Getting rid of double chin and dull skin

Double chin and dull skin – two of my biggest face problems.

Every morning, I wake up touching my chin, and check if it is bigger than the day before. Yes, I am that obsessed. But let’s blame my rubber band body. I can lose up to 2kg in a day if I don’t eat as much, and gain 2kg the next day after a heavy buffet dinner.

Also, I hate looking into the mirror and see my skin looking really dull. I’m almost a flat piece of brown and I wish i looked more radiant. Unless you are Domokun, brown is not flattering.

Fortunately, we can cheat with makeup and make dull skin and double chin look more flattering.

Here’s how:

Double chin – The product to use is definitely bronzer. By ‘sucking’ in the cheeks and applying bronzer there will make your face smaller. I also use my bronzing brush to draw a ’3′ from my forehead to temple to my jawline. This application will sculpt the cheeks and cheat people into thinking that you have a defined jawline.

Dull skin – For dull skin, I make it a point to exfoliate my face every 3 days. By getting rid of dead skin cells, I will appear more radiant. Clogged mores will not make foundation or blusher pretty. After exfoliating and moisturizing, I will apply blusher before my BB cream to give me a glow from within.

xx

Brighter eyes

I have a thing for eye brightening serum or gel with the rolley-rolley ball bearings. It feels good on my skin and feels like the product would penetrate deep into my skin cells after being massaged in by the metal balls.

Soap & Glory Eye Brightening Moisture Serum ($26)

It is hydrating, but isn’t as effective as the Biotherm Aquasource Eye Perfection.

(I know Ginvera has the ball bearing eye cream/gel/serum too, but I don’t think I will try that. I have the Garnier one, it didn’t work for me.)

This brightening cream has a hint of lavender in it, unlike the Aquasource one which is transluscent. I feel that it is the lavender colour which reduces dullness, like lavender concealer. It will only make eyes brighter temporarily each time after usage.

For about a year now, I have been using Biotherm Aquasource Eye Perfection ($69). At the beginning, it was really effective. My fine lines disappeared and skin around the eye area became more moisturized. But gradually, my eye didn’t look as bright as when I first used it.

Then, I realised that my skin is already immuned to the product. I should constantly remind myself to change my skincare every 3 months.

Lesson learnt. No more going for the rolley-rolley balls. Perhaps using my finger to massage good gel or cream in  would be more effective. There are thousands and thousands of skincare product out there in the market, and I don’t believe I won’t find one that works for me.

Bvlgari Gem Essence

I was at Avalon last weekend and the people who hosted the event gave out Bvlgari skincare as a door gift.

It was awesome because I love freebies, I love skincare, and I love my friends for giving me theirs, although I don’t understand why they don’t want to keep it because all girls need skincare products. I think they saw my enthusiasm when I got excited over the little Bvlgari paperbag, and decided to give theirs to me to satisfy my ‘aunty’ needs. But whatever, aunty loves them.

Here’s what I got:

These are samples, but here are the actual products:

Serem Precieux – Intensive regenerating concentrate

Regard Precieux – Intensive regenerating eye contour cream

Creme Precieuse – Intensive regenerating day cream

Lotion Precieuse – Intensive regenerating lotion

UV GEM – Cellular shield high protection (SPF 50 UVB PA+++)

I can’t wait to use all of it since I seldom buy luxury skincare products. Let’s see if it is any better than cheaper alternatives.

Okay. Here’s an abrupt end to my pointless entry.

 

Steal a deal!

Walked past Guardian today, and there was this guy giving out flyers.

Turned out there’s a 20% storewide discount from 12pm – 10pm for Passion Card holders.

Of course I bought something!

..not that I have a lack of those..

Bifesta makeup remover: $13.50 instead of $16.90

Liese hair dye: $17.90 instead of $19.90

(I also bought candies, toothbrush and Po Chai Pills)

***

I’m so excited I feel like going back to grab more steals! But I have to remind myself that I already have a lot of skincare and beauty products at home.

It’s only 3pm now so there’s 7 more hours to grab your stuff. Hurry go get it!

xx

 

Review: Biotherm Skinergetic

I saw the advertisement of it a while ago, and decided to try out this product:

Biotherm SKIN.ERGETIC

The advertisement targets the modern woman who is going through a hectic work life, multi-tasking, fatique, stress, diet and coming in contact with pollution. It also mentions that signs of fatigue includes loss of radiance, uneven complexion, visible pores, unrefined skin texture and roughness.

