As ladies, we do know the importance of beauty and vanity. However, beauty is not just about stacking and piling tonnes and tonnes of make up on your face, which may result in repercussions, doing more harm than benefiting your skin and eventually, beauty. 

Beauty begins with simple skin care tips that you should pay attention to and beauty also refers to natural beauty. Of course, it would be difficult to search for a lady with 100% flawless skin, but that does not mean it is impossible to work towards that. 

Always remember that cosmetics can only do so much and if you don't wish to scare the hell outta people after removing your make up, or if you are ashamed to remove your make up and go bare faced in public, it simply means that you are acknowledging your skin problems. Why not then target  these problematic areas by developing good skin care habits? They are not difficult to nurture and do not require deep pockets. Just really simple steps which can go a long way!
Credits :  slimvision.net
Here are some useful great tips you should try!

1. 3 basic skin care steps - Cleanse, Apply Toner and Moisturise on your face

Need I say more? This should already be at your fingertips! 

You may wish to read my reviews on Kose Supreme Sekkisei and Laniege where I've shared some of the reviews as well as info on these 3-step basic skin care tips! 

You may not frequent facials or may not slap on sheet masks every now and then, BUT THESE 3-STEP SKIN CARE ARE RULES OF SKIN LAW (if there's ever such a thing) and YOU MUST DEFINITELY FOLLOW! If you are guilty of otherwise, knock your head 3 times!

2. Facial Treatments

Now, these are not compulsory and essential compared to point 1, but it is highly encourageable! You need to pamper your skin every now and then apart from the fundamentals. Personally, I believe frequenting beauty salons for facials and what more if you fall into the trap of sales talk and gimmicks, causing you to sign up lots of expensive packages, are not compulsory. Putting things into perspective, look at things this way, if you take good care of your skin, you need not burn huge holes in your pockets, right? Well, that is apart from serious skin problems caused naturally/genetics or severe acne problems etc. Plus, results might not be immediate after attending facials or sometimes, they are just pure useless. 

I've rarely, if not, hardly stepped into beauty salons for facials and have always been using sheet/clay/wash off masks at the comfort of my own home. Well, you may say that these masks are not as effective as those potent ingredients beauty salons can offer, but you can't deny that certain masks do work! Read my beauty reviews and you will know! :)

If sheet masks are not your cuppa tea, you may try to DIY masks using natural food ingredients. There are many websites which offer natural remedies, just google it and you will know! But my advice is, to conduct extensive researches (forums,blogs,beauty consultants etc) on these DIY steps before applying anything on your face and take them with a pinch of salt. You have to be extra careful on whatever you are putting on your face. 

Credits :  beautyismyduty.com
Wash off mask
Sheet mask
3. Beauty is only skin deep

I don't mean "Don't judge its book by its cover", but that you may look gorgeous after piling up on your make up, but after removing them, you scare yourself sometimes too! 



YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. 


And I truly believe that. I'm not a fan of fruits but yes, I hate to admit that they do benefit your skin, apart from other health benefits. 

Fruits which you may wish to try :

a. Kiwi and Pomegranate: Kiwi helps to ensure healthy, clear, beautiful skin by preventing wrinkles and blemishes.  Pomegranates which are filled with antioxidants helps to fight against free radicals, control acne as well prevents wrinkles. 

b. BananaIt is rich in iron, magnesium and potassium and contains lots of vitamin A, B and E and hence works as an anti-aging agent.  Furthermore, bananas contain natural fats and complex proteins to smooth and soften your skin  For DIY masks, you may wish to try mashing banana as facial! 

c. Lemon, berries, oranges : Such citrus fruits contain high dosage of vitamin C as well as antioxidants which help to clarify and rejuvenate your skin. Oranges are also known to slow down ageing process. Those who are obsessed with skin whitening, lemons will do the work for you!

d. Apples are rich in pectin which is a starch that is essential in preventing unsightly acne from popping! 

e. Papaya: Known to be one of the best fruits in achieving great skin would be papaya! Loaded with lots of antioxidants and an enzyme known as papain, it helps to kill dead cells as well as to cure skin impurities! You may also wish to consider drinking payaya milk instead of consuming the fruit itself, or you may want to try applying the flesh of papaya on your skin and wait for the miracle to happen!

f. Mango: Power-packed with vitamin-A and rich antioxidants, it fights against skin aging, regenerates skin cells and restores the elasticity of skin.

g. Tomatoes : Aids in skin whitening, tomatoes contain lycopene which helps to protect your skin from free radicals and boosts your skin's natural sun protection factor (SPF). Also, the vitamins and minerals found in tomatoes clarify you skin and prevent blemishes!

