My favorite kikay shop

Iwalked through the doors of First Aid in Greenbelt 3 and was pleasantly surprised with the wonderful kikay products available there. They carry several exclusive lines of beauty, hair, and skincare products, among them are TNS from Australia, I-Nuovi from Singapore, Herbal Spa and Harnn from Bangkok, Marseilles from France, Utena, Chifure and Naris from Japan and Mixed Pickles from Germany.

First Aid is virtually a one-stop shop – especially if you are on the lookout for gifts for the girls on your Christmas list. I immersed my senses in a cornucopia of heavenly concoctions – lotions to soften the skin, massage oils to calm frayed nerves, scented candles that not only look but also smell beautiful; not to mention shampoos, conditioners, bath soaps and shower gels that make you smell good enough to eat.

Here are eight reasons to visit First Aid asap:

1) The items available will make nice gifts, either individually or in a package. An added bonus is that these kikay products are priced under P500 so they’re easy on the budget.

2) The sales crew is well-informed on their products, especially on the exclusive lines they carry (some of them were sent abroad for training) and based on their suggestions you can make good choices.

3) For that girlfriend on your Christmas list who already seems to have everything, you are bound to find something she will appreciate and put to good use. If she loves getting massages at home you can give her an assortment of Harnn massage oils. For couples who enjoy home massages, all the better. They will love a spa package that can be put together easily for them based on the wide array available at the shop counter.

4) They have a lot of items that would make great gifts for party hosts and/or tokens for ladies’ luncheons. I love the soap bars from Harnn because they have built-in granules that double as skin exfoliants. Among my favorite variants are the lavander and rosemary, orange tea, red rice, white rice, seaweed, green tea, basil, and rose hip. After every use, they make the bathroom smell heavenly, too! They also have teabags from Thai Herbal Spa packaged beautifully in tin containers that sell for only P250. I always keep a tin ready by my desk because the mulberry/chrysanthemum, pandan, and green tea blend has become almost a nightly habit. It calms me and encourages total relaxation.

5) Inside First Aid is F, a beauty salon that has as its jewel hairstylist Jun who cuts hair very well. Attention girls with boyfriends who are Dao Ming Xi/Jerry Yan hair-alikes – look no further. Jun can trim and tame those F4 tresses masterfully. I have met and heard of countless men (Richard and my brothers included) who end up frustrated – they complain that patient as they were in making their hair grow long it can easily take a bad haircut to ruin it all. That is, until there was Jun. He can tastefully trim men’s long hair without sacrificing the style and the length. Oh, and he does it just as well for women, too.

While you’re at it, you can look for Esther who seems to have a PhD in massages. She literally melts away every bit of stress on your shoulders and back. She makes me fall asleep on the salon chair.

6) Look out for their line of perfumed candles called "we live like this" that come in colorful boxes – just add a ribbon and a tag if you want to give them as gifts. Our bedroom forever smells of the cantaloupe variant. I so love the scent that I haven’t gotten around to trying the others I have on stock. I finally decided to leave the strangefruit variant in our bathroom and I love it, too. Other than these scents the line also has frankincense and myrrh, and vanilla scents.

7) Grab a pot of Daintree Body Butter in Vanilla and Mandarin. It is an intense moisture treatment that you can either soak or massage in. I prefer to do the former. There’s nothing like putting on a liberal amount while the skin is still damp after a shower or bath and letting your skin naturally absorb all the moisture. It feels decadent. Smoother than silk, your skin will thank you for it. Still from the same maker comes Sandpaper Crème for hands and feet. As the name suggests, it is a creamy abrasive that strips off skin’s roughness without damaging the delicate skin surface. Always keep a pot handy in your bathroom or bring it along when you go for your weekly manicure and pedicure. I like using it at night before retiring.

8) Yes, we all love Bhoerer Ding and/or White Flower, (who doesn’t?). But for those times when the clinical smell of these old favorites just won’t measure up to the occasion (think a dinner party or a romantic date), there is a reliable alternative. Still from the Thai Herbal Spa comes a discreet tube of stress-relieving balm with notes of Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, and Mint. Just dab this uplifting scent and you’re all set for your second wind.

Hours later, after a spot-massage session with Esther and a heady mix of all these wonderful lotions and potions I walked out the door of First Aid grateful that in just one afternoon a huge chunk of my Christmas list has been taken care of. I’m thankful that First Aid is just around the corner. Whatever your beauty woe may be, they have something on the counter to make you not only look good but also feel good. Now how much better can they get?