Category Archives: Beauty

A LIL HAUL OF SKINCARE & COSMETICS

14 April 2012 5 comments

My beauty & fashion posts are a bit skint nowadays.. Partly because I’ve heavily cut down on my skincare regime and don’t use much makeup nowadays (you really do change when you become a Mum, LOL!), and partly because I never get round to photographing or blathering on about my purchases and my reviews of stuff.

But I know heaps of you that read this are into nice girly things, so I really ought to make the effort to do Hunter-free posts here and there ;) So here you go! Here’s a couple of lil things I acquired and what I think.. :)

Stila smudge crayon, Stila lip & cheek stain

Got these lil Stila goodies from Sephora here, after I spent the past month or two debating whether or not I should get them :P I’m a long-term fan of Stila, ever since I was a young teen – how can I resist their pretty packaging, sweet colours, and lovely products?

Stila smudge crayon (Waterproof Eye Primer + Shadow + Liner) - I don’t use regular powder eyeshadows in pots anymore, because it’s just too much of a hassle to apply with a brush etc. So now I turn to the stick versions that are easy to swipe on. Problem is, most of them smudge and are way too greasy on me after a couple of hours. It’s why I love this Stila smudge crayon – it goes on super smooth, but then really doesn’t budge!! I have Antique which is a champagne/bronze, a lovely neutral shade that works really well as an eyeshadow, and layered as a subtle eyeliner. It’s so easy to swipe on smoothly, and off I go! Now, I’m after Dazzle, a dark grey shimmer that would be awesome as an eyeliner :)

Stila lip & cheek stain – I got this in Raspberry Crush and OMG the colour is BEAUTIFUL! I’m a tad obsessed with stain blushes, because all the other types wear off on me so quickly. And even so, I like very very few – the only 2 I will use is a Korean one (hard to find!) and MAC coral cast (long discontinued). Well, this Stila one is now my #1 by far. The colour is a pop of sweet raspberry shimmer, and it really does last. I use it over BB cream or tinted moisturizer and I just love the flush it gives. Will re-buy for sure :) I haven’t used it as a lip stain cos I like it as a cheek stain!

Phyto secret de nuit

Phyto secret de nuit - this really isn’t cheap in Singapore, grrr.. but I am sucker for hair products. This baby works as an overnight hair-repair treatment and, true to word, is non-greasy and silicone-free. I massage it into my hair at night and I like how it absorbs easily, and the subtle scent. I can’t say if it significantly makes my hair any nicer, but I’d like to think so ;) Personally though I wouldn’t repurchase since it’s pretty pricey..

By Terry touche veloutee concealer, Kai perfume oil

By Terry touche veloutee highlighting concealer - I’m a bit of a sucker for concealer so finally bit the bullet and bought this one. I like the portability of this, especially the sleek silver packaging the the great-quality brush. It’s supposed to brighten dark circles and my first impression of this concealer was “this blends like a dream!” It’s unique to other concealers because it just blends so easily and sinks right into the skin. So strange, in a good way! It matches my skin tone perfectly and I simply use my finger to pat it in. Only thing is that it’s not as long-lasting as my favourite concealer Shu Uemura gel cealer but it’s nice as an alternative.

Kai roll-on perfume oil – this is incredibly tiiiiiny for the price, but is really potent and long-lasting since it’s a perfume oil. I like the roll-on glass bottle it comes in, very good for travel! It has notes of gardenia and white exotic florals and is actually very different to what I normally use (which is Hermes jardin sur le nil, since I was 18 years old), so it took me awhile to get used to it. I’ll be frank – it does smell nice and floral and fresh, but nothing flat-out spectacular, apart from the fact that there’s no alcohol smell (since it’s a perfume oil) and lasts for ages without ‘spoiling’ on the skin. Then again, I’m not a perfume maven, so what do I know? :P

