My skincare routine (updated for post-acne skin)

I'm glad to announce that the crazy acne that attacked my face last year has officially stopped sprouting. What I'm left with are unsightly scars, but I'll rather handle the scars than more acne. Luckily, my concealer is quite heavy-duty so most of the time, the scars are unseen (except for those rough terrains, yes I have mo-peng areas. haiyah). 

These days I try not to use face primer/liquid foundation/BB Cream on my face. Just concealer on needed areas and then brush the areas over with my trusted ZA two-way foundation. I'm scared of clogging the pores and hence inviting acne again. This makeup routine is both good and bad. Good because it cuts down my application time and my skin actually doesn't feel so heavy. Bad because this hinders me from reviewing such products! :( Such a dilemma. I'll still apply the amazing Holika Holika BB Cream if the occasion calls for it though. 

I wear makeup almost every single day (I try to let it breathe during the weekends) and so removing them at the end of a long day is an extremely important step. For girls with oily skin, please please remove your makeup before you go to sleep. I was lazy to remove once (after a long mahjong session) and in the morning, I immediately noticed bumps. IT'S THAT FAST!! The mantra to remember is when you sleep and rest at night, you gotta let your pores breathe and rest as well! All that junk on your face suffocates your pores!! 

Therefore, I always make sure that my skincare routine is adapted to my skin condition. When I had crazy acne breakouts a few months ago, my skincare routine was very minimal. Cleanse with gentle cleanser, apply acne medication, then apply oil-free moisturizer and I was done. No masks whatsoever. Maybe the occasional exfoliating, but at most once a week. 

Now, my skin has cleared up and hence my skincare routine has been modified to keep acne away. I have been applying more moisturizing products too because the acne medication (both applied and taken orally) dried the heck out of my skin. 

Step 1: Removing the junk

• Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing Cleansing Wipes 
• ZA Eye & Lip Makeup Remover

The Nivea wipes smell amazing and it does its job beautifully. I use the ZA one to remove stubborn waterproof mascara and eyeliner! 

Step 2: Cleansing

• Morning: VMV Hypoallergenics Spring Cleaning Oil Control Antibacterial Facial Scrub
• Night: Garnier Pure Active Multi-Action Scrub

Nowadays, I like to use cleansers that have some sort of scrubbing properties. They are not as harsh as exfoliators, but they ensure that any makeup that was not removed earlier is removed while cleansing! The VMV one is more gentle and contains less harsh chemicals (no salicylic acid) and so I use it in the morning because I don't have makeup on my face when I wake up. 

The Garnier one is a crazy effective cleanser. My skin cleared up faster after I started using Garnier. AMAZING. Cheap cheap also!! 

Step 3: Toning

• Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Cooling Toner
• VMV Hypoallergenics Superskin 1 Monolaurin + Mandelic Acid Toner
• Mentholatum Acnes Medicated Powder Lotion

Currently I alternate among these 3 products. The VMV one has a specific 8-week Application Frequency programme because it contains Active Treatment products. Basically that means that if I started using the VMV one twice a day from day one, there's a likelihood that my skin won't like the sudden surge of strong chemicals and hence allergies etc. may occur. The 8-week plan ensures that my skin slowly gets used to the product. I'm at week 7 now and so far so good! 

I use the Neutrogena one because I have ugly blackheads on my nose. =_= The Mentholatum one was included in the WKWSCI Exam Welfare Pack, so I'm trying it out haha. 

Step 4: Acne medication

• Galderma Benzac AC 2.5
• Mentholatum Acnes Medicated Sealing Jell
• VMV Hypoallergenics id Sweat Acne and Overall Anti-Bacterial Monolaurin Gel

The Galderma Benzac AC 25 has been a staple since my first visit to the dermatologist. It used to be really drying but I guess my skin got used to it. I use this twice a day on affected areas. 

Both the Mentholatum one and VMV one are becoming my "makeup primers" because they really keep my skin matte longer! I usually apply them before applying my makeup in the morning! 

Step 5: Eye creams

• Philosophy Hope in a Tube Eye and Lip Firming Cream
• Origins Plantscription Anti-ageing eye cream

Eye creams are a must for me now. Getting old means combating wrinkles early!! 

Step 6: Moisturizing

• VMV Hypoallergenics Spring Fresh Oil-Free Nourisher
• Clean & Clear Essentials Oil-Free Moisturiser

I use the Clean & Clear one in the morning because it's less heavy. The VMV one almost feels like a mask because of it's creamy consistency, so I apply it at night before resting! 

Three times a week: Exfoliating

• St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub

I swear by this product. It leaves my skin feeling SOOOOOOOOOOO clean. Regular (not excessive!) exfoliating is important because we need to get rid of dead skin cells that may clog your pores if not removed! I always look forward to my exfoliating session because my skin feels so smooth after that. Also, moisturizing is so much easier after exfoliating. The product gets sucked into the skin cells immediately. LOVE IT. 

However, please don't exfoliate too much. If you just started, maybe twice a week, then gradually work your way to thrice a week. You don't want to be scraping off your skin and making it ultra sensitive! 

Three times a week: Night Mask

• My Scheming Tea-tree Night Jelly

As said above, my moisturizer works doubly well after an exfoliating session. So I take the chance to nourish my skin more using a night mask! I love this one because it's moisturizing while protecting my skin from acne! 

And so, that's my skin routine. It may seem excessive to some of you, but it's important to take care of your skin from young. Some people are suited to the simple 3-step skincare or even just soap and water, but some people have skins that need extra attention!

Unless your dermatologist advises you to, don't stick to a certain skincare routine forever because as you age, your skin condition changes, hence your skincare routine has to change as well!

Hope this post is helpful! Have an amazing weekend guys! :)

Watsons Members Sale Haul (27 March 2013)

When I found out that there was going to be another Members Sale at Watsons on 27 March 2013, I had to plan on what I needed straight away. For one, I had to stock up on some necessities. However, the bigger motivator was the fact that that day was also the day when all the YR4s submitted their Final Year Projects. I felt like I had to reward myself! :D 

So yes, I went with Huiling, my fellow Watsons sale maniac, and we got ourselves some pretty good deals! 

Both of us managed to be the first 100 to spend over S$30 in a single receipt too, so we both received early bird gift packs! 

I  only bought four items, the rest were included in the gift pack! YAY! 

First up, I needed to stock up on my ZA two-way foundation. This has been my go-to foundation since my secondary school days and it is still my holy-grail foundation. The set was going for 2 for S$50, so now I have 4 refills! :)

This set of KATE gel eyeshadows retailed for S$9.90. I'm a sucker for brown/neutral eye shadow colours so I just grabbed this. A review on these will be up soon!

Also had to pick up a couple of the Bio-essence BIO Spring Water. They are amazing for setting your make-up, especially when you don't want to look too cakey and made up! They were S$1.45 each (!!!) because there was an additional discount for cardholders!

My final purchase was the Maybelline Magnum Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara. Wanted this previously but it was too pricey. During the sale, the mascara retailed for S$14.90! SCORE! :)

I will review this soon too!

I generally get really excited whenever Watsons holds a Members-exclusive sale. However, I think I will stick to going to the branch at Bukit Panjang Plaza in the future! Less crowded and less messy!

THANK YOU WATSONS! :)

Travel essentials - light makeup edition

This is the second part of my "travel essentials" post - all about the makeup that I bring with me when I'm traveling. 

However, because of my fussiness about makeup looks, this post will only be for the products that I bring along with me for trips that require no heavy or fancy makeup looks! For those looks, I tend to bring a much bigger makeup bag filled with a lot more products haha. 

I have a lot of makeup bags, but I prefer to use a clear one during traveling just so that I can save seconds when looking for the products. It's not a lot of time, but the seconds add up! 

My current go-to traveling makeup bag is this Banila Co. one which Eve got for me from S. Korea. It's not so huge but it can contain a lot of products! Also, it's clear and it's bright orange. I'm sold. 

• Sunscreen - I always use sunscreen before my actual foundation routine. I'm paranoid of getting old and the sunlight is no longer my friend at this age!
• Concealer - MUST HAVE. Without a concealer, I think I will just stay indoors all day. 
• Two-way foundation - I always use the ZA two-way foundation. I have used more expensive powders and I still think the ZA one is the best. I will use the sponge for under-eye area, then use the everyday minerals brush for all the other parts. This way, my face will not look cakey! 

• Tinted moisturiser - I completely forgot to include this on the above photo! I will use my tinted moisturiser before concealer! I'm running out of my Laura Mercier one and I'm sad. :( 
• Blush + Bronzer - I have too many blushes and too many bronzers, but when I'm traveling, I will always bring my elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder because the packaging is not bulky and I get two products in one. I always apply them with my trusted elf blush brush!

I tend to bring more eye products. haha.

• Eyeshadow base - it's my habit to use an eyeshadow base because it makes whatever eyeshadow I apply last longer and smudge-proof. 
• A good neutral eyeshadow - the one that I like is Elianto's brown eyeshadow! Enough shimmer for everyday wear! 
• A good highlight eyeshadow - I MUST blend my eyeshadow to make it look more natural, so I will always bring a skin-shade eyeshadow. 
• Trusted pencil eyeliner - Urban Decay's 24/7 in Perversion (LOVE!) 
• Trusted felt-tip eyeliner - for the winged eyeliner look that I love so so so so very much. 

I don't really bring mascaras because I will be out and about, and hence I don't want my mascara to smear, melt or just create a mess lah.

The above products are must-brings for me, no matter where I go. In my makeup bag, these products will always be present. I will only add other things and never take the above products out. If I'm going to school or just going out in Singapore, I will normally just bring out my two-way foundation out.

Should I do another post on heavy makeup edition? I'm on the fence because I will be featuring many similar items and the post will be a bit boring then. :S Do tell me if you guys want to read a post on that though!

Have a good weekend and hope the two posts have been useful for your traveling plans! :)

Review: ZA Pure Shine Lips in RD2 Honey Rouge

I have never tried ZA lipsticks before because one, I'm not a fan of lipsticks and two, I have rarely heard or read anyone raving about them. It's a pity no one gushes about them though because after trying the ZA Pure Shine Lips in RD2 Honey Rouge, I think they are worth some praises! 

I got the ZA Pure Shine Lips in RD2 Honey Rouge in a bundle pack during the Watsons Members Sale and the bundle pack was S$9.90 (including a mirror, an eyeshadow palette and a mini eye makeup remover). 

Outside packaging: The plastic box is very pretty. I still remember those days when ZA products were all packaged in an ugly blue colour. Now that the brand has revamped its packaging, it's so much more girly and relatable! Who doesn't like pink?! However, I must say that the colour indication on the packaging is NOTHING like the real lipstick colour at all. 

Product packaging: Classy with a hint of brand identity. The top part of the lipstick is metallic pink, and the bottom part is metallic yellow/orange. It's quite different and it definitely does not look cheap.

Photo taken using natural lighting

Photo taken under camera flash

Swatch taken under camera flash

Colour and pigmentation: RD2 Honey Rouge is a mellow rose pink with a tiny weenie bit of shimmer. It's a very natural lip colour and it's certainly suitable for those that prefer subdued lip colours. Pigmentation-wise, the ZA Pure Shine Lips is not a top performer, but I like the fact that it's less pigmented because it's more build-able that way.

Moisturising? To be frank, I don't like my lipstick to be too moisturising because many brands equate moisturising to being glossy, and I hate glossy lips on myself. The ZA Pure Shine Lips, however, is moisturising without overly glossy and shiny. It gives adequate moisture to the lips, but I suggest applying your trusted lip balm before applying this lipstick. Double mositure power = always welcome.

Longevity: It doesn't last very long. I give it around 2 hours max before I need to run to the loo for a touch-up.

Will I buy it again? Why not? ZA is a brand that I trust and love since my secondary school days and I'm kicking myself right now for not trying out their lipsticks. I think they are worth the money and definitely one of the better performers in the drug store arena. I'm looking at a bright coral shade, so I'm hoping ZA has some variations!

Everyday Make-up Routine + Jazzing it up a lil!

I have been asked quite a lot on the everyday makeup products that I use. So here's a post to answer all the queries that I have on that topic! 

I used to buy makeup products just for the sake of buying, but nowadays I keep repurchasing things that I like, and I hesitate a little more when it comes to experimenting with new brands. The reason is simple - I don't want to risk my skin from breaking out. As I get older, my skin gets more and more sensitive to the chemicals used in such products and so usually I take the easy way out and just stick with the products that I know will work fine on my skin. 

The first section is just for face alone. Not everything is used on my face at one go; I rotate between products or just simply apply what I feel like applying. 

ZA Two-way Foundation - has been a favourite of mine since secondary school days. I strayed in the past, but always come back to this powder because it's fantastic! 

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Foundation - Not kidding about the "Stay Matte" claim. This liquid foundation also has no SPF in it, so it's good for days when you know there's a lot of flash photography involved. 

Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Liquid Foundation - My current favourite liquid foundation. Amazing product! 

Heroine Beauty Perfect Sunscreen - My default primer. Makes my skin so smooth and high SPF content too! 

L.A. Girl Pro.conceal - I used to hate this product but ever since my skin became the shipwreck that it was, I realised this was the only concealer that covers well but will not break me out. So I have officially jumped ship.

MISSHA Under Eye Brightener - I only use this for my dark under-eye areas. Works like magic.

everydayminerals blush in Viki's Radiant Creation - I use this blush when I feel like I need a more orange or coral cheek look. The fine sparkles are pretty too!