This main component of this product is broccoli, which is rich in antioxidants and boosts skin appearance.

“Present in the revolutionary SKIN.ERGETIC serum, it eliminates free radicals and stimulates cellular renewal, effectively “waking up”, tired skin. So it looks radiant, fresh and youthful, day after day!”

So I tried this serum.

This serum is a little different from the rest of the Biotherm series, as it is paraben-free and contains natural ingredients.

I found this serum to be a little special, as there is this activator which I can click and shake before first-time usage. However, product only lasts for 3 months after activating.

The texture of this serum is non-sticky, and feels good on my skin. Immediately, I felt like my skin is very well hydrated. My skin also looks more radiant and refreshed.

I can’t say much about it repairing my skin such that it stop signs of ageing because I could not stand the smell of this product.

After using it a couple of times, I got extremely nauseous after sniffing this product which smells of burnt rubber and wax. The smell is so strong that I could not stand using it for more than a week. Any longer, I will barf in people’s face.

I think most people will not mind the smell, because I have heard really positive things about this particular product. But it definitely puts me off.

Since people have so many good stuff to share about this product, you might like to try it for yourself. It is retailing at Sephora for $99.

Go give this product a shot, and share your experience!

How to look young?

Need motivation to do your skincare? Constantly feeling lazy to do your skincare?

Well, everyone knows how important it is to do skincare and I believe that I need not stress how important it is to do skincare.

Meet Masako Mitzutani, about a woman who is in her 40s but looks like she’s in her 20s.

Her secret formula? Skincare. 5 hours of it everyday.

***

“Guys, if you still can’t understand why your girlfriends are investing so much time and money on their looks, this Japanese woman is living proof as to why it is all worth it.

“Meet Masako Mizutani, a housewife from Nagoya. She may look like a 20-year-old, but that’s actually the age of her eldest daughter. Believe it or not, Masako was born in 1968 — which makes her 43 years old. She is also the mother of two kids.

“So how does she manage to still look this stunning? She spends five hours a day taking care of her skin. And if you think plastic surgery has anything to do with her looks, you’ll be surprised to know that she’s all natural.

“Masako, who has appeared on many magazines, have become the idol of middle-aged women in Japan.

“Here are some tips from her to help women look younger:
- exercise regularly, get enough sleep and don’t smoke
- eat fresh, healthy food
- have a balanced diet and 4 meals a day in small portions
- Drink lots of water and fluids as water helps wash off toxins and keeps your skin healthy
- Apply lighter make-up and shades as you grow older
- Apply vitamin E based cream or lotions on body to keep skin soft and supple
- Always apply sunscreen if you intend to stay out in the sun
- Follow the cleaning, toning and moisturising regime every night before you got to sleep.”

Source: STOMP

***

Feeling motivated enough to do your skincare already?

Because that certainly make me feel like slapping on some eye gel right now.

I don’t have perfect skin

Yes, I don’t have perfect skin.

Here are some pictures of my eczema (taken today).

Can you imagine when it was worse 10 years ago and I still have these on my face occasionally?

Sores everywhere

Everyday I’ll get a new wound somewhere

Dry skin everyday

Alot of sores I have

More sores and scars

NOTE: ALL these pictures are taken today.

It was never easy for me to maintain my face with all the skincare products because I was born with dry skin and eczema.

It does not only attack me every now and then, cause I itch every single day. It really is tough for me to go through this, bearing the pain and itch and the scars it leaves everywhere on my body.

Having these sores and scars can make me really depressed because it hurts whenever I move, and I am not able to do anything about it.

I am sharing this because I want you to know that even though I have sores and dry skin, I am able to use makeup to make me look beautiful still. And I am proud of it.

If you can’t embrace your flaws, you may choose to play up your best features so the attention would be on it.

But beauty comes from within, and I embrace my flaws. We all should learn that not everybody is born perfect, and it really is our scars and other physical features that makes us truly unique.

By embracing our flaws, it is learning how to love ourselves.  If celebrities can embrace their flaws, so can we. And my definition of beauty is definitely not physical.

In all, if you don’t learn to embrace your flaws, no amount of makeup could cover up your imperfections.

xx.

 

 

Etude House Total Age Repair

Warning: Pretty boring entry ahead.

