Skinfood : yummy food for skin x ZALORA

Tinyceci is now in the land of kimchi with her mom typing this in the hostel. It feels really good to be back here! My second home~^^ The weather is my favorite type of chilly: 5-15 degrees Celsius but my skin isn't really agreeing with my elation since the dry weather takes some getting used to.

Anyway, so I started (restarted) using some skin packs and masks to restore moisture balance to my skin, which broke out the day we arrived. There are some secret tips Koreans use to do this at home using food ingredients, but thankfully for those of us who find it hard to keep track and store food for skin mask packs, there's SKINFOOD Singapore! Now available online~ ^^

I swear by using raw egg whites for break outs and in Korea(learned from my Korean beautician), it's really easy to store the excess raw egg whites in the fridge but in tropical countries like Singapore or Philippines, that's really tough without risking the whites getting contaminated or turning bad, so I'm really happy to see SKINFOOD came up with these products.

Also, the black sugar wash off mask is a great exfoliator! It's also much more cheaper compared to another brand F****.

Here're some masks for troubled skin (I'm really surprised the prices are so reasonable!)^^ : 

Next up, I know pore brushes are really popular in Singapore now and SKINFOOD also has their own! I love how they have a string thingy at the end so it's easy to hang it up for drying. 

Next up, I've been going crazy with lip tints whilst shopping here. There are just SO MANY lip tints to choose from! And they are so soooo good and pretty! Lipsticks are passé. Tints with a touch of gloss make such pretty gradient lips and they last all day...

With Christmas coming, SKINFOOD offers really good options for gifts under $10. Check this out! They are all so cute!!! Just buy one of each and mass presents for coworkers =done.

Christmas is coming ~!^^ HOHOHO better start planning for Christmas pressies now~

[Review] Hada Labo Perfect Gel (3-in-1 Ultra Hydrating Gel)

OMG.

I think I just found my holy grail night moisturizer /sleeping mask in this Hada Labo Perfect Gel (3-in-1 Ultra Hydrating Gel).

Most moisturizers I tried only hydrate the outer most layer, the Epidermis, leaving the inner layers still dehydrated. I really regret continuing using them, because now my skin has changed from just normal/dry, to inner dry outer oily! When I went to facials, the therapists all commented how my inner skin layers somehow are too dehydrated! Even though, the skin on the rest of my body is still pretty good. T.T MEGA SAD.

To be absolutely honest, I've seen Hada Labo a lot in Watsons and other drugstores, but was always suspicious of it, since it's a drugstore brand. I do have friends who swear by its hydrating/whitening lotion, and they also use SKII together with it. But still, I never really got around to try Hada Labo, since FANCL didn't really impress me all that much, except for its mask.

So when Hada Labo sent me this product to review, it was sitting on my desk for a good few days before I decided to give it a try.

But apparently, it is:

No.1. Sales in ‘All-in-One’ gel product segment in Japan.

Incidentally, I ran out of moisturizer, and the 3-in-1 description piqued my interest. It came in this whimsical packaging containing a super cute panda eye blind for sleeping too! I've always wanted to buy a cute eye blind but never found any to my liking in sg. This is way cute! Nice GWP Hada Labo~ ^_^

1. The Product

Hada Labo Perfect Gel (3-in-1 Ultra Hydrating Gel)

2. Price

SGD35.90 in all Watsons, SASA, Guardian

3. Packaging

The Gel cream came in a round gold plastic container in a matching champagne gold square box, sealed at the top paper flap to ensure nobody else could have opened the box before. I really love how the packaging is simple and easy to open, the container itself is a turn lid, and pretty light to carry around.

All the key information on the label is in English. Free of fragrances, mineral oil, alcohol & colorant, always good to see this. The directions are also pretty clear, it's really awesome to use this as a massage gel too if you have those Korean/Japanese laser massaging sticks I guess?

There's also Chinese label on the can itself if reading Chinese is more convenient for you.

4. Shelf Life

Not exactly sure when this was manufactured but the expiry date is March 2016, still pretty far away.

5. Ingredient List

It contains Squalane too. :) And alcohol free.

