Beauty Tip: How to have your fragrance last longer

Right now you're probably reading the title thinking that wearing fragrance sounds so easy, what stupid person could it take to figure it out?!

But I promise that after you read this, you'll definitely have your fragrance lasting longer, and even learn some new tips and tricks.

Lets get started!

1. Choosing your scent:

Do you like something sweet? florally? spicy? sexy? Or are you looking for something for a night time occasion or a casual scent for work? I see fragrance as something very personal, and is a subtle accessory that is simple but could be the perfect touch to match your outfit. In one fragrance, there are countless ingredients of top notes and undertones that makes each one unique. 

We want to be careful when choosing, because every scent smells different on everyone. This is because the fragrance mixes with your personal scent as well as your sweat and blood (as weird as it sounds), which is why it may bring out more of the vanilla undertone in you, but the orchid in another person. So when choosing, don't determine the scent by spraying it on a piece of paper or smelling it directly from the bottle. To get the most accurate smell, spray it on your pulse points (neck and wrist), and let it marinate with your natural body odour. 

The only one fragrance I can think of that smells exactly the same on everyone is Chanel No.5, because there are no natural scents in it, and is made from 100% chemically produced scents.

2. Ways to make your fragrance last longer:

a.  Layering different scented fragrances

Not every line of fragrance is going to be suitable for this, but I find fragrance lines such as Jo Malone, Dyptique or Fresh, that focus on only one or two notes, work really well paired with one other. You wouldn't really want to mix and match a Prada Candy with a Chanel no.5 (both fragrances have several notes and are strongly scented).
When you mix and match your fragrances, you'll create a unique scent that is not only longer lasting, but you'll probably never bump into someday that smells exactly like you!

b.  Layering with body creams or shower gels

Did you ever wonder why many fragrances came with a body cream or a shower gel to go with it? It's not because they just want to make a set to match the fragrance, it's so that you can layer with it to  make the fragrance last longer. For example, after you've showered using that Jo Malone shower gel, you've already got your first layer of fragrance, the most natural and elegant. Next, add your body cream to add that second layer of goodness. It still won't be too strong and overwhelming. So stop at this point if you are attending a more professional event where you don't want that pungent smell to make you stand out. Lastly, when you spray your fragrance, say around your décolleté where the body cream is already on, the liquid from the fragrance has something else to hold onto besides your skin, making it last much longer. If you don't have a matching body cream, use something unscented, or a light scented cream that you feel will make a nice cocktail with your fragrance.

Try this next time! I guarantee that the smell will stay awake with you all night!

c.  Spraying on pressure points

People usually spray their fragrance on their neck, behind the ear and on their wrist, and when I was younger, I just did it because it seemed like the right thing to do. Turns out, it's because those are where your veins are the closest to the surface of your skin, making it the warmer parts (which will help heat up the fragrance and accentuate the smell).
What also seems like the right thing to do is to rub your wrist together and onto your neck to even out the fragrance. Wrong! Dab instead of rub to evenly distribute it without rubbing away the scent. 

3. What to avoid:

Don't spray a strong fragrance during formal events or interviews, instead, use a lightly scented body cream, or even just the scent of the shampoo you just used this morning. Overall, don't overwhelm  with something too distracting. Heck, if you're just going clubbing or a girl's night out, spray as much perfume as you can squeeze out of that 30 mL bottle!

Also, avoid spraying on expensive clothing, because fragrances are alcohol after all, which means over time, it may cause discolouration on the fabric.

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Well, spring is right around the corner! Right now my favourite fragrance to celebrate the flowers is the Carven Eau De Toilette, the perfect scent to be paired with that long floral dress!

I hope this helps your days smell a big sweeter, please comment if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading!

-Carol

Outfit post + Dinner at Cin Cin

Happy Family Day everyone!

I hope you all had a nice day off whether it was by yourself, with your family or with your loved ones. I celebrated with my boyfriend at a really nice restaurant on Robson in downtown Vancouver called Cin Cin. There was always good comments and good feedback on the place, but I never got the opportunity to go there until today. The service and food was definitely as good as what I had heard about previously. It's a place I would definitely go back to and recommend for you guys as well. Here are a few pictures of what we had for appetizers as well as our two entrees. Enjoy~

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Outfit post:

Alright so asides from all the good food, of course I had to dress up for it as well. Honestly, I had forgotten that we were going to such a fancy restaurant, and just totally dressed casually until later in the evening when we were heading to Cin Cin that I realized I was probably a little underdressed. But not to worry, the place is surprisingly quite casual despite the fancy name. 

