Face Good

Do you sometimes feel that even with the richest lip gloss around town, your lips are still prone to dryness and chapping? Especially during this festive season when you’re either busy with preparations or rushing work to finish up in time for your long weekend leave, it is likely that you may not be drinking much-needed water to replenish your body’s moisture.

In Singapore’s tropical weather, it is quite rare for people to have chapped lips – that tends to happen in colder weathers - so if your lips are dry or even peeling, your lack of moisture is rather serious.

Like dry skin, lip dryness isn’t something that you can improve or cure overnight, but by incorporating certain foodstuffs in your daily diet, you’ll find soon find that those succulently luscious lips that you always wanted is not a dream!

According to the study of Traditional Chinese medicine, there are certain foods with ‘heaty’ effects, ‘cooling’ effects and neutral effects. The more obvious examples of food with heaty effects are durian, fried food and spicy food. These are the type of foods that cause you to fall sick from fever and sore throat, especially if you have a heaty constitution. Examples of ‘cooling’ food include mangosteen, green bean soup and herbal teas. These are the things you eat to combat the heaty effects. Heaty foods are generally drying, so food with neutral or ‘cooling’ effects is recommended for people lacking in moisture.

Vegetables: Spinach, mustard, radish, eggplant, bamboo shoot, tomato, winter melon, cucumber, luffa, bitter gourd, mushroom, green bean, soybean

Seafood products: Seaweed, jellyfish, clam, crab, black fish, oyster

Meat and protein sources: Pork, Duck meat, duck meat and eggs, goose meat and eggs, milk

Beans and grains: Sesame, Black bean, millet, wheat, barley

Fruits: Sugarcane, Banana, Water melon, mango, pear, Luo Han Guo, persimmon, coconut, pineapple, water chestnut

Others: Lotus root, lotus seat, lily, wolfberry, chrysanthemum, honey, tea leaves, rock sugar, table salt

Ensure that you’re drinking sufficient fluids daily (8 glasses) and avoid coffee and smoking. Good luck in your quest for juicy lips!

Having problems getting your foundation to blend? If you have to keep reapplying your make up because it fades, you may have dry skin that’s causing problems for your make-up application.
Here’s a quick solution that you can adopt each time before you wear make-up.

1. Prepare a basin of hot water. Bend your head over so that your face is near the water surface. You should feel the steam in your face. Drape a clean towel over your head and the basin so that steam doesn’t escape. Do this for 5 minutes. Steam helps to soften stubborn dead skin cells and opens up your pores so you can unclog them easily.

2. Use a facial scrub (the type with exfoliation beads) and scrub each part of your face in a circulatory manner. Wash it off when you’re done. This step helps to exfoliate and smoothen skin.

3. Dab some toner on your face.

4. Drench a square of cotton wool in toner. Carefully split cotton wool horizontally into 2 thin pieces. Place each split piece on each cheek. This produces a moisturizing effect.

5. Leave the cotton pads on for five minutes. For better effect, drape a clean permeable clear plastic wrap (the kind used to wrap food for refrigeration) over your face. This not only prevents the toner from evaporating but also improves blood circulation in your face due to wamrth generated.

6. Apply your usual eye and face moisturizers. Cap your clean hands over your face for 15 seconds to generate warmth and improve blood circulation.

Your clean and moisturized skin should nod its head to your powder pouffe!

It’s summer and hot, sunny weather is back, for better or worst. 34 degrees Celsius isn’t too bad if you take the right precautions and face your day with a positive attitude! After all, there’s a Chinese saying that goes Xin Jing Zi Ran Liang (if your heart is at peace, it will be cooled). And think about poor India and the Middle East where temperatures go up to 40 + degrees Celsius!

So what are the precautions one should take? I’ve already written a few articles about UV rays, sun block, taking care of burnt skin etc, so I’d like to touch on something else that is just as essential as sun protection. And that would be oil control. In hot weather, your skin tends to secrete more sweat and oil. Especially for those who already have oily skin to begin with, this excess secretion will burden your pores.

Keeping it simple
First of all, contrary to piling all sorts of creams on your face, keep your daily skin care and make-up regime as simple as possible. Bear in mind that the more nutrition you try to feed your face through direct entry through the skin, the harder your skin cells and pores have to work! Basically, if your skin is reasonably healthy, all you really need is a cleanser, toner, day and night moisturizer and sun screen. Keep your make-up light, especially in the day when you’re outdoors, and use non-comedogenic make-up. Keep your skin healthy by consuming fruits and vegetables daily.

Concentrating on the T-zone
The T-zone area (Forehead down to the nose) is most prone to oily secretions and is the first region on your face to start secreting oil. To curb oily secretions, the natural thing to do is of course to treat the specific problem. These days, a lot of skin care products are targeted specifically at T-zone areas. Do note that some of these products tend to leave a white sheen behind which doesn’t really look flattering on your face, so what you can do is apply and blend your foundation before it dries completely, and don’t apply an overly thick layer!

Beware oily skins and dry constitutions
Don’t think that just because your skin is shiny with oil, it’s well-moisturized. In fact, sometimes when the skin’s oil regulation function is messed up due to various problems, sudden change in weather conditions included, your skin may be oily, but is in fact dry inside. This leads to problems like skin sensitivity and flaking, and in more serious circumstances, may cause rashes and infection. In this case, moisturizing alone is not effective. If your skin starts acting up, the best cure is moisturizing + cooling down. After a day out in the sun, take a cool shower, or place a towel that has been iced over the affected areas. Then apply a mild moisturizer suitable for sensitive skin.

More tips to come in the next update!

Early to sleep, early to rise lays the foundation for good health and beauty, but given our hectic lifestyles, we sometimes have to work till late, get home late and sleep even later! Especially when a huge festive season like Chinese New Year is just round the corner and everyone’s trying to handle increased workloads or finish work to enjoy the holiday in peace!

The good news is, yes, it is possible to sleep late and still maintain healthy skin, but there are some good habits that you must inculcate to make up for the lack of sleep!

1. Don’t wash your face late in the night.
Washing your face late at night actually stresses your skin and consequently encourages the formation of pimples and comedogenes. It’s just like eating late in the night, and your digestive system has to work when it shouldn’t have to. Wash your face as early as possible instead of right before bedtime, preferably right after you come back from work or wherever you are. It is also a good habit to remove make-up as early as possible.

2. Keep your skin well-moisturized
Late nights and exhaustion cause your skin’s moisture-trapping system to weaken. After cleansing your face, apply a good moisturizer that is easily absorbed. In other words, choose a moisturizer that suits your skin-type. Those with oily skin in particular, should generally avoid creamy moisturizers and choose water-based moisturizers instead. Frequently spraying water mist on your face is also a good practice. However, those with dry and sensitive skin should avoid using tap water to cleanse or moisturize your face as the deposits in it can cause further drying. Use mineral water or moisturizing sprays designed specially for skin care. Don’t forget to moisturize the nooks and crannies too, which are all too often neglected.

3. DIY Moisturizing Mask
Instead of applying your moisturizing serum directly to your face, apply it all over a plain facial mask and put it over your face. After 10 minutes, remove the mask; the serum should have settled into your skin. This is more thorough and gentler than rubbling the serum in with your fingers. Note that this works for serum and liquid moisturizers, but not for cream moisturizers.

More tips to come next week! Now you can stay up late to watch the Chingay without worrying, but all the same, don't go overboard, because sleeping late is still strenuous on your health in the long run!

In my previous article, I wrote about the wonders of milk, and using fermented milk to make masks. However, it seems some people really dislike it (my mum. oh dear. she nearly threw up because of the smell). So if you think that fermented milk smells too bad for your liking, here are a few more milk masks, made from fresh milk! Take your pick!

#1
Mix three tablespoonfuls of fresh milk with three tablespoonfuls of pearl powder and stir until it becomes an even gooey mixture. Apply it all over your face. Once the mask is dry, wash it off with warm water. You should only use this mask twice a week or less.

