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 Karen Fong, one of the Best Beauty Buys 2023 judges, and her takeaways.
KAREN FONG
MUM OF 2 / CONTRIBUTING ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Skin type: Dry and tired skin
Biggest beauty woes: Dull skin and wrinkles
Go-to skincare: Brightening serums and thick moisturisers
Go-to makeup: BB cushion, brow pencil, eyeshadow, mascara, blush… the works
What’s your beauty mantra?
Putting on skincare and makeup is when I can have some time to myself. I feel it can be quite a mindful process because it takes the focus off kids, life and work, and forces me to just think about myself for a minute.
Tell us more about your current skin issues.
I’m still waking up at odd hours of the night to feed my youngest and that really takes a toll on my skin. It’s always been dry but now it’s also sensitive and hormonal, and I need products that can both soothe and deeply hydrate it.
Favourite find from Best Beauty Buys 2023?
I have really enjoyed using Shiseido’s Eudermine Revitalising Essence – it really does what it says it will! It has a rich texture and comes in a very stylish bottle. Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Cream was also a surprise find for me because I’m not used to using moisturisers with AHA and BHA. I was impressed by how much this made my skin smoother and healthier-looking.
Any favourites for your kids?
Both my little ones have sensitive skin and suffer from eczema. It’s been hard to find a moisturiser that works for them. I really liked A-Derma Exomega Emollient Cream for my baby. It is extremely moisturising and seems to reduce her need to scratch.
What did you learn from trying and reviewing products for Best Beauty Buys 2023?
Even though I’m a tired mum, I still want to have healthy-looking skin and look good! These products can really help do that and I noticed results in record time.
What does beauty mean to you?
Beauty is about confidence and creativity, I don’t think it’s something we should take too seriously but enjoy it as part of our lives, however that looks to an individual. And sleep. Sleep is beautiful.