Saintangelius

Life in a box...

2009-10-06T14:57:00.001+08:00

Needed to explain my recent hiatus. Will be back in a couple of days when we settle down in the new location.

My cup of tea...

2009-09-30T19:06:00.002+08:00

OH NOES!

With much remorse I noted today that my supply of Sakuranoyu or better known as Sakura Flower Tea, is at its' end. I only have enough for 1 serving left. Or 2 if I'm lucky ^^;;

I have a pension for salty pickled things ^^ I love pickled Ume (plums) as well, particularly the one with akajiso (red perilla). Not vinegary(althought that is okay too) Salty is important! Anyone know where I can get some Sakura tea? I had to get a friend to sneak out of a buddhist camp in Japan to run to a supermarket an find this for me XD

I also drink this, Ume Kombu Cha (plum flavoured Seaweed Tea). I know that it is usually used as a stock base and makes a good flavouring for friend rice ^_^ I treat it as a savoury soupy drink on days that are too cold in the office.

I love tea ^___^ I'd take some pictures of my other teas but I'm in the midst of packing up my office and moving so some of the stuff I like I have not stocked up on yet. I can't wait for our new office pantry. I'm going to rule with tea!

Hello, my name is Saint and I'm a boxaholic...

2009-09-29T11:45:00.005+08:00

Last week coincided with a major holiday here in Malaysia. Needless to say I had some much needed free time to do some "ME" things. Shopping, Tea with friends, Movies... and cleaning out my room -.-

I'm a big supporter of recycling. I don't usually throw away stuff into the bin if I think it can be used elsewhere. I like sample containers because they are fabulous for traveling. What I don't need I put aside for my bi-monthly(sometimes after 3 months, if I'm lazy) trip to the recycling center. I know it's not much but I like knowing I'm doing my little part for the preservation of the planet's natural resources.

Anyways, I was collecting, arranging and cataloging all the different recycables in my room when the Boyfriend sorta walked in. I never show anyone my recycling collection. Generally, chinese people will just assume you are hording trash. Close... but not quite. So it was kinda like a 'deer in the headlights' kind of moment. Me... surrounded my cardboard boxes and glass bottles...the Boyfriend... staring down at me, bursting out laughing...

He then proceeded to take pictures of the collection, insisting I show to people who read my blog about my strange abnormality...sighs... So this are the items I've bought and used up since July.

I also have plastic containers and glass containers(that I have already arranged and put aside) which luckily he didn't see or there would be more pictures. I actually am pretty good at hitting pan with my skincare. I sometimes have difficulty with makeup as there are so many pretty things ^^

Do you girls recycle? One a single item basis or do you horde for a big mother load?

Tomorrow is another day...

2009-09-21T02:47:00.003+08:00

I just finished watching 'Gone With the Wind'. I love that old world hollywood grandiosity. The set, the lighting the costume design and the flamboyant acting... ooh... sends chills up my spine. Needless to say, I love Audrey Hepburn and Ginger Rogers as well. I like how it's so surrealistic...

Anyways, this post is to serve as an update for the past week. Work has been catching up on me the last week. Busy, busy, busy. Also packing up some of my accumilated things in my cubicle for the imminent move. The boss has decided to move the company to a new location, taking with him a select group of staff to set up operations the new premise. Guess who's on the list. I'm actually glad thought. I would like to leave this stuffy air-conditioning system behind.

I picked up a copy of VoCe earlier in the week and was pleasantly surprised with the amount of samples in it. There was Paul and Joe's primer and the new light cream foundation N (in my colour too!) and generous sampling of Est's new line up. I picked it up because I noticed the paul and joe zip bag in it that was a rather cute purple colour. There was a fantastic article on how they tested out 10 of the newest foundations that were available on the market from the various brands. Very informative. I was quite impressed as some of those brands I wouldn't have thought of picking up, seeing their attributes done quite scientifically was very amusing and enlightening.

Another happy thing that happened this week was the arrival of my new phone on tuesday. I rushed off after work with the Boyfriend to pick it up. I haven't stopped playing with it since. I'm so happy! I haven't had a new phone in a while because I couldn't decide on which. I had wanted this particular phone for the longest time. I first say it on youtube at the tradeshow and struck it off as being only a concept model. I almost fainted when it was announced in May that it would be released here. I waited and waited and waited... until they did a soft launch at 1Utama (local shopping mall) for the holiday season and I snapped up one from the first shipment! Haha! Mine at last!

I'm proud to present to you, my LG GD900, fondly known as Crystal.

Yes, my phone keypad is transparent! It's a multitouch, gesture-enabled system, means it responds to more than one finger touching it at various pressures and shaking the phone in various directions produces interesting results. The keypad is also touch based and is used in a fashion similar to the touch pad of a laptop. You can also pre-assign finger markings as your shortcuts instead of scrolling through the entire menu for the applications you want. Wifi and 3G enabled, this lovely little piece of gadgetry comes with an 8MP camera and a symbian OS that allows for just about any Java application to run. This can run just about any application the I-Phone has and can also send and recieve emails like blackberry using it's own version of Outlook through it's 3G/GPRS/EDGE bands. Good for a pre-paid user like me that doesn't want the hassle of switching to a post-paid data service.

I love gadgets. Always have and always will. Its a passion that rivals that of my love for makeup^_^

Yoohoo! Mr. Postman...

2009-09-10T23:30:00.001+08:00

Look what was waiting for me when I got home yesterday evening (okay okay... night... late night). I was starting to think it got lost in the mail due to all the public holidays we were having.

My Kevin Beautymaker Hydrating lotion and Eye serum! Lovely *dances around the room* I have been waiting for about a week plus for these. The hydrating lotion is to reply my Dr.Jart+ Multi Action Essence Lotion which is on it's last legs at the moment and the hydrating eye serum is to replace my kanebo sensai eye contour balm which I finished a little while ago but have yet to find a suitable replacement. Hopefully this one is the right choice. The seller threw in a couple of masks as freebies. I like her service. I will definitely order again.

I have to admit something. I tested this right away last night. The eye serum is a clear gel while the lotion is a milky... lotion! Both absorb really well into the skin with little or no residue left behind. Definitely no stickiness whatsoever. Because of the absorbency rate you might be tempted to slap on more of the lotion. I would suggest you put on another cream instead because to lotion's hydrating properties make it a good base for other nice skincare to go on. Both products contain fragrance; a light watered down rose syrup smell. It's not cloying like the occasional Anna Sui product an not cheap like a drugstore brand. I get the feeling that it's more of an aromatheraputic addition. You know, just to relax you. As they say, happy people have happy skin.

Will go thru them more and give you guys an update in a couple of weeks.

I've got a secret to share...

2009-09-10T14:15:00.006+08:00

Something so juicy I couldn't keep it to myself. I just had to share with all your lovely ladies.

Yesterday I was hanging out at Pavilion KL after work. After checking the Shu counter ( M34 is indeed the match for majo's PK333!), I pranced my way to Parkson to see Nancy, my favourite Paul and Joe SA. We chatted and talked P&J for a nice long time, discussing the new fall makeup and the new bronzers.

Out of the blue Nancy shared with me her 'special' Paul & Joe Marketing and Sales kit! It was a huge stack of printouts of all the P&J products, particularly the new releases that are coming out soon!

