin. AKA mine. We'll see. She did say that if it got too drying then I might have to stop and step down to regular retinols again. 

So that's my current skin thing. Warts warts and more warts. I'll never be rid of them, methinks.

More Vietnamese

Since I enjoy Bun Cha so much but we can't travel now and probably won't be able to for a WHILE... we had some Vietnamese food on Tuesday at one of our favourite restaurants. Only it was dark, empty, and seemed to be closed. 

I asked the lady if she was still open but she didn't seem to understand me. After 3 tries including some gesturing towards the tables she nodded and pointed us inside. Hmmm didn't look like the same people who were running the shop when we used to come before. 

The menu had a different restaurant name on the top but the items looked exactly the same. We had some Bun Cha with additional pork spring rolls and grilled pork, figuring we would split the vermicelli from one single serving. We were right. Too much noodle for one person! 

It was surprisingly delicious. We both attacked the veggies first - freshly julienned to just the right thickness for a perfect bite. The dipping sauce or "soup" was a well-balanced savoury combination of  sweet and sour. The spring rolls were crispy and just the right amount of burnt, and full of flavour on the inside. We both splurged and ate the vermicelli, carbs be damned. 

Thankfully BIKSS' glucose reading after dinner was still in the safe zone :) 

Sugar Results, Tender Meat, Red Lights, and Cycling Balls

This is the end of week update - 

My blood test came back fine. So, nothing to worry about there. My boss knows I like Deadpool - but this was unnecessary cos I had already checked my results online the day before. Still, it made me smile. It was sitting on my table when I got in to work on Friday. 

Also, I figured out that a combo of baking soda and corn starch works wonders to tenderize meat so I'm happy to announce that planning menus and feeding the mother is less stressful than before. 

My LED red light mask arrived this week and I tried it out yesterday. The goggles take some fiddling with, but eventually I managed a restful 30 mins in total, and even woke myself with a snore/grunt! 

Instead of wearing the goggles and then the mask over, I just attached them to the nose piece on the mask... and then I put it on and lay in bed listening to a Stephen Fry-narrated story about lavender fields. And fell asleep. I did two cycles, one red light and one orange light, 15 min each, and I have to say I felt a slight but definite difference after that. I understand that the firming from orange light is very short lived so the reviews say not to expect any miracles... but hey, even a temporary (12 hour) lift is better than no lift. 

I shall keep at it for a month and report back later. 

Watch this video if you want to know more about LED masks or listen to Kelly Driscoll's very enlightening review.

And finally, balls. I don't know why this showed up in my search... oh wait, I DO know. I was looking for "RED LIGHT LED LAMP" and the app decided I needed cycling balls. 

It IS kinda funny tho. 

That's it from me. Have a good week ahead!

Why We Weren't Having Sex and Maybe We Can Get Past It

Remember how I said I got emo the other night? First of all, opening up the mailbox and finding all your comments with such lovely words really touched me. I'm so so grateful for the cyberfriendships I have with all of you. 

Well the good news is that after all the blubbering, and trust me, there was blubbering that night, BIKSS came over on Monday night after his Zoom course (some office thing) even tho it was already past 9, and we had a lovely (almost normal) evening together. 

Here's the funny thing tho, it was just the ONE tiny detail, but it mattered A LOT.

If you go away with nothing else after my post, remember this - Talk about the things that may seem ludicrous and stupid in your head. It might seem dumb and inconsequential, but sometimes it really does all just boil down to that one silly little thing. 

You wanna know what I said during that blubbering session? It may seem weird and unrelated, but I think one of the reasons we weren't doing the deed is cos BIKSS has been flopping down the wrong way on my bed. Like this. 

LOL. Let me explain.

Things that have changed recently : - 

1-Less frequent meetups so longer talk-time during face to face dates. 

2-Less texting cos I've been busier at my work (and attending to the mother in the afternoons or taking her out) and he's been busier at his new job. So more talking when we DO meet up (plus refer to point 1).

