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In the twinkling of an eye, it has already been 3 weeks since I ‘penned’ my first post. I’m glad you guys have enjoyed what I’d shared so far. Thank you for all the encouraging messages. I truly appreciate your ardent support. Please do continue to watch this space for more beauty, fashion and travel anecdotes! And with this, I’m giving you your second dose of Honeyz Fashion Review. In this post, we’ll be reviewing apparels from famous Singapore blogshops, Agneselle and Love Bonito as well as Britain’s highly reputable high street chain, Topshop. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Agneselle and Love Bonito. Agneselle for their affordable price and great quality and Love bonito for their state-of-the-art designs. Without further ado, I present you Fashion Review: Agneselle, Love Bonito, Topshop Agneselle Love Bonito Topshop Photo Credits Photography Models Judy, UK 4, 155cm JW, UK 6, 153cm Your humble blogger, UK 6, 161cm I hope you have enjoyed this review. Lastly, I would like to clarify that Honeyz fashion reviews are not advertorial posts. I do not endorse any of those brands featured. Rather, I’m trying to show you how normal girls (girls with non-supermodel statures) look like in clothing from these famous boutiques. This is to aid you in making informed purchase decisions when it comes to updating your fashion wardrobe. 🙂 Once again, thank you for reading and I beg for your continued support. 😛 Tata! Love, Juliana #fashion #review #Topshop #Photography #lovebonito #Agneselle #photoshoot

Honeyz….. I’m home! I’m gonna try something different in this post. No beauty reviews this time. Instead, I’m going to do a fashion review of online store, Le Dezire ‘s best sellers. Eunice, founder of Le Dezire, was kind enough to give me some of her signature pieces for this fashion review. You can’t believe how grateful I am as she only have limited pieces left for each of them. 😀 Anyway, instead of doing the conventional way, i.e. Pose in front of a mirror and take pictures, then write my afterthoughts (which was my initial idea), I decided to do a fashion spread kind of review with the help of some friends. 🙂 I’ve been a huge fan of fashiontoast.com and lookbook.nu for the longest time. The beautiful and artsy fashion spreads never failed to awe me (In a good way). So for this fashion review, I decided to try a ‘fashiontoast’ inspired photo spread. Here are the pieces Le Dezire gave me. Very pretty outfits eh? Now that you’ve seen the Supermodel look. Here’s the Mortal version. Enjoy! Noticed my sky blue nails in the photos? (Well, I hope you did!) Got them done at Nail Indulgence De Beau, No. 1 Liang Seah Street, #02-14. I enjoyed the warmth of their service. Very friendly and accommodating. You can contact them at +65 6333 1687 to arrange an appointment. 🙂 Photo Credits Photographers Samuel – The Seasoned Photographer Yong Thye – The Passionate Photographer Alex – The Noob-turned-Pro Photographer Models Pretty Judy She’s a UK 4, standing at 155cm. Lovable JW She’s a UK 6, standing at 153cm. That’s me. I’m a UK 6, standing at 161cm. I hope you liked the fashion spread. 🙂 Well, I thought it would be interesting to also show what went on ‘Behind the Scenes’. 😛 So here you go. Super Star Judy! Look at all those paparazzi! “Is my photo ok??” “I want to look that sexy too!” In the dressing room – All made up and ready for the photo shoot! On your mark… Get set…. Go!! ‘Photo-whoring’ while waiting…. More ‘photo whoring’… And MORE photo whoring!! Ok I think that’s enough. Soaking in the sun. Ok that’s a wrap! Greatly appreciated… Lastly, I want to thank SimVideo for their excellent photography and photo effects services. A renowned wedding and corporate photographer in Singapore and JB. And Le Dezire for their beautiful clothes. Thank you all for reading. See you and God bless! Love, Juliana #fashion #review #Photography #ledezire #fashionreview #photoshoot

