I get a lot of questions asking what should I get – natural or synthetic hair make-up brushes and the answer is, both. That’s because natural and synthetic hair is useful for different functions when it comes to applying make-up and both are essential to either your personal or professional make-up kit. Here’s the low down on both and what they’re great for.
1. Synthetic Hair Makeup Brushes
What is it?The bristles of the make-up brush is composed of hair that is synthetic and man-made. Often the hairs have a more smooth/slightly plastic feel to them. They are dyed to brown or a gradient brown and cream to white usually.
What can it do? Synthetic hair is great for cream and liquid products – including foundation, cream blush, gel liner and concealer. It is able to not absorb so much of the product and apply a smooth finish onto the skin without much streaking. The hairs tend to gravitate toward each other in applying the product instead of spread out so it can help apply liquid and cream well. For any cream and liquid product including lipsticks, use a synthetic brush. Synthetic hair can also be more precise and the brush can be cut sharper so eyeliner can be made very precise. You won’t get any fly aways with a synthetic brush.
Best synthetic brushes to get -Foundation brushes like the Sigma F80 is which is a synthetic kabuki, concealer brush, lip brush, eye liner brush
Avoid synthetic brushes that are used for – Powder, eye-shadow, blush and bronzer. Synthetic brushes do not pick up powder well.
2. Natural Hair Makeup Brushes
What is it?The make-up brush is made of natural hair from an animal like a squirrel or goat. The hair is similar to our hair and is commonly soft and smooth and dyed black or white. Avoid getting straw feeling natural hair bristles that feel like they could poke you.
What can it do?Natural hair brushes are the best for powder products – powder blush, face powder, bronzer and eye-shadow included. When the hairs are applied with pressure, they have more texture than synthetic bristles and therefore pick up powder well and blending is made easier and more natural on the skin. You can’t blend as well with synthetic bristles because the bristles don’t move as freely as natural hair bristles do.
Best natural hair brushes to get -Eye-shadow brushes – MAC 217, blending brushes, paddle brushes. Also blush brushes like the MAC 116, contouring brushes and powder brushes.
Avoid natural hair brushes that are used for - Foundation, concealer, lips and eyeliner.
So there you have it! Hope you now know the difference :) Let me know if you have any blog requests below! Would love to hear them!
I hope you had a festive Chinese New Year, and still going! I recently got my hands on my very own hair doll to practice. We used these at beauty school and since every make-up artist here seems to know hair like the back of their hand, I knew I needed to brush up on it. But, doing your own hair is so different from doing someone else’s hair since you can actually see what you’re doing in the latter.
That being said, meet Zoey. I had a tough time finding a suitable hair doll. They don’t have these in Singapore so you can only really get them online. I also happen to be scared of dolls and with long hair and a seemingly life like face, they can be pretty intimidating for the faint hearted. But, scratch out all those thoughts because it’s really JUST a doll. It’s a “it” not a “she”. I mean, whatever helps, right? Anyway, the chinese dolls are the scariest for me so I got a 22 inch Brunette from Giell Beauty Supply. I’ll be doing a review somewhat later but it’s great – just that it happens to shed quite a bit and appear quite course when you get it. That being said, styling is made much easier when you carry a small water spray to spritz before styling. It’s 100% human hair so it’s okay for curling or other heat appliances.
So here’s a simple tutorial on how to do a braid tied bun. The style kind of reminds me of some gladiator/grecian braid. It uses a few great basic techniques to produce something quite cool. Hair is pretty easy once you get the basics right – sectioning, backcombs, braiding – and then you can mould the hair with hair spray, hair pins and hair grips in any shape you want. I’ll show you how to use a hair pin in a later tutorial. They’re like magic for holding things up.
Start off by first sectioning the hair so that you have two sections in the front (1) and then bring those sections to the back and tie with an elastic sort of like a half up/half down style (2). Remember to keep a space in between the two sections where you can see my finger poking through. Take another section of hair from the front and french braid it (3) – it’s good to get it quite thick as the braid shows up better. Do that for the other side as well so that you have a braid on each side. Then, take the little pony tail of the half up/half down hair style you made in (2) and back comb it with a rat tail comb to create a puff (4) – this is the “stuffing” of the bun so the poofier the better. You can just grab it apart to make it larger. Then, take the remaining hair (5) and fold it up over the puff in (4) and stuff it into the small hole you made where you can see my finger peeking through in (2). Then, use pins to pin up and position the bun and keep it from falling apart. You can also use bobby pins or hair grips to mould the hair into the desired bun shape at this point (6). Then, use the braids and bring it back over the bun to the other side and tuck it away on the other side (7). Do that again for the other braid so it looks like the above picture). Spray with hairspray and you’re done (8)!
Hope you liked this quick hair tutorial – and my very first of more to come :) Let me know if you have any desired styles in the comments section below!
P.S: roseanne.sg, my online store, is finally opening it’s doors on Feb 23, 2013 – stay tuned on my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/roseanne.sg to keep updated!
Cream blush has always been a love it or hate it product for me. If applied to heavily, I look like Krusty the Clown and for some reason it never wants to stay on your cheek right? So today I’m going to teach you how to properly apply cream blush so that you get the exact color every time.
Cream blush is simply a blush in cream consistency. Almost every big name make-up brand has a cream blusher and for good reason. They give you a healthy glow especially great for photoshoots when you want to a healthy and glowing finish on your model.
The trick to applying cream blush is to apply it only after your foundation. Or, if you have flawless skin, straight on your skin. Never apply it on a powdered or set face because powder and cream (like oil and water) don’t mix and you will end up with a cakey mess. Then, you will need two fingers to apply your blush. One blush to dot the cream on your cheek where you want it and the other to blend. That way you don’t apply too much and you can build the color up. I painted my nail a different color so that you can see that I’m using two fingers.
After that, dust with a transparent powder to set. For an even longer life blush, you can dust over a complimentary powder blush over your cheek but make sure you aren’t going too heavy! And that’s it!
There’s a new giveaway for this week on the facebook.com/roseanne.sg facebook page! If you want to win this beauty…
Simply hop onto the page and comment where you find this picture with the answer to this question: If you had a $100 for a charity, which cause would you choose! Happy entering!
I am throughly excited that I will be launching in like 2 weeks. Wow, I do have the almost necessary feelings of nervousness but I hope you all like the jewelery and do your part to give to charity. That’s all that really matters to me for now! Do give me a hug by liking the page:
We’ve all been there. Your Mom or significant other is yelling at the door, “Come down now, we’re going to be late!” and you’ve just woken up wondering why your alarm clock refused to go off this morning. That, or you’re just plain lazy and want to just slap on something quick before you head out. Whatever the reason, when we don’t have the time to look like a celebrity, here’s a simple make-up look you can do before heading out.
All you need is..well not much. I decided to skip the eye-shadows, contouring and powder saving me lots of time. But enough talk, let’s go. The first step is to use a decent BB cream, not foundation since BB creams in my opinion look more natural and like your skin and with this amount of time, you don’t want to worry about color matching and a thick mask. I’ve been using the Bobbi Brown BB cream quite frequently because I don’t have to worry about the color either. If you live in a humid country, you might want to take two seconds to put on some powder especially if you’re out for a while!
Skip your eye-shadow and grab a pencil liner. Simply first line your tight line and waterline. If you want a bit more drama, I go ahead and line minimally my lid line as well with a tiny wing. If what you’re using is water proof and there are some boys you want to impress at the gym, then you can do this liner for a gym workout too.
Probably what makes a look fresh is the color on your lips and cheeks. I’ve been loving the Clinique Chubby Stick lately for it’s color and also how smooth and slick it is. I can’t wait to do a review soon! I’m wearing “mega melon” and I feel that peach is such a no-brainer, just grab-and-go color because it will always match whereas there are so many undertones of pink! Go for a natural dusty pink blush and you’re set!
I decided to do my blush last so that my foundation/bb cream can set first since I decided to skip the powder. Now go downstairs and I hope you’re not late! This is also a great makeup look for the office, school, uni or a simple lunch out without the fuss.
I thought I might get back to basics today and tell you about my everyday makeup routine. I’m that kind of person who likes to stick to one thing. Call me boring, but I like using the same bag, wear the same pair of shoes and in this case wear the same makeup products every day. And I guess that pretty much means that the products that I use everyday mean that I like them very much!
I actually bring down all my makeup from upstairs and do my makeup in front of the TV. I love the History Channel, especially Pawn Stars. Lol, I’m such a nerd. It’s mainly because the lighting is best in the hall, that’s why I usually film and take photos here! I first start with my base and to that I always use the Rachel K CC cream. In hot and humid weather in Singapore, I find foundations much too heavy for daily use. For big events and if I know that I need the coverage, I’ll use something else. But if not, I always use the Rachel K CC cream! I love it. The Rachel K CC Mineral Pressed Powder is also amazing and is my go to powder to set the CC cream. It has amazing coverage and texture.
But before I set with a powder, I like to conceal my blemishes. But I don’t use a concealer anymore like I used to. I just double up on a foundation that has high coverage. Right now, I use the Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation and just apply that normally on the spots I need to cover. Then, I set with the Rachel K CC Mineral Pressed Powder.
After I’m done looking flawless, I always contour. With the NYC Sunny Bronzer, I use my M.A.C 109 brush to lightly brush and buff the bronzer on my cheekbones, jawline and temple. Then, I apply a bright blush like the M.A.C Pink Swoon.
As for eyes, I trust my Urban Decay Primer Potion as the base to all my eye looks and of course I am a huge fan of the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. Because I’ve run out of Suspect, I’ve been mixing Half-Baked (Gold) and Suspect (Shimmery Tan) together. Then, I apply a matte taupe to my crease. I love balancing a matte eye-shadow with a shimmery base! I then apply with a pencil brush the dark plum and brown colors to my outer corner and then define with a matte black.
Once you line both your water-line and lid line, you’re basically done. I have been in love with the Maybelline Impact Express Eye-Liner, look forward to a review soon! I use that every day with my Rimmel auto-pencil. Both work a charm in the non-smudge department. Then, for lips, I add a neutral lip and have been using the Chanel Rouge Allure in Darling quite often nowadays. It always provides the best texture compared to all the other lipsticks I’ve tried.
Watch my YouTube video to see the whole look in action and a step by step tutorial!
So I guess these most used products are pretty much like my makeup Holy Grail items come to think of it! I’m only really experimental when it comes to wanting to review something for you all. But if it’s really just up to me, I usually stick to the same thing.
It’s that time of year again. It’s that time to whip out the folders, pens and put our thinking caps on for back to school. Although the morning bus won’t be driving by my house anytime soon (or ever), I thought I might do a great make-up look you can do for back to school! I asked you all on my facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/roseannetangrs) what make-up look you wanted me to do next and most of you raised your hands to a picture day and school look. I also have FOUR Maybelline Back To School Goodie Bags full of great make-up products (shown above) so at the end of this post, find out how you can win your very own!
When I was in school, I barely wore make-up until high school. Maybe just a bit of lip gloss and eye-liner and a dusting of powder. Nothing too theatrical, or made-up. And I think that’s what we want when it comes to an everyday look for school. Natural, but still able to enhance our features. That’s why I’m using the Maybelline BB Instant Skin Smoother Foaming BB Cream for my face. I find that these new foaming foundations are actually rockin’ when it comes to that natural skin look above all other things I’ve tried. Then, I applied a powder (the Rachel K CC Mineral Pressed Powder) on my oily spots, contoured with the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny and applied a bright matte blush like the M.A.C Pink Swoon!
For eyes, I made it even more idiot-proof. All you really need for eye-shadow (especially if you’re starting out) is two eyeshadows. One lighter as your base shade and one darker. I used the Maybelline Hyper Diamonds Quad to do this and applied a shimmery peach as my base and a sandy shimmery brown to my outer corners. I then finished off with my all time favourite liner – the Covergirl Liquid Line Blast and mascara – the Maybelline Magnum Volum Express! At school, I’m not a fan of lip glosses and lipsticks for this tutorial, go natural with a lip balm. I love the Maybelline Baby Lips, it is awesome!
Giveaway Directions —>
Now you’re probably wondering, ok now how do I win all this stuff? Maybelline was kind enough to hand over these goodie bags to me and now I’m handing it over to you!
3. Share the picture and tell me what your school goals are for this year and your email address so that I can contact you! Is it to get good grades? Be more confident? I want to know! Get your entry in by September 15, 2012!
4. The winner will be picked when the giveaway ends and will be based on your effort that you put in the entry. I think it’s only fair!
If you don’t have facebook or don’t want to use it, just simply comment in the comment section below of this blog post! I’ll add it in when it comes time to pick a winner! There are four goodie bags to give away so I’m picking four winners. I wish you the best of luck this coming school year. You can do it if you work hard at it, always. That’s one of the lessons I learnt at school.
I know that in other parts of the world, you’re taking out your floaties and your ripped jean shorts but here in Australia, any safe cove with warm air has become my best friend. It’s winter in Australia, so I thought I might do a pretty look for fall/winter that is natural enough to wear for any occasion! To create the look, all you need is a set of neutral eye colors, a glowy peach blush and sandwash pink lips. The combination gives you a bit of color that’s not too overwhelming, but it’s best shown than explained so view the video tutorial right here:
Here are the key elements of the look!
1. Use a Peachy Glowy Blush!
Just like the autumn leaves, you want to match the auburn and the orange and reds with a pretty peach blush. I’m using the Sleek Rose Gold which I originally bought because I thought it was a dupe for the NARS orgasm but it’s actually much peachier than that. You want to avoid the dullness of winter by having a slightly shimmery blush to put the glow back. This is great to complement the brown eyeshadows on your eyes.
