French Pharmacy | London | Singapore Haul!

The long awaited post is finally here! I got an exciting loot of products I'm dying to share with all of you. For those who remembered my post: Favourite French Product, you would know that a kind friend of mine offered to get some things for me in the great land of France (and later on in London). At the same time, I have also been doing my own shopping back here in the tiny country of Singapore. Now, I do not normally buy this many products in such a short period of time, but with such great price reductions on these products, this was too great of an opportunity to miss. 

So lets get started!

From London: 

1. Tanya Burr Lip Gloss - Afternoon Tea
Retail price: £6.99 i.e. S$ 14.40
I bought for: £4.99 i.e. S$ 10.30

This was probably the most exciting buy out of the lot. I don't exactly know how to say 'I'm a fan of Tanya Burr and I love her bubbly personality' without sounding like a avid fan girl, so I won't try. Although I have to admit that having a piece of her collection makes me a tiny bit proud. Putting that aside, after having seen swatches and a handful of YouTubers wearing this, I think it's safe to say that the product itself is pretty darn good!

2. Sleek Face Contour Kit - Light
Retail price: S$ 19.00 (via Luxola)
I bought for: £6.49 i.e. S$ 13.35

Not that Sleek is unavailable in Singapore, but it always costs less to buy from the country of origin of the brand. I think that I got a pretty good bargain on this one. I have been looking for a good contour powder recently since Chanel decided to discontinue my favourite Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Base here in Singapore. I'm really hoping that this would live up to it's hype and replace my current bronzer. Fingers crossed!

From France: 

One Trick To Get Rid Of Stubborn Dry Lips

No products, no harsh abrasive scrub. This trick only takes less than a minute to do and it works wonders. Now that it's still winter in most places, I thought that sharing this trick with all of you would be most appropriate. This is something I try to do often after a shower because I tend to get the most horrible dry chappy lips ever. 

All you need is: 

1. A towel
2. A warm bath/shower

How to do it: 

1. Take a warm bath. Of course, the longer the bath the better. Lukewarm to cold showers works as well, just that results are not as effective.

2. After stepping out of the bath, wrap your towel around your finger and start to gently scrub your lips.

3.  Optional : Follow up with a thick layer of your favourite lip balm before bed.


This might sound really simple and intuitive, but this is by far the most effective and most gentle method I've found that gives me the softest smoothest lips. This method simply takes advantage of the every-day bath which makes this  really hassle-free and easy to do.

Why it's so great: 

The steam and the constant hydration you get during a bath helps to moisten those dry patches of skin on your lips. This means that a gentle scrub can easily remove those dry chappy skin, without having to tug and pull at the dry skin on you lips. This leaves your lips soft and smooth as ever.


I know that there is the 'Scrub your lips with lip balm and toothbrush' method and the 'Rub your lips with a Q-tip' method and so on, but I found that they left my lips really dry and uncomfortable. This method truly is something I swear by. So do try this method out after your bath later and tell me what you think!

-C


*Lips sketch by Laura Stockings

Moisture Up! - Why You Need To Have Hyaluronic Acid In Your Skincare Routine

Moisturisers, I believe, are one of the most common skincare item that almost everyone has in their routine. Every skincare brand carries some sort of moisturisers in their line. It's just a basic necessity. That being said, I'm not going to discuss about moisturisers in itself, because that would be pretty general. I'm going to discuss about the king of all moisturisers - Hyaluronic acid.

What is Hyaluronic Acid? 

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance produced by the body. It can be found as a lubricant in eyes and joints. That aside, it has received a lot of attention in recent years as a moisturiser. This is because of it's ability to retain up to 1000 times its weight in water! It is even said to prevent moisture loss from the skin.

Where you can find it: 

It usually exists as a salt of hyaluronic acid. Look at the ingredient's list on your products and find Sodium Hyaluronate. You'd be surprised to know how many products that now contain this ingredient. I'm talking about your foundations, lipsticks, masks and so on.

Here's an interesting list of some unrelated products that contain Hyaluronic acid:

• Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
• Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and Concealer
• EOS Visibly Soft Lip Balm in Vanilla Mint (strangely, only this particular flavour)
• Benefit Lip Hydrators
• bareMinerals bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation 
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Sunscreen
• Paula's Choice RESIST Daily Pore Refining Treatment 2% BHA Gel, RESIST Ultra Light Super Anti-Oxidant Concentrate Serum, 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant

What Is Your Favourite French Product?

A close friend of mine is going to the iconic french pharmaceutical wonderland in a couple of days. Knowing my slight obsession for skin care products, he kindly offered to get me some!

So being situated in the tiny country of Singapore, I am not as well versed with the french market as some of you are. Although I already have the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] and Vichy Tri-Activ Hydrating Care ( which I went in great detail in my post: Clear Skin: Exfoliation Is Key (Salicylic Acid) ) in mind,  I am quite keen on trying new products.

So what is your favourite french product that you can recommend?


-C

Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am unable to directly reply comments in my previous posts.  I apologise that there are no email notifications on my replies. I'm afraid that if you have commented, you would have to go back to the posts. I have already contacted Blogger about this issue, and I hope you will be patient with me till then. I hope that all of you reading will continue your lovely comments because I do love reading and replying to them. It makes me really happy to hear your responses. Thank you and I hope to hear from you!

Customise Your Own Masks: Instantly Brighten, Reduce Redness And Tighten

The best masks for your skin are not the ones you buy off the shelves. Rather, it's those made with fresh, raw ingredients. Thats why the Lush Fresh Face Masks are so popular. Yet the mask I'm about to show you is better. It's all natural, affordable, and more importantly, it is better for your skin.

What's so great about this mask is that you can customise your mask according to what your skin needs. Whether my skin is breaking out, feeling dry or just dull, this mask is always the one thing I fall back to. Don't worry about it being a hassle because once you have the ingredients at hand, making this becomes so easy. The masks are also suitable for all skin types.

 The base of all the masks is :

1. Oatmeal : two teaspoons (Any oatmeal is fine, be it instant or just the normal ones)
2. Yogurt : one and a half to two teaspoons

Directions: 

1. Add ingredients in a clean dry bowl and mix well.

2.Add more yogurt or more oatmeal until desired consistency is reached.

3. Apply on skin and leave it for around 15 minutes.

4. Those with normal to dry skin should remove the mask while the mask is still moist. Letting the mask dry out can allow moisture to leave the skin. Those with combination to oily skin may remove the mask when it has dried. I found that when the mask dries completely, it helps to remove sebum from deep within pores. Face would feel less oily throughout the day.

5. Just as you're about to remove the mask, gently massage the mask into the skin in circular motions before washing it off. This is to allow the oats to exfoliate the skin. If the mask have dried up, use tap water to moisten it. The dried yogurt can be quite scratchy, so be sure to moisten it first.

6. Follow up with your regular cleanser to ensure all traces of the mask is removed.

I like my masks thick enough to hold it's form.

It is as simple as that. Although simple and basic as it is, this humble mask will instantly brighten, whiten and reduce redness on your skin. It soothes any irritation and leaves your skin feeling so smooth after.

Who is it great for :

Those with sensitive, dry or irritated skin. Even for those currently suffering from acne breakouts.

This mask is a very gentle mask that I have been using for about three years now, especially when I was still suffering with acne. I found that I could get away with using this mask 5 times a week. Every single time, I would have a more even complexion, the redness and inflammation from the pimples would also reduce significantly.

How it works: