Let’s talk about something I am obsessed with. I have been experimenting Yadah Quick Tattoo Brow Gel for the past two weeks and it has been really fun! Quite a funny one too. You will know what I meant if you follow through all my Instagram Stories

A few weeks ago I had gotten very bored and tired doing my eyebrows. I am constantly in a rush and eyebrow took the longest time for me to do. I see you nodding your head in agreement too . I have heard about the eyebrow tint from Etude House and after some googling, I decided I would want to get that. So I waited for weekend because Etude House usually throw a Buy 1 Free 1 promotion during the weekend. That was some time ago. I was not sure if the promo is still happening this time around so I decided I would wait. It was not something urgently needed anyway. I could still live with a few more days of doing my brow lol.  Two days later Sarah from Lashes and Strokes Instagram Stories the Yadah Quick Tattoo Brow Gel and I was like hmmmm! I did not know Yadah have this?! I was at Pavilion the same day so I dropped by Sasa to check it out, only to be told to buy online. Then I texted the brand person for Yadah and I was told that the brand is no longer in Sasa. It will head to Watsons soon *hint*. So I resorted to Hermo because I know Yadah is a main brand in Hermo.

There are only two shades to choose from – 02 Deep Brown and 03 Ash Brown. I chose 03 Ash Brown as it does look dark on Sarah so I figure the shade would match me too.

Getting started was hard. I was much more eager to apply it then sitting down reading instruction on how-to, the do’s and don’ts. Girl is just too lazy for that . And when I do, Korean? I can’t read Korean! The black small tiny font against a dark grey box is insane. I can’t see anything. I have no choice but resorted to looking at the picture only and roughly guess what it meant. But there are English translation at the very bottom in white font, which I realized later. Not too bad although the font is still tiny. Let’s just say I glance through everything without reading properly. Typical Fiona.

The product smells like, err…UHU glue? It is super sticky and gooey. After I apply the first stroke on my left brow, suddenly it hit me. How do I get a sharp thin tail like I always do? I did what I do with liquid lipstick. I remove most of the product on the tube edge, squeezing the brush to as flat as I could. It works! I managed to get a decent thin tail and I was proud of myself

Let me warn you, it is super messy. It gets everywhere if you are not careful. And the stain/tint works almost immediately. The gel harden in no time so removing is easy if you accidentally had it elsewhere than your brow. It come right off but the tint does not. The “quick” tint however leaves a moss green tint. Weird because on my brows it is nothing like that.

On my first trial, I simply just outline the shape and fill in the blanks. It was easy for me as I am quite familiar with my brow shape. I must admit. I was worried as heck before using. The box said to leave it on for an hour then peel off. Then I remember Sarah saying that it can be left on overnight. I double checked the box and true enough, it can be left overnight. In fact it is recommended to do so for stronger and long lasting coloration. That is how I decided to leave it on till the next morning. The next morning, I woke up and peel off just like that. The tail came off a bit so peeling was very easy. No brow hair was sacrificed that day . But the tint was not as dark as how I want it to be. I must also keep my brow away from facial wash within 24 hours. I think I kept mine away for 2 days before I could not stand it anymore and wash my face like normal. That is when I lost my eyebrow tint

The next week, which is last Friday night, I applied the Yadah Quick Tattoo Brow Gel again. My friend Julian ask me to go for a trail run with him on Saturday and I figure it would be good if I have eyebrows on without me waking up early to have them draw on. So I quickly have the brow gel on. I applied wider than my normal brow size and applied a thicker layer so that the tint would be darker and last for days. For some reason, the inner corner kept peeling off so I was reapplying again and again while watching TV before bed time. Same as the first time, I woke up the next day with the tail peeling off by itself. This time, peeling the gel off is so satisfying because of the thicker layer I had on. The whole brow was still intact! I could even see the brow hair strokes on the gel.

The result? Sinchan brows. I am not kidding! It had me giggling for the whole day because it is so thick and dark. But I have no complain. I love it! If I needed to go out for an event, I can always tone it down with a concealer so it was never an issue. Lucky for me, I have no events to go to this week so I was able to monitor how many days this will last.

Let’s see. I had it on Friday night, and today as I am drafting this review, it is about 90% gone. Almost 5 days like Yadah claimed. The brows looked like I had them drawn in for the first 3 days. It was longer lasting this time due to the fact that I have been washing my face by section, avoiding the eyebrow. On the 4th day, I can no longer stand not washing my face properly that I started washing my face like normal and the tint still stays put. I am amazed!

