8 Tricks I've Learned To Make Asian Skin And Hair Look Gorgeous

1. Use liquid liner and volumizing mascara to enhance your eyes.

Asian women's almond-shaped eyes are beautifully unique, but unfortunately the wrong eyeliner application can make them look smaller. The first mistake many Asian girls make is using way too much...too much eye makeup can overwhelm Asian eyes. Most of my Asian friends and I stick to a daily regimen of black liquid liner on the top lid only. And liquid liner seems to work better for Asian eyes than pencil since it provides a longer-lasting, intense color that's less likely to fade.

Short, straight lashes are a common problem among Asian girls, and instead of going through the hassle of wearing fake lashes all the time, it's best to work with what you have. I found that using the right eyelash curler can really help keep Asian lashes curly. Shiseido's Eyelash Curler is great because it has more of a flatter design that fits Asian eyes better than a round-shaped curler. Make sure you start applying your mascara immediately after curling before your lashes start falling (because that can happen instantly). Use a high-quality volumizing mascara -- my personal favorites are Clinique's High Impact Mascara for everyday use and their High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara for a big night out.

The plastic bristles on Clinique's High Impact Extreme Volume mascara really give lashes a boost.

2. Avoid the fake "eyelid crease."

Monolids are eyelids that don't have a natural "fold" or "crease." Some Asian girls have them and they can be super frustrating to work with. My mother comes from a time when Asian women despised their monolids so much that they would get plastic surgery to create a "fold." Today, instead of running away from their heritage, I believe Asian girls should embrace their eye shape and learn the right eyeshadow techniques to accentuate their single eyelids. That means not drawing on a fake "eyelid crease" -- that just looks bad.

Eyeliner might actually be enough; but if you feel the urge for eyeshadow, your monolids can look great by just applying a light dusting of eyeshadow on them. The Naked Palette has the right colors for a subtle eyeshadow look. Lightly dust the shade Sin underneath your eyebrow and smear some Half Baked on your lid for a natural, pretty look.

3. Learn the art of subtle contouring with the right color blush.

Many Asian women have small and flat facial features. Therefore, creating some angles and lines on the face can help you look more defined. The perfect product for this is a blush that comes in a more nude and muted color. I would avoid any peach or coral-colored blushes to avoid accentuating your natural "Asian flush." Tarte Amazonia Clay 12 Hour Blush in Exposed is a great color for a lot of Asian girls' yellow or golden skin. Apply the blush on the apples of your cheeks all the way up towards your temples. For definition near your chin, apply BareMineral's Warmth All Over Face Color in Warmth right along your jawline.

4. Use a dark brown eyebrow filler.

They say "eyebrows are the gateway to your face," and unfortunately, for many Asian women, we just don't have enough eyebrow hair. While my mother resorted to having her eyebrows tattooed on, I think we Asian girls can do just fine with some good eyebrow filler products. First things first, I always use a medium or dark brown color on my brows -- black will come across too harsh against our lighter skin. I useAnastasia's Perfect Brow Pencil in Medium Brown, while other girls prefer an eyebrow powder. A good technique is to take an angled eyebrow brush and run it under some sink water. Then dab it in a dark brown eyeshadow color and fill in the sparse areas.

5. Simple skincare products can work wonders on sensitive Asian skin.

Many of my Asian friends, myself included, make sure to wash our faces with products that aren't too fancy, so we don't agitate our sensitive skin. For years, my go-to face wash was the simple Cetaphil cleanser you can get in basically any drugstore. It thoroughly cleanses without leaving my skin red and blotchy. Today, I have switched to Mario Badescu's Enzyme Cleansing Gel. It does the same job and I love the smell! But even after I wash my face, my skin is still kind of red and agitated. So I always make sure to apply a toner after I shower to calm my skin. Nothing fancy here: I just use Dickinson's Witch Hazel. It's a tried and true product.

6. Find the perfect bright red lipstick.

One of the many things Asian girls can completely rock is bright red lipstick. A solid red tone will accentuate an Asian girl's golden skin, and her dark hair will perfectly complement the color. Lipstick shades to avoid are coral or peach -- they don't pair as well with Asian skin tones. My favorite red lipstick is Lipstick Queen's Brat Pack (it glides on very smoothly and has a fresh mint scent).

7. Apply sunscreen daily.

Listen to my mother: Start applying sunscreen every day no matter how old you are. Asians are prone to hyper-pigmentation, which means we can easily develop freckles and then sun spots as we age. To avoid these, I use a sunscreen every day (even if it's rainy outside!). My favorite is Philosophy's Broad Spectrum Oil-Free Oxygen Moisturizer with SPF 30 sunscreen. It's super light and dries really fast, making it a cinch to add to your daily morning routine. If you are an older Asian woman and you have sun spots, you should start using a skin lightening product. My mother lovesShiseido's White Lucent Brightening Moisturizing Cream to tackle her sun spots overnight.

8. Take advantage of ancient Asian beauty discoveries.

The Chinese have been using soy to brighten their skin and even out redness for thousands of years. That's why I always use an exfoliator with soy extract to help even out my tone (I love Aveeno's Skin Brightening Daily Scrub). For supreme moisturizing and to bring my face to life, I have recently started using Lancome's Energie De Vie Dullness Relief & Energy Recharge Daily Cream every day. The formula is especially created for Chinese women who want to enhance their "Qi Se,"or their complexion. The product uses three Chinese root plants to help women add energy to their skin: Rhodiola, wild yam and gentian.

These methods work for me, but I'm just one Asian girl. I'd love to know your amazing tricks -- please share in the comments!

Do you have a beauty story idea or tip? 

DIY Twisted Updo Hairstyle

Feed your face: Top 5 foods for healthy skin

 

Your makeover starts with your menu. For a total beauty overhaul, try loading your larder with our list of skin-friendly foods, and feast on this five-course complexion-correcting ‘meal’ – complete with complementary skincare suggestions! 

Yes, we know that no magical food item can bestow upon us the creamy complexion of Clé de Peau Beauté's face Amanda Seyfried – but surely a girl can dream!

Confession time: We used to be guilty of reckless beauty binges, piling on product after product, day in and night out ... until we reached a roadblock in our quest for complexion perfection. Like the dreaded “plateau” in a weight-loss programme, nothing we slathered on our visage seemed to yield visible results. What could account for us being stuck in a skin rut?

That was when we arrived at a sort of epidermal epiphany, if you will: We were downing as many cans of sugary fizzy pops as we were massaging moisturisers into our mien. Could that tired trope about being what we eat hold true, after all?

Take it from the experts, who say that what you put in your body may matter just as much as what you put on top of it. “Think of food as fuel for your face,” says Nicolas Travis, Singapore skincare entrepreneur and founder of upcoming grooming label Allies of Skin. “Like the other organs in your body, your skin is made up of proteins, fats and fluids, so it needs to be continually re-fuelled with nutrients through your diet.”

If, like us, you’ve been stymied by the lack of noticeable improvement in your skin condition, try giving your topical serums and salves some sustenance for support. We’ve gathered grub for a dietary dossier that will hopefully give you the gorgeous glow you’re hankering after. Eat up!

1. SEAWEED

The seaweed is always greener in someone else’s lake. If you’re born and bred in Singapore, you’ll probably have no trouble incorporating this marine manna in your menu – it’s found in familiar hawker fare like fish soup and stir-fries.

Here’s why seaweed is so good for you. For starters, it’s stuffed with substances called lignans and fucoidan, which are converted into anti-inflammatory phytoestrogens when consumed. Studies show that these compounds maylower breast cancer rates (which, granted, isn’t a skincare perk per se, but we’ll take it.)

More direct beautifying benefits stem from seaweed’s stress-alleviating stockpile of riboflavin and pantothenic acids. These B-vitamins bolster your body against fatigue by fortifying your adrenal glands, helping to soothe stress-induced rashes and skin sallowness. In short, don’t forget to eat your sea veggies!

