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Post Lockdown: Zandvoort aan Zee

By Elie - 3:04 PM

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Beauty

For Real: FOREO Play Plus Review

By Elie - 7:10 PM

Hello blog space! It's been a while since I've written a review piece, mainly due to the convenience of doing them on Instagram Stories instead. But after much consideration, here I am with an unbiased review of the FOREO Play Plus. For starters, I'm just going to say that this is not a sponsored post and I'm writing this because I've had several friends from Malaysia ask if it was worth the money after I posted about it on Instagram. I personally paid €37 while it was sale to get it from Douglas here in Amsterdam (For my Malaysian readers, think SASA equivalent), but I believe this model originally retails for €49.

Unboxed.

So what exactly is a FOREO Play Plus? A friend commented that it sounded like I was doing a review on a vibrator, and I guess it did sound like that when I first turned the device on. This however is actually an electronic facial cleanser brush that promises over 8,000 pulses a minute through its "T-Sonic pulsations" to help rid your face from oils, dirt, pollution, and whatever gets stuck on your face. Their words - not mine. It's supposed to be really gentle on your skin so it doesn't irritate it but at the same time be strong enough to do what it's meant to do.

A snug fit.

The FOREO Play Plus is tiny; it's just 64 x 60mm, and weighs in at just 60g so it's pretty convenient to bring around for travels. As you can see, it fits pretty snug in my palm and the non-porous silicone ensures that it doesn't slip off my grip when I'm washing my face. The use of silicone for the brushes also means it's more hygienic as bacteria doesn't grow on it and the tool dries quickly. I do however have a habit of wiping the bottom dry because I've read that the small screws that keeps the batteries in the device do run a risk of rusting from long term water exposure.

Fuss free operation, push to turn on and off.

The device runs on a single AAA battery that's first included with your purchase and you could easily swap it out when it runs out of juice. My friend Michelle suggested rechargeable batteries to help save the Earth, though I haven't gone so far as to need a battery change yet. There's nothing much on the operation part of things, you just push the button at the back of the FOREO Play Plus to turn it on and later turn it off by pushing it again. Out of the box, you'll get the actual FOREO Play Plus unit in any of the 8 colours you pick (I didn't pick my colour because Douglas only had this baby blue unit on sale, but I do like it), a user manual, and a warranty disc that doubles as a magnet so you don't easily lose it. I now use it to stick pictures to my fridge so I'd say it's a nice touch to not misplace your warranty "card".

And now to the real deal, is the FOREO worth it?

I've been using the device for approximately 3 weeks now, and I'm pretty torn on whether or not it's the holy grail of facial cleansing devices as it claims to be. Also FOREO suggests that the steps to using the cleansing brushes should be to put your regular cleanser on a dry face, then wet the device and cleanse your face in a circular motion for a minute. I felt that this didn't work too well for me because my cleanser would refuse to foam like it normally does, so I went with applying my cleanser on a wet face then using the FOREO after.

Pros:

The device is really tiny. It stores so easily, I sometimes forget it exists in my bathroom. I also pray my other half won't throw it out by accident.
It does feel like the device has gotten rid of most whiteheads and bits of blackheads on my skin, though I don't see remarkable changes to my pores. The curved edges also makes it easy to get to hard-to-reach areas of your face, which brings me to the next point.
It cleans the corners of my nose so well, it's actually amazing. For reals, the corners of my nose has probably never felt THIS clean ever. I feel like I can now throw my pore strips away, because let's be honest, those things are not exactly good for your skin.
I haven't gotten a pimple in the past month, which is a feat since I've arrived Amsterdam.
The silicone bristles are really soft, so soft it's almost therapeutic to just run your fingers through them when you're not using it.

Cons:

The device is expensive. It retails at €49 (Approximately RM 250) so it's not something everyone could afford off the bat. For those looking to buy it in Malaysia, I believe you could try getting it from the Sephora website.
The device is not compatible to all types of cleansers, but this is mainly for the care of the silicone bristles. You could find the recommended types of cleansers on the FOREO website, although I remember they've mentioned clay cleansers, exfoliators, and scrubs as the top no-no types.
My skin feels slightly dry after the first week, so I skipped their recommended twice a day use. I only use the device at night, and this gives me the opportunity to make shower time feel like a short facial session.

So to buy or not to buy? I'd say if you could afford it, then you should give it a go! I only decided to splurge because I used to have the Phillips Visapure back in KL and that really cleared my face up. There are cheaper dupes of the FOREO Play Plus out in the market for sure, but I can't promise if you'll get the same effects as the original. If you're not sure about investing several hundred bucks on the device however, I'd suggest you get a manual silicone brush instead and see how your skin reacts to such intense cleaning because it could be too drying for your face. And really that's just it.

