My Current Face Routine

This is going to be my first entry on make-up and I’m kind of excited to share with you guys my everyday make-up routine.

I don’t usually wear any make-up on daily basis, unless I’m going to run some errands or going to pick-up my kids from school. So when I have to wear make-up, I usually opt for BB because it is lightweight formula and doesn’t clog my pores or cause acne. Most importantly it easily blends into my skin and give a natural flawless look in less than one minute. To be frank, I’m still very much inspired by Korean celebrities’ looks and I’m not a foundation person. I actually own lots of mostly Korean BB creams and only 2 foundations ^^ If I want to have more coverage, I will use my beloved Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizes. Having to say this, I’m going to try few foundations in near future so we’ll see how it goes…

Ok, let’s get started with my routine . . .

If I’m going to wear make-up on that day, I will skip most serums on my skincare

and go straight to apply only moisturizer and sunblock. Then I start with base from Laneige Water Supreme Primer Base SPF 15 PA+ in green (which suppose to neutralize any redness on my skin). It’s important to prime my face prior applying any BB cream/ tinted moisturizer/ foundation because it’s not only help  my make-up last longer but most importantly it helps to protect my skin from hash chemicals found in any make-up products. For everyday make-up, I’ve been alternating between Skin79 Super+ BB Cream in Hot Pink and Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream No.21. I prefer to use my hand when it comes to applying BB cream. For blemishes or hyperpigmentation I use Make Up For Ever Full Coverage in Ivory 6 with a Sigma Concealer-F70 brush. For under eye concealer I use Max Factor MasterTouch Pen in Ivory 303 and blend with my ring fingers. Depending on my mood of that day, sometimes I would skip powder just to give the Korean natural glow finishing on my face. Or else I dust Tarte Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder with Sigma Large Powder – F30 brush only on my T-zone area  where my face tends to get oily easily (leaving my cheeks with the glowy effect from the BB Cream). I don’t usually contour my face on everyday basis. Recently I’ve been obsessed with Bobby Brown’s cream blush Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Pale Pink 11 (I got to know this product after watching Lisa Eldridge’s tutorial video. She’s actually one of my favourite MUA). I usually apply and blend the cream blush with my fingers. I wish I have full eyebrows but sadly I don’t. So I can never leave the house without filling my brows (it’s a must-do step in my routine. I can skip my mascara, blusher or eyeshadow but I can never forget my eyebrow). To fill in my brows I’ve been using Lioele Artist Auto Brown Dark Brown. For eyes I usually just curl my lashes with my Shu Uemura eyelash curler and apply my Max Factor Clumpy Defy in Black. For lips I keep it very simple and easy and I just apply the same product that I use for my cheeks, Bobby Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Pale Pink 11 and call it a day.

If I have a bit more time I’ll brush a single eyeshadow colour on. My eyes’ need a primer because they’re always oily. I use Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Portion base and apply it with my fingers. I then take a Sigma Eye Shading-E55 brush and sweep Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Bikini-Tini (it’s a pink nude gold in colour which is just nice for instant brightening for my tired eyes) all over the lid and blend it a bit into the crease. I then take Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Stray Dog and apply to the brow bone with Sigma Blending E-25 brush to give some depth to my eyes. With the same brush, I smudge the left over eyeshadow on my lower lash line and blend to give a little smokey eyes look. For everyday eyeliner I prefer to use brown colour for softer look. So I usually use YSL Eye Pencil No.6 Hazelnut Brown then curl lashes and apply mascara as stated above. And if I still want a super glowy look I’ll add a bit of Benefit High Beam on tops of my cheek bones, bridge of my nose and a bit on the forehead with my fingers. I then set everything with Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray, leave for few seconds and the blot away the excess water with tissue paper.

That's it... a fuss free and easy make-up for a busy mummy like me ^^

Love, Shantz

{Review} Laneige Sunblock Aqua SPF 35++

This product was bought on impulse by me on my last year Korea’s Trip. My intention was to buy their famous Sleeping Pack and basic homme skincare for CT, but somehow I ended up buying more items. If you guys been to Korea before, you would know what I mean J When I got back from Korea, I decided to read some research about the product, and the reviews are quite controversial. Some people love it, while others hate it, so I was curious as to what I would think.

So, let’s begin then!

What about the product? (from Laneige’s website)

Laneige Sunblock Aqua SPF 35++ is a daily sun protection that supplies moisture to retain suppleness of the skin.

- Contains mineral water for deep moisturization. Applies lightly without stickiness.

- Non-sticky and lightly penetrates your skin.
- Protects your skin from UV rays when it has been dried by harmful aggressors.
- Feels light and enriching when applied on your skin and provides a refreshing finish

So, what I think about the product?

It has a combination of gel and creamy texture – not too watery and too thick, which I love. It goes smoothly on my face and it does exactly what it promises; it gives a dewy finishing when you apply alone without make-up, however under make-up (I usually wear BB creams on daily basis) it doesn't control oil like my SK-II Whitening Source Derma Definition UV lotion would do. It provides very sheer coverage (actually I didn't notice it at all) and wouldn't leave any white cast on your face like some other sunblocks do. 

However I love the cooling/freshness feeling that lingered on my face after applying it. This sunblock definitely suitable for dry skin and for those who works in air-conditions and need hydration. I strongly feel this product might be suitable for winter season, when our skins tend to get drier. Now that I moved to Qatar and winter is coming soon, I actually regretted having to empty this sunblock quickly. Maybe I’ll ask CT to get it back for me and do another review ^^.

Another thing that I love about Laneige sunblock is that the Zinc and Titanium Dioxide (the sun protecting properties. You can read about different type of sunscreen/sunblock here).

Can you notice the differences?

So, what is my final thought on the product?

·         Easy to use? Yes, but need to pat a little longer.

·         Price? Definitely affordable.

·         Value? Excellent – lasted much longer than expected.

·         Does it work? Not really suitable for my skin type.

·         Would I purchase again? No but I would want to try the oil-free sunblock in the future. I'm always facinated

Have you tried this product? Let me know how it’s working for you.

Love, Shantz

Why we need to wear sunscreen on daily basis?

Ever since I moved to Doha (the temperature could reach as high as 50 degree), I becoming more conscious about wearing the right sunscreen. Is not that I don’t wear sunscreen daily; in fact I apply sunscreen every day, whether it shines or rains or whether I’ll be indoor or outdoor.  I was more concerned about the SPF, I used to wear sunscreen with SPF 30 PA++ but somehow I felt it's not enough to protect my skin.

So I switched to sunscreen with SPF 50 PA+++ and I feel more secured now.. 

Well with SPF 50, theoretically, I could stay outdoor for at least 8 hours 20 minutes before I would get sunburn! Hooray!!! 

But of course, nobody would stay outdoor for that long in here, especially during summer!

Ok, let’s get started with topic!

We all know that the rays that come from the sun, UVA and UVB rays, could caused damage to our skin, from early skin aging, eye damage (including cataracts) to skin cancers. By wearing sunscreen/sunblock, it will help to protect our skins from UVA and UVB rays. Thus even when summer is over, that doesn’t mean you could skip sunscreen/sunblock in the winter. It’s still vital to apply protection 365 days a year!

Knowing the difference between UVA and UVB rays can help you pick up the best and suitable sunscreen/sunblock for your skins.

What is UVA and what is UVB?

UVA (Ultraviolet-A) rays constantly present, no matter the season or the weather. They are so powerful that they also penetrate some clothing and even glass. So, most of us are actually exposed to large amount of UVA throughout our lifetime.

UVA rays are responsible for the signs of aging because they penetrate deeper into your skin than UVB, and has been long known to cause skin aging and wrinkling.

In short, when you think of UVA rays, think sun spots, uneven skin tone and wrinkles.

