Week Four of my Petronille Challenge – A mix of dry summer, winds and late spring are in full bloom here in the San Francisco Bay Area and my skin is feeling the change. Since a week ago, I am using DOUBLE the amount of the day and night creams with the elixirs to help. Last week I had to pack on some makeup for a family event and the daycream worked very well under my foundation and did not cake up at all. One thing about my skin type, I am not prone to sensitivity unless in extreme sweat outdoors or humidity in which case I break out, itch and oil up as most people do in Singapore. The upside of this dry weather is less blemishes, in fact ZERO and being able to use more skincare to nourish my skin and makeup staying on longer under my Petronille products.
PS. Next week, I am in Miami Florida, where I will be re-visiting some old patterns of humidity, we shall see what happens then.
New Work
This is the cover of Human Resources magazine for May 2012. It was a group shoot with executives from different sectors within the industry, all full of zest and personality. For the men, skincare grooming was paramount and for the ladies I prepped the skin with All Mat primer and HD foundation from Makeup Forever.
Le Pétronille Skincare Challenge
Week Three of my Petronille Challenge - This week is a new setting! On Monday, I travelled to San Francisco, California (USA) and the weather conditions are much different than Singapore, it is dry heat this time of the year, think Mediterranean-like temperatures. After a gruelling seventeen hour flight, I’ve been catching up on my time zone (16hrs total to be exact), sleep and keeping hydrated as much as possible. Combination skin like mine loves dry weather, I get less oily in the daytime but definitely more dry especially at night. The first two days were rough, as I was super tired and this showed in my eye area.
At any rate, I’ve been applying more of the day and night cream to compensate with the dry air, protect skin against the sun and to continue to nourish my skin while I adjust. The Elixir Anti-Age serum works exceptionally well in the daytime too!
Beauty Series
This is what I call, no-makeup makeup, it is clean, defined brows, blusher and skin that glows. A few months ago, I shot a beauty series with San Francisco Bay Area area photographer Sheila Menezes, we had a great collaborative effort and probably one of the most fun shoots ever. Girl power!
Shoot in Sentosa
Lately the skies have been glorious in Singapore, especially in the late afternoon. Although the winds were really strong the day this photo was taken, the makeup stayed on well. I used very little makeup on Rachel and the lips were all the way OCC lip tar. Photo by Mark Pascasio.
Progress Report Petronille
Week Two of my Petronille Challenge – Loving the night cream with Elixir Antioxydant for overnight repair, skin wakes up moist, this is something new for me. In the daytime I am using small amounts of the pink bottle cream in my forehead as I am prone to dryness here and on the cheeks but have to apply sparingly to avoid getting too oily (we live in a super humid country and the last few weeks have been scorching!).
My skin tends to be combination/oily in the T-zone, but prone to dryness, irritation and the monthly female breakout, so far there haven’t been any reactions at all, in fact very little if any breakouts. **I also had a glycolic peel which cleared my skin – a miracle! The writing is on the wall, using good products and getting some form of facial helps.
Shu Uemura Product Launch at ION
Last Friday I was invited to attend a Shu Uemura event at ION Mall AND thank God I got the call on Thursday afternoon! Shu Uemura is a Japanese brand I am not too familiar with, the only two items in my makeup bag from it, are the iconic lash curler (two of them, one for me and another for clients) and a brow pencil. Of course, it was a super exciting to learn about their latest foundation, lipsticks and in general what is happening from May forward. For a breakdown of the different foundations, check this page out.
I tested the new Shu Uemura Face Architect Fluid Foundation in 754 (Medium Beige), a creamy liquid foundation with a semi matte finish, if you like dewy not heavily matted finish, this is for you (I liked it lots, I don’t usually do matte). Coverage was good, texture and application of this foundation all can be done with a sponge (I prefer a foundation brush or my hands), color was a close match for my skin tone. The only thing with Shu Uemura is that there isn’t a huge range of shades for darker skin colors, as a makeup artist I always think about my clients and this is an area where there should be more options.
