My Vanity Kit: khaylis
This is the first post of a series called My Vanity Kit, where we talk about our beauty rituals and favorite products. (Yes, its a complete rip off of Cup of Jo's Beauty Uniform and Into the Gloss' Top Shelf series, but don't they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or something like that?)
What were your early experiences with make up like?
In my early teens, The Body Shop was THE cosmetics brand that was all the rage amongst my friends. It was cool because it had cool packaging and had an eco-conscious ethic. My first beauty products were their different flavoured pots of lip balm (Kiwi flavored lipbalm?) and their ubiquitous White Musk perfume. My older sister graduated to Clinique products which I thought was really sophisticated at the time. I remember stealing her Black Honey lipstick, which looks really dark and gothic, but glides on as a rich glossy berry on your lips.
Were you always into beauty growing up?
I was never one of those girls that wore a lot of make-up in high school. At most I’d wear lip gloss and occasionally some eyeliner, but I’d mostly reserve wearing make-up for special occasions like clubbing nights out or school dances. (I lived with my grandparents from the ages of 14-17, who were pretty lax when it came to discipline, so I started clubbing when I was 14! God knows how I managed to graduate with decent grades.) I have a fun memory of doing my girlfriends’ make up for our senior prom and feeling so impressed with myself because I matched their eyeshadows with the colors of their dresses.
What is your typical skincare routine?
I love buying new products and trying them out, but I am extremely lazy and undisciplined when it comes to adhering to a skincare routine. I’m trying a little harder now having just hit the mid-thirties mark.
After a long day at work, I come home and apply Shu Uemura cleansing oil on my face which melts everything off. I follow that with Aesop’s Parsley Seed cleanser to make sure there’s no oily residue left on my face. I also use Dr. Brandt’s Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant 1-2 times a week which feels like sandpaper being rubbed against your skin, but works because it feels smooth and baby soft after. I recently added a new step to my routine with SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence, which I bought after an SK II facial at Isetan KLCC. It’s supposedly a “miracle water” that promotes skin cell renewal. I’m all about trying to hang on to my youth, so I’m totally drinking that Kool-Aid right now.
Then I’ll apply Aesop’s Parsley Seed serum, followed by Shishiedo’s Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Eye Contour Cream and whatever moisturiser I have on hand. I’m not a loyalist when it comes to products as I like trying new things, but this is what’s working for me right now. In the morning, I’ll wash my face again with the Aesop facial wash. Then I’ll use Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Day Serum followed by moisturiser. After my make-up, I’ll spritz Supergoop’s Defense Refresh Setting Mist with Broad Spectrum SPF50.
What makeup are you wearing today?
I start off with concealer around the eyes and on the side of my nose to hide dark circles or redness. I used to hate my dark undereye circles, but I’ve decided to employ that French insouciance and accept them. I’ve been alternating between Glossier and Cle de Peau concealer. I patpatpat it all down with a beauty blender. I recently learnt this trick from the Instagram account of the L.A based beauty team, the Streicher sisters, to spray the sponge with Caudalie’s Beauty Elixer to give you that extra oomph.
Then I curl my eyelashes with Shu Uemura’s eyelash curler. This is something new – for most of my life, I never bothered with my eyelashes, but as I’ve grown older, I guess I want to look a bit more polished and awake. I'm thinking of getting them professionally permed so I wake up looking zingy! I then apply Lancome’s Hypnose mascara which smells like roses and is totally amazing.
Then I’ll decide if it’s a lip or cheek day. Doing both feels a bit too much for a daytime look. I don’t like the powdery look, which just melts off by mid-day in the humid KL weather , so I tend to use gel blushers. Right now I’m using Givenchy’s Blush Memoire De Forme jelly blush in Rose Delicat, which I dab on lightly and looks natural – a little goes a long way. I'll finish off with a swipe of highlighter on the top of my non-existent cheekbones. Right now i'm using Glossier's Haloscope in Topaz.
I like using lip stains and lip pencils and at any given time I probably own at least 10 different lip balms. Right now I’m in love with Glossier’s Generation G lip stains, which are a paradox in the sense that they are moisturizing but they sit on your lips like a stain, but look matte. Even their names for the different colors are cute – Cake, Like and Crush. They are my holy grail of lip products. I also love NARS lip pencils (my favourite is this apricot hued one called Dolce Vita) and lip markers by this Korean brand called 3CE.
How do you care for your hair?
