All White (and how to wear them)

Since I was a kid, I've always fancied the thought of wearing all white. Every christmas I would plan to ask my mom to buy me some white pants and white shirt, but I never got around to doing so because it is such a daunting pair to pull off! One wrong move and you'd end up looking like an asylum escapee.

Finally a couple of weeks ago I tried to, and I was very happy for not looking entirely stupid in it!:) Below are the photos taken during that day!

I may not be the perfect model but here are some easy guidelines on how to wear an all white outfit:

1. QUALITY. If you are going to wear all white, make sure that the quality of the dress is good. If it is yellowish and your top and bottom are not on the same level of whiteness, or the fabric is too thin that your undies are already showing, it will certainly look a lot less classy.

2. NEATNESS. The key to wearing all white is to look clean. After all, that is what white usually represents right? As you can see my roots have grown and they were bound to look very untidy as can be seen from my previous ootds. Since I had no time to recolor, I asked my hairstylists from Komachi the Hair Cult to help me do something about it and I was so ecstatic that they did a fantastic job; exactly as I wanted my hair to be: neat, tidy and swept off my face! And if you're wondering, they used gel to hold it in place, but it was quite amazing too that it was so easy to wash off that night.

The ear accessory added edginess to the crisp outfit.

So then, when wearing something all white, do see to it that your hair is not a mess and be it a ponytail or curls, just make sure they're clean and tidy looking.

3. ACCESSORIES must be kept simple as well. I find that gold goes so well with white and this combination reminds me of how greek goddess are usually portrayed: flowing white gowns and gold accessories. Other colors are fine too, but it's best to keep them at a minimum combination.

I chose the gold and black band to match my shoes and the rest of my gold accessories.

4. MAKEUP. For this look I chose to make it look more natural by choosing a subtle pink lipstick in order to match the simplicity of the whole ensemble and to build an almost effortless aura around it. However, it would also go great with a bright red lipstick if you want to go for a more glam look. Simple eye makeup and a clean foundation with less blush (in fact, I didn't use any blush for this) would also be more desirable.

5. SHOES. I opted to use my black heels again to keep the monotone and also add contrast to the pure white. White heels are also fine but again, it won't be good if they are a different shade of white than your clothes. Cream would be ok too as long as they match your bag. Even fuschia pink heels would go great with whites; you can get creative but remember to always keep it simple. Maximum elements within the outfit should be 3.

So there, hope it was useful to you guys who would also like to try something all white! Thank you to my darling Gwen for taking these photos for me! Enjoyed them as much as I did taking her photos too!:D On the other hand, last following photos were taken by Chloe, and she's amazing in capturing these shots as well! Love them!

Last three photos above taken at:

Escentials Paragon
290 Orchard Road, #03-02/05
Singapore 238859

It's a really beautiful shop where you can buy amazing scents and skincare (such as Glamglow, which I will be reviewing soon!)

Also wore this to the Anna Sui event at the same day which I will be posting about soon as well.

See you again in a bit, guys!

Dr.Jart+ Bounce BB!

Hey all, recently I posted a review regarding Dr. Jart's Ctrl+A BB Cream and how great it was for me. I now have the privilege to review another one of their newest products, which is the Dr.Jart+ Bounce Beauty Balm!

The concept of their new Beauty Balm is a "bouncing formula" such that you'll feel elasticity with your fingertips. As with most of its BBs, it evens skin tone and covers blemishes, whilst this version takes care of dryness as well as rough skin texture. It has brightening, Anti-wrinkle and UV protection as SPF 30/PA++.

I was afraid to use this at first because of the word "moisturising" which I feared would cause me breakouts. Thankfully it was quite gentle on my skin and it just moisturised at the right amount, not too shiny, but glowy afterwards! Another thing about it is that it seems to just sit on top of your face in the beginning, but same as my beloved Ctrl+A, it blends well into your skin after a while, making it look flawless.

Price. It will be launched today, 27th of March at all Guardian stores at a promotional price of $34.90. I find that quite cheap given the quality of Dr.Jart+ products.

Availability. As mentioned before, Dr Jart+ is available at Guardian stores:

• Takashimaya

• Bedok Mall

• Parkway Parade

SASA stores:

• Nex

• Jurong point

• Tampines One

• Wisma

• Holland Village

• Vivo city

• Causeway point

• Plaza Singapura

• Lot 1

Fragrance. Another thing that I absolutely love about it is that it doesn't have any strong fragrance and smells fresh and clean, so I don't need to worry that it will irritate my sensitive skin.