Would I recommend this? Hell yes! It works and it worked beautifully on me. The only drawback is that you will not be able to apply your skincare, makeup and wash your face like normal. That got me into anxiety mode the first time using it and somehow I got the hang of it. I gained more pros with the product as (1) I woke up with brows and (2) I can leave the house in 5 minutes.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. I bought the product on my own.

The post Yadah Quick Tattoo Brow Gel Had Me Screaming “I Woke Up with Eyebrows!” appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

I remember last year I wanted to do an updated skincare routine but the amount of product I used was ridiculously a lot so the idea was left hanging. I also remember reviving the idea the next following month and the products was still embarrassingly a lot so the idea was left hanging once again. The beginning of year 2015 is where I simplified everything in my life. I’ve always been a girl who like everything simple (except for my beauty routine) and I thought I should take a step back and cut down on my skincare products. You can say that I’m doing a ‘spring cleaning’ on all complicated things in my life. My skincare routine is the first I revamped.

If you recall, this (click on the link) was my 2012 skincare routine. I know, I know. It’s insane! I’ve no regret with what I used to use because I love the pampering session I put myself into daily. I’m now older and lazier *lol*. I’m going to split my skincare routine for 2015 into two post. This is My Day Skincare Routine 2015.

It may seems nothing much but from 11 products to 7 products, it’s a big step for me. Admittedly, sometimes I skip one or two products so that makes it around five products . I’ll tell you what product I sneakily skip below.

What I will not skip is my cleanser and toner.

Cleanser – Estée Lauder Crescent White Full Cycle Brightening Cleanser

I reviewed the whole Estée Lauder Crescent White Full Cycle Brightening range about two weeks ago and it is the best brightening range I’ve used so far. I’m a fan of Estée Lauder brightening products because they works on me. The cleanser can be used day and night but because I have a new cleanser and I wanted to stretch out the usage for this cleanser, I only used it day time.

Toner – Estée Lauder Crescent White Full Cycle Brightening Moisture Treatment Lotion

I may sound cheesy if I say I like this toner very much right? But it’s the truth and I’m running out. I used to skip toner, now no more. I find that toner binds everything together, especially if I follow up with SK-II Facial Treatment Essence and so on. To be honest, I’m not so picky on toner. Any toner is fine for me as long as it’s not heavy and sticky.

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

My experience with this ‘miracle water’ has been a hate and love relationship. I said hate first because it doesn’t do anything to my skin after going through two bottles. Here’s my initial review. I was gifted this pretty huge bottle of Rochas Limited Edition 2012 a few months ago so I took it out to use. This time it is LOVE. I feel the difference with my skin. I can’t really pin point what but overall my skin looks good. My skin is now more balance, no longer as oily as it was before. The two bottles I’ve gone through doesn’t do that although I was told it will but this big bottle does what was claimed! However, this is also a step that I sometimes skip because (1) I was in a rush, (2) I don’t feel like using it or (3) I’m lazy

Eye Cream – SK-II STEMPOWER Eye Cream

I went through eye cream as fast as I go through moisturizer. It is something that I don’t take for granted and I don’t skip regardless it works or it doesn’t work. Before receiving the SK-II Magnetic Eye Care Kit for review, I was using SK-II Facial Treatment Essence-Eye. As I was composing this, I’m still on STEMPOWER Eye Cream and I will still be .

Essence – Antipodes Worship Superfruit Antioxidant Serum

I don’t know what happened but one day I came to the realisation that I accidentally taken out all my anti-aging products from my routine. Thank goodness I managed to find a crack line and slot in Antipodes Worship Superfruit Antioxidant Serum. I like this serum for it’s ability to works from the inside so I will always know that my skin are well taken care of. This serum has been nothing but awesome to my skin. I have to admit, sometimes I do skip this serum due to time constrain, which I’m not proud of myself. I usually try not to unless I’m really running out of time.

Serum – Estée Lauder Crescent White Full Cycle Brightening Spot Correcting Essence

I stopped using acne marks lightening gel all together and only use this Estée Lauder Crescent White Full Cycle Brightening Spot Correcting Essence to combat with old and new acne marks. So far it has been doing a great job especially on the new marks. They don’t even stand a chance . I’m running out of this serum very soon and it’s very expensive to repurchase. I have not found anything that work as good as this one so most probably I will repurchase the whole Crescent White range since most of the products are running out *cry*. Bless my wallet lol.

