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!

It’s been awhile since I last reviewed a product! Recently, I got some new make-up with red colour schemes. Most people talk about heralding Chinese New Year with new, red clothes and underwear, even hairstyles, to usher in the luck. Funny that people don’t place as much emphasis on make-up, since it’s pretty much something that we wear too!

In this post, I introduce to you my lips’ latest best friend, the new L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Classic Wine! Now true red lipsticks are difficult to pull off for people with fair skin. It could border on tacky, or simply look unbalanced on fair skin. This lipstick is in a very pretty and bright colour. It is a classic red colour, but not over the top red.

The lipstick goes on my lips smoothly and feels rich and smooth. It would be a good moisturizing lipstick for people with dry and peeling lips. It has decent staying power. It has been 4 hours since I’ve applied this lipstick. I drink water periodically (well I use a drinking straw, I don’t drink straight from the cup!) and I still don’t need to reapply yet!

Pretty lips for a low price - I’d definitely recommend this lipstick! If you fancy other colours or shades of red, this series has quite a generous selection.

For the life of me, I can't post it into our Facebook discussion group at the moment. There must be some glitch. You're more than welcome to repost it here. Thanks!

I promised a review on DuWop's Twilight Lip Venom, so here it is!

The pros and cons can be summarized in one sentence: Difficult to apply for newbies, but very pretty indeed!

If you're a new user of DuWop's lip products, chances are, you're probably going to experience some difficulties getting it on your lips properly. Initially, I found it very difficult to spread evenly on my lips, with the result being a very patchy red. But practice makes perfect, and after a few tries and steadier hands (you need to keep brushing it on and blending simulteneously until you get evenly spread out.

The colour is a rich, deep red (think fresh blood and vampirish lips, so the product is pretty successful in mimicking this vampirish effect) and has a glossy effect. After a short while, however, the gloss wears off, but the colour stays. You can add clear gloss over your lips. The effect is very nice and makes your lips look wet and succulent.

Like all DuWop lip venom products, it stings your lips upon application so that's nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, the lip plumping effect, if any, is subtle. A recommended product if you want some sexy lips but not so if you're really looking into the lip plumping effect.

I promised to write that post about nude make-up for women in their 30s, but I came across this product and I couldn’t resist blogging about it, so that post will have to wait till next week.



First of all, you may be wondering what a lip venom is. Well it’s actually something that you apply on your lips to get a temporary fuller effect, like a lip plumping procedure without the surgery. It usually produces a tingly effect upon application. Something to do with improving blood circulation so that your lips look healthier and fuller.

So there we have, another instance of companies cashing in on the Twilight fandom. Here's what it says on the description: "Twilight Venom should be shaken before use to represent the blending of the human and vampire worlds (I refuse to comment) and can be applied repeatedly until desired intensity of color has been reached and lips are plumped and revitalized. Its containing formula contains argan, avocado, and olive oils as well as vitamin E.".

Although I’m not a fan of Twilight and frankly quite sick of all the hype about it, I thought the colour was lovely.
So I bought it. For my niece who’s a great Twilight fan. I’ll let you gals know if it’s any good.

Sensual Rose doesn’t quite strike me as being rose-coloured as it has slight purplish undertones in them. Nevertheless, it is a very nice lipstick. It's texture is moist and creamy and easy to apply evenly to my lips. Under air-conditioning, my lips feel less dry. This moisturizing effect makes your skin look healthily glossy but at the same time, it doesn’t make your lips look shiny, so it is great for nude or light make-up.

It is also fairly long lasting and needs very little touch up apart from after meals. On fair skin, it actually looks flattering, unlike other lipsticks with violet or purple undertones that make fair-skinned users look ghostly. I’d certainly use this again!

There's a huge, sparkling new Sephore outlet at the ION so you can check out this lipstick in different shades there!

I’ve been looking for a good nude lipstick for a long while and I think I’ve finally found it! This is a rich and creamy lipstick that looks like velvet on my lips. It gives great coverage for a reasonably long time and stays on reasonably well even after a long day’s out complete with drinks, conversation and lunch (nevertheless, don’t take this for granted. Few lipsticks stay on long after meals so remember to touch up anyway).

