beauty boost

TI M E FOR BEAUTY?

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TEXT SUZANE AVADIAR

Who can spare asecond for acomplicated beautyroutine? No one weknow! So, whencosmetic giants addnew steps to ourquick 3-step regi me,we wonder what's ontheir mind!

WHEN THE WHOLE PHENOMENON OF

the 3-step beauty routine was introduced,women across the globe sighed a hugerelief. The truth is if any of us had itour way, none of us would actuallyspend more than 15 minutes in frontof the mirror in the morning.Many of us barely have time for a

quick splash of water and cleanser,and would rather skip the toner andapply a dash of moisturiser beforerushing out the door - unless ofcourse we make the conscious effortto wake up early enough to fit it all in.Spotting women in their cars as they

drive to work, hastily attempting to'put on' their face sporadically at redlights is nothing new. Many even taketheir make-up kits to work and get toit while sipping their morning coffee.While time is of the essence, womenstill want to look good - withouthaving to 'schedule' it in.

So the question is: howdo we work in step 4 and 5into our daily regime whenwe can barely make it past3? New products from thesages of the beauty industry,such as Lancome, Chaneland Estee Lauder are certainlynot answering the questionfor us. Estee Lauder'sPerfectionist CorrectingSerum bumps the moistur-ising step down to fourthplace, claiming the need forintensive treatment for linesand wrinkles.By contrast, Lancome's

hot new Sensation Totale isa special care 'product thatacts as the fifth step in you rregime - after Cleansing,Toning, Treating andMoisturising. The focus ofthe product is to preservethe future of t~e skin, givingit added protection.

Chanel on the other hand,has introduced a doublecleanser in a gel and mousseform - Systeme Purete -meant to be massaged intothe wet skin for a morethorough cleansing process.Aside from these three,

cou ntless other brands suchas Shiseido, Clinique, Clarinsand many more continuouslylaunch 'special care' productsthat promise to rid us of ourflaws, blemishes, wrinkles,dark circles and acne. Then,there are dedicated cleansersespecially for the eye, make-up removers, toners for amore even skin tone andmoisturisers for 'stressed'skin. Before we know it,we are faced with at least10 pots and jars to dealwith everyday.Are these beauty giants

cashing in on our insecurities?Or do they have a point!Our skin, particularly theface, does need specialattention, and certain prob-lematic skin deserves extrafocus and intense treatment.Whether or not we makethe time to fit them in isperhaps an individualdecision - depending onhow far we will go to carefor the face. Those thatwork in the beauty industry,however, completely disagree.Skincare is necessary!Make-up artist Amy Saw,

for one, says, the onemistake many women make

is not taking care of thebasics that their skin needs- which is cleansing, toningand moisturising - andthink they can just cover itall up with make-up."I have encountered this

on many occasions. Whilefoundations, concealers andcolours can cover up someblemishes and flaws, theycannot fix everything. Also,in the long run, this sortof habit can damage theskin because you are not

giving your skin a chanceto breathe and 'live' right,"asserts Amy.She adds that while it is

true that there are too manyproducts for various skinproblems, many of themare much needed. "Youhave to decide what yourskin needs and simplymake time for it. You canchoose to not bother whenyou are younger but age willcatch up and it will show onyour face!" she warns.

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beauty boost

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Lyanna Tew, 26 year-oldPR Consultant says sheprobably falls into thatcategory. She does notexactly use make-up to hideflaws, but does neglect herskin nonetheless. She saysall she can manage in themornings is a quick washusing a cleansing foam anda 2-in-1 moisturiser andsun block."I have a toner but 1 hardly

use it because 1 am too lazyand just don't have the timeto bother with it. 1 only useit after a night out with heavymake-up, when 1 cleanse,tone and moisturise beforehitting the sack," she saysOrdinarily Lyanna doesn't

use much make-up and, eventhen, she applies them ather desk in the office. Theonly time 1 do use full make-up is if 1 have to for an event.If I have an early morningappointment and go straightfrom home, then 1 usuallyput on my make-up in thecar. One tip: Don't ever tryand tweeze your eyebrowswhen you are driving!" sheadds with a laugh.However, Lyanna knows

that she is neglecting whather skin needs, so once everythree weeks she religiouslygoes for a facial. "I nevermiss my facials. 1 figure,since 1 am too lazy to takecare of my skin, 1 should atleast pay someone to doit!" she says. Wh~n she

finishes her facials, shefeels the difference and vowsto take better care of herskin. But that of course isdismissed the following day!According to Agnes Lee,

32 year-old accountsexecutive, it really is a no-win situation. "Although thebeauty industry is tryinghard to make everything as'2-in-l' as possible, somethings, such as treating ourfacial skin to healthypampering requires time,which unfortunately noneof us seem to have!"Of course, many would

argue that the key is properplanning and time manage-ment. Agnes agrees with thisand believes, for anything to

flourish, adequate attentionand time is required.That's why she puts aside

a half-hour every morningand night and dedicates itto her facial regime. "I wantto look good so if that meanswaking up a little early andgoing to bed a little later justso that I can pay attentionto my face, 1 don't minddoing it," she saysAgnes' routine involves

the basic 3-step with anaddition to at least twotreatment products. Beingan avid coffee drinker whois always on the go, Agnessays she is constantlyexposed to pollutants thatdehydrate her skin. "So Iuse added moisturiser and

intensive treatment productssuch as Re-hydratingMoisturisers, Night FirmingCream and Anti-WrinkleCream. 1 use a combinationof brands - Shiseido, EsteeLauder and Elizabeth Arden."Agnes says sometimes

she is a little rushed butbecause she has worked herbeauty routine into her dailylife, she doesn't feel as ifshe is taking out too muchtime. "I think you shouldlook at it as part of yourpersonal hygiene. I meanyou wouldn't rush out thedoor without a shower inthe morning would you?Why is your skincare anydifferent?" V