Laneige snow bb soothing cushion

Laneige snow bb soothing cushion SPF50 - I love my BB creams, which are basically a tinted moisturizer but touted to have healing properties and are actually good for the skin. I don’t use foundation most of the time, because I have to apply it more carefully and don’t really go to fancy places anyway. My daily staple is the BB cream. Most of the ones I’ve tried are the cream-in-a-tube type, which I find difficult to use in Singapore’s humidity, because it ‘melts’ too quickly. Laneige’s caught my interest because it’s a sponge-style, and comes in a nice portable compact. The sponge is really nice and picks up the product well to dab onto my face, though I find I need to keep picking up more product with the sponge since the formulation is pretty sheer and doesn’t transfer much to the sponge each time I press it down. The scent is subtle and coverage is sheer/light. Great for daily use. It’s definitely not oily at all, and actually lasts longer than my creamy bb creams. Win!

iS CLINICAL SKINCARE REVIEWS

3 October 2011 2 comments

So this pretty gift box was our door gift at the iS CLINICAL skincare event. It was filled with some full-sized products and deluxe samples that I excitedly pored through. I was really impressed with what I’d learned at the event, not to mention their incredible chemical-peel facial that I had.. and so replaced my entire skincare regime (both day and night) with all these products, to see how well they worked for me.

My problem is that, since moving to Singapore, my skin has gone from ‘pretty good’ to ‘awful’. There’s something about the humidity that wrecks havoc on my skin, and so in the past 3 months, I’ve suffered from bad breakouts (that always leave angry red marks on my skin even after they’ve subsided).

So I was looking for something to clear up my skin and I’ve been really pleased with iS CLINICAL. The chemical-peel facial that I did gave me instant results and subsided a lot of the welts on my left cheek (ie. big zits that were about to surface), and I think the red marks are less obvious compared to before. And, my skin just feels clearer and cleaner and smoother. The only type of skincare that has this sort of effect on me are those with serums, so it’s not a surprise that iS CLINICAL works for me since I’ve been using their serums.

And so, this is my review :)

ACTIVE SERUM - I want to review this one first because, quite simply, I flat out adore it and think it is the best item in their product line-up. When I asked Alex “For someone on a budget that wants to purchase just one product, which one would be the most effective ‘do-all’ product that you would recommend?”, and he said, “Active Serum”. I can see why. It would be my #1 pick too. With a 8% glycolic and 1% salicylic acid, it is potent enough to make a remarkable change to my skin (love the tingling feeling when I apply it), but gentle enough for me to use nightly without aggravating or causing dryness. I also use this as a spot-treatment on zits and it really subsides them. LOVE this.
YOUTH COMPLEX - this is a rich moisturizer so I use this as a night cream, and on my cheeks/neck in the morning. I warm it up in my fingers then gently dab&press onto my skin. I don’t think it has a fragrance but because of this, it smells a bit weird and medicinal. Guess we can’t have it all ;) The purpose of this cream is for wrinkle-reduction (using Innovase biotechnology) but since I don’t have any, I can’t say if it works :P
HYDRA-COOL SERUM - this one is pretty fascinating because it’s a moisturizer, but in serum form! This means that it’s super refreshing on my skin and my pores don’t feel like they’re clogged (as they would sometimes when I use a cream moisturizer). It’s also particularly gentle/soothing since it’s in serum form and fantastic for humid weather or those with normal-to-oily skin. It’s also recommended for treating sunburn and freshly shaved skin, and I can see why, since it has a deliciously cooling effect.

CREAM CLEANSER - I’ll be honest, I almost always steer clear of cream-based cleansers because they just don’t work on my oily t-zone, so I approached this one with trepidation. Frankly, I think this cleanser is excellent for normal-to-dry skin, but not for oily skin (no surprises there!). I found that it doesn’t leave an oily film on my face after washing, which is fantastic, but I simply love the foam and squeaky-clean feeling a gel-based cleanser gives me. I use this in the mornings though, since I feel my face isn’t as dirty then.
SPF20 POWDER SUNSCREEN - this is a physical sunscreen (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) which is excellent because it makes sun protection more effective than in a chemical suncreen which many beauty brands use. However, since it’s in powder form, it doesn’t leave that dreaded white cast on the skin. I like the applicator, which makes it so easy to apply as a last step. Mine is the ‘translucent’ colour, and I’m eager to try the tinted version now so I can use it as loose powder! Best part of this? It’s super portable, fab for chucking into your bag and re-applying during the day.

