Best Beauty Buys is The Singapore Women’s Weekly’s annual awards to highlight the high-performance beauty products currently on the shelves. This year, we spotlight the skincare and makeup needs of busy mums who juggle children and demanding jobs, and want to look and feel good doing it.
To reflect various beauty concerns faced by mothers, we had five mums on the judging panel to test and review the products based on their unique lifestyles and goals. The criteria: packaging, pleasantness of use, and efficacy.
Here, we learn more about Estelle Low, one of the Best Beauty Buys 2023 judges, and her takeaways.
ESTELLE LOW
MUM OF 2 / EDITOR
Skin type: Combination and sensitive skin
Biggest beauty woe: Dark spots or melasma
Go-to skincare: Hydrating and brightening serums, leave-on masks
Go-to makeup: Concealer, brow pencil, tinted lip balm
What’s your beauty mantra?
I like to keep things fast and fuss-free. I believe good skin is the best makeup, but a little makeup wouldn’t hurt.
Tell us more about your issue with melasma.
I’ve always had dark spots (because I love the sun a bit too much), but the hyperpigmentation got worse after each pregnancy. It doesn’t help that melasma runs in my family. Because of that, I’m always on the lookout for brightening products that work, and are pleasant to use. By “pleasant”, I expect the product to be scent-free or have a non-triggering fragrance, a texture that works for my combination skin, and packaging that saves time and space. I’m not a fan of chunky bottles and fussy dispensing mechanics that take me more than 5 seconds to get to the product.
Favourite find from Best Beauty Buys 2023?
I really like the PSA Goals Multi Acids & Probiotics Perfecting Night Serum. It melts into my skin, and I wake up to a more even skin tone, and less obvious pores. Plus, it has a pretty neutral scent and comes in a handy palm-sized bottle. After applying the serum, I’d finish off with a moisturiser or facial oil.
Any favourites for your kids?
My daughter enjoyed using the Biore UV Kids Pure Milk SPF50+ PA+++ Mineral Sunscreen. It’s got a nice milky texture, it doesn’t feel sticky, and it doesn’t smell. It’s hard to get kids to love sunscreen, so I’m glad she’s settled on this.
What did you learn from trying and reviewing products for Best Beauty Buys 2023?
Besides product efficacy, packaging is really important too. When a product hits all three spots in terms of packaging, pleasantness of use and efficacy, it’s restock-worthy for me.
What does beauty mean to you?
Beauty is not just about how I look, but also how I feel. Some days I’m okay with my dark spots, and some days I just want to have them lasered. It’s incredibly sweet when my kids say that I’m the “most beautiful girl in the world”. So I’d like to stay beautiful for them, especially on the inside!