At GRAZIA Singapore HQ, the old excites us as much as the new and in this weekly column, we ask our fellow friends, industry-goers and beauty aficionados about the last thing they loved be it trends, products, or even the image they looked at when it came to inspiring themselves.
Here, artiste and content creator Amander Liew (@amandersings) shares some of her lasts.
The last beauty product I finished was La-Roche Posay’s Pure Niacinamide 10 Serum ($84.70). A favourite of mine and I use it every day as part of my daily skincare routine.
Niacinamide, the main ingredient of the serum, is a skincare super ingredient that helps to plump up the skin, brighten it, and strengthen the skin barrier amongst other things. And on top of that, it smells so good.
The last viral makeup/skincare trend I tried was Demi makeup which is a technique that uses less makeup to cover flaws and instead uses colour-correcting palettes to enhance existing features. I’m always very intrigued when I see makeup trends on TikTok so I always watch a lot of tutorials and then try to replicate them at home.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it exactly right because I don’t have colour-correcting palettes, but it was fun, and I still use its concealing methods when I go out for casual dinners with my partner and friends.
The last beauty product I bought was the M.A.C Cosmetics Brushstroke 24-Hour Eye Liner ($47). I love a sharp, winged eyeliner so I’m always on the lookout for a good brush-tipped eyeliner and I tested one out at M.A.C Cosmetics. Yet to open it though!
The last image I looked at for beauty inspiration was images of Hailey Bieber’s version of the Mob Wife makeup trend that I discovered on TikTok and researched about, and a couple more screenshots of TikTok Content Creators and their take on it. But, I felt those were a little too heavy for me as I tend to prefer lighter makeup looks.
However, I found this image of Dua Lipa (whom I really love) and really liked the approach to it. Still pretty clean but the look enhances her features so well.
The last beauty product I bought again was Fenty Beauty’s Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick ($49) in the shade Amber Suede. I love this contour stick so much but I always had a shade too dark so it took me some time to finish my previous Match Stix. Finally got myself a new one in the correct shade!
The last beauty indulgence I treated myself to was the Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Eye Serum ($505). I got a sample of it and gave it a try before ending up falling in love with it and then I found out the price. Thank goodness it’s such a good eye serum that you don’t really need a lot of it.
So I’m still using it a bit at a time, It’s one of the few eye serums that I’ve used that doesn’t give me milia seeds around the eyes.
The last beauty product I made a holy grail was Glow Recipe’s Lip Pop ($35) and both the blueberry and watermelon flavour is great and really hydrating. I cannot leave the house without this. I have friends who also use this and love it.
They are also slightly tinted, which is perfect for me because my natural lips are quite pale, so they add both colour and moisture.
The last beauty product I gifted someone was La-Roche Posay’s Anthelios UVMune 400 Fluid SPF50+ PA++++ ($52.40). A guy friend of mine was really in need of sunscreen, and this is one of my favourite chemical facial sunscreens, which I use on a daily basis.
I happened to have a spare bottle so I passed it on to him. And a couple of days later, he was like “Amander the sunscreen that I got from you is amazing”.
The last beauty product that truly impressed me was the Guerlain Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil ($228). Usually, I don’t like the feeling of most facial oils and have found very few that I really like.
One of them is this one which I first tested out at the boutique. Even though it’s a facial oil, it doesn’t feel greasy at all and feels hydrating. Oh, and it smells great too.
The last makeup/skincare trick I taught someone wasn’t a lesson to them, but one I learnt from a Taiwanese makeup artist on how to contour Asian faces. He said to do light downward strokes from the outside of your eyes, all the way down your face to create an illusion of a longer, slimmer face.
I tried it out a couple of times and it gives a different look and effect as compared to the usual contour method that I often use.