My Beauty Diary Oceania Firming Pack - I choose you!

It's 12 midnight and I'm feeling kinda moody. The exams are over and I'm officially a graduate, (not)ready to face the wild and strange working world. Well, stress and hormones also brought me two annoying pimples and an overall deflated and blotchy complexion. I look quite like a mess this week.

And so, I whipped out the My Beauty Diary oceania face pack that comes with a Glasswort (whatever that is) hydrating mask and a separate Marine firming cream. Fancy huh?

Now's the time to heal myself and truly find some me time before I get sucked into the whirlpool of work yet again. The trip to Taiwan is coming in 10 days and I'm getting so excited about it. Have been planning it for quite some time (6 months to be exact) and I want it to be absolutely amazing. I'm cautious not to set such high expectations! 

Coming back to the face mask, it's sitting  on my face as I type away on my phone. It has the pretty much cooling sensation of face masks. MBD's face masks are soaked in roughly 23ml of serum/solution and that is a lot. I mean, my foundation comes in 30ml bottles and I'm using 23ml of serum up in one sitting?

I usually put on face masks for 15-20 minutes before patting in the remaining serum into my face and dabbing off the excess. I quite like the MBD series of face masks, and my favourite is the Oceania's sister - the Europe Clarifying pack (all the names these masks have...) and I love the Rose honey refining gel it comes in. Hopefully this firming cream doesn't disappoint!

And yes, Taiwan is the home of MBD and I truly hope I do not go overboard when I get there.

Thanks for reading!

Hui Ling

My go-to brow product

I recently found the perfect shape for my brows-something light and taupey. I had it all along in my "medicine container" (from Daiso) as an eyeshadow but just only recently realised how near perfect if was for my brows. I have relatively thick brows, but they are quite light. This trial and error with my brows has paid off, but the one most disappointing thing is that such a gorgeous eye shadow has been discontinued. Why!?!

I'm talking about the matte eyeshadow - Nutmeg - from Everyday Minerals. Its a cool-toned greyish taupe colour that's is great for all over the lids and of course, for my brows. I purchased it a couple of years back, from the Smoochiezz warehouse, for $1. Yes, $1. It was hanging there, in a packet, surrounded by many cheap and unwanted products. I was in luck.

Pardon the untidiness. Everyday mineral eyeshadow a come in a loose form. With a little help from some rubbing alchohol, I managed to set it as "baked" form for quite some time. Too much using and moving around has caused it to shatter and it's time for a reset soon. My iPhone camera did not pick up the slightly yet very delightful purple tones (I'm blogging via my phone now, pretty fun).

Here's a swatch on the back of my hand:

Why does it have to be discontinued!?

Perhaps it's time to find a dupe up on the same street as Nutmeg in Everyday Minerals, or, elsewhere.

Thanks for reading!

Hui Ling

Update

I've been very much away, on a long break away from blogging. Well, I've been busy with...almost nothing. FYP's over, report submission and oral presentation are done deals, and what's left of my undergraduate life is just two exam papers. I've been spending the past two weeks quite easily and lazily, waking up during lunch time and watching TV off the Internet. Life's been good (albeit a little empty).

First obsession in quite some time - my onions. I've started growing onions a couple days back and I can't seem to be patient about it! Not gonna lie, but I take a look at them every few hours for a couple of days now, eager to see tiny shoots coming out of them. Nothing has really changed except for the mould growing on them.

Another obsession worthy inclusion in my life is Spotify. If you haven't heard of it, please go do yourself good and download this magical app on your computer and iPhone. Finally, legal music streaming has taken over. This could spell the end of illegal downloads! However, not everything is up on Spotify though.

A couple of coffee places I've been to recently are SOHO Coffee and Kooka Cafe. Both are quaint little places with comfortable dim lightning and interesting furnishing.

Well, its high time I start studying for literally, my finals. Booyah.

RIMMEL Lycra PRO Nail polish in 416 NIGHT FLIGHT

Not too long ago, I bought a Rimmel christmas pack from Watson's and it came with this Lycra PRO nail colour in 416 Night Flight. 

It is a dark royal purple and has no shimmer or glitter particles in it. It boasts a "mistake free application" due to the "maxi brush" and it really lived up to its name. Application was so easy and basically mistake free! 

The formulation was quite thick but good – one coat can get you an opaque colour. It dries really quickly as well, leaving a shiny finish. Longevity-wise, I'm sure it can live through a week without any major chipping if you're not using your fingers to do much manual work.  

I'm unsure about the retail price in Watson's but asos.com sells Rimmel nail polishes between S$6 - S$10. 

Why can't all nail polish brands come with this brush?!

Review: PALTY Bubble foaming hair dye - NAMACHOCO WAFFLE

After a couple of years of ditching the DIY hair dyes, I came back to it once more. I've never had a real great experience with DIY hair dye before to be honest. It was either too brown for my liking, or did not have a real effect. The latter was the case of my most recent attempt, with the DIY PALTY Bubble foaming hair dye. Foaming hair dyes are all the craze right now with the easy and fun application, which makes it more than a novelty factor.

