New Anti-aging Favorite: Collagen Supplement

Not sure if you feel the same: After 23, many skin problems have suddenly appeared, like visible pores, darkened eye circles, sagging eye contours...all aging symptoms you can think of.



My way to keep skin elastic is massage cream and supplement. Collagen is one of the hottest supplements in recent years. Japanese brands like Meji, FINE and Hadatuko have released many such choices gaining positive reviews.

Meiji Amino Collagen

is what I’ve been taking these weeks. Here is how I drink it:



Open the package and you’ll see the very milk-like collagen powder.
It smells milk too!
At first I am not sure if it will go well with green tea.


Mix the green tea powder with lukewarm water.


After adding the collagen powder, it gets s bit thicker. But the taste is no different to the original green tea.

After 3-week consumption of Meiji Amino Collagen

Honestly, before trying the collagen powder, I was a bit concerned about acne breakout. Some posters on forums mentioned they’ve got a few pimples drinking the powder. Thus, I took the supplement every other day in the first week to test. So far I didn’t find my skin more prone to breakout after the 3-week trial.

About the effects, they can’t be said super stunning. The pores have looked less visible. My face would often get oily after lunch. This condition has improved after taking the collagen powder. Overall, I feel my skin condition more stable with the consumption of collagen supplement.

Remarks: What is Collagen?

Collagen is the main support protein of connective tissue. It helps maintain skin youth so it looks firm, tensed and hydrated when we are young. Yet, the amount of collagen in our body decreases with age. That’s why we’ve got aging signs ever since 25 years old. You may take more fresh meat, seafood and dairy products for production of collagen. Unfortunately a balanced diet is not easy for many city people. I guess that explains the rising demand of nutrient supplements…

How to Refrigerate Skincare: Guide for freshness

It got warmer last week and the spring came close suddenly. Yet, it’s freezing again now.

Anyway, most of the time the spring in Hong Kong is humid and suffocating. You’ll miss the coolness in winter. Since you can’t get a relief outdoor, let’s enjoy a soothing facial from refrigerated skincare. Keep your skincare in fridge and lengthen their freshness.

Some of you may not have a clear idea what skincare to fridge and how to do it. Here is my way to do it for your reference:

What can be stored cold?

Hydrating masks in sheets are the best choice! Moisturizing goodies like serum, toner, eye gel and eye mask are ideal to fridge as well. These products are rich in water content and the skincare effects can be maximized after refrigerating. Your pores get less visible with a soothing cool of skincare.

Extra note: What NOT to be stored cool? Products for cleansing are not to be kept in fridge. Cleansing milk, purifying mask and skincare with alcohol are the examples.

How to store skincare cold?

Although the cooling sensation is AMAZING, don’t “overcool” your masks or skincare. Or else your skin will be irritated. Never put your skincare in the freezer. This hardens the skincare texture and lessens effectiveness.

So, it’s good enough to store skincare in a fridge at a temperature around 10 degrees Celsius.

Let’s Shop: Best choices for a Cooling facial

Somang
Nutri-100 Hyaluronic Acid Essential Cotton Mask

A hydrating mask 100% cotton-made. High concentration of moisturizing factors and Hyaluronic Acid keep your skin balanced in oil. Apply it cold and your pores will look much smaller.

COSLINE
Aloe Essence Mask Sheet Pack

Moisturising masks are great to be kept cool. And one with aloe vera is even better.

Masks from COSLINE are cheap and in lovely size. The size of the mask sheet is wide enough to please women with a rather large face.

Soin d'eau
Bagnoles de L'Orne Spring Water

If there is a fridge in your office, don’t waste it. Put a toner or Spring Water from Soin d’eau in the fridge. Soothe your skin at work.

My skin tends to get oily and reddish after lunch. A cool spring water spray is a blessing then. Just spray some water and enjoy a simple cleansing step. Do coat with a light amount of day cream or sunscreen afterwards. Your skin feels much more stable.

When Chinese New Year mixes with Valentine’s Day: Gift Idea for Him

A knotty Valentine’s Day is coming! This year this romantic occasion encounters the Chinese New Year.

Are you going to visit your relatives, or being with your special one? No matter how you’re going to arrange your time, a flattering gift for him is necessary. Have you got any Valentine’s gift idea?

I have been thinking about…Is it too boring to send him chocolate every year? How about a more “practical” present?

GAIA
MADE FOR MEN

Gaia Made for Men Shave Gel

Sasa.com Price: USD 14.80

I guess a soothing shaving gel for men is not a bad idea.

This shave gel from GAIA has a super gentle formula. The major ingredients are certified organic oils. This works well for sensitive skin as well. I love that it contains aloe vera to soothe and prevent itchiness!

The best point is that it’s more than man shaving gel! Girls can use it too removing body hair as the formula is really soothing. Hence even if your guy isn’t very interested in using it later, you can still use the gel, instead of leaving it aside in bathroom forever.

DS Laboratories
SPECTRAL DNC

Spectral.DNC® Hair Loss Treatment

Sasa.com Price: USD 36.00

Haha, I guess this treatment is a bit esteem-hurting for young men. Yet, it makes a good gift between married couple. Especially when you two have been together for ages and there is no more new gift idea, why not give a go on practical gifts?

This hair loss treatment is convenient. You can spray on washed or non-washed hair. In two to three weeks, you’ll notice strengthened hair and even more hair growth, according to many online positive comments. Definitely worth a try!

Loose Powder 101: Cure for Raccoon Eyes?

What cosmetic product is the most durable to consume? I’d say loose powder! No matter how mall the package is, loose powder is simply hard, if not impossible, to use up. Even if you do makeup every day…

Since loose powder is very durable, to use it up faster, don’t just use it to set your makeup look.



Don’t underestimate its usages. There are many ways to use your powder!

1) To set: Stay away from Oil Shine

So, this is the most common way to use loose powder. Instead of adding the last coat to set, you can dab the powder before your foundation as well! This is a useful technique under warm humid weather or for oily skin. Simply dust a light coat on clean face before foundation. This allows the powder to absorb excess oil easily and prevents oil-shine.

2) To conceal even the Raccoon Eyes

To me the most exciting use of loose powder! Tyra Banks has showed us how to cover raccoon eyes with loose powder on TV.

The key is loose powder in one shade lighter than your usual choice. Pat yellowish eye concealer with your middle finger. With a makeup brush, dab the lighter shade powder around eyes. Be generous applying!

Only at this stage you need your normal loose powder to cover up. You’ll see a much more natural dark eye circle-covering effect.

(Just a reminder: Yellowish undereye concealor is great on the dull mouth corners as well :> )

3) Correct the skin tone

Loose powder in colors other than snow white, light beige, earth tone can correct your skin tone.

Say, a greenish color suits those with reddish blemishes. And the usual lavender color is very good to neutralize dull sallow tone.

A Gold Mask for Chinese New Year? Boost skin elasticity!

There are three weeks to go before the Chinese New Year. Many Chinese are busy shopping for this season.

Some ladies like changing into red clothing and shimmery accessory in Chinese New Year to get good luck. Some of us may even buy new red lingerie! So, how about a gold mask to wish for good luck?



“Wow~ how luxurious this gold mask is!” this is what I thought at the first sight at this mask from BSC. I did hear about the beauty advantages of gold but so far I haven’t tried one gold mask. Some said even the ancient Egyptians have learnt to make use of gold to boost skin elasticity.

Since many of my co-workers highly recommended the masks from BSC, well, let’s see if this gold mask works perfectly as well!



BSC.PRO®

Deluxe Nano 99.9% Pure Gold Face Crystal Mask

(with 5X Vegetal Botox)
Sasa.com Price: US$ 56.80

Mask Texture:

Thick jelly form in a wide but a bit short shape. It’d be much better if the shape is longer to suit gals with long face.

What I feel on application:

-It comes gentler than I expected. I didn’t feel a slight bit of uncomfortable heat warned on the package.
-It covers well. When you put on the mask, you may look a bit like a metal statue. :>
-rich amount of essence! You can put on the gold mask for 20 minutes and it doesn’t dry up fast.
-mild scent, non-irritating

After the Gold Mask:

-feel more moisturized
-You can actually see some gold sparkles on your face! (I guess they are the nano gold particles?)
-Pores get tighter. Yet, it’s too early to tell if the elasticity is lifted much using only once.

Test on Short Lashes: SAYA 9 days extra-lash tonic

The First Entry in 2010! I’ve disappeared for two weeks as the server for the Chinese version of this blog was down for a while. Thanks God the server runs again.

Anyway, in this first entry, I wanna talk about lashes.

My inspiration is from the lost of some of my precious lashes. After a few parties and gatherings in Christmas season, a few of my lashes were pulled off when I was removing makeup!

That’s why I have resorted a new sample I’ve got. See if my lashes can be saved.

SAYA 9 days extra-lash tonic

Sasa.com Price: US$38.50 (One extra free)

How I tried:

I have applied the lash strengthening serum around once a day. It takes twice a day to work on the official instruction but I am too forgetful. It’s been 14 days now.

What I DO like:

-Smells an obvious scent of ginseng. Rich in effective ingredients!
-I like the texture. It’s not sticky and absorbs fast. Just a few minutes later you can apply your usual mascara.
-The brush bristles are soft and intense. Unlike another lash strengthening serum I tried, this one doesn’t irritate the delicate skin around eyes. Comfy!

What I DON’T like:

-The tube opening is too small! I find it rather hard to squeeze back the brush.
(although the design may work well for hygienic reason...)

Effects after a Two-week Trial:

-My lashes got stronger and look thicker. The color is getting darker.
-I don’t see very stunning lengthening results. The lashes did look longer a bit if you pay extra attention but the effect is not dramatic.
(Or I didn’t follow the official instruction, that’s why?)

Test Conclusion:

Lash serum means a lot for gals frequently wearing eye makeup. When we remove eye makeup and if we, carelessly, pull too hard, some lashes fall off. Days after Days, our lashes get thinner and weaker.

This extra-lash tonic from SAYA will not yield dramatic lengthening effect in a short time. Yet, it works well in thickening your lashes. Nonetheless, it’s a nice choice as a basic care for lashes.

2009 Beauty Review: Goodies I’d keep buying

It’s the end of year and time to do some kinds of review. (despite my lack of new objectives…)

After being a beauty editor, I encountered numerous beauty products every day. Some of them make me wonder why they can be popular but some work so impressively that I’d LOVE to buy again.

Giovanni

Frizz Be Gone

I wear short hair now but bought this amazing hair end oil when I had long hair.

The most attractive point of this hair care is its rather natural ingredients. The brand offers organic hair care, which is quite rare on the market. The hair oil doesn’t smell strange with artificial fragrance.

The oil smoothes hair VERY well. It spreads well and is not oily at all. Just a few bits will do for each use. It saves my frizzy hair end.

For Beloved One

Melasleep Whitening Blemish Balm Cream

What a hit brand among Taiwanese beauties these years! The gel masks and BB cream from For Beloved One are very famous.

This BB cream smells a pleasant breeze of rose fragrance. Girls loving rose scents must love it.

The color tone is very natural, a lot sheerer than common foundations. You can freely spread a few layers without a cakey complexion. Just a minor con, the translucent texture makes a lighter coverage. Yet it’s fine for people with just some acne occasionally.

Gals as lazy as me may just spread a thin layer and then dab some loose powder to set.

Thursday Plantation

Tea tree medicated gel for acne

Just can’t stop praising this fantastic acne gel even if I have already talked about it in a previous entry. My face is likely to develop acne during pre-menstrual period. This acne gel becomes a must-have for me at this time. After using once or twice, the troubled area is repaired for a large extent. At least no huge inflamed acne has appeared!

Beauty Diy

Job's Tear & Licorice Water Brightening Treatment

A HERO toner developed by the beauty professional Niuer. It’s sold crazily online.

For whitening effect, I think it’s just mild. Yet, the hydrating effect is quite impressive. With its friendly price, this treatment toner is super ideal for a quick mask. Have a simple moisturizing mask every other day. I found my skin moisturized and pores less visible.



[ Only a little amount of my loved goodies is left! ]


Well, hereby, wish you guys a happy new year! Welcome, 2010!

Eye Saver after Christmas: Lifecella Eye Mask

When you read this post, it’s probably after a joyful Christmas. After X’mas parties and gatherings, you washed off makeup and…saw a dull tired complexion and dry lines around eyes? My way to renew my face is applying nourishing eye mask.

To effectively nourish your tired eyes, you need an eye mask with a generous amount of essence. On this point Lifecella’s eye masks have done a good job!

Hisamitsu
LIFECELLA
Milky Lotion Sheet Mask CoQ10 Squalane for Eye Contour

Masks from Hisamitsu (or Lifecella) are always one of the best-sellers on Sasa.com. Many users have positive feedbacks and reviews on them. The mask sheet texture is said to be comfy and the essence very rich. The most attractive point is its budget-friendly price.


I’m using the CoQ10 eye mask these days, considering the ingredients. The texture is rich and thick making the eye mask excellent for dry freezing winter.

Just a short note: This eye mask has been recommended by hosts from a Taiwan television show as well.

