all about lips

I'm in a good mood today, so I shall blog! Let's talk about lips in this post.

Not everyone is born with thick, sexy lips like Angelina Jolie or Jessica Alba. Even if you are lucky to be born with thick lips, you wouldn't look sexy if your lips are dry and chapped. To me, healthy lips = sexy lips. Therefore, taking good care and moisturising your lips is very important if you want to have healthy lips. Below are some simple steps:

1) Drink more water - Drinking sufficient water keeps your body hydrated. One should not only drink water when you feel thirsty. Feeling thirsty is a sign when your body is already dehydrated; hence your lips will also become dry and chapped easily.

2) Do not lick your lips - Licking your lips will make your lips drier. Quoting from Medicine Online, our saliva contains enzymes that will digest the skin, which will cause inflammation. Also, the evaporation of the saliva takes moisture out of the skin. 

3) Exfoliating - You can mix some brown sugar and virgin olive oil together to get a lip scrub. Or if you are lazy enough, just use your toothbrush to brush lightly on your lips, in circular motions, while brushing your teeth.

4) Moisturising - Use a lip balm. There are many lip balms available in the market, ranging from cheap drugstore brands to the higher priced premium brands. My favourite lip balm at the moment is Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm which is available at Sephora for $15.  It comes with 6 shades but only 4 are available here. I've gotten the Rose and Tiger Lily. I like it because it is not sticky or oily, yet keeps my lips moisturised under the dry office air-con. The colours are natural, and gives my lips a subtle and healthy glow.

In Rose & Tiger Lily

I hope this post helps you to learn more about how to take care of your lips. 

And remember, licking lips is sexy, but it is also harmful to your lips!

samsung galaxy note!

Hello people! I want to hao lian my new buy! It's a SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE! And I love it!

I wanted it so badly that I signed up a new line just to get it at a lower price. Hehe! The screen is super HUGE and is very slim! The main reason I'm buying this is because I can doodle on it! You know like taking Neoprints and decorating on it? I know I sound very stupid but I don't care! I just love my GN!

The mega huge HD screen allows me to watch videos or stalk people on Facebook at a better quality. HAHAHA. No longer have to squint my eyes on the tiny screen on my BB.

I will still be using my BB as I love its keypad a lot and I can type super fast on it. Also, checking email is an easier task on BB. I still love you one hor, BB.

It comes with a small and slim box.
And it gave me a surprise because I didn't expect the phone to be almost the size of the box!

I'm back to Samsung again. I had 3 Samsung phones before my BB.
Loyal Samsung fan eh? ;)

My BB and GN side by side. BB looks so cute here!
They look like a couple. BB the lady, and GN the man.

shu uemura UV Under Base Mousse & Face Architect Sheer Refining Mousse Foundation

the pretty LE bottle <3

Yes! shu uemura UV Under Base Mousse is my ALL-TIME FAVOURITE make up base! It was recommended by a friend and I totally fell in love with it after the first try! I wear it almost everyday. It feel super light, and gives the skin a airbrush look. I prefer to apply it with a sponge, but you can also choose to apply with fingers. The mousse melts and turns into liquid that fits to the skin perfectly.

Also, it's oil control is really good and it can keep my always oily T-zone oil-free for at least half a day! It comes with 2 shades, pink & beige. It also has SPF and it smells rather pleasant. It is priced at $78 at shu uemura's counter.

it has SPF 30 PA +++!

The shu uemura Face Architect Sheer Refining Mousse Foundation isn't one product that I really like. It is suitable to wear for casual meals or school if you do not want to put on heavy make up. The coverage is very sheer and is not able to hide any imperfection. Neither does it has SPF nor oil control function; my face turns oily after 2 to 3 hours. 

The only thing I like is the mousse texture which makes it looks fun to play with and easier to blend. Retails at $78 too. Not a product that I would repurchase as I prefer my foundation to have medium to heavy coverage.

fancl deluxe tense up & white advance drink EX

I've always faced problems with my complexion. I experience frequent breakouts, and also dry skin in the morning. Recently, I started to take Fancl's Deluxe Tense Up (orange), and it worked miracles for me!

I saw that Fancl was having a promotion for the Deluxe Tense Up, and decided to give it a try. The friendly staff at Fancl did a skin check for me. She said I had dehydrated skin, which leads to my skin secreting more sebum, causing the breakouts. A few days after taking the drink, I woke up with glowing skin. I can really feel my complexion improving and at the end of the day, my face still do not feel oily! The blackheads are easier to remove too!

