Singapore Blog Awards 2015 Best Beauty Blog Finalist

I need a place to rant, and since I wholly own this blog, I think I can do so here right? 

Please kindly bear with me a little...

If you are residing in Singapore, you should have heard of the Singapore Blog Awards (SBA) organised by OMY.sg. Needless to elaborate, it is a yearly awards ceremony, recognising the talents & efforts of our local bloggers.

This year, I participated in a few categories in SBA 2015. The very category that befits my blog the most (and one that is most important to me personally) is the BEST BEAUTY BLOG category, presented/sponsored by Panasonic Singapore.

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Eight days ago, I received a very delightful email congratulating me on being selected to be a Finalist in the SBA 2015 Best Beauty Blog category (Advertisers' Choice)! [Blog: http://faithyvanitytable.blogspot.com]

Upon reading the first line of the above email, I was OVERJOYED and literally did a binky jump on the streets! (Read: a binky jump is a special hopping-in-mid-air action by a very happy bunny) The next moment as I read on was a total game-changer to my moods.

I am supposed to attend a workshop organised by Panasonic and write blog posts about the event and a sponsored product, BEFORE I can be listed officially as one of the Top Ten Finalists, due to announce on 9 June 2015 (which is today, the day of me penning this blog post).

Before I register my blog at SBA 2015, I read the T & C, and KNEW that it is compulsory attend the Panasonic event BUT the event date wasn't confirmed at the point of my registration. At about the same time, my sweet husband paid a deposit for a SGD10K tour to Greece as our early wedding anniversary celebratory trip for 10th-20th June... the trip was only confirmed a day after my blog's registration for SBA 2015.

When I register, I wasn't expecting to be able to get onto TOP 10 Finalists of Best Beauty Blog Award category. Who would? (If I had knew earlier...I definitely will shelf my husband's travel plans.)

Anyway, fast forward to what transpired... The Panasonic event is going to be held on 13th June, which clashes with my Greece trip! I tried to appeal to the organiser, OMY.sg, to allow me to lock my name down as one of the ten finalists, but...

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I was denied, as expected.

SAY GOODBYE TO PLACING THIS BADGE (2015 version) ON MY BLOG THIS YEAR...

Yes, it is part of the regulations that finalists are obliged to attend the mandatory event and write about it. And apparently, they aren't flexible about this.

There is nothing I can do, but still, I am honoured and feel appreciated that my blog, my baby, was (initially) recognised as one of the TOP TEN Best Beauty Blogs of Singapore!

I obviously won't have the opportunity to thank anyone at the awards ceremony, so here goes...

I want to....

THANK YOU my readers for your support,
THANK YOU Panasonic Singapore for selecting my blog,
THANK YOU OMY.SG for organising this awesome event for us bloggers,
THANK YOU JESUS for making my blogging journey a happy & satisfying one so far.

I am truly grateful to whatever I have right now, and I hope I will continue to be inspired to produce more quality blog posts in future. Please continue to support & encourage me okay? :)

UPDATE ( 5 Hours After This Post First Published):
I saw the names of my "competitors" and I suddenly felt much much better about not being able to participate this year... Their blogs are really fantastic, and in my opinion, better than mine! They deserve the award!  

Please support my beauty blogger friends at:
http://sgblogawards.omy.sg/2015/category/advertisers-choice-finalist.php
( I am rooting for 7 of them that I either know personally, or I really like the blog...sorry a bit sensitive to divulge who here; but trust me, ALL 10 of them deserve this recognition!)

And you can vote for your favourite Top 10 Popular Blog Awards (Overall) here:
http://sgblogawards.omy.sg/2015/category/vote/top10-popular-blogs.php
(Kindly support Smith Leong, author of Singapore Top Toilet Reading Material AND Carrie Sim of carriesim.com)

Drugstore Skincare - Yay and Nay!

I had a sudden realization that my stash is devoid of drugstore skincare products. Main reason is because for the past few years, I have been sticking to only what works for my acne-prone, sensitive combination skin, i.e. the products I purchase regularly from my dermatologist. And then I switched to Creme Simon, which is still working very well till this point. Partly also because I am an avid fan of Korean beauty products, so I always hang out at Korean beauty stores/counters or Qoo10, instead of my local pharmacy & supply chain stores.

Last month, I decided to try out some highly raved drugstore products for the face! I purchased all of them at Watson's Singapore. It is more like a collective haul over a span of 1-2 months.

So in this post, I selected four of them that I want to give quick reviews and to briefly tell you my impressions of them.

1. Hada Labo AHA + BHA Foam Wash

This product contains fruit acids that claims to exfoliate your skin to dissolve blackheads, whiteheads, dullness, dirt and impurities. Fitted with a hygienic pump, each pump gives a dollop of soft, dense foam that saves the trouble of foaming with your fingers.

