Category: skin

Holiday travel: Do you need a special skincare regimen?

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment
We always get these kinds of travel tips. But the actual useful ones? Read on! (image from
We always get these kinds of travel tips. But the actual useful ones? Read on! (image from theguytravel.com)

I haven’t been travelling much lately since I’ve been busy with a lot of side projects.  But when I look back at my travels all over the world, one thing links them:  How do you arrive at your destination looking fresh, happy, and rejuvenated?  When I was twenty, I really could enter a plane and leave with perfect skin having done nothing.  Now that I am a bit older (just a bit), if I do nothing, I will have puffy eyes and dull skin after a trip.  It is a mystery why traveling on a moving vehicle brings out the worst in skin: namely bloating, dehydrated skin, eye bags, and water retention.  There is something about riding on a bus/plane/train that does this.  And every gal needs a plan to combat this.  Arriving at your destination looking well rested and fresh is important.  I want whoever is picking me up to be impressed.  Here are my tried and true tips for minimizing the damages of travel.

Do these steps during your trip on a plane/bus/train:

  1. Hydration: drink water, drink water, and then drink water.  It keeps your body fresh by flushing out toxins, and discourages water retention.  Water retention is your enemy because it makes you look super puffy.  Avoid salt, since it can make you bloat.
  2. Tea does something: A hot cup of tea steams up your face, gives your body antioxidants and soothes stomach and digestion.  It also help calm the nerves and provides hydration.  All things you need while on a plane/bus.
  3. Tone your skin:  Toxins and dirt stick to your skin while travelling.  Car and bus exhaust, recycled airplane air.  They all suffocate your skin.  Spritz a mister of spring water on your face, or do what I do and pack a bit of rose water.  Put the toner on a cotton swab and dab your way to refreshment.
  4. Moisturize.  After toning your face, put a good weigh moisturizer on your face.  I find creams to be a bit greasy for day wear, so cocoa butter and coconut oil are my go to’s.
  5. Sleep.  I can’t say this enough.  Arriving at a destination sleep deprived affects your spirit, personality and appearance.  You can’t think straight if you are tired.  I like to use a sleeping pill if travelling over night to ensure I sleep on those bumpy travel routes.
  6. Make-up: you need a bit.  Travelling while wearing too much make-up feels gross, so don’t over do it.  Just before you arrive at your destination, touch up with essentials such as bb cream, mascara and lipstick/tinted lip balm.  This makes all the difference and boost the effects of all the hard work you did during the trip for your skin.  Put in some hair salve to moisturize your hair ends.

Voila!  Arrive at your destination looking effortlessly gorgeous and enjoy the holidays!  You only live once so have fun looking and feeling your best.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 🙂

Summer skin care: sun protection is key!

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

I recently discovered summer skincare is very different from the rest of the seasons.  I think because in Canada, we really only have two months of summer.  UV rays from the sun are present and dangerous all days of the year, but there is something about summer that just scorches and you can actually feel its damage. In all the other seasons we can be indoors a lot, but not in summer.  I like getting outside, but I never really was a fan of the tanned look, and well, I am kind of afraid of the premature aging that is said to happen to from frequent tanning and sun exposure.  And even with vanity aside, developments of skin cancer are unfortunately proven to be higher for people who love the sun too much. 😦

This was an outdoorsy summer. I was on a trip to beaches near Lake Erie, and it was not a good time to forget the hat. I got baked on that trip.
This was an outdoorsy summer for me. I was on trips camping, trips to lakes and beaches.  So it was not a good time to forget the hat. I got tan lines all over my collar and the summer is only half done!

Staying away from the sun is easier said than done.  This summer is an active one for me.  I walk a lot everyday with my kid for errands and exercise, I also just came back from a weekend at the beach, and the previous weekend I had gone camping.  I see all these tan lines on my collar, and although I know that my natural sun block is protecting me to some degree, I am also getting a lot of sun exposure and sometimes I was forgetting to put it sunscreen on!  Yikes! (At least I have no shortage of vitamin D recently) But still, I have to be careful for the rest of this summer, because though I have been skipping heavy make-up, I can’t skip sun protection.

My 6 Summer Skin Savers:

1) My cocoa butter & zinc oxide sunscreen, SPF unknown, since I make it myself.  It goes on a bit streaky, but knowing it’s all natural makes me and my skin happy on blazing summer days.  It is a bit greasy, so it must be worn on its own, not under make-up.  And I spread it everywhere that is getting exposure.

