SHINE, SHIMMER & SPARKLE

Hello :)

Rough weeks (especially these last few days) calls for intensive skincare. For a little while now, I've been reaching for Clarin's latest skincare offering, Double Serum. 

Touted as a "complete age control concentrate", Double Serum is meant to complement your skincare regime by feeding your skin with nutrients in a formula that is suitable and comfortable to the natural texture of the skin - what Clarins refers to as Biomimetic Skincare.

To this end, the dual nature of skin cells calls for a dual textured serum - hydric (water) and lipidic (oil). The packaging is designed such that one pump dispenses equal amounts of hydric and lipidic serum in one swift pump. Yet the 2 different serums are stored separately in 2 chambers within the packaging.

Double Serum is not a new product - it has been around for more than 2 decades and with constant research and development by Clarins Laboratories, Double Serum has evolved into a new and improved anti-aging concentrate.

Don't be put off by the "age control" tagline - ask any skincare expert and they will tell you that the skin's aging process (unfortunately) commences when we hit 25 years of age. Till recently, I always thought that these age control serums were solely the perogative of much older women. With all the lousy rest hours I am so fond of keeping, prevention and maintenance policies in the form of such nutritious serums have become a necessity for me.

Double Serum targets 5 skin concerns - hydration, nutrition, oxygenation, protection and regeneration at the skin and cellular level.

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Let's take a closer look at the 5 different skin concerns and the various star ingredients that address these ingredients:

As you can tell from the ingredients list, there are more ingredients that target skin and cellular regeneration to help boost skin firmness and elasticity. 

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Once dispensed, here is how the serum looks like - if you're lucky, it sometimes turns out in a yin-yang design :)

To be honest, I was initially a little put off by the texture of the serum - I found the lipidic phase to be rather oily and I felt it took forever for the 2 pumps to sink into my skin - 2 pumps is sufficient for the whole face and neck (what is pictured above is 1 pump). You know how it's like with the oily-skinned ones - see anything oily and it's almost taboo!

Then I discovered a "method" to apply Double Serum - applying ONE pump of serum at a time is actually the best way to do it. The one pump of serum seems to sink into skin rather quickly and the 2nd pump of serum sinks in just as fast. Maybe it's my skin? But this way, I find that instead of having the serum float a little on my skin, it just sinks in. 

*** Edited to Add: Just to clarify, this is markedly different from the usual very lightweight-gel type textures I'm used to but with the pump by pump application method, I don't feel any oily residue; as I mentioned, the serum sinks into skin and does not float on the skin. I personally prefer using this at night given my personal skintype and preference - I avoid denser moisturisers for day and stick to only a good protective sunblock and primer for my base in my daytime regime.

That said, for my oily skintype, I find that I can only use this as part of my night-time skincare regime - I find it a little too rich for the heat and humidity of the day. Despite this apparent heavier texture (well, heavier than what I'm used to), this has not caused any breakouts or bumps on my skin.

Since using this consistently, the major improvements I notice is really to the texture of my skin - it is far smoother and softer, even the areas where I usually depilate. There were a couple of rough bumpy spots on my neck after my last breakout 1-2 months ago (this was before trying out Double Serum - I waited for my skin to settle before trying out a slew of new skincare in case you're wondering) and these rough patches have gone away. 

There are loads of anti-aging serums in the beauty market and it's really mind-boggling to choose just one. The Clarins Double Serum is born out of 27 years of research and constant improving which makes it one of the more attractive offerings. If you're hesistant to plonk down the SGD$118 for the whole bottle of Double Serum, head over to the Clarins website HERE and register for a 7-day trial supply of Double Serum. 

Try it ... you just might like it :)

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Thanks for stopping by and have a great day ahead.

**************************************************************************

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Clarins. Product featured was sent to me for consideration; all opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Hello :)

Rough weeks (especially these last few days) calls for intensive skincare. For a little while now, I've been reaching for Clarin's latest skincare offering, Double Serum. 

Touted as a "complete age control concentrate", Double Serum is meant to complement your skincare regime by feeding your skin with nutrients in a formula that is suitable and comfortable to the natural texture of the skin - what Clarins refers to as Biomimetic Skincare.