Design. Unlike their other BBs that are available in squeezable tube bottles that are to be applied by hands, this BB comes in compact yet liquid form, together with a rubbery textured sponge for easy retouching throughout the day. But girls, let me remind you to always clean the applicator, the same way that you must always clean your makeup brushes! Failure to do so will lead to bacteria build up!
I also like their packaging which is very clean and almost clinical, similar to the way that their products are fuss free and focused more on skin care rather than just makeup features.

Texture/Consistency. It looks a bit thick at first glance and because you don't feel it with your fingertips when you apply it, you'd think that it's very creamy but it's not. It is in reality quite light and the applicator ensures that you don't put too much of it. 

Colour. I find that it's not as white as the Ctrl+A, but it blends very well and it's the exact same colour as my skin (which is fair), so when I apply it it looks very natural.

All my photos here are only edited with brightness and contrast. If you look closely, you'll see that it does cover up most blemishes, but a teeny bit of acne scars will show upon first application. Doesn't matter though since it looks smooth and clear overall! This is more for people who like their makeup really natural. What it does is corrects and evens out your skin tone and makes it look more supple and seemingly elastic.

Again, for those of you who find knowing the ingredients very important!

It's a very good BB Cream for those who don't like heavy coverage and want their skin feeling smooth and plump throughout the day.

So how does it look like and fare on my skin?

I can see you scrolling up and down comparing my before makeup and after makeup photos. Haha! Anyway, continue: (following photos were taken from my phone, btw, thus the difference from the first two above)

Apart from this, Dr.Jart+ will be celebrating its 10th year anniversary! So together with the Bounce BB, they will be releasing the Radiance Beauty Balm and Dis-A-Pore Beauty Balm this mid-april so do watch out for them!

Also, do you like free samples? All you need to do is like their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DrJartSpore and show this to their counters at Guardian Ngee Ann City from Thursday to Sunday and you get free samples! I also got a lot from the Ctrl+A range, which apparently is not just a BB!

The moisturiser is very light and I tried the Drying Spot Corrector, which did actually help to heal my extracted pimple.

I now really am a fan of Dr. Jart+ and quite thankful for discovering it! Surely going to try their other products since it really works well!

BB Cream for Acne Prone Skin: Dr. Jart Ctrl-A Beauty Balm Review

I mentioned in my previous post that if I ever find a good BB Cream for my skin that is currently soo prone to adult acne, I would share it with you. And so a few months back, I tried one, called Dr. Jart + Ctrl-A Beauty Balm. I've been using it for more than 2 months now so I can safely say that I'm quite confident in this product.

Before anything else, this is an unsponsored post and I searched for this BB cream by myself since I was in desperate need of something to cover up my blemishes but at the same would not be harsh to my already sensitive and full-of-breakouts face. I browsed through a lot of possible choices until I decided to buy this at Luxola. Unfortunately, it's quite hard to find in Watson's/Guardians or other cosmetic stores ; it can only be found online.

~ Update!  Dr. Jart+ is available in Guardian stores:

• Takashimaya
• Bedok Mall
• Parkway Parade

Ctrl+A range can be bought from here. As for their other best selling BB creams and ceramidin range, they are available in selected SASA stores:

• Nex
• Jurong point
• Tampines One
• Wisma
• Holland Village
• Vivo city
• Causeway point
• Plaza Singapura
• Lot 1

As you can see from above, it's targeted to clear and prevent breakouts, and is especially for sensitive skin. It doesn't irritate the skin at all and it doesn't block pores, but don't expect it to really CLEAR your breakouts. We all know blackheads, whiteheads and acne need a lot of care, attention and even medication in order for us to eradicate them. And although it may not clear those that you already have, this BB Cream does not cause any, which is its major selling point.

Price. S$42.00 which may be a bit pricey for some but it's worth it.
Fragrance. Almost with no fragrance at all, which is very important to me. Scented facial products almost always irritate my skin so this was a good sign!