3-Less time at home to talk cos it's just weird for me to drag BIKSS into the room and hang out with him from 7 to midnight when the mum is RIGHT OUTSIDE in the living room. I live in an apartment, so it would seem funny. Like, oh hi mum, look who's here, don't mind us, we're just going to disappear into the room now. So, um, yeah. We ALWAYS eat out these days, whereas in the past we would eat at home, and the talking could start during dinner.

4-I mean, it's not that we don't talk during dinner when we eat out. BUT. It's harder to talk about... you know, intimate things, or play (touch, tease) with each other when out in public so there has been a significant reduction in talking about those kinds of things and connecting in that way. In order to dive into the fun / naughty / intimate talk and play, we would have to wait till we got home, which is about 2 hours later than pre-mother days (and pre-Covid days, for that matter). 

5-According to BIKSS, because I'm so talky-talky (see points 1 and 2), when we DO get to escape into the room and be alone again, he feels like he needs to let me get all the talking out of my system and tell him all the stories and share with him all my news. It's kinda our thing. The "Oh you know what happened? Guess what I learnt? You won't believe what I saw! " and all that. 

6-Also,when he used to come over for dinner at my place, I would have showered before he arrived. Now that we eat out, I need 15 mins extra for a shower when we get home. It's a thing. I can't come home and NOT shower. 

7-Now with the blood sugar issue, we typically also have to watch the clock so that at the 1.5-hour mark we can do a finger-prick test. This makes it hard for us to get down to any boogie-ing cos no one enjoys a mid-fuck finger-prick right? 

8-The result : when we get home after dinner, because we have to watch the clock... and he has to wait for me to shower... and he wants to let me finish telling him about all the goings-on of my last-few-days,  because of all that (I assume he feels since there is some "waiting" to do), he tends to come into the room and flop ACROSS the bed, and not lie down the right way up. This makes it difficult for me to lie down with him and cuddle, as I'm terribly uncomfortable lying down across the bed (I mean, it's not like I have a king-sized setup or anything). So I typically sit cross-legged on the bed and face him while he sprawls. On his back. Facing the ceiling. Feet on the floor. Now how am I supposed to cuddle into that? I could lie on my back the same way but then we'd BOTH be looking at the ceiling. And I can't curl up into him lying on my side cos our shapes don't fit.

And before you all go screaming about why don't I just tell him, well here's the newsflash. I HAVE. A MILLION TIMES. HE KNOWS I HATE IT WHEN HE FLOPS ACROSS THE BED LIKE THAT. BECAUSE IT MEANS WE CAN'T CUDDLE!

Ahem. I didn't mean to scream with the caps. I apologise. Anyway...

What all this means is that our "let's cuddle and be intimate and that will get me into the mood" time is considerably shortened. I would have had a shower, come back to the room, waited for the right time to poke him and get his blood sugar reading (sometimes its finger poke THEN shower) - all this while not cuddling or hugging or touching because the man is lying down wrong.

And because he's a boy, he'll just attack my pussy or tits *whilst* we're talking - ok he's not talking, he does it when *I'M* talking - and that kinda makes me feel like a piece of meat, and no girl thinks that's romantic. I mean, I'm sitting up. You're lying on your back in bed. And I'm regaling you with stories of my day while we wait for 1030 so I can poke your finger, and your idea of getting romantic is to fiddle with my tit?  So according to him, when he's initiated sex I've brushed him off and told him no. Well, ok. I suppose I have... perhaps instinctively even cos I don't actually remember doing so, but really, in my defence it's very piece-of-meat-esque. And again, this is not NEWS - I've told him before that it's a trigger (emotional baggage yada yada but it is what it is.. blame 18 year old me and the first boyfriend). 

Add getting-older-stupid-hormones to the equation, and you have a good idea why I think we're doomed to never have sex again. 

