Nay to Chanel?

I, like many of my fellow country ladies suffer from oily skin that worsens between the months of June - August because the weather here is just too flaming warm.

Striving to get holy-grail products to counter this problem is not an easy task because so many products in the market claim to be sebum controlling and mattifying. Naturally I turned to the brand that seems to have everything nailed so far, my good ol' Chanel. Oil control is quite a common problem to tackle so surely the powerhouse has this in the bag? Right? Wrong.

The PURETÉ IDÉALE range is suitable for women with oily / acne prone skin. I got the serum and mattifying fluid which the counter lady claims to be really great at tackling shine. Granted the range promises to deliver mattifying qualities to keep skin fresh and minimize shine. Did it manage to achieve that on my skin, yes, for about an hour.  

PURETÉ IDÉALE SÉRUM

I had such high hopes for this product. It goes on my skin sooo well and smells amazing. My pores look smaller and my skin felt really soft. I applied this after my laneige pore care toner and waited for it to set before I applied my gel moisturizer.

PURETÉ IDÉALE MATTIFYING FLUID

This is applied after my gel moisturizer. I always rest my skin for about a minute or so in between applications of different products to allow them time to get absorbed. My make-up routine goes on after the basic skin care is done.

I finished my makeup routine with high hopes that I'll still look great at noon and a visit to the ladies at 10.30am at the office shocked me as I could see the shine on my forehead and nose coming through my make-up. Not good! It's still morning! I was devastated. Where's the shine control? What mattifying properties? I resisted blotting and waited till after lunch. By then, the shine was really evident, I had no choice but to evian and dap my face to rid the sebum and to curb my depression.

Conclusion? Disappointing. I expected better of Chanel based on the price tag. Even my Laura Mercier primer did a better job at keeping my makeup intact.

The hubs will be glad to hear that I finally have something negative to say about Chanel. The Chanel Hydra Beauty range however is a different story altogether. I'll get into that as soon as I can.

Review: Lush Fresh Cupcake Mask

My fascination with Lush started when I visited my aunt in Vancouver many years ago. I walked into one of their shops and caught a whiff of the bizarre looking cream cheese blocks, pots of creamy liquids on ice and candy-like looking products. It smelt so decadent that I could not believe I was staring at soaps and bodycreams. I could have sworn I walked into a candy shop. I was young back then and did not think much of skincare but now that I'm aging *gasp*, boy am I glad Lush made it's way back to Singapore!

Lush is famous for being an eco-friendly company; all their products are vegetarian and animal-cruelty free. Their items are handmade with each tub bearing the names of their maker. Fresh masks are sold by weight and comes in Lush’s trademark 100% recycled black tub. It is said to be able to last between 5-8 uses. It’s kept chilled in the shop and due to the fresh ingredients (and lack of preservatives) found in the mask, the mask should be kept refrigerated at home as well.

Wandering into Lush at Wisma Atria, I found myself purchasing the Lush Fresh Cream Face Mask in Cupcake. Cupcake is the cocoa-rich option best suited for oily and combination skin. The mask promises to deep-cleanse your face, preventing acne, purifying pores and removing blackheads. Chief ingredients in this gooey chocolate delicious-ness include Rhasoul mud which cleanses and soothes,shea and cocoa butters and linseed which soften the skin and peppermint, spearmint and sandalwood oils to calm the skin and round off the relaxing experience.

yums max!

The consistency of Cupcake is extremely thick. I thought it would be gooey like the usual mud masks which I've tried but it was sandy and grainy to the touch which made it a tad difficult to apply. I used the scoop that came with Laniege's water sleeping pack for application but it sure felt as though I was buttering cement on my face.

But oh, the smell!!! The Cupcake mask is definitely one for all the chocoholics out there. The minty chocolate scent is simply divine. If you are as big a fan of chocolate fudge as I am, you'll be really tempted to dip your finger in and sneak a taste.

The mask dries rather easily. Lush recommends five to ten minutes but I left it on for 25 mins because I love the feeling of tightening once the mask dries! The rinsing off part may be a chore for some but I found that using a soft muslin cloth and warm water and cleansing the mask off in circular motions gets the mask off pretty easily. But I have friends who literally dip their faces into a bowl of warm water to soften the mask and rub it off slowly. Do remember to clean any remaining residue off the sink though!

Skin Inspection

I was reasonably impressed with the immediate results. My skin felt baby soft to touch and my pores looked cleaner and my spots look less red. I was surprised by how quick the effect of the mask was evident on my face! I slap on my night skincare and went to bed. Morning came and I noticed that my skin is not as oily as usual and the spots have diminished. I can see that this mask is rather effective for me in terms of reducing sebum and diminishing spots.