2. Time for Neutral Colors for Fall!
I think the most natural color to wear is obviously browns, creams and tans. But, to pair up with the blush, I used orange and gold from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette (any brand of eyeshadow you like is fine) to create the base so that there is a tiny tinge that matches the blush. Don’t make it overwhelming though as this is a natural look. I also did a bit of smokey smokey with a dark plum on my outer corner and touched up with a matte black.
3. Matte Pink Lips to Top the Look!
If you’re going to have glowing cheeks, try to change things up by having a matte pink lip. I’m using the Bobbi Brown Sandwash Pink lipstick that complements the look nicely. You can opt for a peachier lipstick but this one is more natural I feel and more “daily” as they say. It kind of reminds me of Barbie’s lip color, just a little more subtle!
And then you are finished! Just remember to stay warm!
It was chilly filming this tutorial in the cold! I look forward to meeting you all this Saturday during the meet-up! By the way, you can also pin these pictures just by hovering over them and clicking the big pin button if you’re on pinterest! Follow me on pinterest right here: http://pinterest.com/roseannetangrs or if you’re picture crazy like I am, follow me on Instagram with username: roseannetangrs !
It’s no surprise how much I am in love with the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette – not because everyone else loves it or the fact that there are probable queues outside Sephora right now begging for it – but because genuinely, it’s pure awesome. To me, getting a single shadow from a store is a waste of money. I’ll probably never finish just one color and getting a palette for me is tons more worth the price. I know how ridiculously long over-due this review is, but if you’re thinking of getting the Naked 2 Palette – Girl, you gotta stop thinking, and start saving because I’m going to tell you straight off – it’s worth it. Here’s my take on this daily baby and my everyday eye tutorial to boot. At the end, I’ll tell you whether you should be getting the Naked or Naked 2. Get the Naked 2.
What’s the package like?
The Naked 2 Palette comes with 12 shades, a double sided brush and a lip gloss which aren’t pictured because I don’t really use either. The main star of the show of course are the shadows. I’ve never really been disappointed with Urban Decay eye-shadows. The color payoff is amazing, the texture is great and I don’t have trouble with creasing. That’s probably why they’re the only shadows I use in tutorials. The only thing I would watch out for is really chunky eye-shadows like Midnight Cowboy which tend to cause a lot of fall-out. Thankfully, the palette doesn’t include much of those ones. It does have a majority of shimmery shades than matte but includes a good matte black. At first glance, it seems that Urban Decay has provided a lighter overall palette that might be unsuitable for dark smokey eye lovers like yours truly but upon using it, it’s much more versatile than the first Naked palette because the colors are build-able. You can make more looks with the palette in other words. It also comes in much sturdier packaging, similar to the tin case you brought to school with your pens and pencils. It’s shall I say more heavy duty. As you can see, I already hit pan on “suspect”. Whoops.
But seriously, how can I prove a point if I don’t show you how to use the eye-shadows. So here’s a tutorial of my eye-look that I do daily, plus or minus the false lashes. It’s a look that’s versatile and a neutral smokey eye everyone should learn to do if they choose to get this palette. I’m also using my three favorite eye-shadow brushes – the M.A.C 217, 224 and a sigma pencil brush. You can easily learn the basics of how to create any smokey eye with this tutorial.
Step 1: Start with a neutral shimmery base shade. Not too shimmery though. Suspect is perfect for this to add a little glisten to your lids. Don’t forget to apply a primer beforehand. You know my favorite is the Urban Decay Primer Potion. Using the flat side of the M.A.C 217, apply the shadow all over the lid. As you can see, minimal difference but a slight enhancement that is more than needed.
Step 2: Here’s a trick with matte shadows. Once you apply a shimmery shadow on your lid, apply a matte darker color to your crease. This really makes the crease stand out because of the difference in finishes to your eye. It’s great to use the M.A.C 217 by just flipping it to it’s front. I love how versatile this brush is. It’s great to pack on color and blend at the same time for a flawless look. I’m using tease which is a plum brown in my crease.
Step 3: Use a pencil brush to apply a dark smokey plum like Busted into your outer V and tracing along your lid line as well. You basically want to cover your outer corner of your eye to add dimension. Using a pencil brush is great for this because it allows you to add color specifically where you want it – which is great for eye-definers like busted.
Step 4: Use the M.A.C 224 or any blending brush. I know the HDB stores in Singapore near Ang Mo Kio even sell blending brushes for a dollar. Those do just fine as well. Blend away the harsh lines and then it’s time for your liner. I’m using the Revlon Color-Stay on my lid line and my favorite pencil liner the Covergirl Liquid Line Blast for my waterline.
Step 5: Time for your lashes! This step in putting on your falsies is totally optional. To be honest, when I’m lazy, I don’t even bother putting false lashes on. But for the purpose of this tutorial and on days when I want to impress, I do. I love my Ardell 110 Natural lashes, I have not found any similar comparison. A trick to using false lashes is to get a tilty mirror and use tweezers to apply your lashes. Press in in the corners so you don’t get any loose ends and you’re done. Remember to apply your mascara like normal before you put on your lashes. Do your brows and viola, you are done with your eye-makeup.
Step 6: The last thing I do is touch-ups. I love using a good matte black for this job and blackout is amazing. I just use a little with my pencil brush and then apply it to my outer corner and outer v just to complete the look. It works like a charm.
To top it off, I’m using the new Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum, my new favorite that pairs well with a neutral eye. It’s kind of a very similar color to the Chanel Rouge Allure in Darling that I usually wear but this is tons cheaper.
and you are finished! As you can see, the shadows go on great and look great! I can’t express enough how much I love this palette.
Should I get the Naked 1 or Naked 2 Palette?
But seriously, the question of the day is probably – which palette should I get? Because honestly, not all of us have the moo-lah to get both. I would say skip the first palette and go for the second. I find that the first palette has shades that are too dark and the base shades are too light.
The only thing I really like about the Naked 1 palette is the two matte shades in Buck and Naked because together, they make the most perfect combination for any bold lip color. The Naked 2 palette is buildable in color and you can do so much more with it. The Naked 1 palette is too dark in my opinion to create many looks at all. I always find myself using an additional base shade from somewhere else because there are too many “definer” shades to choose from in the first one. Thus, get the Naked 2, it’s better, trust me! Maybe it’s also because half-baked and smog are really gold shades that I’m not used to using either. I just like the Naked 2 a lot better.
So there you have it!
What do you think of the Naked Palettes? Which one are your favourites?
I don’t know if you remember, but I did a quick tip ultimate guide to eye-shadow in February (I know) with a few sketches I did at the office. I did one for liner as well so if you are ever befuzzled with what the difference is when your favorite beauty youtuber says lid line, water line and tight line, then here you go. Obviously for make-up gurus, this would be a lesson for a pre-schooler.
1. Lid Line
Where it is: Your lid line is your “top line” – where you usually put your liner. It starts from the tear duct to the end of your and often ends in a winged tip upwards in the direction of your eye-brow.
What to use: Any form of liner works on your lid line. Liquid liners create the sharpest line, gel liners are great for beginners because they offer control and pigmentation and pencil liner will offer a great smokey eye if you want to smudge it out a bit. The downsides are that liquid liners are not good for beginners (you need training wheels first unless you want to keep messing up), gel liner needs an additional brush that can be a bit of a hassle and pencil liners don’t offer the sharpest of lines and are likely to smudge. Choose wisely! My current favorite is the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner pen.
2. Water line
Where it is: Your water line is your bottom line, encompassing the bottom of your eye. Line this portion if you want that goth look but if you want sort of what I call tiger eyes, just line half of it as I usually do in my tutorials all the way to the end. I don’t usually line all of the water-line because it creates too hard a line that can actually make my eyes smaller.
What to use: Pencil liners are your best bet and something a little water-proof as well. It’s the area that’s most likely to smudge because you might tear when you laugh or cry. Best bet is the Covergirl LiquidLine Blast, my ultimate favorite. You need something soft, pigmented and that stays. It’s a hard balance.
3. Tight Line
Where it is: Your tight line is the line that is closet to your eye-ball, the tip of the flap of skin. Even though you can hardly see it and you have to lift your eye-lid to access it, it’s there and it needs some lovin’ too because it really makes a difference. It’s like making sure the tip of your nails are painted.
What to use: No exceptions, a pencil liner is best for this.
I always line my tight line, water line and lid line. You can mix it up with different colors and can even use an eye-shadow to line your water line for a smokey look or you can line your tight line and water line and leave your lid line blank for a more natural look. Mix and match lines and you’ll be one step closer to creating a look that you’ll love.
I remember my first time applying eye-shadow. I had no idea what went where nor did I have any knowledge of what the difference was between the outer v and the crease. Heck, I didn’t even know what they were called. That night, I went to Prom looking like the white ghost from Bel-Air. If she even exists.
It all starts with the anatomy. I’m at work right now, whoops, and I decided I’d practice my drawing skills so I drew these drawings up above with my trusty Pilot pen.
The first thing is to get the anatomy right! It probably would be beneficial to identify the text with the label on the picture and flip back and forth if you’re a total make-up newbie!
Step 1: Lid
Where it is: This area of the eye is your entire lid. Often referred to as “all over the lid”. This is where your medium to light eye-shadow colors go – your light browns and beiges or lavenders to sky blues. It is the base shade of your entire eye-look. It is the “background color” to a work of art.
Colors to Use:Light to medium shades.
Brushes to use: Eye-shadow paddle brush, M.A.C 217
Step 2: Crease
Where it is:Your crease is the crease your eye makes when it opens. If you don’t have a prominent double eye-lid, it may be hard to find. this is great for opening up your eyes so make an artificial crease if you have to. It is the area near the roof of your eye-ball.
Colors to Use:Matte shades are best for the crease if you are going to use a glittery or shimmery shade all over the lid. Don’t use super dark shadows unless you are going to really go for a dramatic look. Something like a light to medium neutral will do but make sure it is darker than your lid color.
Brushes to Use: Fluffy, Small brushes to buff the color into the crease, M.A.C 224
Step 3: Outer Corner
Where it is: The outer corner of your eye is simply the outer half of your lid. See that dark area on the outer half of the eye? That’s the outer corner.
Colors to Use:You can shade your outer corner with a dark color which helps give your eyes depth and dimension.
Brushes to Use: Pencil Brushes or small paddle brushes
Step 4: Outer V
Where it is: This one is a little tricky but always a must do. Imagine finishing up a winged liner and then like a boomerang connecting it back to your crease. It frames the eye in a way and it’s almost like a sideways V around your eye.
Colors to Use: Matte Black, dark browns, dark plums
Where it is: Your inner corner is where your tear duct is. It is the start of your eye. Michelle Phan is probably known for dominating this part with a white eye crayon of some sort. It’s known for brightening up your whole look. It doesn’t work for me though
Colors to Use: This area is for your lightest shades – your whites, sparkling beige and cream colors.
Brushes to use: Best to use a very small brush or just your fingertips.
There we go! To be honest, eye-shadow isn’t hard at all. You really need two shades – one lighter for your lid and one a darker shade for your outer v. After that, the rest is pretty much additional. You can experiment using eye-shadow on your water line for a smokey look or concentrate colors on different parts.
I know this was rather quick, but if you have any questions about eye-shadow, just comment below and I’ll get back to them! As you can see from the picture, I drew up a liner tip as well, I’ll be showcasing that in a future blog post.
I have to admit, a stippling brush looks a bit odd. It’s a bunch of animal hair bristles and poking through that bush is a bunch of taller white synthetic bristles. But this brush is basically a miracle worker because there are just so many ways to use them! It’s one of my first face brushes and it’s one of my favourites because you can basically use one brush to do your whole face. It’s not totally suggested because you don’t want to mix your liquid foundation with your powder blush but at least it’s the thought that counts.
Yet, too many people complain that this baby streaks during application but little do they know that they’re just not using it properly! That’s what I’m here for. Today I’ll be showing you all you need to know about Stippling brushes – including how to use them, what they’re best for and giving a little review of the few ones that I own. There are four things that a stippling brush can do for you – it’s great for liquid foundation, powder, blush and bronzer. We’ll see how.
1. How to Use a Stippling Brush for Liquid Foundation
This is probably the biggest trouble spot. Many of you say that applying your foundation with a stippling brush causes streaking but chances are – you’re using it wrong! That or you have a really silly one and you need to go buy a new one. What you do is squeeze a little bit of foundation onto the back of your hand and then using a stippling brush get a bit of the foundation onto the white bristles. Then, start by lightly patting the brush and foundation onto your skin. This is called stippling. It’s like when you zoom into a picture and you see the little squares? Yeah, those are pixels, you’re basically creating those first all over your face. Then, swirl the brush lightly to blend everything together.
And I mean lightly! The only bristles that should be moving is the white bristles, independently of the black ones. That means no pressing hard, just lightly swirling and you’ll find that doing this gives you a natural and flawless complexion that looks like skin. It’s for those days when you want to look natural and you don’t need that much coverage. It’s applying a thin layer that covers just enough.
2. How to Use a Stippling Brush for Powder
Don’t you hate it when you fluff over your make-up to set it with a powder and some of your concealer or foundation comes off because of your brush? Well a stippling brush can help solve that and I love using my stippling brush to sweep powder on because the white bristles are so delicate that it can’t rub off any of the concealer or foundation. It sets it beautifully without taking any of the make-up that you put on before! You might want to pat it onto the concealed spots before gently sweeping the rest of your parts over with your favourite powder.
3. How to Use a Stippling Brush for Blush
We all have that super pigmented blush we have no idea how to use, much less why we bought it in the first place. A stippling brush can fly in yet again to save the day in all it’s black and white splendour. If you love that sheer, buildable blush on your cheeks, you can make any pigmented blush have a smaller ego by simply patting it with the color and blending it onto your face. You can then build up the color to your desired finish!
