Spring’s Beauty

 

Credit: style.com 

 

This picture from Burberry Prorsum sums up THIS season’s beauty model. It’s extremely rare that the faces of models this season is left almost unscathed by bronzer, isn’t it? Don’t you remember a couple of years ago when self-tanner and a deep bronze tan reigned supreme? I think it was featured so strongly in Versace and other major labels.

 

I think this look  in the picture is super easy to achieve. Super smooth and flawless skin is obviously the main focus, so EXFOLIATE AND MOISTURIZE! I like Dermalogica’s Gentle Cream Exfoliant. Moisturizer is vital. Try Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer (comes with SPF15, if you like). This leaves your skin surface moisturized and well primed. To give an extra radiance boost to your skin, don’t hesitate to use a primer. Try Laura Mercier Oil-Free Primer SPF20. It leaves the skin with a great glow and just enough radiance to seem like you’re glowing from within. 

 

 

Now that you’ve gotten the base right, lightly highlight your face with the very fabulous and my number 1 must-have product YSL Touche Eclat in Number 2 Ivory. Apply it to the planes of the face – your cheekbones, down the nose, the inside of your eye and the brow bone. Now, what you’ve got to do is to contour your cheekbones very lightly – none of that whole harsh lines thing going on. Lightly brush a little of bronzer – I love M.A.C’s Bronzing Powder in Bronze – under your cheekbones to give it a little of definition. Don’t go overboard. Very-much-less is more.

 

 

As you can tell, the eyes were kept very natural – I reckon a touch of the YSL Touche Eclat can counter any darkness caused by late nights. As for the lips, a light pink gloss was used – those Stila lip glosses are superb at giving that shine!Tune in for more of my little tricks and tips! 

After-party Skin Rescue

Hi all, I’m sure the party season has left you with hangovers, stained clothes and pretty tired / dull skin! Here’s a little something you can do at home you can do to revive and rejuvenate your skin.1. Drink loads of water and take your multivitamins! Beauty starts from within, and vitamins and Omega-3 oils are vital for your skin to look its best.2. A hydrating mask is a must! Alcohol sucks up all your water and dries you up like a grape, leaving you dehydrated, like a raisin. I swear by my Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask, and SkinCeuticals B5 Hydrating Mask. A hydrating mask will plump up your skin’s lost moisture levels and make our skin glow and look better instantly.3. Do get a body scrub and moisturize yourself well. I love Malin+Goetz Peppermint Body Scrub as the minty feeling of the scrub leaves your skin cool and feeling minty. This instantly perks you up and makes you feel fresh! Of course, moisturizer is always a necessity when you’ve scrubed your skin clean of the dead skin cells. I hope all of you have enjoyed our holidays, and are still feeling the festive spirit. This is the season to reflect on the year that has passed us by, to give and to receive, and to celebrate Christmas with knowing the true meaning behind it. Here’s to wishing all of you a very Happy New Year as well. xoxo 

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque

Credit: dermalogica.com

Oh. My. God. I have found the best masque in the world. This masque has got concentrated vitamins and botanical extracts to calm environmentally-strerssed skin. Vitamin A firms, increases elasticity and moisturizes, while Vitamin C helps synthesize collagen which restores suppleness. Vitamin E and Pro-Vitamin B5 aids in healthy tissue regeneration. Licorice, comfrey and burdock help soothe the skin. Wow. That was a mouthful. Ok. This masque is so great with moisturizing the skin and helps with cell regeneration..which is great. The lady said that it helps with the lightening of acne scars, which I am a sucker for.

Anyways, after slathering on a thin layer of this masque and waiting for it to work its magic (I left it on for 15 minutes), I washed it off with a little warm water. This helped with everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! My sun-abused skin is calmed, the redness in my zits are gone, the fine lines under my eyes are not as obvious, and my skin feels plump, smooth and soft! Wow. What more can I ask? I beg you to go buy this masque NOW! I am truly impressed.

This has its own celebrity following as well..including Victoria Beckham, Lily Cole and many other models and celebrities.

A peek into my life

A little while back, a friend asked me to do this little questionaire. Just for my darling readers, I shall.

Describe your style. Sleek, modern and edgy.
Who rules in your closet? Calvin Klein – timeless pieces that one can wear all year round.
What’s in your bag? iPod, Prada coin case, Prada Lizard Skin wallet, Hermes Agenda, cellphone, dVb sunglasses.
Best bargain? Pair of Pierre Hardy calfskin leather boots.
Good-luck charms? Hermes leather/palladium ring – been wearing it everyday since I bought it.
Whose closet would you like to raid? Jude Law and David Beckham.
Signature scent Dior Higher Energy
What are you wearing now? Marc by Marc Jacobs cream T-shirt with ties, black denim skinny jeans by Miu Miu and Pierre Hardy boots.
First big fashion purchase? Violet Burberry trenchcoat
Signature accessory Hermes enamel/palladium clic clac bracelet, leather watch and Hermes ring, dVb sunglasses

Bag pick of the year Prada Jacquard Logo bag, Balenciaga Extra Courier, YSL Croc embossed Downtown/Tribute (for the ladies), Hermes lindy (ladies!), Valentino pleated leather bag in red (ladies!)

Product you can’t live without Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, Malin+Goetz Vitamin E Oil-free Moisturizer, sunscreen.

Summer signature outfit? I love wearing those city shorts (shorts that are made of formal trousers material) with cuffs, black patent sandals and a simple, one-coloured T-shirt.

Fall/Winter signature outfit? Bomber jacket with straight cut jeans or a trench coat with skinny jeans.