Here's a part of the official release from Hada Labo regarding the active ingredients:

3 Types of Hyaluronic Acid for deep and long-lasting moisturization:

1.  Hyaluronic Acid is able to hold 6l of water per gram, providing intense moisture to the skin when applied.
2. Super Hyaluronic Acid is able to hold 2X as much water than Hyaluronic Acid per gram, providing maximum moisturization.
3. Nano Hyaluronic Acid is able to penetrate deep into the skin, providing long lasting and deep moisture to the skin.
Collagen:
4. As the body’s collagen levels decline, the skin starts to age with wrinkles, large pores and poor skin clarity. The Hada Labo Perfect Gel contains collagen to provide firm, elastic and wrinkle-free skin.
Ceramide:
5. Skin that lacks ceramide is often dry,irritated, and often easily affected by the sun and dust in air. Hada Labo Perfect Gel help to hold and repair the surface skin cells together for a healthy, smooth skin.

Frankly speaking, I have been suspicious of any product with collagen and ceramide in it, because previously products I tried which contained them made me break out really badly, and didn't have the "plumping effect".

6. Functions

This 3-in-1 Gel works like an extra nourishing and hydrating sleeping mask IMHO? Because of my experience in TFS, I know how many companies try to market night cream as sleeping masks, but don't really have a significant impact, but this Hada Labo Perfect Gel (3-in-1 Ultra Hydrating Gel) is the real deal.

From the official release:

Hada Labo introduces the new Hada Labo Perfect Gel to replenish the skin’s moisture while you sleep.Being all essence, cream and mask at once (3-in-1), the Hada Labo Perfect Gel is also suitable for daily use with the ability to provide 24 hours deep moisturizing effect with its five main ingredients.

7. Texture / Application

This Gel cream is really much closer to a clear custard pudding like texture than a gel per-se. I love it. It feels like a smooth jelly over my skin. I simply put on a thin layer of the gel over my whole face and neck, after my SKII clear lotion and FTE, my skin instantly feels like a sponge soaking up the water particles from this gel cream after application! And also, when I wake up the next day, I could see the difference in skin texture and skin tone! It really looks more even and hydrated.

You do have to remember to wash it off with lukewarm water every morning when you wake up though!

I have been using this gel every night for 3 weeks now, and it is amazing! Coupled together with the new Cellilux mud clarifying mask (I will review this soon too!), my pores significantly look less visible, and I stopped wearing BB cream to go out, because it has improved that much.

I do feel that this cream is a little too heavy to use as a day cream, even though supposedly if you spread a super thin layer, it's supposed to be non-sticky and wearable under makeup. I still feel that it gives a little rich sheen after applying, typical of sleeping masks.

There's still tons of product left, and I really think for 30$+, this is a mega awesome night cream to have.

Verdict 

Pros

Deep hydration and texture

Great for massaging

Really works to penetrate deeply into skin and plump up skin

Saw results within two-three weeks of use

Cons

A little too heavy to use as a day cream

No spatula?

Recommended for: 
- Everyone who needs hydration!
- Especially for ladies working in dry office environments suffering from inner dry skin, this is a MUST!
- Ladies who are seeing ageing signs, this really plump up the skin
- Those who want to have hassle free skin care

Not Recommended for:
- Those who dislike gel texture for moisturizer
- Those who will forget to wash it off the next day

Special thanks to Hada Labo, EK Media, and Elfaine for providing this opportunity to try Hada Labo for the very first time!

I am sold. ^______________^

[Review] Skinmiso x Wishtrend T-zone Serum

The first signs of aging starts before the age of 29.

I'm 28 this year, and I'm already starting to feel panicky because recently, I found visible pores in the patch between my cheeks and my nose! Something like this part here... ㅠ.ㅠ

And blackheads, white heads are becoming a real issue on my t-zone too. My skin has always been on the dry side, but ever since I moved to Singapore, it has adjusted to the humidity and became more combination, dry (inner dry but outer oily on the T-zone).

Many of us rely on black head peels to regularly remove black heads. However, when we do so, our pores are opened and widened, not many remember to tighten and close up the pores to prevent impurities in the environment from entering the skin and irritating it. That's why sometimes, certain people say that black head peels actually lead to bigger pores. It's not the peels that's the issue in my opinion; it's the fact that they forget to tighten the pores after they yank the black heads out of the skin that widens pores.