4. How to Use a Stippling Brush for Bronzer
Same story goes for bronzer! I find it a lot easier to use a stippling brush sometimes because I don’t have to worry about piling it up. You can use a smaller one if you’re not comfortable with contouring with such a large surface area but seriously, it’s just the same as if you’re using a smaller one anyway. You get dispersed color with a lighter wash of color that sometimes is a welcome change.
Now that we’ve covered what it can do for you, what makes a good stippling brush? Make sure to get a brush that is reasonably stiff. You do not want a long floppy stippling brush because that will be absolutely useless. You need it so that when you pat it on yourself, the white bristles stay where they are and they don’t bend. Besides necessary shedding or even bleeding, it should be good to use. I also thought it would be useful for you to get to know the stippling brushes that I won – the M.A.C 197, the Sigma F50 and the Artiste Professional Duo Fibre Stippling Brush. They have loads of names too like – duo fibre brush, skunk brush etc!
M.A.C 187 Review
This is one of my first M.A.C brushes and I remembered thinking ever so hard whether I should get it or not. It is expensive, believe me, but I like it and I like it a lot. It’s the best stippling brush that I have no doubt and it should be for the price I paid but I reckon since it does so many things, it would be worth it. It does shed a little bit when you get it but at least it doesn’t bleed (black dye). It’s the perfect stiffness, it keeps it shape very well if you take care of it and there are really no complaints.
Sigma F50 Brush Review:
This brush does it’s job but I wouldn’t say it’s absolute perfection. You can see already that the white fibers tend to go or disperse outwards which means that they aren’t stiff enough to hold the pressure when you lightly apply your make-up. I can’t complain though, it does its job well but again, you can already see it isn’t as great a quality as the M.A.C 187.
Artiste Professional Stippling Brush Review
The last one is something you can purchase at the drugstore. It’s the artiste professional stippling brush. Again, it does the job but be careful about ample shedding and bleeding when you first get it and a bit of a smell that isn’t great. After many uses, all of that eventually fades away and I’ve had this one for a while. It’s great for blush and bronzer because it has a shorter handle and the diameter of the brush of the bristles is slightly smaller than the latter. At least it keeps its shape better than the Sigma brush!
And there you have it. Is the MAC 187 worth it? If you’re going to see yourself using it daily, then yes. If you’re still experimenting, always experiment with something lower end and figure if you need to move upwards later. I know that cleaning the M.A.C 187 or any stippling brush can be a chore. I love using my Daiso detergent that is two bucks – the only thing that can eliminate all foundation and color from ANY brush. It’s two bucks, go and get it now.
I hope you like this post and if you thought it was pure awesomeness, don’t forget to click the FB like button, share it with your friends on Google+ or tweet it!
The french manicure will always be a classic. It’s clean, sophisticated and matches pretty much every outfit but it can be pretty pricey at your local nail salon – they usually add ten to fifteen dollars extra on top of your classic manicure bill. So hey, why not do it yourself? Today I’m going to show you my first attempt at a french manicure, free hand. I’m warning you, I haven’t done nail school so don’t laugh if things get crooked but hey, practice makes perfect. Plus, if my nails look yellow, it’s because I decided to do this at 1 in the morning under my yellow desk lamp. Whoops! Let’s go!
Here are the tools of the trade! I got this Rimmel French Manicure paints from Priceline on sale but really, any white cream nail polish and sheer skin color polish will do. Don’t forget your base and top coats too!
Here are my bare nails – un-cut, un-filed, un-squared. Pretty boring
The first thing you have to do is cut and square them. Refer to my How To Paint Your Nail Post for full details on how I do this. Basically, I cut my nails straight across and then I use a 4 way buffer (best thing ever) to file across and then a little bit on the edge to keep the square shape.
I then continue with the rest of the steps on the buffer for gleaming nails.
It’s always important to add a base coat because this prevents your nails from getting nail polish stains especially from dark tone nail polishes. I’m using the Sally Hansen Base & Top Coat!
Overall, it’s like putting a face primer before your foundation.
All good to go for the paint!
Apply your first layer first of the French Ivory Rimmel Paint or whatever nail polish you have chosen
You then get the classic white milky finish
Then, it’s time for the hard part. Apply your strip of white to the tops of your nails. Of course there are actually tons of ways to do this. You could go out and buy the manicare tapes which I have done before. Make sure the nail polish is extremely dry before you take the tape off or you could be too cool for school like me and do it free-hand. Now the the trick to this is to put one finger on the table top and then alight your brush to the side so that it is parallel to the edge of your nail. Then sweep from left to right towards you. This is the quickest, no mess way. Painting it with the tip of the brush facing the nail does not work by the way. It will create an uneven line. The trick is to sweep from left to right in one motion.
Then apply your top coat and you are finished! Not bad for my very first time doing it freehand right?
Hope you liked this post!
Do you have any nail tips to share?
P.S: You don’t have to sign in to anything to leave a comment anymore! I’d love to hear back from you!
My hair has a life of its own. When I’m sad or feeling tired, my hair seems to flop down and appear flat but when I’m awake and energetic, it instantly volumizes itself. Weird. But the point of this post is here. I am much flattered to say that the number one question I receive on the blog and on YouTube is what I do with my hair. It’s often a question I appreciate but one that I kindly ignore because well, there’s not much to say. I’m really doing this post because I need to document that I did answer this quesition and why not to do it over the blog (and maybe make a video out of it). Despite really not doing much at all, I do use a particular shampoo and conditioner and I do see myself doing a few things everyday that may contribute to the appearance of my hair. Mostly though, when the hairdresser says, “Wow, you have so much hair”, I really blame it on genetics. Here we go!
Products
Shampoo & Conditioner
There are two brands of shampoo and conditioner that I like. In Singapore, I’m in love with Sunsilk because it just works with my hair. It makes it soft, smooth and shiny. I’m in love with the orange and yellow formulas. I really don’t remember what they are called but I find myself zooming in for those colors when I need to stock up on shampoo and conditioner. The other shampoo and conditioner I like to use is Tresemme Moisture Rich and it’s my standard shampoo and conditioner when I’m in Australia.
I do stay away from certain brands of shampoo and conditioner because I know that they don’t do anything from me. These include Pantene ProV Shampoo and Herbal Essences. I wished Herbal Essences worked for me because it smells so good, right? It smells heavenly.
Practices
Tying My Hair In a Bun
I have long hair and it’s just easier to manage when I tie my hair in a bun. Whenever I need to get serious, I tie my hair. Haha, maybe it’s my thing. I don’t know if it contributes to volume but whenever I let my hair down after tying it in a bun, it looks hot. It’s volumized. It’s great.
Sleeping with my Hair Wet
I know you’re not supposed to do this. My parents run after me if I go straight to sleep and I don’t dry my hair first but I do it all the time. You’re supposed to get a headache if you do this but I haven’t gotten a headache from it before. I think the reason why I don’t do it is because I don’t like hairdrying my hair, it makes it flat and dry so I tend to let it dry naturally. Most of all, when I’m sleepy, I sleep.
Hairdrying, Not Really
As mentioned before, I don’t like hairdrying my hair. I don’t like brushing it either. That, or it doesn’t like me doing any of that to it. I think it likes to float its own boat and even if I don’t brush it, it still looks normal and I’m a fan of volume so I’m kinda afraid that hairdrying and brushing will flatten it out, which it does. I’m not going to totally say that I don’t hairdry or brush but if I had the choice (not rushed for time, no knots), I wouldn’t touch it.
I’ve had hairdyes done – sometimes my hair is industrial strength – and it doesn’t color. I’ve had it permed, curled, all sorts. I know how pointless this post is kind of, it’s more of an answer to a frequently asked question :) I don’t use any external products like creams, serums or masks. Nothing. Just shampoo, condition and let it dry naturally.
So now it’s time for the eyes. Lately, I’ve been sporting fake lashes quite frequently. The natural ones, and I mean the natural ones, look great for daily wear. It’s just like adding mascara but with a little more oomph that I like. Plus, it looks extra flirty which is definetly a plus. The Ardel Fashion Lashes in natural and 110 make the best bet for natural looking, daily lashes. Here are my eyes for everyday, I’ve been wearing the Almay Intense iColor Trio for a while now so if you’d like to see how it looks on the eyes, then read on!
Step 1: Prime the Eyes. The Face of Australia Eye Primer is my current priming agent. I ran out of my UDPP so I’m not able to stock up on this until I return to Singapore. So far, it’s treated me rather well. There is a white overcast, almost like a white cream shadow like on my eye but it is easily dismissed when you apply the shadow over top. It does not last as long as the UDPP and by the end of the day, it may crease or oil up. Overall, it does fairly okay but I would rather much use the UDPP.
Step 2: Apply the rose gold color all over the lid. I really like this and reminds me a lot of the MAC rubenesque paint pot. It’s a beautiful base shade for any neutral look because it seems to change color as you turn your head.
Step 3: With a pencil brush, which is an all time best eyeshadow brush to have, use the darker color and shade in (like a color pencil) the shade into your outer V and crease. This is a great way to add dimension and the pencil brush makes it really easy.
Step 4: With a fluffy blending brush, blend the shadows together so you get that desired gradient effect. It really makes a difference, doesn’t it?
Step 5: Line your lids. When I was featured in The Straits Times, one of the “downsides” of the blog seemed to have me repeat this step. Honestly, you can go ahead and not line your lids but I’m going to line mine. I’m using the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner and it’s convenient because it’s in a marker format. I think it could increase in pigmentation though.
Don’t forget to line your waterline. My current favourite is the Covergirl Liquidline Blast! It’s such a good liner, you have to check it out!
Step 6: Now for the false lashes. I’m using the Ardell 110 Natural Fashon Lashes – the one with the blue kind of packaging. I love how natural they look and they feel really light so they are so easy to use as daily lashes. After I’ve applied them, I usually touch up my eye makeup, maybe put a little more dark shadow on my lid to give it more oomph or place some eyeliner on the lash line to cover up the rib of the false lash.
Step 7: Define your brows. I always look different if I don’t do this step. The Brow and Liner kit by The Body Shop makes a great brow powder that’s natural and dark enough. Totally Recommend this. I’ve had this one since forever.
Step 8: Lipstick time. I like natural or rose beige lipsticks like this one. This is the Guerlain Kiss Kiss, one of my all time favourites.
Step 9: If I need, it, I’ll apply a highlighter. I’ve been trying out the Maybelline LumiTouch and in comparison to the YSL, it’s alright. I don’t think it blends as well and the applicator could improve. It’s a lot like straw actually. Other than that, it does the job for the fraction of the price.
and then, I’m finally done. This actually does take me 10 – 15 minutes, no joke. Expanded out, it’s quite a number of steps actually!
It’s been a long time (in blog world) that I’ve posted anything. Blame it on indecent inspiration. But today, I thought it would be fun to do a tutorial on my updated makeup routine that I’ll probably be doing right after I type this up, I have class in an hour but seeing that my 2 week holiday is coming up, I might go. When my friends ask me how long I take to apply my makeup on in the morning, I’m usually greeted with shock. I take around 10-15 minutes. Well, if you know what you’re doing, it really shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, a tip is to always keep your makeup organized. So without further adue, let’s do this. I’ll sprinkle a few beauty tips here and there as well keeping in mind that this is only part 1 and what I do for eyes will be in my next post!
Step 1: Apply Sunscreen. Sunscreen is important – say goodbye to melanoma, skin cancer and wrinkles (hopefully). As you know, my favourite is the Leader’s clinic medieu sunscreen because it does not leave a white overcast and blends into the skin flawlessly. Apply all over the face.
Step 2: My current foundation favourite is the Australis Fresh & Flawless Makeup. Usually, you would pass by this product and never look back but next time you’re at the store, get it. It’s really good and it stays on for ages. It really is fresh & flawless. I like to use a foundation brush for this because that’s really how I roll.
With foundation, always apply your makeup in short stokes. When you’re finished, use your hands to press it into the skin so you have a more blended out appearance. Don’t forget your hairline, eyes and your neck to ensure that your foundation matches.
Step 3: Conceal. I have to say that I have found another holy grail concealer and this time it’s a lot cheaper than M.A.C. It’s the Covergirl coverstick. This concealer is amazing, easy to use and covers really well and does last a good amount of time. I love how convenient it is. I take it like a lipstick, draw it on, look kinda tribal, and then using my fingers, pat the product into my skin so that it blends flawlessly. Goodbye redness and acne scars!
Step 4: I’ve been experimenting with cream blushes lately and I’m using the Australis Creme Cheek Color with a Sigma synthetic blush brush. What you do is you take the blush and and then get some product on the brush and then press the color in stippling motions onto your cheek. The color payoff is great and it gives a really nice and natural glow. Make sure you do this before you apply your powder.
Step 5: Apply your powder. It’s always important to set your liquid foundation with a good powder. My current favourite is the Australis Fresh & Flawless powder. It’s very similar to the MAC MSF Natural, tons cheaper, and does a great job. With three color ranges, they really need to work on a more vaired base. I’m an NC 30 and I’m using the darkest color already.
Step 6: Contour! I never skip this step because it shapes my face. Who wouldn’t want a more sculpted face? I’m using the Rimmel bronzer and it’s pretty good. It should be finer but it does the job.
Step 7: Eventhough I applied blush before, I like to put a bit more blush to the mix anyway so I put on my powder blush. Loving the Maybelline Expertwear Blush in Brick Rose so far. Got this at the DFO on Spencer Street at Cosmetics Fragrances Direct for such a bargain. Can’t wait to do my haul post from there!
and there you have it! My updated makeup routine for Face.
