Eyelights: Put on the best of looks with our three favourite eyecreams
Eyes – that most delicate of areas on our skin – show the first telltale signs of ageing that no amount of concealer can truly hide. The trick, ladies, is not to hide, but to cure, by turning back time. On hand to help you do exactly that are three superhero eyecreams guaranteed to protect your peepers from pollutants and the passage of time.
Giving in to the demands of bereft beauty livers, Lancôme has reinvented its armory of eyecreams. Standing out among these is the Advanced Génifique Eye. With probiotic fractions from top to toe, this iconic enhancer strengthens the skin around the eye, while ably fortifying it against further damage.
For its part, Estée Lauder has launched the NEW Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex Synchronized Recover, which not only protects the eye from the usual suspects (UV rays, pollution, lack of sleep), but also from that most hidden of combatants – at-night blue LED light.
On offer from Sisley all the while is its hero product – SISLEŸA L’Intégral Anti-Âge Eye and Lip Contour Cream, a treatment known to work wonders on the delicate areas around the eyes and lips. Promoting the healthy and enduring functioning of skin cells, it reduces the giveaway signs of ageing, including wrinkles, puffiness and those dastardly dark circles.
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay
Fallmighty: Get the Fall Look straight from the Dior Autumn 2018 runway
With fall colours set to fully bloom, embrace your inner Fall facial glow, with Dior’s Autumn 2018 look a perfect place to start. Ditch the liquid foundation for Clé de Peau Beauté’s Radiant Cushion foundation, which yields a matching luminosity, while enhancing those cheekbones with Giorgio Armani’s Neo Nude A-Highlight. Then, lightly dab your cheeks with a hint of Rouge Blush from Dior before treating your eyes by getting up close with YSL’s Mascara Vinyl Couture and eyebrow pencil. Add a touch of Chanel’s Mystère et Intensité eye-shadow palette, before signing off with the boldest of statements with the Rouge Dior lipstick or even the ultra-saturated limited-edition Orgasm Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer from NARS.
Out with the old: Four beauty solutions for the forever young
With age, so they say, comes wisdom, poise and return on investment. Less alluringly, superannuity also brings with it wrinkles, crow’s feet and other signs of incipient decrepitude. The challenge eternal, then, is to revel in all the plus points of inching ever closer to pensionhood, while ably diminishing time’s toll at every turn.
Ever ready to prop up the cosmetic conceits of the age-averse, pretty much every beauty brand has its own take on wrinkle reparation and skin rejuvenation. At present, foremost among these is the recently launched Abeille Royale Double R Renew & Repair Serum, courtesy of Guerlain, the renowned French beauty line. Boasting the very latest in soft peeling technology, the serum is said to renew and repair dull skin, all by harnessing the good offices of TIEG1, a potent collagen-replenishing gene.
Another apparently effective year-rewinder is RéVive’s Intensité Complete Anti-Aging Serum. This fast-absorbing treatment comprises an advanced line-relaxing complex that is said to significantly soften lines while covering micro-crevices and giving skin that expertly-Photoshopped feel.
Clearly unwilling to be left out, Paris-based Sisley has launched its reputedly gravity-defying Sisleÿa L’Intégral Anti-Âge Firming Concentrated Serum, an epic epidermal aid that that bestows unprecedented firming thanks to its elastin-generating technology.
Meanwhile, those reluctantly resigning themselves to an eternity of dark spots – another consequence of more candles on your cake – could do far worse than invest in Helena Rubinstein’s Re-Plasty Laserist Brightening Creator Cream in Serum, an anti-dark-spot serum-cum-cream that has, apparently, learnt a lesson or two from laser technology.
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay
Is the Deesse Pro LED Mask beauty-tech gadget really worth US$2,300?
If its website is to be believed, skincare expert Deesse Pro claims to have found a high-tech way to combat wrinkles, crow’s feet and a whole host of other dermatological problems with the Deesse Pro LED Mask.
According to its website, this particular gadget ‘provides a safe, pain-free way to achieve naturally vibrant and clearer skin’. In a move more suited to sci-fi movies than beauty treatments, the mask utilises low-level light therapy through the medical-grade LED (light emitting diodes) mounted on its interior surface. These tiny bulbs emit different wavelengths of light that are, supposedly, clinically proven to rejuvenate the skin.
Eight different treatment modes are available that utilise five different light wavelengths, including anti-ageing, purifying, detoxifying, brightening, calming and more.
Think it sounds too good to be true? Well, there’s at least one vocal celebrity expert who’s a big fan –aesthetician-to-the-stars Shani Darden, who services famous faces of such Hollywood luminaries as Jessica Alba, Emma Stone, and Chrissy Teigen. Other famous endorsers include Kim Kardashian, Kate Hudson and Madonna, herself.