In this 21st century, every woman seeks to strip away the cliches surrounding them. They’re vigorous and confident. And this is the spirit of ‘Honeyz‘. ‘Belle’ is a woman who’s admired for her beauty and charm. So a Honeyz Belle is a confident and intelligent woman of the 21st century who’s not afraid to express her desires, show off her charm and become the belle of every ball. I believe all of you is a Honeyz Belle so henceforth, I’m going to call you ladies ‘Honeyz Belles’! So Hello Honeyz Belles! As my blog title suggests, I’m gonna review THE imperative tool to pretty peepers – Mascaras. Check out their faux lashes! Mascaras are an important part of make up as they define our eyes and gives them that ‘little burst of energy’ to our otherwise dull-looking eyes. And whenever the topic of mascaras is brought up, I hear Loreal, Lancome and Maybelline being mentioned almost 90% of the time. So for this mascara review post, I’m gonna leave them out of the picture since we all know that they are good enough. 🙂 And review the underdogs instead – The Face Shop, Majolica Majorca and Sephora. The Face Shop’s Extreme Volume Mascara I started using this last year and have been loyal to it ever since. I love its non-clumping and lengthening qualities. It separates the lashes well and thus does not produce the ‘lump-of-lashes’ look. Best of all, this mascara is smudge-proof! 😀 Panda eyes from smudged mascara is definitely not a pretty sight (especially if you’re on a hot date) so this is an absolute hot favourite for me. The slight curvature of the mascara wand is also perfect for my oval shaped eyes. The Face Shop’s Extreme Volume Mascara Wand The mascara creates a soft and natural look that is great for daily activities such as work and school. Here’s how it looks like on my naked eye. Wearing The Face Shop’s Extreme Volume Mascara on make-up free eyes I like that it darkens and lifts my lashes slightly to produce this very natural look. Well, here comes the trubs. It is relatively difficult to achieve the really dramatic look even after a few more coats of this mascara. Here’s the example, After numerous coats of Faceshop’s Extreme Volume Mascara Not very impressive, isn’t it? So if you want to achieve those ‘Drama Goddess’ look with your eyes, I suggest you opt for falsies or simply purchase the Big Three’s mascaras and pound on the eyeshadows. * Big Three = Loreal, Lancome, Maybelline All in all, I like the great qualities of this mascara and its affordable price. (Johor Bahru’s Faceshop retails this at RM 45 which translates to SGD 18.) Majolica Majorca’s Lash Expander Frame Plus Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus ‘Majolica Majorca’ is quite a mouthful. I’m going to call it ‘MJ’ in this post as it’s famously known for. (No, not Michael Jackson’s acronym) MJ is a sub-brand of Shisedo and it’s much more affordable than it’s parent brand’s products. This is terrific news for most of us who can’t afford Shisedo’s luxe make up all the time. 😀 Ok here comes my review. I bought this product due to friends’ recommendations and its cute packaging. (I’m a typical girl, aesthetic qualities are extremely important to me.) I must say it’s pretty easy to apply and lengthens my lashes quite a bit with its fibers. The fibers were attached to the end of my lashes upon application and created this ‘longer lashes’ illusion. It has this gooey texture that does not dry up too soon unlike other mascaras. This allowed ease of re-application, which in turn reduced the clumping effect that re-applications usually caused. In particular, I love the design of the wand. Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Wand As you can see, it has this mini comb on it that enables me to target even the tiniest lash. Great for application on the lower lashes too! Well, everything about this mascara is great but here comes the nightmare… The removal of the mascara. Removing this mascara was a huge hassle. It’s stubborn as hell! The fibers stick to your lashes like super glue and they wouldn’t budge even after much (gentle) rubbing with my make-up remover. Many times, I could still spot clumps of the remaining fibers on my lashes the next morning. I guess the excessive lengthening fibers isn’t such a great idea after all. Sephora Mascara Sephora Mascara This mascara darkens, separates and thickens my lashes pretty well. It has slight lengthening properties too. One plus point – its pretty easy to remove even with non-eye make up removers. Here’s a picture of the wand. Sephora Mascara Wand I did not like the wand though. It’s big and coarse and it irritated my eyelids a few times during application. I underestimated its frame. As such, I don’t think it’s suitable for Asian eyes. Another bummer of this mascara? Photo Credits