So I tried both the Etude House total age repair activating emulsion and the royal jelly cream.

Etude House Total Age Repair Royal Cream

Etude House Total Age Repair Activating Emulsion

So here is Etude House’s description of the total age repair:

“ Total Age Repair’s special formula utilizes fermentation of Immortelle Flowers and Royal Jelly to nourish and preserve youthful looking complexion with natural moisturizing, anti-aging, regenerative components.

Total Age Repair Activating Emulsion provides ideal moisturizing care for women in their thirties who experience the onset of fine lines, wrinkles and structural damage of derma.

Key ingredients in this exclusive formula include Immortelle Flower extracts, Royal jelly fermented extracts, and Shea Butter.”

***

Use sparingly!

I would not recommend you to use it if you’re still in your twenties because anti-ageing agents like the above is too strong for your young skin and would work magically for you now but in future, you’ll find that products like these would no longer work. Instead, you can try the normal moisturizer, toner, vitamin C essence, vitamin E without the anti-ageing agent.

However, if you are still in your twenties and your skin is cracking up like mine, go ahead and use it occasionally. I don’t use it on an everyday basis because I am extremely afraid that no products would work for me in future if my skin gets too used to all the strong creams or essence in the market.

I tried it, and found it to be extremely moisturizing.

The texture of it is a little like gel moisturizer, except that this product magically firms skin and reduce fine lines. Immediately after application, I could feel the difference. My skin felt more supple and lines less visible though it did not last long.

Priced at $49.90 at Etude House, it might be a little more expensive than other skincare products (I saw L’Oreal’s youth code selling for $25 at Sasa yesterday). But the of this bottle of emulsion does to your skin is probably justified by the good things that it does to the skin.

And once again, whatever works well for me might not do the same for you. Go ahead and try all the skincare out there in the market to find out what’s best for your skin. Good luck!

 

Winter, dry skin and bad countergirl.

Harsh weather conditions during winter can take a toll on your skin because of its low humidity.

And the results?

We will end up with dry skin and makeup will not look as awesome.

“Not as awesome”?

Yes, not as awesome. The same cakey and patchy looking concealer your bitchy colleague wear every single day with pure ugliness cause of her dry skin. The same cakey uneven skin that can be seen on your best girlfriend’s multi-layered foundation. The same flakey effect on your cousin’s face on your relative’s wedding day.

And last winter at Taipei, my skin was at the verge of splitting apart.

My face is already extremely dry in Singapore, and I already have dry skin underneath my eye area that appears “patchy” whenever I used concealer on it.

Although I am used to harsh criticism from my friends, that particular winter definitely didn’t make things better. My face was so dry that my skin feels so tight, like my imaginary obesity threatening to burst the seams of my pants.

So, I made my way down to Biotherm because I was running low on moisturizer and my tiny bottle could not sustain for another week.

At the counter, I asked for this:

Biotherm Aquasource for combination skin

I really liked the feel of the gel as it does not feel sticky on my skin after application.

But the countergirl told me my skin was extremely dry and needed something stronger.

Even though I kept saying that i liked the above product, she kept persuading me into buying this:

Biotherm Aquasource for dry skin

After using it, I didn’t feel as good as using the one in the green bottle.

It works perfectly fine, moisturizing my skin and all. But it just didn’t feel…. right. It’s almost like licking silver after tasting gold.

Don’t get me wrong. They are both the same price at the counter. And they both are from the same series.

But I just didn’t feel as “connected” to the latter. Soon after, I had a mental prejudice against that bottle because I hate how I allowed myself to be influenced by the bad countergirl.

The bottle is now safe in my girlfriend’s place. Just as well, lah. She has really, really, really dry skin. (She uses a firming cream as moisturizer. Now everyone say it with me: Goodness. Gracious. Me.)

My little lesson costs $70. And it’s good enough a sum to wake me up.

In Sales Strategy class, we learnt that a buyer would not buy a product based on its features or the advantages it brings to them. Buyers are always looking for how would a product benefit them. In this case, I was convinced that the product would moisturize my skin (advantage), leaving me with smooth makeup application (benefit).

Lies!

The smooth makeup application didn’t happen.

A big hatred towards the bad countergirl happened.

I have learnt an important lesson after that five minutes of interaction with Biotherm girl – I should have listened to my heart.

