Are you using the right hair dryer?

For those who have frizzy hair (including me), trying to tame it especially in humid weather can be really frustrating.

You get your hair blow dried at the hair salon and it always comes out smooth and fantastic looking, but try to replicate that at home and it doesn’t somehow quite work.

I later found out that the hair dryer that you use is very important to achieve straight hair. To blow-dry your hair straight, especially those with frizzy hair, you need to use a hairdryer that is at least 1875 watts and above. Anything less than that and your hair will not give you that look. So those provided in hotels are a no-no!

The other feature to look out for in a hair dryer is its weight. Please try and test out the hair dryers to see if you will be comfortable holding it in one hand for 10 – 15 minutes. The last thing you want is your hand tiring out before you finish the job.

There are some good ones out there, mine is from Vidal Sassoon and works like a charm.

Don’t forget to use a heat protecting serum and a good brush too!

Hair Magic Sheet by Dariya 便利神奇发贴

I first saw this last year on 女人我最大 and thought that this nifty little tool is ingenious.

It basically works for like headband when you need to pull you hair away from your face whether it is for washing your face or applying makeup. The best bit is that it doesn’t leave any marks on your hair that clips and headbands does.

When I saw it in a cosmetics store, I bought it without hesitation as it is quite cheap. Does it work? A resounding yes! It grips onto the hair and you can pull it away from you face in the direction that you want it. Even taking it out after an hour, I find that it doesn’t leave any marks on the hair. Depending on your hair volume/hairstyle, you’ll need to tailor how many pieces you will need to use.

The other day, I couldn’t find my elastic band to tie my hair and decided to try sticking these sheets like a circle to see if it can keep it in place. To my surprise, it works as well. As I only needed it to ensure that my hair doesn’t fall to my face as I was trying to wash my face, it did the trick.

The one that I bought is from Dariya and it comes in a variety of colours (pink, blue, black…).

Please make sure you get the right one (shown in pictures above) as there are others out there which my friends have bought and they are not as effective.

Luv ~ Variety of cute colours, simple and small enough to carry around and for travelling, hair remains mark free.

Don’t Luv ~ Nothing

Brightening eye drops

Been sleeping late and working hard lately and decided that having some eye drops would be handy.
Browsed through the eye drops section in Boots and noticed something that I didn’t see before. They now have Brightening and Whitening eye drops available.

I am a little sceptical about this as I think as long as you use eye drops that are soothing, that should minimise and soothe the redness in the eyes.

I have heard about these eye drop products in Japan before but have not had a chance to get those from Japan.


Was a little surprised to see that similar versions are now available in the UK and can be easily bought in Boots. Decided to give this a try.

The package says

“Our eyes can be left feeling sore, tired and uncomfortable by the drying environments in which we live and work. These soothing and protecting eye drops work by creating a cushion of moisture to keep your eyes cool and comfortable.”
 

· Brightening and soothing, Boots Brightening Eye Drops

· Restores eyes' natural bright sparkle

· Contains soothing witch hazel plant

The drops felt a little different to the other normal eye drops that I have used before. It definitely soothes my tired eyes and strangely enough, my eyes do have a clearer sparkle that other eye drops does not give. I guess that is where the brightening bit comes in. It definitely goes with the Chinese saying of having eyes that are 黑白分明。

As the eyes are the windows to our soul, it definitely helps to keep them in tip top shape. If you’re out looking for some eye drops, why not give this a try. Having bright white sparkling eyes definitely ups the beauty factor!


Luv ~ Extra benefits of clearer and brighter eyes

Don't Luv ~ Wish they come in disposable single dosage.

Foot Petals specials

For those shoes fashionistas, I previously blog about fabulous shoe accessories from Foot Petals.

They currently have a special where you get 25% discount and free shipping valid until the end of the month.
Check out the advert below. Happy shopping!

Boxing Day Shopping

For those who are gearing up for some Boxing Day shopping. A little early christmas pressie to bring along!

Black Tie Violets Holiday 2009 Collection by Clinique

 (Images/info from www.clinique.co.uk)

The Black Tie Violets Holiday 2009 Collection is now available in all Clinique stores.
A collection of soft shimmering shades from plums to lilacs.
Purples and violets has been the rage for the past year and seem to still be continuing strong.

