Le Blush Creme de Chanel in Revelation & Destiny

With the review of Le Blush Creme de Chanel in Presage previously, today I am sharing my review of Revelation and Destiny.

Revelation is another popular shade from the Le Blush Creme de Chanel which I see alot of gaga over the beauty blogsphere. It is a lovely warm pink peach tone which I think most ladies can carry.

Destiny is a brown tan shade which works perfect as a bronzer.

In the following swatch picture, I have included Presage for your benefit and you can see that Presage and Revelation looks different. Revelation clearly has pink tones in it whereas Presage is indeed more orangey. I love my choices in this Le Blush Creme de Chanel as the shades are different. :)

Just as per my post previously, the texture of Le Blush Creme de Chanel is smooth and creamy and a little goes a long way. Stippling brush works best for me so far when handling these blushes. However, if you are considering using Destiny to contour, my suggestion is to use a dense goat hair brush instead. The effect comes out flawless and makes your contouring looks more natural as compared to a stippling brush.

With a good lasting power of approximately 6 hours on me, I really love these blushes to bits!

Le Blush Creme de Chanel in Presage

Hello all! How are you enjoying the long weekend? I am really enjoying it, spending time with my family, caught up with my reading and now finally getting around to blog about Le Blush Creme de Chanel in Presage!

Le Blush Creme de Chanel is the latest addition to the blush collection for Chanel. Housed in the signature plastic black case with the Chanel logo at the top, it look sleek and chic. It also comes with a mirror in the case which makes it friendly for touch up.

Presage is a matte orange-y shade when we look in the pan. When swatched, I can see hint of pink in it as it does not turns out just like orange.

Left to right: Heavily swatched, blended

The texture of Le Blush Creme de Chanel is creamy and smooth. The pigmentation is extremely pigmented as well and you really need to go easy at the beginning and slowly build up the colour intensity. I noticed using my finger for application can be tricky. I would suggest using a stippling brush to slowly blend it to the intensity that you want and still looks natural. Presage last approximately 6 hours on my combination skin and even at the end of the day when the shade looks much lighter, it has a light stained look which I love.

Presage is a shade that is limited edition so I would suggest for you to purchase it soon if you really like it. :) 

BRAND'S Essence of Chicken - Are Brains the New Beauty?

How many readers out there are being 'coaxed' or 'forced' to drink essence of chicken during an examination during your schooling days? I am, hahaha because my beloved mother believes that it will boost my brain power for the exam.

It has been years since I last drank essence of chicken and I am glady surprised with the variety of flavours BRAND'S® Essence of Chicken. Other than the classic flavour that I grew up with, BRAND'S has came up with flavours to include American Ginseng, Cordyceps and Tangkwei.

Today I am very privileged to blog about BRAND'S® Essence of Chicken and even had the opportunity to interview Dr. Philip Tsang, Chief Scientist of BRAND'S® Health Science Centre to find out more about our mysterious brain!

Miaka: When does a child’s brain get fully developed? 

Dr Tsang: Yes, it is true that some parts of our brain may not be fully developed till our early 20s. But until now, there is currently no definitive answer to how exactly our brain develops at different stages of development. Our brain grows to about the same size of an adult’s brain between the age of 2 to 5. Some parts of the brain (e.g. amygdale, which controls emotion and fear) may not be fully developed until the age of early 20s. More importantly, our brain undergoes a continuous process of fine-tuning that is influenced by many factors including nutrition, environment exposed, etc.

Miaka: How do we simulate ‘brain growth’ in a developing child?

Dr Tsang: It is important to keep the brain active of a growing child. Jigsaw puzzles and games crafted for kids should be given importance. Besides, maintaining a mentally active lifestyle is important as it engage the brain to actively acquire and integrate new information from our environment. This is the principle of “use it or lose it”. As the child learns, he not only increases his knowledge, but the brain is also changing its very structure and increasing its capacity to learn. Unlike the computer, the brain is constantly adapting itself. The more actively the child in engaged in various cognitive activities, the more efficient the brain will become so that the child can learn and perceive with greater precision, speed, and retention of information. 

Miaka: What are the types of food that you would recommend to enhance brain development in a growing child? Will your recommendation defer in an adult? 