Stay tuned to my next post for the eyes!
How long does it take you to do your makeup in the morning?
I’ve always been a firm believer that buying eyeshadow quads are tons more valuable than buying single shadows. They’re convenient, often themed so the colors go together and I get more colors. In fact, in my drawn out relationship with makeup, I haven’t finished a single eye-shadow…yet. So today, I thought I should do a review of a good one, that being the Maybelline Expertwear Eyeshadow Quad. I’m going to follow the directions on how to use this palette, given a step by step tutorial, and I’ll explain my feelings about it at the end of this post. Let’s get crackin’!
The quad comes in a cute rectangle shaped package with four colors. I love how the colors are labelled on the quad so you can clearly see where the colors should go which is a great asset to have for beginners. There are also directions on the back. The package is slim and I find no faults with it whatsoever. A tip when testing out eyeshadows at the store is to always swatch the shadow on your fingertip and then on the back of your arm. The reason why you should put it on your arm is because the color on your finger is not an accurate representation of its color payoff. Your finger has fingertips or groves that pick up more color than what is actually paying off. Today I’m using the quad in Charcoal Smokes which is a purple, smokey gray color palette.
Let’s get going to see how you can acheive the same standard look you see in the picture below!
Step 1: Prime your eye. I’m using the Urban Decay Primer Potion. Mine is depotted. Don’t go crazy, just a little will do and spread evenly all over your lids.
Step 2: Apply the lightest purple all over your lid. I love using a blendng brush for this so I don’t ever have to worry about harsh lines.
Step 3: With the blending brush again, use the darker purple and place the color in the outer corner.
Step 4: Using a fluffy brush like the MAC 217, take the black and tilt your brush and take the color from the end of your eye upwards and then turn your brush into the crease. This will add nice definition.
Step 5: Using a pencil brush, take the black shade and line your water line and then continue upwards into the outer corner of your eyelid
Step 6: After you’re done with the eyeshadow, line your eyes with your favourite liner, do your brows and your lashes!
A review of the eyeliner used here is right here:
and just like that, you’ve acheived really easy smokey eyes!
Overall Opinion:
This palette is great. The colors are pigmented and smooth although not as soft as the Wet N’ Wild color icon palette eyeshadows are. Overall though, the combination of colors works nicely on the eye for a standard smokey eye look. The palette is easy to use and great for begginners or people looking for everyday makeup. I can’t find any flaws with it actually and it’s for sure a great buy if you’re looking for a more affordable quad of colors.
After my recent video on how to apply BB Creams, I had a few queries on what exactly these makeup products are. For anyone who ever wondered what a BB cream is without the image of a 4 year old with a BB gun popping in mind, I thought this Back to Basics post would be quite helpful. Today, you’ll be reading my ultimate guide to BB creams – where they came from, how they made it so big, and why they’re different to foundations. I’ll also be comparing the bb creams I have in my collection to see how they vary in finishes, texture and color.
Let’s get ready to cram some BB knowledge.
Using the Rachel K CC Blemish Balm in this photo ^^
Where did BB Creams come from?
Despite being an Asian phenomenon, BB Creams were actually formulated and started in Germany. It was initially created to help laser surgery patients protect, smoothe and refine sensitive skin while providing coverage for any post laser scars or blemishes. I’m sure you’re a fan or know somebody whos a fan of Korean dramas. Well, word got out that the actresses were using BB creams for the skin-like finish and soon, everyone wanted a BB cream too. From Korea to Japan to now all over Asia, the BB Cream phenomenon is spreading fast.
What are BB Creams Supposed to do?
BB Creams are a multifaceted product. They can act as a makeup base, makeup primer, foundation and even have enough skincare benefits to act as a skincare product. Most BB creams have light to light medium coverage but when applied correctly, can offer just as much coverage as a regular mineral foundation. However, they are also known for their limited color ranges – usually available in fair shades which may not suit skintones above an NC30. Although they claim to color correct, most people who don’t have skintones to suit BB creams will walk around with white faces. Depending on the BB Cream, most BB creams whiten, moisturise, nourish and perfect skin. They usually have UV blocking properties as well and aim to improve the sight of wrinkles.
How Do I apply BB Creams?
Contrary to popular belief, I feel the best way to apply BB creams is with your own clean fingers. Simply take some of the BB cream onto the back of your hand, smear it out with three fingers put together and pat gently onto the face in quick stippling motion. Then spread over with hands. If that doesn’t work for you, the no brainer method is to dot your face lightly with the bb cream then stipple them so that your skin absorbs it evenly. You can refer to my tutorial for more!
What are key ingredients in BB Creams?
BB creams have a mixture of skincare and makeup properties. The ingredients really do vary on the particular BB cream because different BB creams emphasize different skincare properties and to get those properties, will use different ingredients. Most have Titanium Dioxide, a key ingredent in blocking UV rays, and a combination of helpful ingredients like Arbutin for whitening, a mixture of vitamins and minerals, and hyaluronic acid, a key ingredient for moisturisation.
Time to Compare:
With the key info in your tool kits, I’ll be comparing the three big size BB creams I have in my own collection and give a mini review of each. At the end, I’ll tell you about my absolute favourite one that you probably know already because I can’t obviously stop talking about it!
The three BB Creams that I’ll be comparing are the Rachel K CC BB Cream, Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ and the SKIN79 BB Diamond BB cream.
As you can see already, the three BB creams vary in shade and consistency. Although catered for oilier skintones the BB Diamond BB cream is the most watery of all, while the remaining two have good consistencies although I feel that the SKIN79 VIP Gold Collection can be a little too thick for my combination skin and appears as you can see, quite gray.
Oo, the Tissue Test!
I feel soft white tissues can help you see the differences in color. Note that I’m making a reference to color simply because they only provide one shade, each of these BB creams only provide one shade. I know, I also feel like they really need to work on that.
Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ BB Cream has dull and gray undertones and has a cake icing texture. I don’t know what they were thinking abut the color of this BB cream.
Skin79 BB Diamond BB Cream has a good yellow undertone to the BB cream and I feel that it has the best color mathching potential than the rest of the other BB creams but is a little too watery and may leave an oil slick finish. A pointer when you’re testing these at the store.
The Rachel K CC BB Cream has a very flesh tone, almost a pale salmon undertone. It’s great for people who need to brighten complexions as this does a very nice job. However, will not do well with skintones above an NC30 unless you use a darker face powder to set the BB cream as I do.
Blending them out will give an even better idea of the finishes of these products. The Skin79 BB Diamond looks like it’s all over the place. You can tell I don’t like this one very much already haha.
Once absorbed into the skin, the Rachel K CC BB Cream turns out the best with a matte finish while the Skin79 Diamond BB cream has a very glowy finish that may be okay for dry skintypes but not so great for oily/combination skin. It’s funny how this is geared for more oily skintypes as said by Skin79 though.
Having a little idea of each, let’s go a little deeper and embark on some mini reviews.
1. Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ BB Cream
The Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ BB Cream is supposed to do three things – whiten, improve or dimish fine lines, has UV rays and has Gold and Caviar extract to nourish the skin. The bottle is so cute! It reminds me of Star Wars robot thing. I forgot the name. Anyway, it comes in a good size pump bottle.
FAQ: Why Does Skin 79 use the term “Beblesh Balm” instead of “Blemish Balm” when reffering to BB Creams?
That’s just a marketing gimmick to differentiate themselves from the market. It’s the same thing, just a different name. Skin79 just wanted to make themselves a little different by calling it a different name.
The texture of the BB cream is very thick, very smooth, and very creamy. Almost like cake icing as I like to call it. In this case however, consistency is certainly not a determinant for coverage.
To apply the BB cream, as you should with all BB creams, dot the cream on the areas of your face then use your hands to stipple or pat the BB cream until fully absorbed. This provides for a more even finish and less of a ghost like finish.
As you can see, after the BB cream is fully absorbed into the skin, the finish isn’t too bad. It doesn’t provide much coverage despite the very creamy consistency which can go both ways. Personally, I don’t really like to use this BB cream too much because I can feel it on my skin. It provides me much less coverage than a liquid foundation but feels the same on my skin. So, really, there’s no point for me unless I factor in skincare benefits. I’m not really a fan honestly of the gray undertones but it doesn’t show up too much once blended out. It’s a good finish I must say, but I can feel it on my skin. If you have dry skin and you are looking for a BB cream, this is for sure a BB cream you could try.
2. Skin79 BB Diamond BB Cream
The Skin79 BB Diamond BB Cream aims to improve wrinkles, whiten and UV protect as well. It contains Adenosine and Arbutin ingredients for whitening, wrinkles and the cultivation of more bright and elastic skin. The BB cream also contains diamond powder, jewel complex, powder of ruby, amethyst and pearl for more radiance. The Diamond BB cream comes in a cute and tall pink bottle!
When pumped out, the texture of this BB Cream is quite runny and light.
When applied onto the skin, it gives quite an oily finish. A glow is one thing, but it’s not a muted glow, it’s a bit greasy.
Sorry, I don’t like this BB Cream at all. Period. The glow is not flattering at all.
3. Rachel K Color Control Blemish Balm Cream
The Rachel K Color Control Blemish Balm Cream is said to whiten, nourish, improve wrinkles and moisturise. It also has UV protection, collagen, is waterproof and has White Tea extracts, Aloe leaf, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Lecithin, Vitamin C & E as well as Hyaluronic acid for moisurisation. It brightens the skin with a semi matte to matte finish and covers redness.
FAQ: What is the differenced between a CC cream and a BB Cream?
A CC Cream falls into the catergory of a BB Cream product. A CC cream is different though in that it is claimed to be a much more refined and improved version of the regular BB creams because it claims to have even more nourshing ingredients while being able to brighten complexions with more coverage than regular BB creams.
When squeezed out of the tube, the Rachel K CC BB Cream is a pale salmon color. It has a good consistency, not too thick and not too runny.
When you first pat the cream onto the face, it may appear a little too pale. You can also see that it has great coverage while providing just a subtle glow.
I like this one a lot. It doesn’t make me too oily and it doesn’t make me too matte. It’s able to brighten my complexion as you can see more than the ones previously mentioned and the best part is that I don’t even feel a thing. When I use my fingers to feel my face, it’s a very smooth feeling, I don’t feel the BB cream at all and it absorbs so nicely into the skin, it’s incredible!
FAQ: So, What’s my favourite BB Cream?
I think that’s a no-brainer here! It’s the Rachel K CC BB Cream. I’m not afraid to use it everyday and as previously reviewed, I love it because it looks like skin and feels like skin. It just needs to work on the color ranges which I do hear it’s working on to provide even darker colors after having an email conversation with them about it. I’m very happy with it and when applied correctly, it can give you great skin. That was a picture even before my powder and concealer. Because I don’t match the color *sad face* I use a darker color powder and it matches perfectly then with my neck. As for the two Skin79 products, they need to work on their formula and colors. The gray undertone is not flattering and the finishes feel a little too greasy or thick. It’s a fine balance to find a good BB Cream!
I hope you found this post informative! I still want to try the Missha BB creams as well as the ones from L’egere and Liole!
Applying my blush is possibly, I feel, the best part of my make-up routine. It makes all the difference to not only add life to any look, but also to help bring your cheeks upwards for an overall slimmer and sexier face. Here’s a method that I absolutely love doing when I wear lipsticks because it brings out a stunning pop of color that’s natural, but better.
In my NARS Blush Review, I told you all that I like to use the NARS Zen Blush in my layering blush technique. It’s the second color that inches towards the blush from the contour that helps bring the brighter blush out. I learned this tip when I dealt with my MAC Blush Ombre (remember those?) and I used the two colors (one a peachy orange, and a pale yellow) for a beautiful peachy light.
So, how do we do this? In three very easy, steps.
Step 1: Apply your contour using your favourite bronzer. I’m using Hoola by Benefit. It’s matte, and not distracting.
Apply the contour like you naturally would. An E shape from your temple, to the hollows of your cheek, to your jawline. This slims down your face and will make your blush pop even more (without putting more on).
Step 2: Apply a darker, more toned down blush – a natural color like this one suits best. This is NARS Zen. It looks bronzer worthy, but it actually has a peachy pink undertone so it’s a very natural blush. I reckon it would be like Waffle Cone from Everyday Minerals.
Apply this just on top of your contour. Can you see the peachy pink, more peach actually, undertone? This technique is very similar to eye-shadows. You use a darker color and then a lighter color. You use a darker blush, and then a brighter blush. You get the idea.
Step 3: Apply a light, or brighter blush. This is MAC Pink Swoon, possibly as bright as I can get. Eventhough it looks scary in the pan, I love this bright pop of color that looks even better with a super bright pink lippie but don’t go overboard!
Apply your blush on the top of your cheeks, not where your highlight should be, but just below it. It should sit ontop of your “darker” blush
And there you have it! This works really well with the NARS Blush Ombres from a while back or anything that you may have in your collection!
I’ve never had really dark under-eye circles fortunately, but unfortunately I receive many questions on how you can eliminate these often annoying flaws. The truth is, I’m not an expert. I’m not an expert because I don’t get them often so when I woke up one day and looked into the mirror to see them flashing back at me, I yelled in excitement for this was an opportunity to well, “eliminate” them. Using make-up that is.
Go Away, Dark Circles?
Here’s a bit of background to dark under-eye circles first. Before you go running around finding a cold cucumber and some ice, I’m going to tell you first off that it probably won’t work. Dark circles are often genetic. That means it runs in your blood. Don’t worry, there’s worse things out there. I have diabetes and high blood pressure running in my blood so it’s not the end of the world. It just simply means somewhere in your family, your mom, your dad probably has dark circles too. If that is so, there’s no magic cream or cure that will rid of them forever. Of course dark circles can also be caused from a lack of sleep (that’s where mine come from), stress, or living habits or even aging. How do you take them away forever? You can’t. So well, you might as well hide them.