I’m very pleased with the products, and in particular, the ACTIVE SERUM and HYDRA-COOL SERUM. Now, I’m also keen to try:

Cleansing complex – I still want a gel cleanser!
White lightening serum – for my mum
C eye advance – for my horrific dark eye circles
Super serum advance – to compare against the Active serum..

iS CLINICAL SKIN CARE

30 September 2011 12 comments

If you know me pretty well, or have read my blog for awhile, you’ll know that I specifically go after serums. I’m a little obsessed with skincare, so back in the day, I taught myself about particular chemicals that are good for the skin, what concentrations they should be in to be effective, etc etc. It’s served me well, because I frequently see skincare brands at shops selling, for example, face moisturizer that is meant to do this-and-that, but I know their active ingredient just isn’t potent enough.

In particular, I always seek out 2 active ingredients in my skincare:

AHA (eg. glycolic acid) which exfoliates the skin. Similar to a facial scrub, but much better for me as because it’s a chemical exfoliator, it exfoliates much more evenly and less abrasively than a manual facial scrub that you rub in. I like this concentration to be 8%-10% in a product, preferably in gel/serum form. AHA is fab to make your skin feel renewed, smoother and clearer.
BHA (eg. salicylic acid) which clears out oil in pores. A winner if you tend to have breakouts. It significantly reduces zits and, when paired with an AHA, does wonders. I like this concentration to be 1%-2% in a product, also preferably in gel/serum form.

Unfortunately, not many companies have a lot of (transparent) science behind their products. So I was pretty impressed at the iS Clinical event with their product know-how and no frills, open book approach.

At Orchard Hotel. Wearing Nanette Lepore dress, no-name crystal earrings, Chanel expandable lambskin tote, Hermes orange clic-clac, Christian Louboutin patent leather pumps.

iS Clinical pay more attention to product development and science, than they do to fancy marketing and pretty packaging. It was evident when I was chatting with their COO, Alex Call. He didn’t flinch and give me the standard “ohhh yes the products are really effective. What concentrations are the active ingredients? We don’t disclose that, but they really are effective!” spiel. Instead, he was really transparent and let me know the various ingredients in their products and could answer all my prying questions :P

It’s actually used quite widely by Hollywood celebs, but they don’t do heavy marketing which is why you probably don’t know much about this brand. They also are only sold via consultation with skincare professionals (ie. dermatologists, aestheticians, physicians, etc) here.

Fact is, their official website looks and reads like a hospital/scientific forum with research articles and loads of detailed information, and the product marketing section of the site is only small. This impressed me, since most beauty sites are busy pushing their products and have little/no detailed information behind the ingredients. It’s a fantastic site for those of you that are pretty particular like I am, as it serves up a wealth of info for you to burrow through.

Alex Call, COO of iS Skincare

With my elegant date of the evening

There was a short presentation during dinner about the spirit of the brand. They focus quite heavily on the philanthropy side and in particular, work closely with breast cancer survivors in hospitals to run events and donate products. It makes sense, because patients have particularly sensitive and/or dry skin that these products help with. And now, the Cancer Care line is available!

What’s awesome is that their whole product range focuses on using pure, pharmaceutical-grade ingredients. This means their products are safe for nursing women (YAYYYYY!), pregnant women, and of course, people going through chemo treatments.

Presentation

The buffet line up

After filling our bellies, we tried out their Fire & Ice Facial. The most annoying thing? I can’t do this at home by myself! :( They use an 18% glycolic acid/retinol/niacinamide mask (the fire part) as a powerful chemical peel before a hydrating mask (the ice part), and it left my skin obviously smoother afterwards. I’ve been suffering from some bad breakouts and found that those areas were looking a lot better too. Happiness :) I can only do this peel at the doctor’s though, so I really wish they would sell it to individuals.