It's confirmed. Stocks for the Fall Base Makeup collection will be at the counters from the last week of September. The new Light Cream Foundation S, Stick Concealer N(with new shades) and the new Undereye concealer. I can't wait for that last one.

A new lip moisture treatment (balm in a lipstick tube) will be out on the first week of October. They are staggering all the new products so there is always something new every month right up till next year. New lipglosses in squeezey tube form will also appear. We were talking about how I was going to keep my old lip gloss brush thing and squeeze the new one into it so that I can keep using the brush applicator.

I also got a sneak peek at... the 2009 Holiday Coffret. Yes! Paul and Joe has one on the way! For the life of me as I'm typing this I can't remember exactly what's in it but it's two products and one is in a tube(maybe skincare) and these items come in a lovely black box with lid embossed with the paul and joe name and new christmas design. So happy! Nancy is going to alert me when stocks are ready for pre-order or for buying. Malaysia is not really into pre-orders at counters for some reason. All I know is that when that shipment leaves Japan for Kuala Lumpur, one of those boxes will have my name on it!

Straight Line with a flick...

2009-09-09T19:30:00.001+08:00

I get the feeling that the pictures in this post are all self-explanatory. these are all my Pen type liquid eyeliners. I like these more than my dipping brush types or the pencil types. I do however prefer gel liners to these as the gel liners have a softer look to them. But these are fabulous on the go ^_^-b I keep the HeroineMake one in my makeup bag with me.

So without further ado, Automatic Liquid eyeliners...

These are the swatches below. I didn't swatch the PN one because it's dry. I kept it anyways because it was one of the first liquid pen type eyeliners I bought and I still have trouble matching that colour ^^;; I found the replacment Maquillage one not quite the same.
These are the brush tips.
Overall verdict: I like the HeroineMake one for the stiff thin brush that is extremely comfortable to use. The Majo ones are thicker and like my Neo Automatic, tend to split after a while (I've seen it happen on quite a few testers - I thought it was just girls being rough with testers but I had a similar fate too). I also noticed that the fomulation for the Perfect Automatic Liner is not as 'thick' as the Neo Automatic one. Perfect seems to flake off faster in smaller bits. The Neo one stayed on longer and came off in chunks.

What about you girls out there who have these, what say you?

An innocent blush...

2009-09-08T19:30:00.000+08:00

As promised these are the swatches for my Majolica Majorca blusher collection. I do realised that I tend to pick most of my blushers from this brand. I can't really pin point why I do this. Maybe because of colour suitability and also the lack of glitter. I'm not fond of glitter in my makeup particularly face and base makeup. Shimmer I can take but not glitter. I do like KATE's and MACs and also shu uemura's but these are usually my first pick as they are good for their price.

My camera seems to be shooting everything with a slight yellow overtone. I need to go reset my white balance again.

This is OR322, one of the first Majo blushers I picked up when their brand first launched in KL, hence the palette. It's a nice matte orangie-coral tone that has a nice warmnest to it. This gives a very natural flush to most asian faces. Good staying power and very pigmented colour so go easy and blend well. The pan is quite narrow tho as is with all Majo blushers. Paris B has compared this shade to NARS Orgasm. Seems that's it's a valid dupe ^_^

This is PK333. A matte cool toned pink. This makes that dolly pop look that was very popular last year and earlier this year. The pigmentation helps because you don't need that much of product for an outstanding blush on your cheeks. I use it on days that I feel girly ^_^ It's good to layer this over OR322 as well for a very cute night look.

This is the newly released 88. It's a shimmer glitter muted icy pink. I think the pink is more like a brightener type colour ( think P&J's pressed powders) instead of actual colour. There are obvious glitter bits in this one. Not big, but some enough to 'highlight' my pores on my nose. I must remember never to put this on my nose. Works great under the eyes and on cheeks. I'm trying very hard to find a purpose for it in my collection. It's pretty in the pan, I must admit.

This is from Majo LE MJ spice collection, around... autumn 2007? correct me if I'm wrong. It's called Dolly Spice. It's a pearl-finish pink in a loose powder form. This one sits in my everyday makeup bag as it's good on the go. Hold your finger over the top, tilt it over, tilt back and voila! pigment on your finger, rub on desired area with joy. Works as an eyeshadow in emergency situations. I'm looking to acquire the rest of this collection but of the 5-6 shades available this one the one I lusted after the most. The other would be the Red with gold shimmers.

Swatches of each individual colour on my arm. I like how they blend very well on the skin and still have such strong shades. I normally use a brush for a more subtle blend but these are done with my finger for shade accuracy. I only rubbed my finger across the pans twice for this level of saturation. It's quite strong in real life but I wasn't sure if the camera was going to pick it up. It did o.o! This is good for photoshoots ^_^

That concludes the blushers. Watch out for the eyeliner one coming pretty soon ^_^

The house of Etude...

2009-09-07T16:34:00.008+08:00

I dropped by Etude House on Saturday out of curiousity because Ning said their facewashes were good and Kathi who reviewed their brushes a while ago and had me interested since then.

The above picture are the items I picked out, the SA at the 1Utama outlet was super sweet. I didn't catch her name but I would definately look for her again when I go and buy stuff. I was looking for a replacement of my blush brush as I felt the current one I had was a little ... too efficient? I picked up alot of pigment so I had to be very lighthanded with my application. I felt that it was more suitable as a big blending brush for my eyelids of a highlighter brush.

I also bought on of their hand masks as you can see from the picture above. This one was so intriguing I had to get it. It's their Rich Collagen Hand Mask Pack. I was already using a hand cream that was pretty good so I didn't think using it on my own hands was going to be any use.

*Lightbulb effect*

I'll use it on MUM!

These are mum's hands a little white after her shower. Typical mum hands. I followed the instructions on the back of the package and proceeded with glee. First I opened the section labeled 'Part 1' which contained 2 sheet masks shaped like hands soaking in the rich collagen serum. It was a milky white substance that had a thin lotion consistency (hey! Don't go getting dirty thoughts). It smelled quite nice, a light fruity floral bouquet that I couldn't quite distinguish. Not unpleasant. I placed the masks on the back of her hands and then open the section labeled 'Part 2'. This contained the plastic gloves. Such a quaint little idea! Slipped mum's hands into said gloves. Was a bit of a struggle because both of us were giggling madly as the finger bits of the sheetmask kept slipping off while the plastic mask was trying to go on.

This was the result of the giggling struggle.

Leave them in the plastic gloves for about 15-20 minutes. In the mean time you are suppose to massage your fingers at certain acupunture points as per the picture that is printed on the mask's packaging. Easy.

Finally, Mum's hands.

The mask is not a miracle worker but... It has actually made slight improvements on mum's hands. The immediate results were plumper more supple skin. It really was softer to the touch. The paleness was probably due to the fact that the mask was cold when it went on. All in all a good pampering treat that is not neccesarily for it's physical benefits but it's emotional one. Mum said it felt quite fun and relaxing. She liked the smell. She did however not a slight itching when her hands were first put into the gloves. I examined them there were not redness of swelling or any allergic reaction signs so I attributed the itching to their sheet mask quality which was a little rough. Good thing their face masks weren't like that. It's a shame. It would have been lovely if it were the same material as their face masks. Those are nice and thick. This was was quite thin.

Ah... fun experiment.

Have you guys tried this product before or done a similar hand treatment mask like the one from bodyshop?

Rewarding treats...