to hollywoodtoday.net The panda eye look! I noticed bad smudging after hours of wearing the mascara. Very unkempt. In conclusion… I think the diamond in the rough is definitely The Face Shop’s Extreme Volume Mascara. I’m a no fuss person so I’m no huge fan of exasperating make up removing procedures. In addition, I don’t think any one wants to meet a big client or go on a hot date worrying about the state of her make up constantly. Removal and longevity of make up is extremely important to me. Once again, I’m going to end this post with some useful mascara tips for you beautiful ladies. Never try a mascara at a makeup store as there’s a risk of infection. To brighten the whites of your eyes, try using blue mascara. To prevent clumps, remove excess mascara from wand before application. To prevent smearing of mascara, dust a layer of loose powder under and over the eyes. Alrighty. That’s all for this mascara review. Thanks for reading. 🙂 I’m already preparing for my next post – A fashion review. I’ll be back sooner than you can say ‘Honeyz’! So watch out for it! Love, Juliana Disclaimer: Do keep in mind that reviews are entirely subjective. It is normal to have differing views. So please don’t hate me if I didn’t speak well of your favourite product. I definitely have no intentions of distorting the image of any brand. Well, to each his own, isn’t it? Peace! #mascarareview #mascara #Sephora #beautyreview #cosmeticsreview #MajolicaMajorca #beauty #Faceshop

I received my free samples from Dove and Bio-essence today! It took them less than a week to process the redemption. Very efficient. 🙂 I’m a happy girl. (Yeah… I’m easily satisfied.) Click here to redeem yours too! Love, Juliana #beauty #freesamples

Can’t believe Chinese New Year is already coming to a close. I had a whale of a time catching up with relatives, (possibly) over-indulging in holiday treats, giving out my first ang pows… .. and of course also channeling my inner fashionista. 😛 This year, I amped up my wardrobe with outfits from some new online stores that I’ve just uncovered. At ilovebunny.net, we believe in sharing all the good stuff. So here it is – a pictorial chronicle of my CNY fashion staples and as well as highlights of my first CNY as Mrs Stryker. 🙂 Prepping for CNY… THE FASH SQUAD  Top: Agneselle Skorts: Topazette Bag: Celine Shoes: Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Shoes Accessories: Lovisa (Earrings) & Bulgari (Bracelet) Photography by Bobby Stryker It’s been eons since I worked with simvideo.com.my on a fashion shoot so this CNY, we reunited for a Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year themed photoshoot for Honeyz Cube . Check out the rest of the photos here –  blog.honeyzcube.com My good friend Jody also posted an entry about our CNY outfits. Click here for the post –  jodulu.blogspot.sg/2015/01/valentines-day-outfit-ideas.html 初一 (First day of CNY) THE FASH SQUAD  Jumpsuit:  Zalora Belt:  Megagamie Bag:  Bulgari Accessories:  Poh Heng Shoes: Pedro Nails:  Nail Indulgence De Beau Photography by  Bobby Stryker 初二 (Second day of CNY)  THE FASH SQUAD  Dress:  Topazette Bag:  Chanel Shoes:  Pedro Accessories:  Lovisa Shades: Ray Ban Photography by  Bobby Stryker Locattion: River Hong Bao 春到河畔 初三 (Third day of CNY)  THE FASH SQUAD  Top:   Topazette Skirt:  MDS Bag:  Bulgari Shoes: Aldo Accessories:  Poh Heng Lip color: Bobbi Brown (Creamy Matte Lip Color in Red Carpet) Photography by  Bobby Stryker Happy CNY! Bak Kwa c/o Black Box Styling mommy’s hair Say hello to QQ! And this is what rejection looks like. #siblinglove The Chong cousins Our mandatory CNY family photo. Woo hoo! And finally, from all of us here at ilovebunny.ne t and  Honeyz Cube  – we wish you a very Happy Chinese New Year! 祝你羊年大吉！ For more exclusive content on fashion, makeup or to receive the full gamut of privileges as Honeyz readers, like my Facebook Page at fb.com/ilovebunny.net or follow me on my Instagram ( @ilovebunnynet )! Your friend, Juliana #fashion #Bulgari #Chanel #MDS #ChineseNewYear #Agneselle #Celine