To this end, the dual nature of skin cells calls for a dual textured serum - hydric (water) and lipidic (oil). The packaging is designed such that one pump dispenses equal amounts of hydric and lipidic serum in one swift pump. Yet the 2 different serums are stored separately in 2 chambers within the packaging.

Double Serum is not a new product - it has been around for more than 2 decades and with constant research and development by Clarins Laboratories, Double Serum has evolved into a new and improved anti-aging concentrate.

Don't be put off by the "age control" tagline - ask any skincare expert and they will tell you that the skin's aging process (unfortunately) commences when we hit 25 years of age. Till recently, I always thought that these age control serums were solely the perogative of much older women. With all the lousy rest hours I am so fond of keeping, prevention and maintenance policies in the form of such nutritious serums have become a necessity for me.

Double Serum targets 5 skin concerns - hydration, nutrition, oxygenation, protection and regeneration at the skin and cellular level.

*********************************************************

Let's take a closer look at the 5 different skin concerns and the various star ingredients that address these ingredients:

As you can tell from the ingredients list, there are more ingredients that target skin and cellular regeneration to help boost skin firmness and elasticity. 

*********************************************************************

Once dispensed, here is how the serum looks like - if you're lucky, it sometimes turns out in a yin-yang design :)

To be honest, I was initially a little put off by the texture of the serum - I found the lipidic phase to be rather oily and I felt it took forever for the 2 pumps to sink into my skin - 2 pumps is sufficient for the whole face and neck (what is pictured above is 1 pump). You know how it's like with the oily-skinned ones - see anything oily and it's almost taboo!

Then I discovered a "method" to apply Double Serum - applying ONE pump of serum at a time is actually the best way to do it. The one pump of serum seems to sink into skin rather quickly and the 2nd pump of serum sinks in just as fast. Maybe it's my skin? But this way, I find that instead of having the serum float a little on my skin, it just sinks in. 

*** Edited to Add: Just to clarify, this is markedly different from the usual very lightweight-gel type textures I'm used to but with the pump by pump application method, I don't feel any oily residue; as I mentioned, the serum sinks into skin and does not float on the skin. I personally prefer using this at night given my personal skintype and preference - I avoid denser moisturisers for day and stick to only a good protective sunblock and primer for my base in my daytime regime.

That said, for my oily skintype, I find that I can only use this as part of my night-time skincare regime - I find it a little too rich for the heat and humidity of the day. Despite this apparent heavier texture (well, heavier than what I'm used to), this has not caused any breakouts or bumps on my skin.

Since using this consistently, the major improvements I notice is really to the texture of my skin - it is far smoother and softer, even the areas where I usually depilate. There were a couple of rough bumpy spots on my neck after my last breakout 1-2 months ago (this was before trying out Double Serum - I waited for my skin to settle before trying out a slew of new skincare in case you're wondering) and these rough patches have gone away. 

There are loads of anti-aging serums in the beauty market and it's really mind-boggling to choose just one. The Clarins Double Serum is born out of 27 years of research and constant improving which makes it one of the more attractive offerings. If you're hesistant to plonk down the SGD$118 for the whole bottle of Double Serum, head over to the Clarins website HERE and register for a 7-day trial supply of Double Serum. 

Try it ... you just might like it :)

************************************************************************

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day ahead.

**************************************************************************

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Clarins. Product featured was sent to me for consideration; all opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Hi!

Things are a little messy right now - school work (it's like everyday I try to finish that one piece and it never happens) and then there are other things happening.

I also had a little breakout situation on my lower half of the face - so new skincare had to stop but thankfully it's gone away now and I'm resuming the usual routines and trying out new things.

My Mom and my chums keep good company so that's a blessing. A lot of backlog on the blog but it will all come out slowly but surely. This is something I enjoy and I want to relish the photo-taking and the experience of trying the products out as well as pouring out my thoughts - on that note, I've been taking LOTS of pictures of all the new and accumulated goodies I've hauled and received so those will roll out one by one.

