Hi!

Thanks for sharing your prized beauty tips! Have you ever tried other Vit C formulations by other brands? Is the Sisley product one of the rare few that do not irritate? I’ve tried a few Vit C products, and generally experience some problems with them, so I’m wondering how gentle the Sisley product is.

Also, where do you buy Paula’s Choice products in Singapore?

Thanks!!

Hi Violet,

You are most welcome!

Yes, I have tried other brands Vit C products and I have to say that Sisley is still the best so far. Although I have sensitive skin, I hardly get irritation from it, and I reckon is partly due to 2 reasons.

First, is the well formulated packaging and this in fact helps to stabilize the unstable Vit C. Secondly is the 5% concentration of Ascorbic Acid. Most of the Vit C serum of other brands contains 10-15%, so 5% is considered mild and gentle to the skin. So I love it.

You can purchase Paula’s Choice products online @
http://www.paulaschoice.com.sg/?a=ShirleenHo

Hi,

thanks for sharing your tips, I hardly ever drink that much water which is very bad for me but I do use alot of vit c products too.

Hi Shirleen ,

i using VIT CE (Skinceuticals) i feel that after using a quick long time the pore will become enlarge?I now stop using it .I plan try to use that Paula choice aha gel & the Anti aging serum , because after read your blog i very intersted to try .

Hi Bee,

Hope you like them.

Hi Shirleen,

Your blog is really great! Thanks for sharing and reviewing all these products. I’m also going to try Paula’s choice Antioxidant serum. I would like to ask your opinion on moisturizer that has sunblock properties? Is it ok to use it as a combined cream or it’s better to separate them?

Hi Yvonne,

It is definitely ok to use a moisturizer with sunscreen ingredients. It is suitable for people who is afraid of oily finish. It is better than not wearing any sunscreen.

But for me, even after applying moisturizer with sunscreen protection, I will still prefer to top it up with a sunblock. I apply generously on cheek and near the eye areas. To eliminate the oiliness of my face, I will brush some loose powder on it.

Dear Shirleen,

Thank you so very much for sharing your beauty secrets.

Most important of all, thank you for your blog.

Hi Paris,

You are most welcome, is my pleasure!

Thank you for visiting my blog again!

Hi Shirleen

Please advise if my daily skincare regime is in the correct order:-

AM
Cleanser>SK-II Treatment Essence>Sheer Secret Regenerating & Refirming Serum>SR Defense Day Cream SPF 30>BB Cream

PM
Cleansing Oil>Cleanser>SK-II Treatment Essence>Habo Labo Hydration Lotion>Sheer Secret Regenerating & Refirming Serum>Elizabeth Arden ANR
I find that my skin does not feel hydrating enough… do i have to use a night moisturizer after ANR?

Cheers!

Hi Annie,

The day regime is correct.

For the night, it’s quite tricky. The procedure seems alright to me.

Although the SK-II Treatment Essence is actually a serum and Hada Labo is a lotion, therefore lotion should come first before serum but I will use the same as you do. Because I find that SK-II is much dilute (as compare to Hada Labo) and seems like a lotion, I use it with a cotton pad and rub it on my skin to remove the dirt that my cleanser missed. And I follow with Hada Labo (which is thicker in texture) and pour 2 drops on my palms, rub my palms and pat on my face till almost dry.

Yes you should use a night moisturizer to seal up the nutrients and moisture into the skin. For more hydration, use a hydrating mask twice a week. It is advisable to exfoliate the dead skin cells before you go for the mask, to allow a better penetration of the nutrients into the skin.

You are indeed a beauty guru!
Great to chance upon your blog… I’ve learnt so much more from your blog.
Another thing is, is the Sheer Secrets Defense Day Cream SPF 30 good enough? I am not using any other sunblock.
Thanks for your advice!

Hi Annie,

If you are concerned on skin oilliness then Sheer Secrets Defense Day Cream SPF 30 should be good enough for you.

But for me, I’m more kiasu, after my SPF moisturizer, I will still layer with sunblock (focus on cheekbone areas) and follow with a thin layer of loose powder on my face. Prevention is better than cure….hee hee………..

Thanks Shirleen for the quick reply!
But I’ve read somewhere that layering sunblock might be useless because let’s say you are using a SPF 30 moisturizer, and you layer with another sunblock of SPF 30, it will not add up. It will only take the maximum SPF, which in this case, still boils down to SPF. Unless your sunblock is SPF 50, then it will take the higher SPF, which is the sunblock, not the SPF 30 moisturizer….correct me if I am wrong..will you be reviewing on Sheer Secrets products?

Thanks for the prompt reply Shirleen.
I have read somewhere that layering of sunscreen is not an option.
Example, if you apply a sunscreen of SPF 30 and then a moisturizer with SPF 15, you’re not increasing SPF protection. The SPF you get, is the one provided by the highest sunscreen you applied. In this case, 30.
Just sharing with you want I have learnt…

Hi Annie,

Yes, it’s true that it wouldn’t add up the SPF with both products.

The reason for me topping up with sunscreen not because I want a higher SPF but to make sure I have sufficient sun protection for my skin. Many doctors have claimed that we need to apply at least 50 cents amount of sunscreen on the face. There will not be enough sun protection if too little is applied. Niu Er from Nu Ren Wo Zui Da even suggests that we should apply 3 layers of sunscreen with amount of 50 cents each layer.

Hence I would not be comfortable if I only apply moisturizer with SPF. I will only do that unless I’m at home. Even if I know I will be out under the sun for just 5 minutes, I will not leave without sunscreen no matter what.

Interesting thing is that, some beauty books I have read share different point of view. Some doctors feel that moisturizer with SPF may not have sufficent sun protection hence a sunscreen is a must whilst some think that mixing both moisturizer with sunscreen will make the sunscreen less effective.