Foods which you may wish to try :

a. Whole wheat : Another ingredient in some foods that is really good for your skin is selenium. This is found in whole wheat cereals, breads and baked goods. It helps to improve the skin at a cellular level and keeps you looking young and beautiful.

b. Salmon : along with other fatty fish, walnuts and flaxseed, is high in healthy fatty acids that are key for achieving healthy skin. Essential fatty acids such as omega-3s help keep cell membranes healthy by keeping out harmful substances as well as allowing nutrients to enter cells and exit with waste products. Omega-3s also reduce the body's production of inflammatory agents that can damage the skin.

c. Carrots : They are an excellent source of vitamin A, which is a required nutrient for healthy skin. They also contain high levels of antioxidants, which prevent free radical damage of skin cells. Vitamin A is required for developing and maintaining skin cells, and a deficiency of the vitamin can cause dry skin.
You should also :

a. Hydrate yourself with plenty of water : at least your individual minimum intake -- will help keep your skin young and healthy-looking. Water in caffeinated or sugary beverages does not count; water intake must be from pure, clean water, which rejuvenates skin cells. Water both hydrates cells and helps them move toxins out and nutrients in. 

b. Drink Green Tea : Besides the other health benefits which green tea offers,  it is rich in antioxidants that reduces inflammation and protect cell membranes. It has been proven to reduce the damage of sunburns and overexposure to ultraviolet light, which in turn reduces the risk of skin cancer. Green tea is also high in polyphenols -- compounds that eliminate cancer-causing free radicals. Some believe that drinking green tea helps to lose weight too!   
4. Detox every once/twice a month by eating only fruits and drinking water the whole day to keep your skin healthy and to wash out those toxins. It aids in constipation as fruits and water works hand in hand to soften the stools.

5. Applying sunblock : Whether or not you are a fan of fair skin, preventing sun and uv rays from damaging your skin should apply across the board. Plus, uv rays cause acne scars to darken as well. Click here to read on how to choose the right sunscreen.

6. Try indulging in a long, relaxing shower or bath at least once a week. This helps to soothe the skin as well as a form of destressing method. Lesser stress, lesser acnes!

7. Exfoliate : And I don't mean just your facial skin. Try exfoliating your whole body skin as well to remove dead skin cells, leaving your skin smoother, more supple and fairer! Also, since we are encouraged to exfoliate our face before applying any mask as it helps to open up pores, logically, exfoliating the body skin would assist in the absorption of body moisturisers!

8. If you're a make up fan and can't leave without concealing, remember to change your foundation sponge regularly if you are a compact powder user. A dirty sponge not only result in uneven application of the powder, it may also increase the chances of you contracting acnes as bacteria gets built up in it! 

9. Remove all make up thoroughly at the end of the day. I'm quite sure most of us are guilty for not following this rule of skin law, at least once in our entire lifetime. I too, am guilt-stricken purely out of laziness, but have since avoided such bad habit and will still force myself to quickly remove my make up before I head to bed. Make up clogs pores through impurities which would result in a breakout. You may read my reviews on makeup removers

10. Of course, good skin care is also a matter of healthy lifestyle choices as beauty is only skin deep. Smoking does a lot of damage on the body including the skin—not only does it contribute to premature aging and wrinkles, it is also the leading cause of more serious health risks like emphysema or lung cancer. The right way to protect the skin in this situation is to simply give up the habit. People have to keep in mind that what they do on the outside affects underlying conditions in the body. This is also why a balanced diet rich in fibre, lean protein, good fats, vitamins and minerals also promotes healthy young-looking skin. Stress affects a person’s peace of mind and makes the skin vulnerable to skin problems like acne breakouts. Managing stress can help a person not only feel good, but look good. 

I hope you babes will find these tips useful in achieving your perfect flawless skin!

As the saying goes, "There is no ugly women only lazy ones!"

xoxo
Jean :)
 
Promised myself that I would pamper my skin more and not take my good skin condition for granted and hence, slapped on this Sexylook mask last night. 

This mask is the latest edition from Sexylook which is rather popular amongst the ladies. 

