“Any tips on getting rid of ingrown hairs?”
Posted on | April 23, 2009 | 1 Comment
BFF: “Any tips on getting rid of ingrown hairs? I’ve been scrubbing with
soap all over which seems to have helped but I can’t do a very good
job on my back which is now the worst spot.”
Me: “Ingrown hairs in men’s chest and back are very common after waxing. This is
exacerbated when you wear clothes that rub the areas. Women for
example get ingrowns along their knicker lines after
bikini/brazillian waxing as friction (between waxed skin and cloth) encourages it.
I know you can’t go without a shirt or top of some kind so I suggest you start including
exfoliation in your shower regime!! Buy a loofah or exfoliation cloth/brush
(available at any grocery store/ $2 shop). Also use a body products
with salicylic/ AHA. I use Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleanser which can be purchased at any grocery store or chemist.
Let me know how the above goes okay?
Mwah!
Melbourne International Beauty Expo
Posted on | February 25, 2009 | 1 Comment
Melbourne International Beauty Expo
Hear ye! Hear Ye! All business owners, employees and students in the Beauty Industry- The 2009 International Beauty Expo is fast approaching. April 4th and 5th to be exact. If you have not already done so, register now (but remember, this is a trade only expo and is not open to the general public)!
Friends and Family will tell you that I absolutely love makeup so one of the highlights of the expo that I am very much looking forward to is a demo by celebrity Australian Makeup Artist, Rae Morris!
See you there!
Cucumber for Puffy Eyes?
Posted on | December 9, 2008 | 1 Comment
The party couple of my family
It’s that time of year again where celebration is in the air and parties sprout everywhere…and with every good party comes the dreaded “day after puffy eyes”. I know that my youngest sister Nova (as shown on the left with her equally cute BF, Josh;-) often complains about this (or was it my other sister?..).
From chilled spoons, sleeping with your head elevated to tea bags, one other common remedy is cucumber.
Some think that cucumber contains some magic ingredient that help relieve the swelling. However, in the book “The world of Skin Care, A Scientific Companion (just one of the loads of books I borrowed from my local library on skin care) , it debunks this myth and explains that the water content of the fruit (I had to google this one 
is the key.
When you place slices of (preferably chilled) cucumbers on your pillow eyes, it is the cooling effect of the water and increase in humidity that reduces the swelling! There you have it. How about that as a party conversation starter? Happy Partying!
Can Exercising Help with Acne Breakouts?
Posted on | November 7, 2008 | No Comments
According to FutureDerm, yes it does. She highlights that there is a correlation between acne flair ups and stress. I for one have observed that I often get spots or that my existing acne gets worse in times that I’m really stressed!
In the article, it explains that stress hormones (and insulin) increases the production of sebum which in turn may lead to breakouts!!
One way of decreasing the stress/ stress hormones is via exercise!
Other ways that exercise can help with acne are: it increases sweating which help de-clog pores; increases the blood flow and oxygen to your skin which delivers vital nutrients and takes away toxins.
Note: If outdoors, don’t forget to ’slip (on some clothes..you know what I mean:-), slop (on some sunscreen) and slap (on a hat)’ ; Oh, and make sure you use a clean towel, and not a recycled one from yesterday’s workout, to wipe off sweat!!
Happy exercising!
Tags: acne > and > brush > exercising > medium > powder
The real challenge with 21st Century Ageing.
Posted on | September 14, 2008 | No Comments
image credit: Inyourface
I had a chance to view a slide show of sex kitten and former Bond Girl, Britt Ekland, from her 20’s through to 60’s.
I observed that although she looked beautiful through out, I found her looking rather unnatural from her 50’s (where plastic surgery looked to have played a role).
This made me think “what’s the real problem with growing older??”. Perhaps the real issue with aging was not trying to hold on to beauty, as in Britt Ekland’s case where she stayed stunning at every age.
Rather, the real challenge especially in this day and age where cosmetic surgery is prevalent is to remain as natural-looking as possible.
Tags: aging naturally > britt ekland > cosmetic surgery ban
Megan Gale Tinted Day wear Sunscreen
Posted on | October 13, 2008 | No Comments
picture: Adore Beauty
There are two products I absolutely can’t do without. 1 is a lip balm. Yes, having full lips do have it’s cons in that it’s susceptible to wind/sun burn!! I may never have to get lip injections but dry lips is a constant battle for me.