But with a staggering price tag of US$2,300, is it truly worth shelling out so much cash to add the Deese Pro LED Mask to your home beauty kit? After all, just because celebrities like Jessica Alba expound the benefits of light therapy, it doesn’t mean you’ll get equally A-list skin. So then, in the end, perhaps it’s better to err on the side of caution and opt for more tried-and-true traditional, holistic treatments instead.
Foundation Celebration: Clé de Peau Beauté launches Radiant Cushion Foundation
Clé de Peau Beauté, the celebrated Japanese skincare brand, opted for Central’s Pedder Building as the setting for an extravagant cocktail party held to mark the launch of Radiant Cushion Foundation, apparently an one-stop way of ensuring your skin stays glowing and hydrated.
Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant Cushion Foundation
The highlight of the event was the brand’s bespoke augmented reality system, which gave guests a glimpse of their future selves, showing just how the Foundation could keep wrinkles at bay and ensure skin remained supple as the years slipped by.
Celebrities and socialites including Isabella Leong, Kathy Chow, Coco Chiang, Lesley Chiang, Adrian Wong, Yen Kuok, Antonia Li, Adelene Chan, Antonia Da Cruz, Veronica Lam, Candice Chan Chao, Adrienne Lim Hui, Ruth Chao, Denise Ho and Sarah Zhuang graced the occasion with their glowing presence.
Eye-catching: Let your eyes do the talking this season with Diorshow On Stage Liner
Channel your inner Bella Hadid this season, with Dior’s new eyeliner range, Diorshow On Stage Liner, dreamed up by Peter Philips, creative director of Dior Makeup.
With smokey eyes been done to death now, it’s time to experiment with an edgier, more colourful look. The trick is to keep the skin subtle and clear, leaving your eyes to do all the talking. Here’s how to get the look…
Start with the YSL Touche Eclat All-in-One Glow foundation and apply a touch of Charlotte Tilbury’s Pretty Youth Glow Filter in Seduce Blush or Pretty Fresh – depending on your skin tone – to get a healthy colour on your cheeks. For exaggerated eyes, use Dior’s Diorshow On Stage Liners in bold colours. Said to be equipped with a long-wear formula, the edges apparently don’t bleed for as long as 24 hours (though we’d advise you not to test the tenacity of the liner by leaving it on for one whole day!). For a dramatic finish, choose from any of the four pop colours of Diorshow Pump ‘N’ Volume Mascara. Finally, keep your lips understated with Givenchy’s Le Rouge Perfecto.
Turn back time with our top three collagen boosters
Our skin’s natural collagen starts eroding even before we’re 30, so starting early is not early enough when it comes to replenishing its levels on our skin. Here are our round-up of the top three products to help you stop time, if not reverse it.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream
The most trusted celebrity makeup artist used to personally blend jars to create her own collagen stimulating concoction especially for her clientele even before she came up with her own line. Rave reviews backstage led to the iconic Magic Cream being created. Featuring BioNymph Peptide Complex and a moisturiser with patented ingredients, the cream seals in moisture for longer periods of time, keeping your skin hydrated and dewy.
Algenist GENIUS Liquid Collagen Lip
Our lips need special attention to prevent ageing. That’s why we need products like the Algenist GENIUS Liquid Collagen Lip especially that is targeted towards rejuvenation of lips. Packed with plant collagen and the brand’s proprietary ingredient: alguronic acid, this serum should be applied once a day, and changes are visible almost immediately.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Super Serum Elixir
Elemis looks to the sea for some of its high-powered ingredients, including red seaweed extract, which increases the skin’s suppleness, and padra pavonica, a marine element that works as a natural filler to reduce fine lines. The serum replenishes your collagen levels naturally and gives back that youthful bounce to your skin in no time.
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay
The Perfect Holiday Hair Guide by Tabitha James Kraan
Pamper your tresses with Tabitha James Kraan this summer…
Holidays may be the perfect time for you to detox and relax, but it may not be the same for your hair. Sandy beaches, arid mountains and humid tropical destinations can all wreak havoc with your hair. Tabitha James Kraan has just the solution to put you out of your misery.
Moisture is Key
Cabin air can be hugely drying for your tresses, so it may be a good idea to indulge in a hydrating oil treatment the night before you board a flight. The Tabitha James Kraan Organics Scented Hair Oil is perfect for the occasion, with its special formula plumping up each individual shaft of hair.
Scent, Refresh, Hydrate
The Tabitha James Kraan Organic Hair Perfume is another hero product that’s guaranteed to save your day anywhere on the planet. Available in a handy little 50ml bottle, this 100% natural, alcohol-free hair perfume is the easiest way to perk up your hair. Just slip in into your holiday tote, and spray it on when needed. A great bonus point is that it also works well on the skin.
Style on the Move
You can’t blame your hair if it feels flat after a long-haul flight or a hectic day of sightseeing. To restore your luscious locks, however, you can always rely on the 100% natural Tabitha James Kraan Organic Dry Shampoo. The therapeutic goodness of the ingredients soothes the scalp while adding volume and texture to your hair.
