Kiehl’s Summer Treat

The summer treat from Kiehl’s came in just at the right time as I really cannot stand the weather anymore. It’s like freaking 34 degree Celsius most of the time? What I need now is a set of skincare that’s light weight and won’t break me out. Kiehls seem to be a good option. This sweet package included some beauty samples and after trying them, I really feel like getting the full size products!

The package includes: ultra facial oil-free gel cream, ultra light daily UV defense, Amino Acid Conditioner and Shampoo, Actively Correcting & beautifying BB cream, Delux Hand & Body Lotion and also ultra facial oil-free gel cleanser which was used up and thrown away by mum. -.-

Finding the right sunglasses for your face shape

These days the temperature is tooooooo freaking warm and humid. It is driving me crazy with all the blasting sun rays. I had to go out with my sunglasses all the time. Luckily for me, I have quite a bit of sunglasses collected over the years. lol. I really have no idea why I kept buying them. I have the aviator, the oversized,  wayfarer etc. And I also realise that I tend to get sunglasses in the brown shades with a soft angular frame. I don’t know? I just felt that they suit my face shape.

This pair of aviator is my favourite because it sits nicely on my nose!

I like the gradient lens and also the green frame as it simply pops out against my skintone!

This is the oversized wayfarer version.

This is something just nice for my face but it’s rare to find something so small nowadays.

I think it is really important to find sunglasses that suit your face shape even though most of the time it is really difficult to gauge what’s your face shape. Sometimes it could be this, other times it could be a bit of both. It’s like sometimes I think I have an oval face shape, yet other times I felt like I could be a heart shape due to my pointy chin. Then again, my pointy chin isn’t long enough to be a heart shape. Sometimes I think I am a round face! So it gets quite a little confusing!  n. Any experts here who know how to differentiate?

But if you manage to know your face shape, then you can perhaps take a look at the guide below to find out what type of sunglasses suit you!

My digital and mobile buys from Qoo10 (Love my portable charger!)

As mentioned in my earlier posts, I buy anything and everything from Qoo10 and today I’m gonna share my loots under the Digital and Mobile category. In this category, you can get anything ranging from mobile cases to even electronics such as camera and MP3 players.

These are some of the items which I got:

I’ve been looking for cheap and good quality mouse pads for the longest time. I bought one from Daiso and let me just say, it was the worse $2 bucks spent there ever. That mouse pad was cute to look at, but was not of any practical use. It wasn’t smooth for my mouse to work properly.

And so, I decided to try my luck at Qoo10 and bought two Sanwa Supply Mouse Pad.
This mouse pad comes in different colours and I decided to just get two in blue, one for home use and another for office use.
The size was just nice for a regular mouse and works really well! This is definitely one good quality mouse pad.

The back of the mouse pad has an anti-slip surface so it doesn’t move on the table. You know how irritating it can be when mouse pad moves together with your mouse. -.-
At Qoo10′s discounted price, I got these two mouse pads for only $3.80 in total! That’s the awesome thing about shopping at Qoo10; you constantly get discounts and offers.

I finally changed my phone after two plus years of using the Iphone. Now, I really love my S4 so much!! The best thing about converting to Andriod is the fact that I do not have to go through itunes to transfer my music/movies/pictures anymore! A new phone needs new clothings, so I decided to get her a cover on Qoo10.

At Blueskies Shop, it is so difficult to make a choice. There are simply too many phone covers to choose from.

In the end, I decided on this design with a black frame to compliment my white phone. Looks really retro isn’t it? This soft base cover not only looks good but also protect the phone well. All edges of the phone are protected. And, the best thing? I got it at only $9.40!

And lastly, introducing you to MY BEST BUY on Qoo10, LeYou Portable Powerbank with 5000mAh

This has gotta be the slimmest, lightest portable charger I’ve seen thus far. It is even thinner than Iphone 4S by 2mm! It also includes a letter of authorization on the site to say that they are carrying the real thing.

Touch screen operated. Just touch to button on/off. The blue lights indicates the power left.
A 5000 mAh is good enough for two or slightly more charges. So unless you are not gonna have electricity for a long trip, there’s no need to get more capacity.

This charger also comes with all these.

Really love this charger a lot! It also comes in a few colours but I got the black one because it looks more sleek. It only cost me $26.80 with a $2 mobile coupon. (Meaning you check out using your mobile. Please go download their mobile app for such privileges!)

Yes, do you know you can use coupons to for discounted payment at Qoo10?

