Ghassoul is Good

What is Ghassoul? Ghassoul is a unique, 100% naturally occurring clay found only beneath the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Ghassoul together with Argan Oil, both sourced only from Morocco, have been dubbed as Morocco’s best beauty secrets.

Ghassoul is basically just dried clay but because of its composition, it is rich in Silica, Magnesium, Calcium , Potassium and Iron, it supposedly has great capacity to absorb oil (surface and the oils inside blackheads and whiteheads), remove skin layers and improve skin texture.

To be honest, I had no idea what Ghassoul was until I stumbled upon an artsy boutique on the side streets of Seoul named TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL. It turned our to be a new beauty and crafts shop geared to those with artistic streaks (they have create-your-own –makeup palettes, they encourage clients to suggest new colors or products, and aside from the usual cosmetics and bodycare, TCFS also offers stationeries and craft items.)

One of the items that caught my attention was a canister with a title named Rules of Pore: Morrocan Ghassoul Tablet. It supposedly helps keep your pores clear and detoxifies your skin. So I googled Ghassoul, read some reviews and was convinced enough to order a canister for myself.

Ghassoul from Too Cool For School

Ghassoul Tablets

The Mask

How to Use: Dissolve a few tablets of Ghashoul in 3-4 tablespoons of warm to hot water (Adjust amount of water depending on the amount of Ghassoul you’re dissolving). Spread to face and/or body. Apparently, you can also use this for the hair as a mask to remove excess oils (I guess this would work for oily, limp hair), but personally, as the mask is a bit expensive, I wouldn’t consider using it on any other parts aside from my face and neck

The mask hardens in two-three minutes. And did I mention that it is completely odor-free? After the mask has dried, it feels like your face is literally beingstretched. I’ve used mudpack-type masks before such as Skinfood’s Chocolate Mask and Burt’s Bees Pore Refining Mask, but hands down this Ghassoul thing really stretches your face that it borders on the uncomfortable. The next time I used it, I adjusted the amount of Ghassoul tablets from four to two and it was more comfortable though still quite stretchy.

Does Ghassoul work? It is too early to tell, having used it only twice. But there are no breakouts and my face does seem calmer and less red after using it . I use M2 Skin Refinish too which when applied too thickly leaves the skin a bit red, so I think the Ghassoul Mask is a perfect complement to my regimen.

It is however a bit expensive, almost twice the prices of the masks and packs from Skinfood, Etude and even Missha. I’m guessing it's because it’s all natural and as of now only Too Cool For School offers this Ghassoul in Korea. If and when the lower-end brands jump into the Ghassoul bandwagon, I’m guessing prices for this mask will go down.

Fibre Love

No, it is not really a product meant to make you pretty. In fact, if you think about how it works, it is kind of shitty,literally. But I do think it deserves a time in the sun because it really works.

Some facts:

a. I've been taking this for close to four years. I've brought little yellow sachets of this with me everywhere-- from Korea to Malaysia to London, through heartaches and successes.

b. It's 100% all natural, none of those magic (read: artificial and overly processed) supplements we are all too often tempted to take.

c. It's action is straightforward-- it fills your belly and regulates your poo-poo.

d. It is made of psyllium husk fibers and passes through the body completely, carrying with it whatever toxins, oils it has absorbed. Again, I reiterate, this is not a magic pill.


Some people get their fiber from oats (which I hate as it tastes awful to me), I get mine from C-lium. If you ask our family what binds us, well, C-lium Fibre should be pretty near the top of the list. Beginning our mornings with a heaping tablespoon each of C-lium is the one single ritual we share, wherever we may be. Why do we take it? Why do I need it so much that last week when a friend went to Pinas, my very first bilin was a 50-sachet pack of Clium Fiber?

The answer is simple, it helps me poo and control my food intake. It is my cheat sheet for times when I lose my discipline and go into binges. (Now, admit it. Even the best, the most determined of us need a day off once in a while to eat to our heart's content without mentally counting calories). I will not go into details about how Clium fiber works, you can just google "Psyllium" or check out C-lium's website: www.cliumfibre.com, instead, I'll share how it worked for me:

1. At first it was yucky but like all things, with time you learn to be a natural at drinking it. I take the powder not the capsule form (because at the time we started using it, there was still no capsule form haha). I admit, the first few times I took Clium, there was that gagging reflex. You could literally feel the soft grains of the fibre running through your throat. And there is that mild grass taste. Some people take it with a glass of juice to mask the taste, I like it straight up with nothing but water.

I did eventually outgrew any gagging reflex and now drink it with a few gulps. There are a lot of psyllium husks brands out there. Healthy Options has one and I've tried it and works just as well. But so far, Clium is the cheapest pure psyllium husk fibre that I know. Here in Korea, they have the so-called Fibre Plus Drink-- which is a bright orange color tasting of orange flavored cough syrup, bleh!


2. As I mentioned, this is my cheating mechanism when I know I'm going to eat a lot. I take it about thirty minutes before going out. It works because the fibre expands tenfold and becomes this jelly like thing that fills up your stomach. Less stomach space = less food to eat. A google search would yield that there are also findings that these fibers help absorb fat. Though to be honest, I don't really think it absorbs THAT ENOUGH FATS to have any effect on weight loss. It will help you not gain weight but for it to aid in weight loss you got to put in some effort-- exercise.