I have recently read the book by Dr Murad and he has claimed that the SPF is not the important factor to choose a good sunscreen. SPF15 means your skin will start to get burn if you stand under the sun for 150 minutes. SFP30 = 300 minutes and SPF 50 = 500 minutes. In fact, he has also claimed that the higher the SPF, the least protection it will provide to your skin.

Is Sheer Secrets products really good, I yet to try one.

Hi Shirleen

After 2 weeks of using Sheer Secrets, the condition of my face has turn flow glowing to dull. Guess I am allergic to one of the ingredients. And the eye cream cause my eye area to sting, so badly that the area around my eyes have become rough… I guess one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

Hi Annie,

Oh dear! Thanks for sharing your bad experience. I have to wary about this brand now.

Hi Shirleen

I went back to Sheer Secrets counter, and the SA after analyzing my skin, told me that I could be allergic to the eye cream (it contains something which is similar to botox treatment)which was too strong for my sensitive skin. The defense day cream which is SPF 30 is also not suitable for me because it is broad spectrum. She allow an exchange of their collagen Advanced Treatment cleanser. She advised me the following procedure - cleanser–secret water–regenerating&refirming serum–recovery night cream. I was to get back to her on my progress. After trying out for a few days, my skin improved drastically.
The eye area has totally recovered, so is my cheeks. So now, I would gladly recommend the rest of Sheer Secrets Products, except for the eye cream and SPF defense Day Cream if you have sensitive skins. What is important is that the staff of SS is really helpful. They didnt brush me off and instead, gladly help me with my allergies and even do an exchange for the products which are not suitable for me. Thumbs up!

Hi Annie,

Sounds like you have very sensitive skin. It’s glad they allow for the product exchange and at least your $$ will not be wasted.

Hi Shirleen,

Recently, I went for Fancl Skin Conselling and found out that I have combination skin that is very dry on the outside and oily inside, with extremely bad case of clogged pores due to my teenager years bad pimples. Hence recently I took up a facial for extraction at Rappellez. You stated that microdermabrasion is better, so what is the big difference?

Hi Sharon,

Extraction facial is not very good for skin as it may hurt the skin tissue if it is not done properly. I will definitely opt for microdermabrasion. It is a more effective way to remove dead skin cells instead of extraction. The different is that extraction is done using fingers whilst microdermabrasion is using a machine.

Your skin - very dry on the outside and oily inside is due to dehydration. The best remedy is to moisture your skin with hydrating products.

thanks for this great post!! After reading this I will cut down on my facial but I really like the massage. Anyway where do I get to do ipl?

Hi SY,

You can try IPL at Wen & Weng Medical Group. Look for Dr Chee.

Hi, are you still going for the microdemabrasion at Bella? Can’t seem to find that treatment in their website. Do you know where can I find this treatment?
Thanks

Hi RC,

In fact Microdermabrasion is still available at Bella although it doesn’t feature on the site. Look for Angie at Bella Orchard (International Building) and she can assist you.

Hi Shirleen,

I chanced upon your blog and really like the beauty information and reviews you have provided. Im keen to incorporate the following to my daily regime. Can u advise if the order is correct? Thanks

Day:
cleanser
toner
Paula’s choice 2% BHA Gel
Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion
Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Essence
Paula’s Choice Resist Remarkable Skin Lightening Lotion
Paula’s Choice Super Antioxidant Conc Serum
Moisturizer
Sunscreen

Night:
cleanser
toner
Paula’s choice 8% AHA Gel
Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion
Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Essence
Paula’s Choice Resist Remarkable Skin Lightening Lotion
Paula’s Choice Super Antioxidant Conc Serum
Moisturizer

Is the above excessive such that I shld only use the antioxidant in the day and the Skin lightening lotion at nite?

Hi Cherine,

Yes, I will advise you to only use Skin LIghtening Lotion at night and instead of using on the whole face, you should only use it on the dark spots areas. This product is pretty strong and it will cause sun sensitivity therefore day usage should be avoided.

Since Skin Lightening Lotion is only used on spots areas, you may wanna switch the PC Antioxidant Serum with Skin Lightening Lotion. The rest are fine.

For day regimen - to remove Skin Lightening Lotion.
For night regimen - to switch Skin Lightening Lotion and PC Antioxidant Serum.

Thanks so much for the prompt reply and advise! Much appreciated.

In fact I went gaga over the products you recommended in your blog and came back with bags of goodies today to indulge my skin with! Hopefully that can bring back my youth in no time. =)

Hi Cherine,

LOL!! You really make my day! I feel honored to have you as my reader. Thanks for coming back again

Hi Shirleen,
Chanced upon yr blog and was so happy to be able to find lots of info here

I have combination skin… can you pls share with me if I shld use AHA or BHA?

Thanks

Hi Joey,

I’m glad you have find something useful here.

For combination skin, you can use BHA.

You are right, having a good lifestyle ca affect skin reflection.. You must take care of yourself and watch your diet.

Thanks!
Carmiex @ how to get rid of pimple marks

Shirleen, have you ever tried ultrasonic/ Ion/ LED light face massager which are very popular in Japan and Taiwan now? Are they effective?

Hi Doreen,

I’m now using the BBS Care Pro(5000P) Ultrasonic Massager from Korea. Yes I can see amazing result, love it!

Hi shirleen. Where do you buy Sisley Phyto-Blanc Clearing Essence with Vitamin C from?

Hi Lisa,

You can buy it at any of the Sisley counters at Takashimaya, Robinsons Centrepoint or Metro Paragon.

thanks for the quick reply! appreciate it