I’ve got a wonderful surprise for you to kick off September: 10% discount if you buy 6 or more Meiji Amino Collagen products. Any product. Go crazy! This promotion ends on Sept 18 2010, midnight Tokyo time. Click here to buy.

With the heat and loads of work stress, I’m ready to start my weekend pronto. Most people I know feel pretty exhausted by the end of the week and what better way to introduce a product that fixes dull, tired skin.

If you watched my Summer Beauty Essentials video, you would know I mentioned Burt’s Bees Radiance Serum With Royal Jelly — and I’m a serious serum addict. Everyone has an attachment to certain types of products and mine are serums and perfumes. I prefer my moisturizers to be fairly light and believe that serums (usually they are packed with delicious ingredients that are more interesting), while light texture, would do a fabulous job, as opposed to a single moisturizer. This is just my own opinion, and I bet, you would unearth loads of self-derived beliefs when you talk to other women.

Obviously, the royal jelly spiel thoroughly appealed. Royal jelly is packed with a whopping 134 nutrients!!! And it’s the reason why a queen bee lives 40 times longer than a regular bee, though I’m not sure being 50% bigger is an attractive thing in my books – haha!

I actually found out about this product through Gala Darling’s blog and she’s got gorgeous skin (she uses the Clarisonic; I want one!), so I wanted to try what she was using in her beauty routine.

Unfortunately, I spotted “alcohol denatured” in the list of ingredients and it has made me less enthused about it. My skin has not become worse or visibly better, so I’m a bit disappointed with this purchase. I really wanted to like it because I adore Burt’s Bees products but ’twas not meant to be, I’m afraid.

Anyway, this dud has not stopped me from lemming for their Naturally Ageless Intensive Repairing Serum. Go over to their page to read more about the ingredients, which include pomegranate and all sorts of wrinkle zapping oils. Yum!

I still totally dig Source Naturals’ Hyaluronic Serum though — that always gives my skin a dramatic pick-me-up. Thank goodness I have half a bottle left so I got some much-needed serum to tide me over till my next purchase.

Alrighty, this is just a short post to wrap up a busy Friday. Have a great weekend! I’m heading off to Nagano for a weekend of summer BBQ-ing, fireworks, and cliff diving.

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My answer is, “I’ll eat a big salad.”

Before, I thought anything that was pleasurable to my senses was an act of self-love, but not so recently. Loving yourself is doing what is best for yourself.

Hear me out, as I’ve got something for you to think about. If you stop and see yourself as a good friend, how would you treat this person?

Would you stuff your loved one with loads of junk food until she would end up feeling sick? Or let her descend into a mushy pile of laziness when she feels depressed? Or attack her body with toxic things like alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs?

I’m not saying a temporary act of any of these things are so bad that they will destroy you but what I’d like to propose here is, are these acts of self-love?

I stumbled upon a great article at the Happiness Project blog, called the 5 Most Common Happiness Mistakes. Please read it because it is so true. I won’t go into the mistakes as you can read them on your own but I’d like to point out that my favorite tip is not letting yourself off the hook when you are feeling stressed or down. However, I think I am guilty of all five mistakes and I want to make a difference to my daily happiness levels.

What do you think is an act of self-love?

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But it’s much kinder on my purse, I assure you.

At a Seven-Eleven convenient store, I bought a Kitson mook (a hybrid of a magazine and a book) and it came with a hot pink cosmetics case and a black eco bag, which I am using on my trip in Moscow now. Both are the perfect size and the black eco bag can be stuffed with an amazing number of things.

Next, I got In Red, a magazine that’s for mature working women which had a girly pink Loweve eco bag.

I’m not sure if I would use this much because on hindsight it’s not really my style. But that shows you the power of free gifts to which I am embarrassed to admit. Perhaps, it could act as a bento bag or paired with a casual outfit when I pop out to get something from the supermarket.

Lastly, I bought yet another copy of Sweet, a very girly magazine that is fun to flip through but I would probably not buy any of the clothes in reality. In Red has more things that are less cutesy and more muted which suit my taste better.