I was looking for a dark chocolate brown to even out my hair colour (I've not dyed my hair for more than half a year), nothing too extravagant. There were many brands that were competing across the shelves and the Palty ones stood out to me as being firstly, Japanese (or Asian), it had a middle-price range, and it foams.

I purchased the dye at S$16.20 at Watson's. 

Here is a closer look at the Palty foaming hair dye in NAMACHOCO WAFFLE. The foam was fairly easy to create and apply. Unlike its beautylabo counterpart with a lid to shake the solution (to form the foam), the Palty one only had a cup and a paddle with many holes in it to whip it up to a foam. I wouldn't say it is terribly troublesome or difficult, in fact it was very quick and quite fun.

Put on your gloves, pour the developing liquid (bottle) into the cup and squeeze in the whole of the colour tube as well. Use the paddle to stir the mixture and it quickly becomes foam. Do it until it reaches the line in the inside of the cup. When it has hit the mark, you're ready to dye! I sectioned my hair into 2 - 3 parts and started dying. After 20-30 minutes, I rinsed everything out. The smell of ammonia did not hit me until the product was on my head and was fairly tolerable compared to some other brands that I have tried. 

Here are the results:

To be honest, I'm not so much impressed. The colour was subtle but did not resemble much to the one on the box. I did make sure every part of my hair is covered and massaged the dye in as much as I could. The lower areas of my hair that were already coloured were still lighter than the rest, but the difference is much more gradual (thank goodness). As with hair dye, the colour changes after a week or so. If there is any difference in colour, I'll be sure to update!

Oh yes, one plus point. I LOVE the leave in conditioner that comes with the dye (yellow sachet). LOVE. Why don't they sell it separately? 

<3

HL

Reuse!: old liquid liner brush as gel liner brush!

I recently finished using the heroine make liquid eyeliner (faster than dolly wink because the it leaked) and thought of so thing to do with it. The fine yet sturdy brush tip was great in drawing straight lines thick or thin and I thought, why not reuse the brush tip for gel liner?

Gel liners can be quite a fuss to use. The product dries relatively quickly on your brushes and it clumps and get really stiff! You often find yourself running out of brushes to use very quickly even though you did wipe of the access product off it!! A pen brush could add to the number of gel liner brushes you have.

I have tried applying my heavy rotation gel liner with the pen and it works quite well. The next time you finished a liquid liner pen, why not use it for gel?

Cheers,
HL

What's Up This Week #2

So besides the fanatic writing of our FYP paper, the team and I went just across borders to Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Monday for a short getaway. It was quite a funny and tiring day as things went from Yay! to Nay! rather quickly. We didn't venture out much (because I was quite apprehensive aka scared about leaving the comforts of City Square) and things went downhill after we realized that the Bak Kut Teh we wanted to go eat, closed at 5pm. City Square gets pretty boring pretty quickly, and the bulk of money we  I spent was on food.

Bad things aside, I had a great fun time hanging out with my buddies and not thinking about work! ><


HL <3

Planning for the Big Trip...

So... a few of my friends are going on the big trip to Europe later this year and I thought it'll be good to start writing about my month-long grande évasion to help them with their planning. (Trust me, having tried to plan the itineraries of 10 cities ALONE, you'll need all the help you can get.)

First up, some general pointers:

Streets of Nørrebro / Copenhagen

#1. Train up, get fit and make sure you can walk for HOURS.

The big trip might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for most of us so you will want to make the most of your trip... and not miss out by waking up late (SIGH) and resting excessively (SIGH). I'm immensely guilty of both and I really wonder how much I could have squeezed in if I was a more hardworking traveller. Travelling can get very, very tiring so be prepared for that!

Buckingham Palace / London

#2. Good footwear.

There'll be a lot of walking involved no matter where you go. Good shoes are a must!

#3. Plan ahead together.

While planning for the trip, it will be good to have at least 2 person slightly familiar with the sights. Having planned most of the itineraries alone, it brought unprecedented amount of stress when something goes wrong. Plan the itineraries together! Having someone to share this responsibility with will make you enjoy the whole planning a lot more. Undeniably, possibilities for clashes will arise but at the end of it you can share the glory of having planned (and conquered) Europe TOGETHER!!!

Vintage Paris Map

#4. Prepare lotsa maps!

The very first thing you should buy at every city is a good map. Choose maps with with clear indicators of the major sights. Also, look for maps which includes a separate subway map within. This will help your commute within big cities such as London and Paris tremendously! Maps can be great souvenirs of trip so don't just rely on maps on the iPhone and tablets. (Online maps are great but they can be unreliable and inaccurate sometimes.) Get physical ones!

