Hi everyone!
I know, the feature that was once to be posted monthly has now only appeared once in a semester. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. In my defense, it took me a while for me to decide which product from which country to be posted first. Not to mention that I'm still trying my best to connect the two stuff that I'm going to cover here.
To be frank, at first I was really planning to write about a beauty product from both Brunei and Malaysia. That was just so it would be related to my Borneo trip. Unfortunately, one of the Malaysian beauty products that I was about to recommend ended up being so disappointing.
That forced me to wait until I got another product to recommend so I could start working on the new feature after my last series on Around The World With The Beauties.
Thankfully, now that I've got 2 new beauty product recommendations from 2 different countries with a similarity between both: Brunei and Thailand. From Brunei, I've got Beaute Rossera Botanical Lip Balm Honey Lemon. Also, I've got Thai Annabella Angel Aqua Expert Hydrated Facial Mask.
The Similarities Between Brunei and Thailand
Apart from the fact that both Brunei and Thailand are country members of ASEAN, the politics of both countries also take place in the form of monarchy. You might have heard Brunei and the Sultan from the news recently, with George Clooney and a lot of Hollywood celebrities boycotting some high-end hotels due to Brunei's anti-LGBT law. As if we peasants could afford to stay the night there, to begin with! 😐
Meanwhile, with their official name the Kingdom of Thailand, they too have the king as their head of state. However, while Brunei is an absolute monarch state where the Sultan acts as both head of state and head of government, Thailand conducts its state policies within the framework of constitutional monarchy. Therefore, the latter has the Prime Minister as their head of government.
In case you find those fun facts boring, then you'd probably find the other similarity between the two countries much juicier… That would be the fact that the current head of state for both countries was/is married to a former flight attendant.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's ex-wife, Aisha Mariam was a former flight attendant for Royal Brunei Airlines. Rumor has it that they first encountered when she spilled a glass of orange juice over the Sultan in a royal flight. Now that's juicy, is it? 😛
Meanwhile, the current queen of Thailand, Queen Suthida, the fourth wife of King Rama X, also used to work as a former flight attendant for Thai Airways in the early 2000s.
As a former flight attendant myself, even if it's too late, let's just hope that some miracles happen that makes me end up marrying someone from the Royal family. 😛
Beaute Rossera Botanical Lip Balm Honey Lemon | Brunei
The Product
Before I arrived in Brunei, I already told Suzie that I wanted to buy a local beauty product for my blog's content. At first, Suzie didn't know what to say as she never used any local Bruneian beauty product. So to speak, it was quite tough to find one that people recommend firsthand.
I mean, yes… I've published Potions & Things Elixir Face Oil based on Zati's recommendation in the series last year, but I was trying to find something new that I could try on. Thankfully, Suzie found some random article about a teenager starting her own cosmetic line in Brunei. Her cosmetic line is this Beaute Rossera, whose botanical lipbalm honey lemon I would recommend.
The regular price for one lip balm is 10.90 BND (around $8 USD). However, I bought it at Paloma The Mall Gadong close to my Airbnb in Brunei. Suzie has their membership card, and I got a discount using her card so I only had to pay for 7.90 BND (around $5.7 USD) at the time.
Other than their botanical lipbalm, you can also check Beaute Rossera's other products on their website.
The Verdict
The lipbalm comes in a macaroon-shaped tube with different colors, that depend on the variant you choose. Other than honey lemon, there are also some other variants like mint leaf, orange berry, as well as strawberry.
Their claim for the product is its effectivity to help maintain moisture to relieve dry, flaky lips and offers protection against sun rays.
I've encountered dry lips whenever I'm home. And I gotta say, their lipbalm is quite effective to moisturize my dry, chapped lips although I couldn't speak for myself about how effective it is to protect them from sun rays.
I mean, to be fair… I rarely go out and I only have to face dry lips mostly when I'm indoors. The lip balm texture glides perfectly on my dry lips, and I also love the sweet smell in the product.
Annabella Angel Aqua Expert Hydrated Facial Mask | Thailand
The Product
I gotta say, this Annabella Angel Aqua Expert Hydrated Facial Mask was my serendipity. Unlike Beaute Roserra Botanical Lipbalm Honey Lemon that I bought based on research before visiting Brunei, I bought this Annabella Facial Mask randomly when I was stocking up my sheet mask collections.
For sheet mask, I usually buy from various brands in K-beauty collections like Etude, Missha, etc. But I found this Annabella facial mask randomly at the online shop where I usually bought my sheet mask products. I decided to give it a try since the description sounds promising.
I tried to find some review about this Annabella Angel Aqua Expert Hydrated Facial Mask, but I wasn't lucky enough to find. There's probably something out there, although perhaps it's written in neither English nor Indonesian. So I had to find out about the product on my own.
My first impression on the product was actually not really good. Like, judging on the packaging, I really hate how they used Comic Sans for their packet. But then again, I thought that it was because they were cheap.
I totally forgot how much I got this on IDR since I bought in bulk, but I checked JatujakMall and found that a series of 10 packs cost 575 THB (around $18 USD).
The Verdict
Surprisingly, despite the fact that I wasn't impressed by their packaging, I love everything else about this facial mask to the point that I've repurchased it 3 times so far.
And since the store has limited stock of this Annabella facial mask, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again if they have some.
The sheet mask is actually thinner than most K-beauty sheet masks. However, it comes with a plastic layer that makes it easier to unfold.
When you apply the sheet mask on your face, it feels so relaxing with the aloe vera absorbing your skin. It works even better if you chill the mask in the refrigerator before using it.
And not just that, because it comes with plenty of essences I could apply on my neck and even hands and legs. It's fair to say that next time I get a chance to stop by Thailand, I'd definitely stock this Annabella facial mask for myself. 🙂
Have You Got Any Other Recommendations for Beauty Products from Either Brunei or Thailand?
I would love to hear!
I mean, I know that it might be a challenge to find recommended beauty product from Brunei… But I'm sure that there's plenty from Thailand. I have to admit that their beauty products are one of the most popular ones imported to Indonesia.
They come in various products, from body lotion to even contact lenses. I'm still yet to try them all, so if you have any beauty recommendations from Brunei, Thailand, or any other countries really… Just give me a shout so I could try to write about it on my next Around The World With The Beauties Series. Cheerio! 😀
