Beauty – Page 2

3 FAVORITE SUNSCREENS TO BEAT THE OMAN SUN

August 8, 2020 by Little Miss Honey

Summer in Oman falls during June to September months. So yes, it is still summer days here in Oman. If you haven’t experienced hot summer in Oman, you are in for a shock. I know I did and to think I had lived in Saudi Arabia when I was younger. But somehow, I felt Oman sun was way more hotter, way more imposing, way more acrimonious. The temperature can reached to more than 40 degrees Celsius even up to 50 degrees sometimes. The heat would seep through your clothes, feeling like you are in a big wide sauna and your face would tighten from the blaze of the Oman sun.

I am always exposed to the sun here. I would often walk to work with my almost-retiring umbrella and of course, sunscreen to protect me from the sun. It is essential to use sunscreen daily here and any part of the world, I might say, to avoid the following:

the premature signs of ageing
sun damage to skin like uneven complexion, etc
risks of skin cancer
sunburn
reduce appearance of facial red veins and blotchiness

Before, I hated wearing sunscreen because it can cause a white cast on the face and when I apply it along with my cosmetics, it doesn’t blend well as I like it. But good thing, I found 3 sunscreen that I highly recommend to people who hates using sunscreens. I also added 2 extra bonus ones. However , one can only be found in the Philippine and the other has been discontinued, unfortunately.

Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50PA ++++

Credit: Kiehl’s

I love that this feels very light on the skin. It doesn’t make you look like a Kabuki makeup. It has an advanced UVA/UVB technology and pollution protection which helps defend against UV rays and pollution. It provides all-day hydration and absorbs quickly into the skin. It comes in a 30 ml and 60 ml easy to squeeze container. This can be purchased in their store at Muscat City Center Seeb, Ground Floor.

2. La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50 Ultra Light Fluid

Credit: Amazon

I am currently using this one. You can find this in most Muscat Pharmacy branches around Oman. I love the consistency of this sunscreen. It acts like perfect primer to my face. It absorbs well like a moisturiser and is not sticky. It is ultra-light and perfume-free so it is a great sunscreen for sensitive skin like me. It is provides high protection from the sun with spf 50. It comes in 50 ml unique-looking shape container.

3. The Face Shop Natural Sun Eco Super Perfect Sun Water SPF50+ PA+++

Credit: Amazon

When my Body Shop sunscreen run out here in Oman and I was still discovering what are the shops where I can find a good sunscreen or skincare products here, I decided to try out the sunscreen in the only Korean store I found in malls here. They have store in City Center Seeb and Oman Avenue Malls. I always love Korean products. They tend to me more gentle to the skin and I often gravitate to their skincare products. I tried out this sunscreen and it worked well for me. I am happy as long as it is not thick and doesn’t give you a white cast on the skin so this fits the bill. It can be a little runny and too-watery for me than the Kiehl’s and La Roche-Posay which are more in the creamier side. But it I love that it came in a 80 ml plastic bottle which last for months. Though I didn’t like the container which is made of thick plastic. I prefer Kiehl’s container which is similar to my Body Shop sunscreen container.

The 2 other contender for my favourite sunscreens are:

The Body Shop Skin Defence Multi-Protection Lotion SPF 50+ PA++++

The texture, the container and its effects are very similar to Kiehl’s. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it here in Oman. They have a spray version of this one but I prefer mine to be slathered on my face rather than sprayed on. I don’t trust that spray can protect me enough from the harmful rays of the sun.

VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Face Cover 30 and 45

This is the first sunscreen that I really love. It wasn’t sticky or thick at all. I like that it is hypoallergenic so it is great for sensitive skin. I only got to purchase this in the Philippines. I haven’t used this sunscreen for years. I will love to try this sunscreen again once I get a hold of it.

The important things you need to look for in choosing a sunscreen are:

high spf of at least 30
broad spectrum that protects from Ultra Violet A (UVA) and Ultra Violet B (UVB)
formula that you prefer (gels, cream, spray, etc.)

So layer on that sunscreen and beat that summer sun with a smile. Remember when in doubt, just know that too much sun protection is never a bad thing.

If you have other sunscreen suggestion, do share with us too. It will be highly appreciated.

MY EYEBROW MICROBLADING EXPERIENCE AT LUCKY LASH & BROW

December 12, 2018 by Little Miss Honey 1 Comment

Warning: This post has a lot of selfies. Proceed with caution...

One thing that I have absolutely no talent for: drawing the perfect eyebrows. Somedays I would draw it like I am one of the Angry Birds and somedays I would end up looking like Friday Kahlo. It doesn’t help that I inherited my thin scattered eyebrows from my dad and besides my lack of luck in drawing eyebrows, I am also horrible with blades & tweezers.

Then I heard everyone talking about Eyebrow Embroidery. I said, “Is this the answer to my eyebrow problem?” I jumped at the idea of having an Eyebrow Embroidery. I was happy to know an eyebrow specialist salon, Lucky Lash & Brow that will make my eyebrow dreams come true.

