All posts tagged: beauty review

Kiehl’s #ultralove charity project

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Kiehl’s is one of the handful of beauty brands that has made a long-term commitment to giving back every year. For the month of September this year, it will be donating 100 per cent of the net proceeds from the sale of three limited edition products to the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF). 2016 also marks Kiehl’s 165th anniversary. Each of Kiehl’s three iconic products, the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream ($48 for 50ml); the Ultra Facial Cream ($48 for 5o ml); and the Super Multi-Corrective Cream ($95 for 50ml); are all decorated in designs by Singapore artistes. The money will go towards supporting the CCF’s top causes: Casework and Counselling; Financial Assistance; and Place for Academic Learning and Support. The Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream, as its name suggests, is an oil-free gel-cream moisturiser. While the Ultra Facial Cream is the richer, original formula made for long-lasting hydration. The Super Multi-Corrective Cream is an anti-ageing concoction that promises to lift, firm, and even out the skin texture.  

Gucci Guilty Platinum

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Ever since Alessandro Michele took over the reins at Gucci as its creative director, the label has been on a roll. Churning out gorgeous clothing, accessories, bags and shoes with an interesting vintage patina, accents and details. Unfortunately, most fashion labels and their corresponding perfumes are often not the brainchild of the designer. Still, I was keen to find out how the shiny new Gucci scents fair. Especially when they have been inspired by Michele’s sartorial work. Like most Gucci perfume launches, the Platinum range comes in a pair. My thoughts on the Gucci Guilty Platinum EDT: Nothing like the original Gucci Guilty, it is a warm, fruity-floral (if such a thing were possible). Gucci says: “Top notes – geranium and pink pepper; heart notes – lilac and peach; base notes – amber and patchouli” My thoughts on the Gucci Guilty Platinum Pour Homme EDT: Fresh, citrusy, a whiff of pine needles, warm. This may be made for men, but I’d wear it. This juice turns a little sweet on my skin, which gives it …

Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation

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So much has been said about Kat Von D’s signature Lock-It Foundation. Here’s what I think about it: It is pigmented and evens out redness and hides other imperfections quickly. Apparently, it can even hide tattoos too. The shades are on-point; I’m Asian with with a rosy-golden complexion, and Light 44 melds seamlessly with my natural skin tone. So I don’t look like I’m wearing foundation. Once on, the foundation does not transfer, or oxidise, and is long-lasting. I applied this foundation with warm fingertips, my favourite method to get a flawless-looking complexion. And I found this formula rather dry, without the slip that I usually prefer when blending on foundations. But perhaps its thick, paint-like consistency is what allows it to stick well to the skin. So prep your skin thoroughly with skincare before layering this foundation on. Matte finish. I prefer satin matte or dewy textures, so I spritzed on some skincare mist to add a glow to my skin. The mist also helped to add a hydrating layer on top of this …

Fresh picks from Lush

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In a sea of mass-produced, natural ingredient-based skincare products, British brand Lush stands out. For the simple reason that each bottle, tub, or tube comes with a sticker that tells you who made it, and when. Like how the tub of Salted Coconut Hand Scrub delivered to me was made by Vendula, a big-haired blonde lady (I know, because a cartoon rendering of her features is on the label) on January 20 this year. This personal, handmade touch just makes the product that little bit more special. It also helps that Lush has always been known for its “fresh handmade cosmetics” with a relatively short shelf-life; giving me the idea that real people, instead of cold hard machines, are stirring the formulas in vats. The Salted Coconut Hand Scrub is blended with fine sea salt, glycerine, fresh lemon infusion, organic silken tofu (!!), argan oil, cupuacu butter, extra virgin coconut oil, neroli  oil. While the grains of salt gently exfoliated my skin, the oils thoroughly moisturised it too. The scrub left my hands feeling soft, …

La Prairie Skin Caviar Concealer · Foundation SPF15

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At US$220, this concealer/ foundation is pricey. But so worth it. Firstly, because this product is made up of a concealer and a foundation. Flip up the cap, and you get the cream concealer. It provides high coverage, and is made for hiding dark circles and other minor inperfections. The texture is a little dry, but nothing like a little eye cream layered underneath to fix it. Then when you twist open the “cap”, which is really the pot of concealer, you get this gel-cream foundation. Which is amazing. It provides high coverage, so a little blob is all you need. I like to apply liquid foundation with warm fingers, because I think it allows for a seamless application. And this La Prairie one is perfect for finger application. It glides on like buttah, and evens out the conplexion quickly without patchiness. And the more I pat it in, the more it blends into my skin to look like I was barely wearing any foundation. Then the magic happens after the foundation sets, in about …

Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-oxidant Facial Hydrating Cream

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Aesop’s new Parsley Seed extension, the Facial Hydrating Cream is a rich formula made for drier skin types. Or for keeping the skin supple in chilly weather. Contains aloe leaf juice, glycerin, shea butter, sweet almond oil, lavender oil, camellia leaf extract, matricaria flower oil, cistus extract, as well as parsley seed oil. All to soothe, hydrate and protect skin from harsh conditions, free radicals and pollutants. Though thick, the cream sinks easily into the skin. It aroma, like all Aesop products, is calming, refreshing and reminds one of a relaxing spa. Best used with the other formulas from Aesop’s signature Parlsey Seed range. Like the Facial Cleanser blended with lactic acid (that softens and gently exfoliates), skin-brightening liquorice root, as well as blackcurrant seed (anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing). It lathers well and does not leave skin feeling tight and dry.      

Clarins Extra-Firming Mask

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Your nightly beauty ritual should be more than just a chore or a mindless routine. When you have the time to do it right, the nighttime routine is a perfect way to unwind after a long day. That is why the skincare products in your nightly skincare ritual should be more than just functional. Like this Clarins Extra-Firming Mask which has a cocooning gel-cream texture, as well as a soothing and calming scent. It contains Organic Green Banana and Lemon Thyme to help boost skin firmness and elasticity, and an ingredient called Palmitoyl Glycine which is said to visibly reduce stress lines and wrinkles. In the blend, there acerola seed extract is also added to lend skin radiance, while jojoba, mimosa and sunflower wax nourishes and soothes the skin. The mask also comes with instructions on how to melt the tension away from your face with its “Pressure Point Method”: 1. Gently but quickly tap fingertips all over face to stimulate the skin for absorption of the skincare 2. Place a blob of mask between …

Sneak peek: Urban Decay’s 2016 Holiday Collection

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It is never too early to start planning for your Christmas shopping. Or just strategising on stocking up on the best value-for-money Christmas sets/ limited edition items. Here are The Beauty Gazette’s picks from Urban Decay’s Holiday Collection:   1) Liquid Moondust Eyeshadow The sparkliest eyeshadow around is now available in a liquid version. Available in eight shades. UD says: “Our innovative, lightweight formula feels cool and wears comfortably. Creamy to the touch, Liquid Moondust blends easily. After you apply it, you’ve got about 30 seconds to blend the colour out. And once it’s dry, Liquid Moondust won’t budge or crease.”     2) Naked Ultimate Basics Because you can never have too many neutral matte eyeshadows…Urban Decay’s Naked Palettes are the original ones that have you covered from barely-there eye contours to out-there smokey eye looks. (Before so many other brands hopped on the same make-up train and churned out their palettes that are also packed with neutral shades.) And that extra large mirror on this palette is literally another plus. UD says: “We …

Shu Uemura The Lightbulb Aerial

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A new addition to Shu Uemura’s stand-out Lightbulb range of foundations that are made to give skin a glow that seems candle-lit. The Lightbulb Aerial is a powder compact that offers light to medium coverage. The finely-milled powders soften the appearance of imperfections, and do not leave skin with a powdery, white cast. As compared to the other two products in the Lightbulb range, this compact has the most matte texture, albeit with a subtle pearlescent finish. It also has SPF 13 PA ++. I prefer to use it with a kabuki brush as a finishing powder, or with the flocked side of the complementary Lightbulb sponge for a light touch. In comparison, the Lightbulb UV compact (SPF 30 PA +++)gives skin high to medium coverage, and a polished porcelain-like glow. While the original Lightbulb fluid offers high coverage and a megawatt, dewy glow.  

Chloe Fleur de Parfum

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Chloe parfums are fail-safe. Catching a whiff of this range of ultra-feminine, powdery, full-bodied white floral scents is always a pleasure. In the world of mass-produced brand-name perfumes, Chloe always holds its own. Its signature floral-soapiness is distinct. This new olfactory cocktail – Chloe Fleur de Parfum – is a fresher, more floral (the notes evoke pink roses maybe) youthful, and brighter version of the beloved Chloe Eau de Parfum. How Chloe describes this perfume: “A tender floral blend. Chloé Fleur de Parfum is a generous bouquet exclusively composed of the most tender and quintessential part of flowers, their hearts. The fundamental note comes from the rose heart. The heart of verbena flower adds a fresh and luminous verdant dimension while the heart of cherry blossom diffuses milky almond notes. Tender. Modern. Feminine.”