In light of the release of the much-anticipated ’50 Shades of Grey’ film, Menswear specialist, Paul Fredrick , posed this question to me – Who is your dream ‘Mr Grey’? Besides civility, wealth and power as described in the novel, my ideal ‘Mr Grey’ also entails many other alluring qualities. He is charming, witty, beautiful and possesses an intimidating yet gentle demeanour. Of course, he is also impeccably stylish. It’s all about the seductive sharp suits and perfectly tailored ensembles! Needless to say, my Christian Grey is none other than my husband, Bobby. 🙂 He’s charming, well-built and has a great sense of fashion. As such, it is no surprise that he has the ultimate fantasy wardrobe of bespoke form-fitting suits that I believe would absolutely sit well with E. L. James’ Mr Grey. I’m also in love with Paul Fredrick’s business wear and casual styles that would portray my dream Mr Grey perfectly. So I thought it would be fun to invade my husband’s wardrobe and Paul Fredrick’s latest collection to create a Christian Grey-inspired style board for you. Woo hoo! Now let’s click to embark on a dark and passionate fashion affair! A single breasted ash suit, shiny grey tie and an understated pocket square – what better way to depict the mysterious and charming Mr Grey? To reflect Grey’s business-savvy look, Bobby used a simple straight fold of the pocket square to give a more sleek professional look instead of the triple point, pyramid, four step and other more playful folds. Bobby is also wearing a tie bar from Dunhill . Tie bars were re-popularised, as were the pocket squares to some extent, by the impeccably smart Matt Bomer. Replicate the look with these stylish items from Paul Fredrick . Mr Grey needs his timeout with Anastasia Steele too. This is what I would imagine him to wear on a casual day out. Sleek white shirt and checkered sweater while still sticking to the grey and preppy formula. Christian Grey is a hanky person, remember? So in this ensemble, his pocket square is now converted to a hankerchief for chivalry purposes. 😛 All items here are from  Paul Fredrick  except the aviator shades and watch that are from Gucci and Bulgari respectively. So what do you think? Do you have any other suggestions on what makes the perfect Mr Grey? Let me know by commenting below. Hmm…I could feast my eyes on that grey suit all day. 😛 Ahem, now if you will please excuse me, someone is expecting me. For more exclusive content on fashion, makeup, shopping or to receive the full gamut of privileges as Honeyz readers, like my Facebook Page at fb.com/ilovebunny.net or follow me on my Instagram ( @ilovebunnynet )! Happy Valentine’s Day, belles! Your friend, Juliana #fashion #PaulFredrick #MensFashion #Gucci #Bvlgari #BobbyStryker #50ShadesOfGrey

Last year was wedding year so I channelled all my time to my Secret Garden Fairytale themed nuptials . And the by-product? A memorable wedding but also a very neglected Honeyz Cube with minimal content updates and events. So this year I decided to turn that all around and shift (most of) my focus to my beauty encyclopedia. Well, ‘most of’ cus I still gotta leave some of the attention for my dearest hubs. 😛 Anyway, I organized a Health Couture workshop, did fashion shoots and hosted marketing campaigns within a few short weeks. And you can just imagine how the weeks leading up to these events were like – yes, a whirlwind of meetings and preparation work. But this also means… more opportunities for office wear OOTDs. Whoopee doopee! It’s been ages since I donned jackets, cute work dresses and killer heels. And now that I have the office as my runway, so why not? Forget about the deadlines, laborious tasks and endless meetings. Today I’m taking a page out of Andrea Sachs’ fashion playbook to give you my very own ‘Going Corporate’ lookbook. Yay! Click for more! [df_divider el_width=”100″ style=”solid” accent_color=”#EEEEEE” border_t_width=”2px” padding=”20px 0″ position=”align_center” el_class=””] THE FASH SQUAD Dress: Kate Spade Saturday Bag: Dior Shoes: Pedro Accessories: Bulgari Shades: Chanel Photography by Bobby Stryker THE FASH SQUAD Dress:  Armani Exchange Blazer: The Stage Walk Bag: Bulgari Shoes:  Pedro Earrings: Lovisa Bracelet:  Bulgari Shades:  Police Photography by simvideo.com.my Feeling swamped with deadlines too? Tune up your fashion regimen and you too will notice an upward change in your mood and attitude. Have fun! Psst! Also check out what I’ve been working on at Honeyz Cube! Yup! Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year themed fashion spreads all at  blog.honeyzcube.com . Finally, saying till next time with these silly photos. 😛 Your friend, Juliana #ArmaniExchange #fashion #KateSpadeSaturday