Fire & Ice Facial

Product lineup

Me getting pampered :)

After that, I tried out their VISIA machine. It takes some detailed photos of your face from various angles and shows you an image of your face. Then proceeds to decimate you ;) Or, at least it did to me! Where I scored almost top marks for my lack of wrinkles (woohoo), I came in bottom of class when it came to UV damage. Yep – all my years of refusing to wear sunscreen and living in Australia has wrecked havoc on my skin. It’s not evident to the naked eye, but via this machine? HOLY CRAP. I think I came in on the ~30% mark or so, which is shocking for someone my age. Guess I really need to slip slop slap!

Taking a pic of my face

Sun damage on my skin. VERY BAD.

Their product range is not huge, and it’s not meant to be. They believe in focusing only on skincare (no cosmetics) that are botanically based, and can multitask. I was delighted to receive a box set with some of their products, in particular, the Active Serum that I was positively gagging to try out.

How do these products work for me? I’ll spill all in a later post :)

LANCOME UV EXPERT BRIGHT EYES (BB BASE)

28 September 2011 6 comments

Lancome's UV Expert Bright Eyes (SG$68)

One look at the new Lancome UV Expert Bright Eyes and I was sold.

Launched earlier this year, it’s the first BB cream for eyes. But before we get into that, let me first tell you that, in general, I don’t use eye creams. To me, speed is key in my skincare regime.. and I feel that using my face moisturizer around my eyes is good enough.

This UV Expert Bright Eyes, however, is NOT a “treatment eye cream” and is not marketed as one. In fact, it is a BB cream, for the eyes. BB cream (for the face) is all the rage at the moment, so I was interested that this one is targeted for the eyes.

It comes with an SPF factor of 50 PA+++, and is a really lightweight mineral sunscreen. It’s meant to provide “an instant brightening boost, concealing dark circles and imperfections”.

And…. I’M LOVING IT!

Since it is not an eye cream, I first moisturize my face as per usual and use the same cream around my eyes. Then, I dot a few dots of Lancome UV Expert Bright Eyes under my eyes and blend in. The texture is smooth and creamy, but is not tacky on my skin. After that, I use my Shu Uemura pro gel cealer on top as concealer. For people without under eye circle issues, I reckon they can use this product as-is without concealer on top.

I suppose I would liken this product as a concealer primer, with the added benefit of having a mineral sunscreen plus a brightening effect.

The benefits, for me, are that it already lightens my under eye area before I’ve even slapped on my concealer. And I’ve also noticed my concealer goes on really smoothly afterwards, and lasts.

The downside I’ve noticed is that the hole that the product comes out of is cut a little large. So I have to make sure I give it the tiniest of squeezes, since only a minuscule amount is needed – fab, since the product will last for ages!

THE WONDERS OF GEL NAILS

24 September 2011 20 comments

I live in the Stone Age or something.. because I’d never tried out the wonders of gel nails. I’d heard the term thrown around and knew it was all the rage in Shanghai, but always got regular manicures because I’d heard of the horrors of acrylic nails and didn’t want to do anything strange to my nails.

I haven’t managed to get a proper manicure since giving birth. It’s not practical, because it’s hard to find the time and the nailpolish smudges or scratches easily since I handle Hunter so much and do the dishes/wash stuff constantly.

I’m glad I decided to take the leap and try out gel nails with babyflite. The whole process is almost identical to regular nail polish application, except after each coat, you stick your hand under a UV lamp to ‘set’ the polish. It sets super hard and shiny within 2 minutes and DOES NOT SMUDGE! This means I could bang my fingers around and go about my usual business and household chores without fearing I’d damage my pretty new manicure.

Freakin’ amazing. And to think it took me this long to find out about gel nails. Sheesh.

I am a total convert. It’s amazing how regular nail polish absolutely pales in comparison now. The advice is to get the gel nails done once or twice, then get them removed (this is done by soaking them in a solution for a few mins) and leave your nails be for a few weeks to ‘breathe’. Same as a regular manicure to be honest, as I don’t like having stuff covering my nails constantly.