2009-09-05T02:03:00.000+08:00

I decided to reward myself today for finishing a one-man project in less than a week. When I walked over to KLCC to pick up my copy of Popteen I swung by Watsons on the way up and peaked at the Majolica Majorca display.

LOW AND BEHOLD! The new autumn items were in! My fingers dived for the cheek customize blush I have been eye-ing for the longest time since I read about it on Haru's Blog all those months ago. My face lit up with glee. My fingers were twitching. My lips curved into a huge smile. My toes were doing a little happy dance in my ballet flats. My money in my wallet were inching their way out to aid our stagnant economy.

I couldn't resist that blush. Even it's colour code had such an ominous ring to it. 88 . Such an auspicious number for any chinese person out there. It was mine! When I got back to the office I was studying the blush a little more and then I started laughing (Not that my colleagues noticed anyways - random acts of craziness is the norm). This colour looks like my Paul & Joe Face Colour B No.46! I will definately have to test them out side by side to see but I think that the Majo one has more glitter.

Now, these two lovelies. The new perfect automatic liner. I always loved this particular Shiseido product in most of its incarnations from back in the day when Shiseido PN was still around. Their Automatic liquid liner was the best I've ever used at that point in time ( err... 7-8 years ago?) Literally love at first sight. Was utterly heartbroken when PN was discontinued and Maquillage wasn't available in Malaysia yet for a while. The shiseido The Makeup line didn't have those liners yet. I choose BR601(brown) and BL603(blue) becuase I needed a replacement for my Neo Automatic Liner in BR662 ( the brush tip was spliting-no nice thin lines anymore). When I swatched the blue on my hand I was quite taken. It was a shade that was work safe and yet quite funky in its own dark and fairly sadistic (pun intended) way. I didn't need another black liner because I can not find one that is as good as my KissMe Heroine Make Liquid Eyeliner pen ( I will have to do a review and show this one to the world soon). Sadly Heroine Make only comes in black.

Sighs... shopping is such a rewarding exercise. The boyfriend eyes bulged out when he say the price run up on the till for those 3 items. But he barely made a comment on it, just like how I don't comment on the prices of his car parts and upgrades. We have such a good relationship together ^__^

Let it snow...

2009-09-02T13:56:00.001+08:00

All in a day's work...

2009-08-27T23:59:00.000+08:00

Everyday I face 3 monitors ( my collegue corrected me - 4 because the DS is a dual screen). Luckily I have my trusty CD Diorsnow Sublissime White Reveal UV Shield SPF50PA+++ (such a long name) !!!

And by the way, my drunking kareoke singing bunny says hello. Don't mind the slurring ^^;;

On the bathroom counter today...

2009-08-26T15:54:00.011+08:00

I was reading Blair's blog yesterday and she had done a post about the products that she's using right now. I found it a very fun read. Seeing as the office was pretty quiet today and I'm fed up with programming .asp websites I decided to try my hand at it. I'm trying to keep it precisely to what I've used today.

---

Day Skin Care
Cleanser: ZA True White Cleansing Foam
Toner: Dr. Jart+ Multiaction Balancing Toner
Eye Cream: none at the moment - waiting for beautymaker ^_^
Day Serum: Paul and Joe Whitening Serum
Day Moisturizer: Dr. Jart+ Multiaction Essence Lotion
Sunblock: CD DiorSnow White Reveal UV Shield SPF50PA+++
Lip Balm: Mentholatum SuperSoft Treatment lipbalm

Night Skin Care
Makeup Remover: CyberColors Gentle Eye and Lip makeup remover
Cleanser: ZA True White Facial Cleansing Foam
Exfoliator: Laneige Strawberry Peeling Gel
Toner: Dr. Jart+ Multiaction Balancing Toner
Eye Cream: none - it's in the post on the way
Night Serum: Paul & Joe Beaute Whitening Serum
Night Moisturizer: Aquajuju Aquamoist Collagen Cream
Sleeping Mask: Laneige Water Sleeping Pack
Lip Balm: BodyShop LipButter

Makeup
Primer: Paul and Joe Protective Foundation Primer UV SPF40PA+++
BB Cream: Dr.Jart+ Silver Label BB Cream SPF35PA+++
Liquid Foundation: Paul and Joe Protective Fluid Foundation N (I have the powder
version for touchups)
Mineral Foundation: none
Concealer: none - waiting for P&J's fall release for the undereye concealer ^^
Powder: Paul and Joe Face Powder N
Eye Brow: Majolica Majorca Eyebrow pencil, Kate Designing Eyebrows Palette
Eye Liner: KissMe Liquid Eyeliner pen
Mascara: Majolica Majorca Lash Gorgeous Wing
Contouring/Highlighting: Maquillage Design Remake Powder in Silky Pink
Blush: Majolica Majorca MJ Spice Collection Dolly Spice

Body Care

Shower Gel: Shokubutsu Green tea Shower Gel
Body Lotion: Thann Rice Extract Body Milk
Scrub: Eversoft Marine extract(?) Body Scrub
Sunblock: ZA True White Sun Screen SPF40PA+++ - but i use it sparingly as I don't like the scent

Hair Care

Shampoo: Shiseido Tsubaki Red
Conditioner: Shiseido Tsubaki Red
Leave In Hair Conditioner: none

Mask: Shiseido Tsubaki Red Treatment EX

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That about sums it up. I just realised that I use quite a fair bit of Paul and Joe and Shiseido... hmmm... Maybe I need to branch out a bit... but their stuff is good!

Squeaky Clean...

2009-08-25T20:45:00.000+08:00

I recently discovered something very interesting in my favourite 100yen shop.

Daiso Sponge Detergent.

I have seen this on some singaporean blogs where the beautyblogger raved about this being a gentler formula than MAC's brush cleanser that she uses it on her brushes as well. I was intrigued. Could it really be better than MAC? The next time I was in Daiso I made sure to put a bottle in my basket. When I got home I was itching to do the experiment. My curiousity was getting the better of me.

This is the sponge from my Paul and Joe Dual Protective Powder Foundation. Needless to say I should have washed it more often but evidence suggest I never really bothered. I know, naughty saint. I never knew how to clean sponges properly. I used to wash them with a some warm water and body soap but that ruined quite a number of sponges in the past. So, as you can see, the sponge still has a portion of the 'original' colour just to show you the difference.

I wet the sponge under some running water and pour about 2 cm diameter amount on to the sponge and proceeded to give it a couple of squeezes and a little more water. At first nothing happened. And then make up was coming off the sponge and on my hand. It looked exactly like liquid foundation. I gave the sponge a quick rinse and squeezed some more. Then the foam started coming out. Bubbles everywhere! I washed and washed. In about 10 minutes did the water run clear. Phew. This is the result.

I say it's a good outcome. Splendid if I do say so myself! I think I will now wash my sponge religiously every friday without fail.

-----

I'm thinking of starting a series of posts to talk about various skincare and makeup brands available in Malaysia and how to get them. I'll start with those that I have tried personal first tho. I want to create something like an informative buying guide for those who want to find out more about those brands before marching up to a counter. I might as well put all that brochure collection of mine to good use. What do you ladies think? Leave a message ^_^

The best things in life are free...

2009-08-24T15:45:00.000+08:00

Most of you would know by now that my current obsession is RMK. I'm riveted with anticipation to try their skincare! High cost has stopped me from blindly plonking down my credit card for the set. My mum used to call me the 'spendthrift'... Sighs... It's not so bad now becuase she benefits from all my masks and creams. I even do her makeup for her various functions and dinners. She loaths going to these social events because it means she has to dress up. She thought she put it all behind her when she retired from her high profile job - low and behold, dad's still in the game! cracks me up all the time when she comes running to my wardrobe for something new to wear. We are the same height and build.

Anywho, where was I? Oh yes, RMK. On friday I walked over to KLCC to pick up my usual order of magazines from Kinokuniya. I thought to myself "since I'm walking through Isetan anyways, I'm sure there is no harm for me to stop by the RMK counter and look for their brochures". I'm a really am a brochure junkie. If anyone is going to send me anything please include the brochures! I love reading them.

At the RMK counter I spoke to the SA. He was such a sweet guy. After a chat about the skintuners and the fruit barrier cream and also how much it took to join the RMK Club. We got to talking about the Sale season and all. I must have had such an 'eager beaver' look on my face that he slipped me some samples. Shibby ^_^

SAMPLES! I love samples. I have a secret stash of them. I love saving them. It's so hard to bring myself to use them, with all their minature packaging. I used to horde the SkinFood ones to the point where I had to use them or they'd expire. Good thing I learnt to keep tabs on which was from when.

On Saturday, the Boyfriend and I went to Midvalley and the Gardens. There was another RMK counter there that I casually sauntered over to and proceeded to ask the exact same questions. This other SA recommended a different skintuner to me compared to the other guy on friday. I must have has a look of great perplexity that she proceeded to offer me more samples of the ones that she was talking about. It's so easy to make me happy.

I'll give the samples a test run and let you guys know of my initial impression.

More samples!!! This time from shiseido, Watsons and Sasa. Yes. I kinda accidentally hauled, if that were even possible. This is the damage:

Maquillage Moisture Rouge (Color On Type) - RD230 = RM90.00

Maquillage Lip Essence = RM32.00 (SPECIAL PRICE!)

Kate Designing Eyebrow N = RM32.51 (10% off)

Watson's Sealed Edges Cotton Pads = RM4.90 (not pictured)

Aquajuju Aquamoist Collagen Cream = RM68.50 (not pictured - repurchase)

Look at the samples the Shiseido SA gave me! Normally you don't get samples when you buy one lipstick. I should know. I've done that many times and I sure wasn't expecting samples this round. Just for the lipstick she even gave me a mini makeover and did my eyebrows.

Will do a review on the lipstick and lip essence soon. But I've already opened the lip essence and I must say, "It's good stuff that one!"

The Essence of the matter...

2009-08-19T13:30:00.003+08:00

Product: Dr. Jart+ Multi Action Essence Lotion

Price : RM130 (after conversion plus shipping)

Active Ingredients:

Glycerin, Arbutin, Trehalose, Oenanthe Javanica Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower extract, Hordeum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Carbomer, Trethanolamine, Betaine, Morus Alba Root extract, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Adenosine, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Morus Alba Fruit Extract, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract

It says:

Whitening and Anti-Wrinkle

Comments:

This was not quite what I expected it to be. I was looking for something that was more heavy-duty. Instead this was more like a serum. It works very well but can't stand alone as a moisturiser. I do believe the anti-wrinkle properties and the whitening one works. Not as strongly as a more specific product but this makes a good complimentary item to add to your routine. I use this after balancing toner but before my Paul and Joe whitening serum. It probably has enhanced the effects of the whitening serum and aquamoist cream after that. When I use the products alone I actually do have the 'illusion' that they don't sink as well into my skin like when used with this extra lotion. I think it all boils down to hydration. When the skin is sufficiently hydrated it will be easier for it to absorb more of the good stuff from your lotion, serums, and creams.

As you can see it has a very light texture, almost like a thick gel. A little goes a long, long, long There is hardly any scent to it which I like. I'm very partial to scents in my cosmetics unless it's something that is appealing to me or it goes away rather quickly. My skin drinks this up almost at once. It takes very little effort so your skin to absorb this lotion. I generally target my between my eyebrows, nose, cheeks and marionette lines with this. I tend not to put it near my hairline or my chin as those are spots more susceptible to breakouts if i'm not careful with the amount I apply.

I would probably not repurchase this unless on a whim. One, because I do want to try RMK skintuners ( toner and moisturiser in 1! I always found that concept intriguing). Two, because this is more a supplimentary then a compulsory product. A nice to have but not neccessarily need. I just might try the Beautymaker one and see how they stake up against each other. Beautymaker is half the price.

Toning up...

2009-08-17T00:14:00.005+08:00

Product: Dr. Jart+ Multi Action Balancing Toner

Price : RM92 (after conversion plus shipping)

Active Ingredients:

Betaine, Carica Papaya (papaya) fruit extract, Aloe Barbadensis leaf juice, Oenanthe Javanica Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Leaf Extract.

It says:

Alcohol-Free, Pigment-Free, Perfume-Free

Comments:

I was intrigued by this brand after trying their Silver Label BB cream which I found to be quite effective. I was looking around for a new skincare range to try having decided to move on from ZA True White and I chanced upon this in LYN. I have always known about the range but never had the opportunity to get it until now. And it was rather affordable too. So i PM-ed the seller, put in my order.

I liked the fact that this was a toner that didn't have all the regular chemicals in it. I wasn't ready to go fully organic so this was a pleasant 'inbetweener' if you catch my drift.

This is a colourless liquid that has the consistency of ... err... Chinese soup stock (?). It's not as 'wet' as regular toners because of it's lack of alcohol. It's not gel like either. Think of it as like a heavier molecule-d water base. I wonder if I'm making sense. It smells faintly of citrus from the bottle but upon application the smell disappears. It is not as astringent as it's alcoholic counterparts but the witch hazel in it leaves a fresh feeling. Doesn't remove any makeup like most toners but leaves skin feeling quite hydrated even after strong exfoliators.

I will probably repurchase this if not for me dying to try the RMK skin tuners. Maybe if the skin tuner doesn't work out I will go back to this. I find that this is a fantastic product to rebalance my skin back to it's dormant state. The one where it's not inflamed but neither is it sparkling.

Moist is it's name...

2009-08-15T11:30:00.001+08:00

Product : AquaJuju Aquamoist Collagen Cream (It actually says Hyaluronic Acid Cream on the bottle)

Price : RM 51.90 (give or take a couple of bucks during sales)

Comments:

A rather satisfying moisturiser. I bought this because I was in need of a new moisturiser/night cream after I realised that my current lotion was more like a serum then a proper cream. I chose the earlier bottle because I saw a faint line on the left side near the mouth area that wasn't there before. Think 2 weeks before. For some reason, I put it down to dehydration. That prompted me to purchase the first lotion and then this one. I read a review somewhere about how thick this particular cream is and that was one of the main key points as to why I bought it. I wanted something that worked as a good heavy duty night cream. The cream comes in 4 different variations but I chose this one as my first to try. Collagen being a very good skin plumper that it is stood out above the rest.

After using it for over a month I realise that this is good stuff! My skin is smoother and the pores are not as prominent. Black heads are much less. I believe the cream has also added to the efficacy of my Paul and Joe whitening serum. The main crux I wanted to address, 'The Faint Line' has also disappeared *jumps for joy* I was quite nervous about the whole birthday and the mandatory getting older part*

I strongly believe that the main culprit to most of my skin ailments is the Office AC. I find myself using heavier moisturisers lately to combat the lack of hydration in my skin these days. I'm literally slapping on lotion on my elbows, knees, ankles and hands every time i sit down at my desk. Yes! My ankles too.