Here is what I wore:

Leather Jacket: H&M

Off shoulder oversized tee: Zara

Leather/cotton pants: Alice + Olivia

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For makeup, there's honestly nothing that I love more than a bold liner and red lips. It suits any occasion, such a simple look but so feminine, and accentuates the best features on your face, the eyes and lips. 

Do you also notice my skin looks super flawless and airbrushed too? (Didn't use any photoshop by the way). I'm using Shu Uemura's new lightbulb foundation, which my review will be up soon! 

So stay tuned~

Here is what I had on my face:

Brows: Anastasia brow wiz and brow gel both in Brunette

Face: Shu Uemura lightbulb foundation + Illamasqua foundation powder

Eyes: Nars black eyeliner + Cle De Peau volumizing mascara

Lips: Stila liquid lipstick in beso

Cheeks: Nars laguna bronzer + Nars blush in orgasm

I hope you enjoyed this simple night out look! Comment if you have questions~

Have a good rest of the week! Thank you for reading

CarolYuu

Beauty Education: Parabens

Starting from parabens in hair products, the brazillian blowout, to cosmetics and skincare you apply onto your face. I've always wondered if having parabens in those products is really as bad as what we always hear about them.

Well I'm not writing this entry to say that parabens are a wonderful thing, and that we should support having it in our skincare, I'm just the type of person that is a little bit more open minded about these things, maybe especially when it's about cosmetics. Maybe consumers should step back and do a little bit of research on the link between cancer and parabens before they limit themselves from many great products, let alone freak out when they hear that this moisturizer they're holding has parabens in it. Because the truth is, there are parabens that are naturally produced in some fruits and vegetables, but nobody seems to know that, and you don't really see that information floating around in magazines and on the news...

I'm here to clear up some questions that you might have regarding both the benefits as well as the negatives that parabens could potentially have on our health.

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Commonly asked questions


1. What exactly are parabens?

It is a preservative that has replaced formaldehyde (a carcinogen), that is easily accessible and low in cost. Not only does it preserve your products for a longer period of time, it helps skincare seal in their moisture and keeps it fresh. This is why they are not only found in moisturizers but also products such as toothpaste, self tanners, lubricants and makeup. The cosmetic items I just listed are generally kept in your washroom, which means it is in an environment where the temperature is constantly changing from a high to low and high again. Having parabens in the products will prevent them from moulding and going bad.

2. Why is it a bad thing?

Parabens mimic estrogen produced in women's bodies, which is a cause to breast cancer at high amounts. Though after looking into many articles online, there were no direct links between parabens and cancer, only that parabens are more easily identified among cancer cells.

3. Are there any incentives/alternatives to parabens?

Yes there are: grapefruit seed extract, rosemary, lavender oil and more. These are just the familiar names that we hear more often.

4. What fruits or vegetables naturally produce parabens, and why?

The best example to of a fruit that naturally produces parabens is an apple. If you take an apple and cut it in half, it turns brown. Why do you think it doesn't turn brown before you slice open the fruit? It's actually because there is a layer of paraben outside of the apple that preserves and prevents the inside from going bad and turning brown. The list goes on such as blueberries, strawberries, barley, current, vanilla, carrots and onions. Not only do they act as preservatives, they act as antibacterial agents as well.

5. Why do some brands that claim to be paraben free still have parabens listed in the ingredients?

Firstly, I'd like to tell you that the company are generally not trying to lie to you and get you to purchase by using the phrase "paraben free" as a selling point. Because as I mentioned above, there are many fruits and vegetables that naturally produce paraben. In your skincare, they are not going to mention the fruit clearly as "strawberry," and will list out their chemical names. Which is why you generally won't recognize a lot of the ingredient name unless you ask your best friend Google.
Two brands that I know of that does this is Amore Pacific and Fresh.

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Being able to listen to some other opinions on parabens, I realized that as long as you're somebody who is living a healthy lifestyle, eating clean and exercising regularly, something as little as parabens in your skincare that can't even go past the epidermis of the skin, shouldn't really affect you at all.

Even by the end of this article, if you still refuse to purchase products that contain parabens, at least now you will have a valid argument of why you want paraben free products.
I hope this information is helpful to everyone, and I'd love to know what your thoughts are on parabens as well!

Please comment below to let me know, and thank you for reading!!


- Carol

Review: Nars Pore Refining Primer

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! 恭喜發財! Happy year of the horse (:

To those that celebrate, I hope you had a great dinner with your family and loved ones! Chinese New Year actually used to be kind of lonely here in Canada for me, because most of my relatives were in Taiwan. But now, most of them have immigrated here, so there is more to look forward to during CNY!

I thought I'd start off the new year reviewing my current go-to primer. The Nars (oil-free) Pore Refining Primer. Who wouldn't want a hydrating primer that will keep your makeup on all day? For somebody with such dehydrated skin like me, we usually don't like oil-free, but trust me, this controls oil, but definitely still feels like it's providing me with enough hydration!

I don't usually wear foundation, only concealer, bb cream and some powder to set. But this primer literally keeps the makeup on my face all day, and I only need to touch up or reapply when I've blown my nose or physically wiped off my makeup. If I don't touch my face, I never have to worry about touching any shine or oil that has broken through.

During application, you can immediately feel the relaxing and cooling feel of the light/oil-free primer. The gentle smell of lavender adds the perfect touch to your morning makeup routine.

Now for those that like to get a little more technical, here are the main ingredients in the primer.

1. Glycerin

This is used in many skincare products to attract moisture onto your skin, which helps to get rid of any dry areas and flaking skin. It was definitely a huge problem I had, and I had to go through many skincare regimes and foundation routines to find the most suitable one for myself. My makeup usually looked horrible because the dryness on my skin would accentuate the foundation around my forehead, and it just looked so bad. So for me, this helped my foundation/concealer stay on and fill in my lines without looking like it is just floating on top of my face!

2. Lentill Seed Extract

Lentill seed extract is an antioxidant that has anti aging benefits. If we are going to be having a base to help our foundation apply better, why not have something that will help prevent aging and help firm and lift the skin as well. An all in one product is always a plus!

3. Lavender 

Asides from camomile, lavender is another type of flower that helps to calm down any inflammation, redness or irritation. Keeping down redness will help even out the skin tone so that the colour of your foundation shows up better. Especially if you are in a department store trying to look for a foundation colour, if you have a lot of redness around your face, the shade matched could be inaccurate.

4. Silicone (Dimethicone) 

Most face primers are silicone based, because it helps to smooth out the skin, blurring out pores and fine lines. It does this by filling out the lines so that foundation can be applied smoothly. You never want your foundation to sit in the fine lines and accentuate them.

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So seeing all the wonderful benefits of this primer, I even recommend it to people who don't wear foundation. Wear this primer as a base to help protect your skin, calm and control oil throughout the day.


This primer retails for $38 CAD, and can be purchased in Vancouver at any Sephora (or their online website: click), Holt Renfrew, The Bay and Murale.

Here is a picture of my simple makeup at CNY Dinner using the Nars primer as the base~

Have a good day everyone! And again, Happy Chinese New Year!!

Sunscreen in Canada

Having worked in cosmetics retail over quite a while now, the most common question I always get is why SPF is never written on a bottle even though there is sunscreen in it? Or why doesn't Canada carry certain products that contain SPF? Well, read on to find out (:

People are starting to become more educated on skincare and ingredients that are in them, such as parabens, and especially sunscreen. There is now more awareness that having SPF in your moisturizer, primer, or just having a regular sunscreen is very important to somebody's daily skincare routine. Whether you are an outdoor person or not, even if your job requires sitting in your office, believe it or not, that SPF 15 will still help to protect you against all the cancer causing light.

So why is it that Canada has so little products that actually have SPF in it, or maybe they do, but it's just not labelled on the container? This has always resulted in confused customers as well as sales associates. The reason is because in order for the brand to have the label of SPF on the box, the company must first register with Health Canada. In some cases, they just decide to leave the label out, and some just to not carry the products with sunscreen at all. Next time, to save yourself some time, just flip the box around and look at the ingredients to see if they have Iron Oxide or Titanium Dioxide listed, they are usually the last few ingredients. These are the two chemical ingredients for sunscreen that is most commonly used in cosmetics.

If you look at the Health Canada's website, over 500 restricted ingredients, or only a low percentage of the ingredient is allowed in cosmetics before it has to be prescribed by doctors. While in the U.S, they only have a handful of restricted ingredients, which means they have access to much more SKU numbers in retailers.

You can see the list if you visit the Health Canada Website. There will be an updated list of ingredients that you won't find in cosmetics that is retailed in Canada.

Next time you walk into a retailer, and they don't have cosmetics that have ingredients or a certain percentage of an ingredient you were looking for, it's not because the store hates you or because they suck, it's simply because Canada's strict regulations has prohibited these ingredients from crossing the border.

Now asides from the general use of titanium dioxide being used for sun protection, many products such as nail polishes, and other pigments use SPF to increase the opacity of the colours. It increases the whiteness of the cosmetic, which is why when you put on sunscreen or a moisturizer with SPF, you can see a slight white tint. So next time when you see something as odd as your eyeshadow or nail polish have sunscreen, you now know the purpose.

I guess in a way, it is a good thing that Canada is looking after Canadians and keeping out as much chemicals as they possibly can. After all, even though us cosmetic junkies do love all those products, we can't help to admit that when you flip a box around to read the ingredients, you only see a long list of unidentifiable chemical words you have never heard of.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day everyone!

Let me know what you think (:

The benefits of using cotton pads to apply your skincare

Happy Tuesday!

So a very popular question that I get asked all the time is, "Why would we use cotton pads to apply skincare?" I guess a lot of people understand why we use it to remove makeup... but how would it work to apply skincare?
People have the misconception that cotton pads (like sponges) absorb your product, so it seems like a lot of your $200 toner would be going to waste. Well, I'm here to tell you that it is only true depending on the brand or type of cotton that you're using. So the next time you go shopping for one, do your research and facts about the cotton pads before you purchase. Because even though they could be cheap, they could cost you to lose a lot of product.

Right now two of the hottest cotton pads on the market is the Shisedo and Cle De Peau cotton pads. These two brands (which are actually under the same company), have a different technology in their cotton pads that actually helps your skin absorb the product better.

So let's cover the main reasons why you should be applying your skincare (at least your toner and serum, and your more liquid skincare) with a cotton pad instead of your bare hands.

1. Helps your skincare penetrate deeper into your skin

Like I mentioned above, Shiseido was able to come up with a new technology in their cotton pads which absorbs the product that is poured onto it. But once you apply the cotton pad onto your face, it releases your toner right on to your skin. The reason why this happens is because the cotton contains large holes that is going to help take in the product, but at the same time have the ability to pour it right back on when it touches your skin. So using a press and rolling motion, start from your t-zone and work your way out. You'll definitely see and feel the difference. Trust me, it won't feel as sticky and watery as it used to.

2. Allows your skincare to be evenly distributed across your face

When you use your hands to apply your skincare, because of the way our palms and fingers are shaped, it causes products to be applied unevenly. Since the cotton pad is like a cushion which your fingers will help to adjust its shape, it's really going to help get your skincare into all the corners of your face. That's including close to your hairline, under and around your nose area. You don't want to risk uneven application from happening.. especially when you are using a toner or serum to help with any pigmentation or discolouration you're trying to fix. If you accidentally apply more brightening toners on one area than the others, it's just going to cause your pigmentation problem to become even bigger.

3. Is more sanitary to apply using the cotton pads rather than using your bare hands

Even though you wash your hands a million times, there will always be some sort of bacteria that stays attached to your hands. Unless you literally do a deep cleanse, detoxify and sanitize your hands before you use them to touch your face. Just make sure you keep the cotton pads in a box or container so that it doesn't absorb or trap in any dust.

4. The cotton doesn't come loose and drag across your face as you apply your skincare

It really depends on which cotton pads you purchase, but the Cle De Peau cotton pads have a layer of silk that compacts the material together. In doing so, it prevents the cotton pieces from getting all over your face when you spread your skincare across your face, or when you're using it to remove makeup. It's also a bigger piece, enough for you to remove your whole face of makeup. So although you're paying a bit more for cotton pads.. just think of all the benefits you'll be receiving from spending that extra money. At least you don't need to spend another $150 on a moisturizer that you thought you needed because your toner wasn't giving you enough of the results you needed, when you only needed the little sidekick cotton pads.


I hope this helps you guys! And for those skincare junkies out there who haven't already tried using cottonpads to apply your skincare. Try it out, you definitely should try it at least to see and feel the difference. I'll guarantee you, you're going to see and feel wonderful results.
Please let me know what else you wanna know about! I really need to get started on my looks with the Vice 2 palette... super excited!

Have a good rest of the week!

-Carol


#nowplaying: summertime sadness - Lana Del Ray

It's a no makeup makeup look + pop of red lips!

Being in raincouver, it really does become a problem when you're trying to figure out with what to wear. Some days it may be blazing hot, and then it suddenly becomes winter weather pouring rain the next day. It makes your wardrobe so difficult, and when I leave the house I am not afraid to wear shorts on a sunny day, because it may start raining in the afternoon. I am also afraid of wearing a jacket on a rainy day because it may suddenly become like 30 degrees when it reaches the afternoon. What do I do!!!

I guess my solution has just become to wear light, and bring a cardigan. They're easy to carry, if it gets to hot, and when it's a little chilly, they'll keep me at least warm enough.
Today being a gloomy day, aka your typical Vancouver weather, I really wasn't in the mood to put on makeup. But, being a fashion student, and working in the cosmetics industry, it really isn't that easy to go out with my naked face anymore. Instead I decided to be trendy and do my no makeup makeup look ha! With, of course my favourite classic red lippy.

I've always loved Bite lipsticks, but the one I used for the first time (and love love loved!) is the exclusive one that only the one and only VIB Rouges from Sephora receive in their little congratulations kit. Obviously I've spent over $1000 in the last year... its only August ....what will happen to me in December???

Oh please excuse my beautiful roots, they will be touched up next Friday, and hopefully with an exciting new tone of blonde as well, yay :D 

So today, it literally took me about less than 10 minutes to do my makeup, and this is what I did.

1. SPF of course! Can't leave the house without that. Even when the days are yucky and cloudy, the sun still peaks through, and still damaging for our fragile skin. Especially that my skin has just been recovering lately from my acne outburst from the last few months. Read my post about how I treated my longly irritated and nasty acne here. Today I used my SPF 50 from Estee Lauder. It's super moisturizing and really nice for sensitive skins. It kind of has a bit of a green hint to it because cucumber is one of its ingredients, so it gives it a nice fresh smell instead of the yucky usual sunscreen smell. 

2. Next on the list, I applied my favourite Benefit Stay Flawless 15 hour wear primer that magnets your foundation or any complexion products right on to your face. It's perfect for that summer beach day where you don't want all your foundation to just sweat off. Even if you go to Asia, or those extremely humid locations for your vacay, you're going to want this primer to keep your makeup in tact. Even though Vancouver weather is pretty dry, I just like to have this on so that I don't have to keep touching it up throughout the day. I usually don't anyways... so if there is a product to prevent me from having to touch up my makeup, I need it! The plus size for buying it is also the extremely cute packaging that goes with Benefit's foundation collection. 

3. I don't have a picture of this one, because I actually took a sample of it home from Sephora. So always hearing all the rave about the Nars Sheer Glow foundation, I never cared to try it until now. I have to say, it really is an amazing foundation. It gives a light to medium coverage that is so natural, it really gives you that no makeup makeup kind of look. The consistency of the foundation is very liquidy, and doesn't give you the sticky feeling after you apply it at all. Of course, I like the healthy glow and dewy kind of finish, so the Sheer Glow line suited me well. If you're the type of person who doesn't like that nice shine, they have a second line of foundation called the Sheer Matte. Try that instead, you'll probably like that a lot better. The good thing is that even though it gives a matte finish, it won't dry out your skin, so don't worry about that!
I applied the foundation using Sephora's Pro Finish brush in #55. This brush gives your skin a nice airbrushed finish, and if you wanted a bit of a heavier finish, you can go ahead and use the classic flat foundation brush instead.

4. The Bite lipstick from the VIB Rouge packet is this cute little mini size! So for those who are not familiar with Bite products, they are absolutely phenomenal, and you should definitely try it if you are a lipstick lover, and haven't tried it yet. Why should you try it you ask! Well! I'll be glad to answer that curious question of yours. It is a completely natural and cruelty free lipstick that uses colours from natural fruits. In other words, its a lipstick that is healthy for you to eat. That's very important for a lipstick, because how much of the lipstick do you apply that ends up on your food or in your mouth when you lick your lips? Yupp, that's right, if the makeup product is something that you are constantly eating, you really want to find something that you can actually eat, and not just always swallowing a bunch of chemicals and artificial colours. Did I mention that they're super pigmented and last alllll day??

5. To add a bit of colour to my face, since I used a very bold lip colour, I don't want to leave out my cheeks, otherwise I'll look super flushed and sick and pale. Here, I'm using the blush and bronzer trio from Nars, I'm only using the Laguna Bronzer. It's a really nice and light milky brown that doesn't add too much definition to my fair skin. It has a tiny bit of shimmer, but is not so visible once you apply it on to your skin. 

To apply, I used the E.L.F slanted bronzer brush. I like using this one because it gives me a lot of control, as the shape of the brush goes perfectly along under my cheekbones. 

6. Lastly, I can't forget my eyebrows! I'll look like a zombie or something if I don't have them on, and people will run away from me if they see me.... Anyways, I'm using the Anastasia brow powder duo in the colour blonde. Most of Anastasia's brow products are either waterproof or are super longwear, so if you have no eyebrows or little eyebrows like me, I really recommend their eyebrow line, because they LITERALLY stay on all day. Unless you roll around in bed with your face in your pillow...then I guess you should use brown gel instead haha. 

