Top Toner Picks

I've been slacking off on this blog.... I know....
So here's one that's been on my list for a while: Toners

Other than cleansing, toner's the MOST important skin care step that I NEVER skip. It revitalizes skin after cleansing and preps it for everything else that goes on.

My top picks are:

SHU UEMURA DEPSEA TONERAdvertised as a "Facial Mist" but maybe used as a toner. Also good for touch-ups, may be sprayed over make up to re-hydrate. Large selection of scents. Great for all skin types, even sensitive ones, just make sure to go with the fragrance free bottle if you are super sensitive.

KIEHL'S CALENDULA HERBAL EXTRACT TONERALCOHOL FREE. I always keep a bottle of this at home. SUPER soothing to problem/sensitive skin. Helps to heal and clear the skin gently. I use it as a emergency mask when my skin is irritated.

KIEHL'S ULTRA FACIAL TONERAnother great toner by Kiehl's. Also alcohol and fragrance free. Since this is more hydrating, I use it as my night regimen, but not during the day. Although this contains "oil", do not let it scare you, it's formulated to have an "oil in water" type of emulsion so it hydrates without creating burden for even oily skin.

LUSH BREATH OF FRESH AIRFor the all natural hippie flower child in us. Natural and handmade, nothing artificial. I put mine in the fridge and use it to cool and refresh, especially after I clean out the pores.

As a general rule, I like to keep my toners simple and free of the complicated stuff; it's the first thing you put on your clean face, so the more pure, the better . Some tips on choosing:

• Alcohol Free
• Fragrance Free
• Hydrates but not OVERLY heavy
• Refreshing for day and Calming for night

Good Luck on picking out your fav!

My super calming MIRACLE mask

My cousin Kelly and her daughter Grace are in town for a week. This is their first time to Cali. So far, they have been enjoying the sunny weather and super delicious food. The super dry desert weather, however, is doing quite some damage to Kelly's delicate sensitive skin. Her facial skin started peeling, developing rashes, and bright red blotches; she basically looked like she has severe SUNBURN plus bee stung..... not a very pretty sight....

To help her, I whipped up a simple but EFFECTIVE calming mask. It proved to be the best and most natural thing that she's ever applied to her skin, works like a miracle! It got rid of the blotchy discoloration and the sting after just 2 applications(in 1 day) Here's the recipe:

2 Tablespoons of finely Grounded Oatmeal (just grind any store bought oatmeal, preferably organic)

Some Hot Water, just enough to make a paste when added to the oatmeal

6-8 drops of Lavender Essential Oil (available in many health food stores)

Optional: 6-8 drops of chamomile essential oil

To Mix: Add the water to the oatmeal, stir until desired consistency, wait for it to cool, add the essential oils and mix again. Store in the fridge, should be enough for 2 uses.

To use: Use chilled. Apply thin layer to face, leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse clean with luke warm water. Voila!!!

Enjoy!

Skin Food- Strawberry Yogurt

Yummy! Good for the body, but even better for your skin!

I really enjoy Lush's Fresh Face Masks, so when I got my 5 lbs pack of strawberries, I created my own version. Super easy, Super natural, and Super good. Oh, did I mention that it's SUPER cost effective too?

BENEFITS Clears and brightens the skin.

Improves elasticity

SKIN TYPE All skin types

Here's the recipe:

You need:

3 - 4 Large Strawberries

1/2 Kiwi (peeled)

2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoon Nonfat Plain Yogurt (or whole milk yogurt if you have dry skin)

1 Tablespoon Finely Grounded Oatmeal (I used a coffee grinder)

*try to use organic when you can. The last thing you want is to smudge your face with pesticide...

Direction:

In a food processor, puree the strawberries and kiwi (or you can mash them with a spoon/fork). Pour into a desired container, add the rest of the ingredients, mix well. You may adjust the consistency by adding more oatmeal and/or lemon juice. Voila!! It's that easy!

Advance Version:

For those of you who wants to reach beyond your pantry, add these:

1 Tablespoon Job's Tears Powder (available in Asian and/or health food markets)

1 Tablespoon Rose or White Kaolin Clay (available online and/or stores like Wholefoods)

5-7 drops of Lemon Essential Oil

10-12 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

Left to right: Jobs Tears Powder, Lavender EO, Lemon EO, Rose Kaolin Clay

To Use:

Apply generous amount to clean skin, avoiding eye area. Leave for 10-15 minutes, then rinse away with luke warm water. Keep refrigerated. Good for about 1 week.

*this mask is gentle enough to be used everyday. Due to Lemon's photo-sensitivity causing property, however, avoid sun/uv exposer for 12 hours. In other words, only use this at night and don't go tanning right after...

Ingretionary:

Strawberries- Packed with minerals and antioxidants. They calm, heal, brighten, and moisturize.

Kiwi- Full of actinidin enzyme to dissolve away dead skin cells and dirt, leaving your skin brighter and soft. Also anti-oxidant rich.