Here’s How to Conceal Dark Circles with the MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer:
Here is me and my dark circle just hangin’ out, kickin’ back, chillin’. I had a late night the other night probably from blogging and I woke up the next morning and there it was. I don’t get these very often. It’s usually because I didn’t get enough sleep. These babies love coming out when its time to study for exams. This is pretty much as good as it gets:
Step 1: With the MAC Select-Coverup, you really need only very little. A little goes a long way and using your fingers to work with this concealer is ideal. Simply dab the product on your fingertips and get ready for some panda eye eliminating business!
Step 2:Dab three points with the concealer underneath your eye. You will be blending this later but this places the product where it should be and you rub away less by doing this.
Step 3: Blend the product with dabbing motions to sort of create that blurred line underneath the eye.
Step 4: Keep on patting with your fingertips until the product is blended and then ta-da. Now, Set with a bit of face powder and an eye-blending brush underneath the eye. And you’re done! The picture below shows the product not yet set with powder just to show you a more raw image.
Beauty Tip: If you’re confused about what shade to use when concealing your undereye, go for either the same shade as the rest of your face or max one to two shades lighter if that does not work. If you go any more lighter, you could end up looking like a reverse panda, however that looks like but I know it ain’t going to look good. In fact that sounds like a Yoga position. Also, yellow-toned concealers are great for this because they help hide blue veins and can brighten the eye!
Troubleshoot Dark Circles:
1. If it creases underneath the eye - you didn’t use enough powder. The powder to concealer ratio has to be right! :)
2. If it looks cakey - You may have used too much powder ( I know, but getting the ratio right is crucial) or you might have gone too much with the eye-cream to concealer ratio.
3. If your concealer appears too light underneath the eye - sweep a tiny tiny bit of bronzer with an eye-blending brush (like the MAC 224) underneath the eye to warm it up.
4. If your concealer appears too dark underneath your eyes - dab a little eye-cream and then repeat the concealer process.
I honestly think we need some epic music right about now. The time has come to depott my primer potion. I’ve seen blog posts and I’ve seen videos in the past so with basically nothing coming out on the wand of my UDPP and no retail counter to purchase my beloved primer at, I took out a cutting board, a sharp knife and looked at the bottle with kind eyes, ready to say “Goodbye”.
The tools of the trade? Committing a crime against your UDPP needs a decent knife. I don’t recommend a serrated knife like I used in this tutorial, but I didn’t have one on hand in Australia. You need a small sample jar so that you can keep the remainng UDPP and of course a cutting board where the magic will happen.
Like your husband throwing away the manual to build the garden shed, I wanted to do this “the fresh out of my mind way”. Who says you need to make tribal sacrifices out of a manual. Pshaw. Well, I shouldn’t have done it the bloke way because well cut number one was fail. I wanted to split the UDPP in half but I really made no progress after about 5 minutes. Hey, I made a nick though.
So I looked for the place where I didn’t need to saw so much but still sort of get the bottle open and opted for the neck of the UDPP. I continued to do my thing until…
I saw a hole! Literally. It was for sure a Hallelujah moment, and well in this case, Kodak too.
I don’t know what made the picture iffy here but Roseanne has a few mid-semester exams coming up and re-editing the picture would take too much time. So here, it is, special. I wouldn’t know how to re-create it anyway. The point is after sawing it, I hastily used my paws to bend it open. I figured that it wasn’t a very good idea when I saw plastic particles scattered everywhere. Plastic on the eye wasn’t a very appealing idea.
My first scoop wasn’t very full either. I was starting to regret tearing my UDPP apart. My hands hurt from trying to cut it open as well.
Puttting the first few scoops in the jar…
But, then as I started to dig more and more, I realized that a little does add up into a lot. By about 3/4 through, I had this much in the jar already! Thus, it’s for sure a good way to save your money and save more primer potion. Even with UDPP, very little goes a long way on your eye. This would probably take forever to finish as well!
And to the UDPP bottle, your’re still beautiful all torn up.
I’ve only recently had one of those days. You’ve just finished a full day of uni, you’re dead tired, your hair is flopped down and your make-up is pretty much non-existant. As you’re waiting to cross the street, the man of your dreams comes walking towards you, you peer into the glass pane behind you to see how you look and probably one word comes to your mind, “S***”. I probably shouldn’t swear on this blog.
My advice to you? Run like the wind!
We all have a decent amount of days when we wish our make-up lasted forever, or perhaps we wished that at least it wouldn’t oil up so fast. Perhaps that after our sunscreens are applied, we could at least have a smooth canvas to apply our foundation. Well believe it or not, there are a few make-up products that claim to do all three and those are what we term make-up primers. In particular, I’ll talk about face primers today or foundation primers just because I’ve made a pretty decent example of eye-shadow primers: here
What do Face Primers do?
Make-up Primers claim to serve three main functions:
1. Make your make-up/foundation last longer
2. Lessens the amount of time you have to blot again
3. Creates a smooth canvas for you to apply your foundation
Of course other primers do a mix of these, don’t do one of them or have added other attributes like color correction or pore minimizing characteristics to the mix. Some are mineral, some are not, some include certain ingredients and some don’t. The same goes with any make-up product. In the effort for cosmetic companies to differentiate themselves, they have created numerous face primers that claim to have different ingredients and claim to do the same thing.
Primers pretty much have the same blueprint. A main ingredient is Dimethicone. Dimethicone is a silicone emollient which is the main ingredient that makes your skin so soft and supple. It’s supposed to locks in moisture, and forms a barrier between foundation getting to your skin and your facial oils from rising to the surface. Many high-end or whatever primers use this stuff, and its the main culprit behind so many drugstore subsitutions like the Monistat Chafing Gel.
Some people may be allergic to dimethicone because it is the main factor in the more thicker primers that are supposed to “fill in the gaps” like wrinkles to create and even surface for the foundation to apply on. I’ve tried the Smashbox photofinish which is a thick gel like primer and eventhough it created a flawless finish, I broke out in a matter of days. I don’t think its the dimethicone, but rather the amount of dimethicone that matters. I tend to stay away from thick, artificial feeling primers as a personal preference. I feel like my whole face is clogged up.
What form do Make-Up Primers come in and How to Apply?
Make-up primers can come in all forms but usually they come in gel or cream products. Many vary in consistency – some primers are liquid like and feel like water on your skin (Make-up Forever, NARS), some are thicker to minimize pores like the Smashbox photofinish primer. Don’t confuse primers with setting sprays. Setting sprays go after everything is applied. I personally find no use in them.
Applying Make-up primers is done best with your hands after your sunscreen. With clean hands, smooth the product and apply evenly to create a base. This will smooth everything out and you’ll find that your foundation applies much better.
I currently have two primers in my collection (I threw the other three away because I either finished them or did not like them). So here they are!
1. Rimmel Fix & Perfect:
This is a very raved about drugstore product from Rimmel.
I like the consistency. It’s not too thick and not too liquidy. It’s a great mix of both.
It’s know for its orange tint, but its nothing to worry about!
Because it blends out into nothing! We’ll investigate if it actually works or not later in this post.
2. Urban Decay Complextion Primer Potion
I’ve had my doubts about this mainly because of its consistency. It’s quite gel like and reminiscent of the smashbox photofinsh but a featherweight lighter.
The genie like bottle is similar to the UDPP and its a twist and squeeze which is convenient. The product says you only need very little to do the work. I..guess.
It really does the job on creating a silky complexion if anything.
So, do Make-Up Primers really work?
Honestly, although they claim to do magical things, I’m not very convinced that they do much at all except make a smoother canvas for your foundation to apply flawlessly. Maybe I haven’t met Mr. Primer right but from what I’ve tried (Nars, Smashbox, Makeup Forever, Urban Decay, Rimmel Fix & Perfect) I can’t say I’ve been impressed with them. I could go ahead and get a thicker primer but it’s not my personal preference to do so as I break out pretty easily. I’m still on the look out for a light primer that does all three functions, tell me if you’ve met any ;) Let’s see how the above two primers performed.
This is me without having applied any primer on in the morning. No touch-ups. Full day. Ew.
#1: Rimmel Fix & Perfect on, in the morning before the day starts:
This is Rimmel Fix & Perfect after. Ok, I see less oil for sure. My make-up certainly hasn’t stayed flawless though. But, it’s pretty good compared to the last photo.
#2. Urban Decay Complexion Primer – the Before picture.
And after! I reckon my make-up really didn’t last. I see differences in oil but where did the majority of my make-up go?
So there you have it, a pretty much comprehensive guide to face primers. Phewf. I hope you liked it!
What’s your favourite face primer?
P.S: Stay tuned to my next post when I de-pot my UDPP ;)
We all love a sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky, it’s bright, it’s beautiful and it’s the perfect weather for picnics, walks in the parks or a cheery day in the city. Little do we know that if we don’t have protect our skin from these wonderful rays, it could lead to a multitude of harmful consequences. Today, I’m going to assume that you know nothing about sunscreens for the face or face sunscreens or even spf and combine all you should know about sunscreen in a post – including sunscreen tips, why sunscreen is so important and common sunscreen definitions. I’ll then show you the face sunscreens I have and use on a daily basis. Let’s get started!
WARNING: This is quite a scientific post because sunscreen is well scientific. If science is not your thing, I’ll try my best to explain it to you.
Why is sunscreen so important?
Obviously the reason why we wear sunscreen is to protect our skin, but you’re probably wondering from what? Sunscreen protects your skin from:
1. Skin Cancer
2. Pigementation and Melanoma
3. Wrinkles and pre-mature aging
However, as you’ve probably noticed, we don’t burn equally. Dermatologists identify with six types, from very vulnerable to burning to skin that doesn’t burn much at all. 1-4 skin types burn easiest. This is because of the melanin, brown pigment, available in the skin. People with hot country origins tend to have a higher tolerance for the sun. Genetically, they produce more melanin instead of burning which makes them tan. People who are most vulnerable to the sun tend to turn red and have sunburns instead of getting tan. Nonetheless, despite what skin type you have, you should always, always wear sunscreen to protect yourself from skin cancer, skin diseases and wrinkles.
Common Sunscreen Terms:
SPF:
SPF refers to Sun Protection Factor which is a measure of sunscreen effectiveness. In fact, the SPF represents the amount of UV radiation you would need to cause the skin to burn with the sunscreen on, than without it. To summarise, the higher the SPF, the more protection you’ll have. However, you’ll have to be careful. Although a product may say that it has an SPF of say 30, it also depends on how much of the product you apply. If you apply less of the product than you should, it can dramatically decrease the SPF value. SPF is also an imperfect measure of sun radiation as most conventional sunscreens might block UVB rays, but not UVA rays which can cause cancerous spots. IF you look out for zinc oxide, avobenzone, and ecamsule on the ingredients list, you’ll be able to be protected from UVA rays. Titanium dioxide, a common ingredient in sunscreens, may only protect you from a limited range of UVA rays.
UVA:
UV-A is a type of ultraviolet ray from sunlight that can cause invisible damage to your skin. This is the killer that leads to skin cancer and much more damage. You need to find sunscreens that give you the maximum amount of UVA protection. They penetrate much more deeply into the skin, where the collagen and elastic tissue is. They destroy the collagen and elastic tissues. They go through clouds, window glass and everything.
UVB
Ultraviolet B is another ultraviolet ray caused by the sun. You need to protect yourself from UVB rays as well. It is the burning rays from the sun.
PA (like PA+++ on some sunscreens) – for Asian products, no system in the US to identify UVA protection. May have adopted this Jap system to identify how protected you are from UVA.
PA is the effective measure of how well the sunscreen can block UVA rays. PA+++ is the highest, PA+ is alright for daily activities but if you’re staying in the sun for long hours, go for PA++ and above.
Basically you need a sunscreen with a high SPF factor to protect yourself from UVA and UVB rays to protect your skin from getting skin cancer, melanoma and pre-mature wrinkles. “Broadspectrum” sunscreens protect you from UVB AND UVA rays.
So, the higher the SPF, the better? Not necessarily.
Although you should get a high spf, you shouldn’t get an inappropriately high spf if that makes sense. You are talking about lots of chemicals here that can cause skin irritation if there is too high an spf, so even though high protection is good, don’t be excessive and choose SPF 100 if you live in London (known for cloudy weather right?) Opt for an SPF 15 -30 instead. Also depending on your skin color.
Sunscreen vs. Sunblock
They’re actually different. Regardless though, they both protect you from the sun. They work differently and are made of different chemicals. Sunblock reflects light from the skin so the UV rays bounce off while Sunscreen absorbs these rays. They both give you the same level of sun protection. Sunscreen needs to be applied 20-30 mins before you go outdoors because it needs to be absorbed while Sunblock works immediately.
But enough of this scientific gibberish, let’s get on to the facial sunscreens I use daily and a few mini reviews.
#1 Physiogel AI Sun Cream (SPF 25)
Physiogel is sold in Guardian and Watsons stores in Singapore but I wouldn’t know where else to get it. Physiogel gave me this sunscreen. This one in particular is “special” because it has Tinsorb which is a broad spectrum UV protector and lasts longer than the usual ingredients of other conventional sunscreens. This one also contains PEA to relieve sunburns so it’s good that it repairs while it protects as well. PEA has antioxidant properties which shoo away free radicals.
What do I think about this one?
It has a very white and thick consistency but it doesn’t do badly in the blending department. I was scared that it would leave sort of a semi-white overcast because of how thick it is but I didn’t find it too alarming.