#2
Mix a tablespoon of fresh milk, a few drops of olive oil and 1 table spoon of pearl powder together until you get a nicely even mixture. Apply it to your cleansed face. When it dries, wash off with warm water. This helps to reduce wrinkles and maintains your skin’s suppleness and elasticity. Similarly, only do this no more than twice a week, and if you use one, don’t use the other.

#3
Mash 50g of strawberry. Juice it by placing the pulp in between porous sheets or a porous bag. Pour the juice into one glass of fresh milk and stir evenly. Massage this all-natural strawberry milk mixture over your face and neck. Wash off after 15 minutes. This cleanses, tones and moisturizes your skin and prevents wrinkles!

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It seems that many people are traveling abroad this year for a white Christmas since the economy picked up! Since I'm receiving more emails asking me about skin care tips for winter, I’ll try my best to comply!

Environmental conditions affect our wellbeing in many ways. Since your lodging is the place where you spend the night recuperating, it's important to know how you can make it a conducive place to rest and relax.

In countries experiencing winter, hotels and rooms have heaters or even fireplaces to keep you warm. While these are necessities, the heat causes moisture in the room to evaporate. When humidity levels are too low, one may experience itchiness and dryness in the nose and throat, headache and bleeding from the capillaries. When I was visiting a country experiencing winter a couple of years ago and didn’t know better about protecting my skin from the harsh winter climate, the skin around my nails bled, and I had a friend who suffered from nosebleeds every morning. Random bleeding is alarming and even leaves stains on your clothes if not taken care of in time. Furthermore, dryness causes skin itch, peeling and roughens the texture of your skin.


Here are some tips to prevent humidity levels from dipping too low. If there’s a fireplace in the room, place a kettle filled with water over the fireplace, leaving the cap off. This keeps the water boiling and the steam issuing from it will increase humidity levels in the room. If your lodging has a heater installed, stand a basin of water on top of the heater. You can also hang your wet towels and clothes around your bedroom. They will contribute water to your surroundings and consequently dry quickly!

If you can spare the time, take a hot water bath before going to bed, or before going out in the morning. In winter, your metabolism decreases and blood flow is slower than per normal, hence the paler outlook. A hot water bath will stimulate blood circulation and give your skin a healthier glow!

The rainy season has come again in Singapore and this also means decreasing temperatures and winter in other countries! Some of you must have already begun preparations for going abroad during the year-end holiday! If you’re going to a country with winter, don’t forget that you will need to protect your skin against the harsh dryness of the weather. Keeping your skin fresh and smooth isn’t all about piling moisturizers on your skin.

1. Drink lots of water
Overseas, we don’t get the comfort of drinking as much water we want, whenever we like, especially if you’re in the middle of trekking up a mountain or exploring some slums, but do make the effort to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. A sudden decrease in water consumption is often detrimental for health, what more when you’re in a new climate. Drinking water keeps you healthy too so you can enjoy your trip without falling sick! So you don’t have to go out of the way to ensure you get your eight glasses of water, try to get at least 2 glasses of healthy beverages during your main meals. Soup contributes to water consumption too. You wouldn’t say no to a steaming bowl of hot soup, would you?

2. Easily-forgotten parts
Middle of eyebrows, behind ears, nose, edge of eyes, neck and joints on elbow and knee. Many people tend to neglect these areas, so if you don’t moisturize them, you’ll feel the drying effect will be even more severe in winter.

3. Morning is the best time for skincare
Our body has a biological clock such that there are different times when different parts of the body work best. Our skin actually absorbs moisture and nutrients best in the morning at around 8am. Therefore, make it a point to apply your moisturizing cream and do your moisturizing facials and what not in the morning before you go for breakfast. This applies even if you’re traveling to a vastly different time zone because our body adapts to our environment. Once you’re no longer jetlagged, your body has adjusted to your environment.

4. Moisturizing Sprays are useless on oily skin
Oil and water do not go together. The oil obstructs water from being absorbed your skin. If you have oily skin, you do not need a moisturizing spray, even if it’s touted as a handy must-have winter item. Rely on water and moisturizing cream instead.

