Biore

Living in a year-round sunny country like Singapore, we need to protect our skin from the harmful rays of the sun! In fact even if it doesn't seem sunny that day, UV rays can still damage your skin.

With too much exposure to the sun you can face quite a few skin problems! The sun's rays can age your skin a lot, making it dryer & overall more tired-looking. Not to mention getting tanner!

Biore sent me some very useful products for daily use & they came just in time as I've been needing to replace some of my skincare products! I previously never really got to try Biore products other than their makeup removal wipes, which are pretty popular!

L-R: Biore makeup wipes, Biore Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover, Biore Aqua Rich Whitening Cream SPF 50+ PA+++ & Biore Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash

Particularly of interest is their new Biore Aqua Rich Whitening Cream!

This cream is a sheer sunscreen with SPF 50+ PA+++ for daily use!

I just got back from my summer trip to Europe! Aside from the usual summer sun, 2 of my destinations (Crete & Ibiza) were islands, meaning I spent a lot of time bumming at the beach!

The Biore Aqua Rich Whitening Cream would have been ideal for me because I had no interest whatsoever in tanning :X (yes... despite booking beach holidays haha)

I don't particularly wish to be darker & I know the sun causes things like spots & freckles, as well as accelerating scarring (if you have wounds or new scars, exposure to the sun will make the scar more obvious). Furthermore the literal "burning" sensation under the sun just kinda makes me freak out wondering what it's doing to my poor skin O.O

So yes, I actually made a very conscious effort to stay out of the sun!

At beaches I would always take daybeds in the shade. Even out & about in town I would lug along a big sunhat! And while people might use sunscreen (helps you tan safely), I was using sunblock. With an SPF of 75. LOL. SPF 75 is like... the highest I've ever heard of so far hahaha.

My 2 daily items against the sun!

I bought the sunhat the first day in Athens! I didn't even particularly like it (hate the bow) :/

But that's how desperate I was to stay out of the sun!

En route to the Acropolis:

Lugging the sunhat around despite it not being able to fit into my bag :/

*dedication*

Another day in Greece:

Spot the sunhat again... And me in the shade LOL.

And when I forgot to bring my sunhat out to the beach in Ibiza (we went every day)...

Hid my face in the shade of my bag...

A daily sunblock with SPF 50+ PA+++ (which is super high, *whoop whoop*) would have been great! I had my sunblock, but like most sunblocks it's super thick & kinda icky to apply to the face.

The Biore Aqua Rich Whitening Cream not only protects your skin from the sun with its SPF 50+ PA+++ protection, but also moisturizes & whitens your skin! So in terms of fairness, it both 1) prevents you from getting darker &) lightens your current skin tone over time! It contains natural extracts of Chamomile, allowing it to combat dark spots! At the same time the hyaluronic acid & citrus extracts in the cream help to hydrate & soften your skin.

Easy application! Dab on a small dot on each area & slowly spread it!

And done! The Biore Aqua Rich Whitening Cream is very light in texture & is instantly absorbed so it doesn't feel like anything is on your skin! It can also be used as a makeup base, all while protecting & nourishing your skin!

Below are some comparisons of texture between the Biore cream & my previous sunblock!

This is after a few quick wipes! The Biore Aqua Rich Whitening cream is noticeably thinner.

Do you recall the last time you applied sunscreen/sunblock & how ridiculously thick it feels? Ugh.

The Biore Aqua Rich Whitening cream is instantly absorbed due to its water capsule technology, which makes it feel like water on skin! It's easy to spread on your skin due to its watery texture.

My previous sunscreen/sunblock in contrast, doesn't get absorbed at all & remains a thick mess. 

It leaves my skin feeling greasy & uncomfortable :(

With the Biore Aqua Rich Whitening cream you don't have to worry about exposure to the sun! While moisturizing is important, protection from UV rays is equally so! I never really bothered when I was younger since I had the huh-I'm-not-going-tanning-what mentality, but in reality you need to protect your skin from the sun on a daily basis, not just when you intend to be outdoors a lot.

No more excuses for leaving your skin defenseless!

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Also tried out the other Biore products sent to me!

The Biore makeup wipes are already pretty popular & I have previously purchased them before!

On a daily basis you should use a normal makeup remover (such as their Aqua Jelly makeup remover), but this is really convenient for short overseas trips, makeup removal/touchup on-the-go & so on!

Tested it out against some common makeup items that tend to be more resilient when washing!

After just one wipe!

Removal of the right side of my face - liquid eyeliner, concealer & light eyeshadow + mascara

For daily usage, try the Biore Aqua Jelly makeup remover!

It has a really unique jelly-like texture & requires NO cotton pads/wipes!

Simply massage on gently to dissolve the makeup, & rinse off! Super convenient!

Wiping off the left side of my makeup now! You can see some of the dissolved makeup, which comes off immediately when I rinse my face!

Testing against the same makeup items...

Massage, dissolve, rinse off!

After removing your makeup, remember to wash your face with the Biore Marshmallow Whip facial wash! This one is extra moist; targeted at dry skin & that's great for me! I have combination skin but my cheeks can get really, really dry & overall I have more of a dry-skin issue than oily.

It's really super bouncy & fluffy! Quite fun to play with haha.

Pump & wash! :D

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Retail price: $18.90

Available at all major pharmacies & supermarkets!

You can also view the TV commercial of the NEW Biore Aqua Rich Whitening Cream SPF 50+ PA+++ here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhmzp0sNto8

By the way, did you know that Biore is the number 1 UV brand in Japan?

Their products targeted at UV protection are really popular among Japanese women!

