“Happy is the bride that the sun shines on.”
Even though I got married during Singapore’s stormiest season, I was lucky it was mostly sunny on my wedding day last November.
Wait what? Last November??!
Can you believe it? Seven wonderful months have passed in the twinkling of an eye and we have already been married for more than half a year! Woo hoo! This definitely calls for a celebration. *pops champagne*
So this weekend, we decided to pull back from our daily grind to indulge in a nice fancy dinner and toast to those beautiful memories as well as to making some new ones.
What does this also imply for a (vain) girl like me? *sheepish grin*
That I will need to look perfect for my date! 😛
Renowned author, Stephen R. Covey, once said we have to ‘Begin with the end in mind’ so today, I enhanced my beauty routine by starting the day right with a rejuvenating workout and wholesome skincare regime.
Since it’s the Singapore Blog Awards season, I also received some pretty cool beauty gadgets from our generous sponsor, Panasonic, to incorporate into my morning routine.
So are you ready to wake up with me? Read on for your guide to a better and prettier morning!
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Everyday is a wonderful blessing…
… especially when you wake up right next to this cutie pie over here! Haha!
Ever wondered what the morning routine of a beauty blogger is like?I had an absolutely indulging start to the day. Catch all the morning action here in my new video – Wake Up With Me: Beauty Routine. Enjoy!
Hope you belles had fun spending the morning with me!
Bet you’re also wondering what are all those gizmos that I’m using. Well, there is actually a lot more to these beauty buddies than you might think. Let me elaborate further in this rundown of the items. 🙂
Panasonic Facial Ionic Steamer
Ever since my teen years, I’ve been plagued by zits and congested pores. The ramification of that is nasty as I started developing incorrigible habits like overexfoliating and picking my skin. Yup. I was one of those compulsive skin pickers too. 🙁
That inevitably resulted in unsightly acne scars and even MORE pimples.
My confidence plunged to an all-time low. Soon my mom decided it was time that I was introduced to the world of facials and steaming.
I was addicted, I tell you! Especially to the smoothness of my skin immediately after steaming and painful extractions (the tears were worth it).
Since facials are really expensive, we could only afford one session every couple of months. Not surprisingly, I got really impatient in between those no-facial months and started to develop my very own home steaming treatments with a pail of boiling water and my substandard zit removal skills.
Those were NOT the days! :p
Fast forward to 2015, Panasonic has come up with a perfect and affordable solution to extract the dirt and blackheads in the least destructive way. I know my 2001 adolescent self would be deeply grateful.
Meet the star of the day – the Panasonic Facial Ionic Steamer.
I know there are already plenty of facial steamers out there but what really sets the Panasonic steamer apart is its ability to produce ultra-fine, nano-sized steam particles. We’re talking about a whopping 4,000 times finer than regular particles here!
These smaller steam particles penetrate our tiny pores more easily and eventually, supplement our skin with more moisture.
I also like how the steam gently floats up to your face from below, especially since I’ve previously been scalded by falling drops of hot water from those professional salon overhead facial steamers. Traumatising experience!
Since then, I’ve always been wary of the quality as well as the position of facial steamers. Needless to say, I felt comfortable and safe when using the Panasonic steamer this morning.
Keep your face at least 20cm away from the nozzle.
Another plus point of the smaller steam particles? It now takes a fraction of the time to soften and loosen the underlying debris. Yay!
After steaming my face for about three minutes, I was ready to get rid of the bane of my existence – the scores of tiny blackheads in my pores. Ugh!
Since the excess sebum and gunk are now easier to remove, I no longer use an extractor tool for this procedure. Instead, I use a gentle scrub to exfoliate my skin after steaming.
Here’s my choice. 🙂
Crème Simon Gentle Double Exfoliation Facial Scrub
Finding a good scrub is as tough as climbing Mount Everest these days. Most of them are too harsh and cause skin aggravation with the jagged edges on their tiny beads. When it comes to buffing the skin, it is important to select a product that’s gentle and imbued with nourishment from great ingredients.
This is why the Creme Simon scrub is a winner as it deviates from the usual harsh contents of scrubs and uses emollients such as Jojoba esters and glycerin.
As mentioned earlier, after steaming my face for a good three minutes, I began exfoliating with the scrub, this time keeping the nozzle of the steamer slightly further away at 30cm. The heat and constant massaging allowed the debris to dislodge more easily.
And now all I have to do is wash my face with water, and voilà, soft supple skin!
Sidetrack:
You know what you’re doing is visually enticing when you catch your videographer secretly using the products while you go change outfits.
Caught in the act!
This is Yong Thye, my best friend and also the talented lad who filmed the scenes in my ‘Wake Up With Me’ video. This pictorial outtake is for real.
