All posts tagged: beauty tips

Get that glow without a highlighter: Tips from Taiwanese Beauty Guru Xiao Kai

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Every South Asian beauty junkie worth her salt would be familiar with the bestselling Japanese drugstore staple Hada Labo Hydrating Lotion. Its claim to fame: unscented, quality hyaluronic acid to keep skin moisturised and supple. The line has since been extended with Hada Labo’s new Essence serum. It claims to contain a higher concentration of the brand’s proprietary Super Hyaluronic Acid that can hold water up to ten times its weight. At the recent launch of the product, Taiwanese beauty expert Xiao Kai shared tips on getting that just-stepped-out-of-the-shower supple dewiness. 1. Pour a generous amount of lotion on palms and pick up with finger tips. Spread lotion on drier parts of the face first, such as the cheeks, so that they are thoroughly softened. 2. Gently pat the lotion into the rest of the skin, from the middle of the face (where it is driest, and hence, greasiest) outwards. When skin is well-hydrated, it produces less oil to overcompensate for the dehydration. 3. Once skin is softened with lotion, apply the serum, and gently …

Making the transition to a natural/ organic skincare routine

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This may surprise you, but it is almost impossible to have a universal consensus on what makes a skincare product purely natural or organic. The organic certification associations like Eco Cert and the USDA Organic, have different standards. Countries have different rulings; some don’t even make it illegal for a brand to slap on the “organic” or “natural” certified logo or label. Even if nothing in the formula is close to natural or organic. And guess what? Water is 100 per cent natural. So if a product has a high natural content, it may well mean that it contains a high percentage of well, water. Bang for your buck? Think again. This all sounds daunting if you are thinking of going for a more natural or organic skincare routine. And why should you even consider transitioning from your regular non-natural/ organic products? So my rationale for incorporating natural skincare into my beauty ritual is simple: I like the additional options of effective products. With the latest developments in technology, better quality extracts can be derived …

Why scented skincare probably won’t work for your skin

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Especially if you have skin that becomes easily irritated. Dr Alain Khaiat, president of the Cosmetic Toiletry Fragrance Association of Singapore (CTFAS), and vice-president of Technical and Scientific Affairs ASEAN Cosmetic Association; gives The Beauty Gazette the low down. Fragrances do not irritate the skin; their level in skin care products is low, usually below 0.2 per cent to cover the smell of the formula and give a pleasant odor on the skin. However, some have developed an allergy to fragrance ingredients. In Singapore, data from the National Skin Center shows that five per cent of the allergic population is sensitised to fragrance. In general, the percentage of the allergic population is about 10 per cent of the total population (or 0.5 per cent of consumers in general) may have an allergy to one fragrance ingredient. They will react to most fragranced products, so their best choice is “fragrance-free” brands. Do not make the mistake of thinking that natural fragrance oils or essential oils are different. The odorous ingredients that are responsible for some of …

Experts’ take: The future of beauty

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With new beauty products rolling out every week, what will the next truly innovative product look like? Dr Shekhar Mitra, member of the Procter & Gamble Global Leadership Council; Dr Donald Bissett, research fellow at Procter & Gamble; and Ms Rameet Kaur, managing director of Skin Inc USA and Canada, give their take. The Beauty Gazette (TBG): Encapsulation technology is increasingly gaining popularity in beauty formulas. Why is the encapsulation of active ingredients so important in a skincare product? The encapsulation of actives in skincare is important as it ensures the stability, purity and potency of the ingredients. Vitamins and other antioxidants can degrade when exposed to light.  Certain ingredients provide benefits to the skin when used individually. But when they are added into a formula with multiple other ingredients, the various components may react with each other and lose their efficacy. The protective encapsulation layer maintains the efficacy of the individual ingredients before they are delivered into the skin. The encapsulation of single ingredients also allow for easy customisations of formulas to suit individual skin …

How to wear scents

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Spritz and go? A no-brainer right? Not really.     There is an art and science to wearing scents. Especially in humid weather.  Here’s what to note: 💦 Slathering on unscented body lotions first to help a perfume “stick” is one way. But in this hot and humid weather, body creams might be the last thing you want to wear.  An alternative is to let the scent “cling” elsewhere, such as your clothes and hair.  I find that scents hardly last all day on my skin – unless it is super duper expensive such as Frederic Malle’s potions.  A point to note though: spritz scents onto clothes from an arm’s length away. So only tiny droplets settle on your dress or blouse, not a direct spray that leaves behind a splotch that is inpossible to remove (from silks especially). 💦 Imagine the warm spots of your skin as “diffusers”. They are keep the scent molecules wafting towards your nose and others’. 💦 Sprtiz, dab, press; but don’t rub on perfumes. The scent molecules should settle on …

Quick tips for clear skin

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Stick to these easy tricks and clear skin is guaranteed. These tips are not new; but I’m sure you need reminders. 1. Truly beautiful skin glows from inside out.  Drink plenty of water to keep skin hydrated. Stay away from fried or processed food, salt and sugar. Eat nutritious foods that are as close to the source as possible. Sleep at least eight hours a day. Exercise to detox the body and skin. 2. Wear sunscreen Protect from sun damage that can lead to wrinkles, sagging skin, enlarged pores and cancer. 3. Relax Stress ages the skin. 4. Keep skin clean Never sleep with your make-up on and exfoliate at least once every two days. 5. Hydrate and moisturise Apply skincare when skin is still wet/ damp from a shower. Day: Essence -> serum -> moisturiser -> sunscreen Night: Essence -> serum -> night cream/ oil 6. Use products that suit your skin type.  How do you pick the right ones that work throughout the month as your hormone levels rise and fall? Seek a …