Was extremely glad and honoured to be sponsored by Cossy Pte Ltd with these lovely Leaders InSolution masks! It's like a wish came true and I've not regretted using them! One item off my wishlist! :D

Eagerly tried the Mela Tox for whitening and I am very pleased with the results! Besides whitening and brightening, my face felt so much softer, smoother and more supple! Plus, my skin elasticity also improved! It feels very 'boing boing' like a bouncy feel! Skin was super plump!

The mask was soaking wet with lots of essence. Might be a little messy though. Just be sure to keep the remaining essence in the packet so that you can massage them on your face and neck after masking :)

I can say that the quality is awesome. Better than other sheet masks I've tried because it sticks on really well. Although it can't fit perfectly, I have to overlap the sheets due to my face shape, it doesn't come off easily. But it does fit the eyes, nose and mouth well :)

Awesome mask. Better than My Beauty Diary for its whitening effects :)
Must try! I have so many other masks from Cossy Pte Ltd targeting on different problems. Thank you for being so generous Cossy Pte Ltd! :)

If you are a fan of online deals and love beauty products, then you must visit them! Don't miss out other awesome deals they are having too! 

Have fun beautifying yourself without burning holes in your pockets!

Visit Cossy Pte Ltd today! :D

Aww, guess what I have been sponsored with??

So exciting!!! It's the highly raved Leaders InSolution masks!!! :D :D 
I've been wanting to get them for so long now and I've finally gotten them on hand!

After reading so many raves, can't wait to try them myself!!

More soon, so stay tuned! <3

Extracted from ChannelNewsAsia.com :

SINGAPORE: A JobStreet.com survey recently conducted with 480 fresh graduates and 150 employers suggests that the top concerns raised by fresh graduates on job search are uncalled for. 

Insufficient qualifications, often the top concern amongst graduates, was not listed as the top three hiring decisions from an employer's standpoint. 

Instead, employers acknowledged the value of good interpersonal and communication skills as well as a good command of the English language above qualifications when hiring fresh graduates. 

JobStreet.com added that among the fresh graduates who were hired, 40 per cent took between one to six months to secure a job whilst 32 per cent required more than six months to get employed. (not very encouraging IMO)

- CNA/ck 


2 issues popped into my head after reading this news article online.

Insufficient qualifications and good interpersonal and communication skills as well as a good command of the English language above qualifications.

Let's deal each point accordingly.

Insufficient qualifications

What does this mean? The first thing that came into my mind was, 'What then amounts to sufficient qualifications' ? 

We all know how the story unfolds, that Singapore is so tiny, that we have scarce natural resources, that we have only human resources to rely mainly on, that we are focusing on 2nd tier (manufacturing) and 3rd tier (tertiary) industries, that we are a knowledge-based economy no matter what. It is difficult to move away from this demographics of labour force. Thus, we need brains. Brains that will help boost the economy as a whole. Brains that can assist in research and development. Brains that can bring back more dough. Brains. Brains that work right. 

The intense competition in Singapore has never been so stiff compared to the past. It's either you have it or you don't. It's either you are in or out (maybe out of Singapore soon altogether). 

Degrees are now merely a fundamental requirement that one should possess when looking for jobs. It is now compulsory. It is now the norm. 

Perhaps job application forms may do away the 'everything up to Bachelor' option in the 'Highest Qualifications' section. No more O Levels, A Levels and Bachelors. Only postgraduate studies (Masters - how many? Doctorates - how many?)

Yes, I may agree with this news article to some extent, that qualifications aren't everything. Recall the IQ vs EQ inverse relationship, though no absolute.

Fresh graduates would mean 'graduated with a degree and insufficient qualifications would mean 'course of discipline/classification of honours/awards)

Take for example, public service jobs. Most applicants are required to have a degree on hand and life is made even more difficult when it states, 'At least a 2nd Upper Honours', 'Must be from NUS/NTU/SMU' or worse still, 'Only 1st Class Honours' need apply. The rest of the crops (perhaps rotten in their eyes - sorry but you are just not good enough) need not apply. 

'Insufficient qualifications' not their main focus when deciding which applicant to shortlist, hmm really?

Good interpersonal and communication skills as well as a good command of the English language above qualifications.

Of course, from the employer's perspective, having great interpersonal and communication skills as well as good command of English makes life easier when you are hired and when working together, no doubt. But in my opinion, I think it's time we come clean about qualifications. 

You are judged by your highest qualifications even before you turn up for the interviews and during the shortlisting period. Try printing this new article and attach it with your resume and certs, and see how many employers would actually shortlist you for an interview. 

Don't you think it is rather difficult to judge if one has great interpersonal skills (Definition : Interpersonal skills include not only how we communicate with others, but also our confidence and our ability to listen and understand. Problem solving, decision making and personal stress management are also considered interpersonal skills). 

How do you judge this based on qualifications and activities when hiring fresh graduates? 

How about communication skills? Notice it is inter-linked with interpersonal skills. Does it mean to say that students who major in communication studies are skillful in communications? How about joining the debate team? How about getting caught for talking in class causing distractions? :D

Good command of English language? Well, blatantly goes back to grades. 

This article deals with situations 'when hiring fresh graduates', so, my question again, how do you determine these 3 set of values even before you meet them one on one for an interview?  

Beats me, either.

Credits to  http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg

^5 Lynn Tan, I do express the same perspectives as you. 

All these while, I have always been habouring the thoughts where a common misconception that 'nerds/geeks' must look goofy and thought to myself, but who says so?

To have a high IQ and still look gorgeous is a bonus, but to inject high EQ into the equation is a blessing. These 3 variables usually have an inverse relationship and the reason is unknown. 

If you'd like, click on this direct link and you'll see that her statement is not very well-liked. The mood meter falls in between 'bochup' and 'ewww'. The usual senseless comments in stomp.

With only approx 2 decades of experience in breathing, I try to understand the society and culture better, especially in Singapore. 

Most ladies as we know, are vain. It is a characteristic that is innate. We want to look good in front of others, especially in the presence of men. And that is simply normal, although FYI, in the animal kingdom (excluding humans), it is the males who tend to possess a more feminine touch. Lioness are the ones who take care of the kids and hunt for food. Lions, well, merely just 'nua' the whole day long, waiting for food to be brought back. Male peacocks are the ones with the psychedelic feathers whilst the females have dull-looking feathers. 

But polluted by ancient history, dolling up = vain = cheap = low dignity. Can I say that? 
So, being vain = buay tak cek (incapable of good academic grades). Is it because spending too much time on beauty products will cause one to fail their exams? Or trying to look good would distract oneself as well as the others (men?) and perhaps attract unwanted attention?

Honestly, I am of the opinion that if you are the 'study material' (lent from the slang of 'boyfriend/girlfriend material'), you would excel in your academic, no matter what your other interests are. You can excel in sports and yet still do well in school. You can be a make up guru and yet still top your class/school. And lastly, you can fall deeply in love, get attached and still please your parents with your grades. I got to know my bf before Uni started and still managed to snag an honours for my Bachelor of Laws degree? I'm pursuing my postgrad studies in Masters of Laws and still managed to score extremely well for my 1st 4 mods (struggling with the other 12 now HAHA), whilst juggling with work and r/s and other interests. Not boasting here, but all I wish to say is that nothing can and will stop you if you have decided that you want to score well academically. The ultimate question is how well can you manage your time? How do you allocate time and priority to each and every interests you have? You need to know that while Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg all left school, but being born/living in Singapore, we have involuntarily signed up for the paper chase and rat race and thus leaving school can never an option. And part-time studies is never easy. 

Because nobody said Life itself was gonna be easy. 

Got this from Facebook.
So, in conclusion, I've got to agree with Lynn Tan on her proposition, but to refine it further and tweak a little, that not all beauty queens are dumb = not all academically-inclined people are only good at academics, they can excel in other areas as well, in this case, being beautiful (of course, with the help of make up).  

What say you?

Remember how I was saying that I should get the Nivea night whitening body lotion in my previous post?

Yes, I've finally got it, at a steal! Mom bought 2 bottles (Day and Night) on my request during her recent trip to Hong Kong! 

My cutesy mom wrote the prices in SGD on the bottle fronts. LOL. 
So yes, S$9 for the Extra whitening one for day use and S$8 for the night use. 
If I'm not wrong, Watsons sell them for about $15 or so?  Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

The manufacturing dates of the lotions, the day one being the later and fresher one to be manufactured.

I am quite disappointed with this night body lotion because it differs so much from the day one. And I doubt it's because I got it from HK? That wouldn't make much sense, unless you are telling me from countries like Thailand, Indonesia etc, then that I can understand. 

The night lotion was so much 'heavier' and was more creamy than the day lotion. I felt really sticky after using it and was rather uncomfortable because it's meant to be applied before sleep so that the changes can take place during rest.

But since I've already bought it (technically, mom), I guess I will try it out again tonight and hope for better changes. Maybe I applied too much? :S

Overall rating :

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 :

The reason behind the title is due to a recent event that occurred to my dear friend lately. 

She has been hospitalised for 2 weeks and counting now, and recently had to undergo a life-threatening emergency operation, which the success rate was extremely low. It was all too sudden as she was actually recovering the day before she had to undergo the emergency operation. 

