Tis' the season to be jolly!

Sha la la la la, la la la la!

Have you completed your Christmas shopping yet? Or worse still, are you like me, who had barely started?! I know. It's nerve wrecking when you think about how many people you ought to shop for and how much you haven't accomplish. Very, very daunting thought.

But well, we have to get started somehow and for the lovely women in your life, what better way then getting them looking and smelling good? And trust me, no woman, absolutely no woman doesn't love a good beauty product as gift. We have some for your pickings... But try not to keep them to yourself and be the good friend, daughter/son, sister/brother wife/husband that you are!

Guerlain Meteorites Poudre D'or Exceptional Pressed Powder, US$126 (Limited Edition)

Guerlain Meteorites Poudre D'or Exceptional Pressed Powder (Refillable) is a stunning mix of beige/gold illuminating powder accented with lavender, pink and white bees, all in a stunning collector compact decorated with real black Swarovski crystals. A surprising new powder design featuring imperial bees.

L'Occitane Immortelle Skincare Travel Set, US$28 

 

 L'Occitane Immortelle Skincare Travel Set includes:

• Immortelle Biologique Brightening Cleansing Foam 50ml
L'Occitane Immortelle Brightening Cleansing Foam is a gentle face cleanser that's enriched with Immortelle floral water and citrus fruit peel to lighten and brighten the complexion. It lathers away impurities, make-up, and accumulation of daily or nightly residue. For all skin types.
• Immortelle Biologique Essential Water Face 30ml
L'Occitane Immortelle Essential Water Face is a toner with anti-aging benefits: Formulated with Immortelle floral water, this toner removes traces of make-up and impurities and continues the anti-aging process. Alcohol free and enriched with moisturizing agents, toning Green Tea extract and firming Centella Asiatica, the face is pleasantly refreshed, toned and the skin is firmed. Apply after Foaming Milk, or on its own for instant freshness.
• Immortelle Biologique Precious Cream 3ml
Precious Cream is a smooth, light, fondant-textured skincare treatment for daily use and is suitable for normal to dry skins. Immortelle essential oil, concentrated into micros-capsules for 24-hour release, is combined with nourishing phytoceramides, restructuring vitamin A and vitamin E with anti-free radical action.
• Tote Bag, size around 35cm x 29cm

Jill Stuart Fairy Garden Collection, US$89 (Limited Edition)

 

Christmas night, with snowflakes falling like glittering flower petals. Christmas fairies invite you to their secret garden and enjoy the happy moments! Jill Stuart Fairy Garden Collection (Limited Edition) includes:

• Jewel Crystal Eyes #104 Fragile Opal
Delicately overlapping pearls, glittering like an aurora, give you gentle, delicate eyes. Glittering with a light, cute sparkle, like fairies.
• Loose Powder N #101 Twinkle Dust
A fine purple, like the delicate dust left when a fairy takes off. The softness of fairy wings. Loose powder that brings you pure skin, glowing with translucence.
• Jelly Lip Gloss #103 Crystal Kiss
Like a delicate, fragile kiss, gone in a fleeting instant. Jelly Lip Gloss that brings delicate color and sparkle to your lips.
• Jill by Jill Stuart Fragrance Sachet x 2
A fragrance sachet from which the sweet and refreshing fragrance of Jill by Jill Stuart gently emanates.
• Fairy Garden Pouch, size around 13.5cm x 14.5cm x 13.5cm

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skincare Travel Set, US$38

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skincare Travel Set includes:

• Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant 30ml
• Eight Hour Cream Intensive Daily Moisturizer for Face SPF 15 30ml
• Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense for Face SPF 50 High Protection 30ml
• Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15 0.13oz / 3.7g
• White Cosmetic Bag, size around 20cm x 14.5cm

Clinique Happy Perfume Spray, US$53 (50ml)

Clinique Happy Perfume Spray is chic, modern, multi-layered floral with sparkling, lingering fragrance of Ruby Red Grapefruit, Boysenberry Bush Flower and Hawaiian Wedding Flower. Wear it and be happy!

Masquerade!

We have a little confession to make. We hoard facial masks like Gollum hoards the ring in Lord of The Rings. Especially the deep cleansing masks made with clay or earth. Why? Because clay, with its thicker consistency, will draw out the impurities and dirt that are deeply embedded in our pores that the usual cleansing wouldn't be able to reach.

According to a recent newsletter by The World Of Organic Skincare, mud and clay masks are great for balancing out oily skin – a view that is also echoed by Howard Donsky, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and staff dermatologist at Toronto General Hospital. 

According to Dr Donsky, “Clay masks or mud masks are worthwhile.”  However, he also cautioned that masks will make skin feel good and look better only temporarily.  Additionally, the darker brown the clay (mud), the more oil it can absorb. White or rose-colored clays, though, are gentler and work best on sensitive skin.  (Source:  The Doctors Book of Home Remedies)

We've try a wide range of them and here are the ones we felt that worked:

1.  Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Clay Mask, US$35 (90g): Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Clay Mask is a holistic exfoliant and deep purifying cleanser for all skin conditions. The Herbal Extracts in a base of clay is to absorb skin secretions. The appearance of blemishes and blackheads of skin can be reduced, when dead skin cells are also sloughed away.
   
   
   
2. Origins Clear Improvement, US$33 (100ml): When environmental toxins, dirt and debris get under your skin, its waste-filtering system gets jammed, pores get clogged, skin looks cloudy. Nature's complexion clean-up crew gets to the bottom of skins overcast condition and clears the way for it to act its best. Activated Charcoal acts like a magnet to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers, White China Clay absorbs environmental toxins, Lecithin dissolves impurities. Without all that ""stuff"" down there, skin ""breathes a sigh of relief"".
   
   
   
3.  Decleor Clay and Herbal Cleansing Mask, US$40 (50ml): A cream mask enriched with a cocktail of herbal and plant extracts. A deep skin cleanser, it dissolves all impurities and helps cleanse the skin without dehydrating it, has a natural absorbent power, refines skin texture and clears the complexion. It leaves your skin clean and soft. Your complexion is clear and you feel wonderfully refreshed.
   
   
   
4.  Borghese Fango Delicato Active Mud for Delicate Dry Skin, US$58 (430ml): Soothes and comforts skin affected by stress, weather or pollutants. Gives devitalized, time-worn skin a new surge of vitality with clear, youthful radiance. Moisturizes skin so dry, fine lines become less noticeable. Helps form and tone body skin, leaving skin looking and feeling refreshed, resilient, and purified.
   
   
   
5. Sisley Radiant Glow Express Mask with Red Clays, US$81 (60g): The powerful absorbent properties of Clay, combined with extracts of Licorice, Wild Daisy and Rose Hips, gently cleanse the surface of the skin in record time, eliminating surface impurities that may dull the skin and absorbing excess sebum. The botanical essential oils of Camomile and Rosemary in the formula have purifying properites, enhancing the effects of the natural plant extracts. In a matter of five minutes at most, skin is cleansed and refreshed. Complexion is brighter, even and matte, and the skin is refined. The skin appears relaxed and smoothed and the face looks rested. Suitable for all skin types.

If you find your skin too itchy and dry after a clay mask application, throw on a hydrating mask like our bestselling Neutrogena Deep Hydrating Mask, US$18 (5 sheets) because just because your skin is oily doesn't necessarily mean it's not dehydrated. So be sure to moisturise your skin properly after using clay mask!