Getting Highlights At J&J Hair Identity Salon

For someone who's never had her hair dyed at all in 22 years of her life, I was thrilled to be invited down to J&J Hair Identity Salon for a hair treatment / makeover of my choice. Granted that I did have a choice of going all unicorn-mermaid with pastels and whatnots, I still decided to play it safe by just trying a different hair colour out with simple blonde highlights. Since I already had natural chestnut brown hair, the 'base colour' was kinda settled and all I had to do was... hope that the stylists at J&J's delivered great results.

And they did! Here's my hair after highlights:

I will put this out there: I was really quite expecting an ashier tone to the blonde strips instead of the more yellow-hued shade, and I do need some time getting used to having a new colour in my mane (it's my first hair dye experience after all), but the colour does grow onto you over time. I also just realised that I wasn't given the choice of choosing which shade of blonde I wanted to go — the hairstylist jumped straight in. It was overall a really pleasant experience though. J&J, if you're reading this, I'm more than happy to head back to your salon for a different shade of highlight anytime soon ~

My session only took two hours, which was nothing compared to the girls who had to sit in the salon for nine hours straight. But that said, service was still great — I was informed of whatever was being done to my hair, from the first to the last step, something that I really appreciated for a first-timer.

The dyes being used at J&J's are from Natulique, an organic hair dye brand that's ammonia-free and environmentally friendly. And it's true, come to think of it, I never smelt anything remotely chemical / foul-smelling during my session, and even when I'm bleaching my hair.


via GIPHY
What was the most pleasant part of my treatment was actually the hair wash. My hair stylist had such magic fingers — she gave me one of the best scalp massages that I've ever gotten from any salon, and I could've fell right asleep while she gently washed my hair clean. It was a beautifully pleasant experience and I'd highly recommend J&J's, should you want a pamper sesh for your scalp.

L - in the process of bleaching / R - after washing hair

I then got a quick trim to even out my hair ends, and got my tresses curled before leaving the salon. Everything was done efficiently, and the stylists who attended to me knew exactly what they were doing. I found that really important because I've had hair stylists who seem... lost when they were explaining thing to me / proceeding on the next step which y'know, can never be a good thing because they may potentially screw up your hair!!! But nothing of that sort at J&J's.

The ambience of the place was tranquil and bright. It contributed to a peaceful feeling that has the ability to lull you into a snooze should you be staying at the salon for long, and generally just puts your soul at ease while the hair stylists work their magic.

J&J Hair Identity Salon is located on level 2 of Katong Square Mall. Prices range from $25 for a wash and blow, to $328, for a cut+perm/rebond. Check out their Facebook page for more information, and their Instagram account for some of their past works on satisfied customers.

This entry is brought to you by Samplestore, in collaboration with J&J Hair Identity Salon.

Beauty Keeper / Taiwan's Most Innovative Beauty Products

If there's anything that you should know about me, is that I love skincare, and I don't discriminate. Western, Korean, Japanese, and even Taiwanese (admittedly my least used), I am game to try anything, as long as it promises me soft, supple and kissable skin.

Asian skincare products are my most used, well, firstly because I'm Asian myself and these products are likely to be formulated to work best on #teamazn. Current favs are Hada Labo (been using this shiz since forever and it has never failed me) and Laneige, a relatively recent obsession. Shame on me, though, for not using much Taiwanese products though, and I will fully confess that the reason is because I honestly do not know what are the best ones out there.

I mean, if you're gonna spend moolah on it, you'd want to go for something that's already been tried and tested, right? I know places like SaSa has tons of imported Taiwanese products but you're never really sure which are the best ones unless a trusted (and I emphasise trusted) beauty influencer recommends or you get to pick from sites that actually curates the best of the best.

And that's exactly what Beauty Keeper Taiwan does. They curate some of the most innovative Taiwanese beauty products in the market for consumers who are looking for smart beauty and skincare.

I have with me today, a selection of skincare of products that was most kindly sent to me by SampleStore and I'm thrilled to finally get my hands on some of the best Taiwanese skincare. I've tried a couple of items for a few days now and have mostly not been disappointed.