Moisturizer – Yadah Pure Green Emulsion

I wanted to give this away but no one wanted to try it so I took it back. Luckily none of you wanted this because I fell in love with it again. I fell off the bandwagon with using this briefly because I have a few moisturizer to go through but I always come back to this. Among all moisturizer that I have, this emulsion texture suits my skin the most for day time use. It’s super hydrating, non-sticky and doesn’t makes my skin oily in the afternoon, under makeup. Just a pump of this and I’m ready for makeup. This bottle is quite huge and I barely used up half bottle

There you have it! My current day skincare routine for 2015. I’m very happy with the simpler arrangement and I don’t intend to change anytime soon. That means I have to repurchase Estée Lauder Crescent White, which I will try my luck at the coming Estée Lauder staff sale. Look out for my night skincare routine post soon!

What is your current day skincare routine? I’d love to know yours too

The post My Day Skincare Routine 2015: Simpler, time saving and more effective appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

Toner, or some company refer as lotion is generally used after cleansing but before applying moisturizer. This step is crucial as it act as a bridge between the cleanser and moisturizer. Many would skip this step thinking it is unnecessary or not important, just like how some people would skip eye cream, which they deemed as unimportant as well. I was one of the many a few years ago. I would skip toner but not my eye cream because I learnt about a simple fact on using a proper eye cream than relying on face moisturizer as an eye cream. Anyhow that is a totally different topic

Today I’m going to talk about the basic of skin toner. I’m not going into extreme detail i.e. astringents, floral water, fresheners, herbal toner and so on. I’m going to cover the few different types of toner in basic. This is what you should know at least. I remember a few years ago I would skip toner because no BA would tell me toner is equally important in a skin care regime. They would tell me I can skip it as it doesn’t do anything to the skin. There are so many different types of toner or lotion available in the market. Do you know which one you need?

The importance of toner

Toner act as a double cleansing after cleanser. It will help to lift away any dirt and residue left that your cleanser weren’t able to and also wipe away any cleanser residue from the face. That’s not all. A toner also helps to tone your skin (most toner do) and rebalance the skin pH. There are two types of toner – with alcohol and without alcohol. Interestingly, toner can be applied onto the skin using a few method – with cotton pad, misting onto the face or use as a facial mask by soaking a dry cotton mask sheet. Back in those days, I was told that toner will help to shrink the pores. I find that this point does nothing for me at all. So, to attest if a toner help in pore shrinking or not is up to your skin. It may or may not work for you.

Traditional Toner

Suitable For: All skin type. Do look out for “alcohol” in the ingredient list if you are allergy to it.
Recommended Product: Yadah Pure Green Toner, Shu Uemura TSUYA Skin Youthful Crystal-Transparency Lotion, Biotherm PUREFECT Skin Micro-Exfoliating Purifying Toner.

The most basic and conventional toner is the normal toner that we all know since many many years ago. Usually when you shop for skin care, the sales girl would recommend the matching toner to go with. Toner can be from the same category i.e. hydrating but I say it’s not necessary. It’s just like hair care. If you suffer from two or more skin concern, you can mix and match the category regardless from the same brand or not for even more efficacy, although I would highly recommended getting from the same brand as your cleanser and moisturizer. Toner is usually in a clear, colorless, watery consistency. Some is slightly with fragrance scent while some is over the top. My favourite toner is always the one that doesn’t have a specific function to it, but a little hydrating won’t hurt . My current favourite is none other than Yadah Pure Green Toner. It is the PERFECT everyday toner that is neither a whitening, brightening, anti-blemish or oil control. It is said to be a hydrating toner that soothe and soften the skin but it’s not heavy or oily on the skin, just the way I like. It definitely feels just like a normal toner.

Essence-in-Lotion

Suitable For: All skin type.
Recommended Product: Estée Lauder Micro Essence, ZA True White EX Essence Lotion, Hada Labo Retinol Lifting + Firming Lotion.

Beginning last year we witness the growth and demand in having a 2-in-1 lotion product that work as a toner and essence at the same time. Let’s face it. No one have the time to sit down and pat a few different products every day and night due to our hectic and busy lifestyle. I do and I enjoyed it but not everyone think the same as I did. As a convenient alternative to consumer, many company race in the olympic of essence-in-lotion race and came up with their version of treatment lotion aka essence-in-lotion. With this, you can skip toner and essence altogether as both product is already combined into one bottle. So how to choose which is which? Easy. My advice has always been “think of what your skin concern is and what you need”. My favourite is Estée Lauder Micro Essence and ZA True White EX Essence Lotion. Estée Lauder’s Micro Essence is actually a treatment lotion that is recommended to use together with Advanced Night Repair. When it is used alone, it act more of a normal toner without any obvious result except for waking up with well-hydrated skin. But when used with Advanced Night Repair, the result is a rosy, glowing skin! Now, ZA True White EX Essence Lotion is equally interesting. It is not a 2-in-1 product but a 3-in-1 product – lotion, essence and emulsion. This product is mainly for dark spots and evening out skin tone. I like it for it’s 3-in-1 whitening benefits.