In the meantime, here is a brief snapshot of what I've been up to :)

My lightbulb sort of burst in my room and I had to shift all the piles and piles of bags with goodies and when I started sifting through them - I realised I had lots of things remaining unused because they're new and have yet to be nicely photographed. So I've been carting stuff, one lot at a time, and photographing them - natural bright light is really the best: colours are accurate and everything just looks so clean, pristine and great.

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Then of course, there's new makeup to play with - these are all CPs thanks to dear Elaine and I'm chuffed over these! 

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And more polish hauls - I've eaten humble pie. I used to think that pastel creme polishes are so blah but I finally realised their value. So pretty and delicate - I was totally lemming the Models Own Ice Cream Sundae Boxed set but shipping is crazy so I headed to Etude House instead - the polishes are reallllly nice for the price. The 2 A-England polishes in Galahad (aqua creme) and Guinevere (lilac creme) - I had my eye on them for a while and snagged them when A-England had a sale recently. So glad I got Galahad - it's really soft but bright.

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Then again, how long can I be kept away from glitter? It took me a while to hop onto the Indie bandwagon but a lot of them are really hard to resist. I have one more Indie polish on its way to me so I'll do a little series on these - they are AWESOME. A little sidenote - if you have any polishes from All That Glitters, DON'T TOUCH THE LABEL WITH WET HANDS - the print COMES RIGHT OFF. The bottle on the extreme right - it was a gift from Elaine and it's All That Glitters Cha Cha Twist. I touched with with wet fingers (I was at the pool taking photos) and it came right off much to my annoyance. The beauty of the polish more than makes up for that minor boo-boo though.

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The cap of my NARS eyeshadow primer broke and I didn't want to let it dry out so I wanted to depot it - I didn't want to depot it into the usual sample jar - I feel that's so messy so I googled around and found a suggestion to use a twist up pen - similar to the Stila lipgloss pens HERE. I have no idea how that girl pulled apart the Stila lipgloss pen but I found these empty ones on eBay and they were inexpensive. I sliced the NARS primer tube apart and filled the empty pens slowly - works awesome and the brush applicator is so convenient. 

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Fixing my hands - my hands are very rough. I don't know why and it frustrates me to no end. And ironically, I HATE wearing moisturiser because it feels all icky and sticky and I'm fidgety to start off with so then I get moisturiser everywhere.

But I recently got very determined to fix this problem - I bought a pair of Organic Cotton Moisturising Gloves from The Body Shop and I tried out a couple of body creams with ok results. But 2 nights (I only use the gloves and creams at night) in a row of the Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream and I SWEAR I feel a difference - it's not princessy smooth yet but much softer. This is a deluxe size (30ml) and will finish soon, at the rate I'm going. I'm definitely picking up the full size.

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And moving on to the non-makeup related things ....

I've always had a soft spot for spots :P Polka dots make me very happy (happier than stripes make me) and the polka dot nails and Marty in Madagascar 3 just cemented my love for polka dots. This is one of my latest acquisitions - my red polka dot bag. I love it so much, I want to carry it everywhere, with everything! Nicely made - sturdy and neat and I think you can't expect any less from Korean manufacturers.

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Speaking of made in Korea - my friends are Kpop, Kdrama mega-fans (I call them KpopKrazies actually). Usually, I'm the one who does all the psychobabbling - this time, they psychobabbled me into watching a Kpop music video, my first ever. This one is by Girls Generation and goes Gee Gee Gee Gee Baby Baby Baby (cue scissor leg movement) - I've got to admit, rather entertaining. 

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Quality time and sky-gazing with the parents - I spent a lovely evening at Sembawang Park with my Mom, after chauffering Dad to a nearby place and we all went off to eat tandoori and prawn briyani after that ...

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I used to have a tennis coach and then it got so expensive and I had no one to play with - my place has nice tennis courts but no tennis-ball shooting machine (is that what it's called?). But I badly wanted to start playing racquet games again - so I've managed to psychobabble my chums to play badminton with me weekly. This sunscreen makes me GLISTEN in the sun :P

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On that note, I've been also trying to watch what I put in my mouth a little more - not always successful but I'm playing with portions now - also trying very hard NOT TO EAT CHOCOLATE ... and hence, I resort to this instead

Incidentally, I ventured to Mustafa (which is like a stone's throw away from my place) WITHOUT LIPSTICK OR EYESHADOW :P I never used to do that!