5. When too much is simply too much
Just because the weather is drier than usual doesn’t mean you slather on more moisturizing cream than usual. Continue to use the moisturizing cream as per instructed. Applying more than the recommended amount restricts your pores from being able to open completely and breathe properly at night. When skin can’t breathe properly, it can’t regenerate new cells and perform its usual repair process, which results in dry skin instead!

For the 40's and above

More mature skin tend to have problems such as uneven skin pigmentation and wrinkles. All these flaws can be concealed with appropriate concealers. Skin also tends to be dryer, so liquid foundations and moisturizing foundations should be used to make skin look more moisturized and less wrinkly. And yes, indeed the same type of make-up can be used for even older women in their 50s and 60s, if you have been taking good care of your skin. Always remember to start caring for your skin as soon as possible, don’t wait until the flaws start showing.


Steps

1. Apply skin tone correcting foundation on your entire face
2. Apply undereye concealer to conceal eyebags and wrinkles

3. Apply a concealer with a pearly shade over your undereye (makes your eyes look brighter and more refreshed)
4. Cover your facial flaws with concealer of similar shad to your skin tone
5. Use a concealer stick with max concealing properties to apply concealer over your cheeks.


6. Use a powder puff to blend the concealer
7. Apply concealer to your forehead with a concealer stick and blend with powder puff.
8. Remember to use a small brush to reach areas unreachable by powder puff.
9. Apply a little loose powder over your under eyes.

10. Use a make-up brush and gently swipe loose powder over your whole face.

Tips

Before applying undereye concealer, apply a deeply moisturizing primer around your eyes to keep your eyes well moisturized and prevent caking.

If you skin is dry, use a large make-up brush to swipe on loose powder. The effect is much more natural looking than using a powder puff.

Don’t forget to apply sunblock and moisturizing cream before applying make-up. It helps to protect your skin and makes make-up application easier.

Use a small make-up brush to apply concealer over fine wrinkles instead of running your pigment stick over it. This prevents caking.

Use mineral foundation with light-reflective minerals. It makes your skin more smooth-looking.

And this concludes the end of this series. 

Make-up for the 30s

Careers usually constitute a huge commitment in the life of a career woman in her 30s. Late nights and work stress inevitably cause insufficient sleep and hence eye bags and dark circles. Make-up should be focused on covering these flaws to give your skin more radiance.




Photo courtesy of: 醫美人

1. Evenly apply a make-up base all over your face.

2. Apply liquid foundation on your cheeks using a horizontal outer sweeping motion.

3. Spread foundation on your forehead in a horizontal movement, pulling it downward to cover the area beside the eyes.

4. Apply foundation on your chin in a downward motion, spreading it horizontally to cover the base of your chin.

5. On the edges of your nose bridge, apply concealer of similar tone to your skin colour.



Photo courtesy of: 醫美人

6. Dab a little concealer on the edges of your lips to conceal sneaky little cracks of wrinkles.

7. Apply concealer over eyebag and dark circles.

8. On area surrounding eyebag, apply concealer that’s of a slightly lighter tone than your skin colour or with a yellowish tint. This helps to increase the radiance around your eyes.

9. Apply loose powdered foundation over eyebags.

10. Dab loose powder all over your face. And that’s done!

Additional tips

If the skin around your eyes are dry, apply primer specifically meant for the undereye area before applying concealer.

When applying concealer over eyebags, gently rub it in in one direction from inside (near nose bridge) to outside (near temple). Do not apply too much concealer or it will look unnatural.

Excess make-up does not go well with dry skin, so always remove excess loose powder by dabbing your pouffe against the back of your hand before dabbing it to your face.

If you’re always in an air-conditioned place, use a make-up base with moisturizing purposes. It helps your make-up to stay on longer.

A hectic life makes your skin tired and dull. Use radiance foundation to make your skin look healthier.

Always bring your loose powder with you to do regular touch ups.

I love multi-purpose products because they save me time, space and money! Recently I bought this moisturizer since I was out of both sun block and my day moisturizer!