Dr Tsang: Nutrition plays an important part in the healthy development of children. When a child reaches the age of 2 - 3 years old, this is the most crucial part of the brain development. The right nutrition and mental stimulation during this period can help boost the potential physical and mental development. For active and growing children, proteins help build muscle and provide energy. Good sources of proteins include meat, poultry, fish and eggs. Vitamin B rich food is the energy nutrients and that fuels the child to go about his daily activities. Iron is important for concentration and physical activity. Meat and green leafy vegetables are good sources of food rich in Vitamin B and Iron. DHA and Taurine are brain foods and are optimal growth and development of the brain. DHA and Taurine can be found in eggs and fish.  When the child is unable to intake all these nutrients as a part of the diet, it is important to start him on supplements. Certain supplements can be taken to also specifically promote a child's physical and mental well-being. One such supplement is BRAND’S® AlphaMynd Essence of Chicken with Vitamin B Complex.

Dior Diorblush Cheek Creme in Pareo and Panama

The trend lately seems to be running on cream blushers and I am unknowingly (or knowingly) drawn into it. I was previously not a fan of cream blushers because of my combination skin. Somehow, I feel uncomfortable piling more cream to my existing oil field. But thank goodness for the ever changing product quality of products in the highly competitive beauty industry, consumers benefit from these wonderful products.

The cream blushers I am reviewing today is from Dior Summer 2013 collection and honestly, I am not sure if 'cream' is the right description for it. I will share more later. There are 4 shades of cream blush available in this collection and I am sharing 2 of them: Pareo and Panama

Dior Diorblush Cheek Creme comes in a small glass pot with a screw on top. The opening of the jar is wide which it easy for you to get the product out using your finger or a brush.

The first shade I am introducing is Pareo which is a bright fuchsia pink shade and it looks stunning. That was the first shade I swatch when I saw it at the Dior counter. It almost look like the 'elder sister' of Capri which is a lighter pink shade.

The next shade in my collection is Panama, a orangey shade.

Here are the swatches I got of Pareo and Panama and I included Capri as a form of comparison for readers out there.

I would say medium toned ladies would look better with Pareo and Panama as Capri seems too light. 

Now, back to my comment that I feel the description of 'cream' is misleading..... The texture feels more like a mousse than cream. It feels powdery after application and yet it stays on VERY well. After 6 hours of wearing it, I can still see the colour on my cheeks (even though it looks lighter).

The SA told me that there is 2 way of applying Dior Cheek Creme: 

1) After foundation and before setting with loose powder

2) After foundation and loose powder

I tried both methods with my finger / stippling brush and both work fine. It all boils down to your personal preference.

Dior Diorblush Cheek Creme is retailing at $52 over retail counters and $43 at Changi Airport DFS. The savings is pretty substantial at DFS so if you happen to be going on a holiday over the long weekend, do check these blush out. :)

I currently on a cream blush high and is still reviewing Le Blush Creme de Chanel and I am totally excited!! I shall leave a picture here for your anticipation!!

Guerlain Madam Rougit

I am truly excited to blog about Guerlain Madam Rougit blush because I was initially hesitant to buy it after my terrible experience with Blush G Sakura. But after observing the colours in the pan from pictures online, I decided to try my luck by asking my kind colleague to check out Changi Airport DFS, and it is available! *my heart stopped*

Guerlain Madam Rougit is a gorgeous blush with different shades of pink and coral which is all that it takes to make me cave in and purchase it.

The white dots on the pan make the blush looks very cute and exquisite and they go off with a few swipe of the brush.

Similar to Blush G Sakura, it is housed in a plastic case with a brush stored in the lower compartment of the blush.

I was really dying to try out the texture since I am still recovering from the terrible texture and pigmentation of Blush G Sakura. After trying Madam Rougit out for the past few days, my confidence in Guerlain blush went back up again. The texture is smooth and my Koyudo / MAC blush brush easily pick up the pigments. Pigmentation is also decent enough to show up on my NC30 skin with a gentle swipe of the brush.

The picture below show the swatch of the different shade in the blush pan and lastly a blended swatch of all shades in the pan. I noticed all shades except the coral shade in the middle of the pan to be slightly shimmery BUT the good news is that it is not shimmery and frosty as Blush G Sakura, In fact, the shimmer is just enough to give you that glow.

I have been using Madam Rougit for the past few days since I got it from my colleague and it lasted me minimum 6 hours in the unforgiving, humid weather.

Madam Rougit is currently retailing at $77 at Changi Airport DFS and I am not sure if it is available over the counters but do check it out in person. It has made me a happy gal in this lousy week. :)

FIRST-IN-THE-WORLD LAUNCH: SK-II Unveils New Anti-Ageing Game-Changer - STEMPOWER Essence!