If there’s a fashion army camp, then creating fabulous hair is definitely high on the training list. We all know that every socialmedialite needs to be well versed on this hair subject. We’re constantly attending events, taking photos and meeting the movers and shakers of the beauty and fashion industry so we certainly can’t afford going out looking less than immaculate. Besides good makeup, we also need amazing hair that looks effortless all the time. And there you have it – the ‘qualms’ of being a blogger. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job but it’s just that my hair condition has deteriorated immensely due to frequent styling and poor hair product choices. If you’re a hair chameleon too, you’ll get the picture. And now I need to make sure I restore my hair to its former glory before it leads to a bigger problem – hair loss. Gulp! I don’t wanna feel wistful when that happens so I’ve been applying my hair tonic religiously and going for regular health hair checks. You should too! And the fab news is you can now consult the mane experts at Yun Nam Hair Care at absolutely no cost! To top it off – you will also get to redeem a retail size shampoo (worth SGD38) that is specifically catered for your hair condition! Read on to find out how! Exclusively for my blog readers: COMPLIMENTARY  1 Comprehensive Scalp Analysis + 1 Personalised Hair & Scalp Treatment PLUS, the first 100 to SMS get to bring home a FREE Premium Herbal Shampoo (250ml). SMS: YNjuliana (Your name) to 83823232  OR CALL: Hotline at 6363 3232 and quote ‘Juliana’s Blogger Promo’. Terms and Conditions apply. Come on! It is time to take matters into your own hands. SMS/Call now and maintain your beautiful tresses for life! Your friend, Juliana #beauty #freesamples #YunNam

Whoopee doopee! It’s February again! Can you feel the love and romance in the air already??? And guess what? I wanna add another romantic feather in February’s cap with… … an SK-II Instagram Giveaway! 😀 No kidding! All you have to do is: 1) Follow me on instagram @ilovebunnynet  2) Like this IG post –  http://instagram.com/p/yBsVafAYrt/?modal=true 3) Then tag 3 friends on the post. And you may be walking away with a limited edition SK-II Pitera™ Essence Set worth SGD99 pictured above! The SK-II set comprises of the Facial Treatment Clear Lotion (30ml), Facial Treatment Essence (75ml) and the  Facial Treatment Mask (one sheet). Contest is open to residents of Singapore only and it ends on 16 Feb 2015. 🙂 So what are you waiting for? Head over to Instagram now and tag away! Bonne chance, my darlings! #beauty #contest #InstagramGiveaway #SKII

Sponsored Review My favorite beauty curator, BlackBox.sg , has returned with another incredible treasure trove of beauty delights – the Rachel K Exclusive Box . If you’ve been faithfully following my phenomenal, magnificent and amazing blog (hehe :P), you would notice by now that I’m an ardent believer of Rachel K products  and their mantra to offer products that are fit for a (beauty) queen. 🙂 So when I learnt that Rachel K has undergone a packaging and contents facelift, I wasn’t a wee bit surprised. Because I know that this is just a further testament to their devotion to keep producing better and higher quality products. Their new and improved CC products are free of parabens, are non-comedogenic and most importantly, cruelty free, with improved coverage! I’ve been using them for weeks now and I’m loving their new formulation that minimizes the appearance of pores and evens the skin tone effortlessly. So what kind of sorcery are they employing now??? Well, read on to find out! The key products of this exclusive Black Box are Rachel K’s CC Renew Pressed Powder and Supreme Whitening Lotion . Even though I’ve only just received the CC Pressed Powder, I’ve actually been using it religiously for a year now. This is because two Christmases ago, Rachel K herself had personally delivered her newly launched products to me as a Christmas gift. 😀 It is extremely sweet of her eh? However, as I was extremely busy with wedding planning last year, I haven’t had a chance to elaborate on the goodness of her products on the blog. So now here we go! I received all three shades, namely, Very Light, Light and Medium. From left to right: Very Light, Light and Medium. Rachel K CC Renew Pressed Powder The CC Renew Pressed Powder transforms your skin, revealing a naturally luminous, flawless and perfectly smooth complexion. Its unique color-correcting complex instantly perfects skin with the Organic Shea Butter and an antioxidant complex while Vitamin E delivers powerful anti-ageing benefits. Talc free, paraben free, non-comedogenic and dermatologically tested! How to use: Lightly press all over your face or specifically on prone-to-shine zones with the powder puff for more coverage, or with a brush for a natural look. For extra coverage and long-lasting matte finish, apply it over your CC cream. Where to buy: BHG and www.rachelkcosmetics.com Retail Size and Price: 12g, $42 My verdict: The pink undertones of the Light shade blended better with my skin tone than the other two. I felt like Goldilocks when I was choosing a suitable shade for my face. Haha! The Very Light shade, as the name suggests, was ‘very light’ for my face and made me look like a pale ghost. The Medium shade is a deeper tone that inevitably acts more like a bronzer than face powder. The Light shade was just right. Upon application, the powder disappeared into my skin, giving a flawless mattifying coverage that its predecessor (below) did not offer. I thought the old Pressed Powder did not sit on my face too well. It gets slightly cakey after a few applications. The old Rachel K Mineral Pressed Powder The CC Renew Pressed Powder is on another level and its color-correcting pigments even compensated for my blemishes and freckles. I wore the CC Pressed Powder on every photo in this blog post and you can clearly see that my imperfections are nicely disguised and almost invisible. However, I thought its weather-proof abilities were not as impressive as other powders I’ve tried. I’ve been using Tony Moly’s Face Mix Oil Paper Powder  for the longest time and not only does it banish shine, it also keeps my face looking fresh and matte even in our summer temperatures. In contrast, my Rachel K makeup started streaking and melting right off of my face after a few minutes outdoors. 🙁 So if you’ve oily skin, you might want to apply some oil control powder over your Rachel K makeup before you head out. That said, I’m still in love with its buildable properties that make it great for touch ups throughout the day. And my skin never fails to glow with radiance with just a few sweeps of the powder. ILoveBunny Beauty Tip! Dust the powder lightly on your face with a kabuki brush instead of the puff provided. The puff tends to cake powder on while the brush will help the powder blend in seamlessly. I’m hitting the big 3-0 so I was happy to find Vitamin E and organic shea butter in its contents. These are perfect anti-aging warriors that any girl my age will appreciate. Bonus points for Rachel K! So how many Honeyz crowns does the new CC Renew Pressed Powder deserve? I think its nourishing ingredients and brightening attributes is a great pick-me-up for my lacklustre skin so 4 Honeyz crowns! Rachel K Supreme Whitening Lotion Whiten your skin without harming it and take it from dull to brilliant with this toner formulated with breakthrough natural ingredients. Octadecenedioic Acid (ODA) is a skin brightening agent that whitens skin by regulating tyrosinase within skin cells. Clinical tests have proven it as effective as Arbutin, but without the damaging effects. Delentigo™ puts the brakes on age spots by regulating the formation of lipofuscin and melanin. β White™ is an encapsulated TGF – β Biomimic peptide which corrects the MITF cellular pathway to decrease various types of pigmentation, resulting in optimal whitening of your skin. And finally, SEPICALM VG decreases regular pigmentation induced by inflammatory stress, and Basal pigmentation caused by genetic ageing. Furthermore, enriched with Aloe Vera extract, this multi-tasking miracle in a bottle also cleanses and refines your skin, leaving it pore-less and beautifully radiant. How to use: After cleansing, pour a generous amount of lotion into palms or on to cotton pad and lightly pat over face, avoiding the immediate eye area. Where to buy: BHG and www.rachelkcosmetics.com Retail Size and Price: 80ml, $24 My verdict:  I haven’t tried this for a long enough time to access its efficiency. At first glance, it just looks like it has an extremely low viscosity – almost like water. As such, the product is easily absorbed by the skin unlike many other lotions that leave a sticky residue before they dissipate. My skin was immediately smooth and clean after application. What drew me in was its rich source of safe brightening ingredients that decrease the synthesis of melanin and prevent photo-aging and dark spots. I’m gonna be using this for the next few weeks! I’ll let you know on my Instagram if this makes it to my February list of faves! Meanwhile, 3.5 Honeyz crowns for its high absorbability and natural ingredients. Besides those groundbreaking products mentioned, I also received the following products in sachets. 