However, I’m not very disappointed in it. I didn’t experience any ‘mattifying’ effect. I still have to do touch ups to my shiny face for the usual number of times I usually do. I also suspected that it may be a little too moisturizing – my friend who has oily skin complained that it made her skin look oilier and even gave her more blackheads and pimples! However, for me, I work under airconditioning for long hours and this moisturizer feels like a breath of fresh air on my skin. Pity it doesn't seem to last very long.

If you have combination skin like me, it’s decent enough as a sunblock and moisturizer. I suppose whether it's worth a 2nd purchase depends on your opinion on its pricing. A 50ml tube costs $29.90, not exactly cheap or worth it in my opinion as I've seen cheaper moisturizers with higher spf.

It smells really lovely and refreshing though.

Spending long hours in an office environment is unhealthy for anyone in the long run, and particularly has detrimental effects on skin. Office ladies who don’t bother to take the appropriate precautions will soon find themselves the epitome of Plain Janes. Being able to hide yourself in the office doesn’t mean you can neglect your image. These health and skin problems will continue to plague you, even if you leave office life behind. It’s wise to keep the problems under control while you can. In this post and the two coming ones, I’ll discuss these problems and ways to keep them at bay.

Problem 1: Dry skin
For ladies who do use make-up, you may find it difficult for your make-up to blend or stay on. The moisture level of your skin has a direct impact on the adherence levels of your make-up. Air-conditioning and radiation from the computer cause water loss, resulting in rough, flaking skin that easily creases into wrinkles.

Hydrate your skin
The natural solution is to keep your skin well moisturized. A moisture spray allows you to effortlessly hydrate your face directly. Before using it, dab away oil from your face and use a clean, wet cotton pad to wipe off dirt on your face. Spray some water evenly over your face. It’s a good way to stay awake too! Alternatively, you can place several pieces of clean cotton wool soaked in water over your clean face.

Drink water
It is common knowledge that you need at least 8 glasses of water per day for your body to function properly. If you are often too distracted by work to drink, make the effort to drink lots of water before you go to work. Do not try to make up for the requirement by drinking at night as it will have detrimental effects instead, and you’ll experience disrupted sleep from frequent trips to the toilet.

Blend moisturizer with liquid foundation
Mix 2 to 3 drops of your regular moisturizer with foundation in the amount that you normally use. It’s hydrating and makes it easier for the foundation to stay on.

Problem 2: The Computer Affliction
Computers are a source of radiation emissions and prolonged exposure to it can disrupt your secretion system. If your cells are not regenerating properly, spots and pimples will emerge. Magnetic fields from the radiation also accumulate dust and impure air, causing skin to be clogged, yellowish and dull. In addition, ladies with oily skin will find that their oil glands have become even more active, resulting in pimples and enlarged pores, while those with dry skin will end up with even drier skin that can give way to wrinkles and dark pigmentation.

Keep your skin clean
No matter how late you get home, remove your make-up and wash your face thoroughly. Use a hot towel to steam your face for 30 seconds before you begin your cleansing ritual. It helps to open up clogged pores and makes your skin more receptive to the cleanser.

Salt water exfoliator
Scoop a teaspoon of salt into your palm, pour some warm water (warm, not hot. You don’t want to scald your hand!) over the salt and rub the mixture so that it becomes liquid enough to be applied on your face. Rub the mixture gently in circular motion over your T-zone for thirty seconds and wash off. You can do this twice a week.

Problem 3: Panda eyes
Due to poor blood circulation, eye bags easily emerge, a problem escalated by staying up late to work overtime. Wrinkles also develop easily due to exhaustion and dryness. Fortunately, the onset of wrinkles and permanent eye bags can be pushed backwards given the right treatments as early as possible.

Milk Massage
Gently massaging milk on the skin around your eyes helps to reduce dark circles. If your dark circles are serious, you can use a more intense treatment by soaking a clean, absorbent cloth in milk and put it over your closed eyes for up to 10 minutes.

Wolfberry tea
Wolfberry is widely known to be good for eyes. Wolfberry tea is a sweet, fragrant tea with a mellow sweet taste that would be gladly consumed by many even if not for its health benefits. To make wolfberry tea, you will need a small amount of wolfberries (half a fistful should be sufficient) and 3 to 4 red dates. Add these ingredients to a glass and fill it with boiling water. You can consume it when it cools.

