Beauty Tutorial: Simple Everyday Makeup and Loose Curls With Panasonic Beauty Tools

It's been quite a hectic journey this Singapore Blog Awards, because I've been busy at work (yes, I do have a full-time job outside of blogging, because unlike some celebrity bloggers I don't get paid to blog), and also, as awesome as the Blog Awards have been, it also means extra work for me, in the form of extra blogposts. Now, if you read my blog, you'll know I don't always blog that regularly - sure every week there will be at least one post or two, but I'm not really a "blog every day" type of blogger. Because so much work and research goes into my posts, either for things like ingredients analysis, or looking up the science behind a claim, I can't really blog everyday. But at the same time, I'm also quite sad that my blogging journey for the Singapore Blog Awards is coming to an end. Yes, this is my third and final post! But I've made sure it's a good one - here's a tutorial with some simple everyday makeup, and loose curls, using some Panasonic Beauty Tools, namely the Facial Ionic Steamer EH-SA31 VP, the Eyelash Curler EH-SE60 VP (both of which I've previously done tutorials for), the Multi-Styling Straightener EH-HW588-K (new to this post!) and the Panasonic Hair Straightener EH=HS95-K (which I've already spoken about in this post). Behold, the transformation:

Now you guys know from my previous post that I don't often curl my hair, so that is one of my maiden voyages into hair curling. The makeup - now that's another matter. This makeup is actually something I wear out quite often, and in fact, you could even say it's my go-to look: bright cheeks, bright lips, a clean, fuss-free eye - it's a look that is classic, easy to wear, and suits everyone. It looks like there's a lot going on, but don't worry - it's less hassle than you think! Below are all the products I used to achieve that look. It's not actually that much, right? (Okay, so I was a horrible person and left out the Multi-Styling Straightener EH-HW588-K from the photo below, because there wasn't enough space - not to worry, more photos of that coming up later!)

Steam My Face? Heat My Lashes? Panasonic's Beauty Tools Made Me Do It!

I've mentioned before in my previous post that this year's Singapore Blog Awards has been quite the eye opener for me - and it doesn't seem to stop! After my epic journey with a hair dryer and a hair straightener/curler, I now get the chance to get up close and personal with a heated eyelash curler and a face steamer! And these touch your face and skin so much closer than hair tools do!



So you may be wondering, what exactly are these strange products? The eyelash curler is the Panasonic Eyelash Curler EH-SE60 VP (for those who want to know the model number) and Panasonic Face Steamer EH-SA31 VP. I think the VP in both product names is a colour code for the pink versions of the equipment, but I'm not sure what it stands for (very pink, perhaps?). In any case, this is the first time EVER I'm using an eyelash curler, as well as a face steamer, so I was a little bit worried when I first tried these - I was so scared that I would burn my eyelashes off, or else just scald my face! Fortunately all turned out well and I lived to tell the tale.

Attempting to Curl My Hair For the First Time with Panasonic Hair Styler

If you've been blogging for 5 years like I have, you tend to think, "Oh well, I've been there, done that, nothing new." But life just has a way of throwing curveballs at you! After over 25 years of not doing anything at all to my hair - I have what is called "virgin hair" in hairstylist/hair-fanatic parlance, I finally attempted to curl and style my own hair, all by my lonesome self! And guess what - I came out totally unscathed! I mean, I didn't even have a burn mark on my neck or anything! (Although I almost touched the hot plate of a hair straightener because it didn't look hot...so there you go, I'm really a hairstyling dummy. Thanks Yvonne for saving my fingers!)

I can hairstylist! Obviously, my hairstyling skills are not the best.

So where and what was that marvellous place where I got to attempt to give myself a more jazzy 'do DIY style? None other than the OMY.sg Singapore Blog Awards event - it was some sort of event for all the beauty blogger finalists to learn more about some of Panasonic's beauty tools. Now I was aware of Panasonic (duh, who hasn't heard of them?) but more in the context of them being a player in the electronics/semiconductor space, so this was definitely the first time I've thought of the brand in the context of beauty. And lo and behold, it was certainly impressive!

Parabens, Skincare, Safety, and Cancer: What does the Science say?

Parabens - are they safe or not? You've seen them in ingredients lists - methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben are the most commonly used ones in cosmetics and skincare, but there are a bunch of others, such as isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, benzylparaben and so on. You've also probably heard that they are unsafe, and can cause cancer (in particular breast cancer) because they are endocrine disruptors. But are they really unsafe? What does the science say, beyond the hype? I've actually touched on the topic before, but it was in the comments section of this post from last year, in response to a reader's question about parabens in cosmetics. Although I had initially intended to only answer that reader's question (yes, that super long 4-comments-long answer was just for one reader), I seem to get hits for "parabens" leading to that post. Since the main body of that post is actually a skincare review, and people may not read the comments, I thought it would be good for me to create a separate post for it, so that it is easier for them to access the information directly without having to scroll through all the comments. I've also expanded my responses, since now I'm no longer constrained by Blogger's comment length limit - take that, Blogger comments!

Parabens - safe or not? Given the rage on the Internetz, you'd think they were a major source of slow, painful deaths.

So. let's cut to the chase. The original reader comment was as follows:
"I...was wondering whether you knew more about the parabens controversy. I've always wondered if all parabens are cancerous and bad for you, or is that just misinformation. Is there a reason why beauty products use them so often, maybe for certain properties and purposes it serves?"

So there are actually three broad parts to this question:
1. Are parabens safe?
2. If they are safe, why are they so controversial? Where does the hype come from?
3. If there is so much hype about them being bad, why are they still commonly used?