🙂 Rachel K Stem Cell Cleansing Gel [ 1.5g x 3 sachets] Achieve younger and healthier skin with every drop of this effective cleansing gel. Formulated with innovative PhytoCellTec™ technology that boosts the natural performance of human skin stem cells, it prevents loss of moisture and maintains your skin’s balance naturally, cleansing it without the use of foaming chemicals. It also contains Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera for a soothing and refreshing effect. How to use: Use every morning and evening. Apply a small amount of cleanser to a damp skin and gently massage avoiding the eye area. Rinse well. Where to buy: BHG and www.rachelkcosmetics.com Retail Size and Price: 80ml, $19 Rachel K Youth Spell Day Cream [1.5g x 2 sachets] This balancing day cream is radically different from other skin care product as it is non-comedogenic, and balances the secretion of sebum in both dry and oily skin, ensuring that your pores never get clogged. Formulated with Matrixyl™ 3000 to prevent wrinkles and a unique mixture of Bamboo-silk and Rice-silk which work together to mattify skin by absorbing sebum, you’re left with instantly quenched, soft, elastic and gorgeously hydrated silky-smooth skin. How to use: Apply to cleansed skin with gentle patting motions until absorbed. Where to buy: BHG and www.rachelkcosmetics.com Retail Size and Price: 30ml, $29 Redeem the Rachel K Samples  Would you like to try the Rachel K products too? I’ve placed the samples I received in my Blackbox on my beauty encyclopedia, Honeyz Cube for your redemption. All you have to do is to sign up for an account at HoneyzCube.com , accumulate Cube Points through voting and reviewing your fave products and you can redeem your points for the Rachel K products on our Rewards Catalogue . To get you started, use promo code ‘honeyzbelle’ and receive 50 points absolutely free so you can start redeeming the Rachel K samples straight away! Only 5 available! Remember I mentioned earlier that Rachel K sent me a nice Christmas parcel? Well, the generous Rachel also included her latest CC Renew Creams . And like the powders, the CC cream also came in 3 shades – Very Light, Light, Medium. From left to right: Very Light, Light and Medium. From left to right: Very Light, Light and Medium. It’s pretty evident that the Light shade is the closest to my skin tone. 🙂 Rachel K CC Renew Cream (Note: This is not included in the  Rachel K Exclusive Box ) CC Renew transforms your skin through instant skin perfection and long-lasting anti-aging skincare. The advanced color-correcting complex illuminates your skin and visibly minimizes all imperfections and dark spots instantly and over time. Deep Sea Water, highly concentrated in rich minerals, immediately and lastingly moisturizes dehydrated skin. The break-through Biomimetic Anti-Age Complex boosts the skin’s natural regeneration process to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and to improve skin’s firmness. -SPF 35 / PA++ -Skin type: ALL -Coverage: Sheer to Moderate -Texture: Featherweight -Finish: Natural Radiant -Oil free, Paraben free, Non-comedogenic, Dermatologically tested How to use: – LIGHT COVERAGE Apply CC Cream where skin looks red or dull. – NATURAL COVERAGE Wear it alone over cleaned face. – FULL COVERAGE Wear it under foundation or with CC pressed powder. After cleansing, apply a small amount and dab on your face in a patting motion. Wait 2-3 minutes until the cream disappears into the skin. Key ingredients: REJUNEVATE YOUR SKIN -EGF: Repairs skin tissue and promotes collagen -Adenosine: Wrinkle reduction -Macadamia oil & White Tea: Anti-oxidant and protects skin INTENSE HYDRATION -Deep Sea Water: Intense Hydration -Hyaluronic Acid: Hydration and skin’s firmness -Arbutin: Evens skin tone and reduces redness -Mineral color pigments: Gives radiance and smooth skin PROTECT YOUR SKIN -Vitamin E: Prevents from sun damage and age spots -SPF 35++: Protects against UV rays and ageing process My verdict: I was surprised to see Arbutin in its ingredients list. Remember this ‘Clinical tests have proven it as effective as Arbutin, but without the damaging effects.