Overall, I like how the mask impacts my skin. I love the smell, the immediate effects and how it's preservatives free. I would use this on spotty days when my skin is acting up before my regular spot treatment gel or serum.

Lush Fresh Cream Face Mask in Cupcake is available in 75g / S$24.

Nightly Skincare Routine

As many already know, our skin cells do their repair work most effectively at night. Research shows that skin cell regeneration almost doubles at night, peaking between 23:00 and 4:00. Production of collagen is boosted, harmful free radicals are destroyed and cell damage is rectified. So it's important to sleep as early as 11pm! (something which has not happened to me in a long long time). Our skin temperature is higher at night so this enables your skincare products to seep deeper into your skin for better results.

 

(L-R) SK II Skin Signature, Estee Lauder ANR, Sampar Prodigal Pen, Alpha-H Liquid Gold,
Alpha-H Liquid Gold Night Serum, SK II Eye-Treatment Film,
SK II Facial Treatment Essence


These are the usual items which I use on a weekly basis, not ALL at one go because all of them are for tackling aging skin and should be not used too intensively.

SK-II Facial treatment essence - First off, yes this essence has a pretty nasty smell. But over the past 5 yrs of religious usage, it has evened out my skintone and gave it that QQ feel. Such an amazing essence, definitely a staple in my anti-aging routine!

Estee Lauder ANR - The miracle anti-aging serum is essential for days whereby I suffer from hormonal spots or my skin is feeling yucky. Spots lighten or disappear by morning and my complexion looks a lot better overnight. A definite must-have in your night time routine!

SK-II skin signature - I started trying this when I needed a night cream to complement my essence twice weekly. I have this anal habit of using the same brand of essence and moisturizer together, believing that they go hand-in-hand best. But sometimes I will deviate from this routine because of I have many other products to experiment. Love the richness of this cream! A little of this goes a long way, I tend to use only a little for the whole face because it becomes heavy when too much is applied. Another staple!

Sampar prodigal pen - This is my go-to pimple / spot remover. It contains natural essential oils and does not aggravate the skin. My spots usually disappear after 2 days upon application twice a day.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold - What a little miracle worker! This item contains glycolic acid which exfoliates the skin while you sleep without the usual harsh scrubbing action of normal facial scrubs. I only use this at night without any moisturizers on top to allow the liquid gold to work it's magic without interruptions.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold Intensive Night Repair Serum - This is what I use every two or three nights after my Liquid Gold days. This can be used in conjunction with a moisturizer for those who are uncomfortable with not using a night moisturizer. A great essential to keep aging at bay!

SK-II Eye Treatment Gel Film - I have problem with milia seeds under my eyes and this is the reason why I'm unable to use rich eye creams. Gels are not as good as clearing dark eye circles and good eye creams but this provides the moisture my tired eyes require.


Am still trying out more items to be used on a regular basis. Will write a more detailed post about Liquid Gold serums soon, my absolute new found staple! xx

My Journey with Skincare

Gosh, I can't even begin to tell you when I started obsessing over skincare. It must have been a good 10 yrs ago when I first met my good friend J in college and saw her rummaging through her bag of sample skincare goodies and being in awe by the products she brought to care for her skin after gym class. Back then it was the Johnsons wet wipes that I used with for my after class cleansing because it was fuss-free and cheap. But I saw her going through the tedious motions of cleansing, toning and moisturizing and I thought to myself, "Gosh, what a hassle!"

When I was younger, I made the mortal error of trusting a neighbourhood facialist with my young and acne prone skin. I was deeply troubled by my many pimples and Mumsy, very kindly brought me over to her facialist (recommended by my aunt). It was the worst mistake we made. The facialist poked and prodded my skin with metallic tools and squeezed them pimples with all her might. I left every session red and swollen, with my face hot and throbbing in pain. That facialist I frequented was more interested in promoting her many products over genuinely sharing the knowledge of basic skincare. We bought tons of stuff from her thinking it'll be better if I stick to one brand of products so my skin won't be 'confused'. Geez... stupid much.

Fast forward to many yrs later, I finally have some money to try out different products in the market. I now have a vast range of skincare products to cater to every condition that my skin may have. I have spent yrs and yrs researching, buying and experimenting with sooo many products and am now well-versed with my skin type and how to take care of it.

First of all, skincare is not a cheap investment. As you age, the products you need get more intensive and expensive. So personally, I think it is extremely important to start caring for your skin at a young age to give it a good foundation and not needing to spend so much money to attempt to turn back the clock at the later stage of your life.

So, do take the time to understand your skin type. What works well on others may not do so on you. The reviews on products are my honest opinions after usage. Products are bought with my own money and are not sponsored.

About Me
Age: Late 20s
Skin type: Combination (Oily T-zone and dry U-zone)
Problematic areas: Open pores and oily T-zone