#5. Check the weather! And bring warm clothes.

I decided to go head to Europe during Summer for frivolous reasons - like wearing sundress and having a lighter luggage. I thought it'll be nice and sunny and the skies blue but we encountered a freak summer. Instead of the nice, cooling 20+ degrees, it was perpetually 12-15 degrees up north and half the time and I felt so cold that I wore three layers of clothing and wore leggings inside my jeans. Check up on the CURRENT weather before you pack! Bring a few warm jackets. That's always useful!

#6. Book tickets for the major sights online.

Don't waste time queuing for the sights and book your tickets online instead! Summer in Europe is packed with tourists so don't get stuck in the queues! Having booked most of the tickets for the attractions online, we managed to a save lots of time in Rome (and snigger at people stuck in the long queues. yes I'm mean like that). There are no additional booking charges online so DO IT!!!

#7. Don't miss out on night admissions!

The sun doesn't set till 10 pm so do check for night admissions! Ultimate time-saver.

#8. It's okay to be lost.

I wished someone had told me that getting lost is part and parcel of travelling. It can be intimidating to be lost in a land surrounded by people speaking in a language you don't know. Now take a deep breath and chill. It happens. Don't get overly anxious and enjoy the process of finding your way around! 

#9. Last but not least, be really, really excited.

And do a little dance whenever you can!

///

Flight:

Holidays in Europe are expensive principally due to the airfare. It's so hard to fork out SGD1500 for airfare! I know the pain, but psst, let me tell you a secret. I bought mine at SGD920 (all inclusive no less!). Ta-dah! *look of triumph* There's a common misconception that you should buy your tickets as early as possible to prevent the eventual heart attack that happens when airfares have risen beyond your budget. My advice would be this: book your tickets during the low-season, which is between March - May or September - December. Most airlines offer sale fares during this period so fret not! I flew Qatar Air, which is a much better airline than SQ imho. 

Accomodation:

Our apartment in Copenhagen! Dream home.

Definitely one of the highlights of the trip! Lotsa vintage furniture and funny Literature all over. THIS IS LOVE.

Unless you have a budget of 10k or more or am a room service junkie, there is no need to stay in a hotel. Opt for cheaper and much more interesting alternatives, such as hostels or local apartments! Hostels are a great way to meet traveller from other countries (or so I heard) and apartments allows you to live like a local (which I'm a total sucker for). Most apartments comes with a kitchen and a washing machine, which will help save you lotsa $$$! Preparing your own meals will definitely help reduce your expenditure and (reduce panic on getting cheated) while a washing machine allows you to bring less clothes! Win-win! 

French Toast prepared by my Amsterdam Host. :')

Bagels for Breakfast! It is here where I fell hopelessly in love with bagels. 

Throughout my trip, we mainly stayed in the apartments of locals who listed their apartments on airbnb.com. Kinda like renting a house for a few days or couch-surfing but with an actual room. Some of the houses we stayed in are so full of character and the owners are so nice! Our host in Amsterdam made breakfast-to-die for during our stay and we're eternally grateful for her hospitality.

and.... that's that. Hope this helps! 

Next up would be a guide to Rome!

Au revoir!

Tiffany

I WANT! Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer + Primer

Yesterday, I finally had a chance to try the famous Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. Just gorgeous.

It was a day of prowling and sneaking around as my marketing teammates (including Fitrina) and I visited the Benefit Cosmetics counters around town for our presentation this coming Monday. I was very sure we all looked very suspicious snooping around the counters, trying out products, taking their catalogues and booklets and asking many questions. ><  But it was fun! My knowledge of Benefit has officially hit the roof.

Anyway, whilst we were at the beautiful Benefit counter in TANGS Orchard, Fitrina and I crept towards the Laura Mercier counter instead. From previous experience, LM provided samples for their renowned tinted moisturizer and I was really excited to try them. It was pretty upsetting when they told us that they did not have samples! I was kinda devastated...but I went on to let them try the product on me anyways.

In no time, I was sitting on top of the makeup stool and Emily, one of the make up artist at Laura Mercier began removing the makeup on only half of my face. I had light foundation and concealer on with no blush yesterday. After which, she prepped my skin with the Laura Mercier foundation primer which was slightly orange from the tube but transparent on the skin. It felt like a refreshing cool gel. Then she proceeded to put on a couple of light layers of the tinted moisturizer onto the just prepped skin and it really does feel like a light moisturizer with little to no smell at all. My face was so moist and felt to clean, it was surprising to know that it was makeup!

After the tinted moisturizer, Emily went on to add concealer under my eyes and a touch of blush and translucent powder, which immediately brightened up my complexion. The products set quickly and I was left with a moisturized face and an even skin tone. Officially in love.

The cost of the tinted moisturized was S$68 for 30ml. Primer was S$52 for 30 ml, $34 for 15ml.

Have you tried the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer?

;)
HL

Removing Glitter Nail Polish – A New Way!