Most coveted labels Lanvin, Hermes, Prada.

Basically, I don’t like to wear clothes that are too loud or are too in-your-face. The occasional loud tees are alright, but I only limit it to clubbing nights-out. Clothes that spell out the designer name is just too flashy – something that I dislike. Accessories pull any look together, but as a rule of thumb, keep it simple. Sunglasses also add to any outfit – aviators are always in style, oversized shades glam it up, and, retro visors bring back some fun from the 80s too. For shoes, I’ve got a nice collection of different colours and styles. Flip flops are casual, but looks great with jeans. I love boots worn with jeans or even formal trousers, and mocassins or boat shoes look fabulous with both jeans/trousers or shorts. It’s a pity that Singapore doesn’t have 4 seasons, and now that I’m stuck here for 2 years, all my jackets are going to be retired into the closet. Jackets are so great ‘cos you can wear a vintage T-shirt underneath, but still look sharp with the jacket over the tee.

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!

P.S Feel free to leave comments! =)

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.

P.S Feel free to leave comments! =)

Bliss – Clog-dissolving Cleansing Milk

If clean, fresh, blackhead free skin is what you aim for, this cleanser is for you. This cleansing milk is non-foaming, and its special blend of oils effectively removes makeup, sebum, dirt and oil quickly. It has enzymes in it, and can be used as a 5 minute mask as well. Yesterday, I woke up with 3 zits, and I used this cleanser as a 5 minute mask in the morning and night (I use the sleeping peel at night)… after just 2 days (and 4 uses of the cleanser as a mask, and using the Dermalogica Medicated clearing gel), my zits have disappeared, and I’m now left with tiny bumps. I swear this helps as to reduce blackheads as well. This is definitely a winner in my book.

P.S Feel free to leave comments! =)

Morning routine

I admit, I’ve been buying new products recently, and even my evening skin care routine has changed significantly. However, the basics are still there.

1. Cleanse with Bliss Fabulous Foaming cleanser. This removes any oil/dirt/grime and even leaves my face with minimal shine even after a couple of hours. I tried this last night, and was surprised to see that my skin was not as oily as before after a couple of hours. Also, this doens’t leave that awful tight skin feeling.

2. Tone with Clarins Toning Lotion or SK-II Facial Clear Lotion.

3. Ole Henriksen Truth serum. Not oily at all, and completely fantastic smelling.

4. SK-II Facial Clear Solution or Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion depending on what my skin feels at that point in time. Actually, I use Dermalogica’s Oil Control Lotion when I’ve got zits ‘cos it helps to prevent zits and kills them with the ingredients it has in them. The SK-II Facial Clear Solution is for days when my skin feels a little parched.

5. Kiehl’s Sodium PCA Moisturizer used only on my neck + collar bones to rehydrate the skin there.

6. Kiehl’s Abyssine Eye Cream or Bobbi Brown Hydrating eye cream. I can’t stress enough on the importance of eye cream. Prevention is better than (trying to) cure.

7. Clarins UV PLUS SPF40. You’ve heard me enough about ranting on about sunscreen.

After this, I just apply whatever concealer (Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage) on where is needed.

Share with me your morning beauty routine too!

P.S Feel free to leave comments! =)

Evening routine

A friend asked me to write about my skincare routine, so here goes.
Every night, I religiously perform a little ritual for my skin.

1. Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel (for oilier days) or SKII Facial Treatment Cleanser (for normal-drier days).

2. SKII Facial Clear Lotion – has got AHA in it to remove dead cells.or Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner – it’s hydrating and feels great on the skin.

3. SKII Facial treatment Essence – it’s very light and helps to maintain the skin’s condition.

4. SkinCeuticals Phyto+ Gel – this is the star product to help fade and lighten scras, dark spots and is a great alternative to hydroquinone. It’s also got kojic acid and arbutin that help to break up hyperpigmentation. Also, it’s hydrating, so your skin is left moist and dewy for hours after application.

5. SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel – this oil-free gel has got loads of botanical extracts with anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties to help soothe and calm irritated skin. Also, it’s got natural alternatives to hydroquinone and other chemical skin lighteners to help dimish the appearance of brown spots. Very recommended for acnenice skin and sensitive skin. It takes the redness away in a flash.

6. Skinceuticals Renew Overnight Oily-Combination Skin – a 10% hydroxy acid blend helps to efoliate the skin to leave a healthy, radiant complextion. It’s also got tangerine oil to clear acneic/congested skin and the exfoliation helps to fade those annoying blemishes as well. A very good product!

7. La Prairie Eye Caviar Eye Serum – a light gel to hydrate the eye area.

8. La Prairie Radiance eye cream – a richer cream to layer on top of the eye gel to provide extra moisture and helps to reduce fine lines and such.

9. Kiehl’s Herbal Blue Spot Treatment – for zits! This is THE zit zapper.

10. Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream – hydrates the lips well and leaves my lips plump and smooth all day!

Always massage in the products and wait till the products are fully absorbed before applying the next one.

Dermalogica Medicated Clearing Gel

I’m usually very skeptical when it comes to skincare products, and especially when it comes to blemish gels.. This has got salicylic acid, aliginated zinc triplex and tea tree oil in it to zap blemishes. It’s easy to use and very effective. Simply apply it to the blemish at night and leave it on till the next morning. The layer of gel will dry and somewhat dry on the applied areas, but not to worry, it’s just working its magic. I had 2 monster zits yesterday, but apply just 1 application, my zits have calmed down to a tiny molehill. It’s available at spas and stores for £26.50.