Face Good

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!

I generally don’t believe in overnight miracle cures for skin. Improving your skin is just like trying to lose weight – you can’t do it quickly has it’s either damaging or non-lasting. In this case, especially with acne, you need to find the root of acne (stress? Poor lifestyle? Bad hygiene?) and eliminate it. On-the-Surface solutions like some creams may alleviate the problem for awhile but the acne will return if you don’t get rid of the root problem.

However, as some people have expressed interest in the effect of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) solution on acne because I mentioned it in my previous post, I’ll blog about it today.

H2O2 is an antiseptic product that is commonly found in household products and hospitals. Just like how it disinfects by killing bacteria, it clears acne by killing bacteria in the skin that causes the acne. Without intrusion from the bacteria, the skin can then heal faster on its own. H2O2 is also throught to prevent acne from returning because it oxygenates the pores, hence preventing bacteria from growing in it since bacteria thrive best in anaerobic conditions. H2O2 solution is very cheap and commonly available. A bottle of 3% concentration H2O2 (nothing higher! H2O2 is caustic and high concentrations will burn the skin) will do the trick! You are advised to get it from the pharmacy.

Sounds good eh? However, as with all acne treatments, there is little scientific basis to prove its effectiveness or long-term effects. Here are some things to consider. Since H2O2 oxygenates your skin by introducing new, unstable oxygen molecules, these free radicals could cause damage to your skin. If used over a prolonged period of time, it could cause dry skin and wrinkles to set it. Use it with moderation; you can use it get rid of current acne, but do not attempt to incorporate it into your regular skin care regime. Once the acne shows sign of clearing up, put it away and concentrate on solving the root problem to stop acne from setting in again. I’ve written some articles concerning acne previously which you can refer to.

Now that we’re aware of the pros and cons of it, how does one use it? Firstly, only use it at night. After washing your face and toning it, dab H2O2 solution over the problem areas, keeping it well away from your hair and eyebrows as H2O2 is an ingredient in bleaching agents. After 1 or 2 minutes, apply moisturizer over it.

If you’re iffy about putting straight H2O2 on your face, you may also consider getting an actual acne kit which utilizes H2O2 but contains other ingredients to serve its cause.

Good luck getting rid of those pesky red things! And don’t forget that a healthy lifestyle and strong immune system always helps get rid of all the bad stuff from your body!

Appearances always make the first impression, regardless of your circumstances! You want to look fresh, radiant and healthy at all times, especially when you’re working and meeting new people! But in this polluted city with hot humid weather and stifling haze, having naturally flawless skin is something that many can only dream about. But don’t let that get you down! With a little aptly applied natural make-up, you can still make your skin look presentable! That’s better than nothing eh? And it’s not just the young and nubile who get it! Regardless of whether you’re 20, 30 or 40, make-up still goes a long way!

Make-up for 20s

Flaws on youthful skin are not rather manageable. Hence loose powdered foundation is suitable. Preferably get one that has oil control properties and is able to conceal enlarged pores, pimples and acne scarring.


Photo courtesy of: 醫美人

1. Apply oil-control skin care product on your T-zone.

2. Apply light foundation all over your face.

3. Apply concealer with pore concealing properties over your T-zone and nose tip.

4. Dot some yellow-toned concealer over your pimples and pimple scars.

5. Apply concealer over your eyebags.


Photo courtesy of: 醫美人

6. Gently pull back skin at the edge of your eyes with your index finger. Especially useful if you just woke up and your eyes are still half-closed from sleepiness.

7. Spray a little moisture to your foundation pouffe.

8. Dab on some loose powder, and spread it on your nose in a downward movement.

9. Spread foundation over your cheeks and chin in horizontal movements.

10. Finally, bring up your pouffe to your forehead and spread the foundation in a horizontal movement, pulling it downward to cover the area beside the eyes.

Add some lipstick, blush and eyeliner and you’re good to go!

Tips:

Always wait for at least one minute in between putting different make-up on the same part of your face. You need to allow time for the make-up to settle down and dry.

When using concealer, do not apply it directly from the tip to your face but apply it to the back of your hand first. This is more hygienic, and prevents you from overestimating and applying too much.

If your face is dry or too oily, your foundation may have difficulty staying on. You can spray a little water over your face and use a tissue to dab gently. Do not swipe or dab too hard or your make-up will come off!

