Category Archives: Fashion and Beauty

Beauty Hack: The Perfect Moisturiser for Combination Skin Type

14 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by in Fashion and Beauty, Makeup

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Combination skin type can vary from normal to dry in some areas but oily in the T-zone areas.

I, myself, have the so-called combination skin type where my skin is very dry except for my T-zone. I know many people (especially women) are also on the same page as me. For years, I have been trying to find the right moisturiser for my face. 

It’s really difficult to find one without, either: getting a comment like “why is your skin so dry?”, “I have a great moisturiser for your dry skin, try this” and such, or simply looking absolutely fine but soon after my skin starts to breakout because it’s too oily. 

Now, for the past few years I have been going around trying different skin care, asking for the best line for “combination skin”. It would work for the first weeks, then it would resume. Most moisturisers are too light for me, leaving my skin around my cheeks to be extremely dry. Ever wonder, why so? Simple, as mentioned above, combination skin varies from “normal to dry skin”. Therefore, unlike oily or dry skin, there isn’t a straightforward skin care products for people like myself.

This summer, the problem has been more prominent for me because it’s dry and hot. So, I have been searching for the best solution… TA-DA! Finally, I have found the perfect moisturiser(s) for a combination skin type. Please keep in mind that you will need to adjust according to how dry-normal your skin is. 

The key is to use two different moisturisers that suits the two skin types that you have. I know, simple, but not many people have thought of this right? For me, since my T-Zone is oily so i use a light moisturiser. While for the rest of my face, it is very dry, so I use a very creamy moisturisers. N.B: you may need to adjust your type of moisturisers depending on the reality of your skin. However, below is a suggestion and review of two combination of moisturisers that work perfectly for me.

So, for my T-Zone, I use Shiseido Pureness Moisturiser Gel:

Screen Shot 2014-08-13 at 8.56.12 PM

I have been using this moisturiser for over 1 year now and it is wonderful. It is light and easy on your skin. It might work okay on normal skin. However, for dry skin, i find it too light especially in summer or hotter and drier days.

For my cheeks, or other areas, I use the Yu-Be moisturising cream:

Screen Shot 2014-08-13 at 9.07.44 PM

This gain popularity in the UK in the past 4-6 months. One of my good friends gave it to me a year ago or so. However, I never really dared to try, it looks really thick and creamy to me. So I was more concerned about breaking out and having pimples than solving my dry skin!

Here is a no filter photo I took from my own Yu-BE cream:

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Can you see how thick and creamy it looks? For oily skin, it’s quite frightening to see!

But after I received a sample from one of my monthly beauty subscriptions, I then dared to try it. I have been hooked ever since. It is quite creamy and think, but after applying, it doesn’t give you that sticky feeling. Moreover, it works marvellously. **N.B: it does have a sticky feeling to it because please note that this is a moisturising cream, but it is not as sticky as other creams. Plus, stickiness disappears after a short time.

Honestly, I recommend you to try Yu-Be. It is perfect for the summer and mostly the winter, for all dry skin, combination, and even normal. I am quite surprised to know that it is not as popular in Asia. I believe this product deserves more recognisition than it has.

All in all, using these two moisturisers have been doing my skin beautifully. Now, I never get any criticisms about how dry my skin is. More importantly, I feel wonderful. I don’t get any breakouts and every time I stare at my skin, I can finally see a clear and moisturised skin.

Say hello to perfectly moisturised skin!

Hope this helps.

With love,

Shannen ❤

Your Ultimate (Affordable) Online Shopping Guide!

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Fashion and Beauty, Makeup

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Calling all shopaholics! This is your absolute go-to guide for online shopping! So, sit back, relax, and enjoy reading 🙂
Ever since I moved to the UK, online shopping is something that I have been addicted to. Yes, addiction, I tell you. Well, perks of being addicted to online shopping is me being able to tell you about all these reviews! Whoo. It is mostly concentrated in The UK, sadly. Because I do try to keep it domestic to save me from overpriced shipping cost. Anyways, let’s get it started!

