Treading those fine lines with Hada Labo Retinol Lifting + Firming Lotion…

Earlier this year, Hada Labo introduced their new Lifting + Firming range, which comes with Retinol, Collagen and their signature ingredient, Syper Hyaluronic Acid (SHA) to, well, lift and firm your skin. I was given the Retinol Lifting + Firming Lotion to take for a whirl, and thought I’d share my initial thoughts about it.

Description:

Hada Labo Retinol Lifting + Firming Lotion instantly replenishes moisture to hydrate skin from within. Significantly smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, leaving skin soft, supple and revitalised. Regular use improves elasticity, radiance and a more youthful appearance. Skin pH balanced, free of fragrances, mineral oil, alcohol and colourant.

The Verdict:

Having been used to Hada Labo’s Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion, I was surprised that the texture of the Retinol Lifting + Firming Lotion was a lot thicker by comparison, and had a yellowish-milky look to it as you can see from the picture. Sensitive noses will be happy to know that there are no added fragrances in the formulation and there’s a barely discernible smell (unless you stick your nose right into the neck of the bottle and inhale deeply…)

The amount you see in the picture above is the amount I use twice a day – application is similar to that of the Hydrating Lotion, which is to pat it in until completely absorbed.

Results? Well, after a couple of weeks using this twice daily before moisturiser, I can’t really see THAT big a difference during the day, although my skin does feel a little more plumped up and softer in the morning, especially the area in between my eyebrows. Then again, since I recently turned thirty, maybe I should be looking towards preventive measures for wrinkles and sagging? LOL…who knows…maybe I’m just being kiasu (translated: don’t want to lose).

I’m quite happy to continue using this just so see what the long-term effects are, and safe to say, this 170ml bottle is going to last me a loooonng time. :D

Ingredients:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerine, PEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Methylparaben, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Zea Mays (Corn Oil) Thioctic Acid, Beta-Carotene

The full range of Hada Labo’s Retinol Lifting + Firming range has 5 products in total – a lotion, cream, essence, milk and mask.

Hada Labo Retinol Lifting + Firming Lotion is priced at SGD$25.90 for a 170ml bottle. The whole range is priced between SGD$25.90 to SGD$34.90 and is available exclusively at Watsons stores nationwide.

Rating: 4 / 5

Value: $$

Back from Bintan with a tan start to the week…

If you hadn’t already guessed it from the title, I just got back from Bintan! But before you start getting jealous, let me just clarify that I was there for work and not holiday ya… :D

That said, it doesn’t mean I couldn’t have fun while being subjected to full-day training after a super-early start (we had to wake up at 6.30am just to catch a ferry leh…)

Hehe…meet Bailey! :D I got him during my trip to Melbourne earlier this year, and since then he’s been my faithful travel companion on trips. Gee...I just turned 30 and I’m bringing a stuffed toy along on my travels…eeps!

Everyone had to adhere to the theme for the training throughout the trip, which was COLOURFUL – we had to wear a minimum of 5 colours or risk being made to wear the “boards of shame”…knowing me and my relatively sedate wardrobe, I really had to dig really deep to find enough colours to wear! :S

Colour blocking at its worst – the things we have to do for work! *grimaces* It only got worse as the days went on...we were definitely visible from a LONG way off!

We stayed at the Bintan Lagoon Resort – a far cry from Club Med Bintan which I’d gone to last year, but I have to take my (figuratively colourful) hat off to the staff, they did an absolutely fantastic job of setting up dinner at our villa below…

Unfortunately, it decided to POUR BUCKETS about 20 minutes after this photo was taken – resulting in a helter-skelter dash indoors and ending up with dishes of food covering every available surface in the villa!

Other than that, the weather was awesome during the 3 days we were there. It was so hot, I got a tan from spending an hour plus in the pool despite staying in the shade AND using sunscreen.

My absolutest, favouritest bit of Bintan Lagoon – the gorgeous pool!!

