Radical Skincare

Thanks to Gwen, I was given the privilege to meet Rachel Edlich, one of two founders of the Radical Skincare line, the other of which is Liz Edlich, daughters of renowned professor of plastic surgery, Dr. Richard F. Edlich, MD.PHD. Held at Escentials, Paragon, we were ushered in to hear Rachel tell us the inspiring story behind the family legacy and their journey towards their vision of creating the most powerful and potent skincare in the market.

It all started when Rachel started suffering from Rosacea from her second child, while Liz, on the other hand, was troubled by the signs of ageing that has started to take their toll on her skin. This led them to challenge their scientist to create a powerful anti aging solution yet gentle enough to be used on sensitive skin like Rachel's. Amazingly, they were able to, and though it was initially created for themselves, they wanted to make a difference in other people's lives as well, so now we have the Radical range of products available for us too!

It was a really heartening saturday morning, and while Rachel explained all these history as well as the science to the products, we were able to try the them right there and then, too.

What Radical is about.

Here is a summary given to us of what Radical Skincare can do for you:

Radical Skincare ingredients have been clinically proven to:

• Maximize potency in antioxidants to protect skin from free radical damage
• Fight 10 free radicals with a broad spectrum of powerful antioxidants
• Increase skin hydration by 66%
• Reduce wrinkles by 50%
• Increase collagen and elasticity for smoother skin by 128%
• Reduce under eye dark circles and puffiness
• Even skin tone and reduce age and sun spots
• Reduce pore size 

Youth Infusion Serum

First up is the youth infusion serum, "a booster serum to hydrate, lift, and rejuvenate. Prepares skin for high levels of active ingredients." The texture is very light and with a not too overwhelming and very refreshing scent, as is with most of their products.

Eye Revive Creme

"4 in 1 treatment, helps to reduce wrinkles, puffiness, discoloration, and hydration."  We often forget to care for eyes! Radical Skincare is so thoroughly complete, Rachel and Liz made sure they didn't miss anything in their overall solution to ageing skin.

Age-Defying Exfoliating Pads

"Exfoliates, firms, and reduces pores size. Helps promote cell turnover and accelerate Radical Skincare performance." I liked these pads! We tried them and it intensively cleaned my skin together with removing dead cells. It's also unique since it doesn't require rubbing your face with rough material, like most exfoliants are.

Eek! This is just a part of my neck that I rubbed with the exfoliating pads. Didn't dare to continue so as not to disgust Alene beside me, haha.

SPF30 Skin Perfecting Sun Screen

"An ideal, multi-protection, multi-function screen for skin exposed to sunlight" This is another of their products that piqued my interest. It is very light, not at all sticky, and no sunscreen smell at all. Definitely NOT all the things that we hate in a sunscreen.

Apart from these, we were able to take home and try three of the other skincare products, happy bloggers we were! After the talk, Rachel was very friendly and patiently answered our questions one by one. I asked her regarding--well what else--my acne issue and would I have any problems with the products? She was very honest and advised me that since its target is anti-ageing and not acne prevention, I may try it first on one part of my face, perhaps the jaw line and wait for the results, but let me rest assured that it is powerful yet gentle at the same time. As mentioned earlier, she had Rosacea and this helped heal her troubled skin then.

Left to right: Multi Brightening Serum, Instant Revitalizing Mask, Anti-Aging Restorative Creme

The way the cylinders are sealed are also very interesting! Twist to open, no lost caps!

Instant Revitalizing Mask

CONCEPT
The Instant Revitalizing Mask delivers a complex of natural active ingredients to the skin, helping to optimize oxygen resources for a lasting youthful glow, stimulating energy production and simultaneously controlling oxidation reactions. 

RESULTS

• Improved respiration of the skin
• Higher energy levels
• Smoother skin
• Skin that is brighter and more radiant 

APPLICATION
Apply a thin layer to cleansed, dry skin. Leave to dry for several minutes before rinsing. Use twice a week or as required.

REVIEW
It was quite fun to use this mask and it certainly was different from all other masks I've tried. It'll start to form a foam-like texture on your face, I then wash it off after 3-5 minutes and my skin would feel really soft to the touch.

Retail Price: 95 SGD 

Available from July 2013 

Multi Brightening Serum

-Treats all causes of blemishes and uneven complexions.
-Works throughout the life cycle of melanin, the main source of skin pigmentation and has 7 targeted actions enabling it to prevent and repair all pigmentation disorders.

It works as a skin 'scrub'. 