From top left, clockwise:
1. Ethel AHASource of Citric Acid Tablet
2. Sevynal Brightening and Firming Repair Mask
3. VitaLab Perfecting Revitalising Elixir
4. Jandan Rose Facial Essence

Let's get right into it:-

Jandan Rose Facial Essence

If it's one thing that I'm particularly impressed about this toner water is the subtle rose fragrance that comes with it. Now I don't really care for scents, especially when it comes down to skincare because they kinda irritate me. Especially lavender scents.

This one, however, smells really fresh — almost like a fresh bouquet of roses. It's quite soothing I must say. The toner itself performed well too, it is lightweight and got absorbed quickly into my skin.  Skin felt hydrated and refreshed after. There was no sticky feeling after patting the liquid in, which is always a plus point.

As its name suggests (Jan Dan meaning 'simple' in Mandarin), the toner is packed with natural ingredients — a whole 46% of it in fact, and the remaining 54% being water. Use it in your daily skincare regime for brighter skin, or as a light moisturiser for days when not much makeup is needed.


VitaLab Perfecting Revitalising Elixir 

Okay, those of you who still have that common misconception by thinking that products that promise to "reduce fine lines" are only for middle aged women, throw that thought out now. Not having fine lines does not mean that we can't use such products; in fact religious application only serves to protect the skin longer against wrinkles. Nobody says no to that, right?

The cream felt very much like any other creme products. It was relatively light, and did not have any particular scent to it. It did, however, took some time before being fully absorbed into my skin. But that might be due to the heavier consistency of the product, and also the fact that only a small amount is needed to be used on problem areas.


Sevynal Brightening and Firming Repair Mask

I love sheet masks!!! And I am willing to try absolutely any kind of masks, from firming to moisturising. This one from Sevynal is made from ingredients that are environmentally friendly, so brownie points for that. The sheet itself is made of 100% cotton, so the mask better holds to the good stuff, and the material is supposedly made for better adherence to your face.



There weren't any instructions as to how long was I supposed to leave the mask on, so I went ahead with the usual 15-20 minutes routine. My greatest peeve with this mask was that it refused to be stuck to my face. Was it perhaps of the wholly cotton claim that made the mask less soft and flimsy to the touch? The ends of the mask kept flipping off my skin and the lower half of the mask was just way too big for my face. It wasn't a good experience and I sat through the duration constantly tugging at it to ensure that it adheres to the curve of my chin.

My skin did look brighter, though the firming effect did leave something to be desired. I was kinda expecting the mask to have some sort of moisturising effect, as per most masks, and that did happen — but it went away quickly. I still had to go ahead with my usual amount of moisturiser (usually I use a lil lesser after a good mask) to keep my face hydrated.


Ethel AHASource of Citric Acid Tablet

Haven't got down to trying this one yet, but it sure does look interesting. I've never had skin supplements before so a part of me is feeling kinda sketchy about this, but you never know if you don't try, right? The exfoliators that I use, from BeautyBiotics has AHA in it so I guessing that this is great for the generation of new skin cells (because you can't rid of dead skin by having tablets right...?)

The tabs are water soluble, but I'm not sure what do they taste like. Perhaps lemon? Anyhow, my choice would be to mix them into a fruit smoothie that you can sip on while watching Netflix. Three to five tablets per serving!

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Now that I took my first step into Taiwanese beauty, I'm more confident to purchase even more brands. Apparently there are some bombass sheet masks from Taiwan so you can be sure that I'll be stocking up on those. My favourite from the bunch would be the Jan Dan Rose Facial Essence, which I'll be testing out more to see if it could rival my beloved Hada Labo.

Interested folks, do have a peek at beauty-keeper.com and you might just end up snagging some Taiwanese beauty goodies!

This entry is brought to you by Beauty Keeper, in collaboration with SampleStore.

Much love,
Chels x

THE SKINCARE STEP I WISHED I HAD KNOWN ABOUT EARLIER

What a great revelation. 

I wasn’t that big onto skincare as compared to beauty prods and cosmetics. You can literally ask me about makeup shit — like what’s the difference between powder and cream contour — and I could give you a good solid answer, or direct you to a site/video that could answer that. 