M.A.C Beauty Powder in Pretty Baby - On days in which I like pink cheeks, I will turn to this beauty powder. Extremely buildable and the colour is not too ra-ra!

elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in SunKissed - I always turn to this product whenever I need to look more alive. I don't use this for contouring though because it's quite sparkly. Usually what I do is I apply after my blush to make my cheeks more radiant!

Go-to eye products! I always use them!

NYX Eyeshadow Base - This product deserves more love from the beauty community. I tried both the UD Primer and the Too Faced Primer. This one works as brilliantly. So why pay more? :)

Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow Trio in 12 Lotus Flower - I mainly use this for the nude colour. I will apply it all over my eyelid area and that will be all my eyeshadow work.

I like to layer my mascaras so here are my current two favourites - Tony Moly Cats Wink Mascara and M.A.C Zoom Fast Black Lash.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion - The blackest of black eyeliner with an amazing amazing AMAZING formula and staying power. I'm just sad I'm using it so much. I need to get a new one soon!

Heroine Make Liquid Felt-tip Eyeliner - I always use this to do my cat-eye or winged eyeliner. Of course years of practice help when in comes to the perfect winged eyeliner but this is a good product to start with!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Midnight Cowboy - I like to apply this on my inner undereye area because it creates the illusion of larger and more awake eyes!

When I see the need to jazz it up a little, or when I have a little bit more time, I turn to these products the most! More time equals to more products and more colours!

• Urban Decay Naked Palette
• Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach
• Too Faced bronzer
• Fresh lipbalm 
• elf Blush in Candid Coral

Yay! Hope this answers the queries! Have a good week ahead! :) I'm going to Bangkok in another 12 hours' time! Shopping galore!!! :D

Watsons Haul (new Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Foundation) and Lab Series free samples!

It has been a good week, in terms of hauling and acquiring new beauty and skincare items to review. My wallet is sobbing real hard though. 

I was highly interested in purchasing the new Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Foundation because the advertisements were too good! Of course, I couldn't leave Watsons with only the foundation right?

So here's the rest of the stuff that I bought!

ZA's Perfect Fit Two-Way Foundation Refill in PO20. I realised they reformulated and renumbered their products!

The Bio-Essence Bio Spring Water. Only S$2 each and I love spraying mists on my face after I apply makeup to make my face look less cakey!

My Seche Vite top coat is currently a blobby and gooey mess, so I desperately needed a new top coat! Decided to try this essence Sealing Top Coat. Only S$4.30!

I redeemed the Lab Series free samples through their facebook page (See post here) and they finally came yesterday! I am quite shocked at how much they actually gave out! Gonna pass these babies to my boyfriend! :)

Now time to do my readings!!!

Shiseido Sale Haul!

SALE SALE SALE. Just nice pay just in. :D

It's at the building that houses H&M. You walk past the H&M window display, and you will see a glass door. Just take the lift to the 12th floor and you will see the Shiseido office!

I went with Chay Teng and we reached the location at around 1220pm. There was already a queue to go in, which is rather good as this meant some sort of crowd-controlling was present. Bags were not allowed in, and so the staff there helped to distribute number tags for bag storage.

Both of us went in after 15 minutes of waiting, and madness ensued.

There is NO politeness and courtesy at places and events like this one. I think people start to throw aside their values once they step into the arena.

Anyway, let's not talk about rude bitches.

HAUL TIME.

It wasn't a very good sale, to be honest. I expected more colours to be available. For example, my trusted ZA foundation was on sale at 3 for S$12 (!!!) but they only had it in #20, which is like the palest colour. =_=

More colours were available for the more expensive brands, but overall, it wasn't a die-die-must-go-and-disseminate-wealth kind of sale. Go if you really want to stock up on your usual stuff.

I got myself some ZA skincare stuff. I love the fragrance of ZA skincare products, so why not? They were going at 1for S$5, 3 for S$12!

I also needed some foundation as I'm running out of my ZA (HOLYGRAIL) foundation. Got myself the Maquillage pressed foundation set for S$30. This retails for S$88 in stores (S$63 for the foundation, S$25 for the casing. SERIOUSLY?!).

I also got myself the Shiseido AQUALABEL Liquid Foundation for S$8. It retails for S$25.50.

I'm quite scared to try the cosmetics out because I don't want them to be to white on me! ARGH. PLEASE LET IT BE A GOOD MATCH!

Anyway, the sale is still on tomorrow! GO GO GO (only if really needed, I don't really think it's worth it if you don't lack anything).

:D