Eye Exercises
Eye exercises originating from China are designed based on how applying pressure on various accu-pressure points helps to regulate your body system. These eye exercises are conducted in schools to reduce the occurrence of eye disorders. This website has very detailed instructions and clear illustrations for doing eye exercises!

The weather has been crazy lately, hasn’t it? It rains one moment and becomes scorching hot another. My heart really goes out to the promoters and surveyors who have been roughing it out in the open in view of the poor economy. It’s essential that we know how to protect our skin from the heat of the sun!

The importance of sunblock application goes without saying. However, while sun block protects your skin from the UV rays, your skin may be reeling from the harshness of the sun’s merciless heat.

Quick Hydrating Mask
You can easily make one yourself using an empty mask sheet and toner (I explained this in an earlier post). But if you haven’t got time to make them, you can get them cheap from pharmacies like Watson’s and Guardian. They are usually imported from Taiwan, a country famous for its home remedies and beauty-savvy female population. They make great pick-me ups when you’re back home from a day in the hot sun and feeling too exhausted to do anything else.

Using steam to quicken the hydrating process
It is best to use your hydrating mask in the bathroom, while soaking in a hot bath or after a hot shower. Steam from the hot water will facilitate quicker absorption of the nutrients in the mask. On the other hand, when you’re using a deep purifying mask, do not do so in places with high levels of moisture, because such masks absorb dirt from pores using the pulling force from the dried mask.

Moisturizing Essence
Moisturizing essence is generally able to penetrate the cuticle more easily in comparison to moisturizing milk because a molecule of essence has a comparatively smaller surface area. To relieve dry cells more effectively, apply moisturizing essence, followed by milk. Moisturizing milk will act like a cap, firmly encasing the essence and prolonging the time moisture takes to leave the skin.

Baby Oil Relief
The results of prolonged exposure to the sun usually show up most prominently on the skin around your knee caps, joints and lips. That’s rather unsightly, isn’t it? Here’s where baby oil comes in handy. After a bath, apply baby oil to parts of your skin which are peeling. That should offer some relief as well as smoothen your scaly injured skin. However, skin doctors have advised against the use of baby oil if you’re currently suffering from or have a history of Keratosis Pilaris (rough little bumps on skin)

Replace excessive water loss
When you’re engaging in activities that result in high water loss, such as vigorous exercise, sunbathing or even enjoying a sauna or hot tub, it is crucial to replenish the water. Bring a bottle of water everywhere with you and sip it every now and then. This will prevent your cells from drying and also maintains healthy blood circulation.

As discussed in the previous post, your self-image influences your state of mind. You feel better about yourself when you see a healthy reflection in the mirror, and consequently recover faster. Your image also influences what others think about you. If you’re ill but well enough to go about your daily activities, you should be able to make the effort to look healthy, or you may end up scaring people with your sick visage.

Red, tired, puffy eyes are common problems that occur due to lack of sleep when you’re being plagued by illness. In the morning, make 2 ice bags by wrapping some ice cubes in 2 clean, separate towels. Place them over your eyes for up to ten minutes, taking breaks if the cold gets intolerable. The coldness should reduce swelling and constrict your blood vessels so that your blood doesn’t redden the whites in your eyes. It will also refresh your eyes!

As your skin is likely to look dry and dull, and sometimes patchy in certain areas, moisturize your skin well with moisturizer or olive oil, then add a little foundation to even out your skin tone, followed by a little blush with a pink tint that will give you rosy cheeks. Instead of lip stick, use shimmery light pink lip gloss to dress up your lips. Lip gloss is often the better choice because it keeps your lips moisturized and a shiny, glossy texture would add some vitality. If your lips are dry and crackly, lipstick will make these flaws more obvious.

Last but not least, keeping your mouth fresh is very important. Brush your teeth, and rinse your mouth thoroughly with a mouth wash. Bad breath is a real bane for the sick and no matter how good looking one is, odour is always a turn-off. Bring a travel-sized bottle of mouth rinse with you so you can use it after a meal or whenever your mouth feels dry.