P.S. When applying the Biore Aqua Rich Whitening cream, remember apply some to your neck & ear tips as well! These are commonly neglected areas that face a lot of sun damage!

Blues

Was feeling a bit down but was telling myself I really needed to get started on a draft I had due for a blog advertorial. And so I had to download a song-playing app (it's honestly pretty awesome by the way) for this advertorial. The first artist I searched randomly was... Selena Gomez. I know. *hides face* I could have picked something cooler but it was the first thing that popped into my head.

So next I tried to think of something "cooler" (so that you know, my readers will think I'm cool) & hopefully a song I didn't already have in my iTunes. What popped into my head next was the favourite band of someone... I used to be very close to. Naturally being close to this person meant I had heard these songs many times & quite liked them, but never got round to downloading them myself. So I searched the band & picked a song title that seemed familiar. What stunned me next was how hearing this song unleashed a crazy torrent of emotions. Mostly confusion at why this was happening. It's been quite a while. Didn't see where this was coming from at all. And I sat there & cried & didn't know why. Maybe even though you've both moved on & life continues, it's just jarring how a person can be practically your entire world for a period of time, & also disappear from it.

... Maybe also hormones. I shall blame it on hormones. There. Did I just kill it?

Pink Hair for Europe

Before I left for my trip to Europe (typing this from Ibiza!) I got my hair done at Salon Vim!

For enquiries & appointments, call: 

- 6884 7757 (313 @ Somerset) 

- 6837 0073 (Bugis) 

- 6732 9388 (Chez Vous @ Takashimaya) 

I had my dark roots done to match my current blonde hair (which I'm still not sick of yet, but my graduation ceremony is soon so... haven't quite decided what to do)

After touching-up & toning!

I decided to add even more colour to my head...

I asked my stylist, Stephanie, to give me pink & purple highlights!

Love it as well!

The pink ended up overshadowing the purple haha.

It was darker than I expected, but Stephanie assured me it would wash out/fade to a lighter pink (which was what I wanted), which it did over the course of my Europe trip!

My friend called it "My Little Pony hair"!

Spot a bit of purple!

And...

Below are pictures of my hair in non-salon-blow-dryed conditions!

My hair is in really good condition actually, it doesn't tangle or break easily or anything like that.

It's a bit dryer, but my hair has always been dry & flyaway so there isn't much difference to me.

And with my naturally wavy, now "rougher"-looking hair I've kinda gotten the beach bum hair look I've wanted before haha. You know there are products to give you that "sea spray hair" look?

And tutorials to make seawater to apply to your hair to give it that dry, sunkissed look haha.

First day in Istanbul! Pink still very prominent.

Slight fading in intensity already

Quite a few days later!

At the airport en route to Athens - light pink & purple

And one of our last days in Athens, taken by Viva Leng

After I went into the sea (during our stop in Athens) I noticed that the pink & purple faded considerably! So I guess the sun & saltwater made the color fade much faster, so avoid the beach if you're planning on crazy hair colours haha. But I'm really happy with my fun hair this summer!

Like I said, I still don't care what color looks best on me; I'd have done it anyway.

I wish I had more time to do something else (like my whole head O.O) but with my graduation & eventual work looming... I'm undecided :(

Would love to have more time to play around with my hair!

I love the length it's at now by the way; it reaches to the bottom of my back. Love it! Grow hair, grow!

* Quote my name to get 10% off all salon services on your first visit!

(not applicable with GSS Spring/Summer 2013 discount)

Zouk Flea

Floral collared top & skirt from Edence! 

I especially like the skater skirt with the laser cutout details at the bottom!

Quote "10OFF" to get 10% off your purchases!

*** *** ***

Another laser cut-out skirt! Easy to match & unique as well, I love the design of this piece!

Also available in navy, white & pink on Amebelle! Find them on Facebook as well!

Quote "sophie10" for 10% off :)

*** *** ***

Stretchy black dress from Dancing Circus! Every girl needs an LBD (little black dress) they say & this one has an interesting back! And it's stretchable so it's really comfortable to wear.

They're currently having sales with 20% off all regular priced items! Simply key in "greatDCsales"!

*** *** ***

Sold some of my stuff at a flea held by Jipaban (a.k.a Nuffnang) at Zouk!

It was kind of a rush because my house is undergoing renovations so I wanted to clear items before leaving for Europe for 3 weeks! Now I hope to have another flea when I get back :)

Anyhow, for those of you who came down you might have met my mom haha.

She was just going to drop me off at first but ended up staying all the way!

Another old friend of mine, Rachel, also came & helped me take some pictures:

I never really bother with racks or displaying my items anymore lol.

Too troublesome & it gets messed up quickly when people look through things!

So... just all lumped in my suitcase :/

Took pictures with some of the other bloggers down that day!

With Ben... (lol for a moment it sounded weird because I'm so used to "Typical Ben")

... and his brother Randy! 

That's their tshirt, which says Ben Ran Away (geddit?) & the funds were given to charity!

With Esther Xie!

And Meiting!

These pictures below were sent to me by here as well:

They asked the bloggers & staff (Maylene from Jipaban & Sofie from Zouk) to join in the clothes buffet! Basically you get one bag & rush to fill it with as many clothes as possible within one minute!

So those are our full bags & we were comparing to see who got more haha.

And last picture with Esther & Meiting!

Ok goodnight from Greece (Crete, to be exact)! My throat is killing me & there's no such thing as cooling water here :( And in fact I can't even find Strepsils O.O All the small things you miss when you travel... (like cotton buds haha) Bye bye!