WHAT'S ON THE BODY AND FACE WHEN PREGNANT?

At the moment in my skincare cabinet, I feel like it's an oil rig. I've never really been that into applying oil(s) on my face and body. They used to freak me out a little simply because of its oiliness. Now I feel like I'm stepping into a different skincare circle - it's all about OIL.

One of the beauty excuses I made for myself soon after finding out I'm pregnant is to shop for creams/ oils to apply on my belly to avoid stretch marks in developing later on during pregnancy.  The first thing I tried on was Bio-Oil which is relatively well-known for its ability to prevent stretch marks from developing, fading scars and hydrating dry skin.  I started applying them day and evening every day as soon as I entered my 2nd trimester (week 13).  I applied them for about 6 weeks, it helped my skin feeling very hydrated.  As (thank god) I don't have any stretch marks yet so I can't say if this has been useful.

Then I came across the Pai's Pomegranate & Pumpkin Seed Stretch Mark System (£45.00). It's a 2-step system which consists of a day and evening treatment.  In the morning, I'd apply the Pomegranate & Pumpkin Seed Stretch Mark Cream which is a buttery textured pale yellow colour cream.  It's very quickly absorbed by the skin, I would target the application around my bump, thighs, hips and around my breasts areas.  I'm not particularly fond of the scent, it's hard to describe, it's not fruity or floral, it's kind of organic.  In the evening, I would then apply the Stretch Mark Oil, which is the 2nd step of this system.  It is again very easily absorbed by the skin and I would apply it in the same areas as I would in the morning with the cream.  I've heard that some pregnant ladies would be allergic to some stretch mark products, so far neither has Bio-oil or this Pai's stretch mark cream and oil system have asked any problems to my skin, N.B. I have quite sensitive skin for both my face and body.  I'm yet to see any results, I have been applying this for 2 weeks now and I'm 21 week pregnant.  If anything, stretch marks could start to develop in the next few weeks so I shall see if this system has been able to reduce the chance of developing it or have completely prevented it from happening!

The two facial oils I have absolutely been loving are Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Pai's Rosehip BioRegenerate oil.  I first came across the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate based on my sister's (@forksandbrushes) strong and confident recommendations.  When she was in Hong Kong last Christmas visiting me, I finally bought it and have been using it religiously for 5 months.  I use this in the evening after I cleansed and toned my face, and only use this but nothing else, i.e. no moisturiser.  I found that this oil is enough to keep my face hydrated.  I noticed a stark difference when I first used this, the next morning when I wake up my skin would look significantly refreshed; however as my skin has got used to this I found that the result is less 'magical'.  Nevertheless, I still find that this is a fantastic product.  What I noticed is that, since moving back to London 3 weeks ago, the weather is a lot different here than it is in Hong Kong, my skin is a lot drier so after applying this oil, I also need to apply moisturisers on top to help locking up the hydration of the skin.

Pai's Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil is the latest addition to my skincare cupboard.  I've heard of this product for such a long time and almost everyone has positive things they want to talk about it.  I bought this whilst I purchased the Stretch Mark Cream and Oil system (above).  I have to say it's a fantastic product, it really is.  My pregnancy hormone is really playing my skin up big time, I've never had so many blemishes creeping up so regularly.  Interesting observation, since coming back to London, my skin has definitely has a drastic improvement - less blemishes and has brightened up!  However, there are still quite a bit of scars left on my face from all the blemishes.  I've been using this Rosehip oil for 2 weeks, and there is definitely an obvious change: the scars have faded away, blemishes have healed much quicker and my skin is a lot calmer.  You are supposed to use this 2-3 times a week, I think in the first week I used this about 5 times a week, and slowly reduced to 2-3 times a week using only this in the evening; then mixing it with the Midnight Recovery Concentrate other days in the week.  I'm hoping that by continuing using this oil, it will help to keep blemishes at bay, and improve the quality of my skin.  A fabulous product to recommend!

