Nothing diffuses the unwillingness to go back to work after a vacation like the news of a promotion, a major pay hike… or, since both are highly unlikely, a nicely wrapped gift waiting on one’s desk. So on my second lazy day back to the office, I started the day with a wide smile when I discovered a thoughtful gift from Lemongrass House waiting for me.
Hello from Bangkok! Well, not really. I was back in Singapore this morning but I started writing this post while I was still in Bangkok. Hubby and I stayed there for about six days and although it’s not really a break from city life with Bangkok being another busy city, it was a refreshing holiday both for my soul and my shopping bag.
Being a beauty nerd, learning about every country’s beauty secrets and trends is one of my most favorite part of traveling. And I sure didn’t waste the chance accomplishing that mission in Bangkok. So to kick-start my 2-part Bangkok trip review, I listed some of my observations below::
Slimming 101 Review – With all my recent rants about being underweight, what in the crack was I doing at a slimming center? I was wondering myself, too. BUT I had a strong ‘theory’ in mind and armed with that, I decided to take up the challenge—not to lose inches but to review this new slimming facility that follows Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles .*
My theory was that it’ll help me with detoxification. I’m currently on a mission to give my lifestyle a healthy boost. And what better way to start than with a good flush after all my Chinese New Year binging? [Read more...]
I have this huge, lifetime battle with scalp sensitivity and eczema that comes in the form of dandruff and seasonal hair fall. Until I started looking at beauty in a holistic way, I thought it was normal. I thought that whenever it happened, all I needed was my staple drugstore anti-dandruff shampoo.
I have about a dozen shampoo bottles in my bathroom and most of them are still full. Most shampoos I tried were either good for my hair but turned my scalp into a buttery snowstorm or good for my scalp but turned my hair into hay. So when Paul Penders offered to send me their best-selling hair care range, I kept both fingers and toes crossed.
You know how sometimes you thought you had this winning project until you started doing it and everything went so wrong? That happened to me. Again. My first #DIYFail was the Spoiled Milk Foot Soak with Orange Peels. This time around, it’s the (supposedly) cellulite-busting, moisture-boosting grapefruit body scrub recipe. Urgh, what’s up with citrus fruits?
So I had this juicy and sweet-looking lone grapefruit sitting in a fruit basket since Chinese New Year. I tried mixing it with my morning salad but it turned out to be too sour. I didn’t mop over it, though. I thought, ‘Wow! This calls for another DIY Beauty Recipe!’
If you live in Singapore and are into natural and organic beauty products like me, you might have heard of or seen a few Lavera products before. Watsons used to carry a few and I do remember wanting to try their SPF40 Neutral Sunblock and Wild Rose Toner. However, Watsons suddenly stopped carrying Lavera products and I wasn’t sure where else to get it in Singapore.
Luckily, I just received good news that Lavera recently authorized Spring37 to be its online distributor in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. It seems I might finally get to try one of their sun protection products afterall!
While everyone was deep in sleep last night, I decided to savor the tranquility by enjoying a detox mask and a warm cup of tea. It’s been a stressful week for me and my skin, and a relaxing mask + tea is the closest I can get to meditation. Since I just recovered from a minor breakout, I thought of whipping up a quick detox mask to suck what’s left of those pimple-causing suckers under my skin!
Chlorophyll found in greens — and your green smoothie powder — is great in detoxifying the body, particularly the blood. Similarly on the skin, it can help ‘suck out’ toxic residues and reduce inflammation. If your green powder contains other super greens like chlorella and spirulina, even better!
This look was inspired by the china doll makeup of actresses in Chinese period dramas who usually sported pink eye shadows. The only thing I added were the slightly bolder lips and the thicker eyebrows. Apart from the simple pink eye makeup, the key to this look was using lots of highlighter and brightening powder. The RMS Luminizer and the Silk Naturals Dewy Sheer Finishing Silk were perfect for the job.
