8 Simple Skin Care Habits to Steal from Korean Girls

Since it’s been awhile that I updated the blog, I thought I’d change the subject a bit and share with you ten simple ways you can improve your skin drastically- just by changing your daily habits! I am a skin care fanatic and had spent countless times trying out facials in Korea (and all over, but Korea by far is the best in beauty related services) and testing hundreds of different products. More so than makeup, I believe in looking flawless in your bare skin. While this can’t cure all, the simple steps below will definitely improve your skin within days. These are the things I wish my mother had told me growing up!

1. Apply a lotion or toner IMMEDIATELY after you wash your face.

Yup, that’s right. Immediately means seconds after you wipe the water off of your face with a towel. Not a minute, or five minutes. or worst yet, 30 minutes after your wash because you were too busy changing into your night gown. You have just scraped off your skin raw by washing your face and trust me, your face is prone to all sorts of nasty stuff due to its dryness. The moral of the first rule: do not let your skin lose its moisture.

Why I Chose Korea to give Birth- My Korean Postpartum Care Experience

 Three weeks after we brought Brevi home from the Korean postpartum centre, he’s put on a lot of weight and is thriving. He’s already doubled the size of his birthweight and now finally resembles something like a little human. Amazing how babies change so much! I can barely keep up with his ever-changing face and sometimes I have to do a double take to make sure I didn’t bring home the wrong baby. Despite still waking up every two hours each night to feed him, I feel more refreshed than ever (and much lighter), thanks to the amazing postpartum clinic I stayed in Korea. Though there were faults in the system that annoyed me a couple times, I believe it was worth the “investment.” And I say investment, because it was so absurdly expensive. but it was definitely worth every cent! Here’s my belated review on the Korean postpartum system and why I chose to give birth in Seoul, Korea, instead of Singapore (where I currently reside) or United States (our original home country)!

Secrets to Keep Your Diamonds Sparkling

Sorry for the dark image! I’m still learning how to use my 5D Mark III

It took less than two weeks for it to arrive in-store. My mother-in-law, my mom and I had our triple date today at South Coast Plaza and we stopped by Tiffany’s to pick up our rings. Because my fiance and I will be wearing them everyday for the rest of our lives, it’s important that we learn how to keep them at its best. I’ve researched around and here are few precautions you can take to keep your diamond/band sparkling [credits to GIA site]:

• Handle your diamond sparingly. Because diamonds are natural magnets for grease, they’re not easy to keep clean. Handling a diamond with your fingers provides enough oils from your skin (the type of “grease” that most affects diamonds) to alter the way your diamond looks.
• Clean your diamond regularly. A simple plan to keep your diamond jewelry always looking beautiful is to soak the diamond in an ammonia-based household cleaner (such as window cleaner) overnight, once or twice weekly. In the morning, remove the diamond from the cleaner and brush it with a soft, clean toothbrush (one that has not previously been used in any way, and that you reserve exclusively for cleaning your diamond) to remove any leftover dirt. Take extra care to brush the back of the diamond as this will be the area that has collected the most oil and dirt.
• Be aware that fragile settings and estate jewelry won’t take kindly to being scrubbed with a toothbrush, so use a soft touch. Then, just rinse the diamond with water and wipe with a soft, lint-free cloth.
• Don’t use harmful solutions. Chlorine (as in household bleach) or abrasives (such as household cleansers or toothpaste) should never be used when cleaning diamonds, especially those set in jewelry. These erode some of the metals often used in diamond settings, and may loosen prongs, or even dissolve the metal completely.
• Sometimes an ultrasonic cleaner is necessary to remove encrusted dirt on diamonds. By sending high frequency sound waves through a detergent solution, ultrasonic cleaners cause vibrating fluid to remove accumulated dirt and grime. However, they can also shake loose stones from their mounting, so this method shouldn’t be used on fragile settings (or estate jewelry), and is best undertaken by a professional jeweler.
• Regular cleaning will keep your diamond jewelry in gleaming condition and ready to sparkle on that special occasion.