I like how it doesn’t look and feel oily like most sunscreens can get. It has a very matte finish but it doesn’t make your skin super smooth. I use it underneath my makeup and I feel like I have to put a face primer on before I put my foundation on because it’s not slick enough for my makeup to apply smoothly. Nonetheless, it’s a good product. If smooth faces are your thing though, I reckon you should opt for another sun cream. This would be great for dry skin because of it’s consistency. Oily skin users are welcome to use this as well because of the semi-matte, non-slick finish. Its’ also waterproof which is a plus.
#2. Mario Badescu Suncare (SPF 30)
I bought this one I did a huge haul about half a year ago and I thought I should invest in a good sunscreen since I’ll be using it everyday. On the label, this sunscreen says it will protect you from UVA and UVB rays while being able to moisturise with Aloe and improve blood circulation with Eucalyptus.
What do I think?
Don’t worry about the blue tint, it really doesn’t do much at all and as you can see, it blends into a nice finish. This is much lighter and much more of an everyday sunscreen than the Physiogel. It has a smooth consistency and blends in very lightly and is sheer and glowing for those who prefer more of a glow than a matte finish. I did like this one but I felt that sometimes it may make my skin more oily than I want it too since I do have oily skin. Thus, it really depends on your skin type.
See the glow?
#3 Leaders Clinic Medieu Sensitive Sun Cream
This is my number one all time favourite suncream. Not only can it protect you from the sun with SPF 50 rating and PA+++ protection from UVA rays, it acts as a brilliant makeup base as well. Leaders Clinic was nice enough to give this to me. The SPF 50 may be a little high, but I find it comfortable even though it has such a high rating.
What do I think of it?
I absolutely love that this is tinted, offering sheer coverage, that color corrects most blemishes. It’s easily applied and very smooth to blend and applies on the face really nice. But…
you should look forward to my next post for an in-depth review of my favourite sunscreen!
Review Posted! Click here for the Sensitive Sun Cream Review:
1. Apply Sunscreen before everything else: Sunscreen works most effectively in direct contact with the skin. When layered over foundation or over moisturiser, it won’t work as well than if it was applied first.
2. Apply Enough Sunscreen: Usually folks don’t apply enough sunscreen. For your face, you should actually be apply equivalent to 1-2 tsp of sunscreen for full protection. I found DermTV.Com to be a very good source of information. They’ll show you how much to apply.
3. Re-apply your Sunscreen: Re-apply your sunscreen every 3-4 hours and after every activity to gain full use of the stuff. If you have makeup on, you would have already applied your sunscreen first underneath your makeup so reapplication is not necessary in this sense.
4. Don’t forget hard to reach areas: Sometimes the places most prone to sun damage are areas often forgotten. Don’t forget the tips of your ears, the back of your neck and legs, the bridge of your ears. Take careful precaution of places that extrude as the sun is more likely to hit those places first.
5. Sunscreen can cause white over-cast in flash photography: If you’re going out for a party at night and know that flash photography is in the agenda, skip your sunscreen and opt for no spf in your foundation so you won’t look like a ghost in most pictures.
6. Always wear sunscreen, even in shady days: UVA and UVB rays are invisible. That means they’ll attack when no one’s looking. Better to be prepared. If you can see your hands in front of you, that means you need sunscreen.
7. Makeup with SPF does work. You will still get protection from your foundation with SPF but you have to make sure that that is the first thing you apply. If you need to use products over it though, it’s always better to apply a separate sunscreen instead and then your foundation overtop.
8. Your sunscreen should be strong enough, feel good to apply, and goes well with your skin type: Strong meaning it has broad spectrum or UVA protection as well as UVB. SPF 15-30 is the best range but you would have to reapply if you don’t normally use makeup. You don’t want your sunscreen to make you breakout. Make sure it’s water based or oil free and doesn’t clog your pores.
9. Chemical free sunscreens are good: They contain zinc and titanium but they don’t contain carbon. A normal sunscreen is absorbed by the skin while a chemical free sunscreen coats the skin. They are more effective in blocking UVA rays so the rays bounce off it. They are also less irritating so if you have sensitive skin, chemical free sunscreens would be a good bet.
I like the number 9, so I’ll stop here. And there you have it! A guide to sunscreen. Look forward to my favourite sunscreen review in my next post!
I don’t know about you, but I have an absolute obsession with perfumes. If I walk into a department store, I’m instantly gravitated towards perfumes and out comes my sniffing nose to sniff pretty much all the perfumes the store has to offer. I also think smelling good on a daily basis is important to your overall image so today, I’ll be talking about my current perfume collection – a little obsession that has overtaken make-up for the meantime and has turned my vanity into a little bottle house.
YSL Parisienne Eau De Parfum
I usually tend to go for fresh or floral scents, so this one is a bit out of the norm. I bought this as part of a pack on sale and I think I was a bit on a shopping high because I honestly don’t wear this out much at all. The YSL Parisienne smells like berries, powdered berries, and it’s a very light scent. Not a light scent by ways of a refreshing one, but more so that you can’t really pile this up and smell overpowering. It’s subtle and slightly alluring. However, it develops into a funny musk smell throughout the day so I stopped wearing. My friend refers to this as the “grandma” scent. I don’t know if I disagree.
Givenchy Ange & Demon Le Secret Eau De Parfum:
This is a scent done right. It smells so familiar – like something my Kindergarden teacher wore but it’s hardly Kindergarden appropriate. Think sexy, Victoria’s Secret, alluringly yummy. If that makes sense at all. This is one of my favourites. It’s a sweet and sophisticated scent that smells like flowers, sweet citrus, jasmine with a hint of tea and an after woody base. I hope I got that right. I just gave it a couple more sniffs. It smells amazing.
Ok, ok. I admit I bought these perfumes because of the bottle. Just look how cute these bottles are. They belong on some kind of princess vanity with a bunch of pearls and lots of make-up. I love them. But, I guess they don’t smell too off in the perfume department either. Actually, they smell pretty good.
Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy:
This scent is a very light, sweet, peppery scent. It has a mix of honey suckle, jasmine, caramel…and *sniff sniff* vanilla…and probably a woody note like sandalwood. It smells great. Funny how we associate smells to different experiences. I wore this perfume all the time when I was studying for exams so whenever I give it a whiff I think of stress. I know, how horrible. I also think of a certain boy. Hehe. Smells great, give it a try. One of Juicy Couture’s most popular scents in their little family of four.
Juicy Couture Juicy Couture Eau De Parfum
I am in love with this scent. It smells so alluringly sophisticated. The kind when you walk into a room and you pass someone and that someone goes “ahh” . It’s the kind of scent you want to go to sleep in Peter Alexander pajamas with, or the kind of scent you want to wear to an afternoon tea with scones and..well, tea. I don’t know if this is right, but I smell jasmine, woods, vanilla with notes of roses and lily flowers. It’s a wafting and beautiful scent.
JLO Glow
I’m not a fan of celebrity perfumes. Most of them make me kind of nauseous or remind me of teenange girls going on a wild frantic to see Justine Beiber sing live. But by the looks or rather the smell of things, JLO can not only sing, she can make perfumes. I’ve been looking for a scent for a long time that would smell differently when you smell it and then you smell off it. If a boy should smell like anything, they should smell like Emporio Armani’s Diamonds – that smells different when you smell the air after smelling the scent. It’s like letting go and letting loose, mixing with the ambience, that it can develop into another scent. I really hope this makes sense but JLO glow does this beautifully. In fact it has it’s own wikipedia page. It’s a very clean smelling, powdered smell that reminds you of a top notch resort house, white sheets, white sands, and deep blue water. It smells like rose, sandalwood, grapefruit, vanilla and musk with jasmine notes.
DKNY Be Delicous:
Well, this one is an ultra popular perfume isn’t it? This has the perfect balance of fresh notes and vanilla notes but despite it’s apple shape, I really don’t think it smells like an apple at all. When I give this a whiff, I think of New York, well despite the brand name, I really do. I think of this woman dressed in a sand colored burberry trench coat (sorry DKNY) with a…Marc Jacobs bag..along Saks Fifth Avenue, strolling into boutiques and having a good time. I guess in other words, it smells very day like. It’s a day scent. Grapefruit, cucumber, perhaps hints of apple, vanilla and sandlewood. Am I seeing a trend in my perfume collection here? I think I do.
Paul Smith Rose
This is actually one of my first perfume buys in the days when I first sort of started buying like crazy. I was so obsessed with this perfume, I would run to every store, find it and give it a whiff before spraying it all over myself before the sales assistant caught me. Yeah, classy. But this perfume is no short of classy. It smells like roses. It’s really a rose scent and I got all caught up with being Roseanne and smelling like roses but I don’t wear this perfume out often. Sometimes the musk gets a little annoying but still, it’s a very nice scent. If you are into roses, then this is for sure a scent for you.
Elizabeth Arden Pretty Hot
Right before I left for Melbourne, I met up with Elizabeth Arden and they gave this perfume to me to smell. I actually really like this fragrance. Inspred by the fearless, bold woman who knows what she wants, the Pretty Hot fragrance is I would say really spicy and sensual. I still think it lacks uniqueness though. It smells like a generic ladies perfume and nothing absolutley special smelling like the Chloe is, you know? Nonetheless if you are into blood oranges, apples, and peonies with bottom notes of amber and sandalwood, this makes a great perfume to check out at the store if you haven’t yet!
Other Notable Perfumes (Not Pictured because I finished them):
Chloe Eau De Parfum
Probably one of my all time, all time favourites. So unique. Nothing in the world smells like Chloe. It’s clean, so darling, so sophisticated and alluring. It’s the kind of girl who’s brought up well, very well mannered, wealthy and a good girl. Not the good girl with bows in her hair and hello kitty clips, the good grown up girl who’s confidant, bold, gentle and very considerate and kind. The girl who would pair up with a chivalrous man, doesn’t sleep or kiss around, a woman who waits for their prince charming. Lychee, Magnolia flowers, Amber and Honey..I would buy another one but looking at my collection, I probably need to go to PAA (perfume addicts anonymous).
Marc Jacobs Daisy
Who doesn’t love Daisy? I love this scent. Like I said, certain smells always pair up with certain experiences. I wore this perfume my first semester of uni and my best friend had the same smell too so I don’t really want to go out and buy another one because it’s very significant to me and I want to keep it at a first semester of uni scent, not a second or third semester. I love it because it smells fresh and there’s nothing that smells quite like it. A very floral and fresh scent.
Anna Sui Secret Wish
Believe it or not, I finished two bottles of this stuff. I bought the first one when I was in Kyoto in Japan and they have a lot of perfume sales all the time so I quickly grabbed this one knowing that I fell in love at first whiff. It’s peppery but it’s very hard to explain. It’s very citrus smelling as well. With notes of peach, melon and lemon, mixed in with a bit of pineapple from what I remember, with amber and musk as the bottom notes. It smells like what tinkerbell would smell like I reckon. For me, it smells like junior year and that was a good year.
Anna Sui Flight of Fancy
I love this scent and I got so many compliments when I wore it. Now, it’s gone though and I’m not a fan of re-purchasing perfumes simply because I buy too many. So hard to explain. It’s a sensational and sensual blend of citrus and floral notes. You need to check this out and spray it on yourself. Smelling from the bottle makes it smell kind of funny.
Back in Singapore:
1. DKNY Cherry Blossom – a no fail scent, sweet, floral and light.
2. Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One – I don’t like this one anymore. It smells like juicy oranges, just like Benefit’s Coralista but unfortunately it develops into a quite metallic scent so I don’t uber suggest it.
Perfumes on my Wishlist:
1. Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue
2. John Galliano Parlez-Moi D’amour
3. Dolce and Gabbana L’Imperatrice
4. Burberry Brit
5. Chanel Tendre
Top priority being the John Galliano but all scents need a check out from you. I love them all but parting with my money with my already stable collection would be too much, I rekcon? Haha.
5 Perfume Tips:
1. When you’re thinking of buying perfume at the store, try it on first. Don’t buy it on impulse (trust me, you’ll regret it). Spray it on yourself and walk around and then if you really like it, think some more and spray it on a sheet. Wait a few days and then buy it. These babies are expensive, you don’t want to make stupid mistakes!
2. What’s all this eau de parfum gibberish? Eau De Parfum (I translate it into perfume) is lighter than Perfume while Toilette and Colgone are lighter versions of the perfume. Sometimes the companies like to mix it up a bit so the Eau de Toilette smells a little more fresh than the heavy perfumes. They make more wearable day scents but they don’t last as long.
3. When a sales assistant tries to sell you a perfume and he or she knows their stuff, they’ll probably explain that a scent has top notes, middle notes and base notes. This is how the scent smells or develops. It’s like eating a Warhead. You’ll taste the extreme sour and slowly it develops into a sweet tasting candy, or even a food with an after-taste. The top notes are usually light scents like fruit or citrus while middle notes are more floral and a little heavier while the base notes are woody, or musk which are the heaviest notes. It makes for the more complex fragrance, something that’s very unique. There’s coffee beans around the store to help you clear your scent palette while you’re having fun so that each scent doesn’t mix with the next one.
4. Make sure you keep your perfume out of the sun, and not by a window. In fact, I tend to keep all my makeup in a shady place away from sunlight. It can damage your hundered dollar perfume, and you wouldn’t want that right? Don’t get it on your clothes either, it might stain.
5. Where should you apply your perfume?
Easy, on your “pulse points”. That means on your wrist:
Or behind your ear, on your neck line. This is because this is where your body heat sort of does its thing. Body heat + perfume = stronger scent. Simple equation, really.
and there you have it! I hope you learned something about the wonderful world of perfumes!
What’s your current favourite perfume of the moment?