MULTIBRIGHTENING SERUM works using a range of 7 actions:

• Inhibiting tyrosinase
• Stopping endothelin production
• Inhibiting stem cell factor
• Limiting melanin transport to the tips of melanocytes
• Limiting melanin transfer to keratinocytes
• Limiting dendrite extension
• Exfoliating with salicylic acid derived from the wintergreen plant

(So many scientific terms that may be of interest to you chemistry girls out there)


RESULTS: 

• More even complexion
• Less intense marks
• Less numerous marks
• More radiant skin

APPLICATION
Apply morning and evening to your cleansed face and neck, after applying Serum. Continue the treatment with Moisturizer.

REVIEW
I'm happy to report that this serum did not break me out whatsoever! It doesn't have a strong scent and is very light in texture. As with serums though that aid your cell turnover, do give it more than a week to show visible results. I am still continuously using it and I feel that it is helping me maintain a healthier and more radiant skin.

Available from May 14
Retail Price: 215 SGD 

Anti Aging Restorative Moisture Creme

"Reduces wrinkles, hydrates, and evens skin tone. Formula boosts skin firmness and elasticity." This is more for women whose main concerns are signs of ageing, especially wrinkles.

REVIEW

I recommend this to those who have really dry skin, and whose main concern are wrinkles. To someone like me who has a very oily face, use this cautiously as it is quite thick and apply only to areas of concern, and not the whole face.

Here is the complete and full range of Radical products:

They are really comprehensive and covered all anti ageing concerns.

Where to find them though?

Escentials Paragon, #03-02/05 Tel: 6737 2478

Escentials Tangs Orchard, Tangs Beauty Hall Level 1 Tel: 6734 2122 

Escentials is not just a shop, I find it as a very relaxing space with its elegant and beautiful interiors and mixture of delightful fragrances. You should totally go see and feel for yourself.

Even the brownies they served us looked--and tasted--so luxurious!

Thank you Rachel, for sharing your valuable time together with this wonderful products with us!

Oh and after the event I had lunch with Alene at Bakerzin! Wish I had more time to spend with these girls! It's weird I don't have a photo with them, Gwen was busy chatting with the staff and Alene and I were taking turns taking OOTDs. Lol. Nevertheless had a wonderful time!

Jimmy Choo Exotic: Launch + Review

Previously, we attended the launch of Jimmy Choo's new fragrance, Exotic. Prior to this, the label has also released several perfumes, and Exotic is nonetheless as wonderfully scented, if not more than, as its predecessors.

Jimmy Choo Exotic is a limited edition eau de toilette created for the company by Olivier Polge, Domitille Bertier and Véronique Nyberg, with its outer packaging inspired by the python skins used in Jimmy Choo heels and accessories and has been worked scale by scale to reproduce the perfect look and feel of the snake. Sure enough, when we touched the box we were able to feel the elegant leathery texture.

According to Sandra Choi, Creative Director of Jimmy Choo, the fragrance is "meant for women with strong personalities and a hint of playfulness, those with irresistible magnetism who create surprise and amazement in everyone who crosses their path," and I must agree. I Imagine this scent to be very sexy and feminine whilst giving the wearer a self assured, almost sassy aura.

Jimmy Choo Exotic (center) alongside Jimmy Choo Flash (left) and the Original Jimmy Choo fragrance (right)

Upon arriving, we were served with refreshments and a short game/quiz that would determind which Jimmy Choo perfume each one of us was, and I got... Exotic :) As much as it may sound as a self-praise, I do like to think of myself as a modern, independent woman.

Top Note:

Blackcurrant Sorbet

Pink Grapefruit

Heart Note:

Tiger Orchid

Passion Flower

Base Note:

Indonesian Patchouli

Raspberry

"In the heart, the carnal sensuality of tiger orchid hands over to the exotic aura of a passion flower with acidulous floral accents. Finally the patchouli signature of the EDP is accompanied by fruity and velvety notes of raspberry offering a light and gourmand touch."

Happy to have been there with the good friends that I found amomg these lovely girls!

We were very well taken care of-- the bloggers were also given the opportunity to have our nails painted to match the Jimmy Choo Exotic theme--and it's Gel! (I apologize for my very dry finger/nails!)

Review

Initially I felt that the scent was a bit too sweet and fruity for my taste, since I usually prefer fresher, more citrus-y fragrances. However, after a while I appreciated it more; especially the lovely lingering smell of its drydown. But the best thing is it stays on for veryyyyyyyy long. Perfumes don't last the whole day with me (my mom says it's because I sweat easily) but this one was stayed until late at night when I reached home (which is around 10.30PM) so it is more than safe to say that it IS long lasting. It's perfect for hot and humid Singapore where it's summer all year round, and I'm pretty sure with this scent, you'll easily turn heads!

Where to Buy: Metro Paragon (Singapore)
Price:
S$112 (60mL)
S$145 (100mL)

Shiseido Masstige 「ありがとう」* Party + Senka Mineral UV & Aqualabel Special Gel Cream Review

*ありがとう = Thank You

A while back we were invited to an event held at Oasia Hotel by Shiseido's Masstige Brands to show their appreciation to bloggers for their support! Very sweet, right? The venue was very cozy and actually gave us an opportunity to get to know the other bloggers more! And lovely ladies they are!

This time round it was a collection of the different brands that we've already tried and are familiar with! I'm sure you've seen that most of the products have been featured in my previous posts.:)

ZA

"Provides A-Z solution for makeup, skincare for ladies in their 20s. ‘Asian metropolitan beauty’, for the city girl with busy lifestyle but never compromising on beauty nor style."

I'm very familiar with ZA and have recommended it a lot to my family and friends. I bought the BB cream on one occasion when I forgot to bring foundation so I bought their BB, and I was surprised by how good the finish was on my skin! I only stopped using it when my recent breakout caused me to panic and stop using all products I was applying on my face then. Now that I think about it though, I've been using ZA for half a year before the attack of the zits, so it's safe to say that it wasn't what caused my acne. Their products are really good so I really recommend you try it, good quality for a good price :)

 Majolica Majorca

"Majolica Majorca has a strong brand story which allows girls to envision themselves as a character in it. It awakes the emotional part of the girl and fulfills her wish to become beautiful.Majolica Majorca has a strong brand story which allows girls to envision themselves as a character in it. It awakes the emotional part of the girl and fulfills her wish to become beautiful."

I always love that Majolica Majorca is very whimsical and fairytale-like. I used to ignore them when I pass by it at Watson's, thinking that it's only beautiful in packaging, but I was proven wrong when I got to try it personally. I especially love their mascara and lip glosses, and they're stuff you'd proudly display on your vanity table.

Ma Cherie

"Ma Cherie is a haircare brand that allows you to indulge in pampering your hair and arousing your senses to the luxurious feel and fragrance of the Champagne Honey Gelee."

I am ashamed to say that my hair doesn't smell terrific so I was delighted when I got to know MaCherie before. Especially with their hair fragrance, it's a sure-fire way that my hair doesn't smell of sun and sweat at the end of each day.

TSUBAKI

"TSUBAKI is a cosmetic-like premium hair care brand that inspires confidence and enhances not only hair but overall beauty and attractiveness of women."

Since my hair has undergone so much torture recently because of bleaching, Tsubaki is really a good product to help restore my hair's lost health and shine. 

SENKA

SENKA is “skincare created together” where skincare specialists respond to customer’s needs/ concerns and develop premium quality products using their advanced technology. These products are safe, environmental friendly and affordably priced.

I know not everyone has time on their hands to apply so many products, and not everyone is interested in buying expensive skincare that may not really work on them. Senka is a brand for those who like simple, no-nonsense applications. The brand is also relatively inexpensive. Really a good deal, yeah? 

AQUALABEL

"AQUALABEL's skincare series is specially formulated with 2 exclusive ingredients - Aqua Synergy & Moist Aqua Keeping Base that promise to maximise skin benefits and increase skin's efficacy.

This was quite new to me and I must say it piqued my interest. Aqualabel is under Shiseido as well. I was able to try the special gel cream; please continue to read, my review will be further down this post!

with dearest Gwen :)

Paperkitties (Alene) and Chloe was there too  but I can't seem to find a photo of us together O.o (at least one with our faces) Sorry babes! T.T

There were games of course where we were given a chance to guess how many of each products were inside the box! At the end of the event Chloe  was the lucky winner!

Met Ena--such a friendly, nice and sweet gal!

 Ena getting her hair done!

Would have been nice if they let me stay and enjoy this bath. LOL

...and ME.

All the bloggers went home happily carrying new products! Ahh so much love, thank you, Shiseido!

I've used the Tsubaki Damage Care Series before and the Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister. As for the ZA Mascara and Hair Gelee I've yet to try them! Must finish the remaining products first--mustn't be so wasteful, right?

The other new items that caught my attention was the Senka Mineral Perfect Uv and Shiseido Aqualabel Special Gel Cream.