So just bid adieu to hairy misfortunes and embrace a magnificent mane of hair always!
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay
How to get the perfect Fall ’18 look with Dior en Diable
Packed with sultry sex appeal and a touch of humour, Dior’s latest collection Dior en Diable celebrates the new season with devilish colours erupting with burning-hot oranges, red-hot spicy shades and smoky effects. Emblazoned with sophistication and a whole lot of sass, the palette of colours promises to ignite your radiance.
If you are looking for some inspiration for the upcoming season, follow these four steps to help your makeup fall perfectly into place.
For those who love a matte lipstick, Dior en Diable offers a selection of six new shades. Designed by Creative Director Peter Phillips to harmonise bold hues on eyes and nails, the range offers something for both day and night looks.
For a subtle but vintage feel, try the Devilish Nude, complete with a subtle peachy tint or explore the dark side of beauty with the aubergine tones of Dark Devil. Step it up a notch in the evening by using the infernal matte red Matte Kiss for a statement lip or Rouge en Diable, a feverish Bordeux, to bring a dash of rich colour to those cooler nights.
From left to right: Devilish Nude, Matte Kiss and Dark Devil
5 Coleurs, the iconic eye makeup palette from the House of Dior, takes inspiration for the fall collection from the contrasting colours of autumn. Choose from two smoky tones, depending on your eye colour and skin tone.
Devilish reveals a pink highlight that illuminates alongside a sharp brown that gives structure. Volcanic, however, builds a lava orange hue to explore a cooler selection of smoky greys and browns.
Another option for the eyes includes Diorshow Mono, offering a purply-grey Smoky Gun or green-tinged Smoky Dynamite, perfect for adding a subtle touch against more fiery shaded lips or nails.
From top to bottom: Dior 5 Couleurs Volcanic and Devilish
Get that glow
Diorskin Nude Luminizer promises to create an effortless glow from the single sweep of the brush. The powder is infused with pearlescent pigments that light up the complexion with a dazzling sheen and highlights the face with a multidimensional glow.
What’s more, the versatile product can bring new dimensions to makeup when applied to strategic areas such as the brow bone and the temple of your cheek bones, where the light naturally hits. You can even add a dab to your lips to give them a touch of glow.
Designed to suit every skin tone, the product has now been reinvented with more shades and effects including platinum pink and ultra-luminous nudes.
From top to bottom: Diorskin Nude Luminizer in Pink Glow and Nude Glow
Devilish blush
Inspired by the iconic Rouge Dior lipstick, the new Rouge Blush reinvents the art of applying blush by designing the product to cover the cheeks like a lipstick for its expression, rather then a glow enhancer.
Available in both a burning orange and a daring pink, Rouge Blush is a must for fall 2018.
From left to right: Dior Rouge Blush in Stand Out and Charnelle
Dior en Diable will suitably have you looking radiant while blazing femininity with its palette of explosive colours.
As everyone knows, cleansing is key to radiant skin. To find out how to protect your skin from the daily drubbing it takes from pollution, air conditioning and unhygienic other-halves, check out our guide to chic cheeks.
Chic Cheeks: Why cleansing is a must to maintain an ace face
Cleansing, as pretty much everybody knows, is the most effective way to protect your skin from the daily drubbing it takes from pollution, air conditioning and unhygienic other-halves. Cleansing, however, actually does way more than that, not only removing dead cells and dirt, but also creating a strong foundation for long-term skin health.
Accordingly, then, no beauty ritual can begin until the cleansing process is complete. No matter what type of skin you have, it is best to cleanse twice daily – once in the morning and once at night. Those with dry skin, though, should opt for a super-hydrated cleansing routine, perhaps using the Dior Prestige cleansing set, comprising Le Baume Démaquillant , Le Sucre De Gommage and La Mousse Micellaire.
A safe bet for all skin types, however, is Caudalie’s hero product – Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser, a soap-free foam that respects the skin’s natural pH balance. For a silky, smooth feel, it is best mixed with Caudalie Cleansing Oil, which is 100% formulated with natural ingredients, like grape seed, almond and castor oil.
Turning now to Fresh, its ever-popular Soy Face Cleanser has been given a makeover, though, thankfully, it has retained its effectiveness. While it can clear away even the most stubborn mascara, it does so without stripping the skin of its natural moisture.
Not to be outdone, Elizabeth Arden has expanded its Superstart line, adding a Probiotic Cleanser Whip-to-Clay and Probiotic Boost Skin Renewal Biocellulose Mask. Together, they effectively harness the power of probiotics, restoring the skin’s radiant, healthy appearance.
For those hankering for a little after-wash pampering, look no further than Jurlique’s Nourishing Cleansing Oil or IPSA’s Clearup White Mousse, both of which guarantee a truly translucent finish.