Quote from Fancl's website:

" Glow with radiant, supple skin from head to toe. Deluxe TenseUp firms, moisturizes and protects skin, the MUTENKA formulation targets sagging, dryness, wrinkles and roughness from within - all with a deliciously refreshing citrus taste. "

The Deluxe Tense Up is actually the same as the Tense Up EX (pink). The Deluxe Tense Up is the Hong Kong's packaging, where Tense Up EX is the original Singapore's packaging. They are having a promo for Deluxe Tense Up, priced at $43 only; whereas the Tense Up EX is selling at $61.50. Since they have the same function and taste, I will of course get the one at $43 lah!

Also, I've purchased the White Advance Drink EX a few days ago, which claims to help to lighten pigmentations. I have severe pimple scar problem, and I feel that I've turned quite dark recently.

Quote from Fancl's website:

" Whitening beauty supplement, White Advance Drink EX is the intensive care for all women who wish to maintain fair and radiant skin while preventing UV damage. Great for those who are constantly staying outdoors.

This citrus flavored drink contains Vitamin C to target on existing pigmentation, Artichoke Extract to block UV damage and prevent melanin production at the earliest stages. Glycosyl Hesperidin is also added to boost absorption of ingredients for ultimate effectiveness. "

The White Advance Drink EX is not as tasty as the Deluxe Tense Up; tasted like cough medicine. It is priced at $61.50. I still have not seen the effect of this drink yet as I've only taken 2 bottles only. Will update again a few weeks later. (:

Update on 21/11/11:

The whitening drink doesn't seem to have any effect on me. I'm still dark and scar-y. omg sad.

recent buys from shu uemura

shu uemura has became one of my favourite make up brands! I especially like the packaging; very clean and pleasing. I do not need to say too much on the quality as it is one of the best cosmetics you can find in the market that is suitable for Asian skin.

Last Sunday, I was at Takashimaya with my girlies. Our original intention was to accompany one of the girls to buy her Bobbi Brown concealer. I suggested going to the at the shu uemura counter to take a look. I don't know what got into us, and we got very attracted to the counter. Bear bought a cleansing oil and a liquid foundation; I ended up buying a liquid foundation Face Architect Smooth Fit Fluid Foundation and a compact foundation Face Architect Glow Enhancing Powder Foundation. (YES I WAS CRAZY!) We spent about $300+ in total, and we were eligible for the membership, some freebies (mini sunblock, mini lipgloss, mini cleansing oil & make up pouch) and a lucky draw. We won the 'best' item, which is the mini mousse foundation (ok, actually we cheated :p )!

my buys!

I still have not started using them. Will do a review after I did!

Have only tried the free High Protection Sun Protector Face Cream SPF 50 PA+++. AND I LOVE IT! Its texture is somewhat like the Shiseido Anessa Sunscreen that I've mentioned in my previous post. Very light and no powder smell/feel! Also, it has a higher SPF than the Shiseido's. This is a product that I will purchase.

lip gloss. very glossy and shimmery!

shu uemura membership card; so pretty!

shiseido sunblock

It is very important to apply sunblock during the day to prevent the harmful UV rays from damaging your skin. Even if you stay indoor most of the day, it is also advisable to apply sunscreen as florescent light also contains UV rays. One should start using sunscreen from young to prevent spots from occurring at the later stage of your life.

I've tried several sunblocks before I found my holy grail sunblock. I'm totally loving the Anessa Milky Sunscreen (Town Use) SPF32 PA+++ by Shiseido! It is very light and non-sticky. Most sunscreen have a powdery smell and texture. They also give my face a shiny appearance which makes it look oily. BUT! Anessa Milky Sunscreen doesn't! It feels like a moisturiser and it does not leave my face looking oily. I apply it as a makeup base before my foundation. Though it is very creamy (unlike some sunscreen which like liquid), it spreads easily and feels very comfortable. It is available at most Shiseido counters. The price is quite reasonable for a good quality sunscreen (SGD30+ maybe?), but I couldn't remember the exact price. This is HIGHLY recommended by me!

I seldom use Anessa Milky Sunscreen on my body as I think that the price is a bit too high to use on such a large area. I will use Shiseido Aqualabel Perfect Protect Milk UV SPF50+ PA+++ instead. It has a higher SPF than Anessa's. It also has the powder smell and texture, which I don't bother since it is used on my body instead of my face. This is available in Watsons and the price is about $24 if I didn't remember wrongly.