The 2nd is sunscreen. I think we all very well know by now the importance of slathering SPF!!
As a day sun protection, I used to use Clinique’s Super City Block SPF 30+, a gift from my sister in law. On its packaging, City block claims that it has a “remarkable sheer and weightless formula”, it is great for sensitve skin, contains antioxidants, is oil free, safe to use near the eye area and can be worn as a makeup primer. Sounds fantastic, no? I did find it agreed with my rather sensitive skin. However, it did make my skin go rather shiny by midday. It also had a whitish tinge when applied to my skin and I found it difficult to blend with makeup.
I made a special trip to my local David Jones, determined to find a better than good SPF. That’s where I came across Megan Gale Tinted Day wear Sunscreen. This is not the first time I’ve come across the product. My best friend, Orchid, already uses the product and the book I’m currently reading, “The Skin Type Solution” by Dr Leslie Baumann, actually recommends this product for my skin type (which turns out to be Sensitive, Oily, Pigmented and Tight - more on this later).
I paid about $30 AU and put it to use right away. It’s been about a week since using this product and I found some ++ over Clinique City Block.
- I found it to be be more sheer to apply
- No more whitish tinge
- It felt less tacky on my skin
- It’s moisturising wich is great for the fine lines around my eye area
- The tint provides enough hint of colour for me to forgo foundation (for days where ‘minimal’ is my choice of look. Perfect for giving my skin a break from heavy makeup)
- On the days that I do want a more ‘made-up’ look, I can mix a little (or as much) of my foundation with it without having to worry about blending
I give it a BeautyGrail rating of:
Tags: cosmetic brush > day > facebrush > gale > kabuki brush > makeup brush > megan > sunscreen > tinted > wear
Migrating from Mephisto to Word Press
Posted on | January 21, 2009 | No Comments
If the site still doesn’t look quite right, then most likely I’m still fiddling around at the back.
I’ve decided to switch Blogging Software, from Mephisto to Word Press. Though I quite like Mephisto (grown to), it really is hard to add extra features like “polls” or to change the appearance of the site, if one is not a programmer (like myself).
I have so many ideas for Beauty Grail that I would like to press forward with and so I decided to go ahead and migrate to Word Press.
Why Word Press? Word press comes with more Themes and plug-ins that I can play with and start incorporating into this beloved site.
As with any worth while venture, there would be some hiccups along the way. I’m now dealing with those so I thank you for your consideration and patience.
Cheers!
“It’s a beautiful day…for cancer”
Posted on | January 18, 2009 | 5 Comments
Yesterday, my BFF and I decided to head to the National Museum after Yum Cha. We had eaten our fill and needed to walk off the full feeling in our stomachs. Plus, it was a beautiful day and the museum was definitely walking distance from the Canberra Club where we had just eaten.
10 minutes into our walk, I started having second thoughts about going on foot. Though I was wearing pants, a long sleeved shirt and some SPF, I still felt ill-protected from the glaring sun. I had wished I had taken my wide brimmed hat and sunnies with me!
We ended up taking shelter in the car and driving to the venue. We felt guilty for causing the extra carbon emission (against the environment) , but I didn’t feel right about exposing ourselves unnecessarily to the sun.
Today, I came across this video from KevinMD which told me that yesterday’s decision was the right one. Yes, yesterday was a beautiful day. I just didn’t feel like getting cancer!
Does Chocolate cause acne?
Posted on | January 4, 2009 | 2 Comments
Cloe C:
> ” Give me the truth because I would really like to know.. If not chocolate then what food does??
Chocolate pic by Darwin Bell
There seems to be two camps- one that declare that chocolate does and the other that says it’s all a myth. In my case? It does so I guess the answer all depends on your genetics and skin type.
I have an overly sensitive and oily skin that reacts even with slightest hint of bad food i.e. food high in sugar and bad fats, like milk chocolate.
From my understanding, a high sugar intake can cause our insulin levels to spike which leads to disasters like increase in fat being stored (but that’s another story).
It also causes hormones to go crazy and do stuff like increase sebum production, make sebum stickier, increase skin cells shedding (think inside the pores. Combine all three = clogged pores! = Acne!
This is my day 4 of being junk food free (after months bingeing on chocolates, ice cream etc..) and my skin has not sprouted any new pimples (not to mention I’m slowly starting to shed the kilos I’ve piled)!