To conceal pimples, first, apply a little skin-colour pimple cream (Bodyshop has some, or try Oxy if you haven’t got dry skin) and wait a few minutes for the cream to be absorbed. After that, gently dab some loose powder over the pimple. Since pimples are raised, piling on loads of concealer will not make it look flat. Furthermore, lack of oxygen will stifle the pimple and cause it to worsen. On the other hand, scars can be covered using a mixture of concealer and foundation.

Don’t forget to bring your loose powder with you to do touch ups!

Not all concealers are suitable for any part of your face. Usually, concealers for eyebags and concealers for facial blemishes are different. If you don’t want to own many concealers, look for a multipurpose one that is used for eyebags and facial blemishes.

The next post will be about make-up for ladies in their 30s!

I previously promised an article about the correct method of popping pimples but I must have forgotten about it lol. Sorry about that. Well here we go!

Even pimples in the appropriate stage for manual removal (when it has a little yellow ball of pus at the top) can get inflamed if you don’t remove them hygienically!

1. Make your pimples come out more easily!

Firstly, you have to open your pores so that comodogenes come out easily without you having to squeeze them really hard and damage your skin in the process.

You can do this by giving your face a home steam. Prepare a basin of boiling water. Then lower your head over the water, keeping your face at a safe distance such that your skin doesn’t get scalded by the steam. You should feel comfortably warm, but not so hot that its causing you pain. Then drape a towel over your head and basin to contain the steam. Steam your face for about 10 minutes and you’re good to go! However, do not perform this operation too often. Personally, I do it at most once a week, as over-steaming your face can cause dehydration of your skin.

Alternatively, if you’ve already done a home steam recently and shouldn’t be doing another one so soon, or if you haven’t the time for it, you can arrange to have your little pimple removal operation right after a hot bath or shower. The steam from your bath would have a similar, though weaker effect as that of a home steam.

If you’re trying to squeeze your pimples after washing your face, don’t apply your toner before doing so because your pores will shrink and that will make the pimple removal process more difficult.

2. Keep your hands clean!

Always sanitize your hands before squeezing your pimples! Even if you’re going to use a pimple and blackhead removal stick, you may accidentally touch your face in the process, or contaminate the stick.

3. Avoid direct contact with pimples

Get a pimple and blackhead removal stick instead of using your hands. Your nearest pharmacy or beauty counter should sell these. They’re cheap and easy to use, and are less likely to cause damage to your skin in comparison to squeezing. Before using them, don’t forget to sanitize them as well!

However, if you find those difficult to use, you can still use your hands, but wrap your fingers in clean tissue. Also, do not attempt to force out the pimple if it refuses to budge.

4. Post removal treatment

No matter how gentle or careful you are, there are bound to be open wounds where your pimples are popped, so you should disinfect to reduce any possibility of inflammation. Apply some disinfectant specific to the face over the wounds. Alternatively, you can dab a little salt water (with sanitized hands! And make sure you were hygienic when preparing the salt water) over the popped pimples. This will also help to reduce swelling and redness.

More DIY masks to reduce acne scarring!

Red wine with Honey

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey into a small glass of red wine. Stir until the mixture is even and apply on your face. When about 80% of it has dried up, wash away with warm water.

You use this mask every alternate day.

Citric acid stimulates cell renewal, thus causing dark pigmentation to lighten and makes skin smooth and whiter. Honey has moisturizing and nurturing purposes. However, people who do not react well to alcohol (such as getting red patches on skin upon consumption) should not try this method.

Green bean and Bai Zhi mask

You can use this mask 2 to 3 times a week.

This mask has detoxification and cleansing properties and will be especially suitable for people with oily faces.


Bai Zhi is a Chinese herb that you can get from a Chinese medicinal hall or the supermarket.

Pearl Powder and Yoghurt Cream

Mix about a teaspoon of yoghurt (natural yoghurt, not flavoured ones!) with a pinch of pearl powder and apply the cream to your acne scars before you go to bed. You don’t have to wash it off.

This can be done once every day.

Do refrain from adding too much pearl powder even if it’s famous for beautifying properties. Too much of it can clog your pores. Just a pinch will do, and it should be fully absorbed into the yoghurt.

