All posts filed under: Features

Beauty routine: What I would have told my younger self

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Fresh out of school, I landed my first job at Singapore’s bestselling women’s magazine. I went on to carve out a journalism career in beauty, fashion and lifestyle for a decade. In other words, I have been lucky enough to be learning from beauty experts on skincare routines and the latest beauty trends since I was in my early 20s. Still, there are beauty regime mistakes I wish I had not committed when I was younger If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: There is no need for laser treatments when you are in your 20s. Six years ago, I tried out an Intense Pulsed Light treatment on my neck and décolletage area to “even out the skin  tone, and firm it up”. But my skin was perfectly fine to begin with. So all the treatment left me with was skin that got weakened and easily irritated. Now, the skin on my neck and décolletage is still prone to a red rash whenever the weather gets too warm, or when I wear clothing that rubs against it. Never, …

Three Cosmetics launches in Singapore at Tangs Plaza, Orchard Road

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Known for its skincare oils, the cult Japanese skincare brand Three Cosmetics will be available at Tangs Orchard, level 4 come September 2017. Outside of Japan, Three was previously only available in Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan. Three is in good company at the newly renovated level 4 of Tangs Orchard; where other indie beauty labels such as Eve Lom are stocked, and the beauty spas of Sulwhasoo, Aesop, Shiseido, Dr Georgia Lee, and Lancome are located. Urbanhair, which was previously on Seviin at Tangs on level 7, is also now on level 4. Previously seating just 15, the salon is now more spacious with 21 chairs, and a cool marble-themed interior.

New fragrance label to watch: Mirko Buffini Firenze

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A bottle of perfume, when done right, can lead to magical moments. Such as a chance encounter with a stranger. Or evoke a beautiful memory from the distant past. For Florentine Mirko Buffini, a vial of patchouli-based juice from one of Firenze’s last artisanal perfume workshops, led him to create his own fragrance label.   A friend gave him the fateful bottle five years ago. “On the first spritz, I hated it. But 10 minutes later, the scent developed on my skin with a woodiness that was unlike any fragrance I’ve ever worn. I thought it was the best thing I’ve ever put on my skin,” says Buffini.  Intriguingly, when he wore the perfume again the next day, it smelled different, but in a good way. He thought to himself, how did the scent change? Is my mind playing tricks on me? Those ruminations set him on a path towards the art of perfumery. Buffini, who was already in the cosmetics manufacturing business with his company Aroma Firenze, had the connections to readily turn his …

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 …

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.  

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 …

Make Up For Ever Artist Acrylip

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Make Up For Ever’s new Acrylip Lip Paint is a must-have for lipstick junkies who love intense lip colours. Dispensed through an ergonomic felt-tip applicator attached to a squeeze-tube, the pigments of this liquid lipstick pack a punch. So all you need is a tiny bit for a lot of colour. This range of rouge leaves the lips with a satin shine when you spread just a small amount all over lips. If you go all out with a thicker layer and apply it with a lip brush, you get a high-shine acrylic finish. Relatively long-lasting, the Acrylip is non-sticky, non-drying, and opaque in a single coat.

His story: Roland Chow and Singapore’s early hairdressing scene

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In the mid-1970s, when the teenaged Eugene Ong decided that he wanted to become a hairstylist, he looked to the prominent industry veteran Roland Chow as a role model.  “Then, almost all hairdressers were women. And Roland was so glamorous, all my friends’ mothers were always talking about him,” recalls Ong, the director and founder of Urbanhair.  “Women of a certain social standing all had their hair done by him.” Through serendipity, Ong’s first apprenticeship was with Christine Wah, Chow’s top assistant.  “Christine would tell me how exclusive his salon was. Roland even had a drawn curtain around each client for their privacy.” The curtains were also there for another reason. The hair maestro did not want observers to “steal” his skills; only the privileged few could watch  him in action, recalls Ong. Born into the upper crust of Shanghainese society in 1926, Chow fled to Singapore in 1949 to seek refuge from the communists.  Chow first made a name for himself as a fashion designer; he was often described as the “Mr Dior of …

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 …