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. -.-

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. 

Save more toner, save more money

Have you ever felt that your toner is depleting way faster than any other skincare products? And that’s usually because of the cotton wool we use. Typical cotton wool absorbs a lot of the toner, and that explains why we have to use a lot more than usual. Skincare gurus always tell us to be generous with our toner and make sure the entire cotton wool is soaked with the toner. But honestly, I can’t help to feel that it’s such a waste! But if we don’t use enough, it is as good as not using any because the cotton wool has absorb all the toner already.

Today I wanna share with you the type of cotton wool I use and I promise it’s gonna save you lots of money!!

It’s LEED Beauty Puff which I got it from NTUC Xtra. Yes, it’s not that easily available in the market cos as far as I know, I haven’t seen it in any other departmental stores such as Guardian or Watsons. So yes, unfortunately, you can only get it from NTUC Xtra.

It contains 100 sheets and it cost around $3+. It is definitely not cheap but it has help me save more toner, and therefore more savings!

A sheet of the cotton is bigger than my palm size and it is as thin as paper. Of course, I don’t use such a large sheet everytime. I would tear it into half or smaller. If I tear it into half, it means 100 sheets more, and that means if I use it day and night, a box can last me for a 100 days.

It is as thin as paper, and doesn’t absorb the toner that much. I use half as less toner as when I use normal cotton wool. Also, it doesn’t leave any fibre on my skin when using. I really hate it when I’ve done cleansing and yet my skin is still dirty because of the cotton wool I use!

This is extra gentle, soft and ….ya you can read it yourself. :p

Overall, I really recommend you to use quality cotton wool so as not to waste your expensive toner.
Think about it, you would save a lot more moolahs in the long run!

Oh yes, I’m in the running for Best Q0010 Online Shopping blog and Best Panasonic Beauty Blog.
Please take a min or two to help me vote!! All votes count!! So please support!

Vote for Vivianism here and here.

Review: Clio Gelpresso Liners in “Bloody” Colours

The girls around me are generally quite safe when it comes to cosmetic selection. Hardly anyone I know of knows how to apply eyeshadow and not to mention, coloured eyeliners. As for me, I really love playing with eyeshadow colours, but I know it is not something I would use everyday due to the lack of time.

To be honest, ever since I started working, my preparation time went down from one hour to only 30 mins. Because I would rather sleep in than spend hour drawing my face. With 30 mins, the items I use on my face should be easy and fast to use. No time for eyeshadow? Coloured eyeliners can actually do a wonderful job in adding colours to your eyes!

I had a surprise package from Clio recently that consists of three gelpresso liners. I used to love gel liners until I hate it that I had to clean my brushes with every use. So glad that Clio came up with the idea of gel liners in pencil form and that means no more cleaning of brushes!

The three colours given to me were bloody angel, bloody devil and bloody sweet. Yeah…I know..sounds abit bloody. But that’s precisely the case cos all three colours belong to the RED family.

From top to bottom: Bloody Devil, Bloody Angel and Bloody Sweet

My favourite has got to be Bloody Devil, which is a dark purplish red that is safe to use for all occasions. I like that it adds colour to my eyes without over exaggerating. And it is rather soft looking as compared to using liquid liner which can be too harsh at times.

My attempt on using all three colours! First, I had applied bloody devil as my base liner, and then I applied bloody angel at the ends, above my base liner for a subtle pop of colour, mimicking that of an eyeshadow, and lastly bloody sweet at the corners of my eyes to open up my eyes. I’m pretty pleased with the result! Do try it. Coloured liners are not that difficult to use. In fact, it can be easier to use than eyeshadows which requires the art of blending.

My eyes instantly look bigger without using harsh eyeliners. Also, I find the bloody colours make my eyes look watery than usual!

Taking a closer look … how do you find it? I’m definitely loving the pop of colour on my eyes!

(Anw…my blusher is from Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher in Blueberry Pie and I love it!)

The only thing about this eyeliner is that it is thicker than usual and goes blunt easily, therefore it requires frequent sharpening. It is also quite easily broken.

But the innovative design has included a sharpener on top of the liner! How genius!
The eyeliner also live up to its claim and didn’t smudge for the whole day! Nots bads!

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the liner and would rate it an 8/10.

All Clio liners can be found in Watsons.

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

Review: Aqualabel’s Perfect Protect Milk UV

Phew…. it’s been about a week since I last blogged. I’ve been really busy recently, busy with life that is. Even though I wake up at 545am every morning to go to school, I still feel really good! I’ve got time to really appreciate the view of sunrise, time to sit down eat my breakfast and read at the same time, time to go dinner with friends and do some retail therapy, time to chat online, time to watch tv, and time for me to recuperate from all the work.

This is life. And I hope in the future, I will not compromise myself from living life.
That said, I’ve got a couple of new skincare items in my regime.

Today I’m gonna review about Aqualabel’s Perfect Protect Milk UV. Previously I was using Biore’s new Aqua Rich Sunscreen which was amazing for me. It was sold out everywhere so I decided to get another one. I thought Aqualabel’s would be a good choice since I recalled that it was many beauty bloggers’ favourite item from Aqualabel.

Having participated in their bloggers’ contest was also one factor that lead to purchase this product.

The sunscreen is in a runny liquid consistency and it was easy to blend into the skin.

Pros
- High SPF
- Light-weight (though not as light as Biore’s)
- Smooth finishing
- Brightening effect
- Good oil control (I find myself not having to blot my face, with very minimal amount of oil on my skin even after a long day.)

Cons
- It does look shiny once applied.  (but foundation solved the problem)

Generally I would say that it is not a bad sunscreen. If sight shine doesn’t affect you, I would say the pros outweigh the cons and it’s a sunscreen that I would recommend. If you are looking for something that effectively controls oil, this does it. I was quite amazed with it.  BUT I don’t think I will repurchase especially having tried sunscreen with a lighter formula. If I have to stay out for the whole day, I might consider using this just for the oil control factor.