*****BUT*****

I know he's been making an effort - Zoom course means he can detour here for a bit after class, and on Monday the first thing he did when he got here was get into Daddy mode. I think it's been missing for a bit, or just not as obvious.

When he arrived I handed him a thing that I wasn't using that he said he could use at work, and said jokingly that it was the kind of gift littles give their daddies. He said "You know what else littles can give their daddies... a kiss. Right here." And we puckered up and got all kissy-kissy. 

So I asked him all about his day and as he got into bed ("Look, see? I'm lying down the right way even.") he told me about his course and we chatted and cuddled and kissed and hugged and it was so so absolutely delicious that we could touch each other in all the right ways while still being able to talk about our day. 

It's a lot easier to get into the mood when we're both the right way up!

I am also happy to announce that we had a yummy romp that evening. And everything flowed just the way it was supposed to. *Wink* 

Rescued Croissants and Ciabattas and My Glucose Levels Hate Me

Some time last year a friend of mine who works at a bakery (pretty famous, high end one too) started smuggling out to-bin food to me so as to rescue the buns and loaves. I distribute these to people who live nearby - folks I got to know thru the Olio app (food rescue, freeycle etc) and especially to those whom I know are a little more food-insecure. 

For a while the supply stopped cos she wasn't able to get the bread to me, but recently we had a couple of huge hauls and I was glad to treat myself to some almond / chocolate croissants / cronuts for breakfast. 

My body on the other hand, isn't so glad. I had a weird feeling over the weekend so on Sunday morning before consuming anything at all I did a blood glucose test and my number was way too high for my liking. I'm not even talking high end of normal (which is <5.5). I'm talking 5.7 and 6 (after 10 mins cos I thought, that can't be right, let's do that again) - but the weird thing is that my post-prandial readings are definitely in the normal range. 

According to my boss, nothing to worry about cos if glucose levels drop too low the liver pushes out more (when fasting) so the readings could show an elevated level. And excess starch / carbs the night before could also have an effect, so when I next do my annual labs we'll do a HbA1c too. 

But as far as I'm concerned, it's the damned croissants that did me in! I'm back to regular low carb food cos these diabetic genes are STRONG in my family line. 

Sunday's lunch was broiled fish and prawns and veggies - 

And yes, it's hilarious seeing as how we've been trying to help BIKSS get his sugar under control. Tsk. I guess misery loves company!

Late but Still Funny ; AKA Tuesday Toons

Belated Halloween post - 

I don't know if I've shared these before, but here they are anyway:

This one is hilarious and SO TRUE

And wow - that's really expensive for ADULT CASSETTES but I suppose if you were a "sophisticated adult" you would be able to afford it. 

All the Food and being Emo

This was the free dessert we got from the posh place we like. Not half bad. Isn't BIKSS watching his sugar? Yes. But it was a good test. And his pancreas passed! The readings are now back to normal levels so I think a little bit of a treat here and there shouldn't be a problem.

This steak is the reason we got the free dessert. It was tough and veiny and just wasn't as edible as a steak should be. I think this might be the meal that convinces BIKSS to just stick to fish.

As usual, the brussels sprouts were so delicious we attacked it without a pic. But I've posted that a million times by now. This was some asparagus and spinach with feta cheese salad that turned out to be quite delicious!

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With travel restrictions we haven't been able to go across the border to our favourite (cheap and good) Japanese restaurant but we did find a little cafe on the food-discount app we have.

The sashimi salad was good to the last drop (of roe)

And we didn't expect the portions to be this large for the price we paid. From top left - tori karaage (fried chicken), gyoza (dumplings/ pot stickers), pumpkin croquettes (pumpkin croquettes LOL) and grilled cod. 

DELICIOUS and I would definitely go back there again.

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This meal cost double the Jap meal above. The crab cakes were probably the most awesome part of dinner. The salad wasn't cold, which isn't something I'm used to with Caeser salads, so that felt a bit strange. And the seabass wasn't to my liking. BIKSS didn't think it was half bad, but I thought it was a bit chewy and tough. Perhaps I just prefer the more delicate softer types of fish.  It was a fun evening tho, we went to the marina which probably explains the higher price tag. But as usual, it was fun people watching!

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On a slightly less related note, after dinner we came home and I don't know if it's the stress of Covid restrictions, or his new job schedule, or my worry about potential loss of income, or uncertainty about whether I should give up teaching altogether, or hormones...(you see where this is going).. 

But we ended up with a very volatile evening, emotionally. For me I mean. There was a LOT of crying. I just feel as tho more and more there is this sense of my non-existance in his world when we're not physically in the same space. That the tendril of connection that links us together floats out into no where when he isn't with me, and that makes me want to pull it back into my pocket and just ignore his existance too. I know it makes no sense, but it's how I feel. 

There has been a very persistent sense of "what's the point?" invading my semi-conscious brain and while I know it could just be a combination of a whole lot of factors, knowing doesn't automatically make things easier to get over/thru, nor does it make the bad feelings go away. 

And I think it has something to do with the lack of intimacy. I'm not sure if less sex led to less connection, or feeling less connected led to less sex. Probably a roundabout cycle of BOTH. 

Well, that's the update on the emotional front. We'll see how things go. I *am* glad that I can still unload all this on BIKSS tho. At least THAT wall hasn't been put back up. 

More Info on the Skincare Thing and 30% Off LED Mask on Stylevana

WARNING - very nerdy skincare post with lots of science-y sounding words. Feel free to skip it. 

(Am putting it here so that I can come back to refer to it when I need to LOL)

Let's just dive in. Here are the things you want to slap on your super dry skin. (This may not be the post for you if you're just dehydrated due to lack of water intake or drier weather you're experiencing. To tell the difference, look here or here.)

First: basics (from here).

Fatty acids are lipid molecules with long, skinny carbon chains. They play a lot of roles in skin function; one of the most important is in the stratum corneum, which is the outermost layer of your skin. The stratum corneum is set up like a brick wall, with bricks made of corneocytes and mortar made of a lipid (fat) matrix, filling in the gaps and holding everything together.

That lipid matrix is composed of about 50% ceramides, 25% cholesterol, and 15% free fatty acids. PLUS, ceramides themselves are made of fatty acids tethered to a sphingosine base. Fatty acids are absolutely crucial to the proper function of your stratum corneum, keeping the outside on the outside and your insides on the inside. 

So look for skincare products with ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. Got it? Great.

FOR a quick look - READ THIS and you're done with today's post. Or else... continue reading my long-winded novel.

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1. Ceramides. If you read the ingredient list on your product you'll know if there are ceramides in there cos it will often say so. For more on what they do for your skin, this Paula's Choice article is a good place to start reading.

TL;DR version - 

Generally, you’ll see the word ceramide on the ingredients label (ceramide AP, EOP, NG, NP, or NS), but not always. For example, phytosphingosine and sphingosine are ingredients known as ceramide precursors, meaning they can nudge skin into making ceramides. But, given ceramides’ stellar anti-aging abilities, most products will advertise them on their labels or product pages if they’re included in the formula.

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2. Fatty acids are supposed to also be good for your skin in a moisturising product. But they don't get listed as "fatty acids". So how the heck am I supposed to know if it's in there... 

Basically, ceramides contain fatty acids. As do jojoba oil and olive oil. 

Definition from the Paula's Choice ingredient dictionary -  Substance typically found in plant and animal lipids (fat). Fatty acids include compounds such as glycerides, sterols, and phospholipids. 

So if any of your ingredients have those words in it, then it's got fatty acids in there. Yes, including triglycerides, sometimes listed as "Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride" - which in essence is fractionated coconut oil. 

