Dermalogica Cleansing Routine

I think you all know by now that I’ve got a mild OCD about cleansing my skin.

Dermalogica Precleanse is an oil that you use before your normal cleanser. You just rub it in with dry hands (on your dry face) and concentrate on areas where are more congested (for me, it’s the sides of the nose and the cheek area). Then, you add some water to emulsify it and massage it in some more. Wash off and then follow with a cleanser. When I got the Dermalogica Prescription Facial the other day, the beauty therapist used this, and it really does make a difference! I like how much less congested my skin feels, and it feels like my cleanser is working much better too.

Dermalogica Cleansing Gel is a basic wash for all skin types. What I love about this is that it doesn’t break me out, it cleans without being too harsh or drying, and really calms the skin! As I use this in conjunction with the Precleanse, it has made my skin clean and smooth and without any of those annoying bumps and zits.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is the new product that I am obliged to recommend to anyone and everyone. It’s rice-based and has got Papain (enzyme found in Papaya, which is yummy!), Rice Enzymes and Salicylic Acid to smooth the skin and accelerate cell renewal. I read that it’s also got the Skin Brightening Complex that has Blackberry, Aspergillus, Grapefruit and Licorice to help balance uneven skin pigmentation. It’s not irritating at all, and you can use it daily. Having used this in the evening, I’ve found that my night treatments work a lot better, and my skin’s got a fantastic, healthy glow to it.

Yes, I use these 3 products in the evening consecutively, and is part of my new routine. I shall post my new evening routine up soon – streamlined and more focused!

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Hermes Black Enamel Clic Clac

I cannot tell you how addictive Hermes is. I’ve been waiting for this bracelet for ages, and saw it at the Harrod’s store yesterday. I immediately put my name down to reserve it, and picked it up today. I find that Black + Silver looks better than Black + Gold… I really like this for it’s clean, sleek look. Yes, the H may be a little showy, but then again, only those well-versed in Hermes or fashion can spot it, right? 😉

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Dermalogica Prescription Facial

Credit: dermalogica.com

You all know how I like Dermalogica and their no-nonsense approach to skin care and the simple fact that their skin care products are effective. I had the Groom Dermalogica Facial at Groom London. The facial lasted for 45minutes, and the beauty therapist was fantastic. The facial started with a double cleanse with steam, and then the beauty therapist conducted the Dermalogica Face Mapping – this meant that she examined every single pore in my face and told me about the concerns of my skin. Then, she scrubbed, and massaged all those potions into my skin. The massage was heavenly, and I even loved the extractions! Right, I’m a little sadist – I like extractions and I like the pain. The beauty therapist made sure every single whitehead and blackhead was squeezed out of my face and left it congestion-free. A mask was smothered on with different ampoules and more potions were smoothed on. The steam machine was switched on to get those stuff into the deeper layers of the skin.

Overall feel: Very clean skin, very smooth, congestion-free and my skin was glowing even thoguh it was a little red due to the extractions. Nontheless, my skin was left with a glow and has never felt so fantastic. I will recommend this to anyone who has little time to spare, but just want to get super clean skin.

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Hermes – What you need to know

Introduced in 1984, the Birkin was named after actress Jane Birkin, who codesigned the bag with then-Hermes chairman and CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, after complaining that the Kelly (named after Grace Kelly) was not practical for everyday use. Why does this cost so much? It takes 1800 hand stitches just to make one. The Birkin comes in many different colours and leathers. One of the most coveted colour is the Blue-Jean colour, which has been carried around by famous stars like Victoria Beckham and Lindsay Lohan. Togo and Clemence leather are quite common in the production of Birkins as well. Other exotics include Lizard, Glazed Crocodile, Matte Crocodile and Ostritch. Of course, special orders are available, ranging from fabric to double or triple colours. The Birkin featured above is the Crocodile Birkin with Diamonds – truly, one of the rarest Birkins in the world – it is reported that Kelly Osbourne purchased one for mum, Sharon Osbourne as an apology. Sizes include: 25cm, 30cm (very common), 35cm (also very common), 40cm (usually carried by men), 45cm and 50cm (travel birkin). Weight is also an issue for the Birkin as they are quite heavy. Depending on the leather, one must be careful of colour transfer. Box leather is especially prone to this.