It was just all too sudden and it breaks our hearts to see her in this state. 

We are all rooting and praying for her to get well....

All I want to say is that life is indeed really short. We might have experiences with death of loved ones, critical health conditions of others or ourselves, accidents etc or we chanced upon some touching moment/stories that pushes us to reflect on our lives. But the thing is, after awhile, we revert back to our old selves. Taking things for granted, chasing time and trying all means and ways to achieve our own goals... And then we slowly tend to forget whatever touched our hearts. It is only a handful of us who will allow such drastic events to change our lives. Until another extremity, we continue to lead life the way it was. 

Anything and everything is easier said than done. Yes and nobody is perfect. 

But why not try taking a step back from your current position that offers only a myopic view and look at the bigger painting of life instead?

Credits : www.Dreamthisday.com
Create the difference. Make a difference. Live the difference. :)

Requirements to use nail art stickers

1. Lazy/can't draw nail art yourself
2. Impatient/want to save time
3. Shaky hands
4. Suck at art and crafts (I don't belong here!)
5. Patient and gentle enough to stick them on one by one
6. Meticulous
7. Great skills of estimation and alignment 
8. Want awesome results within the shortest time possible
9. Can't afford/don't wish to spend hefty sum for manicure and pedicure

If you meet most of the requirements above, then nail art stickers are for you!

I dug out some of my old nail art stickers which I bought from pasar malam (very cheap! but can't recall the price) and DIY the nail art myself. Well, ok fine most of the credits go to the nail art stickers but... still, I'm here to share on tips using these stickers, which I learnt along the process!

Pictures are all taken with and without flash to showcase the glittering effect of the nail polish and the diamond on the stickers!

If you would recall, in my past entry post, I had used China Glaze Emotion to paint the lighter purple. The glitter hot pinkish purple is from OPI Burlesque Mini Set - The Show Must Go On! and I had merely painted a strip in the centre. 

Now here are the steps and challenges when using nail art stickers. It may not seem as easy as it looks. 

• As the stickers are quite fragile, you need to whole lot of gentleness to remove them from the plastic. What I do is to sort of bend and fold the plastic a little and try to get the sticker out from its edge. It was easier to start from the diamond part compared to the flowers. Be sure not to bend and fold the plastic too much that it affects the rest of the other stickers which are still intact. Just a slight short bend would do. 
• Remember how the stickers were position and aligned before you remove them because I do get confused sometimes, in trying to position the stickers on the nails. If you've done manicures, you would have noticed that the nail arts are done in an 'opposite' style for both hands. A mirror image to be exact. The stickers on the plastic are positioned in that manner for a reason, so try to make use of that for your estimation :)
• I don't encourage you to use super glue on your nails because I reckon that it might harm your nails, hence, I would suggest you to use something which allows the stickers to stick which doesn't harm your nails. I used the top coat - logical right? It's sticky and helps to produce that extra shine and protection for your nails. Because I'm using the China Glaze Top Coat, which I'm quite sure it has some quick dry properties too, it was a challenge to hurry stick the stickers down onto the nails before it dries up. If yours is the normal kind that doesn't dry quickly, ensure that the coat is not too wet to stick the stickers on, or it would be a disaster and things would get real messy. 
• As mentioned above, due to their delicateness, I suggest you to use either the tip of your fingers or hold it together with your fingernail tips at the ends. Remember that these stickers do not have super glue effect so be sure not to let it lose its stickiness. Refrain from using your flesh if possible as perspiration etc would cause them to lose their stickiness.
  
• After you have found the right position on the nail, gentle press it down first and then pay attention to minor areas such as the flower petals, the ends, the diamonds. Most importantly, every single part that can stick, needs to be down sticking to your nails. 
• I had some little parts which refused to stick no matter what I do. So I used the top coat again and dripped a small amount at the required areas and then press it down using my finger nails and/or a pen. As our nails are curved, it might be a tad difficult to get them pressed down onto our nails nicely, so patience is required. Just keep pressing them down while drying them. They would eventually somehow stick and stay. 
• Apply top coat over the whole nails with the nail art stickers once you are done to give the last touch up and shine. 

Ladies, don't expect these nail art stickers to stay on for a long period of time. They are merely temporary and their 'lifespan' is much shorter than those nail arts the manicurists design for you, but of course, the completion time is much faster. I took only around 45 mins or less to complete my finger nails. 

*It would be easier if you use a tweezer to remove the stickers from the plastic and paste them onto your nails, while positioning them. But be sure not to press the tweezer too hard that it tears the sticker apart. 

Have fun decorating your nails with nail art stickers! :)

xoxo
Jean