Face Roller and Cooler Review: Pros, Cons and Science!

Yes, another post on more face equipment! This is the last such post for the time being, and this time I'll be looking at a face roller, which seems to be pretty popular lately, as well as a face cooler. I have with me the Panasonic Warming Facial and Body Roller EH-SP32-S, and the Panasonic Facial Cool Putter DH-SQ10-W. This is also part of the Singapore Blog Awards, so basically I'm given a loan set of these to review. (And again - if you guys want to vote for me, you can do so here! Once a day! Every day! Until July 6!)

If you've read my previous review on the Panasonic Face Steamer, then you'll know that 1) it's a pretty science-based post, and 2) although Panasonic is the sponsor of the Singapore Blog Awards, the review wasn't a "OMG THIS IS SO GOOD GUYS 10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND", pandering kind of review. And like that previous post, I'm also abiding the same principles - rely on the science, and don't pander. So, I'll be looking at the science behind both face rolling, as well as face cooling, and assessing the pros and cons of each of them, in addition to my own experience with the product.



Alright, since I have not one but two products to go through, this post is going to be quite heavy in terms of content. So I hope you've got yourself a nice cup of coffee to accompany you as we get through this post!

Face Steamer Review: The Pros, Cons, and Science of Face Steaming

As part of the Singapore Blog Awards, I was given a loan set of a bunch of Panasonic beauty products, including the Panasonic Face Steamer EH-SA31, for review. (Which reminds me - if you guys want to vote for me, you can do so here! Once a day! Every day! Until July 6!) Anyway, turns out that I also received the same Panasonic Face Steamer to review last year, so this year, instead of rehashing an old post, I'm going to talk more about the science of face steaming, which I didn't get to do in last year's entry. So, don't worry, this is not a rehash of last year's post - in fact, you'll find there is a lot that is different here!

For this review, I'll first start off with a short recap of my experience with the Panasonic Face Steamer EH-SA31 VP, and then go into what the science says about face steaming - does it really work? Is there any benefit in it? If so, what is the benefit? And is all that marketing spiel about detoxing your skin and letting you sweat all your toxins out true?

The thing about science-based posts is that as you might guess, the science isn't unanimously in favour of, or against, steaming your skin. There's some studies indicating that there could be a benefit, but of course there are some cons as well. I'm told that the "Best Beauty Blog" this year is apparently chosen by Panasonic company reps (I think?) based on these blogposts. I'm pretty sure my post, which isn't going to be all raving and "OMG THIS IS SUPER FANTASTIC IT'S THE BEST EVERYONE SHOULD USE IT", may not exactly be the desired type of post some people were hoping for. But the science says what it says, and I'm just reporting on what I've found - I'm not the one conducting the experiments, and I always believe in looking up the science and reporting on it in as unbiased a manner as I can, and that's not going to change. Also, I don't think I should blog any differently just because a post has a different context to it (in this case, the Blog Awards).

So, at the risk of annoying the very people who loaned me this product for review ("OMGZ people sent you this product for review and are using these posts as the basis for choosing a "Best Beauty Blog" and you're not going to be totally 100% positive? What's wrong with you?"), let's get this post going!

Beauty Tutorial: Simple Everyday Makeup and Loose Curls With Panasonic Beauty Tools

It's been quite a hectic journey this Singapore Blog Awards, because I've been busy at work (yes, I do have a full-time job outside of blogging, because unlike some celebrity bloggers I don't get paid to blog), and also, as awesome as the Blog Awards have been, it also means extra work for me, in the form of extra blogposts. Now, if you read my blog, you'll know I don't always blog that regularly - sure every week there will be at least one post or two, but I'm not really a "blog every day" type of blogger. Because so much work and research goes into my posts, either for things like ingredients analysis, or looking up the science behind a claim, I can't really blog everyday. But at the same time, I'm also quite sad that my blogging journey for the Singapore Blog Awards is coming to an end. Yes, this is my third and final post! But I've made sure it's a good one - here's a tutorial with some simple everyday makeup, and loose curls, using some Panasonic Beauty Tools, namely the Facial Ionic Steamer EH-SA31 VP, the Eyelash Curler EH-SE60 VP (both of which I've previously done tutorials for), the Multi-Styling Straightener EH-HW588-K (new to this post!) and the Panasonic Hair Straightener EH=HS95-K (which I've already spoken about in this post). Behold, the transformation:

Now you guys know from my previous post that I don't often curl my hair, so that is one of my maiden voyages into hair curling. The makeup - now that's another matter. This makeup is actually something I wear out quite often, and in fact, you could even say it's my go-to look: bright cheeks, bright lips, a clean, fuss-free eye - it's a look that is classic, easy to wear, and suits everyone. It looks like there's a lot going on, but don't worry - it's less hassle than you think! Below are all the products I used to achieve that look. It's not actually that much, right? (Okay, so I was a horrible person and left out the Multi-Styling Straightener EH-HW588-K from the photo below, because there wasn't enough space - not to worry, more photos of that coming up later!)

Steam My Face? Heat My Lashes? Panasonic's Beauty Tools Made Me Do It!

I've mentioned before in my previous post that this year's Singapore Blog Awards has been quite the eye opener for me - and it doesn't seem to stop! After my epic journey with a hair dryer and a hair straightener/curler, I now get the chance to get up close and personal with a heated eyelash curler and a face steamer! And these touch your face and skin so much closer than hair tools do!



So you may be wondering, what exactly are these strange products? The eyelash curler is the Panasonic Eyelash Curler EH-SE60 VP (for those who want to know the model number) and Panasonic Face Steamer EH-SA31 VP. I think the VP in both product names is a colour code for the pink versions of the equipment, but I'm not sure what it stands for (very pink, perhaps?). In any case, this is the first time EVER I'm using an eyelash curler, as well as a face steamer, so I was a little bit worried when I first tried these - I was so scared that I would burn my eyelashes off, or else just scald my face! Fortunately all turned out well and I lived to tell the tale.

Attempting to Curl My Hair For the First Time with Panasonic Hair Styler

If you've been blogging for 5 years like I have, you tend to think, "Oh well, I've been there, done that, nothing new." But life just has a way of throwing curveballs at you! After over 25 years of not doing anything at all to my hair - I have what is called "virgin hair" in hairstylist/hair-fanatic parlance, I finally attempted to curl and style my own hair, all by my lonesome self! And guess what - I came out totally unscathed! I mean, I didn't even have a burn mark on my neck or anything! (Although I almost touched the hot plate of a hair straightener because it didn't look hot...so there you go, I'm really a hairstyling dummy. Thanks Yvonne for saving my fingers!)

I can hairstylist! Obviously, my hairstyling skills are not the best.

So where and what was that marvellous place where I got to attempt to give myself a more jazzy 'do DIY style? None other than the OMY.sg Singapore Blog Awards event - it was some sort of event for all the beauty blogger finalists to learn more about some of Panasonic's beauty tools. Now I was aware of Panasonic (duh, who hasn't heard of them?) but more in the context of them being a player in the electronics/semiconductor space, so this was definitely the first time I've thought of the brand in the context of beauty. And lo and behold, it was certainly impressive!