On a side note though, here’s a little shoutout for the ladies over at Belle Demoiselle on their Biore makeup remover giveaway – if you’d like to try the eye and lip makeup remover, Biore will send you a travel-size sample for free! Just hop over to their website for details on how to go about it. :D

Hope you ladies had a great weekend, and a good week ahead!

PS: To those in Malaysia, enjoy the public holiday today you lucky fellows…

November’s Bellabox is here!

Last month, I wrote about unboxing the first Bellabox in Singapore – well, a month has already flown by (where the heck did it go?) and November’s box is already here! So, for those who are curious…here are the contents:

A tube of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) Lip Tar in Memento, Duchess Marden Damascena Anti-Wrinkle Serum (1.8ml sample in a organza pouch), Korres Guava Body Butter (9ml sachet), Skin Factory Eye Dream Honey Patch (1 pack), and Davines Melu Mellow Anti-Breakage Lustrous Shampoo and Conditioner (75ml each).

The highlight would have to be the OCC Lip Tar for sure – I’m not thrilled about the Korres Guava Body Butter sample as it looks quite sad compared to the rest of the items, but I’d say it’s a case of so far so good! :D

Is there anything in particular you like or don’t like about this month’s Bellabox, and what do you think of their offerings so far?

Solving the “Where’s my darn Apple cable?” woes…

This isn’t a beauty-related post, but since I use my iPhone to take sneak pics of products I suppose it can be counted – way to go with remote connections! :D

Having fallen into the Apple fan category in the past year with an inherited iPhone 3GS (iPhone 4S? Nah, not yet…) and more recently the iPad2, one of the main issues I have is with battery life. While the iPad2 performs admirably, lasting almost a week on a single charge and regular usage, the iPhone 3GS alas, leaves much to be desired – I need to charge it almost twice a day (usually in the office), especially if I’m using 3G.

With only one iPhone cable, it meant I had to carry it with me wherever I went. Big mistake - it got snagged and tangled up in my bag, and on the occasions I forget to put it in my bag, my phone dies and I can't transfer any photos!

Getting numerous cables wasn’t an option previously, considering they cost a freaking SG$8 for the generic ones, and even more if bought from the Apple store. Not to mention that working in an office of iPhone users means cables get ‘borrowed’ quite frequently – expensive investment hey!

And here’s where this lovely gem from Daiso comes in…

Did you know Daiso has created their own cables for the iPhone/ iPad/ iPod? :D And at a paltry SG$2 (RM5), it’s cheap enough to buy multiples to leave at home, in the car, at the office, etc etc…and even if it goes missing (which happened to my last one!), I don’t feel so bad.

Oh, and did I mention I love Daiso? Best place for cheap finds… :D

An Affair in Red Square with OPI…

It all started with the My Women Stuff Readers Choice Awards. Usually when I go for nail colours, I’m more adventurous with colours on my toes rather than my fingers, but since I was already going to be around ladies in red, I reckon that was the best time to break out this lovely shade from OPI and jump into the red nails wagon.

Say hello to OPI An Affair In red Square (NL R53) – it’s a lovely bright red that goes well with most skin tones, and applies like a dream.

Most nail polishes last pretty well on my nails as long as I have a base and topcoat on (here I was using Sally Hansen’s Double Duty) – and this was taken a week after I first applied it!

There was hardly any wear and tear on it, which only started to show after almost 2 weeks. OPI polishes are well-known for their staying power, and this one is no different. :)

I picked this up at the duty free section in Melbourne Airport on my way back to Singapore – they were having a promotion of 3 bottles for AUD$20, a bargain considering they usually cost about SGD$15-20 or RM30+.

I have to admit I did have a little more spring in my step with this polish on. Am I going to carry on wearing bright polish? With the influences of the group of girls I hang out with (Lyn and Xin, I’m looking at you!) and a horrible enabler (none other than Rinnah), you bet I am! :D

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Value: $$