Click My Qoo10, under Q account, click Coupon to see the coupons available. You can also use your Q-stamps to draw coupons!
Q stamps are accumulated whenever you purchase things and click “Confirm Delivery”.  It seems complicated but it is actually very simple!

If you don’t already have an account, click here sign up and start shopping away!

Would really appreciate it if you can vote for me under Best Qoo10 Online Shopping Blog category here. I know it’s a bit troublesome to sign up for an account just to vote so I’ll really be very happy if you girls/guys can take the effort to do so!

Falling in love with Arteastiq

In reality, you don’t need to find friends for friends will come to you when it’s time. I don’t find friends deliberately, or rather I choose not to. But when I found one and feel like keeping one that I found, I make sure I do it deliberately. We don’t spend a lot of time together but that’s the thing, for friends don’t have to stick together all the time.  We make time for each other and say hello once in a while.

Chilling and chatting over a cup of tea is such an enjoyment. Been to Arteastiq twice with two good friends recently.  And good friends won’t ever run out of things to talk about. That’s awesome! If there’s any advice on how to keep the friendship going, it is to call that person out, and indulge over a cup of tea or coffee. Just catch up and lend a listening ear whenever needed.

I like my tea to be fruity; like that of a pear tea, lychee tea and berries tea. The fruits add a tinge of sweetness to the tea and I can possibly save the sugar cubes. I also love the almond cookies, which goes pretty well with the tea. I think Arteastiq (literally means ‘the art of teasing’ or ‘the art of tea that makes you tick’) is a really nice place to chill at with friends. The contemporary Europe decoration is not only good to look at, but also a lovely place to be at.

“Be grateful for your friends, family and support system. The people who are there for you right now will most likely be the people who will be there for you until the end. Express your weirdness and do it with pride. Be funny; be silly. You are too young to be so serious. Make new friends; explore new places.” - A message to the young women of the world.

How to open up your eyes

I’m almost never seen with thick makeup. In my opinion, makeup is there to enhance your beauty, not to change your look.
Yes, of course occasionally, makeup can change your look to suit themed parties.
But on a daily basis, I prefer a clean and au naturel look.

I straightened my locks using Panasonic Multi-Straightener EH-HW58  (which can also be used to do curls).
This Multi-Straightener helps my locks to look shiny and smooth. It keeps my hair from losing its own natural hair moisture by 15%.
Temperature can goes up to 200 degree Celsius. Read more about creating curls with the straightener here

For makeup:
Foundation: L’oreal Lucent Magique Light Infusing Foundation
Eyebrow: K Palette Liquid Eyebrow
Mascara: Za Mascara Base/ Heroine Make Volume Mascara + Heroine Make Long Mascara
Blusher: Za Cheeks Groovy Strawberry Pink

Notice the fact that I don’t use any eyeliner. All I do is to apply mascara to open up my eyes.
With mascara, it also creates an illusion of an inner eyeliner drawn. Without eyeliner, your double eyelid can be seen very clearly as well. This is really helpful for girls with smaller double eyelid.

Make sure you curl your lashes well, if not you will just be wasting your mascara!
Yes, a good mascara is really important but let’s not neglect a good eyelash curler.

For this look, I had used Panasonic Eyelash Curler instead of my trustworthy Cybercolour Eyelash Curler.

This curler operates on batteries and heats up the curler gradually when you push the button upwards.

Purple colour indicates that the curler has not been heated up.

Pink colour indicates that the tool has been heated up. The curler oscillates while heating up and when it turns pink, you can start to use it to curl your lashes. Just curl your lashes in an upward motion.

I’ve used it a few times and I notice that it doesn’t curl if you do not have any mascara on your lashes. The best way to use this is to curl your lashes AFTER your mascara application. See…beauty bloggers are really there for a reason!! Saves you lots of time from all the trial and error.

There you have it! Nicely curled lashes.

Although it takes a longer time to curl than a normal curler, it gives a more natural effect without the bends and edges that a curler can possibly give. And of course, heat helps to curl the lashes better and let it stays curl for a longer period of time. Alternative trick is to heat up your eyelash curler with your hair dryer. But it’s time consuming and you gotta be very careful not to burn yourself!

Don’t forget to vote for me at the Singapore Blog Awards 2013

under Best Beauty Blog Category  here!
You can do it everyday. Hehe.