Never will I again be influenced by bad countergirls.

What? 1 for $2?

“One makeup item for only $2? Really? Singapore where got?”

Well, there is. Only at Daiso.

Only at Daiso, we find eyebrow pencils, stick concealer, blusher, eyeshadow, makeup remover tissue, loose powder, lip colour for only two dollars. However, the question is – will it work?

I have tried the black eyeshadow from Daiso before, and the colours are not pigmented. That caused the black eyeshadow to appear grey on the skin. But for only two dollars, what grounds do we have to complain?

I’m not sure about other products from Daiso, but I have all the intention to find out if it works well.

And that brings me to the next point. I often wonder if the ingredients are safe for application.

I think that it is safe because there must be some standards and requirements to be met before factories or companies are allowed to manufacture makeup. Right?

Furthermore, we’re talking about items that are manufactured in Japan, not China. And if you don’t already know, China is the land of fakes. We’ve heard of fake Char Siew Bun stuffed with cardboard instead of meat, poisonous milkpowder, fake meat made of flour and gelatin, fake Apple stores, and whatnot. Disgusting people.

To add on, a friend who works in a widely-known cosmetic company mentioned that the ingredients used in products of a cheaper brand can also be found in their products. Looks like we’ve been paying for their marketing expenditure all these while.

If you’re too worried about using Daiso’s makeup, there is definitely something that will entice you from their wide array of products. There are stuff like double eyelid stickers, eyelashes, eyelash curler and makeup brushes. Surely this wouldn’t do much harm to your skin?

 Facial cleansing wipes from Daiso. Cheaper alternative to Biore’s.

I shall be your guinea pig and try out the makeup products from Daiso and tell you how it goes.

Stay tuned!

A step nearer to perfection

Do you always complain about having bumps on your face, uneven skin tone, dark eye circles and wrinkles?

Well, I need to repeat this - There are no ugly women, only lazy ones.

I know we’re all tired and busy, but a step nearer to perfection would be taking just five minutes to do your skincare regime at night.

I too am guilty of not doing my skincare regime on a daily basis because after a whole day, it would be quite tiring to decide which cream from which jar should I pile on my face at night.

A proper skincare regime will not change your face overnight, but it will help you look better in the long run.

It is not possible to get rid of wrinkles entirely, but sufficient moisture would lighten the appearance of wrinkles. It is not possible to get rid of dark eye rings entirely, but massaging some eye serum around the eyes would let the blood around the eye area flow and you’ll look significantly better the next day.

Apart from that, great skin could make makeup look better without the bumps and uneven skin tone. There will be no need to pile on foundation till it looks really unnatural on the face.

If you’re reeeeeally too tired to do skincare, at least remove your makeup as soon as possible when you reach home so your pores will not be clogged and your skin can breathe.

Also, it is good to head out for a facial treatment every once a month. Therapists have this magical ability to remove crazy microscopic stuff from the pores, and their equipments make my face more radiant than before. I even get to de-stress and relax for an hour before facing reality again.

If you’re taking these steps to make yourself look better and hence feel better, well done! If not, I suggest you start your skincare regime tonight.

Remember, it’s never too late!

Do I prefer being fair or tanned?

…well, I am ultimately confused by it too.

With Heidi Klum always saying,  ”As we all know in fashion one day you’re in. And the next day, you’re out” on Project Runway as an analogy, my preference for skin colour changes almost on a monthly basis.

When I was 17 and 18, I never fail to soak up the sun every weekend. At that point of time, I thought that it was really cool to look like a Hawaiian chick. Apart from that, I found it ever so relaxing to be sipping cocktail (it was coke, really) by my poolside.

May I also mention that at that age I did not use much makeup, even it was partying 3 consecutive days -Wednesday at Phuture, Thursday at dbl o and Friday back to phuture. For some reason I found it hard to look good in makeup then. But now I realised that I have been doing makeup wrong when I was younger.

So, the point is, can you image the tanned girl clubbing without much makeup? I didn’t only look awful then, I looked hideous. I was nowhere close to looking like J.Lo, Nicole Scherzinger, or any other bronze goddesses. Instead, I look like an overly tanned farmer’s daughter who enthusiastically helps out in the rice fields.

Perhaps it was from then on that I decided to get rid of the tan.

