Face Good

The sun has been merciless these days, hasn't it? I was on my way to work this morning, it was only 9 plus, and already, the morning sun was leashing its vengeance on me. By the time I got to the mrt station five minutes away, my eyes were seeing a little red, and my hair felt hot against my fingers. This is summer period in Singapore, where the heat gets really intense. Time to get more vigilant with the sunblock!

Recently, I've been using Clarins' UV PLUS Protective Day Screen, so I decided to do a review on it. It's not a new product, but it's still going strong in the market, for good reason.

I have combination skin and I'm really wary about sunblocks because I break out easily. Nevertheless, sunblocks are a necessity. After all, skin cancer is much worst than acne. However, I have no worries about this. It feels extremely lightweight. Like all sunblock, it feels greasy and icky when first spread on skin. But it absorbs almost immediately and leaves no residue.

A friend of mine went to Hawaii recently for a holiday. Needless to say, she spent most of her holiday frolicking at the sunny beaches. She's one of those people who gets sunburnt easily. This time, she was armed with this sun screen, which she applied every few hours each day. She came home sunburnt free! This makes me conclude that this sunscreen is gentle on skin, but a strong shield against the sun rays!

Tea is an all-natural beauty and health supplement! Dermatologists say that regular consumption of tea makes your skin smooth and radiant and lengthens the time period for wrinkle formation.

Apart from drinking tea, there are some simple things you can do with tea to improve various aspects of your wellbeing!

If your eyes are tired from prolonged computer usage, use a cotton pad to soak up a small amount of cooled tea and wipe your eyes gently with it. After a few minutes, splash some cold water on your face. It brings instant relief for your eyes!

Teabags are also great remedies for dark circles and eyebags. You can view the article that I wrote on it months ago here.

Tea soothes sunburnt skin too! Just gently dab some cooled tea onto the peeling and flaky parts using a cotton pad. Do it for as long as you like until you’re satisfied with the results.

If your eyes are swollen and red due to lack of sleep or failure to remove your eye-makeup completely, you can bring down the swelling with tea bags. Take 2 tea bags that have been soaked in luke-warm water and place them over your closed lids for 10 minutes. But don’t place them directly over the slits of your eyes in case tea gets into them.

Last but not least, you can make a tea facial mask! You will need brown sugar and red tea leaves for this. Add 2 teaspoons of red tea leaves and brown sugar to a tea pot. Add a little water (until approximately 1 finger widths from the base of the pot) and boil the mixture. After the tea has boiled, stir flour into the mixture until you get a gooey and evenly blended mixture which would serve as your mask. Wait till it is cool enough, then apply the mask to your face. Wipe the mask away from your face after 15 minutes. This mask is especially good for people with dull skin. If you keep this up for at least 1 month, you should be able to put some radiance and colour back to your skin!

You may find the large selection of herbal and all natural teas these days overwhelming. However, you don't have to worry about exactly which tea to choose as all natural tea (not the ones with artificial flavouring, mind you) generally have beauty and health merits, so you could use any. Examples of natural tea include red tea, black tea, Jasmine tea and green tea. My personal recommendation is green tea because it is known to have detoxification effects!

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!

As promised in the previous post, I'll look at the causes of liver spots and how to prevent them! Apart from the sun, here are the other culprits!

Heavy make-up
Make-up contains metallic elements, with absorption of light being one of their chemical properties. Scented cosmetic products especially, contain large amounts of metals like lead, which can cause black pigmentation on skin. Furthermore, when make-up is not thoroughly removed, colour pigments in the make-up will enter the skin, resulting in the formation of coloured pigments.

Only use heavy make-up when you absolutely have to, such as special occasions. Stick to light, natural make-up on regular days!

Too much whitening
Whitening techniques such as chemical peeling and chemical scrubs, when done too frequently, can cause skin to become sensitive to light and dry. A little sunlight can cause red spots and coloured pigmentation. Unless you intend to stay indoors all day, don’t be too caught up with chemical whitening methods!