Texture. It's a bit on the thick side, but not too thick that it will cake nor make you look like you're wearing tons of makeup. Also, it's up to you if you want to apply it thinly if you don't really need much coverage, but if you do, you just have to adjust the heaviness of your application depending on how much and which areas you want to cover. I actually don't use foundation or anything else anymore, just this, even on evening events because it's enough to cover up my blemishes or any redness.
Colour. It IS on the fair side as most asian BB Creams are, and as much as I've seen so far, it's only available in this colour.

I had a bruise on my hand on the day I took this photo (dunno where it came from though). As you can see from the "After" photo it even covered up this mark and made the skin look brighter.

And this is for those of you who like to look through ingredients. What's important to me is that it's free of paraben, fragrance, talc, pigment, mineral oils, Phthalate , alcohol, benzophenone, petrolatum nor marked preservatives.

It also has UV Protection SPF 30 so I don't use sunblock anymore, despite my friends' and dermatoligist's protests that I should NEVER GO OUT WITHOUT SUNBLOCK. I'm hoping this would be enough since most sunblocks also have SPF 30.

Below is what I look like, well, half of what I look like before I use the BB Cream.  I'll let you cut it out and connect the two together because the full picture doesn't look too good LOL. I had a very bad breakout experience from the past months and I'm still trying to recover from it.. even my skin is so tired from fighting this battle :(

And above is after I applied the BB Cream! Initially it will look like you really did apply something but after a while it blends nicely into your skin.

One thing though, is that it does feel a biiit greasy at the end of the day, but that's because my face is really oily. Just need to dab a bit of tissue here and there, reapply a bit, and you can go off again for a nice dinner with your loved ones.

I really love it and overall, I give it a 9 out of 10!

Hope this helped those of you who are just like me, suffering from acne and looking for something to cover it up without making it worse. I do still want to go makeup-less and have my good skin back but for now this at least helps regain my confidence!

BIODERMA Crealine AR BB Cream Review

I have drafted this out for quite some time but after last week's events (re: my previous posts) I postponed posting for a while.

Anyway, as I may have mentioned before, my skin has been problematic recently and my acne is very horrible. Been trying to cover up with BB Cream since foundation is a no-no (I tried putting it on one day for better coverage and the following day there were 3, yes 3, additional nodules (those that are bumps and inflamed under the skin) on my face wtf. Last time it wasn't like this as I can use foundation without causing any harm to my skin, but I'll save that story for another post. Which is why I've been trying to look for a BB cream that won't further aggravate my pimples. I also used mineral makeup last time and it was good but now it just cannot cover my blemishes.

Been trying to look for those made for sensitive skin, initially I used Dr. Wu ACNECUR BB cream, it was okay in that it didn't add more pimples than it should and my skin wasn't irritated, but it was so shiny at the end of the day so I didn't like it. I searched and saw that Bioderma has its line of BB Cream and I decided to buy.

Price. I bought it at S$47.90 (Yes, it is expensive but I thought it would be worth it).
Texture. Texture is creamy and less oily than other BB creams, colour is also thicker to provide more coverage. Overall it does blend well and doesn't look shiny--which is what you are trying to avoid if you have oily skin--although once you apply you do feel that you have a layer of makeup sitting on your face.

Fragrance. It doesn't have any strong smell and it doesn't smell bad either; it only has a very mild soapy fragrance. This is a plus point for me because anything that smells too good almost always causes disaster on my skin.
Colour. This is the major problem why I never got to use it-- its colour is on the darker shade. The thing is (and I know this is quite stupid of me) I'm not sure if it comes in different shades because it was only available in this colour when I bought it. For reference, when I need to use foundation I buy the lightest color available. (I currently can't refer to it as NC(insert no here) because honestly I don't use mac foundation. It also causes me pimples too.) Anyway for those who do not like looking too pale which is also the problem with other BB creams, this may be the BB cream for you.

Unfortunately after trying it on my face for only one time because of the colour difference, it's hard to say that it does what it's supposed to do: fight redness (redness cause by skin sensitivity) provide sun protection (SPF30) and give hydration to the skin. I can guess though, from using the BIODERMA Solution Micellaire which has been raved about by many makeup artists, that the BB cream won't be as fantastic, at least for me. Although the Micellaire, a makeup remover/cleanser does remove all makeup and my skin really feels so clean afterwards, it also doesn't seem to leave any residue or oily film as compared to other cleansers/makeup removers, my breakouts worsened and the redness didn't go away. So I'm hypothesizing that the BB cream will be the same, but that may be because right now my skin is overreacting to almost everything I put on it.

