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As you know, a lot of my blog post ideas come about when I’m going through my beauty stash and doing a bout of decluttering (side note to bloggers: it’s a great way to come up with blog post ideas. Give it a go! 😛 ). This time, as I was sorting out stacks of blushes for my upcoming preloved makeup sale (hint hint sometime this week hint hint) and dusting off my collection of lipsticks, a question came to me: do you match your lip colour with your blush or vice versa?

The reason I asked that is, for the longest time, I used to do just that. I did the matchy-matchy.

When I said matching the lip and cheek colours, I don’t mean using products from the same brand or using a lip and cheek tint where the same product goes on your lips and your cheeks. What I meant was using the same tones for your lips and cheeks. For example, when I’m doing the matchy-matchy, I’d wear pink-toned lip colour with a pink-toned blush. I’d wear a warm-toned lipstick with a coral/orange-toned blush. Berry tones with berry tones and so on.

I did just that ever since I started wearing makeup. For some reason, I had it in my head on that makeup rule that the tones must match. Rules indeed. Pfft.

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When it comes to packing for traveling, one of the problems I have when packing skincare is decanting serums. When skincare products are packaged in open jars, transparent bottles or even decanted to tiny open jars, they run the risk of reducing the efficacy of the ingredients when they’re exposed to air. As much as possible, I’ll bring the full-sized bottles of serums with me when traveling, even if they’re in glass packaging and add to the bulk and weight of the luggage. But sometimes, even that can get pretty cumbersome, especially when you’re flying with a low-cost budget airline.

A few months ago, I came across an Italian brand called MonoDerma and what they produce are serums that come in tiny single-use pods, which are also known as MonoDermoDose pods. They have the E5 5% Tocopherol (Vitamin E) serums, A15 Exfoliating Anti-wrinkles (0.15% retinol) serums and C10 Lightening Anti-aging (10% ascorbic acid/Vitamin C) serums that are housed in small biodegradable jelly pods. There are 28 pods per box, which means each box will last you almost a month.

I’ve used the C10 Lightening and A15 Exfoliating serum pods and I must say, this is a very good idea to keep the active ingredients as untainted as possible. The only time they’re ever exposed to air would be when you’re breaking off a pod to use. The pods are packaged in what looks like a oral contraceptive pill case, where there are 28 secured flaps that you open to house each pod. Even though each case is quite big, it’s light and easy to pack for traveling.

I liked these so much that I’ve repurchased two boxes for future travels!

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If you’re wondering if Crescent White is another whitening/brightening range from Estée Lauder, it’s actually a replacement of the previously-known range, Cyber White. This range is formulated in Asia and targets Asian skin, but really, anyone can use this range, just like the previous Cyber White range. The idea behind the Crescent White range is that new research shows that spots and hyperpigmentation are controlled by a natural day and night cycle. Every day, skin accumulates damage from multiple factors, including UV and pollution. At night, spots and pigmentation emerge and proliferate in response to the damage caused during the day.

According to Estée Lauder, the Crescent White range was developed to harness the biology of the night and to provide 24/7 benefits around the clock using its formulated Light Cycle QD Complex of naturally derived botanicals, which work in rhythm with skin’s own daily cycle.

Have I lost you there? Just think of it as products that work with our daily sleep and awake cycle. At night, they strengthen skin’s natural ability to repair the skin and prevent the appearance of dark spots. By day, they help neutralise and protect against new visible daytime damage. The range is said to work with our circadian rhythm. Woo woo, you say? I’m rather inclined to think so, but hey, I’m happy to keep an open mind if it works. 😉

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