January Quick Review

1) Madre Labs Moisturising Shampoo
2) Madre Labs Moisturising Conditioner

Madre Labs® Moisturizing Shampoo gently and thoroughly cleansers your hair and scalp. It delivers the benefits of our proprietary blend of Antioxidant-Rich SuperFruits (Açaí, Goji, Pomegranate and Seabuckthorn), which helps protect your hair and scalp from oxidative and environmental damage. Aloe Vera, Amino Acids, Panthenol have been added to further nourish and moisturize dry, damage hair. The result is softer, shiny, more manageable hair.

Madre Labs® Moisturizing Conditioner helps rehydrate dry, damaged hair. It also has the added benefit of being formulated with our proprietary blend of Antioxidant-Rich SuperFruits (Açaí, Goji, Pomegranate and Seabuckthorn), which helps protect your hair and scalp from oxidative and environmental damage. In addition, Aloe Vera, Amino Acids, Panthenol and a special blend of select oils have been added to further nourish and moisturize dry, damage hair. The result is softer, shinier, more manageable hair.

Complimentary samples of the moisturising shampoo and conditioner were provided with my first iHerb purchase. The shampoo lasted me for 1.5 times of usage, meaning it was not enough for my second time of shampoo-ing while the conditioner was enough for 2 times.
Madre products do not contain sulfates, parabens, dyes, animal testing and animal ingredients

With the term "Strawberry Oasis", it definitely smells like yummy strawberry milkshake. Both the shampoo and conditioner smell the same.
The shampoo left the hair abit dry and slightly straw-like feeling, when it was damp. Having the conditioner thereafter, is a must to save my hair locks.

Check out some of their other products on iHerb. Don't forget to use my referral code OKI787 to get US$5 off, if you are a first-time customer.

Source : iherb

3) Missha Near Skin Neurocell Original Treatment (Whitening Solution)

Product Description
Highly concentrated whitening ample essence that can vitalize and brighten your skin with even with a drop

1. Synergy effect of Melavax® and DL-Panthenol brightens the skin and cures skin troubles
2. Vitalizes and brightens the skin tone that is tired from stress and other harmful environmental factors
3. Absorbs quickly without grease as if forming a moisture shield that protects and hydrates the skin.

Ingredient
1.Melavax®
Complex of effective ingredients such as Vitamin C and Vitamin B3 that helps to improve skin tone, removes blemishes and cure dark spots.
2. DL-Panthenol
Pro-vitamin of Vitamin 5 to control skin troubles and irritations.
3. Japan, Kagoshima mineral water
Natural water that contains abundant minerals, and amino acid that soothes and treat damaged skin.

I got a complimentary sachet in my beauty stash which enabled me to 1 usage for a night. The orange coloured lightweight texture absorbed easily into the skin, leaving a smooth supple and silky skin. The slight flakiness on the bridge of my nose was gone too.

Source : Missha

Spring clean your beauty routine

Treat your post holiday disorder....


THE DAMAGE: DEHYDRATED SKIN WITH FINE LINES
Culprit: Cigarette smoke
Remedy: Mega-moisture

"When a client is a smoker, I'll see a web of little fine lines [on her skin], like crepe paper," explains Jill Turek, lead aesthetician at Exhale Mind Body Spa in Santa Monica, California. But it's not too hard to get your dewy look back. Turek recommends an alpha hydroxy peel (we love Murad Intensive Resurfacing Peel) to clear away the dead skin cells on the surface, which then allows for hydrating creams to penetrate deeper. Rather than coating your face in thick, oily creams, "use products with ingredients that attract water to the skin — hyaluronic acid, glycerin, seaweed, and algae extract are good examples."


THE DAMAGE: PERMA-CHAPPED LIPS AND NOSE
Culprit: Icy weather and nasal drip
Remedy: Multipurpose healing balm

Stick with formulas that create a moisturizing barrier between you and the world — look for natural ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, and olive butter. "Avoid lip balms that contain phenol," says New York dermatologist Dr. Amy Wechsler. "It breaks down the skin and creates 'lip balm addiction.'"


THE DAMAGE: PUFFY EYES
Culprit: Alcohol and salty snacks
Remedy: De-puffing roller-ball and potassium-rich foods

Alcohol and salt can cause the delicate skin around your eyes to retain water, hence those bags you're packing. Grab an eye roller-pen (like The Body Shop Natrulift Refreshing Eye Roll-On) and try this tip from makeup artist Mary Schook: Applying light pressure, work the roller-ball along the puffy half-moons above and below your eyes, from the outside in, several times to work the fluid out. Also, "potassium helps balance electrolytes in the body and regulate fluid levels," explains Snyder. She recommends eating bananas and asparagus — both are high in potassium — drinking lots of water, and snacking on celery, which acts as a natural diuretic.


