Bella Box Event Highlights

Oct 1, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Hair, Skincare No Comments Tags: aveda, Beauty box samples, Bella Box, Bioderma, Blue Oil Therapy, Caudalie, Elizabeth Arden, petronille, Singapore

It is hard to believe I finally attended a Bella Box event! It’s been well over a year since I subscribed and between all the work/ obligations I attend to, every chance for attendance to an event eluded me.

The Bella Box girls had a lovely T.G.I.F. early evening soiree at a trendy rooftop hotel in Tiong Bahru. The evening came with some nibbles and bubbly to showcase some amazing brands. Before I get to the beauty items I most liked, I thought it was super clever to have stations and live demos of every brand. Some I was familiar with and some were new, it was a makeup artist’s dream event including food, drink and different skincare/ makeup/ hair products.

The items which got my attention right away were Caudalie’s new range Vinosource. I tried the Vinosource S.O.S Thirst-Quenching Serum – what a treat. I asked for the ingredients info and my eyes lit when I saw Hyaluronic acid, Grape Water, Grape-seed Polyphenols – the ingredient in bold is a MUST if you want real results for your anti-aging skincare in a serum. This compound is present in our body but begins to dwindle as we get older. Using an Hyaluronic acid serum will help to restore moisture levels of the skin and absorb right away. Love this product.

Next was Bioderma Sensibio H20 Makeup Remover – another gem I had heard of from one of my French friends but had not tried on my own. This makeup remover requires no cleansing after so if you’d had a long night out and can’t get to a sink, Bioderma will take off all the debris without the need to rinse, waterproof and hard to remove lipstick, mascara, foundation, EVERYTHING. I liked that there were two formulas for sensitive, dry and oily skin so it is not a one size fits all makeup remover. In my goodie bag, I also found a Sensibio Eye Gel (Thank you! I will be testing this out in an upcoming long haul flight). Seeing several layers of different products being removed with one wipe using Bioderma was pretty cool! Bioderma is available at Guardian in Singapore.

Aveda needs no introduction, it is a favorite brand since a long time ago. I use the Chakra Body Spray as well as the Aveda’s Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener for my hair when I blow dry. The Aveda girls had me try a Blue Oil Therapy complete with a shoulder massage, the scent of mint was lovely and so calming. This was truly a wonderful mini spa experience, thanks Aveda.

Last but not least, Elizabeth Arden had a booth with makeup. Apart from the Elizabeth Arden skincare range, I had not tried any of the makeup line so this was of course, a new experience. The eyeshadows had some great autumn colors, they were buildable and pretty for a night out. I got to take home a single eyeshadow and the staff were accomodating and kind enough to show me all the colors.

My most favorite Friday night in a while! I should add Petronille was also there doing her demo, I did not sample anything as I’ve done an extensive series of reviews on her wonderful skincare range which I highly endorse. Well done Bella Box girls, thanks for all he goodies and this fun event.

New Work For Simply Her Magazine

Sep 28, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Fashion, Makeup No Comments Tags: editorial work, Simply Her

As seen on the pages of Simply Her magazine October 2012, makeup by Norah and hair by Andy Razali with Chelsia Tan styling. Photo was taken with my crafty I-phone 4s camera and no filter. I used all Makeup Forever products, Makeup Forever HD foundation 118 on the skin plus Al Mat Primer, Makeup Forever Aqua Pencils and lip gloss. Most of my work with Simply Her feature very subtle makeup, which is something I love showing my readers, a little makeup goes a long way.

Tsuya From Shu Uemura Six Week Report

Sep 26, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Serum, Skincare 1 Comment Tags: Shu Uemura, Tsuya

I thought I’d update my readers on my use of Tsuya over the past six weeks, it’s been a fantastic product for my skin (no reactions, ample moisture and WITH proper habits of cleansing, toning and regular facials, yes the texture is looking nice, can’t complain on that front). What makes Tsuya very unique is its serum-like consistency and how well it absorbs into the skin after I apply it (no oily or overly greasy feeling which serums tend to leave as they act as double moisturizers). As a test, I also used on myself before a night out with full makeup and it didn’t disappoint, please note that I used very little Tsuya before makeup to avoid getting too oily in my T-area (nose and forehead).

Definitely recommend this product for those looking to amp their game in their skincare regime.

Blogging Has Not Stopped

Sep 24, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Personal No Comments Tags: alex box, allergy, haze, Illamasqua, Singapore

Hello my lovely readers, I am still here. I haven’t updated as much due to a crazy last couple of weeks with work plus an allergy I am dealing with due to the current haze in the air in Singapore. Believe it or not, the air quality has given me an intermittent sinus infection, migraines from the pressure around my airway passage, burning eyes and lot of itching/ hives. I feel like a broken record with my constant allergic ailments, honest truth.

Thanks to a Traditional Chinese medicine lady Dr Tan and a magic tablet called Sudafed, I’ve been able to cope although some days/ evenings are bad. This is something new in my life, not having the access to Allegra, Claritin (allergy medicine) or Aveeno and creams over the counter like the ones in the USA. Currently and thank goodness for my family in California, I use a fantastic ointment plus some new medicine (soon) to relieve these symptoms.