If you must eat chocolate, go in moderation and try the darker type (i.e. 70 % cocoa). These are packed with more goodness (anti-oxidants) than bad!
How to lighten freckles and acne scars?
Posted on | January 3, 2009 | 4 Comments
What do (Yahoo member) norton2628 and my best friend Briana Lam (below) have in common?
One very surprised birthday girl!
They both woe about skin discolouration! These can be from freckles, acne scars, and age spots.
I found this out about my friend whilst preparing to go out for her birthday late last year. Well, she thought it was only dinner with a few girlfriends (no one to impress?) so she agreed for the first time to let me do her makeup . As I readied her face, she told me about one of her skin pet peeves - uneven skin tone. Well girl, you are not alone!
There are many other individuals lamenting about this common skin issue at Yahoo Answers such as ‘norton2628′. He/she (?) recently asked:
> “I am caucasian and would like to lighten some acne scars and freckles but can’t afford microdermabrasion or that kind of thing. Is there anything I can buy that works, such as a cream or something or even an inexpensive treatment at a dermatologist or spa (I live in nyc)? I could use some advice thx!”
(source: Yahoo Answers)
My answer to you both:
A two pronged approach to brown acne scars and other skin hyper pigmentation
1) Use products that contain whitening/lightening ingredients such as:
- Hydroquinone: This works by inhibiting melanin (what colours your skin) production. An over the counter product that contain up to 2 % hydroquinone is SuperFade. Higher concentrations require prescription (i.e. Tri Luma, Lustra).
- liquorice, kojic and azelaic acid, mulberry extract : Some products that contain these are SkinCeuticals Phyto+, Dermalogica Day Bright, Skin Doctors Fade Away. (NOTE: I have not personally tried these products).
2) Exfoliation! After using pigmentation inhibiting products mentioned above, you need to slough your skin cells to encourage new cells to emerge.
- It is important to be gentle on your skin! Do not try to “sand” it using very rough strokes, sponges or facial scrubs.
- Ingredients in products to look for that help remove surface skin cells:
-Retinol (i.e. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream), Alpha Hydroxy Acid (i.e. MaMa lotion) ,Beta Hydroxy Acid (i.e. Neutrogena Oil-free Acne wash, Poly Hydroxy Acid (i.e. Neostrata skin care)
Tags: lighten acne > lighten freckles > scars > skin lighteners
Do you know what your REAL age is?
Posted on | December 26, 2008 | No Comments
My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go ahead and take the RealAge Test. To me, this is like going on a prolonged holiday, complete with glorious food and lazy days, then finally coming back home to face the reality-slapping weighing scale.
I may not have gone on that holiday, but I have let myself slip..a tiny bit. Who am I kidding?? More like a lot which I do feel very guilty about. How am I suppose to share info on beauty which is connected to health when I am not walking the walk?!
Well, part of getting back on track is getting an idea of my REAL age or biological age(as oppose to calendar age) . From the test, it’s dependent on 5 factors - Heath, Habits, Relationships, Diet and Fitness.
Secret to my youthfulness- Dave and our adorable pups, Algie and Jack
Drum roll please! After taking the time to take the test, it turns out that my RealAge is:
I couldn’t believe that I came out younger! I guess having a good healthy relationship and affectionate pups balanced the bad diet and lack of exercise! I’m very proud of my Real AND Calendar age and will definitely be working on increasing the gap between the two even more!
What is your Real Age?
Limited $99 Anti-Ageing Beauty Treatment (normally $280)!
Posted on | October 14, 2008 | No Comments
One way that I often procrastinate is by going through junk mail. They mainly are just that - “rubbish”, but from time to time, you get one that piques your interest. Such an ad that I received yesterday was a flier from Elegance Beauty Canberra advertising their limited offer of - ” $290 of Anti-Ageing Beauty Treatments for only $99″!! The only catch? It’s only for the first 23 takers!!!
I was very tempted to take them up on their generous offer :
> “This exclusive facial includes microdermabrasion crystals to remove dead skin cells, boost collagen and cell renewal; a dermal peel to re-texture skin and smooth away fine lines, and a repairing and restoring mask to further boost collagen renewal and repair…”
(source: Anti-Aging Psychology)
Perhaps I may not be able to take advantage of what I believe to be good offer (I’m saving up in preparation of studying Dermal Therapies at Melbourne Uni, you see), but you may?
Else, have you had this service done? I’m very eager to hear your experience.
keep looking »