Lucky Lash & Brow is a home-based beauty salon of certified beauty artist Valerie Teo together with another certified beauty expert Janice Soh. They provide lash extension, lift & tint and brow, lip & eye embroidery. They also do BB mesotherapy. So I was so excited to have my eyebrows done by Valerie.

I will share with you my experience for those are interested in going for Eyebrow Embroidery. I hope this post would help you in deciding if you should go for Eyebrow Embroidery. I envisioned Eyebrow Embroidery would provide me a Cara Delevingne-esque eyebrows by having little faux eyebrow hairs glued to your eyebrows. My goodness, I am so wrong and clearly haven’t researched enough. Eyebrow Embroidery is also known as “microblading”, “semi-permanent tattoo”, “cosmetic tattooing”, or “pigment embroidery”. It is basically a semi-permanent tattoo which involves implanting pigments beneath the surface of the skin with disposable needles using featherlike strokes to create realistic hair-like resemblance of eyebrows.

It is tattoo! Oh no, I am scared!

I know, I know. You got scared at the thought that this procedure is technically a tattoo. I was too. But let me put your fears to rest. I, too, never had a tattoo. I was scared that it is permanent. I was scared it would look like my relative’s eyebrow tattoo she had done 15 years ago that look like a stamp-one thick black line. I was scared it might hurt. Those thoughts made me think if I will just forget about Eyebrow Embroidery and practice the art of drawing my eyebrows everyday. But Valerie explained to me the whole procedure. She listened to my concerns and answered all my questions. For procedures like these, it is important to find someone who you feel comfortable with and you feel you can trust.

Valerie told me that microblading is a semi-permanent tattoo. The pigment would last for 1-2 years old. She said she will draw the eyebrow that I prefer to show me first and use that as a guide for the procedure. She said she will apply a topical anesthesia to numb the eyebrows so I wouldn’t feel any pain. Before the procedure, she asked me to fill up a form to know any conditions like allergy, keloid formation, etc to provide a customised and quality service for her clients.

The Procedure

Valerie made me feel at ease on the day of the procedure. She offered me a drink while I fill up the form for her. She explained to me thoroughly and clearly the process of eyebrow embroidery. She then shaped and draw the eyebrow that I told her I wanted. I wanted a natural looking brows – not too thick, not to dark and slightly arched. I wanted it to look like natural eyebrows just like I prefer when I go for eyelash extension – the fewest single lashes only.

Valerie draw the eyebrows that I wanted

Once I was happy with the look of the sample eyebrows she will do, Valerie applied topical anesthesia for 20-30 minutes covered by saran wrap. When 30 minutes was over, Valerie said she will start with the microblading.

She showed me the new blade/needle she will be using that is inside a sterile container. Then she started. I was surprised I didn’t feel any pain at all. I did felt and heard a bit of a scraping sound but nothing more. With several skillful hand strokes on my numb eyebrows which seems to be like for around 20minutes, Valerie was done. She then applied a brown dye to my eyebrows for a few minutes. She wiped off the brown dye and it was done.

The tools

Dye applied during my touch up

Post Care & the results

Even just a few hours after the microblading, I was already loving my eyebrows. I can get used to this, having perfect eyebrows with minimal effort in my part.

I was taught by Valerie some post care tips. She gave me a gel to apply on eyebrows 3x a day for 1 week. I must not wet my eyebrows in the next 3 days after the procedure and I should avoid hot showers for 2 weeks. I was expected to have some scabbing on the area. I should never scratch it off or pull the scabs even how itchy it is. I did felt a mild tingling pain on my eyebrows but it was tolerable I didn’t need to take painkillers

Day 2-3 post-microblading

This is Day 1 before it got really dark

My eyebrows got darker than it’s the day after microblading. I was glad nobody seem to mentioned that I have overdone using my eyebrow pencil that day and it didn’t look bad at all. I expected it already because Valerie told me that it is common for the eyebrows to darken a day after the embroidery but it will slowly lighten. I just continued on using the gel.

Day 4-7 post-microblading

My eyebrows started to scab. It doesn’t look too unflattering so I didn’t mind it at all. It is just the unbearable itching of the scabs that tempts to scratch it off. There were no bleeding nor any signs of infection & keloid scars. Some of the scabs fell off and my eyebrows have a few minimal patchy spots.

Day 9-14 post-microblading

No makeup needed. Just lovely eyebrows

All the scabs fell off and no more itching. My eyebrows looked lighter than its color in Day 2-3. It looked natural and many have complemented on how my eyebrows look, not look like a stamp-on obvious tattoo. My eyebrows looked just like a perfectly drawn eyebrows by a beauty expert.

Why you should do Eyebrow Embroidery

I am completely sold in the whole Eyebrow Embroidery hype. I highly recommend it for everyone especially for those who have sparing eyebrows and needs help in eyebrow resurrection. It is particularly advantageous in my part because I am a busy mom of 3 young boys. I go to work early and go home late. Having a perfectly drawn eyebrows by the time I wake up saves my makeup time in the morning by 15-20 mins. Now with a semi-permanent tattoo, I can just go out of the house, put a bit of a lip balm and I am good to go. I am glad my hubby loves it too. He usually would comment if he sees I have drawn my eyebrows too heavily on certain days. But with eyebrow embroidery, I don’t need to have that light hand precision technique for eyebrow makeup.