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Thank you to my dear friends who always have something nice to say, drag me somewhere and find things for us to do. Thanks also to my parents, Mom especially, who does everything for and with me.

I recently re-read some of my maiden blogposts and in terms of the photos and writing, I think things have gotten much better from how I started off. I'd like to thank all of you who've come by often and have been part of this journey with me - it means a lot, truly.

As always, thanks for stopping by and have the loveliest weekend ..

Hi!

Just sharing this - it just landed in my mailbox. Clarins is running a series of beauty chats i.e hands-on workshops where you can learn, step-by-step, the methods for achiveing beautiful eyes using their new Defining Eye Lift serum and eye makeup.

Details are in the e-mailer appended - click it to get a larger image (you can zoom once you click)

The registration fees are SGD$50 for one pax or SGD$80 for 2 pax - fully redeemable for Clarins products

There is also a gift bag worth SGD$80 up for grabs

You can either call or email to make your appointments :)

Have fun!

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Hi!

Just sharing this - it just landed in my mailbox. Clarins is running a series of beauty chats i.e hands-on workshops where you can learn, step-by-step, the methods for achiveing beautiful eyes using their new Defining Eye Lift serum and eye makeup.

Details are in the e-mailer appended - click it to get a larger image (you can zoom once you click)

The registration fees are SGD$50 for one pax or SGD$80 for 2 pax - fully redeemable for Clarins products

There is also a gift bag worth SGD$80 up for grabs

You can either call or email to make your appointments :)

Have fun!

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Hi!

A lot of things lined up .. just tied up with work .. These and more will be up soon :)

Till then,

Take Care and Have A Beautiful Week!

Hi!

The Singapore Garden Festival is currently on at Suntect City on the 4th and 6th levels of the Convention Centre. 

Thanks to one of the Garden Festival sponsors, Clarins, I had an opportunity to visit and take in the sights (and scents) of the lovely floral displays at the Garden Festival over the weekend. In this entry, I share with you a couple of my favourite displays and shots of beautiful flowers which caught my eye.

I just wished that the organisers had added name tags to the displays - in the case of the more unique flowers, I had no idea what they were. But gorgeous gorgeous nonetheless!

There were several installations and displays - landscape gardens, balcony views, art installations - here are some of my favourites:

This was gorgeous - a total resort feel with the little plunge pool and the lounge chairs - simple, clean lines and yet lush.

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Ahh, the Zen garden - love the element of the Yin Yang woven in too. Right off the set of a period Korean or Japanese drama ;)

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This installation had an ethereal feel about it - the smoke effects, the gurgling mini fountains and the lush green really had visitors hooked.

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The Seven Dwarfs going home - pity they didn't make Snow White too ...

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Spot the Monster!

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I LOVED this garden picnic display inspired by Alice in Wonderland by Pioneer Junior College - I'll admit, the props were the ones that attracted me first - the cupcakes look so real! The way the display is done - the spacing, the placement of the plants - it doesn't look like a group of youths did it. Really really nice!

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One of my FAVOURITE displays - the balloons and the orchids! So colourful, cheery and happy looking. I think this would be absolutely gorgeous in for a garden wedding ... *makes mental note*

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Another gorgeous creation - a dragon and cute little fish made entirely out of roses. I really like the attention to detail and the dragon head is awesome.

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Smurf Garden!!!!

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Moving on to the flower displays - some of these were in random displays, others were in displays with national landmarks like the Sydney Opera House or the French Arc de Triomphe (pictured below) so it gives visitors and inkling where these flowers might be from (strange that I didn't see Hibiscus in the display with the Petronas Twin Towers though).

Australian Protea

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Tulips in an array of colours - wonder why they look windswept though ..

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Pink Hydrangeas

White Hydrangeas

Blue Hydrangeas

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Pink Roses - look at the way the petals are tiered!

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Freshly Bloomed Yellow Rose

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These look like lilies - love the rich colour

White and Pink Tiger Lilies - love the scent!