But when it comes to skincare, I have to admit I’m a mess. Before even becoming a beauty junkie, skincare products, to me, were considered ‘boring’. Because apart from smelling nice, more often than not there’s not much instant gratification. It’s not like makeup — you put on a bronzer and blush, and your skin instantly looks sun-kissed. Whereas for skincare — there might not even be any visible difference after using the most quality of sheet masks. 

That’s why I focused a whole bunch of my time perfecting my makeup, and only going through the motion for skincare, because I had to. There’s the usual cleanser-toner-moisturiser step that I religiously go through every night, and although my skin wasn’t perfect — there wasn’t any big issue with it either.

Until one day, when I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and scrutinised my bare face. I have oily-normal skin, in possibly a ratio of 30-70. So while peering at myself (which I don’t do often, because skincare wasn’t a big deal to me) I realised tiny flecks of dry, dead skin flaking off my nose and cheeks. 

“WHAT THE FUCK???” was my first thought. Such a thing never happened to me and it was unsightly. I tried peeling them off, but the more I peeled, the more the dead skin flaked up. So, I simply tried to wash it off wit the usual cleanser that I use, albeit scrubbing the problem areas harder in a bid to get rid of them once and for all. 

Washed my face, dried it, but the dry parts and flaky skin were still THERE. So I panicked. I haven’t had the slightest bit on what to do, and for the next few days all I could do was to cover it as much as possible with makeup.

Then one day, when I was exfoliating my lips (as usual), it dawned on me. If I could scrub the dead skin off my lips for soft and supple skin, the same goes to my face too!!! That’s when it all began — I rummaged through my stash of skincare shiz that were previously sponsored to me (I have a whole bunch of unopened stuff) and brought out a bottle of miracle water.

I had previously wrote an advertorial for it when Samplestore had the product sent over, but never actually got down to using it... because lazy. I am so stupid. 

This is nothing expensive or luxurious, but it sure does its job. You would've seen it at Watsons/Gurdians/selected beauty stores — it’s the Cure Natural Aqua Gel. This shit looks MOST unassuming, but trust me, my skincare routine changed.

I tried it, and almost gagged at how much dead skin was on my face. Not tryna lie, it was hella gross. But all I had to do was pump out generous amounts of the gel and start rubbing it onto my face. The more I rubbed, the more the little dead skin ‘rolls’ started forming and falling off. After washing off, my skin felt SO SMOOTH. SO REFRESHED. SO LIGHT. 

From that day on, gentle facial exfoliation became my new favourite skincare procedure. I invested in a good facial scrub (which I use every week or so), and used the Aqua Gel every day. It helped my skin absorb the toner and moisturiser better, and every morning I wake up to smoother and more supple skin. I am a convert!!!!!!

Plus, it also helps that since your skin is stripped of dead skin, it’s ready to absorb (read: rapidly SUCK UP) all the skincare goodies that you lather on after that. It works especially well with sheet masks, which are also my latest obsession. When using sheet masks, there’s no need to apply toner/moisturiser after cleansing. Wash your face with warm water, pat dry, and put the mask on for 20-30mins max. Wake up to skin that feels especially smooth and lightweight. 

And I feel soooooooooo good the next morning!!!! Even washing my face in the morning makes me happy because skin is all bright and smooth. My makeup glides on beautifully — sometimes it looks dull, but not anymore!

So there you have it — I might be a little late to the party, but I’m pretty sure there are still lazy girls out there like me who have yet to discover the magic of exfoliation. The Cure Natural Aqua Gel is by far the best drugstore one that I’ve used, and it’s sooooooo gentle on the skin. If you feel that your skin’s a little gross, a little under the weather, it might be because of dead skin. 

GET RID OF THEM THEN!!!

For the lazy readers, here's a TLDR version:

Exfoliate your face!!! Be it with a scrub or my poison of choice — the Cure Natural Aqua Gel!! Imo it has helped me in three amazing ways:

1. Get rid of dried and dead skin, revealing a smooth layer underneath. Like peeling the shell off a hard boiled egg. Yum.