The texture is nicely thick and creamy. There is no detectable scent or fragrance to this cream which is a big bonus. You only need a small dipping of cream from the pot to cover your face. Maybe a little bit more to do the neck as well. That picture shows the amount I use for both face and neck, twice a day. With that regime even after a month plus the pot is still at half.

Snow White...

2009-08-14T16:58:00.006+08:00

Product : Paul and Joe Whitening Serum

Price : RM 145

Comments:

I find this particular serum quite nice. I'm not too sure about the whitening properties at the moment as I haven't used it long enough to determine this. I have however noticed a significant 'brightening' and evening of my skintone. I have also had comments from Mummy and the Boyfriend over my skintone being fairer in just the past couple of days.

Another clue is also my foundation. I normally pick foundation shades that are just a tad lighter than my skintone in hopes of evening out my skintone with some cheapskate contouring tricks. I was never good with contouring powder or bronzers. I now realised my new P&J matches exactly and my previous staple, Shiseido The Makeup is too dark for me now. Hmm...

I missed a week of application because I had this pretty bad breakout on my chin. AHHA! I read the instructions and they said that one should not apply serum on areas that had pimples,sunburns or cuts. Being the typical chinese mind that I am, I had this horrid image in my head of that patch that didn't get the serum on it being significantly darker than the rest of my face.

The texture is smooth and runny. You only need 2 pumps per application twice a day. Lightly scented with their Signature Orange Flower, the serum absorbs in about 3 seconds after some light massaging. I use this after essence but before cream.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

2009-08-09T03:30:00.004+08:00

I've been a way for a while for a number of reasons.

Week #1 = Events at work has caused this OL a number of sleepless nights and much agony.

Week #2 = More ensuing work related agony resulting in this OL going on a quick holiday where she visited 2 different islands but did not set foot on a single beach ( strange I know! I will have some pictures up soon)

Week #3 = Returned back to work on tuesday with a the ruddy flu -.- Spent much time in the office telling everyone I was fine but pumping Bio-C tablets at every available private moment. Only just got better today.

Today's post is about my new haul from Incheon DutyFree. WHEE!

All that only cost USD 34.00! Take for example the famous Strawberry Yogurt Pack . That one retails in Malaysia for RM 95 which is about USD 27.00. The one in the picture was purchased at USD10! I'm still reeling over the savings. I was always tempted to these 3 products whenever I browse the counters but couldn't bring myself to buy them. I wasn't prepared to pay that much for a mid-range korean brand when there is a heavy saturation of other low to mid-range korean brands that are cheaper here in Malaysia. SkinFood and The Face Shop are exceedingly popular.

Will do reviews when my skin is back to normal. The holiday and the flu has left it in dire need of restoration. Maybe that's where these guys would be useful...

When the going gets tough...

2009-07-21T21:15:00.004+08:00

The tough go shopping!

I wanted to indulge in little retail therapy and decided to go shopping on sunday in Pavilion. Okay okay... the actual reason I wanted to go to pavilion is because I wanted to see the new Paul & Joe counter. Nancy(the very nice SA) told me during my last visit that they were going to move from Parkson KLCC to Parkson Pavilion on the 15th of July so I wanted to be there at least in the first week to shop my support. SHOW! I meant show ...

Anyways, I think I did alright. I refrained from spending like it was the last day before a worldwide ban on shopping. So here's what I got.

Here's the damage:

Paul & Joe Whitening Serum - RM 145

Paul & Joe Protective UV Primer - RM 118

Majolica Majorca Cheek Customize - RM 24.90

Facial Sponges - RM 9.45

Iora Chincer Belt - RM 33

Gossip Girl Season 1 DVD set - RM50

I couldn't help myself. I wanted something new to watch and Gossip Girl was sitting there on the shelf. The shine on it's plastic wrap cover being particularly flashy. More outstanding then all the other DVDs in the shop. I'll go back for Season 2 next when I finish this one.

I've been wanting to lay my hands on a bottle of that whitening serum for a long time but was waiting till i finished one of my current skincare items. I finally finished the ZA Deep Hydrating Gel on friday. The primer is a good stand in for my almost-gone DiorSnow White Reveal UV Shield. I picked up the MM blush because I wanted a stand-in for my LE MM Dolly Spice loose blush for days when I don't want that much shimmer. This one is the same shade but with a matte finish. I'll do a comparison soon.

I also visited the MAC store as I wanted to try all those lippies that I have listed on the side there --->

Sighs... No dice... the very pretty 'colour crafted' one made me look like a ganguro wannabe or a yamaba. Not quite the look I was going for. I didn't expect it to be that frosted. I tried a number and fI inally settled on one called ' Giddy' but it looked like too much like my Maquillage one. I will probably just bulk and get the Lunasol and Coffret D'or ones that I saw in Isetan KLCC instead. Those seemed to give me a better feel. I also wanted to pick up the fluidliner in MacroViolet but they were out of stock! Horror of horrors! I, Saintangelius the cheap, was willing to spend some money, and they were out of stock! Haha! Oh well...

I won't give up. I'll keep going back to MAC until I find a nice pink colour that finally matches my skintone! *said with much renewed confidence*

I checked out my next victims over at the RMK counter and I must say, I'm suitably impressed. Hehehe.... I have decided to go the skintuner in either Smoother or Light. I'd also like to try their Recovery Gel (this one depends on when my Laneige Water Bank gel is arriving) and their Fruit Barrier Cream. The Herb Mists smell absolutely divine. I'm tempted to pick up the bergamot one. I really love my tea, can you tell?

I'm not quite sure about the eye gel tho. I would like to try it but I'm not sure it does what I want it to do which is to diminish dark circles and maybe plump up the skin around my eyes.

Will keep you guys post if I make the purchase.

All in all, it was a very fruitful day. I can't wait for the next urge to shop. I enjoy being able to forget all the ails of the office and just browse and window shop, testing stuff is such a joy. I'm love trying on pretty dresses that I know I'll never wear. This is simply because I know that I would not have an occasion to wear them to and also sometimes it's too bold or daring. But then, for that 10 minutes in changing room, I'm a different person. The dress was made for me. The seams are tailored to my figure. For that precious 10 minutes, I own it and nothing else matters. Everything beyond the door melts away. Occasionally I invite the Boyfriend in an twirl happily for his approval. He loves to see me in pretty things. I love the floor to ceiling mirrors that circle the room. The delicious rustling of the fabric as I step into the dress and admire the way it falls about me. The smooth sleekness of the silk and satin ribbons. The texture of lace. The sheen of velvet.

Smiling brightly, I strike a pose.

Easy-Peasy...

2009-07-21T14:31:00.003+08:00

I was removing my makeup last night when I had this idea. I was going to test the different removers I had on my counter against my toughest cosmetic item, KissMe Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara. This one has got to be the most long-staying no budging mascara I've ever tried. You can cry with this baby on and it won't even slide a milimetre.

I decided to document the process using 3 types of removers; Johnson and Johnson's baby oil, The Face Shop Brightening Rice Water(Migamsu) Lip & Eye makeup remover and Cyber Colors(spelt it wrong on my hand) gentle eye makeup remover.

I put nice healthy scrapings of the mascara on my arm and allowed them to dry.