MY THOUGHTS

The amount of salicylic acid and glycolic acid is too low to leave a significant exfoliating effect on its first wash. Having been a regular patron of acid peels, this is apparently too mild for me as an exfoliant, but it does work as a good basic cleanser that cleanses well enough. I wouldn't recommend regular use, especially for sensitive skin, even if the acids' levels are low.

For its affordability and availability at our local shores, I still like it a lot as a basic, no-frills cleanser that does it job. It controls oil quite well too, and has a faint acidic scent which is considered pleasant and not overpowering whatsoever.

Rating:

MAY '15 Makeup Favourites + Review of Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar

Hi Faithy Lovelies!

Yes, I am referring to YOU... my faithful, lovely readers of Faithy Vanity Table. Thank you so much for being here with me! :)

This blog post spins a new series, Monthly Favourites, in place of the Monthly Faithy Haul posts I had been doing. So it is more like a two-in-one post where I feature selected products I purchased in the month and those I've been loving in that same month. I will still be spontaneously posting my purchases on my social media, so follow me on - Instagram, Facebook, Twitter for future haul updates! (Official hashtag: #faithyhaul) if you're interested in my latest purchases or for those quick reviews/first impressions.

Without further ado, let's get started!

MAY '15 Makeup Favourites

Products Featured

1. Guerlain Météorites Rainbow Pearls (2015 Limited Edition)
2. Tarte Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder
3. Sephora Kiss Me lip balm
4. Estée Lauder Pure Colour Envy Sculpting Lipstick in 280 Ambitious Pink
5. Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar

---

Guerlain Météorites Rainbow Pearls 2015 Limited Edition

This is a must-get edition for Guerlain Météorites collectors! Just look at the pretty pastel-coloured pearls and the stunning white & gold packaging! Sweetness overload!! Especially when paired with the Guerlain face brush meant for the Météorites... the entire package is absolute grade A #makeupporn. LOL. Functional-wise, the brush is nothing to shout out for. It is very mediocre and feels rather rough for its high-end price.

Although swatches of highlighting powder usually do not turn up accurately in pictures, I think there is no harm giving it a try. So please check out my below swatch.

Say Hi to effortless chic, wavy hair!

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Warning: 

This post is gonna be plastered with selfies of yours truly. 

Proceed with caution!

6 Makeup Mistakes to Avoid this Summer!

Summer is just round the corner! I don't know about you, but this is my favourite season of the year (even though I lived in hot, sunny, all-year-summer-weather Singapore!) to travel. I prefer to show some skin and put on bright and beautiful summer clothing, not all wrapped-up like a bak-zhang (Chinese rice dumpling) in Winter for my OOTD shoots.

Putting on the right makeup is as vital as parading in your best summer outfits, agree?

In this post, I will share some of the cringeworthy, outdated makeup trends of yesteryear that you MUST absolutely avoid this summer,  this year and possibly the next few years to follow too!

Mistake no. 1: Pearlescent light eyeshadow under the brow bone.

I know how some makeup gurus (especially the western ones) advocate for years, how this technique neaten your overall eye shadow look and give you brighter eyes. BUT, do you know if you choose the wrong shade, eg: pearly or shimmery white/beige colours, you end up looking more mature than your age?

Image credit: lloydandwolf.com

As illustrated above, this arch eyebrow coupled with iridescent white eyeshadow colour under the outer corner of the brow bone look IS JUST SOOOOO 90s! When I first started makeup, I was taught this technique. Fast forward 20 years, this technique is still widespread, especially amongst those who doesn't care to keep up with Korean beauty trends. Why oh why?

Doesn't this eye makeup look younger, fresher and more suitable for Summer?

Mistake no. 2: Fully Lined eyes, with black eyeliner.

Unless you're going for some theme party, there is no reason to fully line your Asian eyes with black eyeliner. Lower liner should not be full-on black for most Asian eyelids, particularly monolids - it really makes your eyes smaller (with the exception if you are doing a smokey eye look complemented with the right eyeshadow shades - then that may work.)

Mistake no. 3: Blusher that are swiped upwards, in attempts to create a "smaller face"

Please stop sucking your face into a fish-face before swiping your blusher upwards!

A luxury nail experience at Branché

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Last week, I was cordially invited to try the manicure service of a Japanese hair & nail salon, newly opened in Singapore in March 2015. Branché enjoys popularity in Japan and has several branches all over the country.

Branché Team of award-winning stylists and other staff

Conveniently located near City Hall MRT station, Branché opened its first salon at the revamped Capitol Building, Capitol Piazza. Capitol Piazza has not officially opened yet, hence when I visited, the mall is quiet without much shoppers.

As its name suggests, this salon has two services namely hair services and nail services. What sets them apart from other local salons is, the stylists and nailists (yes they call themself nailists, not manicurists nor nail techicians) are all native Japanese and uses Japanese techniques and the best Japan's quality products and technology. There is another name for Branché nail section - Caplus Nail. They are separate entities back in Japan, but here in Singapore they share the same huge space in Capitol Piazza.

