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Beauty has advanced so much such that the effective way to combat skin woes such as acne, pigmentation and signs of aging might not be creams and gels, i.e. things you can actually feel on your skin, but rather something less tangible: coloured LED light.
Light-emitting facial devices have been around for awhile now (grab out #39 Everything’s Going Digital issue to see a whole bunch of recommendations), and we’ve learnt from these products that each light colour actually serves a specific purpose. Blue light is most often used to soothe acne and pimples, as it has antibacterial properties; yellow light has the ability to brighten the skin; while red targets aging skin by lifting and contouring.
Most devices emit one coloured light only, so if you wanted to get the full spectrum of LED light treatments, you would have to invest a pretty penny into multiple devices. Until now. Skin Inc just upgraded their travel-sized Optimizer Voyage, so it’s now the Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light, and the push of a button lets you switch between red, yellow and blue light. The original Optimizer Voyage emitted red LED light only, meant to renew damaged skin cells as well as boost collage and elastin production, while optimising the skin’s ability to absorb skincare products applied on it. Now, you get the added benefits of treating that pesky pimple, and giving dull skin a quick brightening treat.
 
Skin Inc Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light, $398. Available at Sephora, Skin Inc Concept Stores, luxola.com and iloveskininc.com. 
 

Hands up if you feel like you’ve got damaged hair. After all, if you’ve done chemical treatments like dyeing and perming your hair, styling your hair with curling tongs or straightening irons, or even brushed your hair, your hair would already be damaged. And honestly, who doesn’t fall into these categories? A survey by L’Oreal Professionnel says that at least 70% of Singaporean women suffer from damaged hair from the above reasons.
That’s why, every time we’re just getting a simple haircut at the salon, we can’t resist the urge to throw in a treatment as well, just so we can have the experience of running our fingers through our ridiculously smooth post-treatment hair. Those hardly last though – unless you’re talking about L’Oreal Professionnel’s latest innovation — the L’Oreal Professionnel PRO FIBER hair treatment, that leaves your hair strong, smooth, healthy and very un-damaged.

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How It Works
– The main ingredient’s APTYL 100, a new molecular complex formulated by L’Oréal that contains active ingredients that deeply penetrate the hair fiber and rebuild the hair from within, by both “restructuring” and “resurfacing”.
– Usually, hair treatments either coat the outside of the hair fibre, to make your hair smooth, or, penetrate internally to strengthen the hair – rarely both. Except this one.
– A “restructuring” Aminosilane enters deep into each hair fibre, and rebuilds the damaged cortex and cuticle by creating a 3-D network. This strengthens your hair.
– At the same time, there’s a “resurfacing” cationic polymer in the complex that has a strong positive charge, drawing APTYL 100 towards damaged parts of the hair, which are negatively-charged. This strong attachment creates a long-lasting, sheath-like protection for the hair, so your hair feels smoother as well.
What We Love
– Most hair treatments only last a day or two, as shampoos tend to remove the beneficial ingredients. That’s why this one’s brilliant because it comes with a whole range of shampoos, conditioners and more to boost the long-term effects of the treatment.
– PRO FIBER shampoos contain negatively charged ions (-) that reactivate APTYL 100 (+++) on a daily basis, so the effects are reactivated daily. Think of it like charging your phone with a portable charger.

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There are also three different stages of the treatment, though a professional hairdresser takes into account your hair’s texture, brightness, ends and color to assess the level of damage. Each has its own corresponding set of take-home products.
– Rectify: Slightly Damaged Hair; natural hair with lots of combing, natural exposure to the sun etc.
– Restore: Damaged Hair; 1 chemical process within the last 6 months, colour or perm or rebonding etc.
– Reconstruct: Severely Damaged Hair; at least 2 chemical processes within the last 6 months, colour and perm etc.

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As for the process, we tried it out for ourselves at Salon Vim, so here’s how it goes. If you’re still unsure about exactly how the treatment works, or are the kind who likes to ask many questions, it’s fine as the staff are knowledgeable about the process. After accessing the appropriate level of treatment, and getting a nice shampoo (with the PRO FIBER shampoo), your hair is ready to be primed. The PRO FIBER concentrate is applied using a professional layering technique on your hair to improve absorption, followed by the “activation” process now using the REGENERATE Long-lasting Care Activator.

 
Here’s an interesting part: instead of sticking an alien-like dome on top of your head, this time, an Ice Iron is used to meticulously seal the APTYL 100 into your hair. It kind of works like a straightening iron, but a sub-zero one, to minimise the loss of product and reduce frizz. After the leave-in serum, your hair won’t feel particularly smooth, but it does look healthier and feel stronger.
While at home, you use the various shampoos, conditioners, masques, and leave-in serums to still see the visible effects of the treatment. To reactivate the treatment, use the Re-Boost, which contains APTYL 100 in a soft, smooth cream, after every four shampoos. It sounds like a bit of work, but as our hairdresser reminds us, a lot of how good your hair looks and feels is dependent on how you take care of it home.
L’Oreal Professionnel PRO FIBER hair treatment, priced at $350, is available at L’Oréal Professionnel partnership salons, including Salon Vim. PRO FIBER products, from $26 for a shampoo to $50 for the Re-Boost. 

We’re into the season of love, when brands begin to push out products in pink hues and heart-shaped adornments. As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, it’s easy to feel like everything has become commercialised for the sake of cashing in on the occasion; but here’s one Valentine’s Day item all dressed up in pink and lip prints that we don’t mind forking out cash for. Diptyque’s limited edition collection created in collaboration with Parisian designer Olympia Le-Tan, whose French-British heritage translates into pieces with a touch of quirky romanticism, like the Book Clutch Bag she’s most famous for.

The scent is a combination of rose and viola, hence the name Rosaviola on the iconic Diptyque oval. Besides the candle, there’s also a scented oval and solid perfume included in the collection, bearing motifs of lips, handbags and lipsticks. Have this burning prettily at home, and once the wax runs out, you know you’ll want to keep the lovely glass jar.
 
Olympia Le-Tan For Diptyque Capsule Collection, available at escentials stores from February. diptyqueparis.com