‘ from their  Rachel K Supreme Whitening Lotion description above? So is Arbutin supposed to be harmful then? I looked it up and here’s what I found. There are two types of Arbutin – alpha and beta. The alpha isomer offers higher stability over the beta isomer and is the preferred form for skin lightening indications. Alpha-Arbutin doesn’t appear to have any nasty side effects and some government studies have shown it to be safe to use. Questions about it’s long term safety look promising but are incomplete. Anecdotally it is much less irritating to the skin than hydroquinone (bleaching agent) at similar or even greater doses. It works primarily by inhibiting melanin and it has been shown to work effectively on all the different skin colors. Pure forms of arbutin are considered to be potent skin lightening agents. Generally, Arbutin is considered safe alternatives to commonly used depigmenting agents to make the skin fairer. The above is a compilation of info I found on different sites. It seems like everyone is singing the same tune about Arbutin. Well, it is still important to take note that it’s a form of hydroquinone so it may cause some kind of skin reaction for some individuals. If you’ve sensitive skin, I’d highly recommend you to consult a dermatologist before using any product that contains Arbutin. As for me, it did not cause any irritation on my skin. In fact, it’s been doing the exact opposite by protecting my face from pollution particles that have been giving me rashes. The haze in Singapore last year seemed to have changed my skin condition and made it more sensitive. I notice that my face will be itching from rashes (that are raised and red) every time I come home from long hours outdoors. Not a pretty sight. The foundations and CC Creams I’ve been using seem to aggravate the situation further. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find my face normal and clear of rashes after using the Rachel K CC cream one evening. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you would know that I held my second wedding in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The city is well known for being one of the most polluted places in the world. I knew my face will definitely break out in rashes within hours of being in the city. And like I predicted – it did. On my second day in Dhaka, I decided to apply my Rachel K CC cream and pressed powder instead of my usual foundation and hey presto! No rashes that day! This is my skin close up after applying the CC cream. No more rashes! I also like how it acts like a light diffuser and reflects light away from my nasolabial folds (laugh lines) making my skin look more smooth and dewy. Comparing it to its older model, the consistency of the new CC cream seems thicker. As such, it doesn’t glide on as smoothly as the previous CC cream. BUT! This also allowed its coverage and staying power to perform better! Now let’s look at the packaging. Even though the net weight of both are the same, the sleeker design of the new CC cream makes it easier to fit into my stuffed makeup bags. All in all, I thought the overhaul was a good one. 4.5 Honeyz crowns for Rachel K’s CC Renew Cream! The  Rachel K Exclusive Box  is now available on BlackBox.sg  at only SGD49.90 (with products that are worth more than $75!). Psst! Special Offer for Honeyz Belles Enjoy 10% off any exclusive Black Boxes by using the discount code: BBXJUL10 That’s not all! From now till 15 Feb 2015, Black Box is giving your favorite men a special FREE ‘For Him’ pack worth more than $360 for every Exclusive Box purchased. The FREE “For Him pack” includes: – Nuxe Men Shaving Gel mini 35ml x 1 – Toppik mini 12g x 1 – Sunstar Tonic Shampoo 12ml x 2 – Atos Wellness voucher – $180 x 2 Shopping can only getting better with  BlackBox.sg . 🙂 Your friend, Juliana Disclaimer: Please be rest assured that even though the products were sponsored, they do 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. #beauty #beautyreview #BlackBox #RachelK