Computer degeneration

These days, most of us have to use the computer for at least a few hours a day. However, rays emitted from computers are harmful to our skin and causes a variety of skin problems, including dark eye circles, pimples, dryness and spots. Since it’s hardly impossible to keep away from our gadgets, the next best thing to do is to increase our skin’s defences as much as possible.

Before applying make-up, apply a make-up base with UV ray blocking function, such as Laneige’s skin veil base. If you work in the office and have to be in front of your computer the whole time, remember to reapply sunblock every couple of hours!

Lack of Exercise
Exercise helps to dispel toxics through our skin through perspiration. Otherwise, these toxics remain in our bodies and skin and can give way to dark pigmentation. No matter how busy you are, sat aside some time for a little work out every day! Some perspiration is better than none at all!

Isn’t it annoying to invest so much time and fortune dousing your skin in skincare products, only to have those annoying brown little blemishes disfiguring your skin in the later part of your life? The problem with freckles is that they usually only emerge years after the damage is done, and there is nothing you can do by then. It is always important to be mindful of your beauty habits so you don’t end up doing something that’s a cause for regret.

November has been cool and most people only take out their umbrellas when it rains. Now, even if the sun doesn’t show it’s face, UV rays are ever present, any time, any where, even in your house where it enters through the windows. And UV rays are one of the main causes of liver spots.

Don’t let your guard down even on a rainy day. Taiwanese show host Barbie Hsu, famed for her beautiful complexion, goes out and about in sunglasses, hats and even a veil over the face such that she has been teased for resembling a grass cutter! But you know, you can never be too cautious when it comes to beauty! Anyway, just an umbrella or a hat when you’re outdoors would suffice. Of course, don’t forget the sunblock!

However, the sun isn’t the only culprit for those liver spots. Tune in next week for more information about liver spots and how to prevent them! In the mean time, keep those brollies in your bags!

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.

Estee Lauder Daywear Plus Lotion

This is a multi-purpose beauty cream that has moisturizing purposes, a decent SPF of 30 and though not explicitly mentioned in the product description, has mild concealing purposes too. Its creamy base allows it to make shallow blemishes less conspicuous. It does not as refreshing on the skin as its fresh mint green appearance implies, but it doesn’t feel oily either. Its oil controlling properties makes it ideal for office ladies who face the computer all day long.





Guerlain Perfect White C Protective Brightening Fluid SPF 40 PA+++

I adore this product! It feels refreshing to the touch and is easily absorbed by the skin. Apart from being a sunscreen with a relatively high SPF, it is also a whitening product and make-up base. I’ve used this like a foundation for light make up. It covers up faint scars effectively and makes my face look brighter.




Clinique : Derma White Super City Block SPF 40

It feels a bit too oily and creamy for my liking, but some Taiwanese celebrities claim that they swear by it in their beauty guides. Apparently, its sunscreen feature is pretty good. My friend uses it whenever she goes to the beach and she’s never gotten sunburnt (of course, self-control and time management are also very important aspects at sunburn prevention).





Lancome UV Expert Protective Make-Up Base Anti-Redness SPF 20

The SPF is rather low for this, so it would be preferable to use this indoors. However, I like its corrective feature; it does conceal redness well and serves as a make-up base. However, I find it insufficiently moisturizing, so it’s best applied over a layer of moisturizer.

Has the sun already left its brown footprints on your visage? Don't give in to gloom yet. There are solutions

I use sunscreen and whitening products religiously. Why are my dark spots increasing instead of decreasing?
UV rays are still able to get into your eyes, causing damage to the cells in your eyes. The brain reacts by instructing the creation of more dark pigmentation. Hence, your skin still gets dark spots even if you took great pains to protect it. Your eyes need to be protected from UV rays too. Choose spectacles or contact lenses with UV ray protection.

Apart from using sunscreens and whitening products, can I improve my skin through my diet?
Fruits are rich in vitamins and helps the skin to get rid of toxics. Kiwi fruits are rich in vitamin C. It helps to suppress the formation of dark pigmentation and reduces dullness in skin. Soyabean milk has good whitening properties. According to a research done in Japan, drinking soya bean milk daily contributes to smooth skin and helps reduce scarring.

