Updated Skincare Regime

 

 

It’s been quite a while since I last wrote here! Been really busy with school… I’m in the last week of school for the term and the projects and presentations are driving me crazy. So I’ve decided to take a breather by showing you guys my updated skincare regime as of the month of November! Below are just some of the products that I find myself grabbing most often.

I wash cleanse my face at least twice a day but with more emphasis on my night routine as I do wear a bit of make-up every day. I’ll talk about the products in terms of how I use them.

CLEANSING

In the morning, I use LUSH’s Let the Good Times Roll facial cleanser which is made of maize flour, polenta and corn oil. It’s 100% natural and preservative-free. This cleanser debuted last Christmas and I instantly fell in love with it. Angels on Bare Skin used to be my holy grail cleanser but THIS, beats AOBS hands down for me. The smell is just so yummy too – and it stays on the skin! Since I’m done with my Shu Uemura cleansing oil, I now use Bioderma’s Sensibio H20 to remove my make-up and cleanse my skin at night. It’s an all-in-one product that’s really gentle and soap-free. It doesn’t remove waterproof make-up like mascara that well though, so you might have to use another eye make-up remover. However, I seldom use mascara so this works well for me.

TONING & MOISTURIZING

I use LUSH’s Eau Roma Water mostly both day and night nowadays. Sometimes, I use the Breath of Fresh Air in the morning, depending on my mood. I’ve been using BOFA for almost 1.5 years and recently fell in love with Eau Roma Water. It’s made of just lavender water and rose water – so it’s really gentle, calming and soothing. For moisturizer, I’ve been using Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream both day and night. It’s a wonderful product that is not overrated (I must say).

SERUMS & EYE CREAM

I must admit that I do not use the two travel sized samples of Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery and Dark Spot Corrector every night. But when I do use the Midnight Recovery, I wake up with dewy skin. The Dark Spot Corrector worked for my stubborn blemishes which I wanted to clear. So, I definitely would recommend these two products. For eye cream, I’ve been using Kiehl’s Line-reducing Eye-brightening Concentrate which has vitamin C. I love this but I won’t use it every night as well. I want to try Kiehl’s Avocado eye cream soon.

SUNSCREEN

I cannot emphasize my LOVE for this sunscreen from Kiehl’s! It’s really ultra light like what the name says, Ultra Light Daily UV Defense. I use this product every single day after my morning skincare regime. It feels really good. I hate products that make my skin feel greasy in the day and this works really awesome! I have been recommending this to all my friends and family. Definitely repurchasing this after I’m done with my current one. It is a little pricey for a sunscreen but it’s totally worth your money.

 

Hope you liked this post. Still on the lookout to try more skincare products and see what works best for my skin! 🙂 Let me know if I should try any skincare products that you highly recommend! 🙂

Travel Make-up Essentials

Last week, I went for a 2D1N staycation at Hard Rock Hotel Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa. I packed light but I knew I still had to bring some make-up. Here’s a post on my travel essentials! 🙂

Interior of The Balm’s Downboy Blusher and Sleek’s Contour Kit

1. MAC Select Sheer/Loose Powder in NC15
2. Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light – I use this more for a matte bronzer and highlight.
3. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001 Honey
4. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Nude
5. COVERGIRL Lashblast Volume Waterproof Mascara in 825 Very Black
6. Maybelline Colour Tattoo Metal 24HR Cream Gel Shadow in Barely Branded
7. Maybelline Colour Tattoo Metal 24HR Cream Gel Shadow in Inked in Pink
8. The Balm DownBoy Shadow/Blush
9. Bobbi Brown Long-wear Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink
10. LUSH Colour Supplement in Light Yellow

3rd Lush Christmas

1st row: Gold Fun, Let the Good Times Roll, Buche de Noel, Christmas Eve
2nd row: So White, Rose Jam, Snow Globe, Santa’s Lip Scrub, Sandy Santa
3rd row: Melting Snowman, Lord of Misrule, Shoot for a Star, Luxury Lush Pud, Penguin, Secret Santa

This year marks my 3rd Christmas with Lush and I admit, it does feel a little nostalgic and special. It all started 2 years ago in Christmas after all when we open our first shop in Singapore on 3rd December 2011. Back then, I will not deny that I knew nothing about what this journey will be like. Neither did I think that I will be celebrating my 3rd Lush Christmas. I still remembered how Lauren from the UK told us that she counts the number of Christmases that she has been with Lush to tell how long she has been working here. 🙂

Most people might not understand but Christmas at Lush is indeed huge! It really does feel like you are celebrating Christmas even if you don’t. Looking at all the Christmas products makes one feel like yay, it’s bonus time! They come up with the best ever inventions every single year. I still remember being able to see what’s for Christmas in 2012 at Lush Fest. It was amazing. I remembered how I screamed like crazy when they unveiled Twilight as the new shower gel! Never have I been so excited. Still gutted that Twilight isn’t coming back this year, meh.

