Products Continued

So last post I had intended to write about all the skin care products I use on a daily basis not knowing that my morning routine alone would take so long to cover! So I'll now continue with my night routine.

The first step - and one that I find has been the most important for my skin - is to take all my makeup off with cotton pads soaked in Bioderma's Sensibio H2O micelle soultion (previously called Crealine H2O):

which I stock up on in HK (see earlier post). This stuff is famous for a reason, totally non-irritating and takes EVERYTHING off.

I then cleanse with Aromatherapy Associates' Renewing Rose Cleanser, swipe some of Ella Bache's Intensive Balancing Lotion on my chin, nose and forehead and then immediately apply La Prairie's Cellular Eye Contour Cream (all same as in the morning).

I've recently purchased Ella Bache's Baume Allantoin:

which is a 'calming, soothing, strengthening treatment lotion' which I like to pat on straight after cleansing. And then it's time for the moisturiser.

I absolutely love to slather on thick moisturisers at night, much to Mr Ng's annoyance lol. And over the years I have tried a fair number - Creme De La Mer (I stopped feeling the benefits after my second jar), Natura Bisse's Diamond Extreme Cream (too rich for my skin), Prevage's Anti-Aging Night Cream (nice but smells a bit too chemical-ly for my liking) to name a few..and no doubt I will be purchasing countless more in my lifetime. But at the moment I'm quite enjoying Ella Bache's Creme Tomate:

which is probably the thickest night cream I have ever encountered, but a little really goes a long way and my skin is loving it this winter.

Finally, on my neck and chest I use whatever creams I originally bought for my face but didn't get around to finishing whether it be because I didn't feel it was doing anything for me or I bought a new face cream and forgot about my old one (which is more often the case). So at the moment I am alternating between the last of my Prevage, Chanel's Hydramax + Active Nutrition and Chantecaille's Flower Harmonising Cream.

So there it is, my AM and PM routines - for now. I've informed Mr Ng that once i hit my 30s I'll really be starting to get into the heavy duty stuff so that will be interesting!

Products Galore

Ok I admit it, I am a beauty product junkie. I think it all started with my mum constantly reminding me of the importance of facials and good skincare products (her skin btw is fantastic). I always promised myself that once I got a boyfriend I would go for regular facials. So as soon as Mr Ng entered my life, the facials began. And once I convinced him of the importance of a good skin care regimen he told me that when it came to beauty related products, I had an unlimited budget. Mr Ng is probably reading this now and thinking 'BIG mistake' haha..

Over the years I've tried to take good care of my skin (using sunscreen and eye cream religiously since my teens) but the past couple of years I've definitely upped my routine - most probably because the big 3-0 is just around the corner now..and especially since I want to look like this in my 40's:

Geez Rosamund Kwan is a babe! (I really should get my ass into shape as well)

Anyways back to the products. Mr Ng always likes to ask silly questions like 'Do you really need that??' (the silly questions only started after he told me I could spend as much as I wanted mind you) so I thought it would be interesting to see just how many products I use on a daily basis.

So it starts in the shower where, if I remember and I'm not feeling too lazy, I'll use a body scrub. At the moment the only one I have is this Sweet Sugar Scrub by L'Occitane which I managed to get half price at the boxing day sales:

but doesn't seem to be available on the L'Occitane site anymore (which was probably why is was on sale, duh). This is actually the very first body scrub I have purchased, it smells great and is very moisturising. But I'm always up for trying different products so I look forward to discovering new ones once I use this all up. Although knowing me I will probably buy a new one and start using that and this one will just collect dust..

On to the body moisturiser. I have just finished using a tube of Burt's Bees Shea Butter and Vitamin E body lotion:

which I bought at Myer and claims to be fragrence free but actually has a very strong smell! Nothing offensive, but Mr Ng took one whiff and refused to use it. I discovered this one over at A Model Recommends and it certainly has proven to be a very good choice this winter (it claims to have 24 hour moisturisation).