3. And now comes the yucky part, it helps regulate poop time as all fibres do and thus decreases the bloated feeling.

So why do I love this product? Because it's relatively cheap, and does what it says it will. No overhyped stuffs --- It will NOT make you slim on its own. And though it helps in controlling cholesterol it will NOT make you get rid of your hypertension meds, and it will definitely NOT make you into a goddess at all.

But if you want fibre without the bundled calories (like with oatmeal!) and one that works well, then psyllium fibre is a great habit to start.


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P.S. Upon re-reading this entry prior to posting, it did feel like a copy ad for the product, harhar! But no, I am in no way connected to C-lium or any psyllium manufacturers. I'm just an ordinary consumer who wants to spread the word on stuffs that worked for me ;-)

How to Be a Domestic Goddess

The plan was to have dinner at my place this weekend. I’ll bake and the other friend will cook. Unfortunately, one got sick and the other was so tired from doing overtime work that we decided to postpone the dinner.

I, being crazy and stubborn, decided that hell, I’ve been psyching myself to bake again so why not go ahead and play the part of the domestic (baking) goddess? I can always bring the stuffs to the office and set aside some for when the dinner finally pushes through.

I admit, I was really just waiting for an excuse to bake. When you have wheat intolerance and you live alone, there has to be a compelling reason to bake, because you know you won’t be able to literally have your cake and eat it. (Case in Point: I know this would happen but I totally fell for the bacon puffs and so I scarfed down four of these beauties. The ending? I woke up with the telling throbbing headache and upset stomach. Yes, one other reason why I really need a reason to bake is because I can get myself ill so easily eating these forbidden foods).

So one lazy Saturday afternoon, I went into a baking frenzy:

And just so we are at par with the blog title, yes, I adapted the recipes from a book I received on my last birthday-- the great Ms. Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess. So in a way, this is me, testing the recipes from her book which is just about time, haha, as I’ve had this book for close three months already.

I say “adapted” because I never follow recipes to a T. I tweak them to death, because, well baking for me is one fun experiment. And following a recipe word for word is too dragging. At least in baking (maybe just in baking?), I like living on the edge.

Tomato Bacon Puffs – this is what you do when like me, you love the process of making flaky pie crust but hates the tedium of making the fillings. I am more of the savoury hand pie type, so I usually make little pastry puffs and throw in whatever is on my ref for fillings. This time the combinations worked spectacularly—the salty bacon, stewed green onions and tomatoes blended so well it was like eating mini calzones.

What to do with the leftover pie crust? Roll them out, pepper them with rosemary and garlic and turn them into pastry sticks!


Simple Chocolate Cake

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

The cake batter for these goodies was a simple chocolate cake with a twist. I didn’t have cocoa powder but I had a stash of Cacao Tablea from the farm in Davao so that’s what I used. The peanut butter frosting for the cupcakes was something I totally made up, using up the half jar of Skippy’s that’s been in the ref for months.

You see, in Baking, as in life, I subscribe to the cliché that you must use what’s been given to you. (Except of course, when baking, you gotta check the expiration date first!)

Happy Weekend, everyone!


And how come I have the temerity to post a baking entry in a beauty blog? Well, just because I can hahaha! And because real beauty definitely comes not only from the stuffs we slap on our bodies (though they certainly help), they come from things that still our fears, allowing us to shine with our natural gifts, making us all the more beautiful.

Of course, I’m talking about our passions, the things we do to send our selves into a quite calm. And mine, among other things, is baking. So what about you, have you given in to your passions lately? ☺

Dear LOTREE

Just so you know, you’re one expensive brand. 32k won (about 1.5k pesos) for a simple powder pact?! I would not have even considered trying your stuffs if not for the CC rebate I got. I figured, why not use the rebate to buy something I will not normally buy because of the price?

So now, dear Lotree, my bag is a tiny bit heavier due to you.

For my order of the Lotree Rosa Davurica Triple Cake SPF32 and Peach Eye Crayon, you so kindly included a 15 ml tube of your Luminous Moisture Tinted SPF30, which is I guess, your version of the BB Cream.

I was piqued by your tagline: LOTREE, ONLY POWDER. Huh? What does that mean? But you also offer other items?! But now I get it. You don’t use talc and mineral oil in your products. Great! Is that why your items are so effing pricey?

I’ve used the powder for three days now, and yes, it’s wonderful. It smells herby and natural, without any artificial perfumes. And yes, what you’re Korean site says is true—it settles into the skin without the powdery look.

As for the eye crayon, I’m happy with the very neutral color. It’s something I can use everyday just to add a bit of sparkle to my eyes.

Sadly, the BB cream, I have yet to use. I'm saving it for next time, after I finish my opened BB tube from another brand.

I do have high hopes for your products, because as of now, I am more than happy with my purchases, but I hope you can lower your prices a bit. A plain loose powder , no matter how lovely, if it sells for 32k won (about 1.5k pesos) in Korea where there are brands offering similar items at less than half the price just seems like, well, a bit like highway robbery.

OompaWoompa Girl

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LOTREE’s main ingredient in all its products is the plant Rosa Davurica Pallas, a class of wild roses found in the mountains. The plant contains unusually high amounts of Vitamin and Beta-Carotene and Catechins (anti-oxidant hence anti-ageing chemicals).