This is an idiot proof guide to doing your nails. That means that if you are a self-confessed make-up guru, then this really isn’t a post for you. Sometimes we forget that our audience includes a myriad of skill levels so just like my ultimate guides on YouTube, I decided to do Back to Basics on this blog.
Today’s Back to Basics covers nails. We all have our own methods of doing our nails, whether it be a different process, way or tool. We also have different preferences when it comes to getting our nails done – do we want them Square, pointed or round? Nonetheless, here is my way of doing my nails. I tend to like them square and painted. I feel weird when they’re naked. Even though you might know how to do everything, who knows? You might learn a few tips I’ve gotten used to along the way.
Step1: Take any existing nail polish off.
Honestly who cares what nail polish remover you use. I usually use the cheapest I can find from SASA, usually $1.99. It really makes no difference.
I’ve used tissue before and nothing works better than cotton pads like these. Not cotton puffs or balls but pads. They’re great. They absorb the perfect amount and they don’t dissolve under the liquid which is useful especially when you really don’t want stray cotton hairs on your nails. Those are so annoying. I usually fold the cotton pad between my fingers and insert the nail, and rub rub until the polish comes off.
Or you can place the cotton round with your nail polish remover on top of your nail and rub that way.
Step 2: The next thing you want to do is you want to shape your nail. Honestly, I love nails that are square. It’s so clean and professional looking. To get square nails, cut your nail across like so. Hopefully your nails aren’t too long that they will chip when you do this so be careful. Don’t cut too much.
Then you grab a nail file (I actually don’t like using the one provided by your nail cutter) but actually a 4 way buffer works best. File your nail around the edges so that no sharp edges remain but you still have that square shape rounded at the edges. Then, listen to the rest of the instructions of your 4 way buffer. Usually, you’ll get really nice shiny nails after your 4 way buffer treatment. Unfortunately, I didn’t know where mine was when I was taking the pictures.
Step 3: Apply a base coat. Base coats are really important because they stop your nail color from staining your nails yellow which it has sorta done here but I was feeling lazy that day and needed a quick fix. Usually though, applying a base coat will offer protection to your nail especially with red or blue nail polish.
Just apply the base coat like you would a regular coat of polish
Then you can safely apply your nail color. Today’s color is OPI Do you Lilac it?, a wonderful light purple color that is very popular for Spring. In fact, you’ve probably already heard of it.
I love OPI nail polishes. I’ve tried China Glaze and Essie and even MAC and I still think OPI is the best. I might do a post comparing each finish but I think how you judge whether a nail polish is good or not is by how well it applies and how easily it applies or even how many coats it takes to achieve it’s “bottle colour” For OPI, stopping at one coat is fine but I like to always do two coats of a nail polish.
I’ve been recently addicted to StumbleUpon and stumbled upon a blog post by Lacquerized (http://www.lacquerized.com/) and she did up a wonderful graphic explaining how she paints her nails. I tried this method and it works wonderfully. I think it’s even better than painting normally because it really creates an even finish.
Step..I don’t know. It’s 12 AM, I’m sleepy. But anyway, apply a top coat. This makes your color even more shiny and it makes the color last longer and prone to less chipping which isn’t cool
And then you are done. Remember to not touch anything for the next I would say 20 to 30 minutes just to be sure. As you can see, I don’t touch my cuticles unless I’m getting my nails done with an absolute professional because the whole thing of peeling skin kind of irks me out and I’m scared I might make my fingers bleed. Yuck. I’m also not the kind who’s very artistic. I think plain coloured nails are best for me. I can’t deal with all that acrylic and what not, I don’t know how they can do things with those thingies on their nails. But, it’s all about individual preference anyway.
You can choose your skintone and see if various shades look good on you. Of course it’s Sally Hansen’s nail color generator so they’re gonna try and sell you what they have but you can take a more general idea of what looks good on you!
How do you paint your nails, any specific things that you normally do?
I hope you had a fabulous day today! I received a request from Princess Jae in the comments section of one of my past posts to do a tutorial on how I wing my eye-liner. I have to say before all else that practice makes perfect. It’s not going to be exactly the same for everyone either depending on your face shape but a general rule is that the liner should be angled towards the direction of where your eye-brow ends. I have two general ways of doing my eye-liner and to be honest, I do the first method on my right eye and the second method on my left eye. I find that’s the most comfortable way of doing things.
IMPORTANT: I’m not particularly smiling in that picture. It’s probably because this was an awfully hard tutorial to take pictures of. Just picture me, trying to draw liquid eye-liner on my eye and the the other hand trying to capture a good enough shot, balance off..eye-liner gets everywhere, me trying to capture myself actually drawing the liner instead of just posing..Yeah..big mess. Thus, I reckon you should forgive me if none of the pictures are up to your standard and I’m usually a lot neater with my lines but again..if you’re trying to be the model, makeup artist and the camera woman at the same time – things aren’t always going to be well…picture perfect.
Method 1:
#1. Start from the inner corners of your eye and in small strokes continue until your reach just about the middle.
#2. Stop at about the middle of your lash line.
#3. In one long fellow swoop, draw the line and have a kink where it ends for that cat-eye effect. This method takes a lot of practice if you aren’t used to putting liner on. I remember when I first started make-up, eye-liner to me certainty wasn’t a bouquet of roses, it was a bed with lots of thorns. Bad analogy. Anyway, you eventually will get used to the stuff and it’ll be second nature – doable in a matter of seconds.
Method 2:
#1. Draw a short line at the end of your eye in the direction of where your eyebrow should end.
#2. Sorry that it’s messy – again think of what I’m thinking right when I’m taking that picture – yeah FML. haha. But simply join the tip of the short line you made down to the lash line..this is your wing you’ll fill in later.
#3. Draw in and outline the rest of your lid
#4. Go back and fill in the little space between the first two steps you made for that complete winged look
and ta-da! Remember, practice makes perfect. This is more of an everyday eye-liner tutorial. If you want to give things some oomph, just add more eye-liner and make it thicker and longer!
The eye-iiner I used is the KATE super sharp liner, I just made a review, ch-ch-check it out here:
and guess what I have here :)
Hehe I got an iPad! I used to think that I would never have use for it but I have to say that I don’t leave the house without it. I have 3G on it so I can use it wherever I am in terms of the online scene which I know I always need to stay connected to. My two favourite applications have to be the TED so I can always stay tuned to inspirational, heart-warming talks by important people who I totally need to learn from and of course tap tap radiation for making my 40 minute rides back home from work seem like ten minutes!
For added protection, I also got it wrapped in one of my favourite pieces – The Kiss by Gustav Klimnt. I’m a big art history fan at heart – I’ve done 2 years of it actually! What I love about this piece in particular is the amount of expression that two lovers share when they share a kiss – down to the golden glimmer, the patterns and the emotion. Absolutely in love.
I remember when I Iearnt to contour, highlight and apply my blush, I knew that it would be a step I never wanted to miss. Contouring and applying that bronzer adds a certain warmth to your look while being able to slim down your features without the surgery, blush gives a healthy radiance while the highlight attracts a muted glow to the areas you want shining in the spotlight.
Check out my video if you’re too lazy to read :p
So, how do we go about doing this? It’s really simple actually. It’s all about the placement and finding out which areas work best for you. Remember always, to blend, blend and blend!
1. Contour:
We all want slimmer features and thank the lord, makeup makes this possible.
Choosing the right Bronzer:
You don’t specifically need a bronzer, you can also use a powder that is two or three shades darker than your skin tone. Also make sure that the color is right for you. Matte bronzers on darker toned people tend to look gray and ashy so opt for a little shimmer like the NARS Casino/Laguna but make sure it’s not over the top or you could be achieving the opposite effect. Be careful to observe the undertone of the bronzer you have chosen. Make sure it’s the kind of brown that suits your skintone color. Too orange – and you could look like Snooki or any other celebrity with a fake orange tan – while too-pink-for-you kinda bronzer may make you look a little gray. Be careful. Don’t be intimidated though, it’s not that hard.
Choosing a good contouring brush:
You want to go for a smaller brush. A lot of people like to use an angled brush, I like to go a little more specific and use a round small brush like the MAC 109. Anything that fits into the hollows of your cheek is game though and you might want it also to be slightly fluffy in case you put a little too much.
Okay, so where do I put this stuff.
You want to follow an “E” shape. Top of the E being the temples, the middle being the hollows of your cheek, down to the jawline, connect the points and buff. Just remember, you want to contour your face where the light doesn’t go..the dark side basically. Emphasising these areas makes your face naturally slimmer. Score!
Remember to buff your bronzer in so that the harsh lines disappear and if you are using a powder bronzer, make sure you have powdered and set your foundation to avoid any stain marks. Those are never fun.
2. Blush
This is my ultimate favourite part of my whole makeup routine. It makes such a difference to any look and it’s the best midday pick me up… well appearance wise at least. I always keep a blush handy with me in case it fades.
Choosing the right color:
Just like bronzer, it’s important to pick the right color for your blush. Observe your undertone – are you yellow or pink? Then you can choose your blushes accordingly. If you’re yellow, stay away from cool toned blushes that may make you look a little blue gray, and that’s icky. If you’re a darker skin tone, peachier blushes look better than the cool toned pinks, and you might even wanna try a light dusting of fuschia. It matters so try it at the store before you make your next purchase.
Choosing the right tools:
Blush is pretty simple right, just put it on the cheeks they say. I honestly don’t like using a standard blush brush, standard being the size of the MAC 129 because I like to be careful with my blush placement. I feel like I have no control if I just sweep that standard brush all over my cheek so I love opting for something smaller like the MAC 116 shown below. With this baby, I can specifically place my blush where I want to in a patting motion, granted the blush isn’t super pigmented mind you. If you have the shimmer brick or blushes that need buffing upon application, something fluffier like the MAC 168 angled white hair is best.
Now where do I put it?
Alot of people just like to concentrate on the apples of your cheek, but that doesn’t look as good as taking a step further. I like to place it just on the edge of that apple, towards the bottom half of the apple and then working it towards the upper tip of my ear. Of course not all the way but to the place it seems right. You should have a fat sideways tear drop shape above your contour:
See how I’ve worked it upwards? It can contour while add that rosy glow. Don’t you just love 2 in 1s?
3. Highlighting:
I used to hate highlighting because I thought I had oily enough skin that I didn’t need the added shimmer and if you’re thinking the same thing, you might want to give highlighting a second chance. Highlighting makes things protrude while contouring sinks features in. Anywhere the light hits first should be highlighted.
Choosing the right highlight:
Color is still important here. If you’re yellow undertone, stay away from those blue or silver encrusted highlighters and go for something either neutral or with a little bit of gold, like the NARS albatross. Never go for an ultra shimmer, look for something in between.
Choosing the right brush:
If the brush can fit on the top of your cheek bones and can do a good job on your nose bridge, it’s small enough. You want a small one, specific application is key. Of course if your highlighter is a pen highlighter, cream, or liquid..then use your fingers.
Where to highlight:
Well again, where the light hits. Say yes to the top of your cheek bones..
and the bridge of your nose, brow bone, tip of your chin…and you might also want to try your cupids bow on your lips and perhaps also the middle of your forehead granted you don’t have extra oily skin.
and then Ta-Da! You are done baby. I remember the first time I did this, i was like HELL YEAH. The secret to the universe. Well, not really. But I sure was one happy camper.
If you have any questions or your own tips to contour, highlight or apply your blush, or you just want to give me a pat on the back for taking a few hours on this (heh) then leave your comments in the comments section below!
*photo credits: I just edited the picture, added the drawings and text…the picture of the model belongs somewhere..on the web.
Removing your makeup and cleaning your skin is essential once you start wearing cosmetics. Here is what I do every single night, regardless of the time. I make sure all makeup is removed, my skin is moisturized and my face prepped for dreamland. Good thing there aren’t any hot boys there. hah.
NOTE: this is for picture purposes. There’s a bit of liner in some of the photos when there shouldn’t be, but don’t fret, I removed everything after I took all the pictures, it was just faster for me this way :) Also, this is the way I do things, let me know how you roll too :)
Step 1: Removing the Makeup
I use J&J Cleansing wipes that pretty much do the trick. Remember, it’s always a 2 step process. 1. Remove your makeup, 2. Cleanse your face. If you don’t do this, you’re cleaning the makeup layer and never cleaning your skin surface and that could lead to clogged pores and more.
You don’t need to use makeup wipes, but I do it because it saves a lot of time and I use one wipe per removal session. It doesn’t take off all my liner especially on my waterline so I will be using a separate eye-makeup remover to remove that. I do understand that this isn’t the most environmentally friendly way of doing things, but feel free to use cleansing oils and creams. Whatever suits your fancy, just get that makeup off babe!
After taking a really nice hot shower, oh yeah, the little remaining of my eye makeup sort of drools down a bit which makes it easier for me to take it off with one of my favourite if not my favourite eye makeup remover from Simple. I love this because it takes it off but there is no oil in it whatsoever, and I hate oily makeup removers. This is great also if you make an error doing your makeup because of its non-oily formula. Plus, you save mooh-lahs because it’s a drugstore product. Sweet.
I use a cotton round, fold it in half and sweep that liner off.
Step 3: Oral Hygeine is Important
If you don’t brush you’re teeth every night, you’re gross. No excuses.
Step 4: Cleanse your Face
Today I decided to use the Biore Pore Unclogging scrub (for I need to exfoliate days), but I interchange between the Oxy Triclosan (for bad skin days) and Biotherm Hydramineral Cleansing mousse (for dry days). I know, I heard it’s bad to change it up, but just do whatever floats your boat. Imagine me taking a picture while I wash my face, yea, thought so.
