Beauty Black Book: Savina Chai Shares The Luxe Beauty Products That Really Work

Savina Chai (@savinachaiyj), Creative Director and Consultant

I've always been brought up adhering to skincare regimes, as my mother worked in the beauty industry, great skin and taking care of it is of extreme importance. This stuck with me over the years and though I no longer use the same products that I used early on in my teenage years, the same fundamentals of a good skincare regime remain the same. My skincare routine rotates around very few products, I rarely switch to different products, only introducing different variations of toners, essence, serums and creams from the key brands I frequent.

My skincare routine starts with a triple cleanse—removing my makeup with makeup wipes followed by THREE Balancing Oil cleanser. I gently pat 3 pumps of cleaning oil to remove any remnants of makeup, dirt, oil. Then I follow with Aesop's Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser with my Foreo Luna Play cleansing device. This cleanser helps me to relax after a long day with natural fragrances that works like aromatherapy. I then use my holy grail of an essence, SK-II's Facial Treatment Essence. Pat it all over the face and then with SK-II's Aura Essence for luminous glowing skin. Next, I tap Chanel's Blue Serum Eye under my eyes using 3 fingers. Imagine that you're playing the piano but only very gently. I then choose my serum that I'd like for the day, I alternate between Skin Inc's Daily Dose serums or Dior's Capture Youth Serums (Glow Booster). Before leaving the house, I finish off with SK-II's sunscreen and start with my makeup routine.

If I'm heading to workout, I set my face with Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. I only use a facial spray before my workout sessions as I workout intensely and do not want to waste good products or have heavy products clog my pores.

The best part of my morning getting ready routine is makeup. I enjoy mixing colours, trying out different eye-makeup and products. When you have a good skin base, the options are limitless! I do not use foundation as I prefer a makeup base that is light, natural and dewy as a good contrast to my eye and lip makeup. For everyday makeup, YSL's Encre De Peau Le Cushion is my go-to. I use shade 20 as I am fair with a yellow under-tone. Next, NARS Radiant Concealer is the only concealer I find myself going back to over the years. I finish setting up my face with Chanel's Natural Finish Loose Powder, the only powder I've used since I was 16. I've tried many other Chanel powders since then but this is still my favourite. On most days, I go for orangey-bronzed eyes with Urban Decay's NAKED HEAT palette with Burberry's Cat Eyeliner in Brown and Dior's DIORSHOW Mascara. I'll highlight with Becca's Champagne Pop Highlighter and Estee Lauder x Victoria Beckham's Bronzer for sculpted cheeks. I pat a little colour with NARS' Orgasm Blush. I'll use CHANEL's LE BLANC Hydrating Lip Balm with colour to finish off my whole sun-kissed look. Lastly, I fill in my brows with Benefit's Precisely, My Brow pencil.

I frequent multiple salons and places as I believe in investing time to take care of yourself. The places I frequent for hair is Mi the Salon. My stylist, Gary, has been doing my hair for 4 years and that's the only salon I trust. The hair treatments that I swear by are the K-Gloss Treatment and Texture control treatment. For nails, I go to Manicurious at Beach Road where I always enjoy a good cup of tea and a good conversation with my manicurist, Mui Foong, while working on my phone.

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