This year’s Christmas products are all about three things: 1) Innovation, 2) Invention and 3) Spectacular Christmas and Lush for Life! We say Lush for Life because most of the scents of this year’s products will be familiar scents – you can link them easily with our permanent all-year-round products. There are a handful of new products this year and some, not so new ones. One thing’s for sure is that the returning products all had a lot of improvements made to them! Another special news is that the products that has vanilla absolute are all fair-traded (World’s first!). Also, the two new body lotions, Celebrate and Sikkim Girls are preservative-free! Exciting, isn’t it?

I’m just gonna share with you guys some of my picks from this Christmas!

• Ultimate favorite Christmas product: Christmas Eve bubble bar
• Favourite product from 2013: Secret Santa bath ballistic (because it smells like a Lush shop, not kidding!)
• Favourite bath product(s): Secret Santa bath ballistic, Penguin bubble bar, Christmas Eve bubble bar, Golden Wonder bath ballistic
• Favourite shower product(s): Rose Jam shower gel, Sandy Santa body butter
• Favourite soap(s): Snow Cake, Noriko, Snow Globe

Tell me what’s your favorite product from this year’s Lush Christmas range! 🙂 I might do a more in-depth post about some of the products soon. 😉 Till then.

Review: Lush’s A Crash Course in Skincare Fresh Face Mask

A couple of weeks ago, Melissa went to South Korea and I knew I had to ask her to get A Crash Course in Skincare fresh face mask for me there! This mask is discontinued about a couple of years ago and I believe South Korea is probably the only country that still manufactures this mask.

Ingredients: Fresh Avocado, Kaolin, Natural Yoghurt, Glycerine, Talc, Fresh Lemon Juice, Sandalwood Oil, Lavender Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Chamomile Oil, *Citral, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume (*Occurs naturally in essential oils)

This mask is possibly one of my favorite masks from Lush to date! The consistency of the mask is amazing – ultra smooth and easy to apply. I doubt I have ever used a mask made locally with such consistency. After rinsing it off, my face feels cleansed, soft and smooth. I love the smell of it too – with two of my favorite essential oils in it, lavender and sandalwood oil.

It costs 18,700 KRW which is about S$22. I wish this mask wasn’t discontinued. Definitely repurchasing whenever I have the chance to. I spoke to one of my Lush Korea friends a few days ago and she was telling me this is their best selling fresh face mask after Mask of Magnaminty!

Review: Lush’s Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask

I’m back with a new review this week. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that my skin was slightly peeling and I needed something to calm my skin down. What’s better than Lush’s Catastrophe Cosmetic fresh face mask, right?

 

Catastrophe Cosmetic is one of my favorite fresh face masks from Lush. In fact, I think it’s my number 1 go-to fresh face mask. I do love the others like Love Lettuce and BB Seaweed, but THIS, is just amazing! Let me start with the ingredients first then I’ll get down to what I really love about this mask!

Full ingredient list for Catastrophe Cosmetic

Looking at the ingredient list, calamine powder is the first ingredient on it which is the essence of this face mask. Calamine helps to calm your skin down and gets rid of redness or soreness. Another exciting feature of this mask has got to be the fresh blueberries! If you do not know this by now, blueberries are antioxidant. The best part about fresh face masks is that it’s 100% natural with no preservatives and chemicals!!!

What’s so great about this mask, you ask? It’s gotta be something when it’s one of the top best sellers globally, right? In my opinion, this mask is suitable for any skin types. It is so calming and gentle for the skin – even suitable for the younger crowd! It’s a fuss-free mask which really helps to calm your skin down in times of trouble. If you experience peeling, redness, soreness or congested skin, definitely do give Catastrophe Cosmetic a try! Even when you are experiencing breakouts, this mask will not clear your break outs but it will soothe it and lighten the redness or soreness. The after-effects of this face mask is clearer and brighter skin!

Me with the mask being applied on my face

If there is something that I don’t really like about this mask is that it dries out very quickly. I’m guessing it’s because of the calamine. Calamine, for a fact, can be slightly drying if overused. However, I counter this problem with applying the mask on for about 5-7 minutes and rinsing it off no longer than that. In fact, most people like to put it on for about 5 minutes. Anything more than 7 minutes or so, you’d find that it flakes off and can be difficult to wash off.

All in all, this is definitely one of my ultimate favorite products from Lush! I believe many would agree too. If you haven’t tried this, you definitely should!

Love is in the HAIR!

“What Lush products have you tried or used?” – Customers and new colleagues often ask me this question. My answer to this question is that I’ve tried and used a lot of products, but if I were to name a category, I’d say Haircare.

I can safely say that I’ve tried majority of Lush’s haircare products and loved most of it! Out of the entire Lush haircare range, I think I can count with two hands what I have not tried! I’ve tried everything from the current range except Marilyn, Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Eaze, I Love Juicy, Seanik, Jumping Juniper, Karma Komba, Dirty Hair Styling Cream and Trichomania.