And on an important note: You'll find that there's also a FOREO Play on the market which sells for approximately €10 cheaper, but what's the difference between the FOREO Play vs FOREO Play Plus? Essentially the former is just smaller in size and you can't switch out the batteries. This means you'll have to throw out the entire cleansing brush when the original batteries run out, adding to more electronic waste in landfills and then buy another brush after. I personally recommend the FOREO Play Plus as an entry level facial cleansing brush, or if you're into their higher end gimmicks, FOREO also offers brushes that could do things like app pairing and intensity control but do note they're way more expensive than whatever I've just been talking about. But you do you, and happy shopping!

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Amsterdam

Living in Amsterdam: The Public Transportation Part 2

By Elie - 10:31 PM

Hello blog! I'm really sorry to have accidentally abandoned you for the last 2 months, despite being stuck home for 3 weeks now. I'm not proud for the duration of which I haven't visited, but honestly being quarantined at home has given me such laziness I never knew I had before. With a slight nudge from an acquaintance over LinkedIn however, I've come to recall that I never got to part 2 of my Amsterdam public transportation woes - and so here I am today!

Here in Amsterdam, our main public transportation choices are the tram, the Metro, and the bus (inclusive of the night bus). People would also hop on the Sprinter for trips outside the city and if you've read the first part to my public transportation series here, you'll know that it isn't a part of the GVB network and you'll need separate train tickets for a ride.

In this part of the series, I'll touch on the basics of getting on and off the transports around Amsterdam and summarize them to 3 words: Push the button.

THE TRAM

A sight of the trams at Central Station

Picture credits to iamamsterdam

The tram is perhaps the most popular and convenient mode of transportation in Amsterdam, covering an extensive area of travel across the city. It's often packed with locals especially during the rush hours, but it's also a tourist's favourite because you'll catch the sights of Amsterdam so much better when you're on a tram. So for all your first timers in Amsterdam, here's how I'll explain getting on and off the tram to you...

There are 2 entrances and 3 exits on every tram, and very often you'll see a "No entry" sticker stuck to the exits. If you happen to miss that glaringly red sticker however, you'll be happy to know that the...

Entrances are at the front of tram where the driver is & in the middle where the conductor sits. The middle entrance is also wider than the front, making it easier for parents with strollers or the disabled to get on the tram. You can also ask the conductor for assistance to lower a ramp for the ease of getting on.

That desk in the middle is the conductors' table

Meanwhile, both exits are available towards the middle of the tram, and one at the very end of the tram. Do note that due to special circumstances, the middle door is also an exit for parents with strollers and the disabled.

By the exits, you'll across these swing gates that opens with a push along with a green button that would flash as you're approaching your stop. To get actually get off the tram - and this is where a lot of people get stuck, you need to push that flashing green button! That's the only way to prompt the doors to open when the tram comes to a complete halt, or you'll just have to wave your stop goodbye.

Yes, that green button!

Of recent, I've also come to realise that these green buttons can also act as a bell for you to tell the driver you'd like to get off at the next stop. So if you've pushed it once as a bell, then you wouldn't have to push it again to exit since the doors will then open by themselves after! And now that you've read all the way through for the trams, remember to always PUSH THE GREEN BUTTON.

THE METRO

Ah, the metro

For places you can't reach on the tram, maybe the Amsterdam Metro can help. It covers a pretty wide distance around the city, although you won't get the views of Amsterdam as you would on the tram. That's because the metro regularly only on elevated platforms or underground, so there's not much for you to see. The good thing about the metro however, is that all the doors are your entrances and all the doors are your exits.

Green means go

If it's your first time on the metro, I'd say it works pretty much the same as anywhere else in the world as well. To help you figure out which door is opening when the train approaches the station, a strip of light will flash around the frame of the door in either red or green. I think the colours are pretty obvious as to what they mean but in case you needed a reminder, green means that's where you need to go.

Similar to the tram, you'll need to prompt the doors of the train to open. That is that you have to push that button that's on the door. You see that little silver button that's beside the windows in the picture up that? That's exactly what you need to push! Unlike the tram however, you don't have to indicate that you want to stop at any specific stations because the metro stops at every station. So your job is simple, you just have to enjoy the ride, respect the other passengers, and push the button to get on and off the metro.

Occasionally, you'll also meet the goodest bois on your rides!

I never thought I'd one day go on and on about the doors of the public transport in Amsterdam, but I've met quite a few tourists get stuck on both the trams and the metro because the concept of button pushing was a little foreign to them. On some occasions if I'm near the buttons, I'd help them prompt the doors open of course, but other times I can only watch them gasp in horror as the ride pulls away from their intended stops.

I do hope if you're visiting Amsterdam and you come across my posts before your trip, this would help make your journey just a little easier and you'll never face the wrath of the doors that never open ever again. And until then, just keep...pushing those buttons okay?

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Post Lockdown: Zandvoort aan Zee

Life in Lockdown

For Real: FOREO Play Plus Review

Living in Amsterdam: The Public Transportation Part 2

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