I’m pretty lucky with my hair in that I have always had fast growing thick straight-ish hair. I started to sprout white hair right in the center of my scalp in my mid-twenties, which I will attribute to having a stressful job, so I tend to dye my hair a dark brown every 6 months or so. I wash my hair maybe every 2 days if I’m not going to go to the gym. On weekdays, ill dry it using this super turbo Halo hairdryer I bought in Australia, but try to air dry it on weekends. I massage Moroccan Oil on the ends to keep it healthy. But that’s pretty much it.
What was your biggest beauty faux pas?
Over tweezing my eyebrows! I used to have really bushy eyebrows growing up and I remember the day I discovered the tweezer, and went a bit nuts. I came to school the next day with really thin eyebrows and everyone was like “What’s different about you today?” Now that bushy eyebrows are back in vogue, I am desperately trying to re-grow them again – it’s been 8 months, and it is a long and annoying process because your eyebrows will grow in patches and you will look weird and unkempt, but Brooke Shields eyebrows, here I come!
What's your most indulgent beauty item?
I like to go for facials every few months, especially after vacations where I’ve had a lot of sun exposure. Right now I get my facials from SK-II at Isetan KLCC’s Beauty Garden. I also love pedicures. There's something so satisfying about looking down and seeing your freshly polished toes in a bright color. I also tend to buy lip balms like its going out of style.
What is your one desert island beauty product?
SPF x a gazillion, and a hat if I’m allowed! In my mid-twenties, my skin started getting really sensitive to the sun and began freckling easily, which coincided with me starting to go on many beach vacations. I’m convinced that my face will end up being one big freckle by the time I’m 60 if I’m not careful. I’ve come to accept them as part of my look, but no more, please! I hate using sunscreen because it tends to clog up my skin but it is an evil necessity. I’m still on the hunt for the perfect non-clogging SPF 50 sunscreen.
Who are your beauty influencers?
I like Into The Gloss and their Top Shelf interviews. It’s where I get ideas and recommendations for new skin care products and make up tips. I don’t like the whole Kardashian influence on beauty, where women cover their skin with layers of foundation and powder. When I had my make-up done for my wedding, although it looked great in pictures, I wish I had asked the make-up artist to allow my freckles to show. I’m all for caring for your skin and showing it off rather than hiding it.
What is your overall beauty philosophy?
Wear enough make-up so that you look like the best version of you, but not so much that your husband doesn’t want to kiss your face.
What were your early experiences with make up like?
In my early teens, The Body Shop was THE cosmetics brand that was all the rage amongst my friends. It was cool because it had cool packaging and had an eco-conscious ethic. My first beauty products were their different flavoured pots of lip balm (Kiwi flavored lipbalm?) and their ubiquitous White Musk perfume. My older sister graduated to Clinique products which I thought was really sophisticated at the time. I remember stealing her Black Honey lipstick, which looks really dark and gothic, but glides on as a rich glossy berry on your lips.
Were you always into beauty growing up?
I was never one of those girls that wore a lot of make-up in high school. At most I’d wear lip gloss and occasionally some eyeliner, but I’d mostly reserve wearing make-up for special occasions like clubbing nights out or school dances. (I lived with my grandparents from the ages of 14-17, who were pretty lax when it came to discipline, so I started clubbing when I was 14! God knows how I managed to graduate with decent grades.) I have a fun memory of doing my girlfriends’ make up for our senior prom and feeling so impressed with myself because I matched their eyeshadows with the colors of their dresses.
What is your typical skincare routine?
I love buying new products and trying them out, but I am extremely lazy and undisciplined when it comes to adhering to a skincare routine. I’m trying a little harder now having just hit the mid-thirties mark.
After a long day at work, I come home and apply Shu Uemura cleansing oil on my face which melts everything off. I follow that with Aesop’s Parsley Seed cleanser to make sure there’s no oily residue left on my face. I also use Dr. Brandt’s Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant 1-2 times a week which feels like sandpaper being rubbed against your skin, but works because it feels smooth and baby soft after. I recently added a new step to my routine with SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence, which I bought after an SK II facial at Isetan KLCC. It’s supposedly a “miracle water” that promotes skin cell renewal. I’m all about trying to hang on to my youth, so I’m totally drinking that Kool-Aid right now.