I wanted to share what is in my current haircare routine today.

My first Lush hair care product was the Big shampoo because I’ve limp flat hair and I wanted something that could help give my hair a bit of volume. I’m still using it now, just that I don’t use it as a daily shampoo. I use it probably once a week or so just to deep cleanse my scalp.

Above the Big shampoo in the picture is a teeny weeny bit of the Big solid conditioner that I use very occasionally. Some people think it’s disgusting because it’s soft and mushy but let me tell you, this product works wonders on your hair! Most people are skeptical about solid conditioners but this is so softening and it smells amazing! The way I use this is that I pinch a small bit from the tub that I store it in and rub it between my palms under the shower and then smother it all over my hair. It is a lightweight conditioner that is super softening.

Next up is something new for me – Daddy-O shampoo! I bought this because I wanted to try a new liquid shampoo and boy, I am so glad to have gotten this! For people who think that Daddy-O is only for blondes or colored hair, no-no! I have dark hair and it works so well on my hair! I love that the violet scent actually stays on my hair and it makes my hair feel soft and shiny!

Fair Trade Honey shampoo is my all-time favorite shampoo! This product is amazing because it is moisturizing and it doesn’t weigh my hair down too much! It gives my hair that lustre and shine too. What’s amazing about this is that it has zero preservatives and 50% of it is pure honey!

R&B hair moisturizer is also something that I’ve fallen in love recently. Although I have rather manageable hair (my hair is normal, straight and it’s not dry), R&B does add that extra little something to it! I smother this all over my damp hair after every shower and when it dries out, my hair feels so soft and healthy! I highly recommend people to give this product a try if you have dry and frizzy hair. It works wonders!

Last product is my all-time favorite conditioner from Lush – Veganese! I’ve tried ALL of Lush’s hair conditioners and this is my go-to daily conditioner. American Cream is our best-seller but I feel that Veganese does condition my hair better than AC! I use the word daily conditioner because the triple-strength conditioner, Retread is definitely most moisturizing out of the whole range. If you have super dry and frizzy hair, definitely try Retread. Veganese is more for people with manageable hair who just wants something lightweight and softening.

That’s all I have to share for today regarding the products that I’m currently using on my hair! 🙂 Do leave a comment below to share what are some of your favorite Lush haircare products and why.

Review: LUSH Mask of Magnaminty

I’ve been with Lush for more than 1 and a half years but I can’t believe I have only recently discovered my love for all-time Lushie’s favorite products like Ultrabland and Mask of Magnaminty. My love for Mask of Magnaminty (MoM) started about 2-3 months ago when I purchased a super fresh small tub of MoM. I’ve used it before when I first started working at Lush but didn’t really seem to love it that much – I really have NO idea why!

MoM is only of our best sellers in Singapore and I believe it is world wide too. It is such an awesome face mask! After being with Lush all these time, I have come to realize that a product really works best when it’s fresh. In my opinion, I have found that products made within the first 6 months of manufacture is the best. I’m saying this with experience as I have stocked up on many Lush products during my trip to UK last year and have compared it with the new ones that I have repurchased. In terms of appearance, consistency and efficacy, I really love it when it’s FRESH! After all, FRESH IS BEST in Lush, isn’t it? 😉

 

The MoM that I have now is made by the lovely Wiola on the 3rd July 2013 and will last me through 3rd November 2013. MoM only has a short shelf life of 4 months and after purchasing MoM for a handful of times, I realized that it’s best used within the first 2 months. I love it when it’s still moist and fresh. Although it lasts you for 4 months, I find that it will dry up when it approaches the end of the 3rd month of its shelf life.

 

Teehee, that’s me with MoM! Customers always ask how much or how thick a layer should they put on and my reply will be something thick enough to cover my whole face to make it opaque. I know some people like to spread just a thin layer but I find that the thicker it is, the better it feels for me – so that’s how I do it all the time. I typically leave it on for 5-10 minutes (as instructed) and use warm water to rinse it off after. 🙂

Why is MoM so good, you ask? It has the simplest but the best ingredients ever!

 

The bentonite gel, being the main ingredient actually helps to cleanse the skin and extract all the dirt and oil from the skin. It also helps to tighten the pores. What I love most is the peppermint oil and the ground aduki beans! The peppermint makes my skin feel tingly and the ground aduki beans are just the right texture of exfoliants for the skin. MoM really suits all types of skin – whether you just want a face mask to relax your skin, cleanse your skin or minimize pores, this mask is for you!

I’ve tried the much raved about ‘Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask’ which some people say it’s a dupe for Lush’s Mask of Magnaminty and I can guarantee you that it is nothing close to the latter. If you think that it’s awesome, you probably haven’t tried MoM yet!