So anyways, this is my final result, a nice natural school day kind of makeup that is appropriate for those lazy bums that want to add a bit of glamour to your day, but not having too much on. If you're someone who is used to having bold makeup, I dare you to try this! I believe that every girl should have a red lipstick as part of their accessories. 

Thank you for reading, and I hope wherever you are that it's not raining like Vancouver... unless you're here, then I guess you have to suffer with me... Bye!

-Carol

#nowplaying: City of Dreams - Alesso 

How to get rid of irritated..sensitive acne

If you are one of those girls or boys like me who has super bad acne that keeps coming out for no reason, read this! It will help so much. Diet is a huge influence, but so is your skincare routine!
Check these problems out to see if you need to read on:

1. Do you have super sensitive and irritated acne that hurts when you touch them
2. You're afraid of deep cleansing and exfoliating because you don't want to hurt/pop/irritate/spread the acne
3. You have tried everything possible out there! A mad mask.. Benzyl Peroxide, Salicylic Acid, Willowbark... 
4. You've even tried to NOT put anything on your skin.. but you just feel it get oily or super dry


Yupp, your skin is exactly like mine, and you don't know why! For me.. it definitely was a combination of stress, sleepless nights and unhealthy eating. But by the time I knew I had to do something about it, it kind of was too late, it just got worst and worst. Right now I am living a much more healthy lifestyle, doing pilates training 5 days a week, and not eating junk food, high sodium, processed foods, pop, and all the stuff that will scrape off the health from your body.
Not to mention at my job, it is mandatory that I wear a full face of makeup.. so that didn't exactly help too.
Alright, so enough about me, lets talk about what I can do to help improve your skin from little baby steps.

1. Look for products that are ALCOHOL FREE

Products nowadays contain nothing but gross chemicals that will irritate your skin, even the most natural products can only claim that they are 90% natural. But, I have to admit, that brands are becoming more conscious about what they put in, and clients are becoming more aware of wanting natural and paraben free. But alcohol is not a paraben, so it is contained in so many of your skincare products, it gets difficult to find ones that don't contain any, especially in your cleansers, toners and exfoliaters.

Alcohol is terrible for your skin, because it is stripping and it dehydrates, exactly how consuming alcoholic beverages would do for your skin inside out. Obviously if you are putting it in direct contact with your skin.. it really isn't going to help. So next time you go skincare shopping, even if you look for "natural" skincare, you should still read the ingredients to make sure they don't contain alcohol.

2. Don't use products that use Salicylic acid, Glycolic Acid or Benzyl Peroxide.

I know.. I know that these are the main ingredients that help with acne, but if you are super sensitive, trust me, this isn't the way! For our skin types, it will only irritate it. It is almost like doing chemotherapy for those who are not super sensitive. It heals you, but it drys out your skin so badly, you end up having a bunch of band affects afterwards and you gotta start hydrating your skin. Not to mention, some people start having acne again once they stop using these products. And you have to stop, because it is too damaging for your skin to have either or of these two ingredients permanently in your skincare routine.

3. Do not use a physical exfoliater

When you have skin that has very fragile acne, that would hurt and get irritated from touching it, doing a physical exfoliator (one with beads that you need to scrub into your skin) is really not the best solution. I know you'll ask me how you get rid of all that dead skin cells on your skin surface? My solution for you is not a chemical exfoliator too.. because those are usually super high in alcohol content, and really don't make anything better too... my solution for you is a gentle exfoliator like the clarisonic. Ok.. I know it may sound like a huge investment, but it works soooo well. If you think about it, you spending on a brand new skincare routine may cost just as much, if not more.

The reason why a clarisonic, or any of those gentle exfoliators that only does a gentle vibrating cleansing on the surface of your skin that is so gentle that you can use it both day and night without irritating the most sensitive skin types. It does the job, and does the deep cleansing, and it doesn't hurt. That is exactly what you need during this time. I cannot emphasize how important it is to give your skin a deep cleanse, and it is the most difficult when your skin is in pain, and you are out of solutions.

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Alright excellent, now that we have covered what not to have in our products, lets carry on to my current skincare routine, and maybe you can try it out to see how it suits your skin! Remember, less is more, so if you can, try to use as little products as possible. Just remember: Cleanse, tone, moisturize and protect.

1. Use a cleanser that is gentle, and for me I am currently using Ren's Clarifying Clay Cleanser. It is sulfate free, and you can tell because it doesn't foam up, which means it won't strip the natural oils off your skin, but at the same time it'll give your skin a feel of deep cleanse. It honestly is soooo gentle, but the clay that is in it will help to absorb all the impurities from your skin, all that dirt and oil, and help with those darn acne.