THE DAMAGE: WEAK NAILS
Culprit: Too many manicures
Remedy: Hydrating cuticle oil

According to Wechsler, repeatedly subjecting your nails to polish remover and quick-drying lacquer can cause them to peel or split. Give your nails a polish-free break for a few days and massage nourishing products like Sally Hansen's Vitamin E Nail & Cuticle Oil into your cuticles and nails throughout the day and before bed.


THE DAMAGE: DRY, FLYAWAY HAIR AND ITCHY SCALP
Culprit: Low-humidity weather plus frequent hat friction
Remedy: At-home hair treatment

Slather an ultra-hydrating hair treatment (try Weleda Rosemary Hair Oil) onto dry hair — it absorbs moisture more efficiently. The oils will loosen dead skin on your scalp and dissolve product residue on your hair so that when you wash (with a moisturizing shampoo, please!), unwanted gunk will rinse away easily. Follow up with a scalp- and strand-targeting healing mask such as Kérastase Age Premium Masque Substantif. Smooth renegade flyaways with a silicone-free hair serum — work a bit through damp hair before blowdrying.


THE DAMAGE: CRACKED HEELS
Culprit: Running around town (in heels, no less) and drier air
Remedy: Foot file and cream

"We typically see more dry, cracked heels in the winter, not only because of cold weather, but also because of neglect," says Carol Jo, a Bliss Spa lead nail technician. After all, it's easy to forget about your feet when they're hidden under layers of tights and boots. Jo recommends smoothing rough spots with a foot file once a week ("Use on dry skin because the file cannot grip wet feet") and moisturizing with cream every day.

THE DAMAGE: UNDER-EYE CIRCLES
Culprit: Spotty sleep
Remedy: A solid eight hours and a deft concealing strategy

A few good nights of sleep will likely banish those new shadows under your eyes, but in the meantime, use this trick from bicoastal makeup artist Emily Kate Warren, who's all too familiar with jet lag: "Mix a brightening cream or highlighter that's the same color as your skin tone with your foundation or concealer, lightly dab on the mixture, let it dry for 20 seconds, and then set it with a light dusting of powder." She also recommends a few swipes of bronzer all over your face to draw attention away from tired eyes. In other words, fake it till you make it.

Read more about them on Marie Claire

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Beauty Secrets

In case you are not aware, she is the female lead (replacing Megan Fox) in last summer’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

First things first—those trademark lips! How do you care for them?
I use Lucas’ Papaw Ointment religiously, especially when trav­eling. I also like to use a lip scrub, but when I don’t have one, I just rub the edge of my towel to buff away dead skin after I wash my face. I genuinely don’t like a lot of bright color on my lips. They’re red anyway, so I keep them really natural.

What’s your off-duty routine?
I do my eyebrows every day—that’s my thing. I use a Laura Mercier brow powder and a little brush. I just fill them in and then stick them down with brow gel. It really changes my appearance and makes me look more awake.

You’ve modeled since you were 16. What’s the best tip you’ve picked up?
To mix products and use them for more than one thing. I don’t travel with a lot of makeup, so I keep the palette neutral. I carry brown eyeliner and bronzer and smudge them on the lid to create a shadow, or dab a little blush on my lips.

Any product MVPs on set?
My hairstylist used Klorane dry shampoo because I was really sweaty from running around. I also had to be very tan, so I used St. Tropez self-tanner once or twice a week—depending on how often Michael Bay thought I needed it.

Source : Elle

8 Ways to Make Your Skin-Care Products More Effective

1) Exfoliate first
- Get rid of dead cells which is a barrier preventing products to get into the skin
- Basic cleansers free up pores by removing dirt and oil, but to truly increase absorption, you'll need an enzyme– or acid–based cleanser or a grainy scrub with small, smooth particles,

Personally I exfoliate my skin twice a week, before piling on my facial masks. On a normal day, I use either a gentle cleanser or a cleanser with some grainy bits. My sensitive skin can suffer if I overdo it.