If I happen to have another shower in the evening, I've been trying to use up my Fresh Sugar Acai Age-Delay Body Cream:

which I picked up from Sephora in New York last year. Not the most pleasant smelling in my opinion so I probably won't repurchase. But it has also kept my body nicely hydrated this winter, even though I'm pretty positive my age hasn't been delayed with use.

Now to the face. Seeing as the weather is cold I prefer to use a cream cleanser and I have been enjoying the Renewing Rose Cleanser by Aromatherapy Associates:

which I finally managed to get at the Mandarin Oriental spa in KL last month (another A Model Recommends recommendation!). However I'm still undecided if I like this one better or the thicker consistency of one of my all-time favourites, MV Organic's Gentle Cream Cleanser.

Straight after cleansing in the mornings, I use a cotton pad to lightly wipe Ella Bache's Intensive Balancing Lotion over my chin, nose and forehead:

which I find has really helped to control any hormonal breakouts. I then pat La Prairie's Cellular Eye Contour Cream around my eyes:

but after having used this for close to five years now I think the effects have slowly died so I will definitely be looking for a replacement once I've finished my pot up.

I've also been applying Lierac's Concentrate Mesolift in the mornings:

which I grabbed from Watson's in HK and is a toning radiance serum, followed by whichever moisturiser I'm in the mood for. Over the past few days I've been favouring another Aromatherapy Associates product, the Triple Rose Renewing Moisturiser:

and I've gotta say I am in love with the fragrance of this one! Next up is the sunscreen with Shiseido's Sun Protection Eye Cream first:

which I bought in HK more than two years ago and still seems to be going strong. Then comes the facial sunscreen and although every now and then I like to test different sunscreens out, I ALWAYS come back to Ego's SunSense Daily Face SPF 30+:

I NEVER leave the house without sunscreen on.

And finally, the foundation. As with the moisturiser, I tend to choose which foundation to wear according to my mood and the weather. And I also tend to stick to liquid/gel textures as I find powders too drying for my skin. Over the past week I've cracked open a new one I purchased in KL, Estee Lauder's CyberWhite Brilliant Perfection Advanced Brightening GelCreme Makeup:

which I am really liking. Feels just as light and mosturising as Chantecaille's Just Skin but gives slightly more coverage. I also try to always apply my foundations with Laura Mercier sponges:

which I tend to stock up on whenever I am in the States. Applying foundation with my fingers tends to make it 'pill' (probably because I am always in a hurry in the mornings and don't leave enough time for my products to fully sink in), and I just can't be bothered washing my brushes all the time so these sponges are the best.

Right before I walk out the door, I slick on a coat of Fresh's Sugar Rose tinted lip treatment with SPF15 onto my lips

as well as a layer of Ella Bache's Handsaver onto the back of my hands

and I'm good to go :)

But that's just the AM routine, the PM routine is a WHOLE other post!

It's Only Tuesday??

This week has gotten off to an extremely slow start..so might as well write what's on my mind in attempt to make the time go by quicker!
My personal shopper, aka Mr Ng, kindly forwarded me the latest new arrivals at the Christian Louboutin store in HK, including this hot pair:

But 13k?! I've only ever paid that amount for boots, I have yet to splurge that much on a pair of sandals. Plus I've only just started to foray into the world of exotic skin bags so will try to build up the bag collection first. Bags will always be my first love! Got a bit distracted by shoes for the last couple of years but the love has been rekindled in the past few months. Those shoes are really sexy though huh..

And speaking of sexy, The Stella McCartney corset and briefs never went on sale but I just came across this Agent Provocateur 'Love' set:

and I think the hunt for the wedding day lingerie has finally ended! Just have to figure out what size I am now.

What's Been Happening

Unfortunately just as I was gearing up to get back into the swing of things I succumbed to a cold in the middle of last week, which I suppose was inevitable given the cold weather and the fact that people all around me seem to be sick. But thankfully Manuka honey works wonders and I've managed to avoid the worst of it..for now.

So the most interesting thing to happen recently? Mr Ng managed to score me a red nano from Celine!