Although this is a nude lipstick, it has hints of pink to balance out the plainness of a nude lip. This lipstick is certainly perfect on its own for a professional or natural look. If you’d like something more glamorous, you can use it as a base and add some shimmery lip gloss over it. This lipstick also goes great with dramatic eye makeup as it is ideal not to use rich colours for lips if you’re already putting great emphasis on your eye makeup.

However, while this lipstick produces a great nude colour for fair-skinned people, it may be too light for people with darker skin tones.

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.

Recently, I tried this new lip gloss that I bought through an online spree. The colour is sheer red and very natural and I like it a lot, although it was not what I really expected because it looks darker when seen through the tube. I wanted to use it for parties, but it’s not sufficiently dazzling. It’s a nice colour for regular use or light make-up though.

Texture-wise, it felt grainy to my lips. But don't feel relieved if the grainy texture goes off in a little while. It also means that the gloss has faded off. There’s virtually no staying power and I had to apply it constantly after meals and after drinking water. It is also not very moisturizing and my lips felt dry at the end of the day.

Overall, I really like the colour of the lip gloss. It’s all right for a short trip outside the house, otherwise, it’s too troublesome and uncomfortable to use!

Ever wonder why your skin is getting no where as radiant as Gong Li's although you're a religious user of the facial products that she endorses? Advertisements often, and are legally allowed to exagerrate claims with the aid of lighting effects and editing. The best way to determine whether a product is good and suitable for you is by understanding its composition.

With the recession hot on our heels, we can't afford to waste money on products that don't work on us. Being able to differentiate good products from lousy ones that don't is a handy skill! Here are some simple tests you can perform on your products to see if they are as good as they claim to be.

Test 1: How absorbable is your facial essence?
Facial essences are expensive, aren’t they? So it’s important to find out how much of that liquid gold actually gets absorbed into our skin.

Directions: Stack five cotton pads together. Drip a little essence on top and wait for a few minutes. Then check the cotton pads. The more absorbable the essence is, the further it travels downwards. You’ve got an A-lister if the essence reaches the cotton pad at the base! If it doesn’t travel vertically but spreads on the top layer, stop wasting money on that piece of junk!

Test 2: Is your toner as mild as it claims to be?
Toners high in acid or alkaline content not only prick your skin, they also have less contraction effect on pores.

Directions: You will need pH test strips. You should be able to get them from pharmacies and chemists. Get the ones that test for a wider range of pH values instead of the old school acid/alkaline test strips that you used in your sec school chemistry lab. Drip some toner onto a test strip. Read the instructions that come with your kit. It should teach you how to read your results. If you have sensitive skin, it’s best to use a toner with a pH value between 5.5 to 7 as the average pH value of our skin falls between this range. For a toner with better pore contraction abilities, ph 4 – 5 is your choice.

Test 3: How absorbable is your cleanser?
If it hardly gets into your skin, it's hardly going to touch the dirt in your skin.

Directions: Fill a glass (preferably see-through) with water. Add a drop (about the size of a pea) of cleanser into the glass of water. If the drop of cleanser does not sink, gently stir it a little and it should disperse, causing the water to turn milky. This means that it is water-based and hence, easier to be worked into your skin. If the drop sinks and does not disperse, it is oil base and not easily absorbed.

Test 4: Are your products too oily?
Oily products may cause breakouts. If you have oily skin and are prone to breakouts, you should definitely avoid such products! Oily products are more difficult to be absorbed into the skin too.

Directions: Smear a little of the product in question onto the back of your hand and leave it on for 3 to 5 minutes. Gently press an oil absorber sheet over the area where the product has been smeared on. The amount of oil left behind on the sheet is an indicator.

Test 5: Do make-up removers take everything with them?
Some oil-based make-up removers are known to leave behind a layer of oil on your skin, which could cause pimples.

Directions: Add a few drops of make-up remover into a glass of clear water. Stir the water so that both water and make-up remover blend into an even mixture of white. If there is a transparent film left on the surface of the mixture, that’s the oil that’s left on your face. If that happens, either change your toner or wash your face thoroughly again after using it.