UVB (Ultraviolet-B) rays are rays you can blame when you get sunburn or skin reddening. Unlike UVA rays, these rays aren’t the same strength year round – its intensity varies by season, location and time of a day.

So when you think of UVB rays, think sun burn and cancer.

(For further understanding about UVA and UVB, you can learn from here)

So, what is the difference between sunscreen and sunblock?

Sunscreen is a chemical sunscreen/ organic sunscreen. It acts a like a sponge; absorbing the sun’s ray. Chemical sunscreen texture is colourless, odourless and runny.  It can sometimes double as a makeup primer (depending on the active and the formulation).

Common ingredients found in chemical sunscreen: Octylcrylene, Avobenzone, Octinoxate, Octisalate, Oxybenzone, Homosalate, Helioplex,A-MBC, Mexoryl SX and XL, Tinosorb S and M, Uvinul T150, Uvinul A Plus.

Sunblock is a physical sunscreen/inorganic sunscreen. It acts like a shield; deflecting or blocking the sun’s rays.  Physical sunscreen texture usually thick and opaque which can be hard to apply. It tends to leave a white cast and rubs off more easily too, so frequent application is necessary. Common ingredients found in physical sunscreen: Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and Zinc oxside (ZnO).

(You can read more information here.)

And what is the difference SPF and PA+++?

SPF (sun protection factor) shows protection against UVB rays, the rays that causing sunburn. The number in SPF represent the length of time you can stay out in the sun without burning.  To see how long your sunscreen will last, take a number of SPF and multiply it by 10 (a person would normally start to bun in 10 minutes).

For example: SPF 15 x 10 = 150 minutes (2 hour 30 minutes) of sun protection

                     SPF 30 x 10 = 300 minutes (5 hours) of sun protection

PA shows protection against UVA rays, the rays that causing photo-aging.

PA is rated by PA+ (the least protection), PA++ (medium protection) and PA+++ (the greatest protection).

Simply put, when you shop for a sunblock/sunscreen be sure to select one that offers a broad spectrum of UVA and UVB protection.

Who should wear sunscreen/sunblock?

Anyone over the age of six months should use a sunscreen daily. My kids are wearing sunscreen. 

How to protect our skin?

-      I believe you’ve heard advice to stay out the sun through mid day hours, right? It’s the UVB rays you’re avoiding (try to avoid sun between 10 and 4pm, when UVB rays are the strongest).

-      Apply minimum sunscreen SPF 30 on areas will be exposed to the sun

-      Re-apply sunscreen every 3-4 hours, if you intend to stay outdoor longer.

Remember don’t let a cloudy day affect your decision to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging rays. The less you protect your skin, the more prone you are to sunburn, cancer and aging. And don’t forget your sunglasses to protect our eyes too!

Happy shopping and Good luck ladies!

  

Love, Shantz

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

From 1^st July onwards, Google has shutdown their blog reading program Google Reader which means that everyone reading this blog using Google Reader will no longer able to L.

However this not the end of the road, you could still read my blog through bloglovin’ just click this button here

For the past few months, I have enjoyed reading beauty and fashion blogs from a reader called bloglovin’. What I love about this reader, there is some categorization to select what type of blogs your want to read; from Art, Beauty, Design, DIY & Crafts, Entertainment, Family, Fashion and many more. This makes blog-reading lots of easier and fun. Just check this out. I’m sure you guys gonna love it J

Love, Shantz

{Review} - Khiel's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution

Hooray! Finally I did my first product reviewJ.

I love whitening products especially now I am in my early 30s and I could see some pigmentation around my cheeks. As many of you who struggle with skin pigmentation issue know fading those pesky dark spots can be the most challenging skincare issue of all. The most frustrating thing is to wake up every morning to the same dark spot, day after day, with little to no improvement.

