Last week, we had the pleasure of interviewing one of Singapore’s pioneer beauty blogger Sesame Chew (Vivawoman) when she came to try out our Flowers For Her Ritual. Here’s the full-length interview we did with her!
1. Can you tell us more about yourself?
2. What makes you start a blog to review beauty and skincare tips?
I did not start off in this category, to be honest. In fact, one of my first personal blogs was about parenting.
In the mid 2000s, blogging was in trend and I heard about the hype from my students. As a teacher, I always try to relate back to my students and speak the same lingo as them; understanding what my students do, what they read, is important to me.
Along the way, I came to realise that there were a lot of beauty bloggers in USA, but only handful here in Singapore. I had always expressed interests in beauty, but had lost touch after my child came along. Most beauty bloggers also liked to talk and review about commercial products, which are common. I thought it was a great opportunity to kickstart a beauty blog with a niche in organic and natural skincare, since going green was a big attribution of my lifestyle.
Being a skincare fanatic, I decided to blog about skin care to better take care of myself and at the same time, provide advice to busy women who have no time to take care of themselves.
3. What do you enjoy reviewing most on your blog?
4. What is the best skincare advice you received?
Facial massage! I realised that it’s effective and I first learnt it from beauticians. Along the way, I did some research and found out about a famous Japanese beauty expert Yukuko Tanaka and her anti-aging massage techniques. It worked well for me, so I simplified it and incorporated the technique in my daily skincare regime.
5. What is the biggest misconception about beauty bloggers?
Some people used to think that beauty bloggers like to write fluff about beauty and reviews. Many also used to see them as superficial, or being vain. I believe that there is more to it than just vanity. Skin is the largest organ in our body, and it is important to take care of skin health. To me, applying sunscreen is not a form of vanity, but rather more as a way to protect your organ from the harmful effects of skin cancer.
However, this misconception has cleared over the years. Even professional dermatologists have come online to contribute their expertise, providing a huge help to the readers out there.
6. With so many beauty blogs in Singapore, how do you differentiate vivawoman.net from others?
I’m probably one of the few beauty bloggers who blogs about green beauty. Although my niche is in beauty, I have also expanded my blog focus to be more holistic with green lifestyle features.
Vivawoman tried our Flowers For Her Spa that is a perfect gift for Girlfriend
7. Tell us about your first experience here in Ikeda Spa
A few years back, my colleague mentioned to me about her experience in Ikeda Spa. Her review made me seek for an exciting experience in the Hinoki Onsen Bath.
I have come across Ikeda Spa Prestige’s interior online, but I was surprised when I first stepped into the spa. I never knew an Onsen would fit in this kind of setting. All in all, the entire place looks soothing, contributing to a pleasant experience I had here.
8. What piqued your interest in the Flowers For Her Ritual?
When I first saw the treatment, I did not have any idea what it was. It looks interesting and elegant to me, knowing that little details were well taken care of.
9. Who will you recommend this package to?
I will recommend it to my colleague. We have done a 6 hours spa before in Batam so knowing that she loves visiting spas, I will recommend it to her! Here’s why she think Ikeda Spa is well worth her time and money!
