Author: Beauty Gazette

Elizabeth Arden’s new Eight Hour Cream collection

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Elizabeth Arden is the original Lipstick Queen. In 1912, she supported the women’s suffrage movement by supplying them with red lipstick,  turning bright rouge into a mark of female liberation. Arden is also best known for her Eight Hour Cream, which she formulated in 1930 as a multi-purpose balm to treat everything from chapped lips to ragged cuticles and cracked heels. The apricot-coloured formula contains the skin-moisturising petrolatum, soothing beta-hydroxy, and Vitamin E. Apparently, Arden even used the balm on her thoroughbred horses to heal their cracked hooves. The bestselling balm has clinched 22 international beauty awards, and is a celebrity fave. To ride on the balm’s cult status, the brand has churned out at least 13 products in the Eight Hour Cream range. The latest of which is the Eight Hour Miracle Hydrating Mist, blended with pomegranate, acai, mangosteen, noni, goji, apple leaf, and coffee seed extracts. Use it to tone, soften and refresh skin, or even set your makeup. TBG’s other picks in the range: the Lip Protectants, and All Over Miracle Oil …

3Rific Premium Face Oil

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Sometimes, all you need in your skincare routine post-cleansing is just one product. Especially when your skin feels too laden with many products everyday, and need a “fast” (you’ll know when you get too many little bumps, and irritation). The made-in-Japan 3Rific Premium Face Oil is perfect for those days. It is lightweight, and doubles up as both a serum and moisturiser. Or just add a few drops into your liquid foundation for extra moisturisation and dewiness.  I like to use it as a facial massage oil to get rid of the water retention in my face too.  This unscented formula is blended with some of the most anti-oxidant rich plant extracts: Lupine seed extract for collagen synthesis Baobab oil with Vitamins A, C, and E; as well as omega oils Argan oil, rich in fatty acids Avocado oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamins A, D and E. Sweet almond oil Jojoba oil (emollient) Olive oil (Vitamin E) Evening primrose oil (anti-ageing) Rice bran oil (Vitamins B and E) Soybean oil (Vitamin E and …

For that instant glow: Tatcha Luminous Range

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Tatcha is one of those beauty brands where you’ll find the product packaging as lust-worthy as the formulas. Inspired by the Geishas in Kyoto, the founder Victoria Tsai took care to develop a range of effective formulas wrapped in beautiful Japanese-inspired gilded and printed paper. I’ve long heard about its Luminous range, but only got to roadtest it recently. I was impressed with the products, given that Tsai, an American ex-financier, had zero background knowledge on beauty formulas until she met a geisha in a Japanese beauty shop. The Luminous Dewy Skin Mist has been raved by beauty YouTubers such as Jeffree Star. It is made with red algae collected from the clear Okinawan waters, which is known to retain moisture in the skin. The mist also contains squalane, panax ginseng, camellia seed oil, and Tatcha’s proprietary complex, the Hadasei-3 made of rice bran oil, Okinawa red algae, and green tea. Nicknamed the “liquid moisturiser”, this milky lotion worked perfectly as an essence-like skin-softening lotion, as well as a make-up setting spray. It is lightweight but …

50 Years Strong: Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil

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Makeup maverick Shu Uemura launched his first cosmetic product, the iconic cleansing oil, in 1957. The original Hollywood artist formulated the oil to help actresses remove their make-up quickly in between shoots, while maintaining their skin’s integrity. “Makeup starts and finishes with cleansing.” – Shu Uemura Shu, whose mantra has always been that beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin, knew the importance of proper cleansing from way back when. Clearly, when a product is created to fulfill a need and created with heart, it will have longevity in the market. 50 years on, Shu Uemura’s iconic cleansing oil is available in eight versions (including a balm and a gel-oil) and the category is a bestselling one for the brand. To mark the occasion, Shu Uemura has re-formulated its popular Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil. It is concocted with jojoba oil, olive oil, ginger root oil, and shea butter oil, to keep skin moisturised while stripping it of (waterproof) makeup and other impurities. The best way to use the cleansing oils? With dry hands on a …

Dawn Yeoh’s Beauty Secrets

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Yeoh returned to Singapore earlier this year to star in sitcoms such as Peace and Prosperity, make guest appearances on variety shows like Closet Secrets, and to host the travelogue Going Miles, Spreading Smiles. The Singapore actress had left for Taiwan in 2014 to further her career. Over the last decade, the 30-year-old has worked on five movies (including one in 2017), and at least 20 dramas. In 2007, she was named as one of the seven shining stars of MediaCorp, alongside Rui En, Jeanette Aw, and Joanne Peh. In between her filming sets, Yeoh spends her time “sculpting” her body and looking youthful in the ruthless entertainment industry. She shares her beauty and fitness secrets with The Beauty Gazette. When you are in the entertainment business, it is important to look good. I hit the gym almost every other day, or I’ll work out at home with the Insanity Workout video clips. I also try to eat clean. My skincare routine is simple. My skin gets dehydrated easily, so I use moisturising serums that contain hyaluronic acid. I …