Exfoliating Lotion

Suitable For: All skin type, especially for sensitive or dry skin.
Recommended Product: Clarins White Plus HP Gentle Renewing Brightening Peel, Hada Labo Mild Peeling Lotion.

As I like to scrub my face, I was recommended to use a “peel” instead. I called it peel because the first ever exfoliating product that I used was from Clarins and they said it’s a gentle peel. It was later on when other company came out with similar product and named it as exfoliating lotion or peeling lotion. This is one confusing product for many people mainly due to its function and liquidy texture. I too asked the same as I was told it is a “scrub”. To not further confuse you, an exfoliating lotion is actually a lotion that is also with gentle peel/scrub properties. What it does is that it tones and remove dead skin layers from the skin surface without the conventional harsh scrubbing. Isn’t it a perfect combination and to pair exfoliating with toner is brilliant! There are a small majority people that suffer from sensitive skin that they are unable to use conventional facial scrub. But if you do not remove the dead skin layer from the skin, skin care applied on will not be able to penetrate into the skin. This is where exfoliating lotion came in to save the day! This can be used as a weekly treatment or if you skin can take it, use it daily at night. It doesn’t sting the skin. All exfoliation is done without you even noticing. One thing that I don’t like about these type of lotion is that the consistency is more gluey and chunky than normal toner. It does hardens into jello around the cap and nozzle that never fail to send chill down my spine

Hope you find this 101 edition useful for you. No doubt there are so many types of toner / lotion in terms of function, texture, benefits and so on. What you need to do is to think of what exactly your skin need, for example brightening. Then from there you just need to pin point which brand and budget to go for and that’s it! . Until next 101, adios!

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While I was composing product review for a new skin care range that I’m currently on, I feel the need to walk you through types of moisturizer and how to choose the right one for your skin type. Come to think of it, it will be a bit odd (for me) if I don’t start from the cleanser up to moisturizer. Being as random as I can be sometimes, this brings us to today’s topic – Facial Cleansers.

There are so many different type, brand, texture, function and benefits cleansers out there to choose from. Sometimes I can’t help but to wonder, is it really necessary to came out with so many type? I don’t usually go with a specific cleanser targeting a skin concern unless I have a severe breakout then only I’ll start searching for something to calm the breakout. Otherwise, I’m more into texture type of cleanser.

In today’s Cleanser 101, I’m going to walk you through basic types of cleanser for the last step in cleansing before toning. I’m also leaving makeup removers out of today’s topic because that’s going to be in another topic. Do bear in mind I’m only talking about some of the cleansers I have with me with what I think, there might be more cleanser out there and you may have different view than I do. But really, it used to be as simple as gel, self-foaming, milk and cream cleanser!

Gel Cleanser

Suitable For: Combination, oily and acne-prone skin.
Recommended Product: Antipodes Juliet Skin-Brightening Gel Cleanser, Biotherm PUREFECT SKIN Cleansing Gel, Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Daily Face Cleanser.

Several years ago, I was recommended to use gel-based cleanser as I have combination to oily skin. The right gel cleanser with the correct pH balance could be perfect for combination to oily skin users. Some gel cleanser doesn’t foams up a lot but they do provide decent amount of foam for cleansing action. I have been on and off gel cleanser because I’m not crazy over it. It does clean my face well but due to the fact that my face oils up faster than other people, I prefer cleanser that is “stronger” i.e. exfoliating cleanser. The gel-ish texture doesn’t give me the psychological peace of mind that my face is clean. For me, I feel that all skin type can use gel cleanser. Some people do feel it’s a tad bit too dry on them but that depends on which brand / type of gel cleanser. If you are looking into trying out gel cleanser, look for one that suit your skin type.

