Hitting the Pan

I'm back!!! Long story short, my computer went KAPUT, together with my hard disk. As a blogger, it meant doomsday for me, but luckily, i was able to salvage most things, and finally got my hands on a new desktop, strictly for blogging purposes :)

Just want to share with you an exciting event by Maybelline, which is the launch of the Color Tattoo, together with a Fab Fashion Flea at *Scape. Get ready for fashion parades, makeovers galore and blogshop buys! I'll be there so i hope to see you too!

(click for larger image)

Scroll down for the GIveaway!

I've been using Shu Uemura's latest skincare innovation, Tsuya skin for the last month+ and with promising results from the initial 2 week review, you bet i was eager to see if it would perfom long-term miracles for me! Behold! My almost-bare face (aside from eyeliner, mascara and brow powder).

If you have ever seen me in person, i don't have flawless skin. I'm plagued with breakouts, enlarged pores, dull skin...just to name a few. Tsuya skin claims to tackle to dull, rough and tired-looking skin, and i have to be honest, my skin has a natural glow to it in the recent month! There is not much difference between my skin at 2 weeks of usage versus 4 weeks of usage. It's not about making the skin fair and transulcent exponentially till i look like a ghost

Tsuya skin is about achieving naturally, youthful-looking skin, through Rhamnose, a miracle molecule, effectively reactivating skin’s “youth power switch.” My breakouts are still happening, but aides from that, i feel that my overall skintone is more even and radiant. 

Want to try out the Tsuya skin essence for yourself? Get the 7-day trial kit here!

Want to win a Deluxe sample (10ml) of Tsuya Skin essence?

Shu Uemura has kindly sponsored me 5 bottles to be given away to my readers! Here's how to enter the giveaway:

• Like Shu uemura Singapore Facebook Page

• Be follower of my blog [Onsugar/Google]
• Leave a comment below with your :
  - Name
  - E-mail
  - Username 

• Giveaway end on 28th September 2012 (Midnight)
• Open for local addresses only (Singapore)
• Comment up to 3 times per day 

 Have fun! :D

This week, a lovely package from the ladies at Luxasia came to me, instantly perking up my dreary work day. The Incanto series by Salvatore Ferragamo has a new scent, called Lovely Flower. I've been a fan of the Ferragamo Incanto EDT scents, and i own Incanto Charms as well as Incanto Shine. 

The scent is housed in a glass bottle with it's signature Vara bow in pink and white. The pink bow is surrrounded by a sea of flowers, a young, eye-catching and bubbly design for the delight for all the Ferragamo Fashionistas. As the name Lovely Flower suggests, this embraces the romantic power of a flower explosion. A fresh and evocative frangrance that will remind you of breezy spring days with flowers in full bloom. 

I love flowers as you can see from my hair clip obession, so this fragrance is great for girls like me!

The key notes in this fragrance are:

Top notes: Wild strawberry, redcurrent and bergamot essence

Heart notes: Rose essence, peony (one of my favourite flowers) and jasmine petals

Dry down notes: White wood and benzoin

"The heart of the scent is textured by jasmine petals and higlighted by the juicy red cocktail and the solar facets of passion fruit. Benzoin and white woods sign with floral bouquet with a subtle sensuality" (info credit to Luxasia).  

It's my first time reviewing a frangrance, so i shall try my best to describe it. It has a floral-fruity scent, and smells sweet, but not overly cloying. Think of it as...walking into a florist shop. The freshly cut flowers that are still in bloom, the natural crisp and fresh scent of the petals, it has a pleasant scent that does not overwhelm the senses. The fragrance uplifts my spirits and is now sitting on my bathroom vanity area!

On a side note, this press kit came with a sweet pink rose, tied with a Salvatore Ferragamo ribbon. But work got the best of me, and by the time i wanted to photograph the rose, it had started to look really miserable! Thankfully, i received a pink gerbera for Teachers' Day and made us of it for the for photos! And pink gerberas are pictures in the posters for the Incanto Lovely Flower :D

Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto Lovely Flower is available in 30ml (S$84), and 50ml (S$114), and is exclusive to Sa Sa and Sephora.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are entirely my own. I am not affliated with Luxasia. Products were provided for my consideration. 

Not too long ago, i attended Luxasia's Pajama Party at Naumi Hotel. Luxasia is the leading distributor of world-renown fragrance and beauty brands in Singapore. They carry products from brands such as Guerlain, Marc Jacobs fragrance, Stila and of course Burberry Beauty, Perricone MD and StriVectin.

The concept of the Pajama party was to teach us how to achieve radiant skin through a restful night. Yoga moves were taught to us, and it was interesting to note that Yoga moves do not necessarily require you to contort your body in ways that look painful! Something as simple as rocking in a fetal position can help the body to relax and prepare our minds for sleep. Insomnia is a rising and common issue for Singaporeans, so this was definitely helpful for many. 

When your body gets ample uninterrupted rest, it shows on your face. At night, it's the best time for the skin to soak up all the goodness in your skincare, so 2 skincare brands were introduced to compliment our night routine. 

We were first introduced to Perricone MD Acyl-Glutathione Eye Lid Seum (S$194 for 15ml). This product is meant to fight the visible signs of accelerated skin aging along the upper eyelid. The Acyl-Glutathione Eye Lid Seum delivers a stable and readily accepted Glutathione derivative to the skin, resulting in visible improvements to the eyelid and presents a more youthful, awakened appearance.

 Benefits inculde dramatic tightness and firmess of a droppy eyelid, a smoothing of creases and minimized redness and dark circles. It is also said that the light and fast absorbing texture of this serum also works well as a primer to help makeup glide on more smoothly and increases it's wear throughout the day. I'll test this under my eye makeup and let you know the results soon? The texture of this product feels a tad too watery for my liking, as i prefer eye creams, but the claims look promising.

Next up is the revolutionary multi-tasking Chia Serum (S$127 for 30ml), also from Perricone MD. This serum is made with rare extracts of chai oil and fat-soluble essential vitamins. Meant for all age groups, this product can be used to:

• deliver superior nourishment and hydration through rich Omega 3 fatty acids
• condition the skin and protects it against oxidative damage
• Infuse the skin with vitamins for health and vitality
• smoothe fine lines and leaves skin baby soft

It has a soothing and light crushed herbal scent. Chia oil is one of the richest vegetable source for Omega 3 fatty acids and helps the skin to fight against signs of aging. Despite being called an "oil", the actual product is not greasy, and feels very light. You can use it:

• on it's own as a serum
• mix it together with your moisturizer for extra hydration
• use it a face primer before applying makeup
• pat it onto your face throughout the day to refresh your skin.

Perricone MD products are available at Escentials at Tangs Orchard, Escentials at Paragon, Escentials at The Shoppes at MBS, Metro Paragon, Robinsons at The Centrepoint, Robinsons at Raffles City, Robinsons at MBS and Sephora. 

Another skincare brand we were introduced to was StriVectin. Now i remember seeing this brand around Sephora while i was in USA and Canada, and it had a very clinical and professional look about it. This Strivectin-WH Photo-White Night Cream (S$120 for 50ml), is developed for those who are looking for more translucent, even-tone skin witb less pigmentation. With its proprietary accelerator NIA-114, the Strivectin-WH Photo-White Night Cream will minimize the apperance of dark spots and discolourations so that the complexion looks brighter, more radiant, more even-toned and most importantly, more youthful!

A rich and deeply hydrating night cream, it feels luxurious on the skin and sinks in like a dream!

Strivectin-WH Photo-White Night Cream is exclusively available at Sephora, Metro Paragon, Escentials at Tangs Orchard and Robinsons. 

Next, was a makeup demo with Burberry Beauty. The focus of the look was to create a fresh-faced appearance in less than 5 minutes! Using the Fresh Glow, a sheer tinted fluid as a foundation, Lip Mist as a lipstick and cream blusher, Eye Definer to line the eyes and dab a little Sheer Concealer under the eyes and voila, you're ready to go! 

The ladies from Burberry were all stunning and even though it was a Pajama Party, they were all glammed-up! 

The beautiful fresh-faced model, whom alas, was captured in an Unglam photo by me. But the look was really easy to do, and done so fast that i can see myself doing it in the wee hours of the morning before i have to rush off the work at 6.30 am!

For the Eye Definer, it comes with a sleek, hard plastic sharpener embossed with the word "BURBERRY". It feels really luxurious and well made. 