Upon reaching Branché, the friendly receptionist, Ms Nazrah, exchanged greetings with me and introduced me to the nailist, Safori. A hospitable Nazrah then verbally introduced me to their drinks menu, out of which I chose a cup of matcha latte - it is the best matcha latte I have ever had in Singapore! (The best I have tasted prior to this was in Tokyo.) You'd be thrilled to know that they won't hesitate to pour you a glass of champagne or make you great teas such as TWG teas or Japanese tea. You'll be spoiled for choice!

What impressed me the most was the handwritten card by Safori! I love little personal touches like that! (Sidenote: halfway through the manicure, Nazrah checked in again to see if I need to change to another warm cup of matcha latte. I politely declined since I won't bear to pour away the unfinished cup!)


The cosy nail room was spilt into two sections - one for manicure and the other for pedicure. Manicure can also be done in the hair salon main area while hair services are being performed. I will show you guys photos of the main salon in another post next month.

Branché prides itself as a up-market salon that utilises the best technology from Japan. I couldn't agree more when I saw the gadget below...

Check out the pen-like metal gadget on the top right! Guess what is that use for?

Close up look of the gadget

Branché has a nail service called "Repair". They do not literally repair your nails per se, but what they can do is, they avoid damage to nails by opting NOT to file them down but to use this equipment to remove the previous gel nails of the customer. This is a simple, quick and painless process...and best thing of this is, "no nails would be harmed"! I have to admit that when I first heard the faint drilling sounds it emits, my heart went thumping...as the pen tip touched my nail bed, I felt slightly "electrocuted". Of course I wasn't, but I was just imagining the worst in my head as I was kind of scared. Safori chatted with me while drilling my nail surface away, and strangely, that calms me down and I forgot my initial nervousness immediately. Haha!

Have a look at these high quality nail products offered by the salon.

Rajunina products were jointly developed by a Kyoto University professor and Branché. They were said to be very effective.

The only UV/LED lamp for nails that I feel is totally clean, non-sticky from previous customers' use; and doesn't hurt my sensitive nail beds

Professional Safori prepping to serve me my best manicure experience ever!

She's really skilled and despite our slight language barrier, she delivers exactly what I want!

Do you know that Branché offers real diamonds? Yes, you heard right. They can stick on real diamonds as part of your nail art. But in my featured manicure, no diamonds, only Swarovski crystals (those of good shiny quality ones)

TA-DAH! Pretty beach theme gel nails done! Safori calls it The Mermaid style.

Can you see the shell inlay?

GlamPalm GP501 : Unboxing and First Impressions

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Recently I was lined with events that require me to look more polished than usual, and I was floundering on what hairstyles I want for each event. Without a huge budget for professional hairstyling services at salons, I usually turn to my curling tongs or flat iron to DIY my hair. But the curls usually don't form well - either too curly or too messy; and straights usually end up frizzy & damaged. Huge headache! How I wish I have a 2-in-1 styler that really works!!

Imagine my delight when GlamPalm extended their helping hand to me as they delivered GlamPalm GP501 right to my doorstep! (GlamPalm is a hair iron that can straighten AND curl hair! I heard a lot about them, they are like the Queen of Styling Irons in the market.)

I had that same reaction when I unboxed my GP. Guess what? My hair is gonna look like that too, soon. 

Just a little background information about GlamPalm...

• Glampalm’s parent company received the iF good design award in 2010, one of the top three design awards in the world. 
• Products are used by notable celebrities around the world such as Jennifer Aniston, Naomi Campbell, Miranda Kerr, and many others! (In Singapore, celebrities like Jamie Yeo, Rui En & blogger queen Xiaxue had also used it!)
• Researched, designed, and manufactured in Seoul, South Korea.
• Discovered the unique Healing Stone™ technology & incorporated this into their ceramic heating plates -the secret to their success! 

Fascinated yet?

What is Healing Stone™ Technology?

• Mineral ore is mined from mountains deep in the heart of South Korea
• Contains natural anti-bacterial and anti-microbial elements
• Healing Stone has been used throughout the history of Korean Eastern medicine
• Naturally emits the far-infrared rays and anions that add shine, smoothness and bounce

Come share my excitement...

as I unbox this precious luxe-looking package!

The point where I let out a little squeal of joy! Check out this stylish travel pouch!

May I also add that the hair clips are so convenient and holds just the right amount of hair, without pulling.

The styler's transparent cap is heat resistant! You can cap on without needing to wait for the iron to cool down.

Firm grip. The handle actually absorbs the sweat from my hands, so this prevents from slipping!

I am pretty sure you're curious how my hair turns out after I use this GP501 right? It's my first use, hence I am starting with an everyday fuss-free straight hairstyle.

BEFORE

2 days of unwashed hair! Limp hair at the crown +  dry frizzy ends.

No pain, no mishaps! Straightener doesn't pull my hair. No accidental scalding.