In my recent post about Hada Labo available in Singapore, there were a few comments about where the products are made. I’ll address that when I review the products but from the comments, it’s quite obvious that the preference is for the products to be made in Japan over made in China as those coming from the former is perceived to be of better quality since it’s the country the brand originated from. I’m not sure if this is true but come to think about it, I do prefer my skin care products to be imported from the country of origin.

Most of you must be familiar with the world-famous 3-step skin care system, especially that promoted by Clinique, which comprises three products – a facial or liquid facial soap to cleanse, a clarifying lotion to exfoliate and a lotion to moisturize – twice a day. I remember using their three products in my early 20s. However, is the 3-step skin care approach still relevant today? Are three products really sufficient to meet the needs of our skin of any age? On a basic level, shouldn’t sunscreen or a moisturizer with SPF be added as one of the skin care products? Perhaps the 3-step skin care approach is relevant for night usage but even then, it’s more applicable to those in their teens or early 20s without any other skin concerns because if you’re above 25, a treatment product may need to be introduced, whether it is for anti-aging or skin brightening or just to fight free radicals.

Whilst growing up, many of us in Asia would have had our moms telling us the stuff to avoid when we are menstruating. Initially I thought it was just the Chinese but I’ve also come across Filipinos who are even more vigilant about these. So here I look at some of them based on my memory and experience. Do note that I’m not going to examine the medical evidences behind them so some of them are going to sound pretty ludicrous.