2. Works beautifully with post-exfoliating treatments, such as toner, moisturisers and sheet masks!!!

3. Skin looks brighter = looks better with makeup. I won't say flawless (because my skin is still full of flaws), but it does look better!!!

Much love, 

Chels x 


Not a sponsored entry.

10 TIPS TO ROCK A MATTE LIP

Based on true lipstick stories. 

I’ve been a big advocate of matte lipsticks ever since the trend started coming back last year (thank you Kylie Jenner) and it seems the rage isn’t going to die down anytime soon. There’s something very sleek about a matte finish — perfect crisp lines that dry down to a perfect solid colour, which, trust me, will definitely get anyone’s attention. And best of all, they have no shine. I have this teensy fear of lip glosses / lippies that have a sheen to them because (I feel that) they kinda make my lips look like I’ve chowed down a whole platter of fried food. 

Not like that’s a bad thing (the fried food I mean), but shine just doesn’t resonate as being a cute look to me. 

So anyway, I pounced on the matte lip trend when it came about and I’ve never looked back. Started off with basic pinks, then moved on to the reds (yes classic Ruby Woo) and then the oxbloods (mmm Havana Nights) and then gradually found my love in the nudes. The Kylie lip kits stole my heart, but since I never got down to buying them (for various reasons), I’ve invested instead in colours that are close to the greiges and browns that she wears. Velvet Teddy was my virgin nude lippie, followed by Colourpop’s Chi and Kae. 

I get tons of compliments for my matte lips, if I’m allowed to be unabashed. 

I won’t say I’ve perfected how to nail a matte lip — there’s still much to learn every day — but considering that I wear matte lipsticks almost all the time, I’d say I’ve picked up some tips and tricks from choosing a colour to removing your no-shine pout. Some of them you may have seen online / via YouTube videos, because that’s how I learnt too, but others are just some personal ways that I use every morning. 

Pretty sure I’ve blabbered on for quite a bit so yes, let’s dive right in. 

CHOOSING YOUR FIRST MATTE LIPPIE COLOUR

1. Understand that skin tone will affect how the colour looks on you.

My first nude lipstick, Velvet Teddy by M.A.C, is a classic example. While it looked fine on me (because I’m so fair), many of my friends who bought the lippie lamented that the lipstick actually made them look washed out. My tip is to always do your research by watching lip swatch videos by people of similar skin tones as yourself to get a good gauge. Don’t be lazy on this!

2. If you’re feeling apprehensive, start off with lighter shades of pinks.

As much as beige sounds like the perfect nude to kickstart your matte lipstick collection, it may leave a scar when the wrong shade is picked. There are so many shades of nudes (NYX even came out with a Lip Lingerie line some months back that I’m so in love with) and contrary to popular belief, picking the right nude shade is not as easy as it seem. Especially for Asians, I’d say. So start off with colours like rose and baby pink to add that bit of colour to your pout, and you’ll never go wrong with these colours.

APPLYING A MATTE LIPSTICK

3. Always exfoliate. I can’t stress this enough.

Trust me when I say this, because I learnt that lip exfoliation is so important to look good in a matte lip the hard way. See, matte finishes are unforgiving and unlike glosses, they emphasise all your flaws. Every crease and crevice. So you won’t want to go round applying your matte lipsticks on an uneven surface because you can be sure as hell that they will crack and flake throughout the day, especially if your lipsticks have an extremely drying formula (like the Colourpop Ultra Matte Lippies). Always make sure you have a smooth canvas to work on by scrubbing your lips clean.

What I personally do is to use a lip scrub three times a week, and every night after brushing my teeth I take the effort to brush my lips too. Then I’d apply a generous dollop of Vaseline on my lips right after before heading to bed. Works like a charm every time.

4. Line your lips if you have a matching lip liner 

This applies more for traditional lipsticks than liquid lipsticks. Doe foot applicators in liquid lipsticks make lipstick application so much easier than the typical ones. So in order to apply the lipstick to just your lips, line them, then fill in the colour. It’s really very much like preschool colouring. 