The other item I was able to take home (and try out at the event) is a new range of very creamy lipsticks called Rouge Unlimited in 741, I chose a nude shade for myself as I liked the idea of using it during the day and at night. The color glides on nicely and works wonderfully, not highly pigmented for my liking but nice enough for a touch up on the go. The new rouge unlimited range is available at all Shu Uemura beauty counters island wide from May 2012.
Starting in May in Singapore, Shu Uemura is starting a sampling campaign for its face architect smooth fit fluid foundation at all their counters. Coupled with color consultation from professional beauty stylists, women will be able to experience the foundation at a price of $65. One thing I always advice before buying foundation is to TRY IT OUT on your skin! Make sure you test the shade and sample in your neck area or chin, to ensure you choose the right color.
Thank you for inviting me Shu Uemura, there were lovely sweets, cake to take home and a nail bar all which I enjoyed immensely, hope to be able to attend more fun events in the near future.
Vanity Trove May Surprise
When I received my most recent box of beauty goodies, I was expecting the usual range of samples. Hello, I was in for a surprise, a really lovely one, indeed. The May edition of the Vanity Trove came with a nice selection of products, vouchers, the loveliest packaging ever AND two special gems I can’t wait to tell you about.
First a 100 ml bottle of Style Aromatherapy Moroccan Argan Hair Moisturizer – a leave-in product that can be used when you blow dry, use a curler or a straightening iron or on its own after a shampoo. Why Argan oil? This powerful ingredient has been used for centuries to strengthen and care for hair, skin and nails, it is rich in lineolic acid (Omega 6) , Omega 9, Vitamin E and Squalene. I used a tiny bit in my hand and applied it all over the ends as I blow-dried my hair, and the result was silky, beautiful styled locks with a heavenly scent to boot.
And for the most unique product ever, the Braphy lip gloss and plumper – comes with a LED light and side mirror. This lip gloss was shade #2, a pink extra shimmery shade, perfect for a night out in the town. When I was out on Sat night, everyone kept asking me where I got this super cool gloss. It is small enough to fit in a tiny purse and carry around with you.
And btw during the month of May for SGD $35, you can order your Mom a Spring Special Trove as a Mother’s Day gift!!! The Spring’s Special contains luxe limited edition trove with the finest beauty brands from France, and twice the value of the cost. This is an excellent and lovely present. For more info, go to Vanity Trove.
Inglot Malaysia
Thank goodness for the Internet and Facebook! I recently discovered that Polish makeup brand Inglot cosmetics opened a new shop across the border at City Square Mall in Johor Bahru (Malaysia) – about one hour by bus from my house and as soon as I had a few hours to spare I dashed across. It was a super fun day! I went with one of my beauty friends who has the same days off as me (Monday) and we had an amazing lunch at an organic restaurant before heading back to Singapore.
First though, we stopped by Inglot. My purchases were a black matte gel eyeliner (which I LOVE) for RM 25 ($10 SG dollars), two matte eyeshadows in black #391 and in a nude pink #341 (great for brides, cost 30 RM about $15 SGD) and a blusher in peach-y pinkish shade #29 for RM 38 ($15 something SG). What I liked is that they don’t come in packaging or palettes, but rather in individual packed trays so you can create your own palette. (I am building my own Z Palette‘s, they are awesome).
April Surprises
April is nearly over, so much happened I don’t even know where to start. Rewind to a year ago, when I was in London taking courses and recharging my creative battery. This year in April 2012, I am attending beauty events, doing creative tests, working on bridal jobs almost every weekend and attending to my editorial clients. Today I had a photoshoot with a regular client who requested a close up of very full lips for a cover – how over the moon is that? I mixed the best purple color I’ve ever done using the MUFE Flash palette and a bit of gloss. The face was prepped with moisturiser, lip balm and MUFE HD foundation. I can truly say I painted the best lip I’ve ever done! From time to time I’d go back to check the lines and make sure it looked perfect.
On Tuesday I was invited to the Makeup Forever Singapore blogger event – there will be amazing products in the pipeline for June (I will announce them then). Of course, I was delighted to go although Makeup Forever is not a new thing for me, it is a staple to my kit and where my training started professionally. It was lovely to see my makeup trainer Liza Haron speak to the audience and to personally understand from experience on set, how Makeup Forever foundations, blushers, primers and their latest HD products DO work.