This issue’s Sweet came with an adorable Anna Sui bag and pouch set.

I used the pouch for holding fruit on my flight from Singapore to Moscow but I have yet to think of how to use the Anna Sui one beyond very casual occasions – maybe it could be great as a bag organizer for my big bags. I always have trouble looking for things in my bags…

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Hello from Moscow! I stopped by my beloved Singapore for 48 hours before I jetted off to Russia. It was a long flight but oh-so worth it.

This would explain me MIA-ing for the past week. “Love it when I’m in three cities in one week,” quipped my fiancé. He is quite the road warrior because of his work, so he was in Tokyo last Monday, Singapore on Tuesday and Wednesday, then a touch down in Moscow on Friday. I did the same and it does feel a little surreal but I guess that’s the only way to celebrate the last dregs of summer.

Let’s do a short one today in the city of borscht, onion domes, old world grandiose and a fast-paced nouveau riche lifestyle…

+ Red Square’s St Basil’s Cathedral (pictured above) is the ultimate icon of Moscow and it was truly majestic in person. It was built by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century to commemorate the conquest of Moscow from the Mongolian Tatars.

+ Finding ever reliable brands like Head & Shoulders shampoo and L’Oreal Elseve conditioner which are my go-to haircare in any foreign land, from Bali to Sydney to Moscow!

+ A lovely birthday lunch at Botanika, a quaint natural foods restaurant in the quiet neighborhood of Tverskoy. It has an extensive veg-friendly menu with plenty of meat options plus a drool worthy dessert list. It was the fiance’s choice and I felt spoiled with cucumber sushi, Chinese spring rolls, grilled zucchini, a savoury mushroom and potato stir fry and a Belgian waffle drizzled with a mixed berry sauce, that was rounded off with a warm pot of chamomile tea.

+ Turning a year older and feeling good about it. I am loving that my confidence grows stronger as I go along this path called Life.

+ Tis a cool summer in Moscow, despite the dismal forest fire reports early on this month. It feels like spring in Tokyo where the afternoons are warm and the nights are cool enough for boots and jackets.

+ Gorgeous Russian folks. No wonder this country churns out models like no tomorrow. I don’t know what they do but I want to find out their beauty secrets!

+ Riding a terrifyingly twisty roller coaster at Gorky Park on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

That’s all, people, but you’ll hear from me soon.

Photo credit: here

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Before I jet off to Singapore and Moscow (yeah!), I thought it would be fun to do a “peek into my life” video. Today’s video is about my daily beauty routine here in hot sunny Tokyo.

I use a mix of foreign and Japanese brands and lean towards more natural type products but not all. I love experimenting with different brands and this is just a snapshot of what I am consistently using this summer of 2010.

Hope you enjoy it and xoxox till my next post. Ta!

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But with over three weeks of non-stop travel, I am paying for it now. I feel and look a bit bloated, I fell sick (for five days), and my skin took on a dull sheen and was a little rough.

I juiced a whole lot and gobbled lots of raw garlic (it’s gross but it works, trust me), plus I’ve been scrubbing like a good girl.

When I was in the US, I picked up an old classic…

…But I only broke it out of its packaging a few days ago — St. Ives Apricot Scrub.

The apricot seed kernels do a fantastic job of sloughing off dead skin cells and my skin sucked up my serums like thirsty dogs on a hot day. With the weather in Tokyo so hot and humid, I feel like a thirsty old dog most times.

The label at the back says this product was not tested on animals, formulated without parabens – yay! It’s also an Allure readers’ choice award winner.

I actually used this product all over my body and face throughout my college years and into my early 20s. I don’t know why I stopped using it — perhaps I was lured away by other yummy looking scrubs and then I moved to Tokyo where it is not sold. Thank goodness for the large size, 170g or 6 oz, so I’ll only need a top up a long way down the road.

What’s an old classic you absolutely love?

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Thanks to all you readers who made it so exciting!

I put all the names in a lime green bowl…

…and the winner is….

Debbie, I’ll be emailing you very soon.

This is just the beginning of our giveaways and there will be more to come, so stay tuned and watch this space, people!

