Be Good to Yourself !

My GSS grabs

2009-07-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

Product 1
Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc – Pink Mosaic
Effects : Light-reflecting to give your eyes, face or body a healthy glow. Contains pearl, unlike other shimmering powder that leaves the face looking metallic and frosty.
Price : SGD$89.90
Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Rave!

Product 2
Shu Uemera Silver Painting (Eye) liner
Effects : This glittery eye liner cream is easy to use and glides onto the eye lids fairly easily. It is excellent when used as a base to bring out any other eye shadows which you put on top. The glitter may be a bit unevenly spread out, giving an impression on queer silver specks on eyelids
Price : SGD$34.00
Verdict: ♥♥ So-So unless you like to makeup like disco princess

Product 3

Dior Waterproof Crayon Black eyeliner
Effects: Very easy to glide on lids. However, I find they are not smudge proof, hence may lead to panda eyes. Pack some Q-tips in your cosmetics bag as a precaution.
Price: SGD$33.00
Verdict: -♥ Disappointing

Product 4

Fasio Gradation Deep Eyes, Eye Color Palette - Blue
Effects: Comes with instructions on how to use the 4 colours. The #3 turquoise blue is gorgeous! Texture is fantastic, and color is long lasting!
Price: SGD$24.00
Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Wow! Cheap and Good!

Product 5
Fasio Gradation Deep Eyes, Eye Color Palette - Green
Effects: Comes with instructions on how to use the 4 colours. The #3 green is nice. Texture is fantastic, and color is long lasting!
Price: SGD$24.00

Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Wow! Cheap and Good!

Product 6
Clarins Double Fix Mascara
Effects: This waterproofing Seal for lashes and eyebrows is used before and after mascara to elongate, protect the lashes, and *ta-dah* prevents mascara from bleeding and smugging! Works great with my Lancome Oscillation
Price: SGD$39.00
Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Rave!

Product 7
Silky Girl Blockbuster Color Palette – Browns
Effects: 4 shades of eye shadow brown that allows you flexibility. I mix the last 2 darker shades to fill-in my brows. The first 2 lighter shades can be used for highlighting.
Pricet: SGD$13.90
Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Wow! Cheap and Good!

Product 8
Watsons Battery operated Heat Lash curler
Effects: A Gem! Helps to curl lash to dizzy heights! Easy to use too!
Price: SGD$9.90
Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Rave!

Phyto Phytojoba

2009-07-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

Since my previous post about Loreal Hair Spa, I have been getting alot of questions about whether this product really does marvels to the hair texture. Whilst I feel that the scent of this Loreal product is really heavenly and uplifting, the after-effects is not as lasting as I had hoped. The good news is that it is really luxurious if you have the treatment done in a salon, and the hairstylist can mix it with other treatments (e.g. for scalp, etc..)

Well, my latest tried-and-tested home care therapy product is the Phyto Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Hair Mask. This is a deeply hydrating mask for dry hair (like my poor hair ends!)

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:

jojoba oil - extremely healing and hydrating for the hair

Scent: Essential oils of South African sweet orange, angelica seeds and root extracts, smells like yoghurt!

Effects: My very dehydrated hair feels soft & silky to the touch right after wash. It even starts to get back a tinge of healthy glow.

Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Rave!

So clean you can lick my face!

2009-06-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

I am truly impressed. My search for the ultimate best BEST makeup remover is over. I have found THE one and it is *tadah* Fancl MCO (Mild Cleansing Oil) (SGD$33).

Not only does it satisfy my first criteria of having some of the "toxic" ingredients eliminated (free of preservatives, sterilizers, petroleum surfactants, fragrances, mineral oil), the texture is light and fragrance free. 2 pumps is all you need, and it spreads easily over the entire face.

I like to do this just minutes before I shower, so that I can just rinse if off in shower. The oil upon touching water emulsifies (turns milky) and washes off easily. I tried to dab my face with a piece of tissue after the wash and my face is squeaky clean!

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:
Meadow Foam Oil, Green Tea Catechin Oil, Rosehip Oil

Meadow Foam Oil - aids in the removal of keratin plugs over time for a clear, smoother complexion.
Green Tea Catechin Oil - Catechins is a kind of tannin found in green tea leaves, which has 100 times more antioxidants than Vitamin C, 25 times more Vitamin E and twice the benefits found in red wine. Catechins oil-soluble extracts are suppose to be more stable than water-soluble counterparts.
Rosehip Oil - Easily penetrates skin, hydrates skin

Tip: If you are going to Japan, stock up! It retails much cheaper there! (3360 yen is for 2 bottles of MCO works out to be approx SGD$26 per bottle).

Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Rave!

New hairstyle needs new products

2009-06-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

I finally got tired of the curls, and opt for hair straightening using cosmic cream at Shunji Matsuo (Level 3 Century Square). Due to intense layering, my hair looks a bit wispy at the bottom, so I’m in dire need for a product to tame the tresses!

So, the following day, I started “interviewing” a couple of hair stylists from salons in Tampines Mall/Century Square – Reds, Hair Mechanics,

Hair Inn. I’m finally convinced to try this product in weird-looking-packaging called Shaan Hong/Rosemary & D-pathenol Protein cream.

The hair stylist tried a sample on my hair and the effect was quite obvious. Before application, my hands can’t even comb through my hair (gets entangled). But after the application, I can easily comb through my hair with my fingers! An amazing performance that even Simon Cowell would drop his jaws!

PLUS !!

At SGD$28.80 (there’s a 20% discount now), it’s WAY cheaper than the Keratase products which the other saloons recommend, and the application is so much easier! (Works on both dry and towel-dried hair). Great for lazy nachos like me.

PLUS !!

This miracle cream is also endorsed by podders at

CozyCot.

Ingredients:
‧Rosemary - Anti Bacterial, Accelerates blood circulat-ion, Normalizing effect on metabolism.

‧ D-Panthenol ( Vitamin B5 Complex ) - Repairs &recondit-ions scalp & hair .

‧ Silk Protein - Nourishes and repairs split ends and damaged hair shafts .

Benefits:
● RD - Protein Cream contains Rosemary to nourish the hair and scalp. Vitamin B5 to strengthen the hair strand and increase elasticity.
● Silk Protein combines with the hairs natural Amino Acids releasing the hairs natural moisturemolecules and creating a fine natural protective film on the hair. This film protects the hair from environmental damage caused by the wind, sun and salt water. It also acts as protection from chemical damage due to perming, colouring or chlorinated water.
● RD Protein Cream increases the hairs ionic bonds thus strengthing the hairstrand and preventing split ends.

Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ Rave!

Skin Care Makeup goes GSS

2009-06-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

For over 10 years, I’ve been a loyal fan of Skin Care Cosmetics. My logic is, if you are going to makeup on your face everyday, why not pay a bit more and choose one which actually contains ingredients that treat the skin at the same time!
If you are worried about your cosmetics having the top 15 Dangerous ingredients in Skin Care, try safe products like Averine, Dermalogica, Origins:

- Non Comedogenic (does not clog pores/cause blackheads)
- No Mineral Oil
- No S.D. Alcohol
- No Artificial fragrance
- No Artificial Preservatives

Here’s Averine's offer for GSS (Great Singapore Sale)

My favourite: Satin Smooth foundation (S$76.50), Silky Smooth Loose Power (S$53), Skin Caring eyeshadows ($60.20)

Quenching the thirst of pure water

2009-03-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

Which of the symptoms below do you have?

dark-colored urine
fatigue
irritability
anxiety
depression
food cravings
allergies
migraine headaches
rheumatoid joint pain, back pain & constipation

If you have most of the above, your body may just be… well.. very thirsty. According to F. Batmanghelidj MD’s Physiological Effects of Dehydration: Cure Pain and Prevent Cancer , the above are symptoms of dehydration. In extreme cases, long-term dehydration can lead to high cholesterol levels, heart failure, chronic fatigue, cancers, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, stroke, and Alzheimer's.

Not drinking enough water is already an unhealthy thing. What about drinking unhealthy water? Though Singapore prides itself has having the “cleanest” drinkable tap water as compared to other countries (thank you PUB!). I still find our tap water reeking strong of chlorine taste. Then I read this:

Tap Water
Water treatment plants use basic filtration and chlorine to remove microbes and contaminants from our polluted water. This process makes the water “safe”, because it kills most germs and bacteria, but it also destroys water’s life-giving properties.
Chlorine is not good for water because it has a strong ionic pull that easily distorts water’s healthful crystalline structure. It isn’t good for the body either. Chlorine has been associated with heart problems, cancer, and arteriosclerosis. Boiling water does not get rid of chlorine--it changes it into a carcinogen called trihalomethane. Another problem is that tap water tends to have an erratic pH (as low as 5.5 or as high as 10) which disturbs the body’s natural acid/alkaline balance of pH 7.35.