When I lost my tan and is somewhere between “tanned” and “fair” girl, I look Spongebob yellow. Then, I would hit the beach and roast myself a beautiful golden brown once again.

Then I would realize that I look horrid tanned and makeup just doesn’t flatter tanned skin. So, I would try to stop tanning before realizing that I am turning yellow without the brown. And the vicious cycle repeats.

It was only a few years later, when I got extremely busy with school and work that I couldn’t find the time to roast myself a pretty golden brown. It was then I could not do anything about my Spongebob yellow skin.

A couple of months later, I became less yellow and gradually turned fair.

It was then I realized that makeup actually looked better on me. Why should I expose myself to the harmful ultra-violet rays when I look better fair? Now, I even get paranoid when I have to walk under the Sun for more than ten minutes.

Although I didn’t know the existence of warm makeup and that it can be used on warmer skin, I realized that being fair allows me to play with more colours and creating more looks.

At the moment, I am extremely satisfied with my skin colour, and I am definitely having fun with experimenting different makeup colours!

Verdict? I definitely prefer being fair-skinned and am never gonna go back to being tanned!

Am I doing makeup right?

Who determines what is the “right” kind of makeup and the “wrong” kind of makeup?

I think the answer is – no one but yourself.

Although there are many techniques, textures, brushes, to learn about, it is always about finding out what works best for you.

For example, if the Bobbi Brown counter representative suggest that you use a brush for the new concealer that you are about to buy, you might choose to use your fingers instead because it blends better and the heat might be useful in helping the concealer look better on your skin. In this case, you can say no instead of allowing the representative to talk you into buying a product which you might not need.

I believe that makeup techniques vary from one person to another, and contouring the cheeks might work well for one but not another. If you disagree, try contouring the face of a skinny-to-the-bones girl and ignore contouring the obese girl’s cheeks.

Oh. And makeup has changed drastically throughout the years. Mascaras are being replaced by falsies, eyebrows are being drawn by stencils, and smokey eye can now be pasted on instead of painfully blending it on your lids!

That is why, I sometimes doubt the advice my dearest mom tries to give me when she sees me dolling up (not because she’s from another generation). Although she has some kind of certificate from Shiseido, I don’t entirely trust what she asks me to do because what works well for her does not work well for me.

To cut the long story short, I would get to the point – experiment (Such a nagger I am)! Because playing with makep will help you understand what suits you best, makes you beautiful, and what don’t.

Lastly, attending a makeup workshop might cost you a couple of hundreds and gain you additional knowledge, but the art of finding what suits your skin and features best, is priceless.

How much makeup should I wear?

Learning the techniques of face contouring is a bore, and I really hate reading any books that try to go into technical details.

So, here’s a short entry on how much makeup is considered “just right”.

I used to think that wearing makeup is a chore, but these days I think it really is a form of art. It is like a canvas where I splash colours and add textures to create a masterpiece.

It really is quite troublesome and sometimes a waste of time because we need layers of colours and definition before heading out of the house to meet people who do not appreciate how much effort went into making ourselves a little more pretty.

When they’re being kind, they jokingly ask, “Wah, why wear so much makeup? You going to sing opera, ah?”.

When they’re not so kind, they scrutinize every single makeup flaw. It was a hot day and the concealer started to cake up a little. That’s when they laugh out loud and comment, “Wah, you wear so much concealer. Your eyebags are cracking!”.

With such nasty remarks, who would want to go through the hassle of learning the art of makeup and apply the right techniques and concepts, only to get criticized straight in the face?

For me, my vanity is like an amour that shields and reflect all negativity. In short, my vanity wouldn’t allow criticism to bring me down. Instead, I work on the flaws and my shield just gets bigger each time. (I don’t know why either)

Most men say that makeup should not be seen – “Aiya, I don’t like my girlfriend to wear so much makeup”

Some people think their makeup should be kept minimal. – “I’m good with just eyeliner and concealer”

Ah Lians say that if makeup cannot be seen, there is no point wearing it.  - “Huh? But I liked dolly lash. Want me to put naturals lash? You siao, ah?” (Added grammatical error for accuracy of speech)

But it’s subjective, really. I personally think that using just a right quantity of makeup, allowing it to enhance my features, works best. I believe that too much of everything is not good. As long as makeup functions like how it should and correct my flaws, I really have no issues with dramatic or bare minimum makeup.

What’s your say?