恭喜发财！ Or Gong xi fa cai! Wishing you a happy lunar new year! During the chinese new year (CNY), us Chinese - or rather, our elders - believe in wearing new clothes, bags and shoes to welcome a new year of prosperity and good wealth. This is true for our nails as well ><

For the past few days, I was rather reluctant (read: lazy) to remove my glitter polish for the new year. I had a dark purple and multi-coloured glitter on top and they were chipping and looking quite tardy, a no-no for cny visiting. So I had to do it.

I had an idea (tried and tested) a couple of months ago on removing glitter polish. Glitter polishes are gorgeous but they are also, a pain-in-the-ass. I know of the aluminum foil method where you wrap a nail polish-remover soaked piece of cotton with some foil and wait for a few moments. This method is less taxing as it does not involve any foil and you won't have to crush them with your palms (ouch).

You will need:

• Nail polish remover of choice
• Cotton pads
• 2 plastic gloves

Next, tear a cotton pad into two, and wet it with the remover. Plaster and wrap the soaked cotton onto the nail for all fingers on one hand!

Carefully put on the plastic gloves and move on to the other hand! When both hands are done, give it about 3 - 5 minutes and you're done! Be sure to check if it's done by carefully rubbing one off still within the glove to check. Remove the gloves and rub the cotton pads off.

What you'll be left are clean nails! You may need to use one of the used-cotton to remove any stubborn/remaining polish.

Now that my nails are clean, it's time for new nails!

Hope this helps!

:D

Cheers,
HL

Bye Bye January!

oh, where was i?

January was a good month - I cooked, I ran, I ate more veggies and quit fast food. 

How's your 2013 shaping up to be?

✐ Tiffany

Lesson 3: Sun and your Skin

Lesson 3 is about how your skin makes colour (aka get tan) and what are ingredients that helps fight UV damage. It was quite an eye-opener as I was shocked at how many products, out in the market right now, contain controversial ingredients. Scary!

My Rome trip, June 2011

The Sun can be a really scary thing! We get tanned, we form wrinkles and our skin age due to long exposure to the UV rays of the sun. Two of the most infamous rays that harm our skins are UVA and UVB.

To cut things short, UVA penetrates the upper layers of our skin, stimulating our melanocytes and thus making us darker. This particular ray is the main culprit of us getting wrinkles, freckles and spots, and the leathery texture of the skin (due to intense and long exposure).

UVB, compared to its big bro, is of shorter wave-length. It stops at the surface of the skin causing us to get burnt and peel. Ouch.

How do I prevent such damage then?
The familiar SPF, or sun protection factor, tackles mainly the UVB. The higher the number, the longer the amount of time you get this protection. The number does not naturally equate to the strength of protection! Let's give an example. Say, if I go under this particular amount of UVB without any sun protection on, I get sun burnt in 10 minutes. With SPF 15, I will take 15 times as long (or, 150 minutes) to burn!

UVA, however, does not get blocked out by SPF. Look for products that label PA after the SPF numeral. The more + behind PA, the better! (PA+++). Since the term PA is mostly used in Japan and some parts of Asia, look for phrases like "broad spectrum of UVA/UVB protection".

What to look out for in sunscreens and products?
There are two main kinds of sunscreen - physical and chemical.

Physical sunscreen (the good) includes zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These make your sunscreen have a white and powdery texture. Physical sunscreens are also the best sunscreens as they do not have much side effects.

Chemical sunscreens (the bad) on the other hand can actually be quite dangerous to us. Some of them (like homosalate) are hormone disruptors that can affect our our bodies when used on a daily basis (omg). Other chemical sunscreen include:

• Avobenzone – sunlight breaks down this into unknown chemicals that can penetrate deep into the skin
• Octocrylene – produces oxygen radicals when exposed to UV light, causes mutations, cell death.
• Ocyl Methoxycinnamate – moderately hazardous (not good at all), biochemical and cellular level changes, affects the endocrine system (hormones), most commonly used sunscreen ingredients. Can disrupt thyroid gland and brain signaling.
• Padimate-o – this chemical releases free radicals, damages DNA and has estrogenic activity, can cause photo-allergic reactions in some

Here are just a few examples of harmful chemical sunscreens. Sadly, the list goes on and on. Here is the list of them (other than zinc oxide and titanium oxide):

The properties of the chemicals can be found by searching them on http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ (Environment Working Group)

Is the tanning bed recommended? 
Most tanning beds use UVA as it is the ray that brings on the tan. However, as people usually use the tanning beds in an air-conditioned salon, there is a likelihood that we might be under the intense light for too long unknowingly. What more, you're pre-maturely ageing your skin!

So how can I get a tan and not damage the skin?
Fake tans. Fake tans contains some ingredients (DHA - dihydroxyacetone) that interacts with the skin to give you that bronzed skin. This lasts for a few days as the chemical only tackles the very top surface of the skin.

