All posts filed under: Tried and tested

Lush V-Day collection

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In the world of bath and body care, there are few indulgences like the beautifully-scented soap bars from Lush. This V-Day, the animal cruelty-free label offers a new range of colourful and fun options for bath time (on your own, or with your lover). The Over and Over Bath Bomb ($13) is perfect for a bathtub frolick. It is a cocoa butter coated lime and fennel oil bomb that explodes into a whirl of pink, orange and gold in the tub. The colourful silver-tinted, pastel-hued Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar ($14) is infused with relaxing lavender oil, and sexy neroli for a slick bath time. While the Cupid Bath Bomb ($10) is another option for an indulgent soak in the tub. Blended with rose, bergamot, and violet lead absolute. The new Kiss Me Quick Wash Card ($9) is super fun. Imagine a bar of soap but in the form of a thin business card. Made with fresh apple pulp, lemon and lime oil, and scented with ylang ylang, it is perfect for that getaway vacay with …

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte Lipstick

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This new range of lipsticks from Shu Uemura are easy to wear, and come in bright, poppy shades. Just one or two coats provides full-on colour. The lipsticks have a matte finish, but they also have a creamy texture that does not feel too dry on the lips. However, as with all matte lipsticks, if you don’t exfoliate your pout first, the dry flakey skin will show. I like to prep my lips with a layer of balm first, so that my lips look smoother and more plump when I have a bright shade on. These relatively long-wearing lipsticks also offer a full-on stain, so you have to spend less time touching up the lipstick throughout the day. See swatches here.

Wella SP Luxe Oil range

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If you spend hundreds each time at the salon to get that picture-perfect (permed/ coloured/ bleached/ highlighted/ balayaged) locks, haircare products from the supermarket shelves just won’t cut it.  When your hair has undergone so much chemical treatment, regular shampoo and hair masks are inadequate in treating the dryness, frizziness, and other signs of damage. That is why I always invest in good professional haircare products. They may be pricier, but they make my hairstyle (colour and texture, especially) look salon-fresh for longer. Wella’s signature Luxe Oil SP range is a trio that works for me. I bleach my hair once every couple of months. And the products keep my hair supple, conditioned, smooth. The mask sinks right into my dehydrated locks without weighing it down; while the oil slicks frizziness, and keep flyaways in place. With a good haircut from my regular stylist, and the Wella Luxe Oil SP collection, I spend less time getting my hair ready in the mornings, and bad hair days are almost non-existent ✌🏻️

Eyes Wide Open:  Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery Eye Mask

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If you didn’t get a good night’s rest, the tell-tale signs are around your eyes. Dry, crepey skin with fine lines caused by dehydration, along with the puffiness and dark circles, tells everyone that you stayed up too late (working/ watching videos on Youtube/ Facebook-ing/ scrolling through Insta/ online shopping/ swiping left/ Netflix-ing/ all of the above). Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair serum is famous for making your skin look like you had enough sleep when you didn’t. And now, the brand is taking things one step further with an ANR eye mask. To keep the formula fresh, the liquid is kept separate from the eye mask pads in each sachet. All you have to do is break the liquid out if its section so it soaks up the pads. Then place the infused pads on the undereye area for 10 minutes. The ANR Concentrated Recovery Eye Mask is made with lady thistle and white birch extracts to soothe and de-puff skin; as well as hyaluronic acid and rice bran extract to moisturise and firm …

Porcelain skincare

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Homegrown local brand Porcelain is best known for its deep cleansing and skin-clarifying facials.  Its owner is also a huge proponent of make-up free skin; and she has great skin as proof of the quality of her own products and services. I gave Porcelain’s three gel formulas over a shot over the festive period, and I liked the results.  My favourite is the Pure Botanical Soothing Gel that contains aloe vera gel and herbal extracts to hydrate, heal, and protect. Once the gel was massaged into my skin, it left it tight, firm, and matte. My pores also looked visibly tighter. Over the weeks, this gel also helped to make my skin looked clearer.  However, I prefer to apply a more moisturising serum or cream on top of the gel, so that my skin feels less tight. Because the gel’s texture is light and barely-there, it also works well to lock in moisture under a make-up base. Both the Balance Hydraclear Gel (for treating acne-prone skin, contains willow bark extract, cupaucu seed butter, witch hazel extract, …

Clarins White Plus Pure Translucency

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Clarins is one of those rare European brands that already had its finger on the pulse of skin-brightening trends from way back when; 20 years to be exact. It started in 1996 with the Whitening Essence, and now into its seventh variation for 2017, the White Plus Pure Translucency. The star of the latest range is the antioxidant-rich acerola fruit, which resembles a cherry. While doing extensive research on how melanin production takes place in the skin (which leads to dark spots), Clarins scientists also discovered the potent benefits of the acerola. The fruit contains polyphenols, antioxidants that help to protect the plants from damaging UV rays. Apparently, the younger the fruit, the more polyphenols it contains; therefore Clarins harvests the early fruits and freezes them to get the best extracts. These extracts proved to reduce melanin production by almost 25 per cent during in vitro tests. There are six new formulas in Clarins’ White Plus Pure Translucency collection. The Brightening Creamy Mousse Cleanser is lovely. Lightly scented with an uplifting floral fragrance, the cleanser …

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 …

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 …

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.