Keeping water in stagnant storage tanks and forcing it to travel through miles of pipes strip water of its natural energy and oxygen, disrupting the hexagonal clusters. By the time tap water reaches you, it is usually devoid of any healthful properties.

My sudden interest in water (being a water-sign helps too) led me to research on various home water purification products in the market.

And here are the comparisons:

Filtered Water

Many filters remove chlorine and heavy metals, but most still allow certain contaminants to pass through.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) has been the most commonly used medium for home and industrial water filter applications, effectively removing chlorine, odors, bad taste & color from tap water. Most water filter systems use GAC even today. Nonetheless, carbon remains an essential component of water purification because of its unique pore structure and adsorptive quality.

Many purists believe that distillation plus carbon, deionization plus carbon, or reverse osmosis plus carbon are the ultimate choices in water purification.

Cons: Parasites like Cryptosporidium and Giardia are not killed by chlorine or UV light and may easily pass through simple carbon filters. Radioactive and volatile chemicals are also very hard to remove.

Price of water filters : $155 (Osim) - $1,880 (Water Master Drinking System)

Distilled Water

Distillation is the process of capturing recondensed steam from boiling the source water. If done properly, the resulting distilled water is very pure.

It is essential to use carbon as a follow-up, especially with chlorinated water, because chlorine and some other chemicals in the water will be heated into gas and travel with the steam. The carbon will remove most of this chlorine and other volatile organics.

Cons: Distillation devices do a better job of getting rid of harmful substances than simple filters do, but they take everything else out of the water too -- including beneficial minerals that are necessary for health and longevity.

Price of distiller: approx $500+ (Purwa water distiller)

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a specialized type of screening of water contaminants using a fabricated membrane. A unique feature of reverse osmosis, compared to standard water filter methods, is that the molecules of water actually enter and become part of the membrane as they pass through. The membrane also allows oxygen through, as well as some other elements with a very small molecular size, including some colloidal and subcolloidal minerals. The pores are small enough to screen out bacteria and even some viruses.

Cons: Still, some small molecule contaminants can make it through, so a reverse osmosis unit should always include some type of carbon post-filter to catch any residual organic chemicals. Although reverse osmosis water actually has an increased oxygen concentration, and contains small quantities of colloidal and subcolloidal minerals, it also is lacking in mineral value and may draw minerals from the body. More problematic, reverse osmosis units are very susceptible to the growth of bacteria and mold within them, especially when not in use. In addition to chlorine, bacteria can attack and ruin a membrane, resulting in contaminated water coming through.

Price of reverse osmosis system:

(source: http://www.acornid.com/articles_02.htm; http://waterus.com/compare.htm)

For me, I've opted for a normal filter (Osim upure) to remove that yucky chlorine taste & so-claimed 99% of bacteria and germs in tap water then boil it to kill any remaining bacterial and virus. Call it placebo effect or what, I'm already loving drinking direct from my tap.

"You ain't gonna miss your water until your well runs dry"
– Bob Marley

Products for permed hair ルベル

2009-01-31T16:35:00.000-08:00

I feel generous.
I actually changed my whole suite of hair products to suit the dolly curls. Anyways, it IS important to use the right hair products when you permed your hair. My bet is on this range of products from Japan by Lebel Cosmetics (ルベル). No major complaints so far.

Verdict: ♥♥♥ Can Try!

Loreal Hair Spa - Let pampering get into your head!

2008-08-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

There's nothing more pampering than giving your scalp and hair a rich, luxurious, creamy soak. My recent discovery is the Loreal Hair Spa (product) that leaves your hair deeply moisturised and smelling heavenly. You'll feel almost as if you just walked out from the famous Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo commercial and there are birds and butterflies fluttering around you.

It can be used as a base with any scalp treatment (please consult your hair stylist) and just requires a treatment duration of 45 mins.

I'm so loving' it that I've signed up for a package so I can indulge in a monthly ritual to pamper my tresses. Hurry, check with your salon if they have this treatment, while I run my fingers through my hair the Vidal Sassoon way.

The only grouse I have with this product is that it wouldn't be as effective if you try to DIY yourself at home, as the salon will most likely use some machine (like the Ozone generator) that will accelerate the absorption of the cream into the hair, neutralize the soap and oils, as well as disinfect.

Verdict: ♥♥♥♥ Good!