Viva Woman

I received a sample of the John Varvatos Eau De Parfum in my mail last week and I was immediately struck by the pretty pink color of the perfume and the lovely shape of the bottle.  I don’t use fragrance frequently but I have been buying them on a regular basis for my mum who loves them.  Apart from the scent, I’ll buy the perfume if the packaging appeals to me because  I think a beautiful bottle and an enticing color makes a wonderful gift and will somehow enhance the whole user experience. 

What’s interesting to mention is that John Varvatos is an American contemporary fashion brand with its own range of skincare products and fragrances that caters to men and John Varvatos Eau de Parfum is actually the first women’s fragrance under the brand. 

Described as a classy fruity chypre, the fragrance is composed of Aromatic Grappa, Georgian apricot, damascus plum and golden mandarin.

The top note is then enriched with a warm unique floral heart-rubrum lilies, Indian mango blossom, Egyptian jasmine and Turkish rose attar conveying an unmistakable femininity and elegance. The rich background is pure sensuality oakmoss, patchouli, tonka beans and wild honey.

I’m no expert when it comes to perfumery but I certainly know a lovely fragrance when I come across one.  John Varvatos Eau de Parfum is definitely a feminine signature that brims with sweetness and sensuality.  The scent is fresh and light, yet the sweetness lingers on even after a couple of hours.  I had originally planned to pass this to my mum but after trying it for a few days, I’m thinking this is a keeper.

John Varvatos Eau de Parfum is available online from US$70 (1.6 oz) and those in US can enjoy free shipping. However, the international delivery charges are rather steep so it’s better to ship via vPOST if you’re thinking of ordering.

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice
_______________________________________________________

I store most of my skin care products in my bathroom, tugged away in a shelf away from direct sunlight.  I know it’s a cool place so I have no concerns that my products will degrade that easily. Recently however, I have been keeping my TDF C Scape Serum in the fridge because it contains Vitamin C and most vitamin-based skin care products have to be kept chilled.

In addition, preservative free items need to be chilled (not frozen!) to prevent bacteria from multiplying. I remember keeping a sample of an organic product in the bathroom and it degraded within a week after it was opened. But I have no problems with my other natural and organic skincare products being left in the bathroom shelf because these do contain some form of preservatives.

I also understand that those with eczema might benefit from skin care products that are kept in the refrigerator as the cooling will enhance their itch-relieving effect.

So do you girls keep any of your skin care products or cosmetics in the fridge? I know of some beauty addicts who even go to the extend of purchasing a special cosmetic fridge just to maintain their beauty regime!

Well, I guess while there’s no need to keep most of our beauty products in the fridge, there’s obviously no harm doing so. Some have even advised to keep perfume and nail polish so that they perform better and last longer although I have kept some of my nail polishes for a very long time in my cupboard and they’re still fine.

Anyway, here’s a practical tip I found that involves the refrigerator before I go: before you sharpen your eyebrow pencil, put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes. This firms up the center portion allowing you to sharpen it quickly without losing a lot of the material.

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice
_______________________________________________________

I am totally amazed with the new Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Wrinkle-Filling Eye Treatment.  Not because it reduced wrinkles around my eyes, but because it stimulated the growth of my eyelashes, and those on my lower eyelid are visibly longer and thicker just two weeks after applying this eye cream!  I know this sounds incredulous that an eye cream can stimulate the growth of eye lashes but I swear this is true.  I have not used anything else around my eye area or on my eyelashes except for my Lavera Eyegel but I’m very certain it was the Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Eye Treatment that was causing my eyelashes to grow because nothing had happened to them prior to my application of the Eucerin product.

Hyaluronic acid stimulates hair growth
I understand that hyaluronic acid is a jelly-like natural substance that fills the space between collagen and elastin fibres in our body and is said to play an important role in maintaining volume in our skin by plumping up the skin from the inside out and make it appear smooth with their enormous moisture binding capacitiy.  But I never knew about its connections with hair growth until I did further research online and found out that apparently, fragments of hyaluronic acid stimulate hair growth (source) and some shampoos like Kevis Shampoo even contain patented high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid to fight DHT(Dihydrotestosterone) which is responsible for about 95% of hair loss.