Have a great week ahead and I can’t wait to blog more this week. Muah! x

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I’ve been in Australia for over two weeks now so let’s do a Things I Love from the land Down Under…

+ Big white beaches in the Whitsundays and then the city pace in Sydney.

+ Crisp winter mornings and cosy rainy afternoons. I know it’s boiling hot in the northern hemisphere right now and I certainly appreciate the cooler clime here.

+ Warm personable peeps. I always hear, “No worries!” everywhere I go and it’s so charming.

+ Loving the new L’Oreal Elvive Total Repair conditioner.

+ Feeling fresh and pampered by Aveeno’s shower cream that oozes lavender, ylang ylang, and chamomile. I packed pretty light but that meant I got to try new products!

+ Passionfruit, banana, berries, almond milk smoothies daily. Passionfruit is 60 cents a pop here – big sigh, that would never happen in Tokyo.

+ Dessert Essence organic jojoba oil – this truly is a lifesaver and I have raved about this before here. My chin had very flaky skin and within two days of using it, my skin returned to normal. It doubles up as a body lotion for me too because I’ve run out of my fave shea body butter from The Body Shop.

+ Catching up with friends over long brunches and meeting new additions to their broods.

+ Being wrapped up in my polka dot scarf and faux tan leather jacket and holding hands when it’s really chilly.

How is your weekend going?

Photo credit: here

Don’t forget to join our awesome Summer Blog Giveaway because there’s only one week left to stand a chance to win three fabulous beauty goodies from us (one Meiji Amino Collagen Apple & Ginger Tin, one pack of Kose Vitamin C masks, and one pot of Hanayuki Gel Cream). Click here to find out more.

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When I think I’m going to get a cold or sore throat, I always think to myself, “I totally need a huge dose of Vitamin C right now.” Then I turn in early and sleep it off – always works like a charm for me. Or if I have a break-out and want my skin to heal faster, I would also make sure I pump more Vitamin C into my system.

Vitamin C is also essential in the production of collagen, just to let you know, and all the more reason to drink up.

So I whip out my old blender, of course, and set about to make this juice…

Recipe:
2 peeled medium-sized kiwi
1 cucumber
1 apple
1/4 lime
1/4 lemon
2 cups water
1 spoonful Meiji Amino Collagen Apple & Ginger

Hope you enjoy this juice! I love how this one puts me back on track when my health and skin aren’t doing so well. By the way, kiwis have more Vitamin C than oranges so it’s worth consuming these lil’ babies even though they can be a bit tart. Start off with one kiwi if you don’t like your drink to be too sour and the sweetness from the apple will help cover the tartness.

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Hello my lovelies, I am still in Australia as I’m writing this on my brand new iPad. By the time you read this, I’ll be flying from Brisbane to Sydney.

At first, I wanted a net book which is Windows-based but my “internal IT support team” aka my fiancé thought an iPad would be way more awesome as a business travel tool. Not complaining at all here!

Very excited to be so IT-savvy while traveling. So here’s today’s topic….

You wouldn’t believe this but my oldest brush was a MAC blusher brush (on the extreme right) bought in 2002 when I was in Toronto on holiday. The brush was so full that it could even be used as a face powder brush.

In the middle was my go-to eyeshadow brush that was taken from a Paul & Joe eyeshadow compact, while the blusher brush on the extreme left was nicked from a Chanel all-in-one travel compact.

They were functional but made poor bedfellows in my makeup bag. Everytime I used these three brushes, I would say to myself,”I should really get new ones. They are shedding hair!”

So on my Singapore Airlines flight out of Nagoya on my way to Singapore, I promptly bought a set of Shu Uemura brushes made out of sable, goat, pony, and squirrel hair.

This travel set cost SGD101 (USD73) and so far I am totally loving these soft, refined brushes. I especially adore the blusher brush that picks up an ever so tiny amount of product and spreads lightly over the cheek area.

Though I’m quite cost conscious in my expenditure, I think there are just some things that are worth spending more on quality. What do you splurge on that is worth every penny?

And it comes in a simple sleek case…

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