Face Good

I’m back with the second instalment of the zodiac series beauty tips!

Cancer: At two ends

Those under the Cancer sign hold rather extreme attitudes towards beauty and skin care. On one end, Cancers may have little interest in beauty and prefer to focus their efforts on other things like their career or family. On the other end, Cancers may be so obsessed that they will insist on only the very best methods. It it’s neither branded nor endorsed by celebrities, they would not even consider it.

Tip: You need to achieve a balance. For the ones who don’t bother, it’s time to at least practice some basic skin care. In an image-oriented society, sloppiness is always frowned upon, no matter how capable you are with your job. If you’re at the other end, remember that brands and celebrities are not always sure indicators. Different skin types yield different results. Always fish for feedback and reviews before plunging into something expensive.


Leo: Confident Decision Makers

Like the beauty-obsessed end under the sign of the Cancer, Leos, too, only pick brands that are popular and trust-worthy. However, they are not easily swayed by advertisements and celebrity endorsements. Apart from brand name, product ingredients and feedback matter a lot to them too. Natural ingredients are their favourites as these are safest to use and have little side effects.

Tip: Keeping up with your practical beauty regime is the right way to go!

Virgo: The Perfectionist

Virgos have always been famous for their pursuit of perfection. While it is always good to pursue the best, this insistence on the best sometimes becomes a hindrance when they select their beauty products. They may try something which may present good results but still switch to another product because it is not sufficiently good.

Tip: There is no such thing as the perfect product, or all the other companies would have been out of business. Sometimes, settling for a little less is better than spending extra time and money on experimentations.

Libra: Obsessive Beauties

A typical example of a Libra beauty is Taiwanese television personality Barbie Hsu, whose famous for her extreme beauty tips. She has never dyed her hair for fear of damaging it, and often goes out covered head to toe like a grass cutter to protect her skin and hair from exposure to the sun. Of course, not all Libras are like this, but some do have pretty intense beauty methods up their sleeves, many which do not have actual scientific basis or have little significance. However, on the other side of the spectrum, some Libras can be so lazy that they would go out without applying sunblock or brushing their hair. Libras are a little like Cancers, but much more extreme on both ends.

Tip: Confidence will make you beautiful. But over-confidence is not a good thing either.

Next week will see the last installment of the series with the remaining zodiac signs, so don't fret if yours hasn't been discussed yet! See you next week!

At the beginning of a new year, one of the types of books that sees increased sales are horoscope forecast and zodiac geomancy books! After all, those who believe would want to know their fortune for the rest of the year so they know what to expect and how to adapt. Of course, some people consider this hogwash, but all the same, it makes for entertaining reading! How many ladies can honestly say that you've never in your life read the horoscope prediction page at the back of your magazines?

When it comes to beauty and skin care, different people adopt different beauty regimes based on their personalities and characteristics, which some attribute to the stars. Not that I'm a firm believer in this, but I do sometimes find how interestingly coincidental the description of my zodiac sign is with my personality!

For this entry, to make things a little more interesting than usual, I'm going to do something a little different from usual. Based on the personalities of the different signs, I will advise on beauty tips and cautionary notes. You may take the horoscope reading like a pinch of salt, but if you see your personality up there, the tips may very well work for you!

Capricorn - The Risk Taker

Capricorns rarely deliberate on decisions. If they decide to go for it, they'll go for it. Home remedies like baked soda, aspirin mask and all sorts of trial and error recipes have the largest audience in them, even if these methods are not scientifically proven. The Capricorn owns the richest collection of make-up and beauty products, counter-bought or self-made.

Tip: Your courage and perseverance for change is commendable, but you should still exercise caution when using these products. At least read up on the ingredients used or consult friends who have used them. Bear in mind that some mistakes made in your beauty regime are irreversible!

Taurus: The Diligent but Stubborn Bull

Tauruses have incredibly high expectations on beauty and spend lots of time and effort toiling away at their beauty regime. They dislike change and once having settled on a brand, they'll swear to use it for the rest of their lives, buying and using every companion product of the same brand.