The final oil I wanted to talk about is Tea Tree Oil by The Body Shop.  I've never tried tea tree oil to treat my spots as I was afraid of it being too strong for my skin.  When I was desperate for the situation on my skin, I thought to myself there's nothing to lose now, so when my sister offered me to try her Tea Tree oil,  I welcomed it straight away.  I would use a Q-tip which is soaked in Tea Tree Oil and lightly dab on the blemishes, it stings ever so slightly, and I have to say I quite like the scent of tea tree.  Within 2-3 days, the size and the redness of the blemishes are significantly reduced.  At that point, I wouldn't apply this anymore, I would let it heal naturally, under the help from the Pai's Rosehip oil.  I found that this remedy is great!

Are you a fan of oils?  What's your favourite face/ body oil that you use?

NEW LIPGLOSSES COMING TO TOWN: ColorStay Moisture Stain

Have you had enough of new lip glosses yet?  Or are you already looking forward to trying out something new in the market?  Revlon's latest lipgloss: ColorStay Moisture Stain has caught my eyes when I was watching Hong Kong Beauty Blogger AHFA Makeup (Flower)'s vlog   She attended the Spiderman movie premium night, where Revlon had a stand there.  She showed us the latest launch of these beautifully packaged ColorStay Moisture Stain!

Wow I love the square and black packaging, the colour looks sensational, too!  It will become available in Hong Kong in June.  So I tweeted Revlon to find out when this will be available in London:

And the answer is, AUGUST!  Hooray!  I'm so excited about these 12 new different shades for this lip stain, they are all named after 12 of the greatest cities in the world.  I bet, the London one will be a big hit when it made to the shelf here in the UK.  I think I'm also interested in Crush/ Cannes a corally pink shade, and Rush/ Rio a fuchsia pink shade.

Which would be your pick of shade?

WHAT TO WEAR ON THE NAILS WHEN PREGNANT?

Left: Aurora #ZP646
Right: Rue #ZP706

I am a big big big nail polish wearer, but I'm taking a temporary break to this excessive compulsive beauty behaviour of mine whilst I'm pregnant.

Ever since I fell pregnant, I am becoming increasingly but gradually more aware of what to put in my mouth, on my skin; and of course on my nails.

No one has told me not to wear nail polish anymore but the general advice from peers (doctors not mentioned anything and I actually didn't raise it with them either) is that less (or none) is more.

This triggered me to study a bit more of the harmful effect of wearing nail polish whilst pregnant, if any.  The result is shocking albeit they aren't seem to be fully scientifically evidence based (as I can't see the source of information), it freaked me out a little bit.  

So, what to look for in nail polishes when you are pregnant?  They need to be:

• Free of formaldehyde
• Free of toluene
• Free of dibutyl phthalate, also known as DBP, a petroleum product that has been proven to pass through breastmilk. 

Also when you are applying nail polishes, try to keep the ventilation in the room that you are in as best as possible.  I would also advise to avoid going to nail spa and the likes of it just to be on the safe side.  Choosing acetone-free nail remover is also a safer option, too.   Also making sure that you wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.

You might now ask, what brands; if any are mom-to-be choices when it comes to nail polishes safety in pregnancy?

There are number of brands (mostly American), amongst which Zoya is the most popular one, and seems to be the most readily available in the UK.  You can find Zoya products in health food shops such as the Whole Foods Market.  In the end, I picked up two colours that I know I would enjoy wearing them all the time throughout different seasons.  They are actually really nice polishes even without the chemicals, they general last on my nails up to 5 days which is pretty amazing!

Despite knowing that they are free from the three main chemical products in their nail polishes, I have definitely drastically cut down on the regularity I wear nail polishes, and are enjoying my bare nails more.  I have definitely noticed a stark difference this has made on my nails, they look much healthier, and no yellowness, too!  I have also stocked up on some false nails to wear at times when I'm desperate for me prettier and more diversified colours and patterns on my nails.

What's your experience when it comes to wearing nail polishes when pregnant?  Does it make you think to choose 'healthier' nail polishes even if you are not pregnant?

The very natural looking base for warmer weather

Hello all, I'm back and I'm sorry I've disappeared for a while.  Possibly the longest I have been idled from my blog since it's inception last year!  Before I dwelled into the nitty gritty of a recent favourite beauty product, let me give you guys a quick and brief update of where I have been.

I'm officially back in London, hooray!  For those of you who read my blog, you'd know that I relocated to Hong Kong last September with my hubby.  So what made me return?  Lots of reasons of course, but the main one is that I'm expecting a baby!  Wow!  It feels better to give birth in London so that's why I've made a return to this beautiful city!  Nothing seems to have changed since I left 9 months ago.  I mean, some-thing has changed but it feels right to be back!  Anyway, so I shall be blogging from London for a while, and perhaps a few baby related posts will start creeping in.  P.S. I haven't really started baby shopping properly yet but if you have any tips you want to share with me, please feel free to do so here, or tweet me @beautyorbread.

So, enough of my recent update; let's move onto something I have really been enjoying using lately.  Since reuniting with my sister @forksandbrushes, I have the joy of helping myself to try out a few different bits that she has added to her ever growing makeup collection,  that I didn't get the chance to when I was in Hong Kong.  The L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint (£9.99 ) is one of them, I looked high and low, and it just wasn't available in Hong Kong!  The main reason why I wanted to try this is because I've heard that this is a dupe for Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Foundation (£35.5 ), and with such a purse-friendly price for the L'Oreal one, obviously I'm going for what's cheaper! 

Just like other drugstore branded base products, it comes in a limited 6 shades.  I use the one in #110 warm ivory which has got a bit of a yellow undertone but is pale enough for my skin complexion, I say it is almost a perfect colour match to my skin.

It comes in a small frosted glass bottle which makes the packaging so lux, I think, and it looks so cute, too!  The only downside in terms of the design of the packaging is that, it hasn't got a pump or a proper dispenser, so pouring out the products inside the bottle can be a bit of a messy act, and potentially waste more products.  The above picture shows roughly the amount of product needed for my entire face, which isn't bad I think considering the size of my face!

My sister did warn me of the very watery texture before I used it but I hadn't realised until I poured it out, it is soooooooo watery, it's almost like pouring out foundation liquid!  I haven't tried anything quite similar to this texture.  I loved using my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation which is a water-based foundation but this is probably 10 times more watery I feel.  So, using my fingers to apply this is the best way!

It's really easy to apply, no harsh blending or anything, it smoothens out on the skin really easily.  Just like what it says on the bottle, 'Fresh Feel Foundation, Weightless Bare Perfection',  The finish of this foundation is exactly like that.  Even though it's such a light textured foundation, it offers a light coverage, not buildable though.  At first I thought it wouldn't be enough to cover up some of my blemishes but actually, after applying it all over my face, it managed to even out my complexion, in exchange I feel that I didn't need extra concealing, you can if you want to.  This would be a perfect foundation for a good skin day but if you just have a little bit of imperfection on the skin that you don't mind them showing through, this foundation would be perfect to give that natural finish.  However if you are looking for a perfect cover up, I wouldn't recommend this to you.

As the weather gets warmer, well it did in the past few days in London; but I thought this would be a perfect foundation to wear in warmer months.  One more thing to mention is that, this foundation is really hydrating, even for me as a very dry skin girl, there's no flakiness on the skin even after wearing it for 6+ hours.  It doesn't give a dewy or matte finish either, it's a very neutral type of foundation that gives a healthy complexion to the skin.

Is this something you have tried and had the same result?  Would you fancy trying something like this?

Be Right Back!

Hello my lovely readers

So sorry about not updating my blog for a few weeks!

Due to laziness, lacking of ideas, moving between cities, etc...

Sounds like a lot of excuses but I promise I shall be back soon!

Meanwhile, happy shopping!

Creamy Rosy Cheeks

Spring has definitely sprung in Hong Kong, actually the weather feels more like summer in recent days; it's warmed up so much.  My makeup has changed a little with the weather as well.  I still like to smoke my eye makeup a little bit every now and then but the rosy cheeks have definitely made a return to my daily makeup routine.

As I haven't been adding many new blushers to my makeup stash lately, I have been rediscovering many of my old favourites, and also reaching for products I haven't really started using since I bought it.

Canmake Cream Cheek (#8 Marshmallow Pink) has quietly crept up to my daily creamy cheek product in the past couple of weeks.  For those of you who are less familiar with the brand Canmake is an all-round Japanese drugstore makeup brand which offers a wide range of products from foundations, eyeshadows, to nail polishes.  It's affordable yet the packaging and the quality are both outstanding.  I remember my Japanese friends used to rave about it.  

In the cream blusher range, it has a total of 10 shades altogether, ranging from what I have a pale girly pink, to some coral shades, and some more out-there reddish shades.  This is an all-round creamy blusher, by that I mean from touching it on the pan to applying, and to setting to a creamy finish.  The staying power isn't one to impress but it definitely gives a very natural finish and rather pigmented for what it is.  I prefer to use a stippling brush rather than my fingers to apply, although both can achieve an easy-to-blend application; I found that using a stippling brush can result in a more precise finish on the cheek areas.  This marshmallow pink shade that I got is so versatile, while it complements with a smokey eye look to just give the face a healthy rosy cheek finish; it can also be used alone on a no makeup makeup day to give a very natural finish to the face.

Whilst I apply Canmake Cream Cheek, it reminds me of my Chanel Le Blush Creme De Chanel (in the shade Inspiration) that I bought last summer.  Both are cream blushers but the Chanel one has a special texture, it's got a powdery touch and finish to the product; which stays put a little bit better than Canmake's.  However, both are extremely easily blended using both fingers or a brush.  The Chanel blusher has a slightly more rosier colour to the shades with a pink undertone, whilst the Canmake cream cheek is a pink shade; both give a very natural finish and complements with most makeup looks.

Has Spring arrived at where you live?  Do you fancy a bit of a rosy cheeks look to embrace the flowery weather?

Voluminous hair that looks au naturale

I have fine and flat hair, and the ends are quite dehydrated (just like my skin!).  I found that styling my hair isn't the easiest of all.  You probably wouldn't guess this might be the case as it doesn't look that 'high maintenance'.  I found that when I had curly hair it was way easier to handle - at least I could get away with no-drying just giving it lots of treatment.

Now that I've had my curly bits completely grown out of, I'm left with my original hair style - straight, which I do enjoy and like.  However the crown area can be quite flat and lack of shape.  As a result, I found a great hair combo that gives a rather natural (not mega big and crazy) voluminous hair style.

After washing my hair and towel dry them, I would spray the TRESemme straightening spray with Argan Oil (£4.99), targeting the ends rather than the roots.  Although this stuff won't leave your hair greasy, it is my ends that needs more attention and treatment to.  This spray also has frizz control so it proves an extra protection from heat when styling.

Then I would spray a bit of this Mark Hill Big Blow Volume Spray (£3.99) I wouldn't spray this all over my head but instead, I would target the spray to my crown (top of my head) section, underneath my hair instead of the top layer of my hair; and as close to my roots as possible.  After spraying, I would use my hands to squeeze my hair together a little bit to make sure the volume spray is being absorbed by my hair thoroughly.

Then, that's it - all I need are these two hair products to create this straight but a natural voluminous hair-do.  I would blow dry my whole head roughly first, then section them into two parts: blow dry the underneath section using a round-shape comb, then the top part of my hair.

If I wanted more volume, I would spend a little more time when I blow dry, but most days I would go for a natural look, like so:

I hope that this has given you some affordable (2 products come in a total under a tenner!) and extremely hassle-free ways to create voluminous hair!  What's your trick?