Senka Mineral Perfect UV – SPF50/ PA+++

40mL $16.90

Brief Intro:

Awards

Cosmopolitan Bright Sparks 2014

Best Brightening Sunscreen with the Lightest Texture

Women’s Weekly Best Beauty Buy 2014

Best Facial Sunscreen

Nylon Beauty Hit List 2014

Maximum coverage yet can be removed by normal cleanser. Suitable for daily usage, especially for outdoor sports and activities with high exposure to UV-rays.

•Reliably blocks strong UVA and UVB rays

•Made with 100% mineral water

•Contains baby powder for a non-sticky, silky-smooth finish

•Resistant to sweat and sebum

•Can be washed off with normal facial cleanser

Review

I love this sunblock! It's so different from your usual sunscreen-- super lightweight (almost watery in texture), no strong sunscreen smell, and it's not sticky and easil absorbed by the skin. Highly recommend this especially for those, like me, who are not really a fan of sunscreesns. I'v often been told how important they are but I avoid it because I hate the texture, smell and stickiness. Well now, that wouldn't be a problem any longer. :)

Aqualabel Special Gel Cream

Brief Intro:

Best Beauty Buys Women's Weekly 2014 Winner

-High Function Gel Cream with plenty of concentrated “collagen” which is source of plump suppleness to your skin. Jelly-like rich cream penetrates as if it’s melting into your skin.

-Experience the moisture-laden skin with resilient suppleness.

-Water Soluble Collagen

-Greatly improves skin’s ability to retain moisture and enhances overall elasticity.

-Hydrolyzed Collagen - Increases the density of Collagen Fibroblasts (main cell of the dermis) thereby optimizing firmness of skin.

-Double Hyaluronic Acid - High moisture effect.

-Jelly-like formula that absorbs into your skin easily.

Review

The texture is really like jelly. Upon application, it absorbs very easily; although I feel that my hands feel a little bit sticky afterwards. I was quite cautious in applying this because of its moisturizing properties. As mentioned before, my skin hates moisturizers. I decided to try it anyway, applied it before sleeping, braced myself for the worst (i.e., new pimples), and the following day...

It was awesome.

My skin was a lot softer and my pores were reduced. Given that I have huge ones :( It also wasn't as oily as I expected! It also doesn't have any strong fragrance which, as I've said before, is very important to me. I know that there are a lot out there that moisturize even more deeply but I like how Aqualabel's is just right, not too much for people like me with super oily and sensitive skin, yet still able to make my face feel softer and smoother upon waking up in the morning. 

I won't be using it everyday though, perhaps alternately in the week and still maintain my DrX Hydrator, because I feel that my skin doesn't really need THAT MUCH moisture due to my very oily skin. But I really really like this product! Proves that I'm right in always trusting Japanese brands. :D

I'll be updating regarding my review of the rest of the products after I've tried them!

Had a fun time attending this event and enjoying these great brands. Thank you so much Shiseido for the generosity, and Wendy from white space for the invitation! どもありがとうございました!

See you at my next post! Meanwhile, here's my instagram account for more updates!^_~
instagram.com/snauw

What's Up?

…could not resist the ultra lame answer to my post title above: the ceiling's up! Lol. Anyway. Pardon me for that. So yeah, what's up everyone? I guess everyone's busy and all. This will just be a random wordy post because I, well, I just want to talk. Even if it's just talking to myself to counter the effect of me becoming a very quiet person recently. I used to be so talkative. Now, I just try to say as less as possible. I don't feel like opening up, even to my closest friends. I'm not really sure why, if it's maturity and learning to talk less and listen more, or that growing up means having more secrets to protect, but honestly, I don't fancy this other side of me.

On the topic of being busy, man, the amount of busyness I have these days is incredible. Before, I thought I was already busy with 2 days of the week free. Now, it's almost a few hours of the week free because of some hobbies (wc includes blogging btw) I decided to enjoy despite my 13-hour work during weekdays. Nevertheless, I'm happy with what I'm doing. And despite my work schedule leaving me no time to do other things, I'm glad I'm learning a lot. Even if I still feel so mediocre (which i totally, totally hate) and make stupid errors that could have been avoided if I were more careful. But then again, that's the only way to learn, right?

I've also been thinking of a random million things. Do you do that? Like sitting in the mrt/bus and your thoughts jump from one thought to another? When im in a public transport I look at other people and wonder what's going on in their minds. To those reading this, what do you think about when you're on your journey from one place to another? I'm curious to know. Here are some of the things I think about when I'm on my way to work/home:

- Something I once knew but forgot along the way is that only you can make yourself happy. Sure, your loved ones are an important part, but if you're not happy with yourself, you can't be happy with anyone else.

