If you haven't already seen my posts on Instagram and Facebook, I am heading to Korea in a couple of days! I am, of course, packing makeup to take with me, and this post will share some of the products I am bringing along with me!

When it comes to travel, I like packing products that I know will work for me, as well as pop a couple of new products in there just because I get a little bit excited whenever I purchase something new. I like products that will last the whole day without touch-ups, and that are easy and quick to apply.


1. ArtDeco Eyeshadow Palette and single eyeshadow pans, RM29 per pan

Something I like is being able to take along with me an eyeshadow palette with all the eyeshadow colours that I want, and not a bit more. ArtDeco, a German cosmetics brand that recently launched in SaSa here in Malaysia, is perfect for that. Their eyeshadows are mid-range and very pigmented and easy to blend, and come in a huge range of colours that you can pick and choose from to insert into your customizable palette. At only RM29 per insert, but with quality comparable to MAC and Inglot eyeshadows, this is an absolute steal!
ArtDeco also does a range of beautiful foundations, each one suited to a different skin type and preference, so if you want good quality at a decent price, this brand is definitely one to look out for the next time you visit SaSa. They also release limited edition empty palettes from time to time, so look out for them when the different seasons come around.

2. Dermalogica Super Rich Repair Limited Edition Set, AUD110

This isn't a makeup item per se, but I am a huge believer that skincare sets the base for beautiful base makeup. This Dermalogica Super Rich Repair set is limited edition, and comes with their AGE Smart Super Rich moisturiser, Skin Resurfacing Cleanser, as well as a bottle of Dermalogica's famous Precleanse.
I know this is going to be perfect for the freezing cold, dry Korean winter, so I am definitely packing this! This moisturiser is very, very rich, and is perfect for drier skins. I've been using it in tiny amounts even here in Malaysia, and haven't experienced any problems with it so far. Remember that even oily skin needs to be hydrated (in fact, skin gets oily from of lack of hydration), so you may not even know that you need this type of moisturiser! Your best bet? Head to a Dermalogica counter for a free face-mapping skin analysis. Your skin will thank you for this.


3. Shu Uemura Holiday Collection 2013: Takashi Murakami 6 Hearts Princess Collection Limited Edition Enchanted Black Parallel Palette, RM250; and Lip & Cheek Fun-tasy, RM78

This heartbreakingly cute collection is a Shu Uemura design collaboration with famous Anime artist Takashi Murakame. The reason I'm bringing these along? The palette features a brand new eyeshadow formulation called the silk smooth eyeshadow, and my goodness they are ravishing! The textures are spongy and so silky smooth, and pigment transfers so easily with hardly any fall down! I am completely in love!
The Lip & Cheek Fun-tasy's? They're so convenient because they are multi-tasking, and so easy to apply. Just dot on, and blend.

4. Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Maiden, AUD22

Illamasqua always releases the most vibrant, unique seasonal collections, and their latest Christmas collection is no different! More to come on this collection soon, but my favourite by far (and a very safe bet, I will admit) is their Intense Lip Gloss in Maiden. This is a beautiful peachy-pink lipgloss with great coverage and lasting ability, without compromising moisturising qualities. Since Korea is freezing right now, this is perfect for adding that little bit of slickness to the lips, and providing a protective barrier so I don't lose any moisture.
For more about the collection, check Illamasqua counters now. They have also released a beautiful clear polish loaded with white flakes, that looks like snowfall on your fingertips. So pretty!

5. Laura Mercier Deluxe Travel Brush Set Holiday 2013, AUD95

Before I say anything, let me comment on the brush case. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?! The amazing holiday collection by Laura Mercier is styled in this exact way - with beautiful faux-croc skin, hard cases - in the classic Laura Mercier brown. This brush set is a great all-round brush set for the more experienced makeup user. It features a blush/powder brush, a couple of dual-ended brushes complete with blender and smudger brushes, a concealer brush, and a dual-ended liner brush.
As if its gorgeous design wasn't enough, the hard brush case is also perfect because it protects your brushes from getting squished in transit. I know it costs about RM200+ here in Malaysia, but I can't be sure of the exact price. Once I check, I will update the post!


6. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio, AUD24.95

These are my fail-safe eyeliners. I don't like that they are sold in a pack where I am most likely to never use at least one of the three eyeliners, but there is no denying that this is the best eyeliner I have ever used, even compared to high-end, luxe eyeliners. This eyeliner is creamy and smooth (just remember to keep the cap on!), pigmented (I like the black and it is a perfect, beautiful black black), and so easy to smudge. But its one star quality, what separates it from the rest, is that it does. not. budge. This is by far the most smudge-proof eyeliner I have ever used, and that's why it unfailingly goes into all my makeup bags and pouches, no matter where it is that I am travelling.