Grabbed this photo from The Purse Forum which is a comparison shot of the nano (front) and micro. I am so thankful to our lovely sales assistant over at Sogo in HK who remembered to call as soon as a new shipment came in. And of course a big thank you to Mr Ng for always being my personal shopper, calling stores overseas to secure items for me and arranging for things to be picked up and paid for as quickly as possible. Can't wait for more even more exciting shopping adventures with you in the future!

While the nano was being picked up, this drool-worthy piece was also offered to me:

Absolutely divine. Had I not already bought the blue python I would've snapped this up. Plus I'm trying REALLY hard to be good as I have just booked to go to New York at the end of October to pick up the wedding dresses - which gives me four months to get into shape argh!

I'm Back!

Arrived home last Thursday morning but have been too lazy to post anything up until now. I am forcing myself to get back into the grind of things including a yoga workout this afternoon for the first time in more than two weeks which should be interesting!
The trip was a nice break although I can't say I'm sad to be home, 5 nights in KL is more than enough for me. The first batch of wedding invites have now gone out (which was mainly the point of the trip) and I managed to pick up three pairs of shoes and a bagful of cosmetics - details to come once I get around to snapping some pics.

For a while now I have been on the hunt for a beautiful lingerie set to wear under my wedding dress. Although I live in my Calvin Klein bras and Bonds/Victoria's Secret undies, I want to wear something more special on the day. I originally had my heart set on something by La Perla but nothing really 'did' it for me. And Agent Provocateur stuff seems alot more appropriate for Honeymoon than Wedding Day. So just my luck that just this morning I stumbled across this lovely over at Keep Calm and Shop:

which is appropriately named the Josephine Marrying corset and briefs by Stella McCartney. I have not actually been looking for a corset but the set seems to fit the bill in terms of colour (NEVER wear white underwear under white clothing!) and the briefs option (I want to be comfortable on the day so there is no way I'm wearing a thong).
The Net-a-Porter UK sale should be starting any day now so hoping that it will go on sale..

Busy Busy Busy

It's been such a hectic week, can't wait to leave for KL tonight! In the meantime a few things to share.

On Tuesday after work I managed to go to The Teahouse at the Camellia Gardens in Caringbah for high tea. Although a little cold that day, we had a lovely spot on the enclosed balcony looking out onto the gardens:

although I think the view would be much nicer in Spring. It was also extremely cold that day and although the enclosed balcony was bearable with no heating, it would probably be more enjoyable with slightly warmer weather.

The tea set was lovely:

as was the high tea that came shortly after everyone had arrived:

The high tea also includes scones with jam and cream and your first drink - I opted for the hot chocolate which was really good:

Not bad for $30 huh! Was a nice afternoon out. The Teahouse is open 7 days a week although high teas must be booked at least 24 hours in advance.

Totally off topic, but I've been trying to get into the habit of getting my nails done at least once a week. But after a horror experience at one of the Vietnamese salons in Hurstville I came to the conclusion that it was well worth the drive going to my favourite salon in Chatswood, Blush Nail Spa. Although Blush charges about one and a half times the price of your normal nail salon, it's one of the cleanest nail spas I've come across in Sydney (due to the high prices I had been wanting to try out the David Jones nail spa in the city but Mr Ng took one look at the cleanliness of the place and told me to stick to Chatswood). What's more, the girls there are MUCH more gentle.

Blush Nail Spa is located on the Ground floor of Chatswood Chase and is open every day.

Short Week This Week

Flying off on Thursday night so my usual work week of 6 mornings is cut down to 4 this week yay! Although it's another night flight and I absolutely HATE night flights. Fortunately though it is only eight hours this time, so hopefully it won't be too painful.

Am still also eagerly awaiting my package from Net-A-Porter (always takes a bit longer to ship during sale time) and keeping my fingers crossed that it arrives before I leave in case the sizes are incorrect.

So what else has been happening..Mr Ng and I have been slowly putting together the wedding invitations which is both fun and frustrating given my anal-ness. The invitations themselves turned out exactly as we had hoped and we cannot recommend Joy's Card enough - will try to take some pics of the invites later today.