Viva Woman

I’ve never been a fan of Korean skincare or cosmetics but I have to concede that their ladies are beautiful.  I know many will say that it is because of the prevalence of using plastic surgery in the country but let it be know that many Korean women are also born with fairer skin as well as more prominent and elegant noses.

Many years ago I remember that their makeup tend to be heavy, especially using dark colours to accentuate their lips.  However, it seems that they’re now more versatile.  To have an idea on the current Korean look,  just watch Jeon Ji Hyun in the 6 mins long Laneige Makeup Stand CM to see how she gets transformed from a working girl to a party girl using the gamut of Laneign’s makeup products. 

Laneige, if you don’t already know, is the number one cosmetic brand in Korea and carries a range of water-based hydration care and trendy makeup.   Their Water Sleeping Pack Plus, a supposedly feather-light leave-on gel mask applied just before bedtime, for example, is quite a hot favourite. 

If you’re in your late teens to mid thirties, Laneige products may suit you.  To find out more about their masks and newer products, check out their website at www.laneige.com.

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ImOlive is another Korean brand that has hit our shores.  I was attracted to the fact that their products uses extra virgin olive oil.  The packaging looks neat too.  Naturally being a hand cream addict, I tested their Golden Olive Water Drop Essence Hand Cream first.

Unfortunately I can’t rave about it because it doesn’t quite meet my expectations.

This formula is water based, so it’s quite natural that it feels watery and diluted.  However, while it isn’t richly creamy to the touch but upon application, I find my palms feeling somewhat sticky even though the cream absorbs rather quickly.  I had to wait for quite a while before the stickiness disappears but afterwards, I get a matt feel on my hands.  

If you’re read some of my earlier reviews about other brands of hand creams, you will know that I dislike having my hands feel matt altogether.  I like it smooth and supple but this one doesn’t meet those requirements even though it is supposed to be enriched with Vitamin E and polypenols on top of its extra virgin olive oil.

Fragrance wise, it is very light with a fruity tinge.  So that’s a plus there.

Additionally, the 80ml is being sold at S$12 at major pharmacies and department stores.  Considering the ingredients within the formula, this is actually quite a fair price.  So I would give that another point.

But definitely, I would rather spend my money trying out their other products the next time.

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I bought the Skinfood Apple Whitening Essence and Apple Whitening Emulsion some months back and didn’t really have a chance to use it more consistently until these two months.  They kept being shelved in favour of new and more interesting products.  Frankly, at the point of purchase, I didn’t really think these stuff would help lighten up pigmentation for me or brighten up my face that much.  I bought them well, out of the need to gratify myself really.

And I’m right in terms of my expectations.  These stuff can’t really help with whitening already darkened spots.  But, they’re lovely to use and score on their great fragrance.  I’m quite a stickler about smell, so they’ve got me hooked in that aspect.  Vegetable and fruity fresh is how I would describe the fragrance.  Probably as a result of its infusion of cucumber, acerola and apple extract, as well as arbutin which is supposed to make skin clearer and brighter.

While they don’t really perform in terms of whitening for me, they work well as normal moisturiser.  The texture is very light and is easily absorbed without any trace of greasiness.  I like that feel very much. Usually I use the Apple Whitening Essence alone, although at times, depending on my fancy, I may slap some of the emulsion on as well.

The Apple Whitening Emulsion was something I bought by mistake because I thought it was the toner.  The 160ml is huge, so I use some of these stuff on my hands sometimes.  Again, the texture is very light, a tad lighter than the essence.   And I also like the fact that they use a glass bottle instead of a plastic bottle to contain the emulsion as glass is better for natural ingredients.

I would say if you’re looking at this line, don’t expect too much in terms of whitening.  Overall brightening yes.  And perhaps evening out the skin tone too.  But don’t pin your hopes on having your freckles or pigmentation lightened.  I’m not convinced that using the entire range will help much either.

The 50ml Skinfood Apple Whitening Essence is S$31.50 while the 160ml Apple Whitening Emulsion is $30.  Also available is the Apple Whitening Toner and Apple Whitening Cream for around the same price.  Find out more at http://skinfood.sg.

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Grace Park, not to be confused with the golf champion with the same name, is a sexy and tough young actress of Korean, Canadian and American background. She is mostly known for playing Lt. Sharon “Boomer” Valerii on the highly acclaimed, highly rated SCI FI Channel series Battlestar Galactica, now in its third season.

Born March 14 1974 in Los Angeles, California, Grace and her family moved to Canada when she was 22 months old. Grace holds a degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia and speaks English and Korean fluently, along with some French and Cantonese.  She is now studying Spanish and is said to live in Vancouver with her husband, real estate developer Phil Kim.

Grace in and of herself is an interesting cultural study… And while she is proud to be Asian, it seems she didn’t realize how much would be put on her by Asian Americans because she is Asian. Fans of the show may very well see echoes of this through the character she plays — a cylon who grapples with the expectations of her own kind and the humans she has come to empathize with.

Excerpt taken from Audrey Magazine.

Grace’s stardom appears to be on the rise.  Not only was she named number 93 in Maxim Online’s 2006 Hot 100 List, she has also been confirmed to play Lt. Sandra Telfair in Electronic Arts’ Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars.

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Check out these wholesome range of skin and body care under Skin Food!  Made with nutritious ingredients like milk, rice, black sugar, coffee, oat grain, snow tea, royal jelly, red ginseng and even red wine extract.  Totally yummy for your skin!

You can find just about everything to pamper yourself from their deliciously exquisite range.  From rice scrubs, yogurt masks, milk lotions, apple whiteners to ginseng foundations and honey lip treatments, they have just about everything for your face and body.

The Skin Food hails from Korea and is now available in Singapore at Marina Square and Raffles City.  If you’re young with average skin type, this range will suit you in terms of their quality and affordable prices.  For older women like me, go for their basic range like cleansers, body lotion and hand creams. 

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