Archives for September 2007

How do you know its time to bin the mascara?

Paris B 3 Comments

mascara

One of the items that is hardest to figure out when to get rid of it, is mascara. Mascaras always come in a solid coloured tube and you never know how much there is in there in the first place. Unlike lipstick where you can see the stick growing shorter day by day, mascara is almost a closed book.

From my rather limited experience with using mascara, here are some sure signs its time to bin the ol’ mascara and open up a new tube:

  • The brush looks dry when you pull it out of the tube.
  • The mascara flakes from your lashes onto your face
  • It gets harder to apply it and to see any effect on your lashes.
  • Your mascara-ed lashes just don’t look as lush and long anymore
  • Its been more than 3 months.

Hygiene experts recommend that mascara be binned after 3 months because in that time, it would have dried up, or have bacteria in it from regular use. I’ve used some mascara for slightly over 3 months without problems, but it isn’t recommended by the experts.

In order to prevent the introduction of air and bacteria into the tube, take care never to pump the wand in the tube like you see in some movies. This pumping in and out action only serves to introduce air into the tube which not only dries out the mascara inside, but also introduces bacteria into the tube. With something going so near your eyes, you do not want bacteria in the formula!

So, check your mascara and if any one of them fall in the any of the categories above, its time to bin it!

Important Tip: Use Sunscreen!

Paris B 9 Comments

It is never too early to use suncreen on your face and body. Now, I’d be the first to admit that I’m not always as religious about using sunscreen on my arms and legs but for my face, its a top priority every single day.

Its a fallacy that if you refrain from going out into the sun, you don’t need sunscreen. Or, that if you stay home with all the windows and doors closed, you don’t need sunscreen. Closing your windows and doors and staying indoors doesn’t prevent the UV rays from reaching you. So yes, maybe you won’t tan, but your skin isn’t protected from UV rays either.

And for anyone who indulges in anti-aging creams and cures, its best you start now with sunscreen. That is the best anti-aging cure you can hope for because it is a fact that the sun’s rays and UV rays damage the skin and causes skin to age and in extreme cases, skin cancer. Sunscreen blocks or filters these harmful UV rays thereby reducing the skin damage and therefore acting as an anti-aging measure.

I found this very helpful article about sunscreen and what kinds of sunscreen one should look out for. This other article about sun protection too is very insightful. In gist:

  • Use a sunscreen that blocks or filters UV-A and UV-B rays. These are broad spectrum sunscreens.
  • Use a sunscreen that is SPF15 and above. According to reports, there is no evidence that very high SPF will actually protect your skin more but here in the tropics, SPF 50 is the norm. The Japanese have their own system of rating sunscreens with PA+++ for the highest and PA+ for low ratings.
  • Reapply often especially if you are going to be out in the sun. However, for practical purposes, I can only see this reapplication for the body for most of us who work will have our faces made up and thus, reapplying sunscreen isn’t much of an option.
  • When applying sunscreen do not forget areas like your neck and ears. Men or women with short hair tend to forget the back of the neck and the tips of the ears which can burn easily.

For myself, I use L’oreal UV Perfect sunscreen for my face because thus far, it has worked best for me and it blocks both UV-A and UV-B rays. Biotherm Sunfitness isn’t bad too as its non-sticky. My foundation too has SPF. For my body, I use the one by the Australian Cancer Council. Its only available for purchase in Australia.

This post was actually prompted by my discussion with a friend about using sunscreen. I was appalled that anyone would not use sunscreen because I’m a great proponent and advocate of using sunscreen if not for beauty, then for health reasons. I’ve read some articles that say that sunscreens may not be all that good for you because of the chemicals, but in general, the pros have thus far outweighed the cons.

So, slap on the sunscreen. When you are 50, your skin will thank you for it!

Edit: This tip applies equally for both men and women. If you don’t use any other skincare on your skin, use sunscreen. It does make a difference.

Chanel Think Pink collection – asia exclusive

Paris B 7 Comments

An Asia exclusive means that it is a collection exclusive only to Asia. Brands like to do that sometimes for variety and it drives makeup fans in other continents crazy because they can’t get their hands on it.

chanel

The new Chanel Think Pink collection is one such asia exclusive collection. In real life, the 3 things that caught me eyes were the eyeshadow quad, blush and face powder.

The eyeshadow quad looks to be a pretty shimmery quad of neutral and pink shades. They are of the usual Chanel baked variety so I’m not quite sure how pigmented they will be. They do look very pretty I must admit.

The face powder in Rose Blossom is a shimmery pink pressed powder. I initially thought it might be a form of blush until the sales person told me it was a pressed powder. I’m not quite sure how one uses a pink shimmery pressed powder though.

My favourite of the whole collection must be the Joues Contraste blush – Poesie. It is a warmish pink with hints of peach and has shimmer. I swiped it with my finger to try and boy! Its pigmented. Unfortunately, on first impression, although it looked really nice in the pan, it did not look that nice on the back of my hand. I think I’ll have to try it again and see. But for those who complain about Chanel blushes not showing up, try Poesie.

chanel2

I believe this is a limited edition collection and can be found at all Chanel counters nationwide.

The blush usually retails for about RM135 and so does the eyeshadow quad unless I’m mistaken. I don’t usually use Chanel’s lipsticks and glosses so I did not pay much attention to them.

For fans of palettes, there is a 6 colour lipgloss palette available under this Think Pink collection too. I don’t like using lip palettes so again, I did not pay much attention to it.

There will be a review of Chanel Joues Contraste blushes coming up soon by me. They are fast becoming one of my favourite blushes and when you are as much a blush fan as I am, that is a feat! 🙂

Is it necessary for men to have their own skincare line?

Paris B 4 Comments

I know this is a women’s site but I can’t help commenting on the new L’oreal Men Expert line that’s just been launched with Daniel Wu as the spokesperson/model. That’s Daniel Wu in the picture – model and actor in Asian movies. I’m not much of an Asian movie star fan so I’m sorry to say I’m not familiar with him at all.

Getting to the point though is whether it really is necessary for men to have their own line of skincare, or is skincare generally quite universal?

Cosmetic companies beg to differ because they say men’s skin are thicker and oilier and therefore have different needs from women. Many brands proclaim this and have developed specific lines of skincare for men. Among them are Biotherm, Clinique and Clarins, two classically female brands of cosmetics and skincare that now carry a specific men’s line. In the drugstore/pharmacy, you don’t see any segregation but now L’oreal has attempted this with Men Expert.

Packaging wise, it has a similar sort of packaging to the women’s line except the colour is a silver-grey with orange accent. The Men Expert range comprises Pure & Matte series for oily skin, Hydra Energetic for dull or tired skin, and the Vita Lift series for aged skin.

I’m not trained in this line so whatever I say from here is  my own view.

I just don’t think that men really need their own skincare line because:

  • Skin is skin. Its all the same at the end of the day, whether men or women. I know men who use the same skincare I use and their skin isn’t any worse for it.
  • Its all a bit of marketing gimmick. These consumer products need to find a fresh market so telling consumers that their skin is different is the key. It is a way to capture the remaining 50% of the market still untapped.
  • How many men care? I don’t see many men browsing in the skincare departments of a drugstor, or buying skincare. Even if they did, chances are that a man would likely just pick up any facial wash and moisturiser without bothering to find out if their skin is oily or dry or aging. They’d wash with soap if they could and many do!

I’m all for men using skincare. I just don’t think men need their own line, that’s all. At the end of the day, the people manning the counters are still women. The counters still have a feminine look about them and there is still a social stigma of a man buying RM500 worth of skincare for himself.

The men in my life all use skincare – facial washes, toners, moisturisers, creams, treatments, masks, scrubs… and they all use the same products I do. Some of them even use more expensive products than I do! Their skin isn’t worse for wear. I exposed some of them to men’s lines but they did not find it any different or any better for them. In fact, some felt it was a bit harsh for their skin.

So, just based on my own observation, I’d say men need a proper skincare regime just as women do. They need to clean their skin with proper cleansers and then to moisturise. Many men forget the most important skincare item of all – sunscreen. Even if they don’t put anything on their skin, they should use sunscreen. Everyone needs sunscreen as a basic skincare item.

I  just don’t think men really need a special line of skincare just for them.

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