A few years ago, I started using a combination of different serums for different purposes (hydrating, firming, whitening, clearing spots, pore tightening). I love my pore tightening serum from Korea's derm, but it's running out... T.T So when Wishtrend sent me this T-zone serum from Skinmiso, I was hoping this would be a good replacement for my pore tightening serum.

1. The Product

SKINMISO T-ZONE SERUM

2. Price

USD34.99 on wishtrend.com

3. Packaging

With a simple light blue on white color motif, the packaging looks clean cut. I wouldn't say it looks very expensive just from the packaging because there is no inner angled flap holding the nozzle bottle in place, however there IS an reinforced thicker paper inside the box, so the box doesn't feel too flimsy. The glass bottle itself is a fat cylindrical bottle, pretty cute looking and looks like it can last a long time.

I love nozzle drip bottles. Better control of amount, and you feel like a chemist. Nuff said.

The side of the box that is in Korean. Basically translates into the following:
(1) Functions of the serum: 
- To tighten T-zone pore and boost elasticity
- Also helps to whiten the skin

(2) Directions: 
After toning the skin lightly, use an appropriate amount of the serum and softly spread onto the t-zone skin, tap lightly all over the skin until fully absorbed.

(3) Things to take note of: 
The usual, stop using immediately when the product doesn't suit the skin; when red spots, itch etc occur. Keep in a cool and dry place. Don't use on broken skin etc.

4. Shelf Life

Produced on 6th May 2013, and expires two years later on 2015.

5. Ingredient List

YAY lots of plant/floral extracts, no wonder there is a hint of floral smell that seems quite natural. (list taken from wishtrend.com)

6. Functions

(taken from wishtrend.com)

+ Pore Tightening

+ Pore Purifying

+ Control Excessive Sebum

+ Skin Elasticity

+ Actualize Velvet-looking skin 

7. Application

Here we put the serum to the test! tinyceci first tried it out on the back of her hand to test for texture. It actually feels pretty watery and not very thick, and absorbs very quickly into the skin. Skin really feels mattified on first use. 

tinyceci has been using this serum for two weeks. Whilst it does tighten pores and matifies the skin (the oil control on t-zone is pretty awesome), tinyceci's new facial beautician/the lovely lady boss Veronica commented that my t-zone is oily but so dehydrated from the inside, she was having SO MUCH TROUBLE getting the blackheads/whiteheads off my nose! ㅠ.ㅠ(from Nourish Naturally, go check them out! I think this is one of the few facial/nail salons in Singapore that has awesome quality facials with a personal touch.)

Lesson learned: I should have used a blackhead remover first (as recommended on the site) and then a deeply hydrating serum before using this SKINMISO T-zone serum. I'd imagine it to have much better effects next month! Maybe I should try these two as well~ ㅋㅋㅋ

Verdict

Pros

Feels very nice on skin

Easy to apply with nozzle drip

Really matifies skin

Skin feels soft and even without bumps from pores

Unisex, get your boyfriend, brother or dad to use this to get rid of strawberry noses

Quite a lot of product in the bottle, will last at least half a year to a year

Cons

YOU MUST exfoliate and remove all blackheads, whiteheads first for best results

Recommended for: 

- Ladies and Gents with oily T-zone, big pores, uneven skin texture

- Those who need better control oil/sebum production under makeup

Not Recommended for:

- Those who have completely dry skin 

Want to try this product? 

Check out the wishtrend site!

[Review] V10 Plus Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Sorry for the hiatus my ♥s! tinyceci was away attending many events in the month of May! Audi Fashion Festival, Wine Voyage, Music Matters, YouTube Fan Fest, The Great Gatsby Premiere and etc... ^^;;

Today tinyceci will review a Japanese brand V10 plus, most famous for their serum, even local stars with flawless skin like Fann Wong swears by them. 

Aren't you just jealous how these lovely ladies NEVER seem to age? I'm so inspired after meeting celebrities like Sharon Au, Jacelyn Tay and Andrea de Cruz whom I've practically grown up watching them on telly when tinyceci was just a little kid to now an adult. They are FABULOUS.

Okay yet I digress again.

