Archive for the ‘Beauty’ Category

beautiful eyes *blink*blink*

Friday, September 4th, 2009

This will be debatable but given how many different types of eye creams I’ve tried in my time, to me, the la prairie cellular eye contour cream has to be the BEST eye cream yet. Trust me, I don’t make this statement lightly, given none has worked for me in the past. I’ve just put up with the ordinary (and my eye bags got bigger and darker, and now the fine lines are slowly invading too), until I found this gem.

A colleague recommended the la prairie eye cream to me, claiming its effects are instantaneous and that it’s the best she’s ever, ever tried. Her mom invested in la prairie since she was in her 30’s and apparently she is often referred to as my colleague’s sister than her mom. (fyi – my colleague is roughly 35).

I must confess though, I had my doubts. After all, it is very costly and could magic really exist in a tiny jar from Switzerland? I gave it the benefit of the doubt though and googled for reviews on the product. To my surprise, despite the price, and every review I read talks about its cost, almost everyone said they wouldn’t use any other and that the results were almost immediate. I was almost moved by the level of devotion to this product.

It is also interesting to note that la prairie does have a top-of-line ‘caviar’ line (yes, caviar. I would prefer to eat it but I suppose some likes the caviar nutrition on their skin?!) but few reviews focus on the caviar line, probably because it’s almost inaccessible at its price point and those who can afford it can’t be bothered writing about it. Anyways, my point is that la prairie’s Cellular Eye Contour Cream appears to be their most popular and most classic line of eye cream that has been favoured and adored by many of my peers for many, many years.

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Given the wedding is almost upon us, I allowed myself a bit of luxury and justified the purchase by saying I need to look gorgeous on my big day.. (I’ve been doing a lot of justification lately.. ha!) That was 12 days ago. Verdict? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! I am not someone who recommend something that doesn’t work or I have a personal bias towards so trust me, it is miraculous!

Its texture is luscious and it claims to “maintain (one’s) skin’s ideal moisture level, guarding against future dryness and dehydration”, and I really think it does. I noticed a distinct brightness under my eyes the next morning and the area under my eyes has certainly become more supple, the hydration is truly amazing, and even lines have slowly faded away. Honestly, I do not lie. Even Ben noticed!!

But don’t expect it to be wrinkle/fine line free. It’s not botox after all, but if you are after something to brighten your skin, keep the contour of your eyes beautifully moisturised and supple, I think you must, must give la prairie a try. It is expensive, $175! And the jar is tiny, but after using it 24 times (day & night), I’ve barely scratched the surface of the cream. My colleague said a jar lasts around 4-5 months.

No, la prairie doesn’t pay me to write this nor do I get any kind of perks from doing so, I just want to share my amazing find with you. And c’mon, we all need it… some more than others I guess. (Me being the ‘some’!)

x

gel vs acrylic nails

Friday, August 7th, 2009

I feel for my hubby-to-be. I mean, he is the co-owner of this blog yet I hog it with posts on dresses, shoes, and now nails! What has the poor man got to put up with next? Ummm…

Ok, it’s so close to the big day now I need to start looking after my nails. I thought about just getting a manicure and french polish a day or two before the day but knowing me, something will go horribly wrong and my nails won’t end up looking as they should on the big day.

Artificial nails….
The problem is I dislike acrylics because most of the time they are done poorly and hideous looking. In truth, I just think they look so fake, not to mention chunky and not very elegant. I was told if you go to a good technician, the effect is a lot more natural but seriously, not only does one need to go to the trouble of finding a ‘good’ technician, acrylics also take forever to grow out and harsh on natural nails (mind you, it’s not as if any other artificial alternatives wouldn’t, but I just have a thing against acrylics.. ha!)

The other alternative is gel nails. Lucy, who has tried both, suggested that gel is a more natural looking and a not-so-harmful alternative, so I did some investigation. To me, the main difference and the only difference that should matter (on the biggest day of my life so far) is the appearance of the final product and from looking at many google images after searching for ‘gel nails’ and ‘acrylic nails’, there is no question gel nails look a whole lot nicer! They are also a lot thinner. You can do some gorgeous nail art too, though I am not sure about sporting them for the big day.

Don't worry, my nails won't look like these on the big day!! ^^

Don't worry, my nails won't look like these on the big day!! ^^

There are, of course, as with everything, disadvantages with gel nails too. First, they are more costly and they aren’t as tough as the acrylics and can still peel off, taking (I read on one blog) a few layers of natural nails with it (sounds yikey!). I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons though, don’t you? The question now is, where should I get them done?

Let me know if you’ve tried artificial nails and what you think of them. And/Or if you’ve any recommendations on where I should go to get gel nails done.

x