Things you have to do before going for Eyebrow Embroidery:

1. Do your research first

2. Know what type of eyebrows that would suit your face

3. Check with your doctor if you have bleeding disorders, skin conditions, blood-transmittable conditions and acute infections.

4. Find the perfect eyebrow specialist you can trust. I highly recommend Lucky Lash & Brow.

5. Go and ask other people who had gone through Eyebrow Embroidery of their experiences.

6. If you have low tolerance to pain, it is not bad to take pain medications before the procedure.

7. Communicate what you want to your eyebrow specialist before she does the actual eyebrow embroidery.

8. Cover all the basics in how to care for your eyebrows

9. Expect that there will be days after your procedure that it would look darker than usual and it would scab & itch a lot.

10. Be sure you really want to have an Eyebrow Embroidery done.

Eyebrow embroidery usually last for 1-2 years. Touch ups are needed to maintain your eyebrows. I had my touch up done one month after my Eyebrow Embroidery.

Here are the prices for Lucky Lash & Brow eyebrow services:

Classic 6D Brow Microblading $488 – 1hr 30 min

Signature Luck Brows $688 – 2hr

Korean Misty – $688 – 2hr

6D & Korean Misty Combi – $888 – $888

Mine was the Classic 6D Brow. Do you want a fuss-free pretty eyebrows too?

Book appointment for an eyebrow embroidery with Lucky Lash & Brow and quote “LITTLE MISS HONEY” and you’ll get a 15% discount with free repair cream.

Lucky Lash & Brow

262 Waterloo Street

Singapore 180262

Tel: +65 91293112

Email: hello@luckylashbrow.com

Website / Instagram / Facebook

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Lucky Lash & Brow. All opinions are my own. Regardless, I only recommend products which I personally believe will be good for my readers.

GETTING A HAIRCUT & DYE AT J’S SALON

November 29, 2018 by Little Miss Honey Leave a Comment

A week before my birthday, I wanted to refresh my look. I wanted to have a fresher cut and lighter haircolor. There are so many salons to choose from in Singapore and it was very hard to choose. Then I got to discover of a salon that is inside a hotel. It was conveniently near my workplace so I headed to J’s Salon on a rainy Monday morning.

I was amazed to see how spacious the place is. It is found in Level 3 of Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. I was greeted by two friendly staff and told them that I have a haircut & dye appointment. Seeing me drenched from the rain, they gladly helped me with my equally-drenched umbrella and directed me to the toilet if I wanted to dry myself which I happily obliged.

When I reappeared looking less of a wet puppy and more of an excited customer ready for my new look. I wanted to see the whole salon first before I start my haircut. There is the entrance and I saw a large shelf of Kerastase hair products. Then I was led into a monochromatic spacious area for hair services and nail services. Further in the salon is their Medi Spa. I saw several room for facials, body slimming, IPL and body massages. They offer this cocoon like atmosphere for the clients to enjoy a more soothing experience. Near the area, there is another spacious area with comfy white couches that is perfect for parties like bridal showers or a mani-pedi birthday party. There is also another room for hair spa treatment in a garden-like ambience overlooking the Singapore river. I couldn’t believe I haven’t discover this gem of a place after living for years here in Singapore.

J’s Salon believes in blending Science Technology, Expertise and Natural Environment in providing holistic services to their clients’ needs. They provide a wide variety of services from hair , face and nails. They also have waxing and makeup services. They have top-notch stylists and therapists and they are known for their impeccable customer services.

My Review

I met Master Stylist, Tony, who will be do my haircut & hairdye. He was graciously listened to what I wanted for my hair. I wanted to have a cut above my shoulder and a lighter haircolor. He explained to me what he will do with my hair. He also said he will use Organic Hair Dye which is less harsh because he learned that I am currently breastfeeding.

Tony and his team started their magic on my dry unflattering tresses. They applied a serum to my dehydrated hair before they started the cut. Tony cut away my hair and gone were my unsightly split-ends. Then they started on the dye on my hair. I chose a reddish brownish blond color for my hair. They applied on my hair and away from my scalp at first. I never felt any discomfort or pain on my scalp at all. And later when it was almost finished, they added in the hair dye near the scalp to complete the look. A few more minutes and it was rinse time.

Here is the final look and I am so happy with the results.

with Master Stylist Tony Liu

I take good care of my hair using Kerastase hair products. I highly recommend J’s Salon to women who believes they deserve a luxurious beautifying and pampering session. It is such a wonderful salon to go to for all your hair, face & nails treatments. You will never regret it.

Quote “Honey” and get $50 off any hair services at J’s Salon!

J’s Salon

Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
392 Havelock Road Level 3
Tel: 6733 3882 / 6834 0012
10.00am – 10.00pm daily
Hotel Ext : 1868 / 1869

Website / Facebook / Instagram

Email: appt@js.com.sg

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with J’s Salon. All opinions are my own. Regardless, I only recommend products which I personally believe will be good for my readers.