A few weeks ago, tinyceci attended a bloggers event organized by Spa Symphony and V 10 Plus for a product demonstration. Did you know that Spa Symphony is owned by National Swimmer Leslie Kwok? The place is cozy and pretty accessible in ION.

We had the lovely Akiko Yokota-san, the founder of V 10 Plus, speak to us about V 10 Plus star products, the serums in colorful and pretty drip bottles, followed by the Water Base Peeling Gel. 

There are a total of 10 serums to suit and ameliorate all types of skin conditions. We were each given the Hyaluronic Serum and the Water Base Peeling Gel to try out. Both products won the Cosmopolitan Beauty Award in 2012 and 2013.

♥ BIO CELL Serum

♥ Vitamin-A Serum

♥ Amino Serum

♥ Pcynogenol Serum

♥ Placenta Serum

♥ Licorice Serum

♥ Hyaluronic Serum [That's what tinyceci is going to review today!~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ] 

♥ Ceramide Serum

♥ Collagen Serum

♥ Vitamin-C Serum

1. The Product

V10 Plus Hyaluronic Acid Serum

2. Price 

128SGD for 30ml 

3. Packaging

I love nozzle drip type bottles. My favorite serum for lightening acne scars is the Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution which is a nozzle drip bottle. It's perfect for controlling the amount you want, which usually for me is just a single drop, to cover the entire face.

V 10 Plus has a little something extra. Remember the first picture of serum bottles in beautiful rainbow colors? Akiko-san calls it color therapy. Simply put, when you do your skincare in the morning, seeing these pretty bottles lightens and brightens your mood, making you and your skin happier! 

I love aqua blue and intense light blue like this Hyaluronic Acid Serum! I have to agree with Akiko-san, seeing these pretty bottles makes me want to collect-em all! Especially looking at the helpful leaflet with a checklist for skin issues, I think I seriously need to use 90%, if not all of them! T.T

There are also Finnish label instructions. Apparently V 10 Plus can also be purchased in Finnish Departmental Stores. 

 4. Shelf Life

6 months after opening. Manufactured in Sept 2012 and expires in Sept 2015.

5. Ingredient list

YES it's in English! And also, not too many ingredients which is good. 

However, this contains glycols so people who are OCD towards glycols may need to take extra care.

6. Application

The instructions on the box say to take 3 drops and apply all over the face and neck after cleansing. 

I find that 1 drop is more than enough for my whole face and neck because the product is pretty viscous and 1 drop is relatively big.

For serums like this (SKII for example), it is better to use them right after cleansing, before your usual skincare routine for the serums to penetrate the skin better.

The photo on the lower left shows my hand after applying the serum and the right hand without. I can see an immediate effect of softer and smoother skin! The texture is also very good, soothing and deeply hydrates.

7. Stickiness

Some of my friends who also tried this product commented that the serum has a bit of a sticky after feeling.

I think the key is not to apply too much product, because I got the "sticky" feeling too after applying 3 drops.

And also, try to spread it evenly all over face first before lightly patting the skin till it is dry. In this way, the serum will be absorbed better into the skin, and there will be lesser chances of the stickiness from occurring. 

Let me know if you have any other tips!

Verdict

Pros

Pretty bottle 

Deeply hydrating

Easy to apply

Can be applied with other serums

Cons

May have a little sticky after feeling

Not that easily available, can only purchase in Spas

Recommended for:

- Ladies with dry skin or outer oily, inner dry skin (like tinyceci T.T) looking to deeply hydrate their skin

- Ladies exposed to long hours in dry environments like air conditioned offices 

- Those heading over to dry countries for vacation

- Mature ladies who are starting to see signs of aging like fine lines

- Everyone, really!

Want to try V10 plus? 

Check their website link here for a list of the stores which carry V 10 Plus!

Stand a chance to win a mystery gift from V10 plus! 

Simply click on this link and click "LIKE" on tinyceci's 

photo on facebook! 

CLICK CLICK CLICK!

Spread the news and good luck to yall~! ^^

I love how V10 Plus gives back to the society, 

props for Corporate Social Responsibility!

Please also remember to 'like' V 10 plus on facebook! 

