Thursday, May 31, 2012

Browhaus' Beautiful Revamp

Last month I was invited by the kind folks at Browhaus to try out their Browgraphy Thread & Tweeze in the newly revamped Paragon branch.

It was like being transported into a super cute camp site in the forest once you step in, there are tents, woody furnishings and a "grassy" carpet under your feet.


Entering the Browhaus "campsite" , choose from a ride range of brow and lash treatments 


I was led into one of the cozy treatment tents, fitted with plush recliners and comfy towels


The Browgraphy Thread + Tweeze (S$42) consists of both the Color Tweak and Brow Shaping. 
The Color Tweak is brow dye which can either lighten or darken your brows, matching it to your natural hair colour. 
The Brow Shaping I tried was the Thread + Tweeze, a combination of both tweezing and threading to shape the brows. 

As a makeup artist, I'm usually very iffy about letting someone else touch my brows, so I lay down and presented my obsessive requests to my therapist: no over-plucking, please darken my brows, not too arched and thin. 
She handed me a mirror and explained that she will just be tidying up my brows, balancing out their shape (one of my brows naturally grows higher than the other), and darkening my brows. I insisted on a darker than dark tint, since I look almost alien without any brow makeup

It was my first time doing threading, and it was surprisingly fast, and not at all painful for me, perhaps due to the fact that I don't have dense brows. Tweezing was then done to "clean up" around the brow. 

Thereafter, a vegetable-based dye was applied to my brows, and after it was cleaned off, TA-DA! Perfect brows! The arches of both brows were balanced, they were neat and not overly trimmed, and the colour was perfect, made me wish that I was born with them looking like this. It looked like I had run dark brow gel over my brows, natural yet defined. Seriously, I was impressed. 

A "PEACE" ampoule was then applied to soothe any irritation or soreness around the brows, which was lovely. I always meet clients who have red skin after shaping their brows, and especially close to their wedding day, it's better to keep the skin (and nerves!) calm. 

The tint lasted about 5-6 days, perfect for holiday goers, or honeymooners who wish to look great while travelling and not bother about makeup. 

I have a feeling that I'll be returning to this little retreat sometime soon again!


One of the two Log Cabin rooms, for total comfort and privacy during longer treatments such as the 
semi-permanent Brow Resurrection  


Escape to Browhaus Paragon: 
#05-11, Paragon, Singapore 
Tel: +65 67376585

or check out the other Singapore and international Browhaus outlets on www.browhaus.com

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Scrub-a-dub-dub.. scrub in my scalp?

While shopping online at HQhair for a kit essential, Redken Ringlet , I chanced across a new range of products by Redken called Nature's Rescue. Honestly I was more drawn to the packaging than the fact that it was paraben/sulphate/silicone-free, and since anyone who knows me knows that I'm a sucker for the ocean, so when I saw the uber cool labels showing a blurry picture of the coast layered on turquoise, I had to find out what it was all about.


Seriously, it looks this cool on my shower shelf. ok, fine, minus the great lighting. 


I decided to order the Refining Sea Polish, which is an exfoliant for the hair. I know what you're thinking, "WTF?" Trust me, I was so curious about it I had to give it a go, since I've never heard of such a product before. Clarifying shampoos, yes, but pumice in your hair? The reviews on the Redken site were all in its favour, and I was also sold on the oceanic fragrance description. I use products like promade and wax everyday on my hair, and recently I thought it was getting limp with a product build-up, so this sounded like a God-send. 

Excited to try it out once I got it, I hopped into the shower, rinsed and shampooed my hair, then squeezed out about a teaspoon of that stuff onto my palm. It felt... just like a foot scrub. 




Rubbing it onto my scalp and working it down sections of hair, it wasn't as scratchy as sugar or salt scrubs, but it really did feel like fine sand getting stuck in my hair. The pumice is very very fine, and cushioned on a creamy paste.
Washing it out was a breeze, it dissolved and rinsed out very easily, and my hair felt conditioned after. But of course, I did condition lightly it after. 
(Same theory works for body scrubs, you may feel like your skin is soft after the scrub, but upon hopping out of the shower, slather on the moisturiser.)

When my hair dried after, it was soft, felt nice and clean, no grimey residue of any product. The fragrance however, doesn't last, perhaps also because I used a different conditioner after. Maybe I should buy the Cooling Deep Conditioner then.

Try it if you're a heavy duty styling product user, or if you want some deep cleansing relief from oily hair.
It's recommended for all hair types, and safe to use on coloured hair. My hair colour did not fade or lighten from using this. 

I haven't seen this sold yet in Singapore, if anyone does, drop me a message in the comment box below.

Priced at €17.35 (S$28) from HQ hair
Tip: You can google for coupon codes and get a further discount too
Downside: The order placed on HQ hair took 15 days to get to me in Singapore from the UK-based site. I placed the order on 9 May, and received the parcel on 24 May. They promised 5-7 day delivery.



Monday, May 7, 2012

Strip Me!

Sometimes I wish I could just say that without any consequences, I think this post will be the closest I get away scot free talking about stripping in Singapore!