Yogurt- Sooths, moisturizes, and rejuvenates the skin. Accelerates cell growth.

Lemon- Tones, tightens, brightens and purifies.

Oat- Sooths, protects and moisturize.

Rose Kaolin Clay- Draws out impurities and toxins without drying the skin. Good for even sensitive and dry skin.

Job's Tears- Calms and protects. Anti-inflammatory property helps to sooth skin. Also brightens the skin.

Lavender- Heals damaged skin. Used for its soothing, antibacterial and relaxing properties.

Newport Beach Film Festival Outfit

Eric and I were invited to go to the Newport Beach Film Festival. Our friend Mike Chen directed this AWESOME ghost movie, POSSESSION, that scared the cr_p out of me..... Anyway, I wanted an effortless but fashionable look for the event so I paired my nude shirt dress with aqua colored accessories, wind-swept side braid, and soft, romantic makeup; to combat the chilly beach-side evening, a chic leather trench. Perfect for a spring/summer social outting!

(dress- ZARA; coat- CHINA; necklaces- FOREVER21; earrings- NYC STREET VENDOR; scarf- BURBERRY; bag-ARMANI JEANS; shoes- ALDO)

TEA TIME

Or should I say coffee time?

HAZELNUT INFUSED MOCHA LATTE WITH MANGO CREAM BAR AND COFFEE CREAM BAR


Since our nanny is off today and I took care of Monster Mu all by myself, I thought I'd reward myself with some simple but delicious indulgence. This simple afternoon dessert is super yummy and takes no time to whip up. The secret is TRADER JOE's all natural ice cream bars.

TRADER JOE'S MANGO CREAM BAR
Made with and taste like real mangos, but without the stringy pulp. Super refreshing.

TRADER JOE'S COFFEE LATTE CREAM BAR
Rich, creamy, melt in your mouth goodness. Compliments my hazelnut mocha latte superbly.

Go ahead, make a round to your local Trader Joe's. You'll be hooked like I am.

THE OINKSTER

Legend has it that Eagle Rock has THE best SLOW cooked FAST food in Cali. After watching Guy Fieri chow down the entire left side of the menu at THE OINKSTER, I've been DYING to go.... Except WHERE in the world is Eagle Rock??? Chances are, it's right around the corner! Just a bit past Pasadena! Lucky me!


OINKSTER PASTRAMI
CRAZY good. Juicy and full of flavor. The caramelized onions and red cabbage slaw sweeten and balance the rich flavored house cured pastrami. So long to THE HAT!!!

BBQ PULLED PORK SANDWICH
Savory and light, with just the right amount of aromatic house BBQ sauce. Again, the onion and slaw does the trick for me. I would ask for more onion and slaw with less pork next time tho, but if you are a meat lover, it should be fine the way it is.

HOUSE MADE SAUCES
Homemade Ketchup, Chipotle Ketchup and Garlic Aioli. I usually don't eat too much fries, but with the garlic aioli sauce, I finished everything. Definitely have to try the homemade mustard next time.

LIMITED TIME HORCHATA SHAKE
Super sweet, in a good way. Spiced up with a hint of cinnamon. I hope they make it a regular on the menu.

PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY CUPCAKE

Sweet and Savory. Perfectly balanced. Super moist. The frosting is rich and creamy without the usual PB stickiness. 2 thumbs up from me! That says a lot, since I make pretty good cupcakes myself =)

Overall, great place to eat and hangout. Oh, did I mention great service too?

Perfect Skin in 2 min.

So I recently stumbled across a product called BB Cream, short for Blemish Balm Cream. My research showed me that it originated from Germany, developed for peeps after severe burns and/or surgery. But it really got its fame out in Asia, where ppl are crazy about minor plastic surgeries and religious about skin care.

With that said, what exactly is BB Cream? Well, it's basically an all in one product that is MOISTURIZER, SUN SCREEN, MAKE UP BASE, FOUNDATION, AND DAMAGE CARE CREAM. Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it's not. I really thought that BB Cream is just a fancy name for tinted moisturizer/sun screen. But it turned out to provide much more coverage. The best thing is that the coverage is SUPER natural, it makes me look like I have no makeup on, just naturally beautiful skin. The second best thing is that the texture is light but pretty much sweat proof. The tip is to apply it by tapping it onto your face in an upward motion with minimal amounts and then repeat on areas you need more coverage.


So where and which one to get? I went to Takashima Ya in San Gabriel and tried all of their BB Cream samples and found this one that I liked,

NANOCE BB MOIST CREAM

I bought the Natural Ocher color. This is a Japanese made one.

Here's a good Korean brand BB Cream


Lancome's UV EXPERT BB BASE

This is what I REALLY want. I am still waiting for my cousin to bring it in May.

So, this is my new secret to "FAKE" perfect skin in 2 min. Now you know.