Asian Secrets brings Indonesian lulur to the Philippines

I have never heard of lulur before the kind folks behind Asian Secrets clued me in. So what is lulur? There is an ancient Indonesian custom that requires future brides to apply a luxurious body scrub mix 40 days before their wedding.  The lulur is traditionally made from jasmine, ground rice, green tea, scented moisturizing oils, and yogurt. This practice of applying lulur originated from the palaces of Java, and is intended as a purifying, beautifying ritual to prepare brides-to-be for the big day.

Of course, you don't have to be a bride to reap the benefits of lulur! It's for every woman (and man, if they are so inclined) who loves having radiant, soft skin. 

Finally, lulur is here in the Philippines. The brand is called Asian Secrets - apt, if I may add, since this beauty ritual is indeed one of Indonesia's best-kept secrets. It is marketed as a luxe whitening body scrub, formulated to target dark skin areas like armpits, elbows, knees, and the singit. 

Asian Secrets is available exclusively in Watsons and Beauty by SM. 250g/P130 and 135g/P80

What I love about this product:

• It's a gentle yet effective exfoliating scrub. I hate abrasive scrubs that feel like my skin is rubbed raw! The lulur felt light but still left my skin feeling squeaky clean after I rinsed it off. 
• It's creamy and moisturizing. I didn't have to apply lotion afterwards. No kidding. This is a huge achievement for a body scrub. I scratched a fingernail on my arm and look ma, no dry white lines!

• Smells heavenly. I love jasmine scents; it reminds me of our old sampaguita garden which blooms fragrantly every night. I just smelled my arm - two hours after using the lulur, the jasmine scent is still there (I'm just at home though, so there's no environmental stress).
• Cheap. Each jar is good for at least three generous full-body applications. I'd wish for a bigger jar, but it's not sanitary to keep a double-dipped jar for long periods of time.
• It does whiten. I used it on my armpits regularly for about a week (TMI, I don't have shining white armpits) before I noticed lightening! I like that it's not harsh like other armpit whitening products. You have to keep using this regularly though to sustain the whitening.

How to use the product: Apply it on dry skin and scrub scrub scrub! Rinse it off with water afterwards.

What I don't like:

• It would be great if this scrub came in a tube or a bottle with a pump. It's  not very sanitary to double dip in products like this. Besides, products in jars tend to expire faster because the whole thing gets exposed to open air. Open air + bare hands = tons of bacteria.

Tips on maximizing the product:

• Use a spatula to scoop out the product. You can also tip the jar bottom up, and just use the stuff that sticks to the cap.
• Apply it generously to get the desired effect. One jar is good for three, full-body uses. 
• I suggest you use the scrub three times a week at most. You don't want to over-scrub your body! To get the whitening effect, apply the scrub on your skin's darker areas everyday.

Whew. Long review. Bottomline is, I am loving the lulur! How about you, does it sound like something you'll try? 

Disclosure: this is a sponsored post. However, the opinions here are all mine and are not influenced by the sponsors.