♥♥♥

Do check out the reviews from my dear friends,Ciramisu for more skin tests and TheHieno for the finnish perspective! ^^

Dr. Zein Obagi's presentation at Raffles City Convention Center

I had an epiphany while listening to Dr Obagi's presentation this afternoon over a fantabulous luncheon-tea session thanks to the kind people at GlamAsia sponsoring me a pair of tickets.

I want to work towards having skin that requires no make-up instead of just having skin that looks good with make up on.

Can do?

Or just an unrealistic dream?

Okay back to the doctor.

His one sentence left a mega deep impression in me:

Makeup is meant to enhance features like making a nose look sharper or creating a more defined jawline but NOT to conceal flaws.

I think it makes perfect sense in retrospect. Don't you think?

Hailing from Beverly Hills, Dr Obagi gave a very lucid presentation on how there is no such thing as sensitive skin, only weakened skin. I do agree, since my skin, though plagued with freckles since I was a toddler, was pretty much smooth and acne-free till one day, a serious breakout made me go on a flurry of heavy duty skincare and cosmetics which are out there in the market.

The case studies he showed were astounding! Many cases had a good decade or two lifted off their faces after starting a treatment regime with Dr Obagi. Unlike products in the market, the treatment swears to rebuild skin cells from within the DNA level, and reactivate lazy skin cells to fight environmental stress and pollution.

One of our friends, Rachel, was extremely lucky to have been chosen to get a face-to-face consultation with him (with free products prescribed personally by Dr Obagi!!) on the spot. ^^

All of us who attended the seminar were given a full-sized sample worth 130$ of the ZO Skin Health OFFECTS Exfoliating Cleanser & Exfoliating Polish. And the products are only available at dermatologists island-wide, because they should be prescribed after a consultation. I am surprised that the pricing of the products is actually quite reasonable! :) Made me think twice if I should repurchase my usual skin care products after I finish my stash; or if I should pay the derm a visit. tinyceci will give the samples a shot soon after and update again! It seems ZO skin products may just be the holy grail for skin that I've been searching for in Singapore.

Dr. Obagi- He's actually part Russian and Syrian(?) if memory serves. Not Japanese.

Read more about Dr Zein Obagi and his anti-aging tips here at Glam Asia's article!

Once again, thank you Glamasia for the chance to meet Dr Zein Obagi in person! It was lovely and SO enlightening! Interested in more updates from Glamasia? Like them here on facebook!

Thoughts about FANCL's new Whitening Line

tinyceci was extremely fortunate to be chosen to try out FANCL's new whitening line. FANCL gave tinyceci a lovely set of the full whitening line including 6 pieces of the mask (♥♥♥), the lotion, serum and emulsion in no I initially which is suitable for oily/combination skin. Upon double checking the information given in the leaflet, tinyceci called FANCL takashimaya and was immediately given a choice to exchange the set for no II, which is more hydrating and meant for dry/combination skin thank God! ^^

Having tried various whitening lines like Lancome Blanc & Clarins, I noticed that whitening ranges tend to be less hydrating and therefore might give rise to more fine lines forming in the process of whitening. I was a little apprehensive in trying this range out initially because of my super sensitive skin weakened by all the different rich products a few years ago. However, since my dear friends started raving about how soft their skin became just a couple of days of usage, I became curious and decided to try it out after a week of pondering.

The first thing I immediately noticed and fell in love with was the mask! I think I probably will purchase more of these in the future especially when I need to prepare for an event. The texture and quality of the mask sheet itself is top grade. The mask essence has no fragrance and feels very soothing when I put it onto my skin. In fact, it was so comfortable I nearly fell asleep wearing it. The lotion was also clear like water and absorbs into skin very quickly. I am convinced that FANCL's motto of using only the freshest ingredients is valid in the sense that the products are all packaged for a month's use only. And the texture and feeling of the whole line don't feel that synthetic/packed with active chemicals like some other brands. My breakouts also became more stabilized!

A few low downs though.