The JPG Birkin is Jean Paul Gaultier’s take on the Birkin. It looks younger and fresher. The difference between the JPG Birkin and the normal Birkin is that the JPG Birkin is longer in terms of length, shorter in terms of height and has longer handles that allow shoulder carry – this is unlike the Birkin, where one needs to have extremely skinny arms to shoulder carry. However, one of the complaints about the JPG Birkin is that the wide base makes it odd to shoulder carry.. Also, a complaint from a friend whose mum has a JPG Birkin is that because it’s so long, it tends to hit people when carried by hand. Exotics are available for JPG Birkins as well.

The Kelly was named after Grace Kelly, and looks much more formal than the Birkin, especially when closed. I know of many ladies who love the Kelly for its formal look and love teaming this with more formal clothes. The Kelly has been reinvented in 2007, where the Kelly Flat was introduced – whereby a belt was provided to literally tie up the Kelly when flattened. There are 2 types of Kellys – Kelly Sellier and Kelly Retourne. Sizes range from a mini, to a 28cm to a 32cm – both of which are more common. There also is the JPG Kelly, which is a mini-version of the Kelly, as seen on Victoria Beckham.

Credit: shopmom411 from tpf

This is known as the Haute a Courroies, and looks quite like the Birkin. The difference between this HAC and the Birkin is that the HAC is taller. Other than that, they’re pretty similar. I do know of some men who choose HACs over the Birkin. Also, the HAC is available for special order. Fergie was recently pictured with a special order bi-coloured HAC.

(To be continued!)

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Hermes black box double tour bracelet

Finally, I’ve bought an Hermes bracelet! This is in box leather, which means that it’s going to be awfully scratched up with use. However, I’m glad I bought this because it fits my wrist (a first, because it’s long enough. I liked the other double tour ones, but they were far too small.). Also, the leather is so soft and feels like a dream! Hopefully, the bracelet in white epsom leather. Gorgoues!!

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Molton Brown – Wonder lips Booster

With summer here, and the weather wrecking havoc to my skin, and the alcohol drying my whole body up, my lips started cracking and got really annoying again. Even though my Kiehl’s Lip blam No. 1 and Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream are still working wonders, I went out to see what new lip balms there are. What’s so good about this? It has got MaxilipTM (a patented natural complex that stimulates lips to produce their own collagen) to help boost the lip area (note that this isn’t one of those lip plumpers. More on that next time.), it has wild mango butter and vitamin E that help prevent aging of the lips. Before buying this, I had cracked and sore lips, and decided to put this to the test. To my amazement, this really took the sore out! Yes, it may seem pricey for just a lip balm, but I think this is really good. And, as a plus, it actually stays on the lips for a pretty long time!

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Me!!! 18!!

On a totally random note, I’m pleased to announce that I’m officially 18 years old! =) (5th June)

No more sneaking into clubs or using my friends’ IDs to buy alcohol! =)

The sad thing is that I’ve got a statistics paper on my birthday, and I’ll probably be studying for my Chemistry (3 units) on the day too… It is quite refreshing…this birthday.. ‘cos I’m in love! =)

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Summer Bronze!

I know so many of my friends who are obsessed with the thought of being bronze. With summer well on its way, the bronze movement has never been stronger. For so many reasons, tanned skin is a must-have. To be honest, I find self-tanning a little too time-consuming and a little too troublesome…

May I introduce M.A.C’s bronzing powder in Bronze? This is so natural, anyone and everyone will believe that you actually got a tan. Ok, a lot of people get the application wrong, and a lot of times, it looks quite funny. Note: strategic application slims the face too! The trick to looking bronze is applying sparingly, and cleverly choosing the right bronzer. A little shimmer in the bronzer will perk skin up and prevent the extremely matte face. Only someone who has a very symmetrical and tiny face can pull the matte face off. Dip a brush into the powder, and then jerk the brush to remove excess. Then, sweep it across the cheekbones, brow, and nose – basically anywhere the sun would hit. (I’ve got a trick for this. Stand directly under a round light, and look at the shadows/light).

To slim the face down, this requires practice and you don’t want to look like a euro-trash Italian over-tanned creature. Again, stand directly under a round light and look at the shadows. With a VERY LIGHT hand, brush the bronzer on the shadows and remember to keep it LIGHT! To get razor sharp cheekbones, suck in your cheeks and apply bronzer in the sucked-in-areas. Then, to finish the look, you can apply YSL Touche Eclat on your cheekbones to your temples to highlight your face.

A tip for selecting bronzers: flat, terra-cotta hues makes skin muddy, and a bronzer with too much shimmer makes your skin look like a disco ball. Remember that you shouldn’t scrimp when it comes to bronzer as the cheap bronzers have got shimmer particles that are far too large and visible. I recommend MAC’s bronzers and NARS’ Laguna Bronzer.

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