This collection has the following in various hues of violet

• Brush-On Cream Liner
• Powder Brush
• Lipsticks & lipliner
• Mascara 

The ones that caught my eyes from this collection are the

Shimmering Stripes Powder Blusher

This limited edition compact features four complementary shades of pearly, luminous blush in rich, plum shades. Pressed together in a beautiful striped pattern, these sheer powders deliver a soft, radiant allover glow. The silvery jewel-like packaging makes this the perfect party accessory.

Colour Surge Eyeshadow Quad

A gorgeous grouping of four coordinating shimmery eye shadows creates looks ranging from subtle and soft to sexy and sophisticated. These intense shades build quickly and blend easily offering effortless sheen and luminosity. Perfect for festive glamour. The sleek, modern, mirrored silvery compact adds glimmer to any party.

The brush-on cream liner in from this collection seems to be a hot favourite and is already sold out. It is a creamy liner that fast drying, non smudging and waterproof. Comes with a mini-eyeliner brush.

BB Cream Miniature set by Skin79

I have heard rave reviews with this particular brand of BB cream. BB cream are the new rage at the moment which has been picking up momentum. The advancement made in the field of BB cream has been amazing and a lot now incorporates several products into 1 (moisturiser, sunscreen, foundation...).

I was browsing the internet when I came upon this. Cosme-de and YesStyle are selling a miniature version set of some of Skin79 BB creams. This is worth trying to see which one you like before buying a full size product.

A bit of details on the miniature BB creams (obtained from Cosme-de website).

VIP Gold Collection

3 effects functional BB balm. Abundant nutrition of Gold and Caviar extract cares skin intensively to make shiny, healthy skin.

Super+ BB Balm Triple Functions

It is 3 effects functional BB balm. By Adenosine and Arbutin ingredients which are effective in whitening, wrinkles improvement cultivate more bright and elastic skin. Intercept ultraviolet rays UV A and B at the same time and protect your skin exposed from the sun more thoroughly. OSMOPUR ingredient of new concept which are mixed sunflower, rice bran, ivy extracts protect skin from various harmful conditions. Phyto Complex ingredient which is good for skin moisturizing and soothing makes your skin always moist and healthy.

Diamond Collection Pearl Luminous BB Balm

It is a trendy pearl BB cream which has a light, moist use feeling and quite brilliant pearl to make a bright revitalizing skin. The built-in brush enhances adhesion, making the skin more clean and glowing through thin and even application

The Oriental Gold BB Cream SPF 25 PA++

Provides with excellent serum control. Recommended for Combination to Dry skin. Better moisturizer function, anti-wrinkle, whitening. Triple function - Whitening, Wrinkle improvement and UV Protection (Sun block) SPF 25 PA++. Excellent coverage that events out skin tone naturally.

The only difference between the pink and black set is the pink set has the oriental gold BB cream and the black set has the Diamond Prestige BB Cream.

The Skin79 website is now selling 8 products from their new Diamond Collection and throwing in a BB cream miniature set for 69,000 won. That is about USD77.

Looking forward to trying this when the winter season is over.

Supermoisture Makeup by Clinique

Having normal to combination skin, using a foundation that is meant for dry skin is probably the last choice that I will make in terms of a foundation purchase.

However, since moving to London, the cold and dry winter definitely takes it toll on the skin and I noticed myself starting to get signs of skin flaking and dryness. Sign to switch foundation. Chanced upon a cosmetic factory outlet and they had the supermoisture makeup on sale. That was how I ended up buying this to combat the dry winter.

The supermoisture makeup foundation is advertised as

"Ultra-creamy yet refreshingly lightweight formula goes beyond flaw-fixing, acting as skin's undercover moisture agent for a dewy look. Disguises unevenness with sheer-to-moderate coverage. Instantly puts drier skins at ease. Skin looks soft and radiant all day."

(www.clinique.co.uk)
 
 
 
 
 
 

What I noticed when I started using this is that only a small amount is required for the entire face and neck area, I find myself using about the size of a pea. It is very creamy and slides easily on the skin for an easy application. It blends smoothly and sets to give quite a natural and dewy glow. I find that it contains really tiny shimmers/pearls that you can only see under certain lighting but which is very subtle. That is how it is able to give the skin a radiant glow with the creaminess of the foundation giving a dewy look.

 

It doesn't feel thick on the skin at all even after a full day at the office. Only minor touch ups with powder is required on the T zone during the day while I didn't even need to do that in much severe winter weather in other European countries.

 

The foundation definitely provided a shield against the harsh winter and my skin remain supple and moisturised. I also did not get any break outs from using this and did not detect any fragrance.

 

Quite value for money considering that I only finished half a bottle for the entire winter season.


Luv ~ Frangrance free, very moisturising and depicts a radiant glow. No break outs. One bottle lasts a long time.

Don't Luv ~ No SPF, will not use this for the summer for normal to oily combination skin type.

 

Asience Shine Therapy Range by Kao

(www.kao.com)

Moving on from my previous post on the haircare products by Asience. A new range was added in November 2008 which is ‘Shine Therapy’.


According to their website

“Shine Therapy, is formulated specially to reverse the internal damages caused by harsh chemicals used in rebonding, colouring and perming. Combining its higher concentration of repairing essence Pearl & Soybean in its trademark Asian Beauty Essence and its patented penetrative technology, the holes of lost proteins are instantly filled up. The result? Hair becomes stronger, smoother with a healthy shine.”


The Shine Therapy range contains

· +50%* more Pearl and Soybean essence (Repair)

· Korean Ginseng and Camellia Oil essence (Moisturize)

· Eucalyptus (Protect) * Compared to Deep Nourish Range

Basically what this means to me is that this is even better for those with really damaged hair or hair that have gone through chemical treatments like colouring, straightening and perming among others.

I definitely fall into this category, coupled with my hair being dry by nature. I decided to try this new range.

After my first wash, I immediately felt a difference with my hair. It was a lot smoother, shinier and silkier. Running fingers through my hair was like touching silk. My hair runs easily through my fingers and I couldn’t believe the shine. I can't rave enough about Shine Therapy and this new range completely change the results that I get from using a shampoo/conditioner for my hair.

I am addicted to this new range. It is definitely more superior to the other ranges and other brands available if you have chemically damaged hair.

I have to mention the fragrance as well. It exudes a floral scent and seems to be well liked as I have receive some positive comments.

LUV ~ Geat value. Hair is really shiny and well moisturised.

Don't Luv ~ Nothing

Facelift!

Diamond n Dud has just gotten a new facelift! This is just the beginning, more posts and more reviews.


Please let me know what you think of the new facelift.

Vital Solutions BB Cream by Coreana

When the first generation of BB cream first became a hit in the market, I have to admit that I wasn’t too interested in trying it. I noticed in the vids on you tube that the BB cream came out looking a little whitish and not as natural looking as I was hoping.




Many months later, I got a tube of BB cream from Coreana as a gift and after sitting in my shelf for ages, I finally decided to give it a go.

Finding out what I could about this BB cream, this was what I could find:

It has natural extract that keeps skin dewy & refreshed in summer.
Double function (whitening & UV block) helps express natural look even in summer.
All in one type BB cream is easy to use for customers.


Was told by my kind gift-giver that only a little is required. Sticking to that rule, I applied a sheer amount in replacement of my foundation. I have to say that I was quite pleasantly surprised.

The liquid spreads easily and only requires a short amount of time for it to set in. My skin looks a lot smoother and has a healthy glow to it. It helped to reduce shine in my T zone area throughout the day and only required 1 – 2 touch-ups.

After work, I looked at my skin again and it has successfully lasted the whole day. Very natural looking and even at the end of the day, I don’t feel like I have something caked on my skin.

This is good for those who don’t want like to have makeup on or those time scarce moments when you don’t have time to put on any makeup.

Something else that I noticed with the BB cream is that there is an indicator on the side of the tube so that you know how much you have left. Nice little touch!

For more information, click here

Luv ~ Natural looking, breathable and light, lasts the whole day and only minimal amount is required.

Don't Luv ~ Wish it came with SPF protection

PS. I find that this is not moisturising enough for the harsh winter in London.

Face shading

I went for a photo shoot with some friends as a fun day out and there was a make up artist there to help us out. She actually did some face contouring for some of us and I have to say that she was good.

That sparked my interest to know more about the whole face contouring/face shading.

Being Asian, it’s nice to make your nose sharper sometimes when the occasion calls for it. Face shading is all about using a darker tone to shade and a lighter tone to highlight.
This website is quite comprehensive and explains the basics. It recommends using liquid although I am more inclined to use powder like what the Sephora lady told me.

It also explains some of the more advanced techniques that you can use to such as to camouflage a double chin, deepen cheekbone structure, widen a jaw line, narrow a broad nose among others.

I’ve tried some contouring powders that will be reviewed soon. I think I need to practice practice practice.I still have my eye on the Make Up Forever Sculpting Kit, which has been getting good reviews. That is going on my wish list!

Any tips from makeup savvy beauties out there?