Choose skimmed or low fat yoghurt to avoid the formation of oil bumps.

Acne scars are more bothersome than pimples! At least the most humongous pimples go away after a couple of days if you leave them alone, but acne scars can stay up to several months! Acne scars can be concealed, but if not done well, especially when they’re dark and require lots of coverage, your multiple layers of make-up could draw more attention to your blemished visage.

Here are some tried and tested home remedies by myself and my friends which have lightening effects or help to speed up the process of skin cell renewal so that your scars take a shorter time than usual to fade out! Do be reminded that the results for home remedies vary for everyone! Some remedies don’t work for me while others work particularly well. You can try a few to see which works for you, but don’t use more than recommended. Also, don’t try to use several different types simultaneously on a regular basis. You wouldn’t be able to monitor its effectiveness, and more importantly, it may be too much for your skin to bear.


Pearl Powder and Egg White

Pearl Powder and Egg White soothe irritated skin and have lightening purposes. Mix egg white from an egg and a pinch of pearl powder so that the mixture becomes a gooey mask that you can apply on your face. It helps to smoothen skin and lighten scars.

Use this up to twice a week.

Seaweed Mask

Stir 20g of seaweed (dried ones from the supermarket, not seaweed snacks!) into clean water (boiled and cooled till mildly warm). Wait for the seaweed to expand so that the little flakes are stirred evenly with the water. Then take up the wet seaweed and cover your clean face with it. Do this when you’re lying down because you’re obviously going to have issues doing it standing up. After 10 minutes, wash off the seaweed with clean water and apply your regular moisturizer and creams that you use after the toner.

Use this twice a day.

Aspirin mask

This is actually quite a popular home remedy. Some people swear by it while some claim it doesn’t work. Again, this is rather subjective and dependent on many factors such as your skin type.

Pound 5 – 6 aspirin tablets into powder. Add a ladle of clean water and stir to mix.

For first time users who wish to test for sensitivity, apply a little of the mixture on the back of your ear.

Apply the mixture evenly on your face. Wash off after 25 minutes. As aspirin mask is quite drying, do put in more effort in keeping your skin well-moisturized at all times.

You can use this mask once or twice per week.

I have a few more remedies to recommend in my next update. Look forward to them!

Isn't it absolutely annoying that every time you have that important appointment to go to, those nasty red bumps make their flamboyant entrance? As the weather becomes swelteringly hot, our oil glands become more active and the zits come out to play. Most of us are tempted to pop them, but logic prohibits it as squeezing pimples inappropriately will leave scars. However, this does not apply to all pimples. Some pimples can be squeezed and gotten rid of. It all depends on where they are and their stage of formation.

Danger triangle of the face

In this context, the ‘danger triangle’ refers to the point from the top of your nose (forehead where your nose bridge reaches) to the 2 corners of your mouth. Improper squeezing of pimples causes infection, and germs from infections in this area may pass into your skull. For more details pertaining to this, you may read up on it on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_triangle_of_the_face).

Furthermore, infection of pimples tends to be more serious in this zone. Notice how when you squeeze that zit on your nose, it becomes even redder and more obvious and redder than ever? The pimple may even develop into a cyst, which is really the last thing you’d want because cysts are more persistent and horrible-looking than pimples. If you absolutely must get that pimple out that very day, seek professional help from a dermatologist or skin doctor.

Stage of formation

You should only remove pimples that are ‘ripe’. Ripe pimples are pimples with that whitish/yellowish little ball of pus on its tip. Once you get the pus out, the pimple will eventually deflate and go away.

Newly formed, red pimples should be left well alone.

You can also get rid of the pimple if it is in its initial stage in the form of a black or white head.
Of course, simply knowing when pimples can be squeezed is not enough. You still need to squeeze it using appropriate techniques and hygienic methods, or you will still end up with an infection and even more pimples consequently.

I’ll discuss the correct method of squeezing pimples in my next post!

My dear readers, do excuse me for my lack of updates. I was in the land of the rising sun last week. Japan is truly a beauty haven! Every girl in sight was well-dressed, their trendy outfits complete with immaculate make-up and perfect hairdos with not a strand out of place. I’ve read that Japanese girls rarely go out without make-up. From my observations, this statement is definitely true. Even the cashiers at convenient stores have spotless skin!