Step 5: Moisturise
After patting my face dry with a towel, I moisturise! Wee. Probably the only moisturiser I’ve ever liked – Elizabeth Arden Intervene Radiance Boosting Moisture Lotion. It’s supposed to be a day one, but I love the formula because it’s so light and it blends into the skin like a dream. it’s not overly greasy or anything and I haven’t had problems with dry or flaky skin ever since I started using it. It’s cool that it has anti-aging properties too :)
I squirt one pump for my right cheek, another for my left, and one on my forehead and blend away!
Step 6: Acne Medication
This is the stuff that got rid of all my previous acne problems, the wonderful Proactiv Repairing Lotion because of its benzoyl peroxide. The only thing from Proactiv I like and still use. It makes my skin red for a while, but most zits don’t stand a chance. It depends though, because this product doesn’t work for everyone.
The directions say to use a minimal amount, but the only way I got rid of anything was to pile it on. Ditch the directions. Note that benzoyl peroxide isn’t for everyone, you could be allergic to it so remember to do a patch test! I know, layering it isn’t good for you but no pain no gain! kidding. It’s just how I roll.
Bye Bye Zits.
Step 7: Lip Protectant
It’s super dry in Melbourne during the winter and having something to prevent dry and chapped lips is always a plus. I find the EA 8 Hour Cream Lip protectant to be really useful for me, I whip it on every morning..and night :)
A super smooth, syrupy formula that glides easily over your lips! It has a lemon-grass sort of scent.
Step 8: Moisturise everything else..
Meaning my arms and legs. I use the Physiogel Cream. This stuff rocks! It makes my arms super smooth, no kidding and my arms haven’t been smooth since I was little and decided never to moisturise. Really happy with this product and glad to use it during the dry weather.
So that’s it. It’s a lot of steps I know. You don’t ever have to do what I do, make your own routine, what’s your nightly beauty routine, comment below because I wanna know! That rhymed. Props for that.
This is the last post I’m doing in Singapore before I head back to Melbourne. It was awesome meeting people at the Physiogel bloggers party and Sarahand Pearlin at Nandos, hopefully I can meet more of you at the end of November!
Just like Sara, I was invited to try out a treatment at Healthtrends Clinic at Ngee Ann City. Out of the three options given to us in the email, I was ready to take on an Acne Scar Reduction not only because I had a few scars from a serious bout of acne at the beginning of the year but I think my asia-ness thought that the $1200 price-tag was an opportunity not to be missed.
Honestly, the night before I was really worried. I researched the Mosiac eCO2 laser and found out that it was the latest and deepest cutting laser and the laser that they would be using for my treatment. I was worried that I was going too far with this one and that I was over-doing it when I really didn’t need it. Thankfully, when Dr. Ram Nath saw my skin condition he quickly customized my own set of treatments that would suit my skin best, but a little more on that later.
Lets first take a look at this clinic in terms of service, comfort, and overall feel. You are after all paying a lot of money for their treatments, you should be treated well. Because, you know I do tell it how it is.
Quaint and I felt a bit cold and hospital like. If I were to be extremely picky, which I sort of am, here is what I would honestly say. Let’s say, I know service when I see it. I came in, and it was weird because it seemed like it was part of a larger spa organization, and it was sort of I came in and turn right to find it sort of thing. Hard to explain, pay a visit and you’ll see. I sat down, and was kindly greeted by one of the staff and then directed to a small room with two sitting chairs and one sink to remove my make-up with. Let me remind you, hen duo qian (lots of money you’re paying, ok?). A client was sitting in one of the chairs already, and I had to remove my makeup in front of her as she watched me with her face also shiny with some sort of mask on it. It felt a bit communal. She didn’t really know how to speak English and wanted to wash her face, while I was kind of in the middle of taking my makeup off and I felt bad because I thought I was in her way..and she was here first. It’s ok though :)
The rooms to the clinic were, well clinical. This isn’t a spa and people shouldn’t mistake this as a place where you can get massaged, with calming music, and beautiful ambience. The rooms felt like a hospital. You lie there, a mismatched blanket thrown over you, the doctor does the work and out you go. Before all that, you fill out forms, sign warnings, all part of a more necessary than comforting feeling. It’s a quick way – good for a lunch break, not for pampering which suits different peoples tastes.
But, afterall, people aren’t always paying for service, they’re paying for hardcore results and people who know what they’re doing right?
And these people do know what they’re doing. A consultation with Dr. Ram Nath, who is serious but funny, was enlightening. A doctor who sort of relished in the fact that I was a newbie at the treatments he chose to give me. :) He said that one of the unique traits about the clinic was that it customises treatments for its customers and that he tends to layer them which is why I received three: a microdermabrasion, IPL (Intensive Pulse Light), and light chemical peel. I was unfamiliar with all three except the microdermabrasion which I found quite similar to the Diamond Peel by Touche Elite, but those three foreign sounding treatments made me a little queasy.
The number of forms I had to sign didn’t help the queasiness either..especially this one..
The first step was the numbing cream so I can’t feel anything, but I ended up feeling most of the things I didn’t want to feel and I can’t imagine not having the numbing cream which takes 20 minutes to fully numb your face. Some patients skip this step to hurry up the process (told you this was a in and out you go). I can’t imagine doing that.
Then came the Microdermabrasion. This is just like the diamond peel as it professionally exfoliates your skin, removes dead skin cells, vacuums it up and you’re left with mighty soft skin. I honestly think that this one hurt a tinsy bit more than the diamond peel even though I think its exactly the same thing but he must have used a higher setting. That pink ring and the yellow stuff on it are my dead skin cells. I know, ew.
Then came the dreaded IPL (Intensive Pulse Light). Here is how the room looked, yep..clinical. The IPL basically in an idiot’s guide to life language, uses a laser to do mainly two things. 1. Break down the melanin underneath your skin layer to disintegrate it and 2. tighten your oil glands so you don’t oil up so much. Sounds good to me! Just..the laser part can go.
Here comes the pain, all dressed in light. i will never do this again. It might have injected light into my skin, but it sure did scare the living daylights out of me. Just imagine this. First, cooling cream (that felt good), then goggles on and then pitch darkness. Just Dr. Ram’s voice, and a ‘here we go’ and BAM. like lightning even though I was closing eyes, a FLASH of bright light appears ( i mean seriously, even when you have your eyes shut?..that means it goes into you!) and a sharp pain coincides with its arrival. Ouch. AHHHH! Owww! AHHH! Yea, its called being scared and hurt at the same time in pitch darkness so you don’t know when its coming. I reckon it would be a good cure for hiccups but in this case, I don’t like surprises. I kind of wanted to stop it in the middle, but then I though of all of you and I was like Roseanne, suck it up. I swear I shook a little every time he pulsed that evil light into me. It only lasted 5 or so minutes, but man was I glad that was over and done with. Dr. Ram says that people do this during their lunch break, I wonder what they’re on.
Then off to another room I went for my Light Chemical Peel to boost radiance and help with any pigmentation. I’ve heard of chemical peels and honestly it sounds a bit intimidating but I was assured that it was only fruit acids. It wasn’t much of a peel either. I held a tube of air to my face to quicken and dry the process as Dr. Ram swabbed a huge cotton bud (quite a novelty actually) over my face. There was a light burning sensation but this was after the IPL and I was just thankful I wasn’t getting flashes of light.
Just a few precautions though. I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup or wash my face for the next three hours as the peel is water soluble and for at least 2 weeks, I had to avoid direct sunlight and wear loads of sunscreen. This wasn’t helpful in Hong Kong’s sun where I flew to the next day (made sure I received no treatments with downtime), so I carried an umbrella everywhere I went. I wasn’t the only one though!
The clinic could use another sink, but who cares? [Although it is important because I'm sure there are a lot of clinics who can do these three treatments for you and if they charge about the same, the one with the better ambience wins, its like manicures and pedicures]. But, you’re in there to get a job done, and you’re getting a job done by people who know what they’re doing. And the results? My skin looks better than when I left Melbourne a month ago, I mean I have a zit now but thats inevitable. I peeled tons in Hong Kong, but after the peeling, I don’t see a major difference in my scars but I look radiant I suppose. Dr. Ram says its a gradual process, so maybe I’ll update with a finale picture later.
& Lookee Here, PROMO PRICES, quoted from the email:
What’s more, all readers who join HealthTrends Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/healthtrends) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/HealthTrends4U) will also get insanely discounted prices for all of the above treatments for a limited time period (within 1 month of your blog review posted). They have to quote their Facebook and Twitter “usernames” when they call to make an appointment with the clinic.
Promo prices for your readers:
- Acne Scar reduction by Mosaic eCO2 fractional laser. Promo price: $699 per session. (UP $1200 per session)
- Skin Rejuvenation and removal of pigmentation by USA Medlite C6 Laser. Promo price: $215 per session (UP $320 per session)
- Skin Rejuvenation and removal of pigmentation by Rejuvenating Peel by TCA. Promo price: $55 (UP $280 per session)”
AS OF JULY 26, THERE IS A GIVEAWAY ON MY FB PAGE: www.facebook.com/roseannetangrs CLICK LIKE AND COMMENT ENTER ME UNDER THE GIVEAWAY POST TO WIN A FREEEE MICRODERMABRASION, IPL and LIGHT CHEMICAL PEEL. FOR SINGAPORE PEOPLE ONLY. kay thanks. :)
Sunscreen: Elizabeth Arden WGX UV Protector SPF 50 Foundation: Everyday Minerals Matte Base with Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Brush Concealer: MAC Studio FInish in NC30 Powder: MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural Medium Plus Eye Prep: MAC Prep & Prime for Eyes and Urban Decay Primer Potion Eyeshadow: Nars Cordura Eyeshadow Duo Liner: MAC Blacktrack Fluidline & MAC Technakohl Liner in GraphBlack Eyelash Curler: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler Mascara: Benefit BadGal Lash Black Eyebrows: Smashbox BrowTech Cheeks: NARS Laguna, NARS Zen, MAC Instant Chic Lips: MAC Prep and Prime Lip, Shiseido Perfect Rouge Tender Sheer, PK 327
Just ran out of that mini sample of the UV Protector. Love that sunscreen, purrrfect formula really :)
And here is an OOTD just for fun, I’ve been posting OOTD (outfit of the day) on my facebook page, so you can check it out there as well!
www.facebook.com/roseannetangrs
How do I get ppl to interact more? What’s your opinion?
But anyway, I have a fashion haul coming soon featuring the stuff that is in the picture minus the necklace. I paired a long manly blazer which was ten bucks off for only $39.99 with a simple gray dress and a long necklace. For simple looks, don’t be scared to go crazy and accessorise but pick one part to emphasise (your ears or your necklace) you’ll look too over the top if you do both. Balance it out! Both from Cotton on. I got the dress 2 days ago for only ten bucks, and bought two other different sizes of the same one, stay tuned for an upcoming fashion haul to find out why :).
Makeup?
Eyes: Just like in the Video
Cheeks: NARS Laguna, NARS Zen, MAC Ripe Peach Blush Ombre
Lipstick: MAC Please Me in Matte :)
Update: I AM LOVING Ms. Popularity Highlighter while Extase ranks a little above average but not by much.
Just made a contouring, highlighting and blush map that just might be useful for you.
I’m thinking of doing a youtube video just about this and some tips and tricks so stay tuned for that video!
UPDATE – What’s up Yo??
So, I went to Sephora yesterday because I have had such a large response on making the Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow box as my first contest prize, but then I went there and IT was totally sold out. Trouble is, Australia, the country of which I will return to in a few days, does not have Urban Decay at all so..I will have to find some way to ship it from the US which is totally possible but very expensive. I feel so so upset because I feel like I’ve let all of you down and I made you excited for nothing. I’m so sorry. I can’t make promises because shipping will cost me so much money (I have to get an external US Address), I can easily substitute the prize for a favourite NARS blush in Passion but it wouldn’t be as cool. I hate doing things like this but no promises I guess that’s all I can say right now…Do keep in mind that this contest is not OFF, it is totally happening. I just have to figure out if its still as cool to spend over $100 US at least, but I know you guys are worth it. I know you guys aren’t like ungrateful or anything, but I feel utterly horrible personally and so dissapointed.
On a lighter note though, remember Eric Jimenez who I met the other day at the Sephora Urban Decay Event had the Urban Decay Singapore Country Manager call me. Eric wants to send me some Urban Decay Products!!! I was so excited and it totally made my day so he will be sending it to my address in Australia :) Namecards totally pay off. Also, Her World magazine also contacted me about their new upcoming Herworld.com beauty section. She says she’s going to need beauty bloggers like you and me to be part of the beauty column and even do videos. Its an awesome opportunity for all our onsugar bloggers! She also contacted me yesterday on being a model for a professional Shu Uemura or MAC artist to apply fake lashes on! Unfortunately, I’m only here till Wednesday and get to miss this awesome opportunity! Grr. Sometimes I wish I could just stay in Singapore to be part of this beautiful make-up community here. These three months have definetley been amazing thanks to all of you!
Not sure if i’ll be updating soon! I need to get back in motion with…studying.
Welcome to roseannetangrs.com, one of Singapore's Top Beauty Blogs aiming to empower the everyday woman. If you're looking for quick beauty tips, idiot-proof makeup tutorials, the best reviews and a little inspiration, you've come to the right place. Have your fill and if you want a little more, keep connected below! I am also a certified and professional make-up artist, for services please enquire at roseannetangrs@gmail.com! Love, Roseanne
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I trust and believe in the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, and this blog is alive through Him † God is real and revealed himself to me long before I knew Him. Everything makes sense. Forever grateful for his limitless love for us. None of what I do would be possible without his grace, blessing and guidance step by step in my life. I know that whatever he leads me to, I will conquer for he has provided everything I need. Let my life and my works be living testimony of His greatness so that others may come to know Him and experience his love, grace and blessing in their lives.
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