Two more items added to my "can't live without it" list...

Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate the sun, I'm just obsessed with maintaining my uber-pale, porcelain-like albeit occasionally flawed complexion. And for those looking to become fair like me, I highly recommend bundling up and spending a month in Norway in December freezing your ass off :) Your only requirement is a pre-programmed set of "fairness" genes.

I have never used sunblock in my entire life (except when swimming), the reason being that I hate that heavy, sticky feeling it leaves on my face. I can imagine the thick goo seeping into my pores and clogging them up, and one day I'll wake up with a major breakout. Eek! Nightmare of all nightmares, woe of all woes! As a result, all these years of exposure to sun has caused the area around my cheeks to become thinner and highly sensitive. My beautician warned me that if I don't use sun protection soon I might end up looking like this....


That scared me enough to try out a couple of sunblocks. I hated them all until I found this:

Sunplay Perfect Shield with SPF 130 (yes its ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY, no typo there) in Clear Finish. Retails at Sasa for RM29.90 per bottle, but I got mine at a discount because it was on offer. It comes in a tiny bottle of 31ml, but I'm estimating that it would probably last around 3 -4 months since you only need a little bit each time. What I like about Sunplay is that its texture is so watery, just like.....water!

I know the pic looks abit gross, but I just wanted to demonstrate the light, watery texture

Although the directions say that it can be used alone, I prefer applying Sunplay after my moisturizer. The sunblock gives the face a nice radiant glow upon application, so I get sunblock + highlighter in one! I also noticed that my skin is smoother and more hydrated, and I'm able to cut down my use of foundation now because my foundation spreads more easily and evenly over the skin.

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Next, Loreal's Double Extension Mascara in black.

I'm lovin it!!! I think this is the closest to fake lashes that mascaralogists (people who research mascaras?) can get. The white base coat on one end lengthens and thickens the lashes, while the black mascara on the other end covers the white base coat and further enhances its effects. Here are some before and after pics that I took:

My post-curled, pre-mascara-ed lashes.

After applying the white base coat.

After applying mascara.

One of the disadvantages of this mascara is that its texture is pretty thick, making it prone to clumping. Our fine Asian hair is generally unable to withstand the heaviness of such a thick mascara, so the end result would be droopy cockroach legs hanging from your eyes.....Hahaha I'm just exaggerating, but you do need to re-curl your lashes after applying the mascara, and get rid of the clumps after curling. Not to worry, lash curler and brow brush to the rescue!!!

Why do I use the brow brush instead of a lash comb? That's because if you use the lash comb to comb through your lashes, the mascara won't be thick anymore and your lashes also won't look as thick. But if you use the brow brush, it will get rid of the clumps without getting rid of the volume. Just like when you apply volumizing products at the roots of your hair, you don't comb it flat again right?

And the end result = Longer and thicker lashes!

Another great thing about this mascara? It stays on the whole day without smudging. One coat of base coat + one coat of mascara is all you need to achieve amazing results, but I like to pile on lots of each when I intend to do a smokey-eyed look.

Loreal Double Extension Mascara retails at Watsons, Sasa, and leading pharmacies at RM45.00. Heheh, that sounded like a line from an advertisement...

Before and After: