Viva Woman

Makeup for me is not so much to look prettier, but rather, to look younger.  Hence, part of the process involves concealing.  To tell you the truth, I didn’t pay much attention to concealing my under-eye dark circles until recent years.  But as soon as I did, I realized the amazing effect it had.  It helped me to look more awake and much fresher!  At least I no longer have the problem of people remarking that I constantly look tired. 

I hope the picture above does some justice to what I’ve stated.  As you can see, the first picture shows me without any concealer.  Second picture is where I’ve dabbed on some powder concealer.  The last one is where I have my foundation layered on top of my concealer.

At the moment, I alternate between YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch and Everyday Minerals Multi-tasking Concealer, depending on my fancy.  I’ve been applying the concealer not just under my eyes but around it, particularly on the hollow sides of my nose (the spot next to the eye socket) because I noticed that the sides were rather dark as well.   What I didn’t know until I read Bobbi Brown’s Living Beauty is that doing so actually helps to open up our eyes and make them look brighter. 

I was also glad to find out from Bobbi Brown that we shouldn’t line our lower lash line or apply mascara to the lower lashes because that would draw more attention to our bad under-eye dark circles.  I don’t do both so that works in my favor.

And according to Bobbi Brown, the best way to brighten up extremely dark under-eye dark circles is to start with a pink or peach toned corrector, then layer on with a yellow-toned concealer.  She also suggested to keep the focus on the upper part of the eyes.

Maybe I’ll experiment with Benefit Eye Bright which is pink and see if it works with my current concealer.  If it does, I’ll report back again.

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An irritating and somewhat ugly milia seed has grown on my right eyelid and it was such an eyesore.  Was, because I finally had it removed yesterday.  Before I share with you how I got rid of it, let me first discuss what is a milia seed and how I got one growing my eyelid.  More importantly, I’ll also discuss how we can possibly prevent milia seeds from growing around our eye area.

According to information obtained from the National Skin Centre in Singapore, milia seeds are white or yellowish white skin growths often seen on the eyelids or temple. Sometimes referred to as superficial keratinous cysts and are also called oil seeds by some, most of them are small, hard and resemble millet seeds, but newly formed ones can be soft and look like a pimple without an opening.

Although the experts have said that milia seeds represent obstructed sweat ducts and hence are not caused by rich creams, I tend to think otherwise.  Based on my experience, rich eye cream do cause the growth of milia seeds around the eyes and I believe this is because the cream is too rich to be fully absorbed and hence clogging up the sweat ducts.  However, having said that, I also want to qualify that for some people, the growth of milia seeds could be due to genetic reasons and has nothing to do with the products they use.  In addition, milia seeds can also grow on other parts of the face, apart from the eyelids but it’s usually the eyelids that has the most due to the skin texture.

So how can we prevent milia seeds from growing around our eyelids or eye area?

First and foremost, check your eye cream.  The skin around our eye region is really delicate.  I would never recommend that you use your normal facial moisturizer on your eye area.  It could be too rich.  Even for eye creams, you got to check that it is not overly emollient that it cannot be absorbed into your skin quickly.  I made the mistake many years ago of getting one eye cream that was too rich and end up with some tiny seeds below my eyes.  Fortunately, I discovered in time and stopped using the eye cream.  Since then, I’ve been very very careful about what I apply around my eye area.

You should be using an eye cream that is light enough to penetrate easily into your eye area.  If you think your eye cream is too rich, switch to an eye gel instead.  Unlike eye creams which are more nourishing, eye gels are usually cooler and created to reduce dark circles, puffiness and tiredness. They are in fact most suitable to be used during the day when our eye area tend to accumulate more sweat and dirt.  You can actually keep your eye cream for the night since we tend to perspire less in the night when sleeping.

And very important, don’t use oil around your eye area.  I’m quite certain the milia seed on my right eyelid was a result of my application of rose hip oil around the area.  Although the instructions said the oil can be applied on the entire face, you’re best steering it clear from your eye area.  The oil may not be so fine to be absorbed well and as a result, causing the growth of milia seeds.  So now, when applying my rose hip oil, I make sure I do not apply around the eye area at all.  Hence, be careful what you apply around your eye area.  Your oil cleanser and eye makeup remover could be too oily too!

So how did I finally had that irritating milia seed on my right eyelid removed without leaving any scarring?  I could have gone for a laser treatment but I didn’t.  I could have approached a beauty therapist to remove it for me but I didn’t.  Well, I actually removed it on my own with the sharp end of a needle.  That’s how the beauty therapists do it anyway but it’s not something I’ll recommend anyone to do it unless you’re really confident and comfortable about it.  Moreoever, my milia seed was newly formed and had not hardened.

But if you have milia seeds on your eye area that has hardened somewhat, I would suggest that you consult a dermatologist or seek professional assistance to remove them through treatments including application of special medication or surface laser.

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I’m hopeless with eyeliner application.  Lucky thing I have quite a big pair of eyes so I can do without it most of the time.  But I could certainly do with a proper lesson and the basic eyeliner tutorial with pencil, cream/gel or liquid made recently by blogger Michelle Phan is just excellent.

The girl emphasizes the importance of using smaller strokes for a better line quality whatever the type of eyeliner used.  This allows better control in terms of the thickness of the application and minimizes possibilities of making mistakes. 

I like her tip about using a Q-tip to gently create a taut eye rather than pulling the eyes which is likely to cause premature sagging and wrinkles.  In addition, the Q-tip is also great for blending and fixing mistakes.  It’s also interesting to see how Michelle uses her angled brush to make small even dabs and strokes when using her cream/gel eyeliner. 

Her tutorial is easy to follow and always refreshing.  Just background music, simple illustrations, words on the screen followed by a demonstration.   And she’s really beautiful!

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Gigi Lai (黎姿), a popular Hong Kong artiste is the ambassador for Bio-Essence, a full range of skincare products from Singapore based L.D. Waxson.  You may have seen her recent commercial endorsing Bio-Essence 24K Bio-Gold Eye Care Twin Treasures which promises to double the effects of lifting eye bags and droopy lids through the traditional use of gold in skincare, combined with ingredients Bio Energy Fluid and Bio Rice Fermentation Essence.

There’s been an emerging trend of gold or silver being used in beauty products, including those from the leading brands.  Gold has apparently been traditionally used by ancient beauties to preserve their youth and Bio-Essence 24K Bio-Gold is said to have these specific benefits:

• Stimulates blood and oxygen circulation and cell metabolism to aid in the skin’s oxygen intake and removal of toxins from the skin.
• Prevent the formulation of fine line and wrinkles plus improve skin elasticity through its powerful anti-aging properties.
• Replendishes minerals for revitalized and rejuvenated skin.
• Promotes skin’s natural repair processes by increasing cell renewal and preventing free radical damage.
• Gives a natural glow and brightens complexion for a youthful look.

Bio-Essence 24K Bio-Gold Eye Care Twin Treasures come in the form of an Anti-Dark Circles Essence at S$43.50 and Eye Contour Lifting Serum at S$59.50.  The gold flakes in the lifting serum are quite visible and I was told that they will be full absorbed into the skin upon application.  And since the products are rather new, I haven’t been able to read up any reviews as yet though I’m rather doubtful that they’ll bring any miraculous results.

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