The first noted difference from this mask and the rest would be the material which the masks are made of. From its name, it's made of cotton whereas most sheet masks are made of interwoven fabric (fibre sheet) that has slight elasticity. Whether it's fibre sheet or cotton, these sheet masks have generally awesome absorption properties. 
The instantaneous whitening effects.
Credits : Secretive.sg
Very damped, very soaked, very good.
I'm a robber/ninja/batman/dark knight/cat woman?
I need to highlight that most masks do not exactly fit well on my face which is prolly because of my face shape, so actually the sheets are always too big for me and I have to overlap the sheets on top of one another at my cheek areas. I have a very well-defined and obvious jaw line, and my face shape is more of an oval + almond shape. Can't say that it's 100% of either one because I have a sharp chin (almond-like) and also caused by my under-bite and my head is definitely not sharp either (the other side of the almond?), although I hope my brain is. ;)

Anyway, I am quite disappointed that the nose area gets so little coverage. I'm not sure if it's because of my face shape or nose length/shape whatever, but I tried googling for images and other bloggers' masks looked fine. Some could even cover the whole of their nose. I had actually already stretched and pulled the cotton so that it can better cover my nose, but still, not sufficient there. The eye areas are also too big :( 

Caution, you need to be extremely gentle with dealing with cotton masks which do not allow much elasticity. I tore a little here and there during masking. 

But one thing I have to rave about is that because it's cotton, it sticks better to my face compared to the rest of the sheet masks I have always been using. Meaning that it does not get slip off easily. 

For this, you are to cleanse/exfoliate (which I did exfoliation) and then put on this mask before applying your toner and moisturiser. Personally, I'd prefer applying the toner first then slapping on the masks, but being a law-abiding citizen (ahem?), I'd followed the instructions from the website which I had ordered from (in the midst of collaborations so not divulging the name yet but they are really famous and actually, I get most of my beauty stuffs from there (masks, nail polishes, eye cream, moisturisers etc). :)

Left it on for about 20 mins and effects-wise, only slight instant brightening effects. Still not as fantastic as My Beauty Diary
But I have to say that the blackheads/whiteheads on my nose was blatantly obvious, sitting on my nose pores. I could see them and of course, though you are not supposed to poke/squeeze them using fingers as you might further enlarge your pores, I couldn't resist and I did.

Why this magic?

The function of this mask is not only for whitening/brightening/hydrating purposes provided for by the ingredients Black bee honey, black pearl and obsidian extracts, but the charcoal contents help to purify and clarify the skin, removing the excess sebum on the skin. Although the nose areas were not completely covered, I was constantly massage the essence onto those areas which did not have luxury of interacting with the mask. I guess that's how my nose areas were able to enjoy some benefits too :) 


Massaged the remnants of essence onto my face and then applied toner and moisturised. 

Overall rating :
 
Purchased my first Bellabox! It's going for $19.90 per box/mth now.

For those who have no idea on this, Bellabox mails out beauty products in a box every month to your doorstep, with a monthly subscription of $19.90. You may wish to opt for 3-month subscriptions and so on.

It's really a box full of surprises - which, well, can go both ways (good or bad)...

Below are what was given. I was told that they cater to your personal preferences and needs as their website do keep a record of your skin problems as well as interests. 

However, I'm quite doubtful because so far, I've seen only 1 box that has 1 different item compared to mine as well as many other bloggers. Google and you will know.

But anyways, here they are.
Pretty outer packing
Sturdy box the loots came in. Simple and classic.
Sorry for the blurred picture. Love the bright fuchsia tracing paper and BB's own sticker! 
The BEST loots of them all thus far :) Feel that only these are worth the $19.90.
I HATE THIS PERFUME! OH GOD IT STINKS LIKE HELL! 
Doubt I will be using this BB Cream. I don't use BB cream anyway.
And doubt this little thing is gonna help in removing white heads and black heads. You are still required to squeeze them out after that which is bad because it enlarges your pores even further. What a vicious cycle.
There is actually some twistband for hair tie which I'd thought it was rather useless? As well as BB's own lipstick shape pen... -.-

I've read and googled on the other monthly Bellaboxes and am so upset that my first subscription is a huge disappointment. And I do mean HUGE!!! So many useless stuffs with those brochures etc. UGH.

There were other loots in other months such as Essential conditioner and hair shampoo, Biotherm lotions, Sally Hansen nail care products, OPI products, Elizabeth Arden, Ralph Lauren perfume (!!!), Lancome, Kiehls... Well you get the drift.

It simply just means that the July one sucked and of course, I'm not the only one saying this. There were many other reviews that reflected subscribers' disappointment. 

It's really not value for money. Maybe I'm just pure unlucky. I might just try for August's edition again, if well, my piggy bank permits although $19.90 isn't a huge sum of money, but I've been overspending... as usual =P

I'm still waiting for my VanityTrove August edition.... Actually, I've read lots of complaints on slow response and late deliveries. And true enough, Aug's edition will only be mailed out 27th July onwards and I paid on 2nd July (had them clarified that 2nd July's payment is for Aug Trove. July's Trove is closed on the 14th of June. 15th June onwards payment is for the following month's trove.) 


Apparently, delivery of the Aug trove will have a slight delay as one of the products have just arrived... 


Bad 1st impression.


Seriously, am I just pure unlucky or what?! 

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