- Leadership does not mean doing everything yourself. Being able to makes you feel good and boosts your ego, but if you're not able to utilize the full abilities/capacities of your team members, then you're wasting time and resources.

- Fushigi Yuugi is still the best anime ever. I'm gonna watch it all over again.

- My manager was bullying me at the start of our second project (he's a very nice guy by the way w/c makes it even baffling and annoying when he tries to bully people), I was angry and hurt at first till I realized it was my fault for not doing my best. Now I just try to focus more and improve on myself. Even if it won't change his perception of me, it changed the way I saw myself.

- Confidence is everything.

- I really want to make this blog beautiful.

- I just need to lose 5-6KG. Why am I still gaining weight even though I'm eating less?!

- How long more before the next Rurouni Kenshin comes out?

- お金がありませんから、今お金がいちゅばんほしいです。(been practicing my Japanese but it's just so damn difficult I still cannot converse in it)

- You may have excelled in the past, but that won't matter unless you maintain your best in the present, and keep improving for the future.

Okay if I keep this up I won't be able to stop! They may sound like your daily quotes but those things really run through my head when I'm alone. Should really keep up with my long time friends and family more instead of hiding in a shell.

And because this post is full of words, here's a picture to amuse you:

You might have already seen it if you're following me on instagram! Had a lot of fun copying Princess Anna from Disney's Frozen and I think I may be really her you know, with both of sharing the same name (yeah I rarely mention my real name here) and hair colour and all. LOLOL

...and one taken from my cam (previous photo from my phone) I don't really look like her here or the other one for that matter; just that I think my eyes look a lot more huge when I'm looking up :D

But hey! If you don't believe I'm the real Princess Anna of Arendelle here's evidence: I also had the same light blond streak a few years back! My hair wasn't brownish blond then, yet, though.

Okay enough of my delusions haha. On another happy note, I'm so excited to be watching Ellie Goulding live this June! Oemgeeeee i soooo love her!

Teehee I apologize for being so random! More updates, blog posts and some giveaways (hopefully you guys are keen!) soon, so don't go away, will be back after a few nights' sleep! 

And by the way, Follow me on instagram, too!

instagram.com/snauw

じゃ、またね!

Freeing SG

Do you like games that challenge your intelligence and mental abilities?

I DON'T.

LOL. I'm afraid of being a sore loser and being called stupid and slow if I lose. Haha. Anyway, it was different when we were invited to play Freeing SG!

What is Freeing SG?
Freeing SG is a "5D Entertainment Concept" inspired by virtual “Escape Room” video games and web-based browser games. It takes the experience further by immersing players in a physical reality to solve puzzles first hand. Four to eight players are stuck in a locked room or location where their only way out is to search for clues, solve puzzles and uncover secrets within a given time limit. 

My assigned fellow blogger team mates for the day~ they were really cool to play with^^ almost forgot to mention that i was so lucky a familiar face was there-- Chloe!! And we were even put in the same team!! Yay!

So you see, you have to use your brain cells a lot in this game! I'm thankful that my teammates were so nice and fun to be with! Although we weren't really able to solve the puzzle, it was definitely an enjoyable experience.

Apart from being a fun activity with your friends, I think the games are also best for team building occasions, so if you're brainstorming with your colleagues as to where your next outside-the-office activites should be, you should try Freeing SG :) (just don't bring your killjoy and losso bosses. mehehe)

The game that was assigned to us was entitled "Silent Blood". I kept referring to it as Silent Hill though, lol. The puzzles were no easy feat, I tell you-- you have to use all those sleeping brain cells in order to solve the mystery within 40 minutes (I thought it was long enough, too, but it wasn't), but I guess mine were really in vacation mode then -.- By the way, you are entitled to one hint if things are turning out to be truly helpless!

 One hint is all you have...but might not be all you need. Lol

Aha! So someone was actually monitoring us!

Also, you only get to play one game once! (Because it wouldn't be fun if you play the same game twice and already know the answer, wouldn't it?) Exciting, no? Not to worry though, they will keep updating and adding more rooms in the future :)

Even if we weren't able to solve the mystery, we were still told the answer afterwards! The solutions will make you say "now why didn't I think of that?". Anyway, congrats to those who were able to free themselves on their own!

Thank you Nuffnang and Freeing  SG for this event!!

If you're interested to try, visit their website at
FreeingSG.com

Their location is good too, just at Bugis!

Level 7
Bugis+
201 Victoria St
188607

Tel. No. 6636 9655

Open from 11am to 12 midnight!