Author: Beauty Gazette

Urban Decay’s complexion primers and sprays

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Beauty junkies – especially the variety who love going all-out with their make-up and need it to stay on all day – swear by Urban Decay’s complexion primers and sprays. We do not wear as much make-up, but still think these products are must-haves. Especially, the Hydra Charged Complexion Prep Priming Spray with soothing and moisturising niacinamide and coconut water. Apply it as the last step of the skincare routine, before you start on your make-up. It will give the skin an extra dewy glow, while the complexion make-up would go on super smoothly. Love it. The other Setting Sprays also do as they promise. Spritz it on as a finishing touch when you are done with your make-up, and it will last all day. The sprays offer your face moisture while fixing the make-up to the skin. If you have combination skin, use the De-Slick Complexion Primer that mattifies skin, very sparingly. Just apply a small amount on the T-zone, nose, and chin, before applying your make-up to keep those areas oil-free. Alternatively, gently …

Skin and the Environment: An Aesop Dialogue

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To mark its 30th year in the business, Aesop launches a new campaign that illustrates the dynamics between the environment  (humidity, temperature, wind conditions, air pollution levels, etc.) and the skin. The clean and stylish campaign – in typical Aesop fashion – is a reminder that the skin is a manifestation of one’s lifestyle habits.     Dr Kate Forbes, who helms products, and R&D at Aesop, breaks it down for The Beauty Gazette.   On skin dryness and dehydration…People living in cities spend so much time on the planes and in air conditioning. We want to address what is happening to the skin under those conditions. Skin dryness is caused by the lack of sebum, so it becomes flakey with irritation on the surface of the skin. That is how your skin feels in winter. Using a heavier cream will help to fix that. Dehydrated skin is caused by the loss of of water in the skin, when the barrier is weakened. This can be treated when we drink more water and use products …

Model-host Denise Keller’s Beauty Black Book

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After almost 17 years in the industry, model-TV host-yogi (and former MTV VJ), Denise Keller definitely knows a thing or two about looking good 24/7. The 35-year-old has just returned from Los Angeles, where she hosted the Oscars Red Carpet for HBO Asia. Keller shares her beauty secrets with The Beauty Gazette. The beauty products that I cannot leave the house without are…the Sisley Nutritive Lip Balm, Sisley Sunleya Sun Care, and the Sisley Phyto-Khol Perfect eyeliner in Black. They’re simply the best products out there. The addresses in my Beauty Black Book are…Radium Medical Aesthetics for my facials, and aesthetic needs. I usually go for the Red Carpet Facial there before a big shoot the next morning. I get my locks done with freelance hairstylist Kenneth Thong; and my nails are cared by Jemima at Snails The Nail Spa. These places are special because they always have my comfort in mind. I am very loyal to the places and faces that I’m used to; and I think they have the best services in town. I …

Cle de Peau Beaute’s latest suncare collection

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The Japanese are obsessed with staying fair. And that is clear from luxury Japanese beauty label Cle de Pau Beaute’s new luxurious five-piece skincare-suncare range. All formulas are lightweight, moisturising and nourishing, and does not leave behind a sticky after-feel or white cast on the skin. The UV Protective Cream SPF 50+ PA++++ ($165) is made for the face and body, and contains a nourishing blend of skincare ingredients: Asian ginseng extract, wild thyme extract, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, hibiscus flower essence, as well as mangosteen extract. Besides protecting the skin from harmful UV rays, this blend hydrates, and keeps away the damaging effects of air pollution. It is also subtly tinted so you can wear it on its own for skin that looks naturally even and glowing. While the UV Protective Cream Tinted ($120) is pretty much a high-end BB cream: it offers sun protection, moisturisation, skincare ingredients, as well as medium coverage for flawless-looking skin. Skin looks instantly porcelain-perfect. Choose from four shades. There are two versions of the UV Protective Emulsion for Body …

Cle de Peau Beaute’s new Concentrated Brightening Serums

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Premium beauty label Cle de Peau Beaute’s iconic skin-brightening serum has been given a shot in the arm. The newly-reformulated Concentrated Brightening Serum ($260) contains mangosteen extract for improved cell regeneration (naturally exfoliated, smoother skin); nourishing chai hu extract for rejuvenated and more supple skin; as well as artemisia extract to improve skin clarity and fairness. This skincare cocktail also contains ingredients that promise to reduce the yellow  skin undertones for a brighter visage. Apply the lightweight and easily-absorbed serum after lotion/ essence, and before a heavier cream or moisturiser. While you give your face TLC, don’t forget the rest of your body. The new Concentrated Brightening Body Serum ($120) is concocted for the neck, as well as the décolletage and limbs. It also contains chai hu extract, as well as other skin-brightening ingredients that the brand usually reserves for its exclusive face-care collection. Moisturising but lightweight (and non-sticky), this body serum is a luxurious addition to your skincare ritual. Available at Cle de Pau Beaute counters.  