2) Go in order
- Whatever goes on first penetrates best, hence the most active ingredients should be applied first. If you're using two products for two different problems ( eg. zits, pigmentation ), apply one to bare skin in the morning and the other to bare skin at night so you're guaranteed 100 percent efficacy from both. After treatments are in place, smooth on other items in order of density, from thinnest (antioxidant serum) to thickest (sunscreen or night cream). The exception is retinoids, which could irritate those with sensitive skin if applied first.

3) Apply to just-washed skin
- Damp skin acts like a sponge, quickly absorbing whatever comes its way. (That's damp, not wet.) This rule applies to almost every product—even retinoids. The only exception? Mineral-based sunscreen. "It's not absorbed," says dermatologist David Bank. "It's designed to sit on the surface of the skin and reflect the sun's rays. On damp skin, mineral blocks tend to run, give uneven coverage, and look chalky."

4) Warm it up
- When you wash your face with lukewarm water instead of cold, you raise the skin's temperature slightly, causing blood vessels and pores to dilate in an effort to cool you down. "Space between the cells means there's a greater surface area for absorption, which helps product get in," says dermatologist Heidi Waldorf. Plus, ingredients move through skin and interact with cells more quickly when the skin is warm.

5) Top it off
- "One of the best ways to boost absorption is to top ingredients with heavy, occlusive ointments," says Waldorf. Thick ointments and creams with large amounts of petrolatum, natural butters, oils, and waxes make the best occlusive agents, says cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer.

6) Save retinoids for nighttime
- These line-fighting superheroes do their best work under cover of darkness, because both prescription and over-the-counter versions degrade and weaken in the sun.

Another distinct advantage night has over day: Skin temperature rises by about half a degree while we sleep, because more blood is shunted to the skin, away from internal organs. And with greater warmth and blood-vessel dilation comes better penetration. Says Bank, "Though it's not an enormous difference, your skin does absorb more overnight." This pertains to any ingredient you apply before bed, not just retinoids.

7) Try serums
You'll find the strongest dose of active ingredients in serums—not, say, cleansers. "A serum is a concentrated source of an active ingredient in a simple form that penetrates very quickly and completely, unhindered by lotion-type emollients that make it difficult for actives to sink in

8) Combine right
"Sunscreen and antioxidants were born to be married," says dermatologist Ranella Hirsch. As the former absorbs UV rays, the latter neutralizes the free radicals created by those rays before they can do damage. If your SPF doesn't include them, layer an antioxidant serum underneath.
Many antioxidants also complement peptides: "They bolster the skin's ability to protect and heal itself, allowing collagen-building peptides to work better," says Bank. Retinoids and hydroquinone are another dynamic duo—one typically prescribed for the dark splotches of melasma. "They get out pigment in different ways," says Waldorf. Other smart combos exist in the prescription realm—"benzoyl peroxide may enhance the bacteria-killing powers of the topical antibiotic clindamycin," Wechsler says—but this is a tricky topic, so talk to your dermatologist before mixing and matching.

Source : Allure

Review : Naruko Toner

I bought this trio set in Taiwan last year. However, in this review, it would be just the toner. I am also using the moisturiser in the above set which I would review soon. I still have a few Naruko products in queue but I usually refrain from opening new products when I have not used up my old ones.

I have to apologize for my poor Chinese interpretation from the toner description. But first up, here's a trival bit on Naruko though I think most of us would have been familiarize with his name now.
Naruko is a brand of afforable, paraben-free yet effective products formulated by Niu-er , who is a beauty king in his homeland, Taiwan. He takes great care of his own skin, spending on supplements, skincare products and face massages. You can read more about him here or here

This toner is not available for individual purchase, I believe, as I cannot seem to find this product anywhere.

Here's the back description

This toner is supposed to give you soft, supple skin with hydrating and whitening benefits. Please let me know, should I interpret it wrongly.

It has a rose-like fragrance that is soothing to the senses. The gap opening is just the right hole for the fluid to flow out seamlessly.

The clear liquid is lotion-like and refreshing after each cleansing. I did not experience any tingling sensation or breakouts throughout the 2 months of daily use. I found it mild and gentle for my sensitive skin but have yet to reap any visible improvements to my skin after 2 months.

Its great that this toner does not contain alcohol however it does contain the following 2 ingredients though they are not high on the list.

METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE (preservative) - associated with allergic reactions and neurotoxicity.
Read more about it on EWG and here, where Nuskin believed that its safe for consumer.

PHENOXYETHANOL (preservative) - irritation and organ system toxicity.
Read more about it on EWG and truthinaging