Meanwhile, I'm still searching for a better BB cream and will be posting up once I do!

*Update* found a BB Cream which is more suitable for my oily, acne prone skin. Read about it here.

BB Cushion Party!

Laneige has once again invited us for a BB Cushion Party! Fortunately--and unfortunately--it was held after our working hours; fortunately- because this meant that I could attend after work, it is almost impossible for me to take leave these days, and unfortunately- since it was after work, I looked quite tired and unkempt (especially the hair, oh the hair!) after 8 hours of working.

The event was held at My Art Space which is located in a very lovely location at Istana Park, just in front of Plaza Singapura. It's a really lovely setting to hold such an event! Man, if I've known such a space from my teen days I would probably hang out here every time! The event was held to introduce to us their newest products. Silk Intense Lipstick will have 6 new shades and the BB Cushion will now come with #33 for ladies with darker skin tone. (I think that is very wonderful!) Also, they have new Artplay Eyeliners that come in dual colours. And what is even more awesome is we got to take home one of each!

The Laneige staff was quite naughty, we never thought that the event itself would be a contest again, but this time, just for fun! We thought we'd just be designing DIY BB Cushion kits, but we were surprised that we'd be doing paintings instead. If I've known I wouldn't have worn white LOL, I got a bit of paint on it but I seriously don't mind. It was a lot of fun! The winner got to win a prize and the winner was.... ME! Hahaha! So happy~

Although humblebrag aside, I honestly don't want to show my artwork here. If my previous instructors and my college best friend Myk sees this she would probably deny being my friend. LOL. But I have to! Still, I am very grateful that I won! Thank you Laneige for being so generous!

I absolutely love this place!

It can be found at:

My Art Space

Istana Park, 31 Orchard Road, Singapore 238888

Tel 62221662

All covered up against possible stains! (but clumsy me still managed to get spots :/)

Ready, paint, go! :)

Such a coincidence and so fitting that I wore this headress. LOL

Instructions were to paint and represent the 5 (or at least 1 of the 5) benefits of BB Cushion:

1. Brightening effect
2. Daily protection agains harmful UV rays ad sun damage
3. Cooling effect that instantly cools down and refreshes the skin fatigued under heat
4. Tone correction to medium coverage, creating a clena and natural look
5. Sweat proof, long lasting coverage.

We were also asked to make a circle in the centre to depict the BB Cushion itself and start from there. We weren't given pencil to come up with a sketch first.. They just wanted us to paint as we like, as we feel.. Which was really a great feeling, very relaxing and carefree, but easy enough to make me panic! Imagine directly painting without even having an initial scheme of what you are supposed to paint about. In the end I just painted as I felt. We were also required to incorporate the gems/"blings" after finishing our artwork.

Our cool mentor!

From left to right: Alene's, Gwen's and mine. (us three again!^^)

 

Me with my "artwork" LOL. Wanted to go abstract but I soo failed. It was my first time also to paint anything without sketching it out on paper first :(

Together with the lovely beauty bloggers!

So what do I get from winning the contest? *Just* an early christmas present! I feel like a little kid again! Thank you so much Laneige!

Winner's prize for the game! And I got to take it home! Wee!

This is really soo cute!

Apart from this, each of us got one of the new ranges they will be releasing, one Artplay Eyeliner, One BB Cushion with DIY Kit and one of the new colors of the Silk Intense Lipstick! Awesome!

BUT BUT BUT~
If you buy a BB Cushion from Sephora from now until October 2, you will get a free DIY Kit! Once you finish designing it, you can upload pictures at http://bit.ly/LaneigeBBCushion and go to: Upload -> View other designs -> Vote -> Announcement of Winners (Oct 4), and then you can be one of the 3 winners to take home a Laneige hamper worth $300 each!!

Other requirements are:
1. Maximum 2 submissions per customer
2. 70% of material has to be from the DIY Kit
3. Winners must present BB Cushion proof of receipt from Sephora Singapore during 5 Sep to 2 Oct 2013.

Pretty cool right? Here are some samples (from Laneige, I have yet to design mine and I shall show you when it's done!)

Head down to Sephora now especially if you are a big Laneige fan!! On the next blog post, my DIY Kit shall be fully be decorated!

Ja Mata!