That's all for today's lesson!

Next up, laser treatments and IPL!

Lesson 1: Anti-ageing – Facts vs. Myths
Lesson 2: ACNE! What is it, how to prevent it and debunking myths!

Cheers,
HL

What's Up This Week?

Hi there! I'm sure even the most negligent reader of mind will agree that this place has taken a break on posts. Semester two has commenced and boy are we busy!

The whirlwind associated with FYP this semester has caused me to slow down on posting new entries (sorry!), but I do try to compensate with the weekly beauty lessons! Tiffany has loads of modules this semester so pardon her disappearance too ;). Besides busying myself with my projects, I have been practically doing little to nothing as everyone around me is more or less busy with their FYPs (including Alan, the bf) as well.

The majority of the free time I have this whole week was spent playing this crazily addictive (I suspect more like escapism-related) iPhone game – Pixel People. Basically, the user is the boss of this Utopia, runs the city and create clones via mixing and matching job descriptions. It kinda sucks my life away bit by bit ><

This week was busy but quite satisfying in a way, now that one project of mine (a certain part-time job) has ended, I am a little bit freer to do...even more work. Say hello to the life of a final student in wkwsci.

I know this is kinda like a rubbish post >< bare with me as I get my momentum for blogging back!


xo,
HL

Lesson 2: ACNE!!!! What is it, how to prevent it and debunking myths!

Hi guys! I'm back with yet another beauty lesson. This time around, I will be going through all the nasty stuff about ACNE.

Well, to say the truth, I don't have too much of an acne/pimple problem and I feel extremely blessed! However, I do get the odd pimple here and there and do try to combat my farm of black and white heads (ewww!) So when I attended the lecture, I was really eager to learn some tips and tricks and to share some info with you guys.

So...what is Acne?
I always separated the term acne and pimples/blackheads and sorts, and I was surprised to know that acne is the term for all of them!

Acne vulgaris, aka acne, occurs when the oil in your skin (produced to keep your hair healthy and protected) together with dead skin cells, clogs your pores. This clogging can cause blackheads, whiteheads and pimples/zits!

There is a certain bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes, that feeds on the oils on our skin (yucks) and produces some by-products that are super irritating to our skin. This is when it gets inflamed, red and develops into pimples, with visible pus or without. 

So basically, the oilier your skin, the greater the likelihood of getting acne (girls, think when you get your period). Of course, it gets worse when you don't exfoliate or cleanse your skin regularly to get rid of the dead skin cells and bacteria. So it is very important to cleanse and exfoliate regularly to prevent or improve acne.

I do suffer a fair amount of blackheads mostly on my nose and chin and try to combat them by manually getting rid of them (aka squeezing). I have tried those nose pore strips but I'm no fan of those cos they hurt like hell and does nothing for removing the blackheads. booyah.

Anyway, to better explain acne, I invited Dr. Neal Schultz to have a little chat with us!

 
What I took home after class!

This nasty P. acnes bacteria can be killed by benzoyl peroxide, tetracycline group and other antibiotics and antibacterial components. Products with a suitable percentage of benzoyl peroxide will help kill the bacteria responsible for inflamed spots.

Blackheads and whiteheads can be cleared by using products with Salicylic Acid (AHA), Glycolic Acid (BHA) or both to have the best effect. These are chemical exfoliants effective in clearing the skin of dead skin cells and oil. Scrubs with tiny beads small enough to clean your pores can also have a good effect to remove dead skin.

To be honest, I have used a tube of cleanser with both AHA and BHA and felt that it did not do anything great for my skin. I'm not sure if I'm an anomaly or did not have a serious enough problem to see a difference, or I just wasn't paying attention to the differences! But I am much more concerned with the ingredients of products before getting them now, that's for sure.

Treatment and Prevention
As we now know that oil, bacteria and clogged pores causes acne, we can combat these problems with the right tools and products.

First, remember to exfoliate to remove excess dead skin cells. This will lower the chances of having a clogged pore. Same goes for the oil. The P. acnes bacteria lives off the oil on your face and by minimizing the oil, the bacteria cannot cause all the trouble! Also, don't touch your face with dirty hands!

Picking your zits incorrectly can bring you more pimples as you not only can push the bacteria deeper into the skin, but spread it elsewhere too! I remember back in the days when I used to pick at my pimples and more just popped out the next few days. I was left with scabs on my forehead and extra pimples (boo..). Fortunately, I have grown out of that bad habit.

Debunking myths
Acne cannot be cured!
Acne can definitely be cured. Topical treatments include topical antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide and exfoliants can help kill bacteria and dissolve the oil away from the skin. For a more severe case, oral antibiotics and Accutane can help drastically. Accutane stops your skin from producing oil, and if there is no oil, there is no acne!