More on types of fatty acids and where you find them: 

There are five major types of fatty acids you’ll get from skincare products. Most plant oils contain most of these types of fatty acids, just in different proportions.

Palmitic acid is a rich emollient as well as an occlusive agent, meaning it locks moisture into your skin rather than letting it evaporate.

It can be found in : palm oil (thus its name), sea buckthorn berry oil, neem oil

Stearic acid is very rich and forms an occlusive layer over the skin. An interesting note: stearic and palmitic acid levels are up to 31% lower in aged skin compared to young skin, so there may be an anti-aging element to these two ingredients.

It can be found in butters like : cocoa, mango, and shea

Oleic acid is derived from the word “olive” because it’s found in such high quantities in olive oil. To some (dry skin peeps like me), it’s a powerful and luxurious way to pack in the hydration; for others, especially those with acne or easily-aggravated skin, it can be a comedogenic (pore-clogging) nightmare. ALWAYS PATCH TEST IF YOU HAVE OILY OR ACNE PRONE SKIN.

It can be found in : avocado oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil

Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid – your body can’t produce it by itself – so you need to get it either from things you eat or things you put on your face.

There’s a long, long list of the great things linoleic acid can do. Here are some of them:

• Walk back damage from UV radiation
• Increase barrier function
• Reduce hyperpigmentation
• Increase circulation
• Fight acne
• Even skin texture and reduce scaliness

It should be in every skincare product but it isn't because it's way expensive, and has a very short shelf life (6 months before it starts to oxidise).

It can be found in : sunflower oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, hemp seed oil, wheat germ oil

Gamma-Linolenic Acid has a lot of the same great effects as linoleic acid, plus it can reduce inflammation and increase ceramide synthesis. It's a relative of linoleic acid and another one of those MUST-haves for skin / health. This one has shown very convincing results in scientific studies. 

It can be found in : rosehip oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil

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3. Cholesterol

It will probably be listed as cholesterol on the ingredient list. But the thing to remember is that all the three components listed (Ceramides, Fatty acids and Cholesterol) are really kind of from the same family, and as far as I'm concerned, the simplest way to think of them is that they're in different concentrations : 

Here's a good summary 

Cholesterol—Quenching occlusive moisture.  

Ceramides—Lipids that increase hydration in the skin and are beneficial for all skin types. Alternative ingredients include glycerin and hyaluronic acid. 

Omega-3—High in alpha lipoid acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA), regulates oil production and contributes to skin elasticity. 

Omega-6—Linoleic acid nourishes skin without feeling too heavy and is highly beneficial for individuals with oily skin or acne. 

Omega-9—Oleic acid types benefit balanced to dry skin types and tend to be occlusive. 

ON THE LABEL (of your skincare product you might see:)

Rich Fatty Acids—Cholesterol, Tallow, Lanolin, Stearic Acid, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Glyceryl Stearate (Glycerin and Stearic Acid), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Coconut Oil and Glycerin)

Moderate Fatty Acids—Olive, Safflower, Sweet Almond, or Jojoba Oils, Pumpkin Seed Oil

Non-Occlusive Lipids—Hemp Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Glycerin, Ceramides

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Ok, science lesson over. 

In other news, I went ahead and bought an LED mask for $82 USD. Down from $170 USD. Yes, that's like half the price. SCORE!

There was a flash sale a couple of days ago - so I splurged. This one is specifically made to fit Asian faces (low nose bridge, NOT deep-set eyes, smaller head) and all the reviews from the West have said it's great except for the fit. I figured that wouldn't be a problem for me. 

During the sale they threw in 3 serums, an SPF, and two sheet masks too. I'm happy and can't wait for it to arrive. 

I just checked on Stylevana (they ship to the US and UK etc) and it's now only $120USD if you're wanting to get it - note that the protective goggles may not fit Caucasian faces comfortably - but you can always get your own that DO fit better.

CLICK THIS LINK for the page.