Although touted to be a whitening line, I find that this line don't really whiten as much as it softens and smooths skin tone. Also, I had to use another moisturizing serum and emulsion as my skin felt a bit dehydrated especially at night. My spots did not decrease and pores became more visible. I would personally recommend this to those with normal skin which do not require that much hydration and looking for smoother, softer skin. Either that, or couple it with a hydrating serum containing hyaluronic acid, a pore refining serum and a more hydrating night moisturizer. For the price point, I feel that it is a little wanting in the hydration department and therefore a little pricey if I were to include the cost of purchasing a hydrating serum and moisturizer on top of this line. 

Nevertheless, FANCL is still a wonderful brand loved and trusted by many beautiful lady friends of mine and I believe this whitening line would probably work better as a daytime skincare routine, and switching to a more hydrating line for night skincare. 

Thank you FANCL for the wonderful mask & serum! ♥

10 Steps to Counter Sensitive Skin Prone to Redness & Blemishes

For the record, currently I have dry, sensitive skin prone to redness. I used to have flawless healthy supple skin that didn't require any makeup up to the age of 20.

I was first introduced to the world of skincare & makeup when I first arrived in Seoul 6 years ago in late 2006. My fellow exchange school mate & room mate was this tall, model-esque Singaporean Chinese girl who was always looking perfectly radiant and stunning both in terms of her makeup and fashion sense. I brought some light moisturizer with me to Seoul, however that was less than enough to save my skin from the merciless summer sun and before recovering from the heat, my skin started to peel in the drier fall/winter weather. Needless to say, I turned to her for skincare advice when my skin started to peel.

I literally bought the exact same skincare products she used. They worked for me, so I thought, they should work for me too, right? SO WRONG!

I experimented with Lancome's blanc series, Estee Lauder's brown bottle series, Clarins and so on. They were great products, sadly they were somehow too rich for me. Then later on, I started to experiment with BB cream (I'll talk about BB creams and makeup in another post). They seemed to all work well on the first few days of trying out the products, my skin eventually broke out quite badly, requiring laser and chemical treatment together with medicine from the dermatologist. My derm told me I had used too many types of products and masks, thus causing an allergic reaction to chemicals. But eventually, after learning so much more about skincare and makeup during my stay in THEFACESHOP headquarters in Seoul, I learned that good skincare need not be expensive. In fact, many cheap skincare products use similar, if not the same formula as their 'high class' more branded counterparts. 

Through careful experimentation of a single product at a time, I finally managed to stabilize my acne and am now working out fading out scars left by acne and evening out freckled skin tone. 

My current daily skincare routine consists of (Credits of product images to their official product sites): 

Step 1: Cleansing [Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash from Origins] & Exfoliating I do this only 1x a week [White Peeling Gel from IASO]

Step 3: Prep skin [Intensive Clear Conditioner from IASO]

Step 4: Toning skin [the Smim Skin Density 101.1 Toner from THEFACESHOP]

Step 5: Blemish/dark spot correcting Essence [Dermatologist Solutions Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution from Kiehl's] 

Step 6 : Moisturizing/repairing serum [the Smim Skin Density 101.1 Repair Serum from THEFACESHOP]

Step 7: Drying out blemishes [Super Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Gel from Origins] Only when I get pimples

Step 8: Tightening pores [Pore Tightening Silky Serum from IASO]

Step 9: Moisturizing undereyes [Wrinkle Stop Abyssine Eye Cream from THEFACESHOP for Day, Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado from Kiehl's for Night] Note: I used Abyssine Eye Cream from Kiehl's before switching to THEFACESHOP's because the latter was so much cheaper and works well. I also apply the eyecream in light dots with my ring finger onto the frown lines around my mouth and neck. The lines have faded really well and they do take years off your look. :)

Step 10: Moisturizing skin [the Smim Skin Density 101.1 Emulsion from THEFACESHOP]

Step 11: Sunblock [Natural Sun AQ Oil-cut Sun Cream SPF40 from THEFACESHOP on Face, Natural Sun AQ Cooling Sun Gel on Body]

Seems like a lot, huh? ^^;;

Also, masks are a great pampering treat but limit it to once a week. If you have an important business meeting or a hot date coming up, put on a mask the night before your skincare routine and you should wake up with glowing translucent skin. Choose the moisturizing/regenerating types to be on the safe side. I personally love the Sexydoll masks from SexyLook and also the Sseal Rejuvenating Escargot masks from THEFACESHOP! ^^