Test 6: Is the lipstick sufficiently moisturizing?
If you have dry, cracked lips, a lipstick with poor moisturizing properties may highlight the cracks in your lips instead!

Directions: Using a pencil, draw an outline of a pair of lips on a piece of oil absorber sheet. Colour the inside of the outline with the lipstick that you want to test. Leave it aside overnight. There should be traces of oil around the lipstick outline. The more obvious the traces, the more moisturizing the lipstick is.

These experiments are simple, aren’t they? Now you can evaluate your products to decide whether they should stay on your shopping list!

For a glitter affair like Christmas, you can't go wrong with shimmery makeup!

For a delicate fairy-like look, you will need shimmery eye shadow or a shimmer powder. You will also need shimmery lip gloss to go over your lipstick.

Choose a lipstick colour that flatters you, but avoid brilliant tones or very dark tones since the emphasis will be on the eyes. Go over your lips with lip gloss. If the gloss isn’t sufficiently shimmery to create noticeable sparkles, you can add a little silver shimmer powder to your lips.

For the eyes, it depends on how far you want to go. You can go for the outrageous look by covering your entire eyelid in metallic eyeshadow.

For lighter tones to match your pure white dress, you can use shimmery peach, lavender or lilac, but line your eye with a silver or white pencil.

Unleash your black mascara’s optimum powers :)

Stick on false eyelashes with crystals or glitter.

Lastly, use a powder brush to dust a little shimmery powder all over your face. If you’re wearing off-shoulders, get some shimmer on the shoulders too!

An important point to note. If you have wrinkles, avoid all out shimmer because it draws attention to fine lines and wrinkles.

Enjoy your party! Merry Christmas!

Christmas is just round the corner! Have you done your Christmas shopping yet? If you’ve run out of ideas for gifts, I suggest beauty products. They make great gifts because they are beautifully packaged and useful!

You may say ‘But I don’t know my friend’s skin type or preferences!’ Beauty products aren’t limited to creams that go on your skin. Here are my recommendations for products suitable for general use, beautifully packaged and well-liked by myself and many others.


Cle de Peau Extra Silky Lipstick
Every woman who has a make-up regime needs lipsticks. Cle de Peau Extra Silky Lipstick has bold and beautiful colours. The texture feels rich and creamy, and it actually stains the lips, so the colour doesn’t come off when you eat, drink or talk. The brand has quite a large range of colours. Choose one that your friend usually wears or if you’re feeling generous, choose a few and let her have fun experimenting!





Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion














Shiseido The Makeup Powder Brush
This has to be the softest, most luxurious makeup brush out there! It distributes powder very beautifully so you get that soft airbrushed look with no cakiness!



Essie Protein Base Coat
If your friend loves doing manicures, this will be a useful present. It is easy to apply, and allows polish to be applied on smoothly. The glossy finish is beautiful and can even be used alone on bare nails in my opinion. Now that I’ve been using this regularly, my nails no longer experience discoloration and look healthier.











Panasonic Heated Eyelash Curler
This sleek and portable tool makes eyelash curling as easy as ABC. The curly effect lasts all day long and looks natural. Some people have even said that it has the effect of making their mascara last when they apply it immediately after curling.



Methode Jeanne Piaubert for Men Daycare
The men should of course, not be forgotten. More men are getting increasingly concerned with self-grooming these days. While it’s probably unwise to get cosmetics for your male friend unless you’re aware that he does use them, you can get him facial products for general or multi-purpose use. MJP for Men is a good example of a multi-purpose facial product that cleanses, protects, soothes and moisturizes skin so that it looks cleaner and more youthful.











The products I recommend are not new, and I know some people like to make gifts out of the latest releases in the market or Christmas specials and packs. Personally, I wouldn't buy the latest products for others if I haven't tried it or few people have used it long enough to provide sufficient reviews. Also, Christmas packs are so overrated that it becomes a very common gift. Furthermore, your friend may not find everything in the pack suitable!