Skincare Review: Vichy Soothing & Fortifying 24 hr Hydrating Serum & Cream (Light)

It's particularly at this time of the year when the season changes and my skin feels more fragile that I will opt for everything hypoallergenic...in case I end up with blotches, bumps and/or zits over the jolly Christmas hol! To this end, Vichy Soothing & Fortifying 24 hr Hydrating Serum and Cream will make a brilliant duo.

Let me first make myself clear that hydrating products usually don't moisturize your skin..they only hydrate! As the names have spoken for themselves, this Vichy duo does skin hydration. It pumps water into your skin, making it soft and supple without a tinge of stickiness. It doesn't add weight to your skin at all. I can't describe how just-nice they are...it's just exactly right for this dry season. Oh, but one thing, the cream I use is a light version and it's only enough for daytime. I use Avene Clean-Ac Cream in the evening for a richer skin treat.

Beauty tips: To better lock in the skin's moisture, I use Sulwhasoo Balancing Emulsion (see review HERE) after this Vichy serum and my Caudalie Radiance Serum (see review HERE), and before this Vichy cream. I personally find the regime phenomenal so far. 

Skincare Review: Bobbi Brown Brightening Gentle Cream Cleanser

Keeping your face well-cleansed is the first step to having baby soft and clear skin. Especially if you wear makeup almost every single day in a polluted environment, you will tend to be obsessed with products that can slough away the layer of the dirt, residues from the heap of beauty products we use, and the hideous dead skin cells that give you unwanted skin problems. But hang on, how many products in your daily skin care routine contains exfoliants, like glycolic acid??? If you are already doing regular exfoliation and using some sort of a resurfacing serum, it's very likely that you will only need a gentle cleanser...unless you work at a construction site (no offense!).

I'm currently using Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash (see review HERE) and I adore it. But the fact is, I definitely don't need such a strong cleanser for my morning wash. It's simply too clean considered the minimal amount of dirt that will ever deposit on my skin overnight. Plus, on nights that I am doing facial treatments which usually include some sorts of exfoliation, say with Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel or Clinique Turnaround Facial Masque (see review HERE), and worse if I am topping it up with an exfoliating or resurfacing serum, the huge amount of exfoliators (e.g. glycolic acid) will haven take away too much from my skin if I begin the routine with a strong cleanser...With this, if you think yea, but still...Bobbi Brown Brightening Gentle Cream Cleanser could be a good option for you.

The good thing about Bobbi Brown Brightening Gentle Cream Cleanser is that it's gentle and it also removes makeup. Honestly, being a 'worshipper' of Bioderma Cleansing Water, I don't use any other makeup remover. But at least, it says I'm not as gentle as being nothing, if you so want to give your face a good wash in the morning. This pearly iridescent cream formula doesn't strip off your skin's natural moisture, neither will it add too much moisture to your skin. Everything's just nice! I use it in my morning wash and it's good enough to kick off the day. 

A Discovery: The Secret of Chanel Le Vernis in Jade Rose (493)

I was looking for a gentle beige nail polish for my fingers. For your information, I'm a big fan of Chanel Le Vernis (though I have never reviewed nail polishes here) because of its variety of elegant shades and its impressive durability. I don't remember the polish chipping at all! And since the shades I wear are usually quite natural-looking, it still looks great even with a tiny bit of outgrowing. It can normally survive 5-7 days till my nails outgrow and look horrible.

With a burning urge, I popped into Chanel yesterday. Their classic Inattendu (503) has been my favorite color for toes, but I find it too dark for my fingers. So I tried Jade Rose (493) on my pinky yesterday. Tempted, but hesitant because it reminded me of Flamme Rose (87) which made my fingers look so grossly anaemic and the almost-untouched bottle has been sitting on my desk in solitude. It suddenly crossed my mind when I reached home that Flamme Rose could be good when mixed with other colors...like Inttendu! Bingle!!!

The discovery is, coating Flamme Rose over Inattendu will get me a nude-beige shade that looks almost identical to Jade Rose. The difference is in fact hardly noticeable to others. After all, the iridescent sheen in Jade Rose is not really visible on nails. Better still, I now also enjoy the unexpected  flexibility of adjusting the lightness of the shade with Flamme Rose. The new "Jade Rose" looks sophisticated. Great for a smart casual day. Finally, I am making good use of my purchase - Hooray!