Then I’ll apply Aesop’s Parsley Seed serum, followed by Shishiedo’s Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Eye Contour Cream and whatever moisturiser I have on hand. I’m not a loyalist when it comes to products as I like trying new things, but this is what’s working for me right now. In the morning, I’ll wash my face again with the Aesop facial wash. Then I’ll use Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Day Serum followed by moisturiser. After my make-up, I’ll spritz Supergoop’s Defense Refresh Setting Mist with Broad Spectrum SPF50.
What makeup are you wearing today?
I start off with concealer around the eyes and on the side of my nose to hide dark circles or redness. I used to hate my dark undereye circles, but I’ve decided to employ that French insouciance and accept them. I’ve been alternating between Glossier and Cle de Peau concealer. I patpatpat it all down with a beauty blender. I recently learnt this trick from the Instagram account of the L.A based beauty team, the Streicher sisters, to spray the sponge with Caudalie’s Beauty Elixer to give you that extra oomph.
Then I curl my eyelashes with Shu Uemura’s eyelash curler. This is something new – for most of my life, I never bothered with my eyelashes, but as I’ve grown older, I guess I want to look a bit more polished and awake. I'm thinking of getting them professionally permed so I wake up looking zingy! I then apply Lancome’s Hypnose mascara which smells like roses and is totally amazing.
Then I’ll decide if it’s a lip or cheek day. Doing both feels a bit too much for a daytime look. I don’t like the powdery look, which just melts off by mid-day in the humid KL weather , so I tend to use gel blushers. Right now I’m using Givenchy’s Blush Memoire De Forme jelly blush in Rose Delicat, which I dab on lightly and looks natural – a little goes a long way. I'll finish off with a swipe of highlighter on the top of my non-existent cheekbones. Right now i'm using Glossier's Haloscope in Topaz.
I like using lip stains and lip pencils and at any given time I probably own at least 10 different lip balms. Right now I’m in love with Glossier’s Generation G lip stains, which are a paradox in the sense that they are moisturizing but they sit on your lips like a stain, but look matte. Even their names for the different colors are cute – Cake, Like and Crush. They are my holy grail of lip products. I also love NARS lip pencils (my favourite is this apricot hued one called Dolce Vita) and lip markers by this Korean brand called 3CE.
How do you care for your hair?
I’m pretty lucky with my hair in that I have always had fast growing thick straight-ish hair. I started to sprout white hair right in the center of my scalp in my mid-twenties, which I will attribute to having a stressful job, so I tend to dye my hair a dark brown every 6 months or so. I wash my hair maybe every 2 days if I’m not going to go to the gym. On weekdays, ill dry it using this super turbo Halo hairdryer I bought in Australia, but try to air dry it on weekends. I massage Moroccan Oil on the ends to keep it healthy. But that’s pretty much it.
What was your biggest beauty faux pas?
Over tweezing my eyebrows! I used to have really bushy eyebrows growing up and I remember the day I discovered the tweezer, and went a bit nuts. I came to school the next day with really thin eyebrows and everyone was like “What’s different about you today?” Now that bushy eyebrows are back in vogue, I am desperately trying to re-grow them again – it’s been 8 months, and it is a long and annoying process because your eyebrows will grow in patches and you will look weird and unkempt, but Brooke Shields eyebrows, here I come!
What's your most indulgent beauty item?
I like to go for facials every few months, especially after vacations where I’ve had a lot of sun exposure. Right now I get my facials from SK-II at Isetan KLCC’s Beauty Garden. I also love pedicures. There's something so satisfying about looking down and seeing your freshly polished toes in a bright color. I also tend to buy lip balms like its going out of style.
What is your one desert island beauty product?
SPF x a gazillion, and a hat if I’m allowed! In my mid-twenties, my skin started getting really sensitive to the sun and began freckling easily, which coincided with me starting to go on many beach vacations. I’m convinced that my face will end up being one big freckle by the time I’m 60 if I’m not careful. I’ve come to accept them as part of my look, but no more, please! I hate using sunscreen because it tends to clog up my skin but it is an evil necessity. I’m still on the hunt for the perfect non-clogging SPF 50 sunscreen.
Who are your beauty influencers?
I like Into The Gloss and their Top Shelf interviews. It’s where I get ideas and recommendations for new skin care products and make up tips. I don’t like the whole Kardashian influence on beauty, where women cover their skin with layers of foundation and powder. When I had my make-up done for my wedding, although it looked great in pictures, I wish I had asked the make-up artist to allow my freckles to show. I’m all for caring for your skin and showing it off rather than hiding it.
Wear enough make-up so that you look like the best version of you, but not so much that your husband doesn’t want to kiss your face.
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