SK-II has been my reliable skincare brand for a few years and despite me wanting to try some new products out of curiosity, I have always switch back to SK-II because of the results that I can see and feel on my skin. Today SK-II introduces a new product to the anti-ageing family, SK-II STEMPOWER Essence.

Have you notice why some women look older / younger than their chronological age? I have and had always wondered other than lifestyle and food intake, is there any other reasons why women can look better than their chronological age.

SK-II also has the same question and thus conducted a study of over 10 years, whereby their scientists tracked the changes of skin’s youthful look in a holistic longitudinal study of 108 women between the ages of 16 and 74 in Akita, Japan. From the study, SK-II found by boosting inner skin resilience through activating our skin’s “Master Switch” (a key to activating our youth activity), women can now achieve a new peak in youthful beauty.

As we age, our skin loses its inner resilience, and results in our pores losing the power to close after sebum secretion. For young skin, pores close naturally after sebum secretion.

In collaboration with one of the world’s foremost authorities in skin cell function research, SK-II’s joint study unveils that turning on our skin’s “Master Switch” enables the protection of epidermal root cells, by optimising its environment. The result? Poreless-looking, bouncy skin.

The “Master Switch” lies within our epidermal root cells and is triggered when external or internal factors act on our skin. When our “Master Switch” is triggered, it causes the generation of anti-oxidants and activation of longevity gene; enhancing both protective and regenerative cell action. Switching on of our “Master Switch” also regulates our cell environment resulting in protein production to increase and enhance our inner cell density. This result of an increase in our skin’s inner cell density increases causes our cells to become plumper – an important factor in boosting our skin’s inner resilience.

Formulated with the new Stem-Acanax ES Complex, the new STEMPOWER Essence has been proven to improve the skin’s smoothness and lessen visible pores for poreless-looking bouncy skin. Upon application, the STEMPOWER Essence provides immediate efficacy of smoother skin texture and less visible pores.

When it is used over two weeks, it gives women poreless-looking bouncy skin, with a significant increase in the skin’s Pore-less Bouncy Index. The Pore-less Bouncy Index indicates the levels of the skin’s radical firmness that is measured by the SK-II Magic Ring counselling device.

The key ingredients in STEMPOWER Essence are: Artichoke extract, SK-II Pitera^TM, Stem-Acanax and Kinren extract.

For ladies who are already using SK-II STEMPOWER, you might be wondering do you still need SK-II STEMPOWER Essence. The good news is when these 2 products are used together, the dynamic duo is able to provide:

• Almost 200% increase in penetration of skin active ingredients than just the STEMPOWER alone
• Almost 200% increase in hydration levels in skin as compared to using the STEMPOWER alone

SK-II STEMPOWER Essence Regimen

After applying the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence Clear Lotion, drop an appropriate amount (1-2 droppers) of SK-II STEMPOWER Essence onto the palm of your hand. Apply it smoothly onto the entire face, and add a few extra drops on concerned areas with a gentle knuckling motion.

Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris and Lotus Face Treatment Oil to combat breakouts!

I have been getting a lot of breakouts lately and it seriously sucks. My skin has always been prone to acne and thus I get  extremely pissed off when I get even one pimple. So one day I was chatting with a friend and she told me she had this problem of breakouts lately as well and she has been using Clarins products which is very effectively for her. I'm sold, I'm so trying it!

The 2 products that she recommended are:-
1) Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris
2) Lotus Face Treatment Oil

Both products are targeted at oily, combination skin which purifies and tightens pores. Method is usage is extremely easy as well.

1) Drip 2 drops of Lotus face Treatment Oil on palm

2) Pour Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris onto palm (I usually pour in approximately 20cent coin size of toning lotion)

3) Rub this 'mixture' gently in your palm to warm it up and apply over the face.

These 3 steps are to be done after cleansing. After applying the toning lotion and treatment oil, you are done. No need for moisturiser or what not, except for localised pimple treatment cream / gel or eye cream. Super simple!

If you are a fan of Clarins and is using Clarins Truly Matte Pure & Radiant mask with pink clay, these 3 steps that I just mentioned can be performed after cleansing and before applying the clay mask. After washing off the clay mask, repeat these 3 steps again. You skin will feel very clean and refreshed without the feel of tightness.

I have been using the applicattion of Clarins Toning Lotion mixed with Lotus Treatment Oil every night for a week and my breakouts has subsided substantially. You may give this a try if you have breakouts as well. Results may vary. Good luck!