EYE DEFINER (S$33 for 1.26g)  MIDNIGHT BLACK NO.01

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There are 9 shades of Lip Mist and i received No. 9 Feather Pink. Unlike the Lip Cover which functions like a lipstick, the Lip Mist is meant to give lighter coverage in terms of colour, while keeping the lips moist and hydrated at the same time. 

LIP MIST (S$43 for 3.5g) FEATHER PINK NO. 9 

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“ The face reveals its true beauty when its original beauty is vivified and enhanced. ” — Mr. Shu Uemura

I was invited to the Bloggers' Launch of the TSUYA skin essence, the latest skincare product from Shu Uemura back in July. Shu Uemura analyzed more than 5,000 individual cases of Asian women’s skin to scientifically understand what is needed for skin to be perceived as “ideal.” They found that “ideal” skin came down to 6 key parameters:

• smoothness
• porelessness
• translucence
• an even tone
• a fine texture
• good skin color

When all these factors are present, skin radiates beauty—this is what makes “ideal” skin. In Japanese, we call this “TSUYA skin.”

For decades, Japanese make-up and skincare expert shu uemura has pursued the key to ideal, youthful skin, guided by its philosophy, “beautiful make-up starts with beautiful skin.” Shu uemura has now unlocked the innermost workings of the skin and harnessed the latest discoveries in cellular biology to reactivate cell regeneration and reveal a dramatic skincare solution that reaches new heights in achieving beautiful, youthful skin. TSUYA skin — Japan’s word for ideal skin.

Experience the miracle of innovative, premium skincare from shu uemura and say goodbye to dull, rough and tired-looking skin. With a golden drop of TSUYA skin youthful radiance generator, reactivate your skin’s “youth power switch.” 7 days to porcelain-fine, petal-soft, translucent glowing skin.

The sleek white pearlescent bottle caught my eye and my breath. When the light hits it at an angle, you get a gorgerous mother-of-pearl shimmer from the bottle. 

The product inside is equally stunning, if not more so. A silvery-lilac solution, it has a soft scent of natural flower petals...very light and pleasing. It also comes in a convenient dropper, and a pearl-sized drop is enough for the whole face. 

So how do you use this TSUYA Skin Essence? 

• after toner and before moisturizer
• as a serum to improve your tone and complexion
• as an enhancer to your current serum to enhance the efficacy of the serum, especially for targeted concerns like deep wrinkles, pigmentations, etc. 

In a major breakthrough, the shu uemura research center in Tokyo has selected a “Rhamnose” receptor that remains stable despite the ageing process, meaning it is able to continue to transmit vital signals to skin cells. Rhamnose, a miracle molecule, acts specifically on one identified stable
receptor, effectively reactivating skin’s “youth power switch.” 

"Human cell membranes contain numerous switches (cellular receptors),
which receive many types of signals to keep the cell functioning and
healthy. However, with age, the functions of almost all of the skin’s cellular switches change, weakening the skin’s self-regenerative ability." - Dr. Ken-ichi ARAI, Professor Emeritus,The University of Tokyo

Rhamnose, inspired by the “secret” of the Enju flower. Enju,” meaning longevity in Japanese, is well known for its powerful life force.

I've been using the TSUYA skin essence for almost 2 weeks now and take a look at my skin condition!

If i didn't take a before and after photo for comparison purposes, i won't have believe that you can see results in such a short period! My skin has been pretty bad the past 2 weeks, due to my monthly issues which cause several outbreaks on my cheeks. On a regular basis, my skin becomes dull, lacklustre and rough during my periods. But the tsuya skin essence has really made a huge difference! Not only do i have hydrated and smooth skin, but my colleagues have commented that my skin is glowing and looks so much better than usual that they asked me what have i done to my skincare routine!

A rare half-face photo of me. I just have on eyeshadow, mascara, and loose powder. No concealers, foundations or photoshop tools (aside from my watermark) were used in this image. It's every girl's wish to have beautiful skin and now i believe that i can have it too!

TSUYA Skin Essence will be available islandwide at all Shu Uemura counters from October 2012. S$78 for 50g. 

Disclaimer: Press info and pictures were provided by Shu Uemura (Singapore). All opinions expressed are entirely my own.