Review: Biore Marshmallow Whip Acne Care Facial Wash

There are three main concerns about my skin: dehydrated, acne prone and uneven skin tone. Therefore, in my skincare regime, I always tend to include products that claim to resolve any of the above problems. On bad skin days, I would stay away from my whitening products, and only stick to moisturizer and acne products. On good skin days, all’s in!

Recently I found my clogged pores unclogged on its own without going for facials and it is alot smoother to touch these days. I think the set of products I’m currently using is working for me and I shall just stick to them for the time being. There are a few must have items and a few i-don’t-mind-switching items though.

Makeup Removal: Fancl Cleansing Oil (Must Have)
Cleanser: Biore Marshmallow Whip For Pore Care (Previously I was using Khiels oil-free cleanser which was good)
Exfoliant: Nature Cure Aqua Gel/ Konjac Sponge
Toner: DHC Salicyclic Acid Acne Toner (Must Have)
Serum: Naruko Raw Job Tears Brightening Serum
Moisturizer: Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion (day) / Bio-essence Face Lifting Cream (night)
Pimple Cream: Acne Clear Cream (Must Have)

Judging from the above, you can tell that cleanser is something that I am constantly trying. But once I found the right one like my holy grail cleansing oil, I will stick to it.

A good cleanser in my opinion:
- Leaves skin feeling refresh and soft
- Skin will not feel tight after cleansing
- Does not leave a squeaky clean effect
- Includes anti-bacterial properties (for my acne prone skin)

Will Biore Marshmallow Whip Acne Care Facial Wash pass my test? I’ve previously blogged about their original marshmallow facial wash before, click here to read more.

Trial Period: 1 week 

Oh yes! This little bottle of facial wash contains anti-bacterial properties that helps prevent acne!

And yup, it dispenses out a fluffy ball of foam that has 800% more micro-bubbles and is 8x denser. It can penetrate into pores to remove all dirt, oil and impurities. It also contains skin purifying technology that helps brighten up dull skin.

The foam is so bouncy that it doesn’t drip even when my palms are upside down. Also, the dense foam acts as a cushion between your hands and skin, so as to prevent excessive tugging of the skin. It also saves you time from lathering.

Tip: For other cleanser, PLEASE LATHER into bubbles before you start putting it on your skin.

My skin feels really soft and smooth after washing. It does not leave any squeaky clean effect and does not feel dry immediately. But I do notice that if I leave my skin alone for 30 mins without moisturizing, it does get a little taut. And because of this, I might not re-purchase.

Overall, it does fulfill all my criteria for a good cleanser, and I don’t mind using up the entire bottle!

*Product was given to me for consideration but all opinions are mine and honest. 

A day spent at Sunset Bay Garden Bistro

I spent a Saturday at Sunset Bay Garden Bistro with fellow bloggers. We were there to attend a day of fun with Cure Natural Aqua Gel,  Japan’s best selling facial exfoliant. In every 12 seconds, one bottle is sold. How amazing?! I’ve heard of Cure Natural Aqua Gel, but didn’t get the chance to try it until today. And yes, I’m quite impressed. I might be a convert after this.

The host seriously has a way to make us move. We played some relay games and dance to korean songs. lolol. I tell you, it was really awkward for me. But since everyone is dancing, I had to as well! In the picture above, my sis is laughing like mad because the host invited her to come on stage to answer some question and said “wah ..this one come with many flowers (on her blouse), wahh…you think what?! Botanical garden ar?!” LOL.

Awesome chicken dance moves. lol.

And they gathered all the guys as they were looking for the most sunshine boys to be the Cure Boys!

They had to play this random game and some of them really can do it pretty well! Oh yes, not forgetting the fact that they did catwalk as well.

The top three Cure Boys.

Yes, guys can also use Cure Natural Aqua Gel. One of the guys I got to know were telling me how magical it was. He said after trying it on one hand and compared it with another hand, he got a shock! The hand that was exfloliated with Cure turns fairer and smoother. The difference was huge according to him.

What makes Cure Natural Aqua Gel different from the other similar exfloliants in the market?

It contains no preservatives, colouring, fragrance and alcohol. This means it is suitable even for the sensitive skin.
It is made up of 91% revitalized hydrogen water and natural plants extract. It comes out in gel form but turns into water after rubbing it into the skin.

I also noticed the skin became extremely smooth after using the gel. It is also gentle enough for everyday use!

The evening ended with a very sumptuous buffet dinner!

Don’t forget to “like” their facebook page here!

Cheap Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Cream from Qoo10

I’m really happy to be one of the finalist for Best Qoo10 Online Shopping Blog category again this year.
Shopping has been one of my favourite things to do when I’m stress or unhappy. Retail therapy always make me feel better at the end of the day. But of course, I always make rational shopping decisions and only buy what I think I need or what’s worth the price tag.

Qoo10 is always the site I visit whenever I’m struggling to get some retail therapy done at night or when I want good deals. They practically sell almost anything and everything, ranging from fashion and beauty to household goods and home decor.  If you are unsure how to kick start your shopping experience with Qoo10, you should read up my guide on how to shop at Qoo10 here first.

I’ve been shopping almost everyday with my sponsored $100 credit!
Here’s some beauty buys I got from the site:

From left to right: Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy Collection and Bath & Body Works Anti-bacterial hand gel.

This hand cream I got from Crabtree & Evelyn cost me only $12.90 from Qoo10, when it’s retailing for $20 outside. It’s such a steal!!

Now, here’s the trick!! For good deals, please please remember to check out their Hot Deals, Weekly Specials and Bestsellers. They usually have pretty good deals there. Also, look out for time-sale and today’s sale. These are where you can find affordable deals!

I got this hand cream through their time sale, which is why it’s only $12.90. Anw, you won’t be able to get it at this price now cos the time sale is over. But you can still purchase it now if you want, cos it’s $13.50 now, very much cheaper than the retail price!! You can get it here.

I love rose scent so I purchased the rosewater. It smells really nice, like baby! I love it. Since it comes with a box, I reckon it’s pretty as a gift as well.

Also, it leaves the skin matte and not greasy at all. My skin feels moisturized after use.

The next item I got is Bath & Body Works Pocket Size Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel. I got it at $4.90 which wasn’t exactly a steal as the retail price is also about $5. But I still get it since it wasn’t easy to find Bath & Body Works products in Singapore, and also I needed a nice smelling hand sanitizer.

God knows how much bacterial I deal with everyday at work. It is definitely essential to keep one in my office. This Aqua Blossom is lightly scented with pure and refreshing scent of ocean drenched flowers. The smell lingers for quite long after application! Love it!
You can purchase this item here.

Please “like” their Facebook Page for more shopping deals updates!
Also, do not forget to vote for me if you love reading my blog here. ^-^

How to achieve the Feminine Look Part 1

Gone were the days when I always want to look cutesy all the time. These days, I’m all about achieving the feminine look.
The feminine look is more mature and exudes a certain aura around you that is very attractive. It is suitable for work, date and definitely important occasions such as attending a function or event.
When it comes to being feminine, your hair, makeup and dressing plays an important part. I don’t usually have much patience dolling up , so an one hour of preparation time is definitely enough for this look!

For pretty hair, try Shiseido’s Ma Cherie range which means Sweet Heart in French. This range of products nourishes your hair and smells really good too! After shampooing and conditioning your hair, towel dry by patting your hair and apply treatment of your choice. If you have really damaged hair, try their hair oil. For a lighter treatment, try their Aqua Dew Energy Ex or Aqua Energy Mist.

For feminine hair style, opt for large curls. You can use any tongs of your choice, but  if you don’t have any to begin with and is thinking of buying one. Try Panasonic Multi-Styling Straightener.

With one straightener, you can create six different hairstyles using these six attachments. For this look, I am using the large curl attachment.

This straightener has different heat settings for different hair types. For fine hair, use setting 1, 2 or 3. For thick and coarse hair, use setting 4 or 5. I have pretty thick and coarse hair, so I used setting 4.

For outward curl, make sure your attachment faces outwards. For inward curl, attachment should face inwards. I would suggest alternating outward and inward curls for texture. Another tip is not to curl so many hair at one go. Take about 5cm of hair width to curl at one time.

The result of the curls are really natural! I’m quite happy to be able to achieve such pretty curls just on my first usage!
(Although it took me a few trials to get it right, it’s still pretty!)
And also, you would notice that the curls don’t look messy or frizzy as well.

After curling, make sure to use Ma Cherie’s hair fragrance mist for good smelling hair all day long.

I’m also quite surprise that without any hair spray, my curls lasted all day!

Thanks for reading part 1 on how to create a feminine look!
Will be blogging about skincare and makeup of this look in the next few entries, so keep checking back!

Meanwhile, do remember to vote for me under the
BEST BEAUTY BLOG CATEGORY  here !!!

You will have to like their page here first.