Workwise, I have been showered with many opportunities these past few weeks. I’ve just done editorial work for Expat Living magazine, Australia/ New Zeland magazine (a cover no less), Human Resources, Simply Her, weekly bridal work, my corporate clients and a book cover for a world-renowned author. Every month something new and wonderful happens and I can’t begin to tell you how exciting it is. Plus I still try to squeeze test work because this is also massively important to me, practice and more practice. In the words of one of my makeup artist idols, Alex Box from Illamasqua “Best career advice I can give – there are no short cuts”. Keep chasing your dream!

Coastal Soothing Facial Toner Review

Sep 14, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Skincare 1 Comment Tags: cleansing, Coast to Coast, lavender, paraben, sea kelp, sensitive skin, toner, Vivo City Singapore

Over the past month, I’ve been trying out new products and one of them is a toner from Aussie brand Coast to Coast. I was kindly invited to check out their boutique at Vivo City and experience some of their products. (I also took a sample of their scrub which I liked a lot!). There is a lot to look at when you walk in, from bath care to skincare and beyond. All the products are able to be sampled on at the store and the staff was very helpful.

If you are in the market for a line that offers natural, no artificial colours and little parabens – then Coast to Coast is for you. As most of you probably already know, I have sensitive skin so a line that offers “clean” and mostly natural ingredients is something I’d highly consider to spend my money on.

The toner is called Coastal Soothing Facial Tonic and it is made out of Tasmanian sea kelp and organic lavender. I choose to review this particular one because it seemed like a good match for my combination skin and the lavender component was a selling point (lavender is soothing and calming). After cleansing I always apply a good layer of toner to further remove any debris/ makeup and prepare my skin for moisturising (To be used morning and evening). There is no alcohol in this product and it is most definitely soothing with a tiny astringent factor which is always good as it won’t sting or burn.

My thoughts? Lovely product, good on the skin, no adverse reaction and definitely something I’d recommend to my readers.

Styling and Makeup Event With Carla K

Sep 9, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Makeup, Style No Comments Tags: Carla K, Makeup Forever, Makeup Forever Aqua pencil shadows, makeup setting spray, MUFE Aqua Rouge, MUFE Mist and Fix, Sauce Bar Singapore, styling and body shape

On August 30th, I was invited to speak at the Carla K style seminar. The event was held at Sauce Bar and MAKEUP FOREVER Singapore kindly sponsored the raffle prizes for the lucky winners in attendance (a prize was given to the ladies who volunteered as models during our presentation). Australian stylist Carla K led the workshop with essential information about body shape, colors and how to dress according to your personality, a topic all women always want to revisit and learn more about. While on the discussion of color, we also covered makeup, particularly what products suit Singapore’s humidity. This where I took the opportunity to introduce a few of my favorites such as Makeup Forever’s Aqua Waterproof pencils for the eyes, Aqua Rouge lipsticks/ gloss, the Smokey Eye Palette from MUFE as well as Mist Fix makeup setting spray. After the session wrapped, I stayed longer to answer questions and meet the ladies individually. Needless to say, I enjoyed every minute of it, there good questions and everyone loved the products. Stay tuned, as we plan to announce more events in the near future! Thank you to the lovely Carla K for having me.

For all event pictures please go to my Norah Loves Makeup FB Page

Bridal Beauty

Aug 29, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Beauty, bridal, Makeup 1 Comment Tags: blusher, bridal, Chihuahua lipgloss, freckles, hair accessory, makeup, MUFE HD, nars, style

I adore this look I created for Sofia. It is very natural looking makeup, notice I didn’t conceal her freckles and the hair accessory is one of many I keep in my ‘for bridal’ use coffer. I used a combination of Smashbox primer, Makeup Forever HD foundation 118, MAC mascara and NARS blusher and Chihuahua lipgloss.

Shot by the amazing Jay Nodalo.

Coping With Eczema/ Dermatitis

Aug 27, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Personal 3 Comments Tags: axillary hyperhidrosis, botox, cetaphil, Dermalogica, dermatitis, eczema, health, hot humid climate, hydrocortisone ointment, travel

This is not an easy post for me to compose, as I’ve just broken out with my worst yet rash of Atopic Dermatitis/ Eczema from working outside in the heat and sweating. When I work doing shoots outdoors (or indoors without proper AC), my skin gets REALLY upset. What exactly happens? First, I break out in rashes from the constant sweating, the skin gets red/ irritated, itchy, then as I fight with the “keep it dry” mantra using medicated Hydrocortisone ointment, bacteria moves fast and my ordeal is a lost battle. It will usually take more than a week for my skin to heal up, the areas where there are folds in my body such as the armpits, elbow and under chin become super sensitive, broken/ raw (it is so painful) not to mention terribly embarrassing to mention. Of course avoiding to sweat/ keeping areas dry keeps eczema at bay but I still have to function, like everyone else does in Singapore’s heat. The process for me personally, is a one step forward, two behind scenario. On my last trip to the USA, landing in dry California immediately stopped the eczema rash within two days. I was not sweating and perspiring the way I do in Singapore. Coincidence? You be the judge. Sweat is the rash trigger.

Today I met with my dermatologist and was told I have severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis better known as excessive underarm sweating, all just lovely right? I live in a very hot, humid climate, am always on the go and the sweat is non-stop from the car, outdoors and many public areas which do not have air circulating and I should mention I love to exercise and do high intensity cardio. The air conditioning of Singapore is not like it is in the USA which is mostly central (or the UK where it is perpetually mild so you hardly ever need AC), take this from me, it is a big struggle to stay dry for most. At the advice of the GP and my own intuition, I made the decision to start using Botox in the underarm areas to fight a real fight and cut the possibility of yet another rash. The process is tiny injections superficially into the nerves to stop the glands from perspiring excessively. Getting injections was very beyond painful because my armpits are broken out and tender since Friday last week when I spent a good 8hr shift doing makeup/ hair. On Monday, I started a course of antibiotics to stop the bacteria from growing.

The lesson I learned is, eczema/ atopic dermatitis is a horrible non-curable condition but there are things you can do to fight this nasty ailment. Use soap free products like Cetaphil cleanser and Dermalogica Ultra Calming serum (used in my chin area when I was itching and started feeling the red bumps, huge relief), as well as my other friend Hydrocortisone ointment 0.1% (prescribed by a dermatologist). Another nugget I found out is that there is medicated anti-perspirant. You bet I ordered myself some through Amazon (and a big thank you to my sister who will send it to me from CA). Last but not least, I now firmly believe in Botox! As I endured the multiple injections one by one as the kind doctor handed me a box of tissue (total of 50 mil injected), all I kept thinking was being rash and sweat free for a while (the suppression is temporary, probably 4-6 months and I am OK with that). Keeping calm, DRY and carrying ON.

NARS To Launch Andy Warhol Collection

Aug 27, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Makeup 1 Comment Tags: andy warhol, beauty, Candy Darling, Debbie Harry Cheek, Edie Sedgwick, holiday 2012, nail polish minis, nars, sephora, Silver Factory

Twitter has been buzzing with the news of a new Andy Warhol-inspired NARS collection, the first images were unveiled via WWD. What struck me the most is the vivid colors and the new shades, all set to launch in the USA on Oct 1st.

The collection will be released in two parts, with the first half launching October 1 exclusively at Sephora USA. It will include a Debbie Harry Cheek and Eye Palette ($65), the aforementioned Kiss Mini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss Coffret ($55), a Walk on the Wild Side mini set ($39) and three Flowers eye shadow palettes ($55 each).

NARS is also set to officially launch in our shores at Tangs department store in the later part of 2012. Even though I didn’t get invited to the launch event in Singapore, lucky for me back in June I had the opportunity to meet the NARS pro team and stock up on NARS at the Makeup Show in Chicago (which was the first time NARS participated in a pro-only event. I love their matte lip pencils, lipgloss, blushers and their eyeshadows are a staple in my kit, they pack a powerful pigment and look beautiful.

Part two of the collection is set to be a November 1 release in department and specialty stores, with four multi-product sets: Silver Factory ($200), Edie (named for Edie Sedgwick, $75), Beautiful Darling (for Candy Darling; $49) and a Photo Booth set of nail polish minis ($35).

Images courtesy of the Daily Makeover and WWD.

Tsuya New Skincare From Shu Uemura

Aug 22, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Skincare 7 Comments Tags: beauty, health, radiant, serum, Shu Uemura, skincare, Tsuya

This month of August has been very busy for me, busier than last year and certainly warmer than I remember now that I am in Singapore officially five years! Between work, a new regime of no fried food, TRX circuit training exercise, very little alcohol AND this new range of skincare from Shu Uemura called TSUYA Skin Youthful Radiance Generator, my skin is looking good. Before I get into the Tsuya review, I want to add that when you put the effort forward with diet, skincare and exercise combined, the results speak for themselves.

When I started the Tsuya skincare challenge I was very impressed with the idea of a serum that promised glow [Plus I love a good serum]. When I apply a little base whether it is foundation or even concealer, Tsuya glides on smoothly and absorbs into the skin fast without much of an oily layer, love that! At night, I have also been putting it on to let it sink into my skin and do its magic.

Some of the benefits of Tsuya include a more supple and glowy skin which are exactly the comments I have been receiving from various peers and friends. WO-HOO! ** What else did I do different? Sleep at least six hours every night. Drink fluids and include 12oz of green tea at least once a day. Less alcohol especially carbonated and cocktail drinks, doing wine very moderately, one serving a week. Sweating it out 3x a week. Taking my usual vitamins and fish oil 1000mg daily. Eating things like steamed fish, seaweed, fresh foods. No soda, sugary drinks, fizzy anything and if I treat myself to a coffee I add agave nectar, a low glycemic natural sweetener.

Before I turn this into a bore, I want my readers to know that as much as I love a proper skincare regime, how your face reacts to a good product like Tsuya is just as much as the food we put in our mouth, habits and general well-being. Give yourself a little love and you’ll see the BIG payoff.

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