Friday 29 June 2012

Vitamin C Serum

Hands up if you feel frustrated when the IT product that everyone is raving about didn't exactly work for you. Every month, we spent tons of money trying to find a serum, night cream, miracle food blah blah blah to give us a more youthful skin and vitamin C serum might be just the solution for you.

I was introduced to a vitamin C serum recently when i was at Kiehl's and i decided to read more about it. I didn't realize the importance of vitamin C and it's benefits to our skin until reading it.

Extracted from a website "Vitamin C is the only antioxidant that is proven to stimulate the production of collagen. Collagen is the substance that binds cells together giving you a more youthful appearance. Collagen is dependent upon Vitamin C to help restore skin tone and fight wrinkles. When Vitamin C is properly delivered into skin cells it has the ability to reduce wrinkles and improve your skins tone and texture. Vitamin C accelerates healing, reduces inflammation, and strengthens the skin barrier giving you a more radiant, youthful appearance."

Usually wrinkle starts to form in our early 30's and this is when the collagen cells start to fall apart and causes wrinkles in adulthood. So if we can continue to generate collagen with the help of vitamin C, we can keep the wrinkles at bay for a while until another super product appears. Ladies in your 20's, start using NOW.

Not alot of companies sell vitamin c serum in Singapore. I have seen them at sasa, body shop and kiehl's. Before buying, remember to compare the quantity and concentration of vitamin c. I realized that Bodyshop is selling theirs at S$45.90 for 10ml with a 5% vitamin c (sounds afforable). Kiehl's selling theirs at S$132 for 50ml with 10.5% vitamin c. Work your calculator and you will find Kiehl's is actually more value for money except you have to fork out a big sum first. But the good news is they give free sample at Kiehl's, remember? So try it out and see if it works before committing.

Personally, I rather apply the serum on my face because I don't know how many oranges I need to consume before a small percentage of it goes to my face.

Tuesday 19 June 2012

Laura Mercier Mineral Finishing Powder #1

Make up these days are mostly reserved for weekends when i can spend more time dolling up without having a impatient child who walks into the room every few minutes to ask when we can go....Err, wait....actually weekends are not any better cos my husband and my child will join hands to hasten me.

Usually i am out of the house with my SPF28 moisturizer but it can be abit shiny for my liking so i have been on the look out for a powder that would combat the shine and control my T-Zone. I have tried 2 way cake but i would prefer something lighter to allow my skin to breathe and fool proof cos i dont like i want other mothers to think that i have been up since 5am piling on make up when i send Ray to school. I want shine free skin that other mothers will go - Wow...that woman has wonderful skin. Ok ok, enough of the daydream.

This powder is super fine and seriously a little goes a long way.  The downside is you have to pour some powder onto the cover then use a powder puff to pick the powder up and the powder puff is not included (got mine from Faceshop). This powder is recommended to use for: -

  • Ideal for setting other mineral formulas and liquid foundation
  • Prolongs the wear of makeup, protects the skin, controls sebum production and visually minimizes pores for a fresh look
  • When using with other mineral formulas - Apply Mineral Primer or Mineral Foundation Primer and Mineral Powder SPF 15
  • Wet with Mineral Finishing Powder by blending onto the skin with the Face Brush
  • Combat shine throughout the day by applying Mineral Finishing Powder in areas where needed


  • I must say this really combat shine well but provides little coverage. If u are thinking of hiding your pimple scars or dark circles, you have to cover up with your concealer first. My T Zone didnt shine about 6 hours after having my make up on and the make up was still fresh.  Usually my blusher color will slipped by then but it survived this time round.

    But i didnt like the feeling of the powder on my side of the face cause it was a little too drying as i can feel my face itched a little. I would definitely use it on my T Zone to combat the shine.

    Bought mine from Laura Mercier US website at abt SGD$45 (after discount and plus shipping to door). Would be  more worthwhile if bunk purchase is being done because they packed 3 powder in a huge box. Sephora is selling at SGD$55 i think.

    4 out of 5. Perfect for the hot hot humid weather.....

    Monday 18 June 2012

    Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Balm

    How many times have you try on a lip balm that either is so artificially smelling and waxy that it irks you? Or one that has so much glitter that it dries your lips instead of moisturing it? Or do you wish for a lip balm with double duty to stretch your dollar in this gloomy economy?

    I have been using clinique lip balm for about few months and what I like about this chubby stick is that it has mango and shea butter in it which is very important for dry lips like mine and yet provide just a subtle shade with sheen. Also, I dont have to prep my lips with a lip balm first before using a lipstick since this lip balm are two products merged into one.

    There are 16 shades but i think only 8 colours are available in Singapore to choose from and mine is 02 whole lotta honey. I think i got mine at SGD$23 or $26.

    As usual, this is fragrance free so you will even forget that you are wearing lip balm. It looks like a giant color pencil thus application is easy, just remove the cover and draw. So...Mommies, remember to keep them out of sight from your little ones. Virtually mistake proof application even without the use of a mirror.

    4.5 out of 5 for this product. It is a life saviour to my dry lips.

    Wednesday 13 June 2012

    Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Corrector

    I saw this advertisement on a foreign magazine last year and couldnt wait to get my hands on it. This serum is a winner of 58 international beauty awards and some forums were raving so much about it. Since i am not keen to go for laser surgery to remove my spots at this moment and this serum claims to reduce spots so i decided to give it a try. I think it was retailed at SGD$143 for a 50ml bottle. I shared mine with my hubby and we both uses it twice a day and it lasted us about 10 weeks. But we got a shock when Changi Airport Duty Free was selling it at SGD$179 for 2 x 50ML bottles (SDG$89.50 each) so we will only get our supply from DFS next time. I think Clinique counters in Singapore also carry a 30ml bottle if you want to try out first.
    You will only need 1 pump for each use and use it after your toner. The serum is quickly absorbed into the skin and it gives a smooth and silky feel.  You can layer ur moisturizer on then your SPF but give the serum at least 1 min to be fully absorbed into your skin. I saw difference in my skin about 4 days after using. My skin was clearer and brighter and my T Zone was also less oily. What i also like is this serum actually made my make up last longer so it can double up as a primer while providing TLC to my skin the whole day.

    I really saw a significant differences in the size of the spots after 8 weeks of using. And my skin tone has also turned more even especially on my chin where my old pimples scars are.

    Be patience when you are using this product as you can see your effort will pay off eventually. You must always use a sunblock in the day after putting on this serum else it will be fruitless. 

    This product is gentle for daily use and in case if you are wondering whether it will get rid of moles and freckles - NO....afraid not.

    4 out of 5 for this product. 

    Sunday 10 June 2012

    Canmake Gel Volume Top Coat and Poshe Super Fast Drying Coat

    Everyone knows that I am a clumsiest person when it comes to my manicure. I can ruin it in 5mins....no wait or was it 1 min. Never mind, my salon done nails can never outlive 2 days without chipping the rest. So I gave up doing them at the salon cos it brings me too much heart pain to see my nails ruin and my money down the drain.


    So I have been doing DIY manicure at the comfort of my own house and at the perfect timing (when Ray naps). And two products that I really have to recommend are Poshe' Super Fast Drying Top Coat which will give you touch dry nails in 1 minute and I think to truly dry 2 layers of nail polish, 5 minutes is needed else all your effort will be wasted if u try to multi task while waiting for it to dry. I know cos I have been there too many times, lol.


    Day 3 of my nails
     Canmake gel polish creates a gel look finish and also it prevents my nails color from chipping. A single coat is all you need to seal those nail colors in and it can last me 3 days with chip free nails color. You can even do housework with those nails, trust me.


    Both products 4 out of 5.

    Saturday 9 June 2012

    Kielh's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

    Sigh....what have I done! I went to Kiehl's to buy the midnight recovery eye cream but I walked out with 3 other irrelevant products that I don't even need and this concentrate was one of them.




    Selling points of the product -
    • Lightweight, overnight treatment.
    • Regenerates, repairs, and replenishes skin for a smoother, healthier skin.
    • Works with the skin’s natural nocturnal activity when skin is most receptive to repairing itself from daily aggressors to dramatically restore skin.
    • 99.8% naturally-derived and paraben-free.


    My opinions -
    • can be oily so use sparsely, 2 drops is required for my whole face and even enough to spread onto my neck.
    • I didn't wake up overnight with baby soft skin but somehow the pores did appear smaller.
    • Only time will tell as I am only using it for the second day as I write this entry.
    • I dont knw how natural can it get but i am sold because of the smell of lavender combined with primrose oil just gets me drowsy n all sleepy whenever I use the oil, even my hubby said so after using.


    I like the fact that i dont have to use my night cream after using this concentrate as the Kiehl's staff told me its moisturising enough even if u sleep with the air con on. This I totally agreed cos I didn't wake up with tight skin the next morning.


    30ml a bottle will cost you SGD$90 but two drops is all u need every night. Kiehl's staff mentioned it can last 6 months but I foresee I can use it for 4 months cos my hubby also uses it. This product can be used by all skin types, male and female. So if u use it for a good 6 months, its like $15 per month so thats pretty good mileage for a skincare.


    Head down to Kiehl's for some free samples today. Not sure if they have free samples for this concentrate but the people at Kiehl's are very generous at giving other samples. I think this is a assurance that they are confident of their products, Unlike some counters where I felt like I have to beg even after buying products from them.


    I would give this product 4 out of 5 for its highly natural derived ingredients and the fact it smell so good, I feel like I am in a spa every night......