I've been living in Singapore for more than 3 years now, and feel the fall weather hasn't been as extreme as it currently is: either scorching hot or raining cats and dogs. Remarkably, both types of weather make me long for the beach, as I find myself in need of either a serious cool down or warming up. If the weather or my busy schedule doesn't allow going to the beach, I go for a quick fix with Sephora's Beach Vibes Bath & Body range. One whiff of the addictive scent makes me instantly feel like I'm spending a lazy day on a beautiful tropical beach, laying on a stretcher while drinking from a coconut, with a pleasantly warming sun and refreshing sea breeze. Sounds tempting? Come dream away...
As devoted beauty junkie, my bookcase is filled with all the standard works on makeup and cosmetics. Like my monthly Vogue, most of these books are like bibles to me. Many, however, don't go any deeper than tips and tricks on creating the perfect smokey eye or finding the best brow shape for your face. Recently, I've been able to add a bit more depth to my library with Tomoka Y. Nguyen's book "Beauty Confidential". This book unveils the ugly truth about mass market personal care products and bursts with everything you need to know to care for your skin instead - in a wholesome and natural way, all by yourself. Great me-time read while chillaxing in your personal Home Spa, as well as a thoughtful gift for the upcoming holidays!
Part two of my absolute beauty lifesavers for moms that refuse to stop caring about how they look and feel because of momlife: "how to fake looking (and smelling) clean and well put together, as well as claiming that well-deserved me time". BAM!
What does a hot but sophisticated party - be it in an urban jungle night club in Singapore, a waterfront restaurant in Cannes or a sky bar in Tokyo - smell like? Like Juliette has a Gun's newest perfume "Moscow Mule". Get ready to party!
Technically, I'm still supposed to be on maternity leave. And I really should be, because gosh I am dead tired from all the broken nights and feel hotter than ever (literally, that is) due to a combination of hormones and constant baby lifting/carrying/cuddling/feeding. I do however feel an urge to share the beauty products that kept me sane the first weeks of being a mom, in order for other moms to survive. Call me vain or superficial, but when you look good and feel hot (this time figuratively speaking) you tend to feel much better - and a happy mommy equals a happy baby, right?
As I’m always on the look-out for cool products from Singapore to bring back home to Europe (done all the batik and Merlion stuff too many times..), I was particularly pleased to learn about SIX Fine Fragrances. To limit SIX’ fragrances to gifts for friends abroad doesn’t do justice, though; the products are exceptional and the brand oozes the sophistication of a world class artisanal designer fragrance brand. Which is why I immediately got a fragrance set for my husband. I didn’t have to force him in any way to wear the fragrances, as he fell in love with SIX Fragrances’ transient, mysterious and powerful scents just as quickly as I did.
I consider renaming my blog “Setting Sprays in the Lush”, as writing about setting sprays as a holy grail to survive the hot and humid tropics looking good an put-together (instead of worn-out due to makeup melting) seems to be a constant on my blog. Until I decide to go for such a radical name change, I promise the setting sprays I will be reviewing are not just another one and will be worth it: today, it’s Supergoop!’s Defense Refresh Setting Mist with SPF50, the first setting spray or mist I‘ve come across with an SPF.
It's been a while as I've been incredibly busy with work, travelling and a combination of the two. As we speak, I am packing my bags to head to The Netherlands tonight, for both business and pleasure. The pleasure is seeing my friends and family again. After three years abroad, I still love to bring back something small for them from Asia (and they love it in return), but find myself increasingly out of inspiration what to bring. Luckily Innisfree has some awesome face masks with Asian ingredients that serve as the perfect little gift to bring back home!
After an seemingly everlasting rain season, the weather is finally getting better in Singapore -meaning less time indoors and more time outdoors! I've been living and looking like a hermit during the heavy downpours, so it's time to dig up tweezers and a brush and face the mirror again. Not minding my hair for weeks as I barely went out anyway, not even for groceries, made me more or less forget about the eternal unruly mess on top of my head - the enemy that every Caucasian female in the tropics seems battle daily. What to do again? Work with it, not against it, is my hair-mantra in Singapore. Crucial products: Redken's Windblown 05 Dry Finishing Spray and OUAI's Wave Spray.