You should not use makeup to cover acne.
You definitely can cover acne with makeup, but more importantly with the appropriate kind. Take note of the terms 'oil-free', 'water-based' and 'non-comedogenic' (does not clog your pores).

You shouldn't squeeze your pimples because it will cause scarring.
Not quite right. You really have to injure quite deep into the skin to cause scarring. The darkness and marks that we see after picking at our spots are more like discoloration and pigmentation than scarring. It will go away, but it takes quite some time and maybe products to make it go away quicker.

Eating chocolate will make you break out!
There is no scientific evidence that show that certain kinds of food can cause people to break out. It actually varies from person to person. Chocolate may be tested to make a person break out but scientific experiments have found no significance in it across the board.

However, consistent eating of food containing high amounts of iodine causes acne. Shellfish contains iodine but non-regular eating of it won't cause anything.

The best time to wash your face after sports.
Actually, it is best to wash your face before doing sports. This is because you most likely will use your hands to wipe the grime and sweat away and this action pushes the bacteria and dirt into your skin causing you to breakout. 

That's all I have for you guys!

Next lesson will be on Suntanning and SPF~

Lesson 1: Anti-ageing – Facts vs. Myths

Cheers,
HL

Blue Monday

HongDae/MMMG Anguk/Seoul 

◆

Life has a funny way of spiraling out of control. 

Monday must be the one greatest moderate villains in the universe.

◆

Nursing the Monday Blues,

Tiffany ☁

The Silver Yarn Project

This post is kinda like a shameless plug for my boyfriend's FYP (final year project) – The Silver Yarn Project.

The Silver Yarn Project is a youth movement celebrating stories of our seniors. No longer should we neglect the relationships we have with our elderly. Take the first step and learn more about them today.

When we say seniors, we mean our grandparents, or even our elderly aunts and uncles. 

In the modern age, it’s often too easy to attribute a lack of communication with our seniors to a generation gap. This is why we’re inviting everyone, especially youths to take the first step to speak to their seniors and learn about their lives.

As we listen to their stories, we discover parallels within our own lives. The same hopes as dreams, the same fears and insecurities. These remain across generations. The project aims to bridge the communication divide between the young and old and bring them closer.

Find out more at thesilveryarnproject.sg
And like them on their Facebook page! 

Cheers,
HL

Lesson 1: Anti-Ageing – Facts vs Myths

I have some interesting news. I am taking an elective science module – Beauty and the Myths – this semester in school! This module (by the School of Biological Sciences), like its title, demystifies the many beauty products and claims with scientific knowledge and backings.

As this module occurs once a week, I will be sharing the knowledge that I have taken home with you guys. I will not be including every single thing from the lecture, but more of what I think is relevant plus other more important info that I have researched on before sharing.

So let's get on with it!

Ageing Skin

When your skin ages, so does the connective tissue beneath it. When this happens, your skin loses strength, elasticity and a reduction of collagen production and hyaluronic acid (forming wrinkles). Oil glands produce less sebum and this makes it harder for the skin to keep moist, resulting in dryness and itchiness. A more mature skin also heals slower than younger skin making it more susceptible to infections. Our faces lose fat (and natural lipids that retain moisture) underneath our skins and sag.

The 7 signs of Ageing skin:

• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Rough skin
• Uneven skin tone
• Dull skin
• Visible pores
• Blotches and age spots 
• Dryness

It is widely-known that we should always protect our skin from the sun by lathering on sunscreen-laden products, or physically via an umbrella or hat. This is because sun damage contributes to almost 80% of skin-ageing where the collagen and elastin in skin are broken down due to the UV radiation (mostly from sun and also from artificial sources). It causes a premature ageing of our skin.


Mr. McElligott here has been driving his truck to work at the same timing almost daily. After almost 30 years, this was what happened. The side of this face that was perpetually exposed to the sun showed extensive skin damage. [Source]




Hyaluronic Acid (HA)
Important jelly-like substance that helps transport all the nutrients from your bloodstream to the skin and can be found naturally in the human body. They can be found in the highest concentrations around the eyes and joints. HA can be produced in the lab using bacteria and is used in food/cosmetics to help retain moisture and is crucial to the structural integrity of the collagen matrix in the skin. It is an effective topical humectant and is also mostly known as an effective moisturizer and some use it as a healing agent for burns, ulcers and wounds.

HA is also used as a filler for a less invasive cosmetic procedure that is temporary.

Popular brand that uses HA: Hada Labo

Collagen

Being a large complex protein, it is unable to penetrate the skin. Even fragments of it or smaller molecules are unable to go through the skin... which means... topical collagen has no effectiveness. 

Vitamin C, however, increases the production of collagen. But in order for it to work, you need a high concentration (expensive) of it and it needs to be in an acidic environment. Vit C is highly degradable and exposure to air (opening the lid of the product) exposes it to oxidization quickly. It is best to have a regular consumption of Vit C (not in abundance as it will only get washed out) in its natural form as it could be a source of anti-oxidant as well.