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White Magnolia

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Jasmine

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There was also an Orchid Show at the 4th level - it's known as the Market Place where you can buy gardening supplies but you MUST visit it - that's where the Alice in Wonderland and Smurf displays are too. The Orchid displayed featured several unique orchids as well as prize-winning species.

This one is called PINK MOMMA ... :D

Maui Mist - I swear, it looks like someone painted on the design!

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It's not just the displays inside the halls that are gorgeous - lots of very beautiful floral arrangements at the entrance of the exhibition halls too, featuring the cartoon bug ambassadors of the festival - the Ladybird, Grasshopper and Bee.

I love that the Garden Festival has a fairy tale vibe to it - there were statues of fairies and elves among the display at the entrance

And I leave you with one shot that suggests I might have read one fairytale too many ... 

Nope, No PRINCE ...

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The Singapore Garden Festival is on until 15 July with tickets at SGD$10 on weekdays and SGD$14 on weekends.

It boasts some really nice floral displays and rarely seen flowers and plants with loads of photo opportunities and inspiration, especially if you're thinking of landscape and floral centrepieces for weddings and events.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed the photos :)

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Hello!

Clarins has recently reformulated and launched 3 toning lotions to cater to various skin types. Alcohol-free and packed with star ingredients, these are more like skin care lotions rather than just basic astringents.

The logic behind these toning lotions is the acknowledgement that while cleansing is the fundamental step in skincare, it also can inadverdently remove the "saprophytic flora" of the skin - the flora is essentially the skin's first line of defence against external aggressors and bacteria. To restore this flora and maintain the skin's natural healthy balance, Clarins developed these toning lotions where the Bio-Ecolia, extracted from natural sugars, will help restore and maintain the delicate flora.

Each of the toning lotions focus on supplying nutrients and hydration to the skin - no matter what skin type, oily, dry, combination, hydration is the first step for clean, clear, healthy skin. Hydration falls under more of a skin condition category, rather than skin type. As mentioned above, tests show an increase of 200% in hydration levels after using these new toning lotions.

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Toning Lotion with Iris - Oily and Combination Skin

Purifies, tones and hydrates skin with purifying ingredientsWitch Hazel - tightens pores, refines skin texture

• Iris - purifies and improves appearance of problem skin

• Aloe - hydrates and soothes

• Bio-Ecolia - balances skin's flora

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Toning Lotion with Chamomile - Normal to Dry Skin

Restores skin for a supple and velvety feel and preps skin for skincare

• Chamomile and Linden - softening action

• Vitamin A & B5 - regenerates skin surface and hydrates skin

• Vitamin E - protects against free radicals

• Bio-Ecolia - balances skin's delicate flora

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Extra-Comfort Toning Lotion with Aloe Vera - Dry or Sensitised Skin

Very gentle alcohol-free toner with a light gel texture to meet all needs of sensitised skin

• Linden, Marshmallow and Sweet Almond - soften and comfort skin 

• Aloe Vera - hydrates and soothes

• Bio-Ecolia - balances skin's delicate flora

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After using these toning lotions, a test panel reported the following, together with a marked increase in hydration.

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Clarins also suggests how these toning lotions may be used:

As opposed to the usual method of sweeping a cotton-pad soaked with toning lotion, Clarins suggests that these toning lotions can be applied with pressing movements - a little reminiscent of the manual auto-lifting method used with the Clarins Shaping Facial Lift

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I haven't started using these new ones yet as I just bought and am using the Kiehl's Blue Astringent Toner (just before these arrived!). However, in the past, I have tried the Toning Lotion in green for Oily to Combination skin - I can attest to it's gentleness and hydrating effects. For day use, I usually prefer something a little stronger and more astringent as a prep for the day's assault of the oilies. My night skincare routine is a little more relaxed, luxurious and richer and that's where I prefer to use products which are more gentle. From memory, the green toning lotion made skin feel soft and pampered, ready for serum and night cream application.

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These new skin-loving toning lotions are available at all Clarins counters at SGD$43 each.

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Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

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Disclaimer: Featured products were provided to me by Clarins for consideration. Technical information extracted from press kit provided. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.