Facial Treatments at Aesop, Nakameguro, Tokyo

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“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.” – Janis Joplin As I tucked myself between the sheets on the toasty spa bed at Aesop’s beautiful Nakameguro store in Tokyo, I found myself staring at this quote on the ceiling. I’m doing the right thing then, I thought, pampering myself with the new Tranquil Order Facial Treatment for “combination, sensitive and reactive skin”. First launched in Melbourne in 2005, the facial is now available at Aesop’s Nakameguro store, the only one in Japan which currently offers the indulgent session. The therapist decided on the Tranquil Order treatment (from 18,000 yen for 60 minutes, before tax) for me after a consultation, which involved a questionaire on my beauty routine and skincare habits. The treatment begins with a deep cleansing ritual where she mixed the Tea Tree Leaf Facial Exfoliant mixed with the Purifying Cream Cleanser, along with some facial cabin-only professional products. This was followed by the Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser, all applied with firm and comforting strokes. What happened next was all a blur as …

Mamonde launches in Singapore

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South Korean beauty conglomerate Amorepacific is bent on making its presence felt in Southeast Asian markets. After its successful launches with the premium Laneige, youthful Etude House, high-end Sulwhasoo, and masstige Innisfree brands in Singapore, it now introduces Mamonde to the mix. Inspired by flowers 🌸🌼🌺🌹 (the first-ever beauty product in Amorepacific’s heritage was hand-pressed camellia oil), and created with floral extracts, Mamonde was launched in 1991.  Its products feature the ingredients from flowers such as hibiscus, magnolia, camellia, honeysuckle, and lotus. The labels’s star products include: The First Energy Essence made with fermented honeysuckle plant, vinegar and patented lactobacillus to strengthen, and moisturise skin. The Moisture Ceramide Light Cream with hibiscus 🌺 extract and ceramide to keep skin hydrated.  Rose 🌹 Water Toner with Bulgarian damask rose water 💦 which is multi-purpose: toner, makeup-remover, facial mist, and to soak mask sheets. Cover Powder Cushion with peach 🍑 flower 🌺 extract. Offers lightweight coverage, moisture, and a satin-matte finish. Highlight Lip Tint in ten flattering shades to brighten the appearance of fairer Asian skin tones. …

TBG Interview: Francois Arpels, co-founder, Brands & Beyond

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The Singapore-based skincare label which is set on global domination, Skin Inc, has a new member on its advisory board: Francois Arpels. Of Van Cleef & Arpels fame (his family used to own the luxury business, and he started his career there), he now runs a private-equity fund focused on investments in lifestyle and luxury brands. The luxury retail mogul shares his industry insights with The Beauty Gazette.   What are you currently focusing your energies on?  I moved to New Delhi 18 months ago, following more than a decade of close dealings with India, to set up Brands & Beyond (formerly IndEU Capital). It is a private equity fund focused on investing in independent and non-ethnic made-in-India lifestyle and luxury brands that my partners and I plan on rolling out of India. Our business model is closer to that of a strategic operator; we plan on actively contributing value in the strategy of our portfolio companies than that of a typical financial operator.   How do you intend to contribute to Skin Inc’s advisory board?  I’ve …

Clarins Makeup collection debuts in Singapore

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You’re familiar with Clarins’ skincare products; and now it is time to get acquainted with its makeup. Come March 31, the complete Clarins makeup collection will be available at counters in Singapore. Launched in 1991, the makeup products are infused with skincare. The bestsellers include the Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch (a makeup base that “blurs” out wrinkles and fine lines); the Skin Illusion Foundation (with pink algae to hydrate, smooth and tone skin); Lip Comfort Oil (with hazelnut oil to plump and nourish lips);  and the Supra Volume Mascara (contains cassia flower wax to protect and smooth lashes). Eric Antoniotti, Clarins International Artistic and Training Director, shares his favourites and tips with The Beauty Gazette. “Makeup that cares” “You get an instant makeup effect; the perfect complexion, lips, and amazing lashes. And at the same time, you get long-term skincare benefits thanks to the plant extracts in the formulas,” says Antoniotti. For example, the Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base is part skincare, part make-up base. It adds a glow to the skin so it …

Origins Three-Part Harmony

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Origins’ new Three-Part Harmony Soft Cream and Foaming Cream-to-Oil Cleanser, are luxurious additions to the brand’s line-up. The cream is whipped but not exactly lightweight. Thanks to a “micro-droplet technology”, it hydrates the skin intensively but without clogging it up and leaving behind an oily film. The formula contains Tazetta lily bulbs for skin regeneration, white myrtle to purify, and Japanese knot weed to protect and firm. This rich cream also contains shea butter and Vitamin E to keep skin soft and hydrated. Because of its rich and whipped texture, I prefer to use this rich cream at night. It left my skin feeling bouncier, smoothe, moisturised and clear the next morning. The Foaming Cream-to-Oil Cleanser is a soothing cream cleanser for drier skin types. It also creates enough slick for a good facial massage in the shower. Perfect for a gentle morning cleanse (when you don’t have to remove make-up, dirt and excess sebum), and all you need is a comforting cleanser to perk your skin up. These two are currently staples in my …