Currently I depend on my 2 holy grails products - SK-II Whitening Spot Specialist serum and Cellumination Essence Ex Serum to combat and prevent old as well as new spot formation. Some of you must be wondering why I still try Khiel’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot solution since I already found my holy grails products, right? What can I say? I’ve always been fascinated by whitening as well as pore minimiser products. I read many positive rave reviews about this serum and it is also one of Khiel’s customers favourite and best sellers product. And since I have run out my SK-II Cellumination Essence Ex, why not try this product. Although I don’t really put too much expectation on Khiel’s but hey the product still deserve a chance. Like a famous saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, this product might not be expensive but maybe the result might be either match or do even better than my current ones.

Kiehl's describes Clearly Corrective as a product designed to target discoloration and dark spots, using a key ingredient called Activated-C and White Birch and Peony Extracts correct skin tone and improves clarity. You can read more about product here.

Interesting diagram from Khiel’s website about the ingredient spotlight and how the serum works:

The Khiel’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution comes in a nice glass bottle and an applicator that reminds me of my beloved SK-II Cellumination Essence Ex. In the bottle, although the serum looks like water but it is in fact a little tacky when applied. I need to pat my face longer for the serum to seep into the skin before applying my moisturizer.  This is something that I did not have to worry when I was using my SK-II serums. I prefer to use this serum in the morning (you can use it day and night) following with only moisturiser and sunblock (when I used Khiel’s serum, I tend to skip most of SK-II regime). I prefer to apply lesser skin care products on day especially when I am going put on some make-up. Slapping too much skin care products will cause your make up to slide down. GASP! 

The texture reminds me a little of SK-II Facial Treatment Repair C.

All you need is just one pump of applicator to
bring just the right amount of serum for the whole face.

So, did it work?

Even after I have finished up the product (It took me about 5 months –like I said, I was only using it one drop every morning). I find that my skin tone is only a tad lighter. However, I find this product work best for me in term of lightening only on my blemishes/ acnes spots (when the acnes are just about to heal) no so much on my pigmentation spots. So in short, my skin condition maintained status quo.  I’m not saying that this serum is mediocre, just that maybe my skin has already ‘customized’ to SK-II products. SK-II worked great because my skin was really bad to start with, so this might be unfair to Khiel’s. But it’s a good product as it does lighten my overall skin complexion.

So, what is my final thought on the product?

·         Easy to use? Yes, but need to pat a little longer.

·         Price? Quite pricy but still affordable comparing to SK-II.

·         Value? Excellent – lasted much longer than expected.

·         Does it work? Yes in term of lightening of my acne scars and No in term of lightening my pigmentation spot. But the product does lighten my overall face complexion.

·         Would I purchase again? Maybe.

Have you tried this product? Let me know how it’s working for you.

Just showing my emptied bottle of Khiel's.

Love, Shantz

Diaper Free!!

This entry is actually non-beauty related; I just want to record every little progression each of my kids has made.

Today, July 7^th 2013, marks an important progression of my eldest son, Brayden.

Brayden is finally diaper-free boy! Yeah..!!!  He is now 3 yrs 8 months. Well done, son!

For the past 1 year, he only wore diapers on nightly basis before he goes to bed and when we go out.  But ever since we moved to Doha, and ever since he has his own room and new bed, he stopped wearing diapers before he sleeps. I guess my eldest boy has grown up! And finally we could save some $$ on diapers; diapers and formula milks are very costly.

So now it’s time to toilet-trained my youngest son.

Love, Shantz

Just Some Updates

Guess what? Today marks my 1^st month of stay in Doha, Qatar. YEAH!!

I know I have been neglecting this blog for a while.  But I will try to blog more now since my two kids are attending their Summer Camp School, and I have more time to kill. LOL!

Everything has been great so far except the weather. It’s getting warm here and CT told me, the temperature will continue to rise till August to as high as 48 degree! I know it sounds insane but I guess my family will be able to survive the heat – just stay in-door and switch on air conditioning (that’s what we have been doing for past 1 month). Also I miss showering in COLD water too, now that it's summer, even cold water has becoming tepid water and sometimes can be as hot as boiling water - you could even boil an egg! (I'm just kidding!).  Solution? A bucket of warm water to be left overnight.