Clothing:

Well, of course you could always go to ASOS, which I love. It has everything you want and frequently have MANY offers & discounts. I am in love with ASOS (it is a UK site but they often have offers on free international delivery!). But unlike many people, I sometimes find ASOS very intimidating. There’s too much in it and there are times that I’m looking for something affordable… and ended up seeing many ridiculously adorable yet beyond my budget kind-of clothing. So this is not desirable for someone who constantly budget herself… like me! So, here are you other alternatives:

** CLICK ON THE NAME OF THE WEBSITE TO BE DIRECTED THERE 🙂

1. Missguided:

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Missguided is a very nice and chic website. It has a lot of affordable variety of clothing. I have ordered something from missguided once and it turned out very nice. The one thing I love is on your first buy, you get a free next day delivery! Mine came right on time, how awesome is that? However, one downside was that, one of the shirt I ordered, one of the buttons was quite hard to button. I mean, who doesn’t love FREE next day delivery? Any free stuff would to for me! Haha. This is my definite to go website. I love their shorts and shirts. My friend has also told me how comfortable the dresses are. So check it out!

** students, you can get 10% off if you join UNIDAYS

2. Boohoo:

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Boohoo is one of my favourite online website. I have ordered around 3 times from them. It is absolutely amazing. I LOVE their onesies. They’re adorable! I have also bought few skirts, shorts, and dresses. I highly recommend their onesies. Although my concern is as the price is quite cheap, the quality may not be as you expected. First, one of my shorts, the zipper was really hard. I guess it depends on your luck. But don’t be disheartened, you could still change the zipper at some of those places that fix clothes 🙂 That’s my plan. The shipping cost with boohoo is also relatively cheap compared to missguided.

** students, you can get 10% off if you join UNIDAYS

3. ASOS MARKETPLACE:

Screen shot 2013-01-08 at PM 12.37.12

ASOS Marketplace is not the same as the normal http://www.asos.co.uk, Marketplace sells more vintage clothing, as it says on the description. In my opinion, what it is, is that, they sell clothing that is not from big brands (individual sellers from different countries around the world). Also they sell some 2nd hand ones. So it is relatively cheaper compared to the http://www.asos.co.uk, BUT like ebay, make sure you check with the seller first. I bought a jumpsuit once here and it came perfectly fine. I love it. It was exactly like it was pictured. However, the downside is the shipping cost. Since it is from different parts of the world, the shipping cost might be more pricey for some people than others. Depends on which dealer you choose from actually. The website is very basic and straightforward. Every time you click on the product page, on the side, it says the origin of the country and how much the shipping costs would be. So give it a try 🙂

** there is no discounts for ASOS Marketplace, however with UNIDAYS you can get 10% off with the normal ASOS.

4. Motel Rocks:

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Motel Rocks is a very chic and girly online shopping site. It is a bit pricey, but if you look at the SALE section, they actually have some really huge price drops. So that is student friendly! I guess, this is a very similar to Lipsy, but Lipsy has more dresses. While Motel Rocks has a good variety of others. I do love Lipsy, it is one of my go to places for party wear. So check it out! I think the US version of Motel Rocks would be Nasty Gal. I love Nasty Gal too but I find it quite pricey and the shipping cost is quite a lot too. So I have never really bought anything from there, but I do love online window shopping there 🙂 I honestly have never actually got anything from Motel Rocks, I shall review this once I have bought something.

** Students, you can get 20% off if you join UNIDAYS – not on discounted price (I assume)

Beauty:

1. Guru Makeup Emporium:

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I love this website, it is an online website of a retail store in London. So if you are in London area, you might as well pay it a visit to save yourself from the shipping fee. Basically they sell makeup brands that do not have retail stores (or uncommon to find) in the UK. It is specifically for the UK. But I love this store, of course I go here for Make Up For Ever. But there are other brands too. The only downside from the website is that the prices stated are excluding VAT. So please be aware of this when you are looking around. The prices however, are pretty reasonable (even after VAT), some are still less expensive than the retail prices in Asia. Amazeballs! I bought a lot of things from here and I paid for the standard (cheapest) shipping fee. It came within 4 days, though on the website it mentioned that there is no guarantee when it will arrive. Mine went from London to Edinburgh, so I guess it should be around 4 days to anywhere in the UK.

** Tips: if you are ordering it online, look around, they have a lot of gifts for orders above certain amounts. It is quite good, so search for promotion codes!

2. Precious About Makeup (PAM): 

Screen shot 2013-01-08 at PM 12.37.48

PAM is also an online store for uncommon brands in the UK. It is neck to neck with Guru Makeup Emporium. I haven’t had the chance to order anything from PAM. But when I was about to order my things from Guru Makeup Emporium, I did a hell lot of comparison. I found that Guru Makeup Emporium has more varieties. PAM often don’t have it or run out of stock. It may seem like the PAM has slightly more expensive prices but that is because the prices you see are with VAT. The shipping costs is slightly cheaper (by like a pound or so). So honestly, it is neck to neck with Guru Makeup Emporium. They both have their own advantages so, it’s your call!

