10 Beauty Tricks SQ Girls Practice To Look Gorgeous All The Time

Meet your new ‘mask’-haves!

Fatigued face in dire need of a radical revamp? Have I got a treat for you, #gurl. The following selection of express elixirs have been carefully curated to rack up results in a blink of a mascaraed eye.

Now, speaking as a Zzz-deprived java junkie who’s entirely dependent on my daily joe to function – yours truly is banging this out past midnight as we speak – I can certainly attest to the following products’ promise of fending off fatigue for visibly softer and smoother skin, even when I’m running on empty.

Bottomline: Use any one of these masks and you should enjoy skin that’s suppler and springier in mere minutes. Psyched yet? Let’s line ‘em up for judgment, shall we. Check ‘em out, stat, and cheers to a complexion that’s bouncy and buoyant like a firm fishball!

Sulwhasoo Radiance Energy Mask $102

#1 Sulwhasoo Radiance Energy Mask, $102

This being Sulwhasoo, expect an herbal hydrating hero stuffed with white jade culled from the ancient annals of traditional Korean medicine – the gorgeous gem is said to proffer both plumping and brightening benefits, and has been encapsulated to amplify its potent purifying properties.

One thing to note. This awesome addition to Sulwhasoo’s suite of sleeping masks doesn’t come in a standard sheet, nor is it of the regular rinse-off variety. Rather, beauty beginners can think of this sleeping mask as the skincare analogue of a nifty nail topcoat – layer this luxuriously lightweight concoction over your skincare to boost the beautifying benefits of your nightly regime. Or try using it “neat” on naked skin if you’re really knackered after pulling an all-nighter at work – because hey, beauty rules are meant to be broken.

A smidgen of this subtly scented and spectacularly smooth salve quenches my parched skin like almost no other, and after sleeping on it, so to speak, for a month or so, I’m happy to report that my skin is pretty much as poreless, porcelain and perfect as it can possibly get. (Shameless, I know!) Slap this on at night and wake up to a visibly firmer and fresher visage greeting you in the mirror. Goodnight, and good luck!

Strivectin Oxygen Infusion Smoothing Mask, $93

#2 Strivectin Oxygen Infusion Smoothing Mask, $93

Pretty much the coolest cosmetic creation I’ve chanced upon thus far, this self-activating treatment works itself into a fine froth with no elbow grease required on your part – incredibly intriguing and impossibly fun.

The self-foaming suds are courtesy of a careful concoction of oxygen-activated surfactants, and ain’t spectacle for spectacle’s sake, either: The fun frothing action is said to sop up excess oils and gunk while driving the good stuff, which include purifying peptides and a gently exfoliating blend of beta-hydroxy acids, deep into your pores.

Now, there’s just a wee caveat to note. I’ll be lying if I said the mask doesn’t sting; just about all of my fellow beauty scribes agree that the foaming also comes with a not entirely unpleasant tingling. My advice? Steer clear of the sensitive eye and lip areas. (#BeautyTip: The “rule of thumb” when it comes to skincare instructions admonishing the use of the product on the eye is precisely that – about a thumb’s width above and under your lids. Now you know!) Rinse off for a visibly smoother visage. Magic!

Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment, $92

#3 Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment, $92

OMG, I’m gaga for this gorgeous Glamglow skin saviour. This detoxifying mask, which comes with gratifyingly grainy pumice powders, clarifying clays and a botanical blend of calming chamomile and cucumber, really does the job at flushing out the day’s dirt and debris. All you need to do is to leave it on for five minutes or so (make it 10 if you’re “kiasu” and want your money’s worth), then wash off with warm water. Ta-dah! With any luck, your skin should be feeling supremely soft, pleasingly plump and pore-free.

Bottomline: Obsessed over oversized pores? This incredibly invigorating targeted treatment is the best blackhead-banishing balm, at least in my beauty books. Personal endorsement: The mask’s aforementioned astringent properties make for a skin-lifting effect that’s quite remarkable indeed – at a post-mask get-together, my group of girlfriends actually asked me point blank if I had treated myself to a little nip and tuck. (I hadn’t.) Make of that what you will!

Kose Infinity Pure Advance Deep Clear Mask, $55

#4 Kose Infinity Pure Advance Deep Clear Mask, $55

There are a plethora of pore-tightening poultices lining the beauty aisles, but I’m particularly fond of those containing calming clay or charcoal, both of which are fantastic at flushing out the day’s dirt and debris.

Case in point? Kose’s terrific new tightening treatment, which comes with clarifying clay compounds that promise to polish away the pebbly imperfections besmirching your complexion.

This excellent exfoliant melts into my mien and does an ace job of sloughing off dead skin without aggravating acne or exacerbating eczema, thanks to antioxidant actives courtesy of soothing rosemary leaf and alpinia speciosa leaf extracts.

Simply dab a dollop onto blackhead-riddled regions like the chin and nose, then let dry for about 10 minutes before splashing off with warm water. Alternatively, you can use this as you would any cream cleanser – either way, your skin should feel supremely soft, pleasingly plump and pore-free after splashing off with warm water.

Personal experience? Used twice weekly, I’ve noticed that this deeply detoxifying pore-tightening poultice affords me a visibly brighter visage, even (and especially!) when I’ve been pulling all-nighters in the office.

ren-glycolactic-radiance-renewal-mask-85-from-escentials-singapore

#5 Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask, $85 from Escentials Singapore

Ren’s home peel is no-nonsense and efficacious: Exactly what you’d expect from this cult cosmeceutical company. The perfect midway point between milder everyday scrubs and mysteriously long lunch breaks to an aesthetician, this beauty treat boasts rejuvenating fruit acids to refine texture and minimise the appearance of facial craters and crevices for ‘pore-fectly’ porcelain complexion.

Wee caveat: Always spot test on the nook of your elbow, and start slow – once a week should suffice for skin that’s supremely soft, pleasingly plump and pore-free. Bonus points for the sensorial pleasure afforded by this treatment’s cool citrusy tang. As you can imagine, slapping this on results in a really refreshing tingle – super “shiok” if, like me, you suffer from heat-induced blotchiness. A must-buy for the dog days of summer ahead, if you ask me.

Oh, one final industry insider tip-off: This exfoliating elixir sits right at the top of many a beauty editor’s #DieDieMustTry list, so check it out at counters, stat.

Right, then. Here’s hoping your time spent “poring” over this piece will result in perfectly plump and pore-free skin on your part!

Text: Eugene Quek, Her World Plus / Additional Reporting: Arissa Ha

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