La Mer Blanc de la Mer SPF 50 UV Protecting Fluid PA+++, $140, and innisfree Eco Science Wrinkle Spot Essence, $54 for 25ml

Pair with: La Mer’s lush new sunscreen comes loaded with the luxury brand’s legendary kelp-infused Miracle Broth, while innisfree’s anti-aging elixir boasts what the K-Beauty brand dubs “retinol from the ocean”, a regenerative extract gleaned from gulfweed harvested along the coasts of Jeju island.

2. FRESHLY BREWED TEA

Green thumbs up. Green tea – and indeed, tea of any tint – is great for your skin. Studies show that when imbibed orally, the potent polyphenols in the emerald elixir sops up harmful radiation from solar rays, making it a useful adjunct to your daily dose of sunscreen.

This beneficial beverage – call it the matchless matcha – is just about peerless in terms of fighting age-accelerating free radicals. A growing body of research in the Archives of Dermatology points to your calming cuppa’s anti-inflammatory properties, which may even reduce the risk of skin cancer. (Disclaimer: Even if you’re drowning in tea, always exercise a healthy degree of caution when you’re out in the blazing heat and wear sunscreen, please!)

Skyrocketing tea to superfood status are other good stuff like catechins, which are antioxidants that help to ease skin inflammation in the form of spots, sagging and puffiness. Lest you think this is a carte blanche for you to guzzle green tea all day, do note that bottled beverages of the vending machine variety are usually spiked with sugar and “empty” calories. Stick to an unsweetened, freshly brewed pot whenever possible!

Clé de Peau Beauté Brightening Serum Supreme, $230 for 40 ml, available May 2014

Pair with: A whole suite of skincare products incorporate tea in their ingredients list – a sign, perhaps, of the ancient plant’s association with modern beauty in Asia. Right now, we’re coveting Clé de Peau Beauté’s new Brightening Serum Supreme, which comes in a fabulous faceted flacon complete with the seductive promise of delivering “diamond-like clarity”. The Japanese prestige brand says that this satiny serum’s blend of botanicals, chief of which is an extract of black tea, has been proven via in-vitro tests to halt the destruction of protective proteins in your skin’s outermost layer, giving you the sort of lit-from-within translucency its face Amanda Seyfried is famed for.

Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant Moisturizer with White Tea, $75 for 50 ml

For something a little more purse-friendly, try the equally lovely Antioxidant Moisturizer with White Tea from trusty American brand Origins. This deeply nourishing night cream is packed with powerful antioxidants courtesy of exotic silver tip white tea, gathered from the green fields of China’s Fujian Province and said to be one of the elements constituting the elusive “elixir of immortality” of Chinese lore.

3. SEED OILS

Sow the seeds of skin success. Repeat after us: Oils are good for you (find out why in our facial oil guide.) For the purposes of this story, we’re zeroing in on the essential fatty acids (the “Omegas”) found in flax seeds and nut oils, because these “healthy” oils have the most cosmetic cache.

Like lubricating an engine, Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils act as buttresses for brittle cell membranes, allowing these microscopic sponges to sop up precious moisture for plumper, younger-looking skin.

So, what to steer clear of in the condiments section of your nearest grocery? “Most commercially treated edible oils are put through hell before arriving on the aisles, with all sorts of solvents and extremely high temperatures destroying much of their goodness,” warns Gene Ho, managing director of CADO Asia Pacific, a Singapore-based beauty research laboratory.

Instead, grease up your grooming regimen by splashing out on top-notch dressing oils labelled expeller processed or cold pressed, which are bottled “neat” with most of their nutrients intact: “Cold-pressed oils are only gently heated, which means all of their essential fatty acid goodness can work their magic on your dry, flaky skin.”

Here’s a small caveat. “Good” oils are still calorific treats best partaken of in moderation (no more than two tablespoonfuls, ideally). Fatten up your skin diet by supplementing ingestible oils with topical ones.