Applied the moistened cotton pads and waited for 15-20 seconds.

Swiped once.

Swiped 4 times. Most of it is gone by now.

I find that both the baby oil and the migamsu face shop one tend to leave an oily finish. The cyber colours one surprisingly is quite clean and not sticky. I needed to apply more pressure for the migamsu one. And the baby oil one doesn't wash off well with just water. Cost-wise, Baby oil is less than Rm10, The face shop one is RM39.00, and the Cyber colours one is RM 32.90.

All that glitters...

2009-07-17T12:15:00.002+08:00

I noticed that recently everyone seems to be talking about MM's new eyeshadow quads so I thought I'd add in my 2 cents.

I purchased these at Watsons 1Utama the day that there were realised. Prior to that I saw a blurb about the collection in Vivi and have been drooling over them for the longest time ever. It's bee a while since MM released such a large collection of quads all at once ( not since the Majolook line impact series - 6 quads i think). Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. When I heard that they were to be released in Singapore late May/early June I spend almost every other day trolling all the Watsons outlets in area in hopes of catching it just as the put it on the shelves. I had hoped beyond hope that the release date for Malaysia would be the same. I was that fanatical about it.

These are my two initial colours that I picked up. The green is GR780 and the purple is VI782. I'm contemplating returning for the silver pink quad and also the red quad. The rest of the other shades didn't interest me as much.

Product : MM Majolook Jewelling Eyes

Price : RM59.90 (cheaper during sales)

Colour Code: GR 780 and VI 782

Description : One minty green palette and one violet purple palette. Each palette has one base colour, one naunce colour, one liner colour and one glittery highlighter colour. All 4 are powders. Pigmentation is about 3.5 over 5, sheer but buildable.

Comments: I really liked the green one as that was the one I've been eyeing for the longest. Sadly the base and naunce colours didn't show up as green as I'd hoped on my eyes. If I wasn't careful it was more like a greyish silver. That absolutely defeated the purpose of a nice green palette. I've gotten round to controling it now, using the naunce colour as a base instead. The results are pleasing.

The purple palette was a last minute grab because I couldn't decide if I wanted another pink palette for my collection or not ( I have way too many pink somethings) I was very surprised by this one. Unlike the green palette this one showed up very well against my skintone. A little bit goes a long way with this one. I needed to apply it with a brush in hopes of having a sheerer application. I mix this with clinique's eyeshadow in Disco Pink( I love the name!)

Overall, I have nothing but a positive things to say about the new collection. It's good for it's price. I could save up the cost of those 2 palettes and picked up some shu or mac but... nyah! there is something about these japanese drugstore palettes that are just so attractive.

Just like a HK-Drama...

2009-07-16T17:21:00.003+08:00

I haven't posted in days because of some issues in the office that have been very distracting.

I detest office politics. My current employment is riddled with it. More than I've seen in any other.

Anyways, I have a review!

Kanebo Blanchir Trail Kit

1 x Make Off Conditioner (make up remover)

1 x Clay Wash Conditioner (Facial Foam)

1 x Clear Conditioner (Toner)

1 x Milky Conditioner (Moisturiser)

After ZA True white I was in the market for some new skincare. I decided to try out some new stuff. Move away from drugstore brands which are targeted more towards teens and college girls. I wanted something a little bit more sophisticated. Maybe perhaps some early anti-aging help.

One of the interesting kits I picked up was Kanebo Blanchir. The total cost was RM40(or less cos I bought other things and received a discount) from an LYN seller. The red bottle caught my attention immediately because it's not often that you see a whitening skincare range that is not white or pale blue. And the scent was very, very light. A faint tinge of a chinese medicinal hall.

Make Off Conditioner = This isa decent cleansing oil. It has instructions where if you massage it onto your nose and leave it for 10 minutes if will facilitate the removal of black heads. I've tried it and it does work!

Claywash Conditioner = This is nice. If you leave a thicker layer one it can be treated as a mask. It work well in reducing shine on my face. An easy formula to sud up and massage on to my face. Removes base make up.

Clear Conditioner = This is a whiskey coloured liquid that smells very strongly of chinese herbs and alcohol. I leaves my face feeling tight and dry right after application. This didn't go down well with me at all. Here's a picture of the liquid.

I have a strange habit of decantering my toners into spritzer bottles to facilitate my application. I'm not too fond of using cotton pads to apply my toner. I like to spritz it on my face and then pat it in. I find that this way, a bottle of toner goes a long way. Prior to this I was using at least 3 bottles of toner to a bottle of moisturiser( for other brands).

Milky Conditioner = This is the standard day moisturiser of the set. I didn't get the night cream. I found this to be ineffective in providing adequate moisture to my skin after the stripping it got from toner. It clearly wasn't enough. I had to suppliment with some of my other cream just so that it would not feel as dry. Has a chinese herb smell that goes away quick enough after application but can be a bit of a put off for first timers.

Over All =

I have decided not to re-purchase this range as it wasn't suitable for my skin. I had so much hopes on it becuase of the impressive phamplets and write up that I've read on it. Some reviews even claimed that it was way too moisturizing and broke them out. This only succeeded in drying my skin out further, causing some fine lines to form around my mouth and also on my nose .This is cause I kinda squinch it when I laugh/cry/look serious/ sneeze/ squint to see stuff.

Maybe I might get the make off Conditioner but then again there are too many other cleanser brands that a cleansing oil that is equally as good or if not better.

Have you guys tried this out before? What do you think?

26 candles...

2009-07-14T00:10:00.009+08:00

I celebrated my 26th year on this good earth last wednesday in the most enjoyable fashion. The Boyfriend planned a week-long celebration starting from the friday before when we were having dinner with workmates at Chilli's.

The did the whole birthday thing with the chocolate cake and the singing.

Weekends was spent shopping after a month long self imposed ban on cosmetics(means I maxed out my cards) which I strangely didn't buy anything. I was thought since I waited so long I might as well wait for another week till after my birthday to buy RMK and more P&J becuase of the Malaysian Mega Sale.

On Tuesday we had dinner with my family including my grandparents at Ah Yat Abalone Forum. This blogger has a nice post about the same place. It was heavenly*____* Say what you like about endangered sharks in the sea but 'damn!' did the one in my bowl taste so good! At least you know that it didn't die in vain. However judging from the size of the slivers that one looks like an adolecent shark which was bred in captivity for the purpose of harvesting thier fins to eat. Still good to eat. It's good being chinese in a country with a strong chinese community. Old traditions die hard.

My birthday cake was a whole tray of cupcakes ^_^

Wednesday the Boyfriend took me to Tamarind Hills.

It was so beautiful. The atmosphere was quite and relaxing. Water and dark teak wood were the main features in the deco and the food.

Oh! the Food! It was an absolutely sublime experience.

I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is visiting Malaysia and any Malaysian who wants to find out of our famous Malaysian hospitality is a myth or not. After that we went for the japanese movie, Departures. It was one of those that can bring a tear to your eye. Typical japanese ones about their culture and heritage and general misconceptions of society.

Now, on thursday my parents took the both of use out to Victoria Station for Steak. Was good. Good wine and grilled meat is one of the best recipes for a happy Saint. Did I mention I that I have a pension for semi-dry sweet white wines from the Rhine region? We had a robust Aussie Red from Middlesbrough instead but just as nice. On it's own it would have been soso but I guess it was nicely complimented by the carpetbag steak I had.

On Friday, I didn't do much. I had my usual bible study class with the kids ( one of the community activities I have taken up in my bid to give something back - has been very rewarding thus far - what can I say? I love teaching )

On Saturday, we did a spot of shopping in the afternoon at one of my favourite places, Daiso. The japanese 100yen store. I dunno why but I always have something to buy whenever I walk into that place. There is always a thingamabob or whatsit or a doodat that I need for my room/office/car/handbag/house. You are bound to find the oddest things that are meant to service a particular need in your lifestyle that you never knew existed. Makeup Sponge Cleaners. Wet slender Q-tips for makeup touchups. A baby tooth box amulet shaped like a monkey. An Egg shaper shaped like a car. Gel form charcoal deoderizer for the vegetable section of your refridgerator. The list goes on.

In The Evening, the Boyfriend and I rounded up our close friends and we all tripsy our way to My Elephant down by the Happy Mansions for dinner. Thai! Again! So nice! I bet my next year is going to be spicy and passionate. Absolutely sizzling with lovely things! The food was lovely but the service was not what I'd have expected but then again they had a full house. Apparently you can't get seats on a weekend unless you have pre-booked which is what the Boyfriend did. If you happened to have googled for the restaurant and ended up on my blog, ORDER THE ROAST DUCK CURRY IN BIG! You won't regret it!

My dad woke up early on Sunday to cook the traditional Hakka Birthday Breakfast Noodles ( Bak Terng Mee Suah - pork soup rice noodles) It's one of those traditions in the house where my dad who rarely cooks does this thing in the mornings for the person's birthday. It's nice. Mum and I appreciate it alot as it's quite a special thing watching him make a mess of the kitchen but we don't mind. The noodles make up for the mess he creates.

Wow... So I'm a year older. A year wiser. A lifetime full of endless possibilites and lovely surprises. Beautiful people to meet. Friends and family to embrace. A love to cherish. I am want for nothing. The stock market might decline. The americans might invade North Korea. Office Politics might get way out of hand. But as drastic as these might seem as you read it, I do not feel any actual emotional attachment to these events no matter how close to home they may be. I guess it all boils down to faith. The life is too good to waste...

(I'm missing some pictures here but will get round to updating them soon)

Hearts aflutter...

2009-07-13T23:43:00.004+08:00

I thought I'd take a shot of this first before I removed it. Most of anything I decide to do with my nails is always 'limited edition'. This is just a very optimistic way of say I dunno how to replicate it. I was feeling particularly happy when I was painting this. All the girly-ness was flooding in right to my fingertips.

Product : MM nail polish - glow and quick

Price : RM18.95 (cheaper during sales)

Colour Code: PK313 and PK 441

Description : 313 is the base milky pink and 441 is this very vibrant fuschia based pink.

Comments: 2 coats of the milky pink is enough to create a nice opaque shade. I added the darker pink hearts the next day after I was sure I wasn't going to mess up the base ( too many bad experiences). Will do the brighter fuschia pink on it's own soon. I think the colour is very flattering and strangely work-friendly. I wear it with short nails for an extra punch. Maybe I'll experiment with a coat of gold shimmer...

I'll explain about the happiness in the next post with pictures. Was trying to type it here but realised that it deserved a post on it's own.

Pucker up...

2009-07-12T14:29:00.006+08:00

This is my entry for Akisa's beautyswatch contest.

I thought long as hard about this post before I got round to taking the shots. I never wore much lip colours before because my lips weren't my favourite feature. In fact, up until last year I refrained from wearing anything at all other than clear lip balm. This is the reason why:

I have this permanent discolouration on my lip line which makes it difficult for me to wear any of the nice sheer shades that are much in favour by all the cosmetic companies these days. One some days it's light but on a day like this one it tends to be quite dark. Some people say think it's from smoking ( I do not smoke at all), some say it's because I don't remove the lipstick properly(but I don't wear any!), some say it's hormones ( since the age of 7?). For me, I believe it's a care of genes. You see, this very unique and unusual lip discolouration pattern is a common thing within my family on my father's side. My dad has it, My uncle has it, my cousins have it, my granddad has it. Even my great grand father but of course it wasn't overtly obvious in the last years of his life as geriatrics tend to not have much lip anyways ^^;;

Another feature that came along with the discolouration is extreme lip peeling. We have very dry lips. I have tried a truck load of lipbalms, lip salves, lip glosses and lip treatments. The only thing I haven't done is getting something done professionally with which cost is an issue. Allthough moisturising most lip balms then to just make the dry skin white and icky and only encourage it to peel some more. Lip exfoliators can only do so much for me. If you guys have any advice or super lip product please leave me a comment as I would like to try it out.

So, on to the product review!

Brand: Shiseido Maquillage

Name : Neo Climax Lip

Shade: RD745

Comments:

This is my favourite lip colour to use. It's moisturizing to the point that I don't get little white tips of skin poking up. It's also well pigmented because the discolouration on my lips does not detract from the over all effect of the colour. It's a natural shade that matches my on lips thus making it look almost... normal. Also, I don't have to carry a separate lipgloss with this one as the shine is very inviting yet not plasticky.

I have branched off to try other brands like paul and joe, shu and mac but I still come back to this one for important functions and events. This is the one where I know I will get the right look no matter how dark my lips might look that day.

Parched under the fluorescent lights...

2009-07-10T11:31:00.005+08:00

Being a blog about OL life it seems quite fitting that I do my posts while at my office desk. We are a rather liberal company that doesn't mind what the employees do as long as we finish our allocated tasks for the day. Besides, I have perfected the art of the serious concentration face. You know, the kind your tax account gives when you dumb a large pile of receipt wads at his desk 1 week to the cut off date. That look that signals to anyone who dares interrupt that they better have a damn good reason to mess with your super work mojo.

Yes. I wear that face too when I'm reading VGCats in the office in the mornings with my cuppa.

Today I wanted to talk about skin conditions in the office. As we all know air-conditioning in the office tends to be a bit on the dry side particularly when you are in a huge office block in the middle of the city like me( I work on the 13th floor round the corner from KLCC). In our office for example, the AC only has 2 settings, 'Bloody Cold' or 'Off'. Needless to say it's on most of the time. I find that the AC dries out my eyes and skin alot. It was not something I have noticed before as my previous office was smaller in an area away from the main city. This has lead me to start searching for ways and means to rehydrate while in the office or at least preserve what little moisture i have left on the surface of my skin.

I keep tube/bottle of lotion on my desk at all times. It's rather annoying when you feel your fingertips dry up and become papery while you are typing. Worse when you have to sort through some paperwork.

The current bottle is Vaseline's healthy white lotion. I choose this not for it's whitening abilities but rather for the titanium Dioxide that it contains. I'm always been told that flourescent lights can emit UV rays and it's good to always wear sunscreen (Diorsnow White Reveal UV Shield SPF50) even in the office. I don't really put sunblock on my body on weekdays because I don't like smelling of it so this was a rather pleasant alternative. It's got a strong scent but it disappears fairly quickly so not much worry there. I fill up a small pot of the stuff as well for my handbag just so that I can have some at hand when I'm out and about.

My absolute favourite hand cream though is L'occitane's Lavander harvest hand cream. That stuff is what I use at night. Soothing lavender makes bed time very inviting.

Ok, back to the office...