Pros:

-Super rich amount of essence, you can put on the mask for 20 mins
(Some gals may store the eye mask in refrigerator for next time use. This sounds a bit “dangerous” to me as I’m concerned about germs. )

-The cutting and shape of the eye mask sheets are PERFECT! They’re in a curvy U shape fitting the eye contours very well.

-LOVELY price! This brand offers different promotional packages frequently.


[ Open the packing…Wow! Lots of essence inside ]


[ Two masks attached on the different side of film ]


[ Fit the end of eyes well ]

Cons:

-The eye mask has done a fantastic hydrating job in an instance. It erases dry lines. Yet, if you’re looking for something removing raccoon eyes or under eye bags, this mask is just the best option.

Good Hand Cream you may have missed

What I keep buying in winter includes warming underwear, hydrating mask and hand cream. Honestly Hong Kong is not a dry place but if you stay in office all day long, the air conditioning dries your skin. My hands feel dry especially after washing in winter. Hence you can always see a hand cream on my office desk. :>

There are quite a lot of hand care choices on Sasa.com, including Crabtree & Evelyn’s, Jurlique’s and Vaseline’s. Beside these well-known hand cares, you may have missed these nice hand treatments just because their brands are less discussed.

Papilio
Hand Massage Essence

Sasa.com Price: US$12.60

An excellent hand massage treatment made in Japan AND, reasonably priced. Its ingredients sound great as well: botanical extracts such as ginseng and licorice root while it’s free of colorant and fragrance.

I guess the only con is that it’s rather a small tube. I didn’t use it often. Just a few times a week for a complete hand massage. After massage, my hands did RECOVER.

Why is hand massage necessary? You’ll know if you work at office all day, sitting still in front of a PC, moving your mouse and typing with keyboards…How tiring!


Easy Simple Hand Massage
1.Spread a suitable amount of hand massage essence on palms, fingertips and nails.


2.On the back of hand, pressure in circular motion towards the fingertips.


3.From the fingertips, gently rub towards the back of hand.


4.Massage between the fingers.


5.Gently pull the fingers towards the back of hand to loosen.
6.Repeat on the other hand.

Part Hartmann
MENALIND Hand Cream

Sasa.com Price: US$8.40

An intensive dry hand treatment from Germany, besides the hit Herbacin Wuta Kamille Glycerin Hand Moisturizing Cream. Compared to Herbacin’s, Hartmann’s Menalind Hand Cream is less discussed and yet so satisfying to users that many of them re-purchase this fantastic cream.

Like many other hand creams from the West, Hartmann’s Menalind Hand Cream has a rich texture. Luckily it’s super easy to absorb. Moreover, since the producer is mainly a medical & rehab company, the hand cream formula richly contains active ingredients.

What I like most about this hand treatment is its large tube size priced less than 10 US dollars. The amount is more than enough even if you use it a few times a day throughout the winter!

False Eyelash and Makeup Sponge Cleansing Tips

Coming is the season for parties and gatherings! I guess even those who seldom wear makeup will use a bit of mascara or foundation in this special period.

For healthy skin, remember to remove makeup clearly. This helps your skin survive the Christmas and New Year parties.

Besides removing makeup, note the hygiene of makeup tools. They can harm your skin with gems. Here I’d love to share tips to clean these tools well. Clean them after each use to keep your skin away from dirt and gems.

To clean False Eyelashes

Fake eyelashes seem a must-have for Christmas party looks. Yet, they can get messy after a day wear with mascara and dirt. Here is how to clean false lashes after each use:


1.Remove the false lashes with cleansing oil and pick out the glue residue.


2.Soak the false lashes into eye makeup remover or foaming cleansing with water.
3.Soak for a few minutes to clean the mascara residue.


4.Take out the false lashes and brush with a clean eyebrow brush (or even tooth brush!)


5.Wipe and press dry with a tissue.


6.Put the lashes back to the package to let them set.
7.When the lashes get dry, brush and set the lashes with eyebrow brush or lash comb.

To clean Makeup Sponge

If you don’t wanna waste the sponge after using it once, clean it to prevent acne due to gems inside the sponge.


1.Soak the used sponge into a bowl of clean water.


2.Mix with some cleansing foam, makeup remover or soap. Press the sponge gently. (NOTE: Never pull or squeeze the sponge.)


3.Wash with clean water.


4.Press dry with a tissue or tower. Let the sponge dry naturally.

My Confession :>

I know how important it is to keep the makeup tools clean. Yet I often feel too tired to wash them arriving home late. I just remove my makeup and go into bed in an instance. How I try my nest: wash the tools the next morning!