The Face Shop Calming Seed Cream, $55.90 for 50ml, and The Body Shop Vitamin E Serum-In-Oil,  $42.90 for 28 ml

Pair with: The Face Shop’s new Calming Seed Cream comes chock-full with exotic tamanu seed oil, said to be an ancient folk remedy used by Polynesian islanders as a soothing salve against sun damage.

Also new for 2014 is The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Serum-In-Oil, a souffle-light blend of organic wheat germ, jojoba, marula and soya oils that vanishes into our skin. Tip: Spread the wealth by rubbing the excess into your nails and cuticles!

4. WATER

Eat your water. The “eight-by-eight” advice for drinking water isn’t a rule cast in stone: If you have petite appetites like us, you might find it hard to quaff quite so many glasses a day.

Instead, try eating your water. All the juicy foods you enjoy also go towards your daily fluid intake: Think clear consommes, crunchy cucumbers, eggplant and tomatoes. These water-rich veggies not only hydrate your skin, they do so with the bonus benefit of fibre and other trace nutrients – and you don’t suffer that urgent, need-to-pee sensation you sometimes get after downing glass after glass of water.

Here’s why water is so worthy of your consideration when it comes to your complexion. Proper hydration is the cheapest, most effective way of flushing out toxins, which in turn helps to keep your skin clear. On a micro level, water serves as a wagon for wheeling nutrients in and toxins out of your individual skin cells, so keeping suitably hydrated quite literally quenches your skin thirst!

Laneige Waterbank Mineral Skin Mist, $35 for 120ml

Pair with: Laneige has banked its rep on its Waterbank series, and quite rightly so: The Korean brand is always the first name we pull out of our beauty hat when quizzed for a hydrating skincare recommendation. This particular mist is our must-have for weekend getaways. A quick spritz sets makeup and fights off signs of post-flight fatigue, so you’ll step off the plane looking like a well-watered woman in full bloom!

5. HONEY

Honey, I shrunk the zits. Swap the simple sugars for a skin-friendly spoonful of honey. We’ve previously given you our recipe for a DIY face mask, but the treacly treat is best enjoyed stirred into your favourite tea blend.

Here’s why so many holistic types swarm to honey as their first choice for a guilt-free sweetener. Honey is an honest-to-goodness superfood, being both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory – making it the bee’s knees, so to speak, for angry red zits.

Tip: Thin a dollop of manuka honey into a jug of lukewarm water, then pour into ice trays and freeze into bite-sized cubes for a “cool” spin on a throat-soothing lozenge!

Crabtree & Evelyn English Honey & Peach Blossom collection, from $13

Pair with: We’re fond of just about everything from Crabtree & Evelyn’s “bee-lightful” new suite of wildflower honey-infused body butters ($48 for 250 ml) and lotions ($40 for 250ml). We’re particularly partial to the posh American beauty brand’s All Purpose Balm ($18 for 14g), a silky salve which comes packaged in a quaint metal tin. Stash it by your bedside and smooth a good amount into dry elbows and knees, or wherever you need a little extra loving!

Cinderella Contest

To Apply go to this link https://sg.sekkisei-cinderella.com/form.php



You could be the SEKKISEI Cinderella we are looking for! Since it first went on sale in Japan in 1985, SEKKISEI has provided a natural way for every woman to attain beautiful skin and a natural radiance as never before.To commemorate SEKKISEI's 30th anniversary in 2015, we will host the KOSÉ SEKKISEI Cinderella Contest to select a Cinderella who embodies the SEKKISEI success story of finding greater beauty in every woman.Just like a diamond in the rough that is polished into an exquisite gem, our contestants will show us a real Cinderella story that all women aspire to, becoming ever more beautiful through the use of SEKKISEI products and their own determination.We are looking for a SEKKISEI Cinderella with translucent skin who radiates beauty from both inside and out.Accompanying contestants on this journey to beauty discovery, SEKKISEI Cinderella blogger mentor, Tricia Ong, will be on hand to offer tips and advice. Finalists will also meet with Tricia at the makeover and photoshoot session to create new, stylish looks to complete their transformation.