This is by far, the best cleanser that has helped with my acne problems. Try it.

2. Use a toner/hydrater that is either mineral water/grape water, or something that is simple and that you can literally only see a few ingredients. When it comes to skincare.. simple is always good, because if we can avoid chemicals, we always should. So I am currently using two, I like to alternate between Caudalie's grape water and Evion's mineral water. These two work amazing.. because they are super gentle, and so gentle that you can use on a baby's skin.

So why do we want to tone? I often hear a lot of people ask this question. Toners are super important, because it is what will help bring your crazy skin's Ph back to balance. What does that mean? Well, if your skin is breaking out, a lot of people I would automatically assume that you have either really dehydrated skin or super oily skin. So when your skin's Ph is out of balance, that is what will happen, your skin will either be super dry, or it will be super oily. When you use a toner, it will bring it balance. So this definitely is not a step you sensitive acne proned skin people should be skipping. 

3. Find a moisturizer that is calming. I am currently using Caudalie's moisturizing sorbet. Just like all of their other products, it has got grape seed oil in it, and for this particular sorbet, it also has chamomile. Chamomille as you know it.. if you are a tea drinking, is super calming and relaxing, and it will do the exact thing for your skin. It is going to help calm and tone down the irritations that you are getting on your skin. It will help to relax all the painful acne and help sooth it completely. If you get the chance to try it, it feels so good and makes your skin feels so smooth, and is absolutely fast absorbing. You can use this whether you are extremely oily, combination or dry.

4. Lastly, protect your skin using sunscreen. Your skin has already gotten enough irritations with your stressful life, now keep it protected from the sun. The sun as you know it is one of the most damaging thing that could ever happen to your skin. It breaks down collagen, causes dark spots, and causes the fastest aging to your skin. A good sunscreen I like to recommend is the Clarins SPF 40. It is oil free, and fast absorbing so that your skin doesn't have that white and sticky feeling you always get when you apply sunscreen. 

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So give those four products a try, and I hope I can help heal your skin, or at least improve it, like how mine has durastically in the last week that I have just completely changed my skincare routine to this. 

One of the biggest tip also, is to be consistent with this, which means you must wash your face every day, moisturize it every day. It might sound stupid.. but people do get lazy, and they think if they didn't put on makeup that day, they don't need to cleanse. WRONG, wash your face EVERY DAY! You have no idea how much gross stuff and bacteria is in the air that we even breathe. Even if you live in Fiji, or places that have a low pollution rate, cleanse your face! 

I hope I was able to educate you guys with some new tips and trips. Any questions? Feel free to leave comments below.. If you are shy to ask, feel free to email me:

carol.yuu92@gmail.com, and just have the heading as "responding to your blog" and I'll happily respond to you guys. 

Have a fantabulous weekend!

-Carol

#nowplaying: Clarity - Zedd ft. Foxes

  

BB and CC... a popular question, what is the difference??

Starting from Asia, BB creams (Beauty balm or blemish balm) became the number one selling skincare item! Its innovative formula that wowed everyone slowly crept its way into the North American Fashion and Cosmetics scene. In the last year, almost every line including Too Faced, Clinique, Smashbox, Boscia, Bobbi Brown, Dr. Jart, Dr. Brant, Peter Thomas Roth, Dior, Stila, Dr. Murad, Lancome, and so many more to list have released one. The reason why it is so popular is because its a super quick and easy application and has multiple benefits so that you can do everything in literally just one step. Now I know there are also BB haters, and usually those are the people that prefer a more fuller coverage. But on your days off, why not let your skin breathe with either nothing on, or a BB cream that makes your skin imperfections look blurred out, but look like you have nothing on.
I personally am a BB lover, so I could go on and on about how much I love it. You can find BB creams which are more of a lighter coverage and focus more on its skincare benefits and sunscreen protection, while others who like to focus more on coverage and smoothing out those fine lines.
Just very recently, brands started to release CC creams, which stands for colour correction or complexion correction. And I know everyone says this.. but wait till the DD, EE, etc... and I've already heard rumors there really is a DD cream coming out xD I read it on Michelle Phan's blog, and I am waiting for it to come out. Alright, so today's big topic is... what is the difference between a BB cream and a CC cream? I'll let you know the differences, and benefits, so you can choose to see what is more suitable for your skin types and what kind of coverage you would like.