So using the new Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Eye Treatment actually grows my eyelashes!


Anti-wrinkle claims
Well, eyelashes aside,  I wish I can say that this eye treatment is also amazing at erasing the wrinkles around my eyes.  According to Eucerin, this is supposed to work immediately upon application, attracting moisture from the surrounding to plump up the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  This claim is definitely exaggerated for my case as I didn’t see an immediate result.  But, I can see this product delivering some positive results in the longer term to relieve some of my fine lines because I’m seeing a slight improvement to the area nearer to my nose bridge.

Texture and application
Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Eye Treatment feels fine and light even though it is in cream form.  I just have to dab about three small dots and that is sufficient to nourish my eye contour.  It feels warm and tingling upon application so you know it’s doing something to the skin.  And because of this, I’m not sure those with sensitive skin can tolerate the product.

I only use the product in the day because it is also said to contain SPF10 although I cannot see which ingredient delivers that. 

Ingredients:
Aqua, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, C18-36 Acid Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Cetyl Palmitate, Behenyl Alcohol, Methylpropanediol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glycine Soja, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Bis- Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Silica, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Trisodium EDTA, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylparaben, BHT, CI 77891, CI 77491

Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Eye Treatment is available at S$51 at both Guardian and Watson’s amd I’m rating the product 3 out of 5 hearts because even though it didn’t deliver immediately as promised, I now have longer and fuller eye lashes because of using it. 

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice
_______________________________________________________

Wanna spoil your mum on this coming Mother’s Day?  Then check out these five online stores running Mother’s Day handmade jewelry specials: 

- 40% Off Selected Exquisite Handmade Jewelry From Sanz Designs
- Unique Mother’s Day Jewelry Set From Novica
- The Succulent Wife Jewelry With Free shipping Over $50
- 20% Off Wishgiving Jewelry With Promo Code MOM08 Till May 5
- Georgie Designs Mother’s Day Jewelry Gift Ideas

Many of the handmade jewelry are beautiful and your mum will look lovely in them!

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice
_______________________________________________________

I have been wondering for weeks now about the difference between a toner, a toning mist and a facial spray and I think I have found the answer after reading Skin Type Solution by Leslie Baumann, M.D.  

Toners for oily skin
According to the author, toners are an unnecessary expense but those with oily skin may use them for refreshing or oil-control purposes.  However, those with rosacea, sensitive, dry and combination skin should steer clear of toners because toners usually have drying ingredients that remove lipids from the skin.  Instead of a toner, use a facial water which you can spray on your face immediately prior to applying an eye cream and moisturizer.  The moisturizer and eye cream will help trap the water on the skin, giving the skin a reservoir to pull water from.  And this is especially important in low-humidity environments such as in the winter air, on airplanes, in air-conditioning, or in windy locales.

Facial spray for sensitive skin
In addition, facial waters are more suitable for those with sensitive skin because the facial waters come from thermal springs and do not contain chemicals such as chlorine that are added to our tap water to keep it free from algae and other organisms.  In fact brands like Vichy and La Roche-Posay which produces facial waters containing sulfur and selenium are effective in treating eczema.

Gentle toner or toning mist for dry & combination skin
Actually I think those with dry or combination skin can still use certain toners or toning mist as long as they do not contain drying ingredients such as alcohol or menthol and are mild.  This is so because a key benefit of using toners is that it can hydrate, revitalize, soothe and balance the pH of the skin, literally relaxes and tones the pores preparing them to more effectively receive the benefits of the moisturizer.  

Toner and toning mist difference
And ingredients aside, I figured out the difference between a toner and a toning mist appears to be more of an application process where some might like to use the former as a last step to cleanse their face thoroughly while a toning mist is more for rehydration purpose. Hence, a very gentle toning mist with soothing ingredients is also suitable to calm the skin of those with sensitive skin.

Facial spray to set makeup
But whether you have oily, dry, combination or sensitive skin, I think everyone can do with a facial spray to keep our skin constantly refreshed.  They do not cost too much and you have various choices in the market to choose from; like Vichy Thermal Spa Water, La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, Shu Uemura Depsea Water and Evian Mineral Spray. 

And oh, they’re great for setting makeup as well!

© www.vivawoman.net copyright notice
_______________________________________________________