Cleansing Milk

Suitable For: Normal, dry and sensitive skin. Some cleansing milk is formulated for oily skin as well.
Recommended Product: Clarins Cleansing Milk With Gentian

I was debating with myself if I should include cleansing milk into this post because I use cleansing milk as my makeup remover, not as a form of cleanser. Typically, cleansing milk is meant for normal, dry and sensitive skin users as it’s a cleanser with moisturizing properties. It does not foams up at all. Some said it’s not suitable for combination or oily skin but I personally feel it is definitely suitable. As you know, some oily skin users are dehydrated on the inside so they need to hydrate their skin in order to control sebum secretion. You also need to be careful not to stripped of the skin’s natural oils therefore cleansing milk is the way to go. I was told to incorporate cleansing milk as the first part of my cleansing routine because of this reason. However, it can be too tacky thereafter so I would need to double cleanse. Dry skin user may find this step not necessary. I say follow what your skin tells you. If you feel your skin is clean and happily hydrated, just skip the 2nd cleansing step.

Self-Foaming Cleanser

Suitable For: Normal, combination and oily. Dry, very dry, sensitive and eczema-prone skin will need to beware.
Recommended Product: SENKA Speedy Perfect Whip, Yadah Anti-Trouble Bubble Cleanser, Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Daily Face Wash.

Self-foaming cleanser has been a hit over recent years as it’s hassle-free, time-saving and environmental friendly as you use lesser water to rinse. It can be quite fun and luxurious to use due to the ultra-smooth foams. I wouldn’t recommend this to very dry skin users because the foam can (some don’t) dry your skin out. I think it all lies down to how long you left the cleanser on the face. I would suggest to quickly cleanse and rinse to prevent dryness. I personally didn’t encounter any dryness nor has it stripped off the natural oil from my skin. I actually kinda like the squeakily clean feel after rinsing.

Exfoliating Cleanser

Suitable For: All skin type, except for sensitive and very dry skin.
Recommended Product: Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser With Orange Extract.

My favourite cleanser of all time is some sort of 3-in-1 cleanser whereas it removes makeup thoroughly, cleanse and exfoliate at the same time. I call this my lazy cleanser. This type of cleanser is one of the best to use because it really do removes makeup completely and cleanse at the same time. The exfoliating beads is not too harsh on the skin thanks to the cream cleanser. Depending on the brand and type, some cannot be use daily. So far I’ve only tried one brand and it can be use daily. I have nothing else to say about exfoliating cleanser but everyone should give it a shot. Oh and this is also suitable for all skin type, even dry skin. A few of my friends that have dry skin said this cleanser suits them well. If you have very dry skin, you should avoid any form of exfoliating products.

Multi-Task Cleanser

Suitable For: All skin type.
Recommended Product: Philosophy 3-In-1 Cleanser For Face and Eyes.

A multi-task cleanser is an all-round removes makeup, cleanse, tone and hydrate product. It’s similar to exfoliating cleanser except that this one includes toning action and without exfoliating beads. What this means is you can skip your toner after using the cleanser. I like to use this when I don’t have heavy makeup on and when I’m in a rush. It may look like a lotion cleanser but it lathers well and does a great job in cleansing. It is somewhat a light cleanser but extremely hydrating on the skin. You can also use this on bare face itself. Not necessary when you have makeup on. However do bear in mind not all multi-task cleanser available in the market are formulated and made to be same.

Foaming Cleanser

Suitable For: Combination and oily skin.
Recommended Product: Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser With Cottonseed, Hada Labo Fash Wash, Oxy Deep Cleansing Wash, Oxy Anti-Blackhead Wash.

The most common and popular cleanser of all time is foaming cleanser. Foaming cleanser may be too drying for dry to very dry skin users so combination and oily skin tend to have better luck with foaming cleanser because it is made to deep cleanse, removing dirt, sweat, sebum, bacteria and moisturizes the skin. Usually this type of cleanser lathers very well so you only need a small pea size each use. One tube of cleanser could last you for months!  Some foaming cleanser are infused with oils or other emollients but these ingredients may not strip the natural face oil from the skin. There are tons of different types of foaming cleanser available. Choose the right one according to your budget and needs.

Hope you enjoy today’s feature on Cleanser 101. I do apologize if there is any shortcoming with the feature as it’s a last minute decision to do this post. These are just the basic types of cleanser that I’ve used personally. It can be quite confusing shopping for cleanser because there are just too many types out there. All you need to remember is to choose either gel, milk, self-foaming, multi-task or the conventional foaming cleanser. Then from there it should be easier for you to choose the specific targeting cleanser that you need.

The post Cleanser 101: Types of Facial Cleansers appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona