Celebrity Life

This southern singer is releasing hit after hit!

With over 1 Million streams of her music under her belt, Christina Taylor is a country superstar. Not only has she opened for living legends including Tim Mcgraw and Pitbull, but she … Read more

One of our favorite beauty influencers is here!

Rachel Rigler has amassed well over 25 Million Likes on just Tik Tok alone. She is known for her knowledge on both beauty and fashion and making sure all of us are … Read more

One of our favorite British boybands is here!

From the popular CBBC show “Almost Never”, The Wonderland is truly a boy band to look out for. Even off of our TV screens, you can see them on their social media … Read more

It was a long journey postpartum for RARE SkinFuel founder Michelle Chen to regain her skin’s natural glow. She shares what she’s learnt in her career and her mission to encourage ladies to embrace bare skin with us.

We've all played with our mothers’ make-up. Michelle Chen, however, distinctly remembers rummaging through her grandmother’s cabinets for skincare samples. “I was never into cosmetics but skincare,” she says. “I always knew that skin is the foundation for a beautiful face, while colours are enhancements to deliver the total package.” As a teenager, growing up in the US, she spent her pocket money on beauty magazines and books, and kept herself up to date on the latest news in the market, and beauty secrets passed down from celebrities and stylists on how to make her skin look flawless.

But Chen didn’t get her career start in beauty. Instead, aged just 16, she began working as as a graphic designer in a Silicon Valley start-up, and gained experience as she transitioned through the ranks to buyer, product development director and sales. Beauty was always a passion, but it only became her full-time career in 2018 when, as a full-time mother and now based in Hong Kong, she decided to set up her own company. “I combined my career experience with my skincare knowledge and obsession, and turned it into a skincare company of my own.”

Although we often talk of the “pregnancy glow”, the fact is that many women suffer from bad skin, especially right after giving birth. Chen herself confesses that it was the first time she’d ever experienced bad skin, along with weight gain, in her postpartum condition. “I allowed myself to buy my first-ever foundation compact from Chanel Beauty,” she recalls vividly. “My skin texture was rough, my complexion was dull and there was nothing I could do but to cover it with make-up.

“The skin condition lowered my confidence, because I knew make-up wasn’t going to stay on forever,” she says. “I’d see a different side of me after I removed my make-up, so I knew I had to work on my skin again and be comfortable in it.”

In her quest to find the perfect product to solve her skin issues, Chen turned to an Australian manufacturer that uses only natural local ingredients, which are cold-pressed to preserve the nutrients that the skin needs. Although the process is expensive, Chen insists it’s better in the long-term. “You’ll still get the results you get from your first bottle on your tenth bottle,” she says, “because it’s made with only natural ingredients, so no antibodies are required against the chemicals. Your skin won’t get used to the ingredients and fight against its effectiveness.”
Chen perfected a full line that she confidently says has helped her regain confidence – but that’s not the end of the story. She wanted her products to benefit other women like her too, and when her daughter turned four years old, in 2018, she established RARE SkinFuel.

“I’m proud to say that I created a line of products ranging from face to body, natural and powerful for my entire family,” she says. “My 83-year-old grandmother uses my products, and my now-seven-year-old daughter uses the cleanser and the cream too.”

Few people would admit to this, but Chen says she embodies the “woke-up-like-this” look and truly feels beautiful every second of the day. She’s stopped wearing foundation again – her only make-up being a lipstick. Although effortless in appearance, Chen’s skincare regime is extremely strict. Her best anti-ageing secret is “20 percent professional face treatments and 80 percent skincare products.

Think of it as exercise and diet,” she says. “To stay fit, 20 percent from working out and 80 percent from what you eat. There’s no miracle to freeze age without diligent care. I get professional treatment regularly and to maintain and boost the result, I’m very diligent with my home glorifying ritual, using the 10 products I created the right way.”

