All posts tagged: beauty review

Advanced Night Repair Intensive Recovery Ampoules

Published by

You’ve had a crazy week. Back-to-back meetings, then on to a night out with friends. Important board meeting the next morning, and you have to look fresh, polished, and alert. Repeat this hectic routine, five days in a row. And you wish there was something that could keep your skin looking supple, clear, and dewy the next day (even when you have had very little sleep, and running on adrenaline and caffeine). Such a beauty potion probably doesn’t exist. But then, Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Intensive Recovery Ampoules ($196 for 60 capsules), comes close. I’ve been a long-time fan of Estee Lauder’s iconic Advanced Night Repair (ANR) serum. It perks my skin up and makes it look like I had eight hours of sleep the night before. So I had high hopes for these ampoules which are “fast-acting”, help to soothe skin, support the its nighttime repair functions, while boosting its resilience. Each capsule dispenses just the right amount of serum which has a dry oil texture (not greasy, absorbed by skin really quickly, …

Save our skin: Skincare to deal with air pollution

Published by

Hazy days are here again in Singapore. The clear skies turn yellow and brown, as the smog and dust from the burning forests in the neighbouring regions hit the island. Aesop’s Bitter Orange Astringent Toner is a good option for humid and polluted environments. This refreshing astringent toner is a blend of bitter orange, witch hazel and rosemary leaf. Soak a cotton pad with it to wipe away pollutants on the skin surface. Like most Aesop products, this toner has that relaxing spa-like scent to refresh the mind. The Oil-Free Facial Hydrating Serum is a viscous, gel-serum moisturiser with plenty of antioxidants to combat the free radicals caused by pollutants. Made with aloe vera gel, Ylang Ylang and panthenol (vitamin B5 and a humectant), it is suitable for combination, oily, or sensitive skin. It leaves a thin film on skin which keeps it supple. I  also love this combination for days when my skin feels oily, and just needs a lightweight serum/ moisturiser to perk it up. This duo is also a great addition to a man’s skincare …

Clarins Anti-ageing Treatment Essences

Published by

Clarins’ new Treatment Essence lotions are good fun. They come in three different textures to treat various skin types. The Super Restorative Treatment Essence Smoothness (red bottle) is for mature skin, or those with dull and tired skin. It is blended with pueraria lobata extract which nourishes while  firming the skin. Ginseng and green coffee extracts are also added to re-energize the skin and boost its radiance. This product also has exfoliating properties to gently sweep away dead skin cells on the surface for smoother skin. The viscous texture of the lotion keeps skin extra supple; I have to say this my favourite of the three (although my skin is not that mature…)   The Multi-Active Treatment Essence Vitality (the pink bottle) works particularly well for those who are under 25, and prefer something lightweight. This milky lotion leaves a satiny-matte finish on the skin. It is refreshing, smoothening, and helps to keep skin lightly hydrated. It contains teasel extract, and acerola seed extract to boost skin radiance and cell rejuvenation.   While the Extra-Firming Treatment Essence …

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist

Published by

Make Up For Ever is one of my all-time favourite make-up labels. Its high-performance products always deliver.  They are made for well, stage performances, and women who need their cosmetics to last through the day. I haven’t found another brand that can really rival MUFE’s ULTRA HD range which was created for actors, news anchors, beauty bloggers, selfie-lovers so they can look good infront of ultra high definition cameras (which are four times that of full high definition). And its waterproof Aqua range that professional synchronised swimmers swear by? One of the best in the market. French luxury conglomerate Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) knew what it was doing when it decided to buy over the brand from French make-up pro Dany Sanz in 1999. Dany, who founded the brand in her basement in 1984, is still the creative director of the brand. Hence, the continuous stream of fantastic products. Make Up For Ever’s latest offering is a range of 46  Artist Rouge Lipsticks. Why are they special? According the press release, a few factors set …

Shiseido Vital-Perfection Wrinklelift Cream

Published by

True story:  Lines, and dry, crepey skin around your eyes give your age away.  So I always invest in a good eye cream to smoothen the appearance of fine lines near the peepers. (The other areas to take note for overall youthfulness too: the neck, and back of hands) Shiseido’s new Wrinklelift Cream is multi-tasking. While promising to minimise the appearance of wrinkles, it also claims to brighten and smoothen the skin. The star ingredients: Retinol, and Shiseido VP8 (which includes the brand’s signature brightening ingredient 4MSK).  Retinol – derived from Vitamin A – is known to be one of the most effective anti-wrinkle agents around. Shiseido says its version is more stable, potent, and hence, even more effective. It boosts cell turnover and the skin’s natural moisture levels.  Shiseido VP8 is a blend of Plant extracts with anti-ageing benefits: improving the appearance of sagging, dullness, fine lines, age spots, roughness and dryness.  4MSK improves skin tone by exfoliating off excess melanin. The texture of the cream is rather watery and easily absorbed. Almost immediately, …

ColourPop liquid lipsticks

Published by

It’s been rumoured that Kylie Jenner’s popular liquid lipstick range is concocted in the same factory has ColourPop. We have no idea how true that is, but it piqued our interest in this cult but affordable cosmetics label. After roadtesting four of its shades, now we know what the hype is all about.  These really affordable lippies – from US$6 – give you the bang for your buck.  Just one single dip in the tube and coat gives lips an even, opaque colour. The shades are unique, subtly different, and one-of-a-kind. That is one thing you have to know about ColourPop shades.  Some like Tulle, look different when it is in the tube (a mauve-y pink) and when it is on your lips (much darker). And the colours look very different on individuals. So the swatches that you see online may not be as reliable.  ColourPop lippies, especially the liquid ones, are a bit like the Kinder Surprise of lipsticks. But perhaps that’s also why the brand is so fun, and popular. The Ultra Matte …

Aesop Lucent Facial Concentrate

Published by

The Australian label’s new serum is another beautiful formula. Clear, viscous, and slick like gel, it is made to be layered between other skincare products without burdening the skin with a  sticky, greasiness. It contains rose petal extract, Vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbyl phosphate (that is said to help firm skin, reduce the appearance of pigmentation, and protect from UV damage); as well as Vitamin B3, or niacinamide, to soothe and balance skin. No sticky after-feel and sinks right into the skin. Even on its own, it left skin soft and supple. Use with a skin-softening lotion before application, and follow with a moisturiser and sunscreen afterwards for best results.    

Sunplay Skin Aqua sunscreens

Published by

Good sunscreens can also be affordable, especially when they are of the Japanese drugstore variety. And nothing pleases a beauty junkie more than a great drugstore find (the French, South Korean, and Japanese pharmacies are the best for guilt-free shopping sprees). Japanese women are known to be especially picky when it comes to their sun protection. They have their anti-UV ray umbrellas, and then they have their super SPF 50+ PA++++ sunscreens that are lightweight and comfortable to wear. Like the new Sunplay Skin Aqua range. The UV Essence has a gel-cream watery, refreshing texture; while the handy mist feels barely-there on the skin. The UV Mist makes the re-application of sunscreen over a full-face of makeup super fuss-free. It can also be used on the scalp and hair, and to protect hard-to reach areas such as the back, and back of the neck. If you have intolerant skin that is prone to breakouts, try the fragrance-free options that come in blue bottles. The UV Milk feels moisturising, and makes for a good make-up primer. …

Dyson Hair SuperSonic hairdryer

Published by

Say hello to the game-changing hairdryer. Dyson – maker of (literally) the coolest fans and some of the most powerful vaccuum machines around – has launched its first hairdryer. And it has that signature negative space – a circle for this gadget- that makes it so coveted; at least in our books. Because you need to look stylish even when drying your hair. Here’re the other reasons we think the SuperSonic is revolutionary: 1) The design is ergonomic. The motor is tucked into the handle of the hairdryer, instead of the head/ near the nozzle. The weight of the dryer is balanced in the grasp of your hands, so you will find it easier to perfect that blow dry. 2) It is a multi-tasker. The gadget distributes negative ions to reduce static, keeping hair smooth and slick. 3) Super-powerful. Though small, the motor’s impellers are cut from aerospace-grade aluminium. It moves over 13 litres of air at high-velocity and high-pressure through the gadget. So you can dry and style your hair quickly. 4) So easy to use. You can make …

Make Up For Ever Pro-Sculpting Palette: 4-in-1 Face Contouring Palette

Published by

I’m usually not very confident when it comes to using cream contouring products. They seem less forgiving when I make mistakes; as they are often more pigmented than contouring powder, and more difficult to blend. But I gave Make Up For Ever’s new Pro Sculpting Palette a shot, and I love it. The texture is creamy but lightweight, and so easy to blend, with just the right amount of pigment so it is not so scarily intense. The palette comes with four shades. I tried the one in no.20. From left: A nude shade for very fair skin. On my golden-rose Asian skin tone, it looks almost white. So I used it around my eye area to brighten it, clean up the area around my brows, and blend out the eyeshadow. I used the shade with the MUFE brush in no.174 with straight hairs (the middle brush in the pic). The milky brown latte colour is made for sculpting the face. Always pick matte shades for contouring, like this one, so your face would look …