5. Apply a thin layer of balm before putting on the lipstick

If you know that your lipstick is gonna be hella drying, counter that problem by putting on a thin layer of balm before going on with the lippie. Now based on my past experience, you don’t want to smear on the balm because it’ll affect the drying process of the lipstick. I tried it on with a dark vampy shade Sin by M.A.C and it dried down atrocious. So yes, a thin layer would do just fine. 

6. Dust foundation / loose powder on your lips to prevent transfer

Lipstick stains may look sexy in spy movies, but in all honestly, not IRL. To prevent transfer, take a piece of tissue and separate the layers down to just one ply. Gently press the tissue onto your lips, and dust on foundation. What this does is that the powder will seep through the tissue to your lips, and absorb any moisture that’s on your lip (should you feel that it’s not matte enough). Usually once or twice is enough for me, but repeat this step as many times as you deem necessary. 

7. A little goes a long way

Especially so for liquid lipsticks. You don’t have to apply a thick layer on your lips, over and over again. If one swipe can do the job, let it. Less is more! 

WHEN YOU HAVE A MATTE LIP ON

8. You have to bring three things along: Your lipstick, makeup remover wipes, and concealer. 

I won’t deny this, having a matte lip on means you’ll have to fuss over it. Especially for a perfectionist like me because I insist on having the clean straight lines all day. So in the event when say, you’re going out for a huge buffet of fried food or a major make out session, you better have your arsenal ready to touch up so that you’ll look as good as new after. 

Oil will cause your lipstick to fade. So do yourself a favour, if you’re going for a buffet, skip the matte lipstick or apply only after your feast. You’d want to enjoy your meal plus not look like you screwed up a perfect pout. This is especially so for dark lips — once again, learnt this from experience. 

In an alternative scenario where you decide to starve and not eat, but your lipstick is being a bitch and drying the hell out of your lips and you have no choice but to remove it, use a makeup remove wipe. For the love of your lips, never ever, ever, ever use tissue paper or worse, paper towels to forcefully wipe your lipstick off. Because chances are:

> You’re gonna have a hard time because the lipstick is already so drying + matte = lesser moisture so it won’t budge that easily, 

> You’re gonna hurt your lips. Trust me on this because it happened to me

> It’s going to create a mess on your face with all the smearing and rubbing. 

Bring along those travel sized packs of makeup remover wipes. I personally use the ones from Biore. They’re a lifesaver (or lip-saver) really, plus they can be used to remove other makeup too, should you ever need a bare face for god knows what reason. 

So in another alternative scenario where you’ve successfully removed and reapplied your lipstick but because luck just isn’t on your side, you accidentally applied lipstick outside your lips. Once again, don’t go round grabbing a paper towel, please. Instead flick out the trusty concealer (I use the one from Muji) and conceal any mistakes! It’s going to be hard to remove any mistakes using paper towels anyway since as mentioned, matte lipsticks dry fast therefore harder to remove. 

Also, in case you’re wondering if they’re bulky… Not at all. I slip all three items into a small crossbody, alongside other essentials. 

9. Know if your lipsticks are good with layering

This may sound weird, but I’ve encountered lipsticks that SUCK at being layered. Ie. I head out with a fresh coat, I chomp on food and decide to touch up, I swipe on a new coat, and voila, that shit starts chunking up and flaking off. In that case, don’t wear those shades out to events where you’ll need to touch up regularly — like food tastings or multiple make out sessions. 

REMOVING YOUR MATTE LIPSTICK

10. Be patient

Certain lippies are more difficult and troublesome to remove than others, like the darker shades, so be patient when removing them. Use a lip makeup remover to cleanse them off; the oil based ones work best. Take your time, be gentle but thorough. Liquid lipsticks seep into the crevices and cleavages of your lip, so be sure to remove those as well. Just remember: you don’t want to be tugging at your lips!

I hope you guys learnt a trick or two from this list — matte lipsticks may be a but of a div, but honestly, they’re so much fun. And I absolutely cannot get enough of them. This list is not exhaustive, and hopefully I'll find myself updating it more often~~~ 

Much love,

Chels x