Tip: As the saying goes, "If it's not broken, don't fix it". If you're comfortable with your current state, by all means, carry on. However, it's good to try some new brands and products occasionally on the recommendation of friends. You may be in for a pleasant surprise! If you're not comfortable with completely switching brands or products, you can always ask for a sample from the sales rep at the beauty counter.

Gemini: Always in Two Minds

Geminis sound very knowledgeable about beauty care. Indeed, they have probably bought and dabbled with many different products but each is never fully utilized for the Gemini changes her mind like the weather and loses focus easily, jumping from one beauty regime to another.

Tip: Products don't work magic overnight. At least wait until you've finished using it for the stipulated period of time before assessing it's functionality!

More zodiac signs to come next week, so stay tuned!

The first week of the new year is about to end! I hope the new year has been great for you!

After New Year, the next big major festival is Chinese New Year! This is also the time when we tend to be more stressed and a little more unhealthy than usual from the effort we put into the preparations as well as doing overtime, and with stress and poor health comes the zits! Before Chinese New Year gets nearer, let's get the zits under control so you can enjoy Chinese New Year without fretting about these little buggers! As you go about your daily routine, here are some simple things you can take care off to ensure your zit-free holiday!

Make-Up Application

Make-up is almost an essential part of our daily routines. Especially when one has existing spots and imperfections, the natural thing to do is to turn to make out for a temporary solution. However, if make-up is inappropriately applied, it could worsen your pimples, or even cause you to have pimples when you didn't have them in the first place!

Before applying make-up, ensure that your face is clean. If you have combination or oily skin, use facial products with oil-control features. Use foundation that is suitable for oily skin. Throughout the day when you have to touch up your make-up, use oil blotting paper to absorb excess oil from your face before touching up your existing make-up. Finally, it is also very important that you remove your make-up at the end of the day as soon as you can. Never go to bed without going through the proper steps to remove your make-up completely, or your make-up would clog up your pores, causing zits to form.

Cleansing Your Face

Often, there is this common misconception that if you have pimples, it means that your face is dirty and not properly washed. While touching your face with dirty hands does result in pimples, poor hygiene is just one of the factors that cause pimples. Cleansing your face multiple times throughout the day is not going to improve your skin condition. On the contrary, it could make your pimples worst. Our skin is made up of a layer of cuticles and a film of moisture, which contribute to the regulation of oil on our skin. Washing your face more often than required can cause damage to these layers, resulting in an imbalance of the oil and moisture content on your skin. When this happens, your skin releases more oil instead, causing your face to be oily and pimples to be formed. Facial scrubs also cause pimples to worsen. That's why when you have pimples and acne, it's best to keep your face clean with gentle, non-stimulating facial products. The recommended amount of times to cleanse your face is once in the morning and once at night. On other times, you can splash your face with clean water.

Exposure to air-conditioning

Do you realize that even when you're in an air-conditioned office for the entire day, your face and neck feel exceedingly hot even if your hands are ice-cold? This is because water helps to cool your body down but the dry air resulting from air conditioning causes moisture to leave your skin, and the skin on your face and neck are often the most sensitive parts of your skin. Oily skin tends to secrete even more sebum than usual. It is important that you bring a skin moisturizer around with you and apply it whenever your skin feels hot and dry. Remember to wash your hands before doing so!

Feeling under the weather?

When you’re tired, stressed or in a bad mood, your skin reflects the condition of your body, appearing dull and void of elasticity. Sometimes, little bumps appear on your skin. These are not pimples, but should they become infected, they will have pus and become pimples. Don’t touch them or squeeze them; they’d get worst. If you want them to go away, you should work on getting rid of your bad mood and lethargy. A nice warm bath or hot shower, getting ample sleep or doing something relaxing which cheers you up often helps.

Good luck with your Chinese New Year preparations!