I caught this big guy fiddling around with my steam machine and beauty products when I came out of my room. He said he could tell that I was really having fun with the products and wanted to try them for himself.
His verdict – “I’m going to buy one of these for my mom and myself.”
Psst! Guess who else has been secretly using my Panasonic Facial Steamer? 😛
Petite Amie, of course!
Pictured above is our favorite bunny enjoying her mini spa treatment with the Panasonic Facial Steamer.
Next up!
Panasonic Facial Cool Putter
After an intensive cleansing routine, let’s take our pampering morning routine further with a cooling face massage.
As its name suggests, this Panasonic Cool Putter promises to help cool down the skin instantly with its 10°C cooling plate.
You know, many celebrities and fitness experts have suggested inversion therapy to defy gravity and prevent our face from sagging. Since I don’t have an inversion table, I practise simple yoga poses like this below to reap all the beauty benefits of going upside down.
However, inversion may not be safe or bearable for everyone so this is when the cool putter comes in handy.
Massage your face with the Cool Putter in an upward motion for a couple of minutes daily to relieve tension in your facial muscles and prevent skin from sagging. The constant massaging will help you relax better and eventually, you’ll look more radiant and youthful!
Exactly what I need this morning before my big date.
I also need to diminish the appearance of my puffy eyes. Here’s my remedy – rub the cool plates gently against the eye bags to soothe and brighten your eyes instantly.
Here’s a visual representation of my suggested application directions.
And this is how you can enjoy the goodness of inverting without challenging gravity!
It’s a pretty neat perk eh?
Panasonic Warming Facial & Body Roller
Squeezing Roller
I don’t have the most flattering face shape so I’ve always used rollers to contour my jaw since I discovered them at Daiso many years ago.
Panasonic totally brought it up a notch by introducing rollers with temperature settings and interchangeable heads to suit different purposes.
I love the concept of a heater as the warmness increases blood circulation which in turn would help me de-stress and relax while I massage my face. In the long term, you know what that means – you get irresistible glowing skin! Whee!
The product is also great for contouring the body. Since my dress for tonight reveals more legs, I also used it on my calves to make them look firmer and shapelier.
Stroking Roller
The stroking roller is effective on different parts of the face such as the mouth, cheeks, chin, forehead and even various parts of your body such as the stomach, collarbone and legs.
I never liked massaging my face with my fingers as I tend to scratch my face with my long nails so this device is ideal for days where I’m in need of a relaxing face massage without the minor injuries.
The best thing about a face massage is the warmth of the fingers and it’s nice that the roller replicates this with its built-in heating feature.
And there you have it, my beauty routine for a superb start to the day. I hope the tips and products mentioned here float your boat too.
And now I can’t wait to look perfect for my perfect man tonight! Whoopee!
On The Next Post…
I know that many of you may be curious if these products really do work, so I’ve consulted a dermatologist and plastic surgeon to find out more about their effectiveness and efficacy. Hopefully I will also dispel some long-standing beauty myths along the way.
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ Who you gonna call? Beauty Busters! ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
😛
I also attended OMY x Panasonic’s Beauty Workshop hosted by Bryan Gan of Lady First (女人我最大) fame a couple of weeks ago.
Bryan, a renowned Natural Therapist, dispensed many valuable TCM beauty pointers and suggested a slew of interesting ways to turn our Panasonic gadgets into the ultimate stress relievers.
Yup! The beauty extravaganza has only just began! I can’t wait to share all these exciting tips and tricks with you. Keep your eyes peeled for my next post!
Meanwhile…
Yay! I made it to the finals of the Singapore Blog Awards 2015! This is my third time being nominated in the beauty category so I really hope third time’s a charm. 😛
I couldn’t have gotten here without you guys and I hope you’ll join me for this dance one more time to help make my dreams come true.
And you can do that by casting a vote for me. Simply click on the image below and you’ll be directed to the voting gallery or you can click here – https://apps.facebook.com/panasonic_sg_vote/?eid=7&event=14&fb_ref=Default
You can vote once everyday until the 6th of July.
I know it’ll be challenging to remember to vote for my blog everyday but if you like this post and what I’ve been doing so far, may I unabashedly suggest that you could (maybeee) remind yourself everyday when you’re sipping your morning coffee?
So morning coffee = vote for ilovebunny.net! 😛
Haha! Thank you once again for all your support and love!
Finally…
I had a great time creating this post for you but I would also love to know..
What is your morning beauty routine like?
Your friend, Juliana
P.S. All drawings, animations, video editing, effects and choreography by little ol’ me but of course a big thank you to my friend Yong Thye for helping with the filming. 😀
Disclaimer: Please rest assured that even though this post was created in partnership with SBA2015 and Panasonic, it does not have any bearing on the content of this post. Opinions stated are objective and genuine. Also note that all sources, information, content, links are valid to change at any time.
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