After a day at the beach, I carry out an intensive whitening regime after my skin no longer hurts from the sun. But even though I’m using products with quick whitening effect, why does my skin still end up tanned?
When skin is exposed to UV rays, it starts turning red after 4 to 5 hours. After about 24 hours, the intensity of the redness reaches its peak. After 3 to 4 days, black pigmentation is produced and skin gradually turns brown. It is therefore best to carry out your intense whitening programme within 3 days (72 days) before the skin turns dark. It seems that quite a fair number of people only start their intense whitening treatments when their skin is no longer peeling, or when they notice their skins have become darker, but it would be too late by then. Dark spots and freckles are stubborn, so it’s best to start your whitening treatments before dark pigmentation is released. Sunburnt skin shouldn't hurt much after 1 or 2 days, but go easy on the products and use products that are mild on the skin if you have sensitive skin.

Isn’t melanin (dark pigmentation) supposed to protect our skin? By reducing dark pigmentation with whitening products, are we harming our skin instead?
Dark pigmentation is produced to absorb the cancerous UV rays, hence protecting our skin from harm. Whitening products suppress the activity of melanin enzymes, but will not destroy the cells that create melanin. Upon UV ray exposure, melanin enzymes will still be activated and send the relevant signals that results in the creation of dark pigmentation. Hence, sunscreen and whitening products should both be used in your daily skincare regime.

This is a continuation from the last post about sun protection! The focus of this round's questions are on sunscreen application.

If I apply sunscreen alone without make-up, must I still remove it with make-up remover?
The compositions of sunscreen are rather similar to that of make-up bases, and they can only be thoroughly removed with a make-up remover. A water-based eye-remover is more appropriate for removing sunscreens.

If my make-up has SPF properties, do I still need to apply sunscreen?
Indeed, plenty of make-up bases have relatively high SPF properties, but make-up wears off throughout the day and if you don’t touch up sufficiently, you’re exposing your bare skin to UV rays at various times of the day. For more wholesome protection, apply sunscreen, followed by make-up at least ten minutes later.

My face always looks oily and shiny after I apply sunscreen. What can I do to prevent this?
Substances in sunscreen create a protective layer over your skin against UV rays, but this layer leaves a white cast. When sunlight falls on it, light reflects into the eyes, making your face look shiny. To avoid this, instead of rubbing the sunblock over your cheeks in circular motions, gently pat it in an upward movement, towards your ear and away from your nose, such that substances contributing to the white cast do not remain dead centre on your cheeks but are positioned at angles instead, thus reflecting the light away from your cheeks. If you aren’t going to the beach or won’t be outdoors for long, you can choose a lighter, less oily sunscreen with lower SPF.

Summer’s here with the hot sun in tow! The heat on my skin’s a constant painful reminder of the atrocities of UV rays. I’m sure most of you must be feeling the same way!

There are all sorts of sunscreens out in the market, but sun protection is a complicated subject matter, given the number of queries and misconceptions users have about it. I’ll address the common ones as best as I can!

First off, let's begin with the basics!

Does using a sunblock with SPF30 prolong amount of time taken for UV rays to affect skin by 30 times?
Answer: SPF, or Sun Protection factor, has no direct relation to time. The theory of SPF products delaying UV rays from penetrating skin is very misleading as it implies that SPF products act as an absolute shield between your skin and the UV rays for a certain period of time, which isn’t true. It is quite impossible to reduce the effect that the UV rays have on your skin to 0. A more accurate interpretation would be applying products with SPF30 reduces the energy from the UV rays that comes into contact with your skin to 1/30 in comparison to not applying any at all.

If I avoid exposure to the sun as much as I can, can I still get sufficient vitamin D?
We now have a wide variety of food products and supplements, so many people tend to assume that it’s possible to obtain vitamin D through dietary means. However, exposure to sunlight is a more efficient means of getting Vitamin D as the body produces it when sunlight enters through our skin. But there’s no need to sunbathe on purpose, especially since UV rays are harmful. Instead, you can just sunbathe your hands daily (stick them out of your window!) for 5 to 10 minutes. The cuticle layer on our palms is thicker than that on other parts of the body, so our palms are less likely to develop brown spots.

I have inborn freckles. Will UV ray exposure cause them to darken?
Yes they will. Inborn freckles are a little different from freckles that develop later on in your life. As you grow up, the freckles get darker, but when you’ve hit 20, the freckles tend to start fading. UV rays are capable of aggravating the darkening process, and causing faded freckles to come back again. It’s best to start using sunscreen as early in your life.

What quick solutions are there for sunburnt skin?
This is a regrettably common question. The best solution is of course to prevent yourself from staying out in the sun too much, but when you're in a holiday mood, you tend to forget all these precautions.

Since your skin has absorbed a large amount of energy from UV rays, the best solution is to bring down the temperature. Not only does bringing down the temperature rid your skin of discomfort, it will also prevent the production of pigmentation. There are many reasons for the formation of pigmentation and dark spots. One reason is the release of histamine from the skin due to exposure to UV rays. Histamine activates the production of melamine, causing more dark spots to occur. Reducing the skin’s temperature helps to prevent the release of histamine. However, do not touch your skin with the cooling material directly as it will be painful. You can wrap a wet towel over some ice cubes and place it gently over your face.

In my next post, I will venture into queries pertaining to the application of sunscreen. As always, feel free to send me your questions!

Recently, when the weather’s sunny, it gets scorching hot, so I thought it would be a perfect time to review my current favourite sunscreen.

I have been using this sun screen for about two months. I love it for the fact that it mattifies my face. Also, it doesn’t look or feel greasy on my face. No breakouts on my pimple-prone days either. I apply it in regular intervals of an hour when I hit the beach or have to be out in the open for a long time. It does effectively keep me from getting sunburnt.

The downside of this sunscreen is that it does leave a white cast after application, which is rather noticeable if you have dark skin tone, and also interferes with the application of powder products. On the other hand, if you have fair but dull complexion, it could even brighten up your skin like foundation.

A sunscreen that works and is accompanied by beautifying effects is a rare find. I’ll certainly recommend it to anyone with fair, combination skin like myself.

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing turns heads on the big screen and the red carpet with her black silky hair, snowy-white skin and large, expressive eyes. And she has never been in the tabloids for cosmetic procedures.

Now, anyone who understands beauty care knows that even the most expensive facial creams will be wasted on people with poor lifestyle habits, since the problems would return. With a typical hectic schedule of someone who works in showbiz, how does Fan maintain her good looks?

Barley for Skin Care

Fan revealed her interest in natural therapies and natural products for personal grooming. For healthy skin, she recommends barley, which she frequently consumes in the form of Barley water or Barley soup.

Milk Bath

Sometimes, the old methods are still the best. During the Tang Dynasty, concubine Yang Gui Fei, one of the four greatest beauties of ancient China, was famed for soaking in milk baths to nourish her skin. Apparently, it works for Fan too, who finds her skin especially smooth after a milk bath. She adds milk together with bath foam into her tub and retires inside for a relaxing respite.

Beer rinse for hair care

Despite what miracles hair salons insist their hair treatments can perform, those are still chemical methods which leave behind chemical particles in your hair. Fan uses the beer treatment at least once a week. The treatment is simple. Before shampooing hair, rinse hair in beer for ten minutes. Then, without rinsing out the beer, shampoo hair as per normal. After hair has absorbed nutrients of the beer, it will be exceptionally smooth and silky.

Minimize over-exposure to sunlight

Fan avoids standing in the open when the sun is scorching hot. But when her work forbids it, she applies sun block lotion in regular intervals. The SPF need not be too high, but it should be applied frequently while under the sun. She also drinks a lot of water.


Although Fan seems to place great emphasis on personal well-being, she actually doesn’t sleep the recommended eight hours of sleep required daily. She confesses that she sleeps three to four hours on average when she has filming projects, but she hasn’t had an issue with lack of sleep yet. In fact, she feels energetic when she works.

Oh well, late nighters are pretty inevitable for some careers, but there are some equally natural and effective beauty tips for late nighters that you can refer to here!

(Information from Fan Bingbing's interview in ELLEChina)