Review: Bio-Essence V Face Series

Everyone wants to look younger with slimmer contour. Anti-aging products are really all the rage now and yes, I’ve already started my anti-aging regime bit by bit before my skin loses elasticity and give in to gravity pull.

Endorsed by Vivan Hsu, Bio-Essence’s Royal Jelly + ATP Shape V face series promises to give you a younger, V shape contour.
I was sponsored three products from the range: Deep Exfoliating Gel, Radiance Youth Essence and Face Lifting Cream. The first thing that I really like is the glass bottle packaging. It looks and feel expensive, isn’t flimsy or anything. It can be a little heavy though.

Main ingredients in the product: 
Bio Energy Fluid
Bio Mineral Amino Acid Essence
Royal Jelly
ATP
Precious herbal extracts like Ginseng, Aloe Vera and Angelica to enhance cell energy and skin metabolism.

If you don’t already know, Royal Jelly is very beneficial to our skin.  Royal Jelly is a thick, extremely nutritious milky-white, creamy liquid secreted by the nurse bees. Queen bees feed exclusively on Royal Jelly and it accounts for their incredible longevity. Amazingly, they live 40 times longer than worker bees. This shows the superior anti-aging effects of Royal Jelly.

There was a period of time when I eat raw Royal Jelly everyday. (and I must say it tasted awful so I’m really happy to see products that includes Royal Jelly.) Royal Jelly is full of nutrients and vitamins which deeply nourishes the skin, improves its radiance, leaving skin soft, smooth and fair.  It also has excellent anti-bacterial properties which helps to disinfect pimples or even acne skin. (YAY for people who has acne-prone skin but wants to use anti-aging products as well.)

ATP helps to supply and communicate energy to skin cells like a continuous current, improving micro-circulation effectively to renew and repair skin.

Trial Period: 1 week

After I remove my makeup, I would towel dry my skin and hands, and then use this Deep Exfoliating Gel for a gentle exfoliation.

Comes out in a gel form and smells like honey due to Royal Jelly.

When spread, the gel turns watery and tiny flakes can be seen. These are the dead skin cells.

After using this product, you are expected to see a brighter, smoother skin. It also helps regulates oil secretion, prevent pimples and lighten scars and acne marks.

To be really honest, all exfoliating products do that. When you remove your dead skin cells, your skin will definitely look brighter and smoother. It is no magic here. As to preventing pimples, it is because the product contains Royal Jelly which has an anti-bacterial property. Royal Jelly stands in the middle of the ingredient list, so I do think it will work to a certain extent. (Of course not instantly though.)

I do like this product since it’s gentle enough to use everyday and I love the light scent of honey!

After cleansing my skin, I tried the Radiant Youth Essence.  It contains 95% Green Tea extract which provides superior anti-oxidant property to protect skin against signs of ageing, it intensively nourishes skin and locks in moisture, keeping skin smooth and supple. Ideal to be use in super cold weather.

This is really really greasy on my skin.

According to them, product gets absorbed after 1 min. But nope, it took more than 1 min for it to be completely absorbed. I do not think this is for me as it’s too greasy. Hence, I’ve stopped using it just after one use.

After which, I would use the Face Lifting Cream. This is the best product out of the three given to me.

Yes, it’s a cream but feels so light-weight on the skin!

No residue is seen on the skin at all!

Benefits of the face lifting cream:

1. Lifts facial contours
2. Firms sagging skin
3. Reduces double skin
4. Contracts pores & refines skin
5. Reduces appearance of ageing line
6. Deeply nourishes & moisturizes skin
7. Reduces visible fine lines & wrinkles
8. Shapes V face, enhancing feminine charm

According to reviews, people saw instant face slimming effect. The product also kindly included a measuring tape for measurement purposes. To do that, they must be really confident about this.

When I first applied the product on my skin, I felt a tingly cold sensation which I really love it especially during warm humid season like now. This sensation also tells me that it is working on my skin! I do slight upward massaging effect with this face cream and I noticed half an inch of difference on my skin instantly! However, this effect wasn’t permanently and goes to back to original the next morning. But I reckon it’s gonna be good to use in the morning when you tend to look more puffy in the day.

It moisturizes the skin well and my makeup could glide pretty well. I also notice my pores getting smaller and skin smoother as well. As for wrinkles, I’m not sure about it yet. Overall, I love this product and would continue using it.

Unlock your feminine charm here!

*Products are sent to me for consideration but all opinions are mine and honest.