Valen’s Vanity Square

I have been staying up really late for the past few nights working on my writing assignment and doing some self study on internet marketing. Luckily no pimples popped up so far!

Keeping a regular sleep schedule and having sufficient sleep (beauty rest, that is) every day is one of the simple secrets to great looking skin. I know that if I continue this ‘disrupted’ sleep pattern of mine, I will soon see zits popping up or, worse, signs of aging skin accelerating! Then even the best blemish acne cream or anti-aging lotion in the world wouldn’t be of any help…

Jeez, that’s scary. I definitely should go to bed early tonight!

Aging! Aging! I’m aging!!!

I just saw two long strands of white hair on my head!!! Got them pulled out already…. but I’m sure they will grow back again.

Oh, this is dreadful! :(  Jeez, I think I need to get my hair dyed into one of those brown or red shades. You know, so that to make any remaining white hair - if any, I’m sure there is - less obvious.

But can’t do that until I get my second assignment pay check. When is my check gonna come???

I know I already have quite a number of eye shadow palettes in my cosmetic pouch, I’m still pondering on the idea if I should get one of those cream-type or pencil-type eye shadows to try. I actually would also like to try out mascaras or eyeliners with colors, too, hehe.

You know, just curious.

Men probably wonder why women (or it’s just me!) need a basketful of eye shadow, eyeliner or mascara to live with. Well, it’s just like why you need different categories of cable – CAT5, CAT6 or CAT7 – to suit the different needs of Ethernet and interconnect technologies! Women also have different needs for eye colors and creating different looks to suit different occasions, okay?

But guess I have to wait a while before I head to the Guardian or Watson pharmacies to check out what’s currently in the store. Am still waiting for cash, waiting to be paid for the assignments I did 2 months ago! Grrrrr~

With the increase of global petrol prices, the cost of living is on the rise too. Oooh… that hurts, coz it also means less shopping, less eating out, and forget about an oversea holiday next year!

However, it doesn’t mean I have to endure zero shopping or traveling.

My radar for skincare products and cosmetics continues to scan for new and interesting items, but just that it now focuses on products below a hundred bucks.

For my next anti-aging cream, I would either go for L’Oreal Revitalift Double Lifting Cream or Bio-Essence Face Lifting Cream with Pine Pollen. For problems like fine lines, I could try Eucerin’s latest intensive wrinkle-filling series - Hyaluron-filler creams for face and eye. These Eucerin products are priced around 90 ringgit, but with recent sales and promotions, one can get them at around 70 or 80 ringgit, depending on individual pharmacies.

As far as traveling is concerned, those who are firm with their oversea vacation plans, you may want to work out a new travel budget coz costs of accommodation and transport are expected to be higher than before. For example, if you are heading to Hilton Head Island, then better check out the latest Hilton Head rental. As for me, I will have to be contented with a Langkawi Island retreat with family next February. (Every year is Visit Malaysia Year…. )

I have my facial appointment at Leonard Drake this Saturday. I am thinking of canceling it though…

My facial package is used up and I’m not signing up for another one because I think their treatments no longer make any difference to my skin. I would like to try out services from other beauty centers.

I might give New York Skin Solution a try, as I have seen their amazing treatment results shown on TV. Whether it’s severe pigmentation, aged skin or acne problem, those who have undergone facial treatments with them ended up with new, younger and healthy-looking skin!

I’m not looking for the best acne treatment (I’m so well over the age to have zits), but I am certainly in the search for facial treatments and products that are able to give me a firmer and, if possible, porcelain-like complexion, hehe. (Setting high expectations again…)

There are hearsays that the sales staffs of NYSS are quite pushy to make customers sign up for long-term programs. For me, I just want to try out once or twice to see if their facials are good; I’m not prepared to spend over a thousand bucks for a course of 10 or 12 session of facials at this point of time! After all, I’m a “jobless housewife”, who is not going to stay in this town for long.

But if their treatment really works and service is excellent, may be I will consider continue using them after I’ve returned and settled down in KL (and provided that I have a job to pay for it!).

I’m one woman who doesn’t own many accessories. Most of the time I’m just wearing a necklace with a jade pendant (given by my late grandmother), my wedding ring, and a watch. Other accessories I keep in the box are just a bunch of cheap stuffs.

Anyway, I came across an article that gave a few suggestions on wearing accessories. I think the tips are practical, so I’m sharing them with you here.

• Try mixing and matching different accessories, but it’s important to choose those that best reflect your personality. Go for classic styles that are forever in style; avoid buying accessories with design that will go out of style next year.

• When trying to put two necklaces on yourself, remember to match big pendants with small ones, and long chains with short ones to keep things in balance.

• Let one accessory be the attention-grabbing point, rather than hanging too many all over. Earrings and necklace, for example, are worn near to each other. Unless you are wearing a pair of small earrings, one pretty necklace is enough to put you at the center of attention. Similarly, you only have to wear a very simple necklace if you already have a lovely brooch pinned on your blouse.

• When you are wearing a turtle neck top, don’t match it with a short necklace that appears just right at the bottom of the collar. Instead, wear a longer one that drops nicely on the chest.

• Basic mixing and matching of silver accessories are okay during the daytime. But if you need to attend an event at night, remember to keep an extra accessory in your handbag for a change of look in the evening.

I so totally understand how insufficient sleep and work stress can make a woman look 5 years older!

I have been swamped with a sudden flood of projects since two weeks ago, such that I’m basically living a life of a night owl now, haha! When I have to juggle between work (that brings in money) and the daily chores of a housewife (that I’m not paid for), I started to slack in my personal beauty care.

It’s horrible to see what I saw in the mirror yesterday - a dull, haggard face, with noticeable open-pores and greasy appearance. Ouch!

I definitely need to do something to salvage this disaster. So what I did last night was:

• Got back to my weekly exfoliation routine, using the recently bought Biotherm Line Peel Polisher.

• Put on a cheap but lovely facial sheet mask from Watson Taiwan that has hydrating and firming effects (while watching The Desperate Housewives, hehe).

• Applied the recently bought Biotherm Line Peel night cream.

• Switched off the laptop and went to bed before midnight.

This morning I woke up and looked so, so much better. The pores appeared smaller, the skin felt tighter and look brighter. I’ve earned back the 5 years I’d lost, hahaha!

I have tried skincare products from quite a number of cosmetic brands in the past two years. Some worked very well on my skin where I could see obvious changes – such as Cellnique that solved my whitehead problems and Kose that brightened up my complexion. On the other hand, some showed only slight improvement (e.g. Estee Lauder) and some almost no effect (e.g. SK-II).

While a company can use performance management software to assess the performance of its workforce and business, we don’t have tools or devices at home to evaluate the effect of a particular skin care product on our skin, except through observation with our own eyes. (Unless we are living in a skin research laboratory where there are machines to measure even the smallest pores.)

For me, there are a few things that decide if a product suits my skin, is effective, and makes me want to use it again.

What I see and how I feel about the product at first ‘encounter’
Is it oily or sticky? Does it smell nice? Does my skin feel softer? Is my face glowing with a natural radiant after one application? For instance, products that cause skin to become greasy after just a few hours are definitely not for me.

The effects after using for a couple of weeks
If my pores appeared slightly smaller, fine lines somewhat lesser, skin complexion a little brighter but didn’t get oilier or drier after 2 weeks of use, it is very likely that the product will work for me.

The effects after using for 3 months
If significant changes are observed, e.g. reduced pore size, brighter and softer complexion, not triggering whiteheads or acne, and I like its smell, color, packaging, ease of use …, then I am most likely to replenish the product after finishing the first bottle. (Well, price may also play a role depending on my financial status, hehe.)

How about you? How do you measure your skincare products’ effectiveness? How do you decide if you want to continue using a skincare brand?

I’m having my lunch as I’m typing this post, haha! Well, have to fully utilize the time I have before I spend the rest of the afternoon later pampering myself with a facial at Leonard Drake salon, which sells skincare products from Dermalogica and cosmetics from Averine.

As a Passionate Passion member of Dermalogica, I received a birthday voucher earlier - a free facial treatment worth RM158, plus a RM30 voucher for add on vital therapy (e.g. neck or eye treatment). Since it’s free, of course I have to utilize it before it expires end of this month.

I’m not very into Dermalogica products nowadays, although I used to be a big fan. The first time I used their products - that was like 9 or 10 years ago - I could see the great difference they made on my skin. The first and foremost changes I noticed were on my forehead. The skin was more supple and less dehydrated, and fine lines (due to dry skin) were significantly reduced.

Today, I realized that their products no longer suit my aging skin, so I don’t stick solely to their products. In fact, I’m slowly wiping out their bottles from my dressing table (and happily exploring other brands of skincare items). But I still love having my facials done in their salon. It’s very soothing and I especially like the short post-facial massages (on the neck and shoulder). And as a member of their Passionate Passion club, I continue to receive free birthday treatment vouchers and discounts on service or product purchase.

Although I will not sign up for another facial package (e.g. buy 6 free 2) coz it’s rather expensive, I will still once in a while drop by their salon for a facial or body massage when I’m desperately in need of it, hehe.

A member of Dermalogica’s Passionate Passion club receives many discounts and promotional deals. A first timer has to purchase up to a certain amount worth of products or services (not sure about the amount) to be eligible for membership. I’m not sure if they are still doing this - I received a booklet full of vouchers when I first became a member. There were free facial treatment vouchers, free one or two sessions of slimming treatment and hair removal treatments, vouchers on Averine cosmetics, discounts on facial packages, etc. (I only used those that were free, hehe.)

From time to time, there will be promotional facial packages available where, for example, one pays for 6 facial treatments and receive FOC 2 same facial treatments, 6 eye treatments and 6 neck treatments. Members also get a 5% rebate on products purchase all year round. Whatever you spent with them will be accumulated as points for redemption later. Of course, you will also receive a birthday voucher every year.

Nevertheless, before you sign up as a member, do make sure that their products suit your skin. Try out their facial treatment once or twice and see if you like how they work on your face. Only when you are satisfied with both their products and services, you will be more likely to benefit a great deal from the membership.