By Aimee L

Unlike a lot of my friends and peers, I take CNY very seriously. I love how my family gathers together, from all across the island to celebrate reunion dinner, I love how for that one night, everyone is happy, tipsy and having fun. I even enjoy traipsing around the country and beyond (okay, Malaysia) visiting the relatives.

But as much as I enjoy visiting, I also like to look my glam best, after all, as a beauty writer for Lifestyle Collective, I feel the need to project a certain image of worldly sophistication. Plus, if I am to be totally honest, I also want to look better than my cousins – so sue me for being human.

The Night Before

Prepping The Night Before – You can’t expect to wake up to miraculously fabulous looking skin without some help, which is why I turned to Sunday Riley’s best-selling Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment $227. To commemorate Chinese New Year, they have launched the cutest collector’s edition of the product that is only available for a limited time, so if you love it, I would suggest you grab it before it sells out.

Good Genes is powered by lactic acid that works to exfoliate the surface layers of the skin to smooth, decongest, and reduce the look of lines, wrinkles, and dark spots.

So if you want to wake up to flawless, blemish-free skin, I would suggest you pop down to Sephora and grab yourself a bottle today! Since using it for less than a week, my skin already looks much clearer and brighter. To find out more or to purchase the product, go here.

On The Day

The Battle Of The Limp Locks – Because I have rather fine hair, the tiniest bit of humidity can leave my locks looking greasy and limp, which is why I make it a point to give my scalp a good scrub with Tsubaki Volume Shampoo and Conditioner, $14.90 each, every morning.

Other than for the fact that it smells fabulous, it’s also formulated with 100% natural ingredients like lemon fruit water, plant extracts, soy protein, royal jelly and camellia seed oil extract in the perfect proportions that boosts and adjusts moisture levels in response to ambient humidity, so my hair doesn’t go flat as soon as I step out the door. To find out more, go here.

Halt The Stench – when you know that you have a full day or more of visiting, you know you need a deodorant that is not going to let you down. I was super excited to try an all natural deodorant made completely out of plant-based ingredients that is free from all the nasties like paraben, aluminium and baking soda, by home-grown personal care brand Soul Good Project.

I chose the Himalayan Wilderness Deodorant Balm $25.90, because I loved its subtle and almost unisex, woody and citrus scent with notes of cedar, bergamot, sweet orange and lemon. The scent does not overpower and is perfect for those of you who hate strong perfumes, but at the same time don’t want to reek of B.O by the end of a long day.

The product is super simple to use. After a shower, dry your pits and gently apply a pea-sized amount to the area, and thats it. Is does not have a strong scent and is not sticky or uncomfortable in any way, but it still managed to keep me stench free the whole day, which not all natural deodorants have managed to do.

It also comes as a spray that retails for $26.90, but I personally prefered the balm. You can find more information about the products here.

Prep The Skin – EHA hydra Serum $118, is jam packed with high-grade hyaluronic acid that draws and locks in moisture so that your skin looks bouncy and refreshed the whole day. When you know that you are going to be having a long day, I suggest massaging several pumps of this wonder fluid onto your face before your day cream. It minimises the appearance of pores and instantly made my skin look more plump and hydrated.

The Protection – No matter how young you are, you need sun protection. For me, this starts in the shower with EHA Suncare Face Wash $65, that cleanses my face and leaves an invisible layer of SPF 30 behind. The product is unscented and also moisturises and conditions the skin as it protects it.

I usually follow this step with my hydra serum and moisturiser and EHA Sunshield 24 HR $98, with SPF 100, which gives me a full day of protection without the need for touch-ups. This Japan-made sunscreen also cools the temperature of the skin and comes lightly tinted, so you look like a selfie-ready version of yourself. For more information, go here.

For That Perfect Pout – for my lips, I needed something that would give me a burst of colour (preferably red, after all it was CNY and when else am I going to get to wear such a bold shade), which is why I opted for the limited edition, Hourglass Nº28 Lip Treatment Oil $82.

I needed a lip product that would give my lips a wash of colour, but without the drying discomfort of a matte lipstick and the whole smudging problem of a regular or glossy lipstick.

The Hourglass team took the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipstick’s bestselling brick-red shade, At Night, and transformed it into a limited edition Hourglass Nº28 Lip Treatment Oil for Chinese New Year!

What you get is an absolutely stunning brick-red shade in a nourishing and reparative lip treatment oil formula that’s full of 14 botanical oils (lavender, ylang-ylang, eucalyptus, rose geranium to name a few), 10 lipid-rich plant oils (rosehip, olive, sweet almond, jojoba, and evening primrose amongst them), and vitamins A, B5, C, and E.

Depending on your mood, you can pump out less product for a sheer wash of colour, or add on more for a more sexy and dramatic look. There is no strong scent or taste and it made my lips look and feel so moisturised and plump.

If that wasn’t enough, the Nº28 Lip Treatment Oil features a 24k gold-plated and palladium applicator which dispenses a controlled amount of formula, is anti-bacterial and completely cruelty free! For more information or to purchase, go here.

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