All posts tagged: beauty

TBG Interview: Marshall Lin, Hairstylist, Frederic Fekkai

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Marshall Lin’s story is the kind of story that makes you believe dreams do come true in the Big Apple. Like so many others, he moved to NYC from Hong Kong with his family when he was 14. At 15, he found himself apprenticing in a salon. He lied that he was 16 – afterall, age is just a number to be manipulated – just so that he would seem old enough. “I was young, wild, active, creative; I love to meet girls. All the right elements to be a good hairstylist,” he says. And meet girls he did. Today, Lin has a long waiting list; and has groomed and styled A-listers such as Kate Bosworth, Olivia Palmero, Christina Aguilera and Coco Rocha. With more than two decades of experience backstage and on editorial shoots, Lin is now known for his signature effortless #wokeuplikethis #coolgirl cuts. Lin talks all things hair with The Beauty Gazette.   What, in your opinion, does a good hairstyle look like?  A good haircut should show off and frame your bone structure, this …

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.”    

Advanced Night Repair Intensive Recovery Ampoules

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 …

3D-Printed cosmetics is now a reality. So now what?

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So the personal 3D make-up printer Mink will be launching this year. It allows you to select any colour that you want, found online or offline (just take a picture), and 3D-print it to make your own eyeshadow or lipstick. Judging from the prototype demo in promotional clips, 3D-printed make-up still seems like a pipe dream. The eyeshadow that was “3D-printed”- or essentially a pot of white eyeshadow dyed with the preferred shade – was far from pigmented. It pretty much looked like what you would get with children’s make-up, all chalky and with little colour pay-off. The perfect make-up formula, with just the right amount of pigment, texture, spread-ability, staying power and a reasonable shelf-life, takes hours in the lab, and millions of dollars to make. It is going to take a while (or maybe never) before a cheap, home 3D-printer can churn out your dream colour cosmetics in all its glorious perfection. That said, Mink is still indeed a disruptive invention.Who is not enticed by the idea of on-demand, customised make-up? But for now, the …