BB creams:

- Have sun protection (of an SPF from 10-50)
- Helps to blur out wrinkles, blemishes, pores and imperfections
- Light weight, with a natural finish
- Easy and quick application
- Very hydrating
- Act as a perfecting primer
- Some are rich of antioxidants (ex. Boscia BB cream)
- Is a skincare and makeup all in one

CC creams:

- Helps to heal:

     - Dark spots
     - Hyper pigmentation
     - Redness
     - Dullness

- Contains sun protection (because if you want to correct, you need to protect as well)
- Very hydrating
- Light weight, with a natural finish
- Easy and quick application
- Is a skincare and makeup all in one




Alright, so now that we've laid out all the differences and similarities to the two amazing products, the next question is... how do you know which one is more suitable for you?

Ask yourself these questions...


1. What is your main skincare concern/concerns?

a. For treating/covering up fine lines and wrinkles - BB cream

b. Treating dark spots/ sun spots/ hyper pigmentation - CC cream

c. You are someone who is busy and needs some sort of coverage, but something fast - BB cream

d. You have large pores - BB cream

e. You have redness concerns, and is very sensitive - CC cream

f. You want makeup that will also help to hydrate - BB or CC cream


Now that you've chosen your main concerns and are now much more familiar with this current trend, go ahead and give it a try! If you've already tried it and didn't like it, I dare you to give it another chance. If it was not enough coverage for you, try something with more coverage, like Smashbox and Clinique. If you thought it was too oily for your face, try an oil free BB cream like Boscia. Figure out what wasn't working out for you, and what you would like in your products. Do a little bit of research so that next time you go shopping for cosmetics, it makes it easier for both you and the person who is helping you out.
Skincare and makeup is probably the best accessory you could add on to your whole outfit!

Have fun trying out and playing with this trending hot item! See you soon.

- Carol


#nowplaying - Tomorrow: Tablo ft. TaeYang

First review: Benefit's FAKE UP!

Good Evening Everyone!!

This week has just been exams and projects for me... so I'm super tired, and glad that I can finally sit down to have some of my own time. Actually, I really should be studying right now for another exam tomorrow.. but I've been working my butt off the last few days, I think I deserve some sort of a break (:

Anyways, the product I am going to be talking about today is... Benefit's new fake up!
Okay, so weeks before the product launch, people were always asking about them everyday! They have read about it online, on Benefit's website and all that. Even when they came into stores, they literally FLEW off the shelves like there was no tomorrow!

So what is FAKE UP you say?

It is a concealer and eye cream/gel in one (:
prettyyyy unique and interesting concept I would say.

So as you can see there is a clear gel around the concealer, which has two main ingredients: Vitamin E which act as a really good antioxident to help prevent aging. It also has apple seed extract which is what helps to brighten the eye area to help improve and lighten those tired looking dark circles.

So what do I think about the product? Mmmm my honest opinion is that I would probably give it a 7/10.
My reasons?

Okay, so since we've kind of gotten to a bad start with it... lets start with the CONS and work our way up to the PROS, and see what you guys think?

CON number ONE!

Alright, so on the label, it says its supposed to have a nice "dewy" finish. It also said its supposed to stay hydrated and does not crease. So ok I get that concept of having a dewy finish. But the thing is that even though I try to set it with powder and everything, it literally creases soooo easy, I just cannot touch the area under my eye at all! And also because of its "dewy" (and wet) finish, it also causes the mascara that I coat my bottom lashes to transfer onto the skin under my eye even more. Trying to keep the mascara from running from my bottom lashes is already bad enough T________________T

ok so that is all that I have to complain about the fake up pretty much, now here are my cons..

PRO number ONE!

The gel around that concealer really does work, and helps with my dark circles. Being a full time student while working part-time, sometimes really doesn't get me much sleep even if I wanted to *cries*
That's why this is an amazing product for me (:

PRO number TWO!

It's very easy to carry in your purse to take on the go! You can jut directly apply the concealer under your eye then blend using your fingers or a concealer brush, which I like to do (unless you are helping somebody else apply it ^^~ then you would just scrap a bit off and apply using a concealer brush or with your fingers)

PRO number THREE!

The formula really is hydrating, and won't' leave your under eye area feeling dry and cakey. The last thing you want is to make the lines under your eyes even more visible!


And thats it! So my final verdict is.... that fake up is a mediocre product. Yes, It does really help with correcting dark circles at the same time being able to cover it up until it completely heals. At the same time, the formula is a little bit uncomfortable to work with because it is a little bit too dewy (for my liking), but who knows, maybe there are other people who like that texture. But that's just my personal honest opinion :3

For those that are interested, it is available in three shades and can be purchased in store at Sephora or on their website which has a Canadian website now woot woot.

Anyways, thank you for reading and have a good night!

Please feel free to ask questions below and make requests for me to review any other products!

Cheers (:

-Carol