Molecular structure of some common parabens (Image source)

With that, I thought this post would provide a more systematic way of answering these questions, and gathering all my sources in one place, so those three questions are how I will tackle the question. I've definitely heard all about the paraben controversy, and to be honest, I've found there is quite a bit of misinformation, half-truths, and fearmongering out there. The truth is, if you look at the amount if hoopla online in certain parts of the Internetz, versus the actual scientific data on parabens, you'll find that there is very little to justify the hoopla. But enough of my talking - let's dive into the analysis now! Just be warned: this is a very, very long post, so you better buckle yourself in!

MUFE Artisan Brush Collection: Review and Comparisons

MUFE's Artisan Brush Collection has been quite well-received, with some brushes already sold out following its first launch in Singapore. I know I've blogged about two of the brushes, the MUFE Buffer Blush Brush #152 and Medium Highlighter Brush #154 before, but I thought since I've gotten more brushes since then, I thought I'd do a quick comparison between those brushes I have and existing brushes from other brands.

MUFE Artisan Brush Collection: Proving to be very popular!

The brushes I have, in addition to the Buffer Blush Brush #152 and Medium Highlighter Brush #154, are the Lip Brush with Cap #304, the Double-Ended Sculpting Brush #158, the Round Shader Brush Small #210, the Body Kabuki #414, and the Double-Ended Eyelash and Eyebrow Brush #274.


My little collection of MUFE brushes.
So without further ado, let's start with the comparisons!

Singapore Blog Awards 2014 Best Beauty Blog: I'm a Finalist, and You Can Vote For Me (And Win Something For Yourself)!

Source: OMG SBA Facebook

I've been blogging for nearly 5 years now, and after so long, I sometimes feel like as far as my blogging goes, I've probably been there and done that. But sometimes life still has surprises up its sleeve! Turns out, yours truly is a finalist for Best Beauty Blog at Singapore Blog Awards 2014! The final part is actually voting, and you can actually vote for me (hopefully?) here, at this site.

Now this is totally 101% unexpected, because simply put - I've never viewed my own blog as that great, and I'm not really the "pretty/popular/pictorial" type of beauty blogger (you know, my posts are full of text and boring ingredients geekery and other boring TL;DR stuff). So although I knew I was nominated, I didn't expect to go anywhere given that I was just one 1 of over 50 nominations. Honestly. So when I found out that I was one of the finalists, I was basically like all of these faces put together:

(Source)

First, the "OMG I'm so shocked!"

Source

Then the "OMG I'm can't believe it! Squeeee!"

Source

Then the "OMG I'm so happy! Yay!"

Source

And finally the "OMG this can't be real!"

So basically that's what it feels like on this end right now. The next stage is voting - and this part is open to everyone, including you! Yay! If you can click here and vote for me, that would be the bee's knees. There's also a Lucky Voters’ Contest going on, so everytime you vote (you get to vote once per day!) you get an extra entry into the lucky draw. So yes, you could win something for yourself too!

But with that excitement aside, I have to say, I'm always ambivalent about voting as a means of winning contests. While democracy is one of the better forms of governance out there, and while certainly decision-making should incorporate the views of everyone as far as is practical, sometimes, voting tends to degenerate into a case of pandering to the lowest common denominator, which in turn tends to result in things like the Kardashians, Snooki, and Justin Bieber. And, personally, I don't really like shilling: "PLEASE GO VOTE FOR ME, EVERYONE, OKAY?" I mean, on a personal level it's not really my style, and that's not why I blog in the first place. I blog for a variety of reasons - as an outlet for my love of writing, and my interest in beauty products and the science behind them - but not for self-promotion or to seek celebrity fame. So it just doesn't sit well with me to do any sort of "PLZ VOTE PLZ PLZ PLZ" thing. But yet, it is a popular method to determine the outcome of contests over here, so here we are. If you've been a longtime but silent reader (I know there are those of you!), or if my blog is a newly-discovered one to you, or if you've liked my ingredients geekery, or any of my posts on Asian undertones, makeup, or skincare, and if you feel like it, then please know that your vote means a lot to me. At the end of the day, beyond indulging my own interests in writing and beauty, I also blog because I love interacting with my readers and other beauty bloggers, and I'm fortunate that I've been able to do this for nearly 5 years now!

Stuff I Actually Use Up! More Empties of Skincare, Makeup, and Nail Products!

Ooh, what do we have here? More empties! And boy, am I excited to show you these - since my last empties post some months back, I've been a good beauty blogger and have actually used up stuff in my stash! And of course this means I have to tell you guys all about it, and do a quick summary of how the products have worked for me! As you might be able to guess, though, chances are, if I used it up, it probably did a pretty good job. So here's what I've used up!

Look ma, so many empties! These include skincare, makeup, and nail products. Yay!

Yes, look at that - it's a whole bunch of products covering makeup, skincare, and nails! Without further ado, let's dive straight into them, shall we?

Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's iconic Calendula Herbal Extract Toner now has a new friend - the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash! This is a flanker to the original toner, and as you might imagine, also boasts the presence of Calendula Flower Extract, just like the original. So, as you can imagine, this is a pretty hotly-anticipated product!

Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash: The latest product with calendula!

I was excited to see how this would perform - after all, the Calendula Herbal Extract Toner is easily one of Kiehl's most well-recognized products, complete with calendula flowers inside the bottle. The Kiehl's Dalendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash unfortunately doesn't have calendula flowers inside, but it does happen to have quite a few other traits to make it a welcome addition to your bathroom cabinet - starting right with the ingredients list.