Given the high consumer demand for cosmetic products, there’s such a huge assortment of domestic cosmetics and brands in Japan, many which I have not heard of, that I had no idea what to get! Besides, I don’t like the idea of using cosmetics whose instructions I can’t read!

However, I did purchase a tube of Blemish Balm Moist Cream by the brand Nanoce. Blemish Balm is a kind of comprehensive skin care and beauty cream that supposedly gives your skin coverage while protecting your skin with sunblock and moisturizing properties. I saw it in a shop called RanKing RanQueen inside Shibuya Station. It sells a variety of items ranging from food to beauty products, but its unique selling point is that it sells the top 10 most popular brands and items among Tokyoites for each product type. Nanoce BB Moist Cream was ranked first among the other ten brands of BB Creams sold in the store. Since my hands were itching from not having bought any Japanese cosmetic products, I decided to buy it, and I’m glad I did!

Shade-wise, I’d say it’s similar to shade 2 of your typical liquid foundation. If you have typically fair Asian skin, it should blend well enough with your skin tone. One issue I have with BB Creams is that it always comes in one skin tone, so it’s really difficult to find a brand with a shade that’s perfectly complimentary. So don’t forget to apply BB cream to your neck too, or you’ll end up with different skin tones for your neck and face, no matter how close the shade is to your skin!

The texture is watery and cool to the touch, so it feels comfortable and not at all suffocating on the pores. For people with oily skin, clogged pores and acne problems, this is certainly kinder on your skin in comparison to liquid foundation or thicker creams. You may however have to wait a few minutes before you apply your loose powder or finishing powder because it takes awhile to dry. If you have oily skin, applying loose powder over the BB cream helps to control shine.

The cream gives relatively good coverage for mild redness, freckles and faint scars but everything else shows up faintly. Covering moles and birth marks is certainly out of question. If you’re looking for complete cover-ups and flawless complexions, you’d still need a good powder foundation over your BB cream.

This BB Cream cost 1890 Yen, which is about 30 SGD. That’s a decent price for BB creams.
My only misgiving of this product is its strong medicinal scent. It can be remedied by a little perfume, but it a little worrying to not be able to identify the source of the smell. For anyone who’s interested to get this product, it seems that the only place you can get it from outside Japan is on www.makeupcelebrity.com

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!

Did everyone enjoy your Chinese New Year holidays? Mine was great! I called on many relatives and friends whom I haven't seen for ages. I also ate like I haven't in ages XD I've lost count of the number of mini meals I've had for each day! I hope all that moving around makes up for the weight I might have piled on! But I haven't had a proper night's sleep because I've been staying up all night to play mahjong! At least the information in my previous post will come in handy.

After all the misdeeds I've done to myself over CNY, I've made a resolution to increase my fruit intake. So I'd like to share some information I have about fruit juices in case there are others who share my resolution.

Fruits are highly nourishing for skin especially since its rich in Vitamin Cs and healthy (well maybe with the exception of durians). That’s why I always try to drink fruit juices instead of caffeine products like coffee and tea! Different fruits contain different nutrition levels and are hence more adept at serving different purposes. For optimal beauty results, choose the one that serves yours!


In the following, I’ve listed ingredients needed to make each type of fruit juice. Just remove their skins, cube them and put them into the juicer!

Reduce breakouts for people with Oily Skin
You will need ½ a medium-sized apple, ¼ of a lemon and a few small slice of carrots (by preference).

Even skin pigmentation
¼ of a whole pineapple, ½ a stick of celery, ½ a tomato.

Nourishing weak immune system
1 orange, ¼ of a medium-sized cabbage, 1 stalk of coriander

Mild Hair loss
2 stalks of Chinese Lettuce (remove leaves), 1 medium-sized piece of ginger, a small carrot, an apple and 1/3 of a lemon.

Digestion and rosy skin
1 tomato, half a lime. You don’t need a juicer to mix them up. Simply squeeze out their juices into a cup and mix them up properly.

Relieving exhaustion, lightening of pigment and acne scarring
¼ of a pineapple, ½ of a bittergourd, 3 guavas

It is important that you use fresh fruits, and drink them right after juicing where they are still fresh! Some fruits undergo oxidation upon exposure and that causes nutrient loss!