What a lot of people fail to understand about anti-ageing skincare is that it is about prevention. You need to take care of your skin before it starts to show signs of ageing, not after. A lot of people think that there is no point using anti-ageing products because their skin doesn't see the difference, but that is simply not true!
The best way to use anti-ageing products, as I mentioned above, is to prevent the skin's ageing process, not to reverse it. And when you prevent, not being able to see a difference in your skin is actually a good thing :)


That being said, at what age is it appropriate to begin using anti-ageing skincare?

Some people are of the opinion that if you start too early, you risk rendering your skin immune to anti-ageing skincare products in the future.
Some others think that no time is too early to start anti-ageing skincare, and that starting early can only do your skin good.

I personally believe that the 24-25 year mark is when you should start a routine that includes anti-ageing skincare. Research shows that your skin starts to naturally age in your mid twenties. I think that once you hit your mid twenties, you should start to invest in a good anti-ageing serum and eye cream, as well as a night cream, to take care of your skin and to help it maintain its elasticity.

Some great ingredients to look out for? (Please note that this is not an exclusive list!)

Vitamin A
Retinol, an essential ingredient in anti-ageing skincare, is derived from Vitamin A, and can help increase the production of collagen and elastin in your skin, keeping it supple and firm.

Vitamins C & E
These are amazing antioxidants for the skin. When Vitamins C and E are used together, they can prevent sun damage, and even alone they can reduce wrinkles, smooth and even the skin, as well as reduce hyperpigmentation.

Peptides
When done right, peptides are absolute miracle workers, stimulating collagen production, stimulating antioxidant enzymes, enhancing wound healing and cell repair, and performing a myriad of other anti-ageing processes on the skin.

Ceramides
Ceramides are great for keeping moisture locked within your skin. Ceramides also help enforce our skin's natural defences, which keeps pathogens out, and locks moisture in. Hydrated skin is essential for a healthy cellular turnover, so this is an essential ingredient in anti-ageing skincare.

Some of my favourite anti-ageing products are listed below:


Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age Correcting Creme
This moisturiser is meant for more mature skins, but is something that you should definitely keep in mind for the future! It has the most amazing skin-lifting qualities, which you can read more about here.

L'Oreal Men Expert Daily Moisturiser
This is a lightweight, easy to use moisturiser for men, with L'Oreal's fabulous Vita Lift 5 technology which performs 5 anti-ageing functions. J is using this at the moment and his skin looks and feels pretty amazing.

L'Oreal Youth Code Luminosity Moisturiser
L'Oreal's Youth Code range is specifically targeted at preventative anti-ageing care for younger skins and their moisturiser and serum are my favourite products in the range. Tiny pearlescent particles are suspended within the moisturiser for an illuminating finish that looks amazing underneath makeup.


La Clinica Anti Ageing Gentle Milk Facial Cleanser
La Clinica's milk cleanser is a gentle cleanser that feels lovely on the skin, and is jam packed with anti ageing ingredients, which you can also find in the rest of the La Clinica Anti Ageing range (their rose hip oil is fabulous!). It cleans without stripping the skin of moisture, and keeps it soft and supple. My parents adore using this moisturiser when they come over. If you have oily skin, I recommend using this in a double-cleanse routine. First, clean any dirt, grime, and makeup off with a makeup remover or cleansing oil, and then follow with this cleanser.


Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
This is my HG serum. It contains Vitamin C and a whole host of other amazing ingredients which work to help your skin repair itself as you sleep. It protects your skin from the damaging effects of free radicals, and helps to lock moisture into your skin. This is also fabulous for preventing acne scarring.

Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin Serum
Another one of my favourite serums, this is Shu Uemura's latest offering, and it does a fantastic job at helping your skin maintain its youth. Shu Uemura developed this serum to help the skin regenerate and renew itself. Only one drop of serum is needed per application, so this will last you a long time.

Have you started anti ageing skincare yet? If you did, when did you start; and if you haven't, do you plan on starting anytime soon? :)

Everyone has done the research, gone to the shops, and tried to pick out a skincare routine that best suits them. Did you also know that the method and order in which you layer your skincare also has an impact on the skincare's effectiveness?

Have you ever tried layering skincare, only to find that it ends up balling up in flakes all over your skin?
Today, I will share with you the best methods for layering your skincare, so that the products absorb easily into your skin, and actually work, instead of just sitting on top of your skin.

Set Up a Good Base
Skincare will not absorb into skin that is dirty and clogged. Always cleanse your face before applying skincare! To aid the absorption and effectiveness of products, make sure to exfoliate your skin at least once a week. A double-cleanse routine - where you cleanse the skin first with a cleansing oil, and then with a regular cleanser - really helps to keep the skin clean and ready to absorb your skincare.

Density: From Light to Heavy
The best way to layer your products is in order of density, from the lightest products to the heaviest. That means after cleanser, you follow up with your toner, then serums, then moisturiser. If you have more than one serum, that's fine! Just apply the lightest serum first, followed by the heavier ones.

Treatment Rule
The treatment rule says that treatment products always go first! After toner, the first thing you should apply is your eye treatment. Eye treatments do not absorb unless they are the very first product to hit your face, so it would be best to keep that in mind when you are creating your skincare regime. After eye treatments, apply anti-ageing or anti-acne serums first, before any other skincare.

Give it Time
When you apply a product, give it a couple of minutes to absorb into your skin before you apply your next product. Otherwise, the product just sits on top of your skin and makes it difficult for the following products to absorb. This is also how the balled up flakes form.
Tip: Lightly drumming the pads of your fingers against your skin also aids absorption of the product into your skin. Make like you're playing the piano on your face, and tap away.

Beware the Active Ingredients
Most skin specialists agree that if you are using active ingredients, it is best to stick to just one, or at most two products that contain active ingredients. Otherwise, you risk irritating your skin and making it raw and red, and prone to sun damage.

Staying Loyal Helps
Unless you're good with skincare ingredients and how they work on your skin, your best bet is to stick with a single brand as much as possible. Some ingredients and skincare textures can cancel each other out, rendering your skincare (and the moolah you spent on it!) useless. Brands tend to formulate their ingredients so that they all work well together and don't impede on one another, which is why sticking to a single brand is always recommended. I love using Simplicité products, because they are formulated to work with one another, and the brand is so customer-friendly that I can always ask them how and in what order I should layer my products, when I'm not sure.

This is not to say that mixing brands is completely wrong - if you take your skincare to a dermatologist, they can help you figure out what works best together and what would be most effective for your skin.

I hope this article has helped rid you of your skincare layering fears and concerns. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment box below, or just email me! x

'Tis the day before Christmas, and I'm sure you all have some fabulous plans in place this holiday season! With all the partying and celebrating going on, the morning after inevitably follows, and I'm here to help you make sure that your skin is still glowing and fresh for that morning breakfast with the family and loved ones!


I wrote a post a while back about the morning after a big night out, and what products you can use to give your skin the TLC it needs. This post is all about the makeup, and how you can use it to mask your hangover, and to help get that glowing, healthy, wide-eyed look.

Sheer, Dewy-finish Foundation



When it comes to foundation, less is more! Use something that will even out your skin tone and cancel out any redness, whilst still allowing your skin to breathe. I love the cult-favourite Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (RRP AUD 59). It has such amazing coverage for a tinted moisturiser, yet still so light on the skin (plus they have just expanded their colour range, so you can get an even closer match to your skin tone - the secret to natural, healthy-looking skin!).
If you are very fair, I highly recommend the Luview Aqua Essence Whitening BB Cream - it is amazingly light and watery, so it doesn't feel heavy or cakey on your skin. It also has the most gorgeous luminous finish.

Strong, Un-Polished Brows



Fill your brows in with a powder so that they look more natural, and make them nice and strong. For a less polished look, try not to draw a straight line on the top line of your brows. Instead, use light, upward strokes to soften that top line and deposit colour lightly and evenly.
My favourite brow powder by far is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express Kit in Brunette. If you're looking for a more affordable eyebrow kit, try the brand new Face of Australia HD Brow Kit (RRP AUD 9.45), which features two brow powders, a brow wax, a brush, and a pair of tweezers. For international buyers, this product should be available soon on the Fashion Addict website.

Bright Cheeks



Placing your blush high up on your cheeks will lift your face, and really brighten it. Since you are placing the blush so high up on your cheekbones, you can either use a blush with a matte finish or a shimmer finish. My personal favourites are the Tom Ford Cheek Color in Narcissist, and the Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Cherub.

Cancel Redness



The morning after unavoidably involves red, puffy eyes. A great way to mask that hangover is to get rid of any redness, especially around your eyes.
A great product to use is the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude. Its flesh-toned colour blends in well with your skin (a white coloured eyeliner pencil would be too stark) and its waterproof texture allows you to apply the pencil to your waterline with great lasting power.
A peachy toned concealer is perfect to mask any dark circles and eliminate any further redness. Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer is the perfect concealer for the undereye area because it is easy to blend, and a very small amount is enough to conceal unwanted dark circles. I also love using a brightening concealer - my favourite is the Clinique Airbrush Concealer.

Flicked Eyeliner



Applying a jet-black eyeliner in a flick, only on your upper lashline, is a great way to achieve that doe-eyed look. In the spirit of keeping the entire makeup look easy and with minimal need for brushes, I recommend using the Rimme Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Black.

Curl Your Lashes



It is so important to curl your eyelashes when you want to look more awake! They really open up your eyes and make them look so much more feminine and pretty! I stayed away from the Shu Uemura eyelash curler for a long time, but when my sister had a layover in Changi Airport, I decided to ask her to help me get it. It does curl the eyelashes much better than any eyelash curler I've ever used, I have to admit.
My current go-to mascara? The Clinique High Impact mascara. It is a mascara that I have come back to again and again, and is probably one of my favourites next to the Benefit They're Real mascara.

Highlighter



Apply highlighter to the centre of your lower lashline and the inner corners of your eyes to open your eyes up and make them look much brighter. I like TheBalm Mary Lou-Manizer because it is very pigmented and easy to apply.

And that should give you a lovely, wide-eyed, glowing makeup look that's super flattering and perfect for Christmas morning. Thanks for reading! x

It's that time of year again! And though I have no religious ties (or any other) to Christmas, I, blinded by the sheer genius that is the Western marketing strategy, adore the festive season. What's not to like about it?!

Sales, pretty lights, happy people (mostly), and, most importantly, holiday collections and packages.

I have some fabulous products to share with you all today, some make jaw-dropping gifts, and others make delightful stocking-fillers. Enjoy! :)



I'm going to start with fragrance - a classic gift whether or not it's the holidays. If you're buying for a younger, edgier crowd, then Balenciaga's Florabotanica will have them screaming for joy. The fragrance's spokesperson is one Kristen Stewart, the hottest thing on the silver screen at the moment, and this gift times in just right with the release of Kristen's latest movie, Breaking Dawn Pt 2.
If you're looking for a classier, older fragrance, L'Eau de Chloé is perfect. Its light, floral tones is perfect for a sunny Christmas, and the elegant packaging is to die for!





For skincare lovers, Kiehl's has released a new collection of body lotions, body cleansers, and fragrances, called their Aromatic Blends collection, featuring yummy scents like Orange Flower & Lychee, and Vanilla & Cedarwood - both of which I was lucky enough to be able to sample. They smell divine and last a very long time on the skin!







L'Occitane is one of my favourites when it comes to bodycare, and they do some beautiful Christmas packs. Their latest collections include the Magical Leaves collection, and the Marvellous Flowers collection. The Magical Leaves collection is fresh and tangy, whereas the Marvellous Flowers collection is more delicate and floral. Both smell fantastic, and you can be sure that they will be beautifully packed in Christmas-ready packs in store.






Jurlique always has some beautiful Christmas gift packs, so stop by their stores to have a look - you won't be disappointed! I highly recommend their Rose Moisture Plus range, which times out perfectly too, because after holiday partying and drinking, your loved ones are going to want to replenish the moisture in their skin! Check out my post on post-party skin savers here, and you might just find yourself wanting to purchase a pack for yourself too :)


Dermalogica is another brand that everyone wants to try - so many of their products have made it into the favourites of beauty editors and beauty bloggers across the world. A brand new offering from them is their ChromaWhite range, designed to target uneven skin and sun damage. The range is so well thought out and so complete, plus it comes packaged in a beautiful roll-up box, so it saves you the hassle of having to wrap it.


Anyone who knows anything about beauty knows of the iconic Shu Uemura eyelash curler, the beauty device that can do no wrong. This makes a fantastic stocking stuffer for women of almost any age, and comes in a limited edition gold design for Christmas, too. Lovers of all things kawaii can also purchase the new Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura curler, which comes with a little add-on dangle-chain with the adorable Mon Shu girl attached to it.


If you have an eco-conscious beauty lover in your family, then these brushes from Furless are the perfect gift. Entirely vegan friendly and fur-free, these brushes are soft, high-quality, and come in a pretty pouch for ease of travel. Available at furless.com.au.