Other good-to-knows
"Dermatologist tested" or  "Clinically tested" can mean a whole many things. It could be that this product has been applied to a patient's skin in a clinic or a real clinical study. It gives the consumer an impression that the product is reliable and "tested".

"FDA-approved". When a product is FDA-approved, it has to mean that every step of the production of it is proven to be safe, valid and effective. However, cosmetics products are not allowed to include this approval in their labeling to prohibit against false claims or it acting as advertising.


Alright! That's all I have for you today. Hopefully it is of any use to you guys :)

The next lecture would be – Acne and Pimples.

Cheers,
HL

Seoul Edition : The Book Society

The Book Society - HongDae/Seoul

If it's possible, i'd like to have a quaint little shop just like The Book Society. I'll sell nothing but zines - zine of funny propaganda, zines of extended heartache and longing, zines of fascination and lampoons. They can be the most ordinary of things - of flowers, of cats, of trees, or stranger's backs; they'll all have a space one place, one day, in a little shop filled with people's tiny thoughts.

That's would be nice.

At meantime, I'll try my hand at making a zine... one day, one day. It can't be hard, right? Maybe one day, I'll find my little world condensed into zine form in a little shop somewhere, maybe here, waiting for curious guests to find it stacked amongst it's many shelves after hours of browsing and when

they stumble upon it they'll go

"Oh!".

That's exactly what my experience at The Book Society. An inspiring little place - a little whimsical and it's easy to get lost in. I spent a good hour browsing through their extensive collection and came home happily with the first issue of AVEC.

The Book Society

Mapo-gu, Seoul

Hapjeong 371-4102

(alight at Hapjeong Station, Exit 7, walk down Seungil-gil, turn left at 2nd alley)

Tiffany▲

Weekends : Nouvelle Vague

Originally, I wasn't planning on introducing the band. All I wanted to blog about was this song, which is, in my opinion, THE perfect tune for Sundays. Unfortunately I can't 'cos of the pesky copyright hawks that have swept all available audio copies of the song off the internet so... here we are.

Nouvelle Vague - which means "new wave" in French, à la the eponymous 60's "new wave" French cinema movement (hence the sexy french cinema screen sirens on the covers)  is a band that does bossa nova covers of punk rock, post-puck music popular back in the days. I feel a little need to introduce the band simply because i'm sure it'll make your sunday better! Like pancakes-in-the-morning-better. Sweet la-dolce-vita better. 

Nouvelle Vague - Making Plans for Nigel

Have a good day!

Tiffany ♫

Etude House: Baking Powder Cleansing Foam Moist / Holika Holika Baby Bloom Foundation

I finally ran out of my huge bottle of Philosophy 3-in-1 facial cleanser, and honestly it was quite average for me. And so I went on a facial cleanser hunt on Qoo10, formally Gmarket Sg! If you are in Asia and have no idea what is Qoo10, here's a clue.

Recently, I'm quite into Korean/Japanese cosmetics and skincare and I somehow feel that they suit our asian skin better (and they are more affordable!). Searching through pages and pages of Korean brands from the trusty seller – World Cosmetics, I decided to try these two items.

Etude House Baking Power Cleansing Foam Moist and the Holika Holika Baby Bloom Foundation in 02. I received two sachets of Etude House Milk Talk body wash in 'Choco'.

Etude House Baking Power Cleansing Foam Moist

I have heard from beauty YouTubers about the powder of baking powder as a gentle and effective exfoliator and I was so excited when I came across this product! There were many highly recommended reviews on the item site and I had to get it. I got myself the Moist version, which comes in a pretty peachy pink tube (as compared to the normal version which is a blue tube) of 150ml. That is a lot of product! Another thing that I like is the light fresh scent that reminds me of Gatsby products.

The product creates quite a dense foam, which I think gives a good clean into the pores.

I am a week into using this and so far so good! I was having breakouts on my cheeks probably due to the excessive eating of festive goodies >< and I feel that this leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean but not totally striped of moisture. I also have been using the Hada Labo hydrating lotion after!

Cost: SGD10.60 inclusive of shipping from Korea
Price in Etude House outlets in Singapore, definitely higher, at SGD16.90!

Next up! Holika Holika Baby Bloom Foundation with SPF 30 PA++

What caught my attention when I first saw it was: Oh wow, it's in a big bottle. This foundation, costing SGD15.40 contained 45ml of product. That is quite a bit for foundation! I quickly swatched it and it smelt like....BABY. Baby powder to be exact :S It's not an off-putting smell to me but it could be a little strong for others. The smell fades off relatively quickly.

The consistency of this product is likened to a BB-cream – not too fluid and more 'gel-like'. The darker option #02 is still too light for my complexion, and so I use half a pump of this and the other my Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation (which I felt was a little too dark as it oxidises).

This foundation when used on its own, is quite thick and hard to spread around the face especially if you have a dry complexion. It works best over a well-moisturized face. Coverage-wise, it has quite a medium to high one. I love that it has SPF 30 PA++ which means I can use a moisturizer without SPF in it when I like!

Overall I am enjoying this foundation when I mix around with other ones as it is too light for me :( However, it does not leave my face too dewy and yet not too matte. Will update as I use more of it!

Frank Ocean/Tame Impala

We're a week + 1 day into the new year and I hope everyone still feeling fresh and new! Never mind if the weather's kinda crazy these days. (It never behaves the way we want it anyway, no?)

As we move further and further away from the beloved 2012, the cool quotient of things discovered in 2012 plummets faster than you can say 'last year' and fades into a dark oblivion, until someone else points it out and make you realize, oh, I really did miss out on some really good things in 2012 huh? This lag normally takes a good 6 months to culminate but I'm feeling it right now, 8 days into the new year. 

I first heard Frank Ocean's Channel Orange someday in  2012 and didn't thought much of it. When it came out tops in many of the "Album of the Year" lists, I gave the album a second spin and finally understood why it's good. Channel Orange sounds like a more subdued and minimalistic version of Neptune's sleek jams and riches that once dominated airwaves circa 2003-2004. If the R&B of those years were an endless MTV of luxurious lifestyle of champagne and candy girls, the first half of Channel Orange exists as an honest introspection to the vanity and emptiness of the obscenely rich (Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Sierra Leone) while the second half laces the usual drugs, sex and a stinging heart with references to really spiritual stuff (Monk, Bad Religion, White). Whoa pretty deep there isn't it. Impressive or what? Great story-telling matched with a great, great voice. 

Tame Impala's Lonerism ranks high in 2012's lists and I'd recommend "Elephant". I'm not a big fan of the rest of their songs but Elephant gets my feet tapping all the time! Forgive me for saying this but I think the lead singer sounds like John Lennon. I always imagine the Beatles jamming to this tune in their preppy suits, which is funny, 'cos unless the Beatles are floating in space, the image really doesn't go with Lonerism's psychedelic soundscapes. 

Listen to Channel Orange here and Lonerism here.

Tiffany♫

Hair care update: Garnier Neril Anti-dandruff shampoo saves the day!

Last July, I wrote a post about my dandruff problem and a possible shampoo that I thought would solve my problem. The Dermaveen Oatmeal shampoo, albeit super-duper nice smelling and left my hair light and clean, did not solve the problem. I continued to have dry flakes, mostly concentrating on the top of my skull and forehead.

But now, about 6 months later, I come back with some good news. I have possibly found a shampoo worth raving about for my scalp condition. I don't suffer from an overly oily scalp and I would say I have a 'combination-type' scalp. It is occasionally more oily and on some days it is dry (and gets even flakier). I have been using this particular shampoo for a few months now and am onto my second bottle. To tell the truth, it works. My hair is (I would say) more than 90% clear of dandruff (not that I had a severe problem in the first place).

My miracle shampoo is....(cues drumroll)...

The Garnier Neril hair treatment SHAMPOO ANTI-DANDRUFF shield in frequent usage.

The shampoo comes in a 200ml bottle, quite little for a frequent-wash shampoo, but I guess it adds to the credibility and pow-wow factor. It surprisingly lathers quite easily and has a slightly medicated scent to it. It does not, however, leave me with the most luxuriously silky hair but nothing a little conditioner won't fix! Now that my scalp is much more stable, I tend to deviate shampoos once every two days (so I don't use it up as fast!).

It comes also in a tonic form to up the game to the next level. Garnier Neril also does a hair fall series so don't get mixed up by the similar packaging!

I'm so glad to have chanced upon it while browsing through the Venus Beauty nearby, and purchased it at SGD5.50 for a 200ml bottle. If you're in Singapore, and want to try it, check it out at the various supermarkets/Watson's/Guardian/Venus Beauty!

Hope this helps!

cheers,
HL

Good Morning!

Good morning! Sundays are great for pancakes with really liberal amounts of berries and syrup. 

Have a sweet, sweet day!

Tiffany ☀

LC-A Korea

Taken with LC-A/Lomography CN400

Spent a good 9 days with the family in Korea and I thereby conclude that I'll never travel in winter again. My tropical body just can't take the cold! I reached a new level of sloth by relying mostly on the LC-A throughout the trip, simply because it was just wayyyy to hard to adjust lenses and settings on the DSLR with gloves! Thankfully, the pictures on film turned out to be more amazing than it could ever be.

For film of choice, I used Lomo's Color Negative 400. The bluish tint of the film gave a very nice contrast against the frost and accentuated the blueness of the sky. The richness in color could also be a result of the very vacation-friendly LC-A - the camera is the King of Vignettes! All in all, I think it's great film to use, especially if you like your pictures bright and blue. Really happy with the photos :)

Tiffany☃