Makeup Life Span: Time for new cosmetics!

Let’s talk about a situation every gal would have encountered.

Because of endless brand promotions, new makeup techniques, hormonal changes in menstrual period…numerous whys,(or excuses?) women are always shopping. Day after day countless makeup goodies are left in home.

Some makeup products are IMPOSSIBLE to use up. Say, eye shadows and highlight powders. Some of my eyeshadows can stay in my makeup box for over 4 years. And when I take a look at these old stuffs, I still find it hard tossing them.




What is the life span of these cosmetics?
When is the time-out?

After opening, gems and bacteria are invading your cosmetics, even if you have noticed little. Dirty cosmetics hurt your skin.

For healthy skin, you’ve gotta be decisive. Just throw away the expired goodies!

Here are the approx. fresh periods of different makeup goodies:

Lipstick / lip gloss : 18 months after opening
When they smell strange, time to buy a new lipstick!


Eyeliner / lip liner: 2 years after opening
Sharpen them once every two weeks. This can help keep them fresh.


Liquid foundation: 6 months after opening
Toss them when you see separate layers or color changes. Shaking well will not do.
BTW, foundation in pump package can last fresh for longer time, up to 8 months.


Powder foundation / blush / highlight: 1 year after opening
Discontinue powdery goodies when shiny build up appears on the surface. Do the same finding funny smell.


Liquid eyeliner / Mascara: 3 months after opening
*** Pay extra attention to these goodies. They matter a LOT to the health of your eyes. One of my friends did get eye infection due to poor hygiene of these products. And she had to stay in hospital for a week.


Her experience did remind me of changing to a new mascara every 3 month. Even if there is still a bit of mascara left, I just throw the old one away. If you do not use the mascara daily, it may last longer to 4 or 5 months. After that, DUMP it please!

Hydrating Floral Water from Japan: Enjoy a Mask!

Kawaii TOKYO has hit the market in Singapore and Taiwan and recently Hong Kong.

Comes with a “kawaii” brand name and simple packages. Kawaii TOKYO offers multi-usage skincare for busy city girls.

What is most talked about is its multi-usage gel, Brighten-Up Gel Citrus Paradise. Beside this hero product, note its Junsui Aroma Skin Refresher, another fantastic product.




Brighten -Up Junsui Aroma Skin Refresher


This floral water contains 10 types of floral extracts and alkaline mineral water from Mt. Fuji in Japan. Absolutely an excellent refresher for dry skin.

The Kawaii TOKYO website cited many uses of this skin refresher: as after sun care, before or after makeup refresher, makeup retoucher, toner and body mist.

What I LOVE most is that Brighten -Up Junsui Aroma Skin Refresher does not contain alcohol or perfume. It smells naturally floral. Great for gals with sensitive nose.

And I found this refresher a great mask! Tried applying it as hydrating mask for a few nights. My face got less oily in daytime!



[ Mask How-to ] floral water + cotton puff

Many Taiwan girls say that they love to use toner as a daily quick mask. Here is how:

Step 1: Prepare around 3 pieces large, thick and soft cotton puffs.
(I use MUJI organic cotton :> )

Step 2: Then, separate each piece into two. It’s saving!


Step 3: Dampen the puffs with Junsui Aroma Skin Refresher.

Step 4: Now you can put the dampened pieces on dry areas.

Hydrating Mask Alert:
Don’t put on the cotton puffs over 10 minutes. It can dry your skin.

Normally just 5-10 mins will do. Do lock in the moisture: add a layer of lotion or cream.

SOS tool for acne and wounds: Tea Tree Oil

Just another cotton swab? No No No! It’s a cleaning and soothing tool for hurt skin and acne!

I mentioned how tea tree oil treats acne or pimple in my last entry. This time I wanna talk about other uses of tea tree oil and show you how this mini cotton swab works.



Tea Tree Oil Usage

There are other brands releasing cotton tips with tea tree oil. It’s all because this amazing oil can kill bacteria and have multiple usages.

Tea tree oil, or Melaleuca oil, is originally from Australia. It was a treasure to the aboriginals.

The oil is strongly anti-septic and anti-bacterial. Boosts immunity against germs, quickening recovery. The oil can absorb fast and is very helpful preventing infection in respiratory system.

The most exciting point is that tea tree oil cleanses and soothes well. Heals festering wounds. So it works well to clear away acne and pimple.


Thursday Plantation Tea Tree + Aloe Vera Cotton Tips

Let’s get back to this interesting cotton swab.

This is filled with tea tree oil and aloe vera extract. That means it can clean, kill bacteria, soothe and repair.

When your skin is scraped, bitten by mosquitoes and insects or is lightly hurt, this cotton tip can help a lot!

I’d recommend this great SOS tool for those who go to the countryside, especially parents going with children. It’s wise to bring along a box.

And, of course, you’ll find it a great help noticing a new acne on your skin. Just cleanse and dab some soothing oil on the spot!

[ the package ]

[ Open the box and find the 12 pieces. **Note, only one side is colored with a green ring. ]

[ Snap the coloured ring tip and let the liquid fills. Here you get the oil! ]

Last comes the promotion you may be interested in: by 14 Sep 2009, you can get an extra 30% off buying 2 boxes of these amazing tips!

Australian Tactic for Acne Skin

For those who have pimples or acne, tea tree oil sounds familiar.

Even if you have no idea that a bottle of pure tea tree oil can cost over a few hundred dollars, you must have heard about the tea tree oil acne skincare from The Body Shop. Thanks to The Body Shop. It shows that tea tree oil can be a hope for beauties with acne or pimples.

Yet, some gals complain that The Body Shop Tea Tree goodies are disappointing to them. (Like, too dying?) If you are looking for a gentle way to clear acne, don’t give up tea tree oil. Here is a good alternative:



Try Tea Tree Medicated Gel for Acne from the Australian brand, Thursday Plantation.

Got a sample of this lovely gel, Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Medicated Gel for Acne, from my co-worker. “Luckily” I had an acne on my chin to test it on that day.



Here is how I used it:

After cleansing at night, I applied
> Toner
> Eye Cream
> Tea Tree Medicated Gel for Acne on areas with pimples / Lotion on other areas


How I felt:
It has a strong smell when I first squeezed a bit of gel. I guess it’s the smell of tea tree?

As the smell is really strong, I expected it a bit irritating to skin. Yet the touch is very gentle. You just feel a minty oil layer and nothing irritating or drying. It differs to common acne serums on the market.

I’ve used the acne gel for 3 nights. The reddish spot on my face has already dried out and faded. What’s left is a tiny pink mark. For people having such slow circulation as me, the recovery speed is EXCELLENT.



What I like:

- gentle soothing touch, no irritation

- not drying, no skin flaking

- It really speeds up recovery! Just 3 days later my acne disappeared! I can start spot-removing care much earlier.

- You can treat white heads with tea tree oil as well. I applied some on my chin and it looked smoother.

- At a reasonable price you can get a large tube. Much cheaper than those “mini” acne gels costing a hundred dollars!




What I don’t like:

- Some gals on forum complained that the acne gel is too oily. True that its texture is similar to Vaseline’s. Yet I found the oil not difficult to absorb. Nonetheless acne gel is not watery, so I use it only at night. I give up using the acne gel at day time for easier makeup.




Next Round: Thursday Plantation Tea tree + Aloe vera cotton tips

Tea tree oil is a useful oil with multiple usages. It’s hard to conclude all uses in one blog entry! So I’ve got to tell you more about this lovely oil in the next entry.

What comes next is showing you another goody from Thursday Plantation. Enjoy!

Some habits for the best use of facial mask

Face mask tips, facial secrets and DIY mask recipes are everywhere online.

Years ago I was not serious about the use of face mask, neglecting many golden rules about facial mask. I would put on a mask over half an hour, use them just at times I had mood or store the masks casually. (These bad habits could KILL your skin!)

Yet over time I found that some face mask tips and skincare rules are really worth noting. They do make a huge difference. To make the best use of mask, consider following these habits:


Mask Habit 1: Buy and Store well.

How do you store the masks you bought? Prepare well.

Put mask sheets inside the refrigerator to keep fresh. The cool mask sheet will be a good tool to tighten pore and calm your skin.



Also, don’t stand your mask sheets. Place them flat. This can even the distribution of mask essence :>


Mask Habit 2: Deep cleanse before whitening.

For better absorption of whitening and moisturizing essence, Kelly loves softening the horny layer before whitening mask. Feed in more nutrients after clearing dead skin cells.

I use cleansing mask before whitening or hydrating mask around twice a month. Not too often to hurt skin.

Don’t put on mask for too long. I spend around half an hour for the two types of mask.



And, make use of a warm towel! Put on a warm towel for 30 seconds before the regular mask sheet. This facilitates circulation and absorption of mask essence too.


Mask Habit 3: Resort to Sponge.

Some whitening masks create INSTANT result. Your skin just glows fresh the moment you put off the mask.

For even more obvious result, cleanse away the mask with a facial sponge. Your skin will look brighter afterwards.



Mask Habit 4: Get a layer of lotion after mask.

Remember to lock moisture after mask! Simply spread a layer of lotion to store the mask essence.

Your skin absorbs whitening and anti-aging essence more easily especially after cleansing mask. Don’t miss this chance!


Well well, I have written quite a long entry this time. See you guys!

Amino Acid as effective slimming aid? Have a sip of slimming drink.

Friends who are on diet or slimming program are always there. Every woman wants a slim body shape, thin waist and sexy breast. The sad thing is, losing weight and having more exercise are no easy task. Sometimes it takes more than a strong will. Recently Kelly has noticed a fat burning drink. City girls may survive the busy lifestyle full of lure!


Here they are—2 boxes of convenient and practical slimming drink! TrimEC-Cafe Coffee Plus and Matcha Latte Plus.


Another popular weight-losing aid: Amino Acid
Inside each box of TrimEC-Café are 7 packs of slimming drink. It’s enough for a week use. The gimmick of this series is its 3L formula with amino acid: L-Carnitine, L-Glutamine, L-Glycine. These amino acids turns excessive fat into fat burning energy.

Don’t underestimate the power of Amino Acid! Among the weight loss program, slimming tips and recipes online, the “Sleep n Slim diet”is much discussed. How effective, fast, healthy or easy is this slimming diet? It’s all due to the fat-burning effect of amino acids. Amino acid facilitates fat burning and turning fat into energy. Before bedtime take high concentration of amino acid, and you can have quicker, faster and more noticeable slimming result! How lovely the idea is!

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TrimEC-Cafe Coffee Plus and Matcha Latte Plus – Drinking Trial Report


What I like:

- Tasty! Unlike many weight loss supplements, TrimEC-Café drinks taste like normal drinks. There are 3 flavors: Coffee, Matcha Latte and Cocoa, suiting mature office ladies and young girls.

- It makes you FULL. Mix the powder with hot water of 120 ml. The mixture is a bit thick. You will feel full easily and end up having NO appetite for a tea or snacks.

- Safe to drink. With GMP certification. (Unlike some weight loss pills with little description in the store. Not even sure if they are fresh or genuine products!)

- Sugar-free formula! So you won’t take in more sugar while amino acid are helping burn excess fat.

[ TrimEC-Cafe Coffee Plus: not too sweet. With the right amount of milk powder. ]

[TrimEC-Cafe Matcha Latte Plus: smells like milk shake. Strong taste of green tea! ]

What I don’t like:

- Only 7 packs in a box. Better to include more packs to match lengthier diet programs.

- About the Matcha Latte flavor, the green tea taste is too strong for me. You need to add more milk yourself if you prefer a sweeter taste.