3. HQ Hair:

Screen shot 2013-01-08 at PM 12.37.41

HQ Hair I guess is more of beauty than makeup. It carries skin products, hair products, and up to makeup. It is not makeup concentrated so it is different than PAM or Guru Makeup Emporium. The makeup sold here are the common makeup you can find in the UK, e.g: Urban Decay or NARS. But they do have a lot of offers (e.g: they had an offer of buy 2 NARS products and get a small NARS orgasm blush!), or they have sales too. They also have beauty stuff like: hair straightener/curler. So it is a definite go to place to check for all your beauty needs!

UNIDAYS:

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UNIDAYS is like NUS CARD (if you are studying in the UK you should know this). They work with many online shops and give special offers for students. Simply by joining them and giving your email. They do have many deals with shops too (if you buy them online), e.g: Topshop/Topman/Miss Selfridge, etc.

If you are not in the UK, please check, because they do run in few countries. Sparing few minutes may save you a ton!

This is the end of my list. PLease let me know if you want any other categories or have any suggestions and want me to review it. Otherwise, comment below stating YOUR favourite online shop 🙂

Best of luck girlies.

Enjoy your shopping spree

With love,

Shannen ♥

Welcoming My Baby Home

08 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Blabbers, Fashion and Beauty

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I have mentioned earlier on twitter about my latest need. Yes, I repeat, it is a need.

The sandals/shoes that I wear everyday to school is ending its life cycle. With no doubt, about two weeks ago, I went to my favorite sandals store: STEVE MADDEN!

I looked around, meh, honestly speaking the choices were disappointing. There only had the previous seasons, which is Summer ’11 (I think). Their Winter collection should be coming out in this couple of weeks. But I couldn’t resist it, I had to get a new pair of sandals.

So I cam across this one, which is similar to what I have before:

Then how can I resist? It was cute, it has a nice color and it’s really comfy too! I got mine then in size 6.5! I’m so happy and I can’t wait to walk around Singapore with my new baby!

Steve Madden Singapore has new shopping bag too! It’s light/bright blue now, not dark purple anymore! I honestly like this one better. It’s more cheerful, less gloomy, basically it is a better representation of Steve Madden:

It costs S$140 (yes, it’s quite expensive but it’s worth the money! You can use it for quite a while, I promise!). But when I’m so awesome, amazing, cool, and basically everything great. HAHAHA Just kidding. Because I have the VIP member card, I exclusively got a 20% off. Therefore I only paid for S$112, quite a big gap right?

Yes it’s amazing!

On top of that, I also received the upcoming (Fall/Winter ’11) catalogue. It’s really adorable. It has this pop up punk girl thing, then if you open it below, there are many postcards like pictures and description of the items. I love it!

Don’t we just love Steve Madden?

With Love,

Shannen ♥

Lushalicious!

18 Friday Nov 2011

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The wait is over guys!!!!!!!

Our beloved LUSH is coming back in Singapore! YEAY!

In fact, if you happen to go to Suntec City, it is already open there. BUT it’s opening one in…. duuumm duuum dumm *drumroll*

WISMA ATRIA!

YEAY! It’ll be soo convenient.

Well I can’t wait and I saw this when I was doing my quick little shopping today. I’m excited for this.

LUSHALICIOUS!

With love,

Shannen ♥


Unavoidable Toxics, Whose Fault Is It?

12 Saturday Nov 2011

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Before

Watch the video before you start. This post is simply a reply to the video, my perspectives of it.

Let’s come and look at it. The issue is contradictive, to be honest. Yes, these toxics are unavoidable. Indeed, I was shocked when I watched this, I never saw this coming. After thinking about it really, I began to develop points:

  • Human, we’re never satisfied, we are never happy with what the “cosmetic industry” provide us. We never stop asking for more varieties: different smell, functions, and so on. The fact that human are so different and have different needs to be covered, it is typically hard to get it all without “abusing” something.
  • I mean, it’s not like I support non-environmental friendly companies. But in the same time, we have to understand, that consumers (us) demanded this. Contradictive right? Indeed. I strongly feel that one of the things that we need to improve on is: minimizing our wants. What would this mean?
  • Well, let’s look, definitely, smaller business will closed down. What would this lead to? Less pollution, obviously, and all the issues raised would also decreased.
  • I guess, with issues that are this huge and global, we should all take part. It’s not just the government who has to take a part, so do we.
Well, I hope I am making sense some how. Because I have been delaying this post for a little while. Currently in 2 a.m, and I am cramming for Business exam… So excuse my non-sense.
With Love,
Shannen ♥