Confused? Well, this ain't about clothes, although if you do like your clothes more than makeup and beauty, you should drop by StyleShoppes, an online fashion portal, which I am contributing articles like this onto as well.
Now, back to the matter at hand.

Before I went on an Italian spring vacation about a month and some back, the folks at STRIP:Ministry Of Waxing invited me to try out their brand new product, which is a collab with New York based apothecary and uber cool brand MALIN+GOETZ.


So now, marry the two beauty experts: 
STRIP, which offers the most hygienic brazilian waxing experience in Singapore and beyond (and trust me on this, I've seen many other places that truly fall short of good hygiene), has literally stripped off and pruned over 2 million bushes and counting. They bring to the table experience on hair removal, and can pre-amp what happens to your skin after, since they've seen a hell lot of skin that has been irritated, inflamed and affected by ingrown hairs. 

MALIN + GOETZ, which develops their products in the heart of New York, uses paraben-free natural ingredients, botanical extracts, to create tried and tested skincare which is as irritant-free as possible. 
What I love about MALIN+GOETZ is that the co-founder, Matthew Malin, suffers from skin conditions like rosacea and eczema. I know that sounds horrible of me, but I suffer from eczema too, so I find it a relief that somebody who actually understands and experiences our plight is creating a broad line of skincare that aims to be suitable for sensitive skin. 


And their baby is the STRIP x MALIN+GOETZ Ingrown Hair Cream!



How does this work? Well, after my brazillian wax at Beauty Emporium (see pictures below!) by Strip, I was given the cream and  told to apply it on any area which had been waxed, from the first night right after the waxing session. It contains Chamomile to soothe the skin which is usually sore or red after waxing. There is also Vitamin B5 and E to promote skin repair. 
How then does it prevent ingrown hairs? Enzymes from Papaya and Pineapple help to smooth skin out for days following your waxing session till the new hairs start peeking out again. 
Also, the cream can be applied on any other area prone to ingrown hairs, be it your underarms, legs, or even  the face for men who shave. 

I was pretty sold! The Brazilian wax I got lasted me a good couple of weeks and I was frolicking in the (cold!) water along Italy's Amalfi coast in my teeny bikini! 


too cold to swim but I HAD to put on a bikini and get some sun


The Ingrown Hair Cream is available at all 34 Strip Ministry of Waxing locations from London to Shanghai and beyond. If you're in the US out of Manhattan, fret not, order your Ingrown Hair Cream from the MALIN+GOETZ website                     

If you're in Singapore, be sure to drop by the super cool HOUSE at Dempsey where on the 2nd floor you will find STRIP inside Beauty Emporium. Be sure to call ahead to book an appointment for your waxing sessions! 

STRIP Co-ed Beauty Emporium
8D Dempsey Road, #02-01
+65 64757833
10am to 9pm daily





Cute & quirky interiors at Beauty Emporium where Strip is found




Or get your nails done under the same roof - by Spa Esprit 


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Deep In Love With The Deep Sea

The fantastic folks at Skin Inc (www.iloveskininc.com) sent me a few products to try when I met them a couple of months ago at a photoshoot with Skin Inc's lovely founder, Singaporean Sabrina Tan.

I have to say I was very impressed with the Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask.

Firstly, there are a few factors I look for when searching for a hydration mask.
1. That it does not clog my pores. I like using oil-free hydration masks that do not feel heavy on my skin.
2. It must be suitable for sensitive skin. Sometimes I come back from the outdoors, and when I get a touch too much sun, my skin is parched and sensitive. I need masks that do not sting on application
3. Results must show. That, my dears, is my demand. Why use products that do not give positive results? I'm sure many of you would agree in me with that. If the hydration levels in the skin are changing, you can actually feel and see the difference.

Guess what, the Pure Deepsea Hydration Mask does check off my list perfectly!








The ingredients in the mask include deepsea water from Okinawa, an island off the southern coast of Japan, which I'm dying to visit by the way. Since the water is from such depths, it is not exposed to pollution and *gasp* radiation unlike that on the surface.
The mask contains minerals such as calcium, manganese, magnesium and nutrition for our skin, alongside added Hyaluronic acid for hydration and soy bean extract for brightening.

Whats more, the lazy (or Kiasu) girls out there would love that you can leave this mask on overnight for a more intensive boost! It is water based, so it does not leave streaky or greasy stains on your pillowcases.

Retailing at S$188 for 100mls, it is a bit of a splurge, but you can ration it out as you need just a thin layer for each application. They also have a smaller size which is $68 for 30mls.

Also worth a mention: Skin Inc's 5-in-1 Nano Gel (S$158 for 60mls) is a fantastic non-greasy moisturiser that has earned its way into my makeup kit and now all my clients get to try that before makeup application! It's a multi-tasker, toning, hydrating, repairing, protecting and priming your skin. Makeup glides beautifully on top of it and does not slide off.





Developed and made in Japan, Skin Inc is available in Singapore at many locations including Ion, Orchard Central, Nex, Changi Airport and Resorts World. It also retails internationally in Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Madrid.