Clarins Plant Gold Collection

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Skincare oils are the ultimate moisturisers. If they are pure enough and well-formulated, the oils sink right into the skin to keep it supple, protected, and resilient. There will be no greasy after feel and stickiness. The first ones I’ve ever tried are from Clarins, and I still love them. The Tonic Body Treatment Oil is often used during Clarins’ body treatments. It smells calming, yet energising at the same time. Inside: the essential oils of rosemary, geranium, and mint blended with hazelnut oil.  The Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil is a lifesaver when my skin is dehydrated or feeling irritated. I either wear it alone or blend it into a cream for that extra nourishment. I also like to add a drop to my liquid foundation for a glow. Just one drop of this relatively thick oil, or a maximum of two, is enough for your entire face. On a base of hazelnut oil, the essential oils of rosewood and patchouli, as well as blue orchid extract are added. The smell of this luxurious oil always makes …

TBG 2016 Skincare Picks

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The 2016 skincare launches that worked for my skin. Skin Inc Pure Serum Mist. Seriously makes my face GLOW. I spritz it on to refresh my skin in the middle of the day, before I touch up with a BB cushion for a porcelain-like complexion. Super love. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Ampoules. My go-to when I have had a late night but need to look well-rested the next morning for important meetings. I layer the dry oil-like formula on top of the brand’s signature ADR serum for a 💥-packed skin-nourishing combo.    Clarins Booster. The idea is so ingenious. This watery formula is not to be used on its own but blended with a cream, serum, or even liquid foundation. It does not change the consistency of the product you’re blending it with, but you get extra customised benefits for the skin. I like the Energy version which visibly perks up my tired skin. Lush Softy Foot Lotion. I use this not just on my feet but all over because it smells amazing with …

TBG 2016 Makeup and Gadget Picks

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The 2016 launches that made the cut here on The Beauty Gazette. The Shu x Murakami collection is  super cute. The Eye and Cheek Palette in Cosmiikawaii ticks all the right boxes for on-trend shades like burgundy and deep coral. Tom Ford Soleil Eye and Cheek Palette in Warm has all the perfect colours for a goddess makeup look. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick. 100 shades to choose from. Love the cream and matte shades that packs a punch. Fave: Ravenswood, the perfect #MLBB (My Lips But Better) colour. Shiseido Rouge Rouge– Excellent texture and colour with a beautiful sheen. Lightweight but truly gorgeous pay off. Go for Bloodstone. Dyson Supersonic Dryer, never tried a leaner, meaner, sexier hairdryer Estee Lauder x VB collection surprised me with classic bright shades that are unlike VB, but with classy smokey hues that are so VB Foreo Luna 2. If you think the Clarisonic is too harsh for your skin, this is the alternative. Gentle and effective for exfoliation. I left it in the shower for a whole year …

Actor Yusuke Fukichi’s style pointers

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Before Nicola Formichetti was styling Lady Gaga for her hit music videos and directing Diesel’s fashion campaigns, he discovered Yusuke Fukuchi. “I was a literature undergrad who wanted to be a model. For my first gig, Nicola styled me in an abandoned love hotel in Kabukicho, Tokyo,” says the Japanese actor-model, now 32. The editorial spread was for the British magazine Another Man, and it had the moody, sexy patina of a Wong Kar Wai film. That shoot was the beginning of Fukuchi’s love affair with the camera. Today, he has starred in at least eight dramas (in Singapore, Japan, Taiwan), and seven films (Japan, China), with another one coming up in 2017. Fukuchi’s acting career was an indirect result of his three-year modelling stint in London where he was based in his early 20s. There, he had easy access to the classic stage plays around town. And the influence of the theatre seeped into his persona at work. “Every photographer I worked with told me how the image they captured of me reminds them …

Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick 

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Made for quick and easy application, the “cushion stick” is a cream foundation in a twist-bottle. The sponge applicator is shaped like a fat donut, with the lightweight formula dispensed through the hole in the middle. So all you have to do is twist for one pump of the foundation, tap it onto the skin, and blend with the applicator.  This product offers light to medium coverage with a satin-matte finish.