(Source: The Sunday Times dated 12 August 2007)


Read this article a fortnight ago, I was appalled by the current trend of these young girls and I can never agree enough to this quote "Parents are feeding their kids with money on the outside but not the inside." How True!!!

Teens spend money on their looks to boost their confidence and for acceptance by peers. I do agree that you need to groom yourself to look presentable as 1st impression counts but confidence does not come only from your dress sense! N if your friends regard u as their fren bcos u look gorgeous only with the expensive accessories, chances are, when the accessories leave u, they'll too!

In case you still do not understand, it means they are not your true frens. I have a bosom fren from primary sch for more than 10 years and I can go out with her ard the neighbourhood in slping wear yet feel so comfortable with no worries abt how i look knowing that she'll nv criticise me. This is what I define true frens as! You are yourself infront of them and u nv haf to worry abt presenting only ur best side to them bcos they are suppose to see u at ur worst! Don't mistake my words and think that I don't respect her enuff so I don't dress up when i meet up with her. The truth is that when we decide to venture somewhr further from our neighbourhood, we'll discuss abt dressing up too! N even to wad degree shd we dress up cos it depends on the place we'r gg and the occassion! =)

Knowing that girls as young as 14 years of age sign up for $300 packages and an 18 year old student spending $1k per month($400 in skincare products, $300 on designer labels and $300 in mani & pedi cures) is really disheartening. What's more? The girl even said that she don't feel guilty abt spending her mum's money as long as she don't overspend! DEFINE OVERSPEND for me please!!!! As far as I know, even OL(office ladies) don't spend that much per month!(Or maybe times have changed? Yeah certainly!) $1k a month is more of an once-in-a-while indulgence that does not happen more than once in 2 months for a working class unless u'r a taitai! (I'm sorry to just realise that tai tai doesn't fall into the working class category)

These teens are spending their parent's hard-earned money yet they don't appreciate what's given to them. It is terrible when they treat it as a right and not as a luxury! Sometimes parents should really do their part in controlling the expenditure of their children and give them what the deserve. If they need something deemed as an indulgence, get them to earn their own keep! By saying that I don't mean that they shuld be forced to take up part-time jobs. It can be just a simple task such as promising good results or sacrificing a few outings with frens to stay home etc.

Another girl spends between $300-$500 on clothes and make up to prepare for a Cleo magazine's beauty contest and wants to be a flight attendant bcos she can travel for free, it's a glamorous job and she gets to look pretty all day. How naive! Flight attendants of the past have been looked up to bcos of their well-groomed image, high pay and high job satisfaction. Now it seems that the standard of air stewardess have dropped so drastically together with their customer service level thanks to many people who enter the profession with the same thought in mind as the naive girl. Of late, this career path have been frowned-upon rather than applauded for! I'm sure many people haf heard stories of the dark side of air stewardess, welcome to the cruel dog-eat-dog world.

The worst have yet to come! Another 18 year old interviewed said she washes her face 10 times a day with 5 different cleansers for each wash. She spent 4 yrs experimenting with different cleansers before settling on this "five-step formula". Furthermore, she'll need 1 hr to doll up herself - after shower, apply mosituriser, cellulite gel and make up. The worst is here, a remark made by her: I'm late for school everyday, but I can't help it. I cannot sacrifice my beauty regimen just because I'm late for school, you know?

WHAT??????? I'm shocked!!! Such a statement from an 18 year old. It's not only about the extravagant amount of time spent on her so-called-regimen but more about her time management! If you were to be so conscious of your looks to the extent of not being concern about studies and being on time, you're gonna face a real prob when u get out to the workforce in future. I'm serious!

I have got a real big problem identifying with these kids bcos I have nv ever bought a bottle of cleanser b4 nor spend $1k on beauty products. My closest was spending $1.3k on my recent HK trip which includes alot of shopping! All thanks to Jizmine's Mummy who have inculcated the correct values into little jizmine when she was young. I learnt about the importance of natural beauty and the value of money from her and i'm really greatful for that.

I was nv allowed to apply any beauty products on my skin when I was young but the fact was that I had really wanted to! My mum repeatedly told me that young gers like myself at that age r naturally beautiful w/o 'anything' on the face. Using make-up will only spoil my beauty and facial products will cause my skin to age faster or produce black spots and pimples.

Her method works! Firstly telling me that i'm beautiful boost my confidence! Such that I do not feel like relying on make ups to feel good. Yes and every women, I repeat, EVERY WOMEN out thr is BEAUTIFUL in the eyes of someone else, her loved ones be it parents, grandparents, friends, husband, boyfriend or even strangers! Don't think that u'r not pretty jus bcos tt the person whom u wan him/her to think u'r pretty don't think tt u r! Or dun compare to other gers the no. of pple who thinks she's hot bcos the truth is that u do not know how many pple appreciate ur beauty w/o telling u!

*A side note* I'm very happy that Dove had set out this initiative, do visit the website and support this campaign (Campaign For Real Beauty) if u can!



Drawing the attention back to my mum, the fact that I haf nv put on make up (except for times of performances) until my jc prom night and when I started working in offices shows that her method does work. On a personal note, I fairly hate make-up for the hassle of putting them on and maintaining them throughout the day cos I can't rub my eyes or scratch my face!

Furthermore, as a notable beautician with many facial-product-malfunction stories to tell, I just have to trust her as she is the 'seen-it-all'. She explained that once u start using products on ur face, ur skin gets accustom to it and will constantly need those materials to be on to maintain in that state. So once u stop using the products, ur skin will appear dull due to the absence of the product ingredients which are in the 1st place not good for ur skin. Some may clog up pores or some are 'too strong' in such a way that they 'burn' away the top layer of ur facial skin. Initially it will look good bcos ur new skin underneath appears when the top layer wears off, but when such a process happens too fast for ur skin cells to recover n rejuvenate, that's when aged skins or scars appear. Prolong usage will also have the same effect as the chemical ingredients do not work as effectively anymore.

My skin is near-to-flawless except for a few pimples during 'aunty periods' and I'm still a proud user of johnson baby soap (to wash my face every morning and during baths). Yes, that's it! My beauty regimen! Soap! I do understand that some people have skin problems and need special care for their face hence prescription medications or facial washes are needed. I don't think it comprises of 5 cleansers and cost $1k does it?

My mother have made me beautiful on the outside and the inside, more than what these teens have but with much less money spent!