2) Rose water skin toner.  Also all natural, since my toner is literally just rose water straight from any supermarket. I put the bottle in the fridge and dab it on with a cotton ball whenever I need refreshing on my face.  Toners are generally used after face cleansing. But you can use rosewater anytime your face needs a splash of actual moisture and it smells so wonderful.

3) BB Cream!  I know there is a bit of a debate over which is better: BB cream or foundation.  But for SPF protection, BB’s are unparalleled.  Most of them are 25 SPF and up, and that’s only one of the many things BB creams multitask at.  They also provide coverage and blurring effects for the summer days that you still need to look a bit more polished.  Soften bb cream’s heavier coverage by skipping powder and you get a natural dewy, slightly shiny look that is supposed to be “in” at the moment, while still getting the sun protection that you need. Also powder make-up can turn cake-y in hot weather–not the best looking.

4) A big straw summer hat. Worn not for fashion, but for a constant shade for your face. Not necessary the most cooling item to wear on top  your head during a hot day, but a MUST to keep your face and collar in the shade, away from intense sun.  I went strawberry picking during the weekend and without it, I would have been seared by the midday rays!

5) Best stay indoors during the hours of 11am-4pm.  Unless you have to, why do your outdoors activities under the hot midday sun?  The intense heat of the summer sun at that time also puts you at risk of a heat stroke.

6) Drink lots of water.  Skin does hydrate from the inside out too, so the hotter the weather, the more water you should be drinking.  I don’t like sodas or sugary drinks that much, so ice water is my go to for hydration!

Shying away from the sun is good. I got in my hand my current bb cream from Holika Holika at SPF 30 and my sun hat from Ardene's for only $12, so there is no excuse not to shade yourself!
Shying away from the sun is good! I got my current bb cream from Holika Holika at an spf of 30, it has a natural coverage.  And my sun hat from Ardene’s was only $12! so there is no excuse not to protect yourself!

There is totally nothing wrong with sunning or tanned skin.  I don’t necessarily think pale skin looks better.  Mostly, I like to think about what is best for the health of my skin in the long run, which would appear to be less sun.  What are your favourite summer skin savers?

 

Asian make-up trends are coming, coming, and now here…do we want them?

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

Japan, Korea and Taiwan have been making some super cute, funky, and pretty make-up for the last while.  I’ve noticed that here in North America and especially Canada, we are just starting to see the brands.  Asian make-up packaging are a bit different, so are the scents and formulations.  And then there are the trends: BB creams to compliment fair complexions, and false lashes to make eyes look doe-like…etc.   There is definitely a market for these kinds of aesthetics over seas but what about here?  Does Toronto’s westernized/multicultural demographic make Canada the next big market for Asian make-up companies?

Typical examples of Japanese and Korean cosmetics...I want all of these...they are just too cute!
Typical examples of Japanese and Korean cosmetics…I want all of these…they are just too cute!

It seems like we are fair game to international corporations that need to expand to survive in this global market.  Already Face Shops have sprung up everywhere, not just in the Asian malls north of Toronto, but are now in almost every mainstream mall, and just the other month, another Korean make-up heavy weight Holika Holika set up a boutique on Queen Street west.  I have yet to see really the public response, but throwing Asian make-up brands at the mainstream market without any introduction doesn’t seem very intelligent.  Face Shop for example had to buy out Canadian company Fruits and Passion here in order to set up shop.  Already they are not starting off with the most clean image as some Canadian consumers see the pop up stores as an invasion rather than them “sharing the goods” with us!  Even myself, with my Asian heritage and knowledge of cosmetics, I still find it difficult to just adopt everything the Koreans are making, just for the sake of trend or readiness.

This brand is HOT in overseas markets. Now they have popped up here, on funky Queen West. If only their customer service was better... :(
This brand is HOT in overseas markets. Now they have popped up here, on funky Queen West. If only their customer service was better… 😦

On the other hand, I guess we should be happy now that we have easier access to what is on trend at the moment, the only problem is that Face Shop make-up gives my skin allergic reactions.  My skin is sensitive, so I can’t slather on things with 10 different chemical names on it!  Perhaps these big make-up companies can stop working on gaining capitol on trends for a second, and work on better quality and formulations of their make up and skin care?  It is not too much to ask…and consumers in any part of the world’s market can relate to this need and we deserve it too.