Apart the heat, the weather is very very dry, I've been suffering lip cracks, scaly and itchy skins (I have eczema) on my feet and face and worse of all my blackheads are coming back.  Gosh... my pores are always congested with blackheads and whiteheads nowadays no matter what I did – scrubbing, masking and even my current Holy Grail B.liv off those heads is not doing their jobs. I’m actually seeking for alternative products to combat those heads. Do you guys have any recommendation?

Wait a minute! Actually this entry is to update about my boys 1^st day of school!

There lot adjustments need to be done prior their fist day to school such as:

Their new school, it's a Canadian School.
We are still searching for British Curriculum School

1)   Waking Time

My kids are not morning risers! They usually rises around 8.30 AM but for the last 2 weeks before start of the school start, my helper and I slowly wake them up earlier – 2 weeks before was around 7.30 AM and on last week was around 7.00 AM. In their new school, Calgary 

             International Pre-School (Doha) the activities start as early as

 7.30 am. My kids need to wake up as early as 6.30 AM to have breakfast at home and watch some cartoons before we set off to school. And also we need to drive them to school; it takes about 5-7 minutes to reach the school. However in Brayden's previous school, Agape Little University (Singapore) the lessons start around 9.00 AM. We usually send him to school around 8.00 AM so they woke up around 7.45 AM. The nursery is only 5 minutes walking distant from our home. So no traffic!

2)  Sleeping Time

They usually went to bed around 9.30 PM – 10.00 PM. It's quite late, but now we're gradually adjusting their bedtime hours to 8.30 PM – 9.00 PM.

It’s not the ideal time yet! Young children need to have a good 10 hours sleep. So hopefully, they could rest early after hard day at school today! 

Here is our ideal time tables:

            Morning: 6.30 AM

                  Breakfast: 7.00 AM

                  School: 7.30 AM - 1.30 PM

                  Afternoon Nap: 2.00 PM - 4.00 PM

                  Play Time/ TV session: 4.30 PM - 5.30 PM

                  Dinner: 6.00 PM

                  Study Time: 6.30 PM- 7.30 PM

                  Shower and Sleep Time: 8.00 PM

3)  Neither breakfast nor lunch provided

In Brayden’s previous school, they provide every meal – breakfast, tea-break, lunch and snacks. Here in the school they provide nothing so basically we need to prepare the food the night before and warm up the next morning to pack to their lunch boxes. So I need to think different types of bento lunch for them. (Bento is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine.  

A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Usually Japanese 

homemakers often spend time and energy on a carefully prepare lunch for their spouse, child, or themselves.) 

Actually now I miss the Singapore  Childcare, it’s so convenient.

                             

4)   School Hours

In Singapore, most childcares operate from 7.00 AM – 7.00 PM. But here the school only operate from 7.00 AM – 1.30 PM, so I need to home-school them and that's the reason why I decided not to find a job here. I don't my kids to slack at home, i.e. watch cartoons, play Wii Nintendo/ iPad, play toys, etc. I'm not so sure about the curriculum over here, so being a typical 'kiasu' Singaporean mommy, I will prefer to coach them extra lessons (I bought lots of assignments book for my eldest boy, he's going to kindergarten next year . Just in case if we decided to pack our luggage back to our hometown, our kids able 

How my boys coping their first day?

Initially my eldest boy, Brayden, is a kind of looking forward to go to school. The night before or to be accurate a week before the school start, I kept explaining to him about his new school, new teacher and new friends. He said “Ok mommy, no more teacher Lali (his favourite teacher), no more Yu Tong (his girl-friend), Xiang Wei and Jin Yang (his buddy).” He told me that he misses going to school but on the actual day, he got nervous and anxious. Probably, he saw many unfamiliar faces in the schools. So he nearly broke down and wanted to go home with me. But after coaxing him for awhile (giving him some toys to play with), he finally settled-in. I decided not to stay longer in school (my initial plan to hang around for at least 2 hours), I worried if he sees me, he would cry and want to follow me home.

As for my youngest son, Bazyl, he’s the bravest ones. He didn’t shed a single tears at all despite it’s his first time going to school and first time separated from us when we left him behind with teacher. In fact he easily warms up with everyone. Well done, Bazyl!

Well, now that both of them at school, the home feel empty without them.

Love, Shantz

{Updated} My SK-II Skincare Regime

I’ve wanted to do an update of my skincare regime since last month, but since I was running out most of my products I decided to wait slightly later -  till I re-purchased all the items.

Last month I went to visit SK-II Boutique @ Tangs to do my 5D skin analysis – Texture Refinement, Radiance Enhancement, Spot Control, Wrinkle Resilience, and Firmness Power.

 The last time I did the same analysis was in January, actually the beauty consultant recommended to do this 5D scan at least once every 3 months to see if the recommended products work well on our skin or not. I didn’t capture my first scan results on my phone thinking they would at least keep the records for me L (so ladies please remember to snap pictures of your analysis for future references). Luckily I still remember my last overall scores, which was around 60%. My lowest scores would be on Spot Control and Wrinkle Resilience. And my highest score will be my Radiance Enhancement around 65%.

So here was my latest updated 5D Skin Analysis:

My overall score actually dropped slightly to 59%. (Whatt?? How come???)

However I was surprised and happy at the same time that I scored the highest on my Spot Control now. Thanks to my SK-II 28 Day Whitening Spot Specialist Concentrate that helped to keep my spots under controlled for now. I might do review on this product soon.

I told my beauty consultant about my previous scores and the products I used before versus the product I use currently (as you all know that I’ve run out my Cellumination Essence Ex for quite sometimes now) – This could be reason why I scored badly on my Radiance Enhancement now L

The beauty consultant recommended me to follow back my initial regime – which to include SK-II Cellumination Essence Ex on both my day and night regime (previously I only used Cellumination Essence Ex on day regime). She also suggested few more products to improve on my skin condition – dryness around my cheeks. Dehydrated skin is the first sign of the appearance of fine wrinkles lines which eventually lead to sagging skin.

My big SK-II family!

So Here is my updated daily SK-II regime –Day and Night

1)    Facial Treatment Cleanser

2)    Facial Treatment Clear Lotion (FTCL)

3)    Facial Treatment Essence (FTE) **

4)    Cellumination Mask-in Lotion

5)    Facial Treatment Repair C **

6)    Whitening Sports Specialist **

7)    Cellumination Essence EX **

8)    Signs Up Lifter

9)    Wrinkle Specialist

10)           Stempower (Day)

11)           Stempower Rich Cream (Night)

12)           Signature Eye Cream

13)           Whitening Source Derma Definition UV Lotion (SPF50)

** These items are my HOLY GRAILS!

In  RED are the latest additional products to my skincare regime.

I'll update you guys my skin condition after 1 month later from now.

Love, Shantz

Greetings from Doha, Qatar!

As-salam alaykum (السلام عليكم)!

It’s an Arabic greeting often used locals to greet people; it nearly translates to "peace be upon you", but is often considered the equivalent to "hello" or "good day" in English.

 It’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog. Well, I have been busy packing; it has been a hectic and chaotic last month.

I’m in the midst of settling down in my new home, new city and new country – Beverly Hills Garden 3, Doha, Qatar. It’s not easy especially for the kids – food, weather, time zone etc.

My eldest boy misses his school, teachers and of course his ‘girlfriend’ already.

Anyway I’ll update my blog soon so stay tuned!

Our new home for now!

Weather is pretty scary here! It's HOT and DRY!!

Most importantly Our Family finally together again! :)

Love, Shantz