\

Basic Requirements

• You must be a permenant resident of the contest regions. (It is required to present your identification of citizenship or permanent residency when required)
  Note: Macau residents should register under Hong Kong.
• You must be a single female between the ages of 21 and 29 as of February 1, 2014

Other Contest Requirements

• You must be able to give priority to contest program scheduling during the contest period.
• You must be willing to display your face without makeup in public or in photographs, etc.
• You must be able to use KOSÉ products (mainly SEKKISEI) during the contest program period.
• You must be willing to post personal information during the contest program period, including your thoughts on cosmetics, on your official social media accounts created for the contest.
• Photographs and other submissions to the contest may be used in advertising materials and other media for promotional purposes.
• After the contest, contestants must cooperate with KOSÉ if any request on PR activities.
• You must be able to respond to our requests, if any.
• At the time of entry, you must not have any agreements for advertising or PR with competitors or plans to enter into any such agreements.
• The finalists will be asked to sign an agreement to abide by any terms in order to be eligible for the final round of judging.
• If there is any dispute, we reserve the final decision.

• Application period – March 1 to 31, 2014
  Apply by online application forms
• Written Screening – April 1 to 4, 2014
  Selection based on the written entries
• First Screening – April 10 to 16, 2014
  Judge Panel will select six finalists
• Announcement of the six finalists: May 1, 2014
• Contest Program – May 1 to 31, 2014
  The six finalists will begin the KOSÉ Beauty Magic Programme featuring SEKKISEI products and
  share the progress and result by using their social media accounts
  and blog with her followers / fans
• Makeover & Photoshoot - May, 2014
  KOSE will invite all finalists for a photoshoot session.
  Tricia Ong, KOSE Cinderella blogger mentor,
  will be present to give useful tips to all finalists on their styling and posing.
  All clothings will be sponsored by VainGloriousYou,
  vaingloriousyou.livejournal.com
• General Voting – June 1 to 15, 2014
  The general public votes online for their favorite candidate
• Final Selection – June 16 to 30, 2014
  Judge Panel makes the final decision
• July, 2014
  Announcement of the Champion and KOSÉ Judges Special Prize Winners

How to Enter

• Fill out the required items on the online application form and attach your photographs.
• You should submit four photos: portrait with makeup, without any make-up, a half-body shot and a full-length photo.

Entry Period

• March 1 to 31, 2014

Special Instructions

• Only candidates who are selected (successful both in the written and first screening rounds) will be notified by e-mail. Notifications are scheduled to be made on April 15 for the written round and April 30 for the first screening.
• Notification of candidate acceptance and subsequent notifications will be made by e-mail to the address you submitted in application. Candidates who cannot be reached by the deadline may be dropped even if they pass the selection process.
• Errors in personal information are grounds for expulsion.
• We cannot respond to all enquires about the selection results and standards.
• Photographs and other submission to the contest may be used in promotional materials and other media purposes and they may be copied and edited by KOSÉ Corporation and its partners.
• By entering this competition, entrants consent to the use of their name and other necessary information and/or photograph, without further compensation, in any promotion publicity and/or advertising carried out by KOSÉ.
• For inquiries, please use the e-mail address below.
  sekkisei_cc_sg@frontier-i.co.jp

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  We're looking for a SEKKISEI Cinderella with translucent skin. Join our Beauty Contest now and stand to win $6000 cash and a trip to Japan! Ladies aged between 21-29, this could be your chance to shine! Accompanying contestants on this journey is blogger mentor, Tricia Ong, who will offer contestants tips and advice. Begin your journey to magical transformation here: http://sg.sekkisei-cinderella.com/

  
  

  

  
  

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  If your skin is feeling oily/clogged/dull, we have a secret weapon for you. Award-winning SEKKISEI Clear Whitening Mask removes blackheads and cleanses out dirt and grime from deep inside pores. So you get instantly brighter, smoother skin. Try it tonight!

  
  

  

  
  

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