RARE SkinFuel’s products are completely customisable to your daily needs, allowing you to mix and match to get the results you want. The Refreshing Activator could be used alone as a cooling mask after sunbathing, for example. The Detox Powder could also be mixed into the Revitalising Cream Cleanser for a quick and gentle exfoliation.

“I still have flaws on my skin, like melasma, but I no longer feel the need to remove them,” says Chen. “I realised as long as my skin condition is healthy, the natural skin glow will come along. The less make-up I use, the less damage the chemicals cause to my skin. It’s a cycle. You take care of the skin, it’ll glow … We want to encourage women to not be afraid to go bare.

“Don’t let pigment wash away your natural skin glow. The more you allow your skin to breathe, the better complexion you’ll have,” she says.

The post RARE SkinFuel Founder Michelle Chen on Her Mission to Encourage Women to Embrace Bare skin appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

They’re on the road again!

Their 7th annual trip, the large group of veterans started their journey all the way from Moab, Utah in late July. Now, they’re ready to make their appearance in the iconic Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in … Read more

Summer is here, and for healthy, glowing skin here are the favorite 5 edits of the best exfoliators on the market for the face and body (they’ll help you maintain your tan too!) Omorovicza Refining Facial Polisher  Loved by leading facialists the world over, this facial polisher gives all the resurfacing properties of an exfoliator, […]

The post The Best Exfoliators for Summer appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

No hair defies Rubis! Or Swiss precision! No eyebrow trend can be created without a pair. No self-respecting brow threader or brown mapper should be without prestige line Swiss precision luxury tweezers, scissors, and gold nail clippers. A bathroom is naked without a Swiss box! Rubis, based in Stabio, originally designed technical utensils to place […]

The post Rubis, The Best Eyebrows Deserve the Best Tweezers appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

We hear from the experts about the proper application of sun protection, their tried-and-tested regimens for summer skincare, and alternative methods to get that summer glow.

We’ve all probably thought this at one point in our lifetime: “You can’t get sunburnt in the shade,” or, “There’s SPF in my make-up products, so I don’t need to put on extra sunscreen.”

These are two of the most common sun myths, according to Harriet Lee, chief strategic advisor at Joyce Beauty, and Newby Hands, global beauty director at Net-a-Porter. It all comes down to a lack of awareness of how sun damage works and how even when we think we do, more often than not we aren’t applying sufficient sunscreen for full-spectrum protection.

“It’s the UV radiation, not sunlight, that damages your skin,” says Lee. “UV rays can reflect off nearby surfaces and so you can still get sunburnt in the shade. Harmful UV rays are present year-round, no matter what season it is. Believe it or not, even when it’s cold or overcast, up to 80 percent of UV rays can pass through clouds. For these reasons, it’s important to ensure you wear sunscreen, even though we can’t see or feel the UV rays.”

Lee suggests that the correct amount of sunscreen to use would be about a quarter teaspoon for the face and neck. That comes down to five pumps of Clean Screen or Supreme Screen, and three pipettes of Queen Screen, all from Australian brand Ultra Violette, which she recommends.

On a typical day for Hands, an SPF 50 product is her pick; she applies a generous amount 20 to 30 minutes before she leaves the house and routinely reapplies it every two hours throughout the day. “A lot of make-up and skincare products, such as primers and moisturisers, offer SPF protection, which can add to your sun protection but can’t replace sunscreen entirely,” she warns. “Many products offer only low protection and may not be broad spectrum. If you care about your skin, then a broad-spectrum SPF 30 to 50 should always be the last step in your daily skincare regimen.”

A broad-spectrum SPF will protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays, and many beauty products today come with beauty textures that feel more like face creams than greasy pastes. Zelen’s hydrating sunscreen is Hands’ personal pick, a hypoallergenic formula that uses micro-encapsulation technology to provide full protection without any irritation, and is also enriched with botanical antioxidants to reduce the formation of damaging free radicals and delay premature ageing.

If we do unfortunately get sunburnt, which is inevitable during Hong Kong’s popular junk season, applying more SPF isn’t the answer. “If you get a sunburn, then cover up and stay out of the sun,” says Hands. “You need to take the heat out of your skin with a cooling shower or compress. Using anti-inflammatory skincare on areas of sunburn is great, while good after-sun can really help, as it’s well formulated to treat sun damage. And do avoid any peels or exfoliators and keep skin nourished and hydrated.”

A good after-sun gel can help to soothe and hydrate irritated skin; Susanne Kaufmann After Sun Moisturizing Gel is enriched with calming aloe vera and anti-inflammatory Indian balloon plant extract that helps soothe the skin. We shouldn’t neglect our hair, either, which can become dry and extremely brittle under the sun’s powerful rays. Net-a-Porter also carries specific after-sun hair-styling products, such as a cream from Sachajuan that can condition the hair from the root to the tip without feeling greasy.

According to Lee, sun damage isn’t just about a single sunburn, so we shouldn’t apply sunscreen only on junk trips or at the beach. It can occur from cumulative unprotected daily exposure to sunlight. “Repeated exposure to the sun’s UV rays can cause changes to the skin, such as fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, pigmentation and redness,” says Lee. “Hence, routinely taking care of your skin day-in and day-out makes a huge difference.”

If your skin has been exposed to the sun more than usual, Lee recommends an everyday skincare regimen that incorporates a simple cleanser, antioxidants, nourishing moisturisers and SPF. “Ditch any product that contains possible irritants, such as exfoliants, essential oils, fragrances and acids. Hydration is key to sun-exposed skin and can help delay the ageing process.”

To cleanse, Lee recommends the nourishing Softening Cleanser from Tata Harper, which is dermatologically tested and designed to support the skin barrier without stripping it down. Follow up by hydrating the skin with Derm Institute’s Antioxidant Hydration Gel Masque, which is an intensive mask, then calm down redness in the skin with Dr Barbara Sturm’s Calming Serum, and finish with Omorovicza’s Queen of Hungary Mist to feel refreshed. Of course, the final step should always be SPF – RéVive’s Sensitif Renewal Cream comes with broad-spectrum SPF 30 and is also suitable for even the most sensitive skin.

At night, following a day out when a build-up of excess oils and make-up can cause skin congestion, both Lee and Hands recommend a double cleansing ritual.

There’s no need to deviate from your usual cleanser, according to Hands. If you don’t want to try double cleansing, you can use your preferred cleanser – but really massage it into your skin to wash off the dirt and grime.

But if you’d like to double cleanse, Lee recommends starting with an oil-based cleanser, such as Wildsmith Skin’s Active Repair Nourishing Cleansing Balm, which contains a blend of plant-based oils that breaks down natural and synthetic surface oils, pollutants and make- up. For the second cleanse, Augustinus Bader’s The Cream Cleansing Gel is a good choice. Coupled with TFC8 and a blend of soothing botanicals, the gel is light and refreshing, and leaves the skin feeling hydrated, nourished and primed to absorb the rest of your skincare products.

Although most of us want to have a healthy summer tan, instead of over-exposing yourself to the sun, self-tanning is a good alternative. “Today’s self-tans are brilliant and come in so many different textures, from water to oil, to excellent drops that you just add to your usual face and body care,” says Hands.

The key is finding a self-tanning product that suits your skin tone. Wonder Oil from Tan Luxe is formulated to adapt to your skin tone. For a more elaborate procedure that’s still beginner-friendly, Amanda Harrington’s Buff Bronze Face Set includes three simple steps that can be done at home and comes with a soft bristled face buffer brush to create a streak-free finish.

Before you begin, prepping your skin is also an essential step. Lee recommends an oil-free cleanser, such as Tata Harper’s Clarifying Cleanser. You can also exfoliate your skin with Wildsmith Skin’s latest Dual-Action Exfoliating Treatment, an amazing plant-based enzymatic exfoliant that will leave your skin smooth and refined for self- tanning.

The post Proper Sun Protection and Summer Skincare According to the Beauty Experts appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.