I don't wear contacts but my eyes still feel dry after a couple of hours. I have some eyemo eyedrops(not pictured) sitting on my desk too. I would really like to try Rohto but I'm always missing the pre-orders for that. I keep a small can of AVENE's thermal water mist handy for those sleepy moments.

Office moisture protection is important. The next item I'm waiting to buy is Paul and Joe's moisture gel that reputedly goes over your makeup without messing it up.

What OLs do on lunch break...

2009-07-09T14:40:00.005+08:00

I shoveled food into my mouth extra fast today just so that I could steal a few minutes to dash to Corus hotel and see what Paul and Joe goodies I could snag. Fortunately I arrived at the time when the first lunch crowd was just leaving and there was a minature break in the amount of people that were in the hall. The regular brands were there from Givenchy to Paris Hilton.

Ah... the cheap scent of warehouse stock perfumes bargain hunters. You know the kind that have about 6 to 7 differrent EDTs sprayed up and down both arms.

So without further ado, my modest haul of Paul and Joe.

Damage done:

2007 makeup pouch = RM60

Facecolour powder B No.46 Etoile Filante = RM31

Facecolour powder B No.48 Horloge de Fleurs = RM 31

Eye gloss No.02 Lueur du Matin = RM31

Lipstick N No.01 = RM31

I love the french names. So do the Japanese in fact. Something about the foreign sounding words that lends an air of effortless beauty and elegance to the cosmetics eventhough it is basically some sort of rock beaten to dusk, coloured far beyond it's original state, squeezed into a tin pan and shoved on to a plastic container for millions of people to exchange pieces of paper for in hopes of adding more surrealistic definition to their hide.

God! I love Makeup!

The Grass is always greener...

2009-07-08T00:12:00.004+08:00

I did this photoshoot a while back when Akisa did this post about green nail polish. I immediately looked to my stash as I recently went on a Majolica Majorca nail polish buying frenzy and one of them happened to be this minty green.

Product : MM nail polish - glow and quick

Price : RM18.95 (cheaper during sales)

Colour Code: GR 140

Description : A nice milky mint green with irridecent shimmers. No glitter. Picture shows 2 coats.

Comments: Can be a little bit streaky if you don't have to patience to fiddle with the brush just right. They have a matching brilliant green glitter polish that is suppose to go as a top coat to this green.

That was 2 weeks ago. I'm currently sporting MM's PK133 which I will get The Boyfriend to take a shot of tomorrow. I have a strange affinity towards nail polishes as it was one of the very few makeup items I could use in school (uniforms and rigid rules) and get away with. We had to wear these white school shoes and socks as part of our uniform so I painted my toes often. Not like they were going to make me take them off during a spot check session anyways.

p/s: There's a Paul and Joe warehouse sale starting tomorrow until the 10th at Corus Hotel, KL. 70% off!

More of the same...

2009-07-07T17:01:00.005+08:00

After the previous post I searched around and realised I really did have everything from that range. Right down to their not so-great-smelling sunblock. I bought all these a month ago just before I took a trip to Indonesia hoping to catch some holiday sun. Needless to say after popping open the tube and rubbing some on my hand I capped it and left it behind instead. It has an overwhelming smell of... sunblock. Did not fancy that under my makeup at all. I slathered some on in the morning before work and I could still smell that tell-tale scent during dinner. But at least one knows it works.

The day protector with the lower SPF was kinder in terms of smells. But I didn't feel well protected with only SPF26 PA+++. Not when my office is loaded with florecent tubes.

Incidentally, all the products in the picture are for sale. Maybe someone could better appreciate them more than I did. The face wash is brand new(wrapped) going for RM12, the Sunblock is RM15 and the day protector is RM13. Take all for RM35. If you are overseas we can discuss shipping. If you are local we can COD in KLCC. I should consider posting this in LYN as well.

I quite enjoyed the megavotage exfoliator and the peeling mask (blue tube). It's not the best but it does make cleansing fun. the peel-off mask is like a pore pack only in liquid. You smear it on the areas that you want to de-clog.

I forgot to do a short write up on ZA in my previous post.

ZA New York is a skincare and cosmetics range born from the collaboration of Shiseido and a NY based company called ZOTOS from way back in the 1930s. Eventually Shiseido bought over the company and it's products in the 80s and turned it into an extention of their own budget brand portfolio for asian and oceania countries outside of japan. These countries are Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China just to name a few. I think New Zealand has them but I'm not able to locate any in Australia. Up until 2007 (i think) Hawaii used to carry ZA as well.

Apart from it's wide range of skincare (4 full lines is big for a budget brand) ZA also manufactures a range of cosmestics. The colours are vibrant and yet tasteful. Think of it as something a college girl would wear. Or maybe an OL just starting out at her first job. Their powder foundation palettes are some of their best sellers as it's shades have been able to match the south east asian skintone well (slightly more tanned) and doesn't melt away too much in it's brazen humidity.

The lastest product to hit the stores from ZA is a pore smoother. Works alright but a tad bit too much silicone for my taste. Makes your skin super smooth. Artificially smooth. I do however adore their oil blotting paper. It's blue... pretty...

That's my two cents

Cascading Style Sheets...

2009-07-06T01:57:00.003+08:00

I'm finally done with coding my blog layout to remotely look like what I had originally intended for it to look like. I think I will just leave it for now until I get my next spurt of masochistic inspiration to redo the design but which time I would have mostly forgotten about the agony of blogger's CSS dependency and ridiculous amount of hidden dropdown boxes to select and click.

Like the picture in the header?

When you start noticing things about your skin...

2009-07-06T00:03:00.007+08:00

I could never really comprehend the magnitude of the concept of skincare particular in direct relation to me.

When I was young, dad used to load me with face washes and Hazeline snow because he said that large pored skin is a family trait that has been going on for generations. Yes, my dad bought me skincare, not my mum. It really wasn't her thing you see. I never really got into it because being young and hanging out with the neighbourhood boys most of the time, playing with girly things was faux pax. Plus, I was fairly sweaty all the time (humid tropical country + boyish attitude) made whatever I was forced to slap on my face just feel particularly icky to me.

When I was in highschool I tried Johnsons clean and clear but soon grew to hate it as it was very astringent and stingy on my skin. I didn't know at that time I had sensative skin. Everyone just saw pimples and deduced I had extra oily skin. When I got to college and my allowance grew significanly I started experimenting in drugstore skincare but never really settled on one. The reason? I shared the bathroom with my young aunt who loved skincare and cosmetics and had a pension for impulse buys. Needless to say, I was enjoying her SKII and other lovelies. When I got to Uni, I stuck with mostly L'oreal as it was a brand I recognised being in a different country and all. Didn't work as well as I hoped but it was better than nothing.

Once I came back home I went straight back to Asian brands and this leads me to today's post. I'd like to review my previous skincare range, ZA True White. I started with the 3 basic steps and just exploded to the entire range and then some! It worked well on me within the first 2 months. My complexion evened out. Pimple scaring faded. Skin was less oily. Here is a break down on the products in the range:

Cleansing Foam
I like the smell. After washing it off I find that my skin feels extra clean. There is no tightness of the skin and it removes make up as well, most importantly, my BB cream! Also like how all the oil and grime goes with it.

Megavoltage Cream
This one is just fun to play with. Use it about 2-3 times a week or just once a week like me. smear a thin layer on your nose, chin or forehead (the areas prone to flaky skin or a thicker layer or deadcells) and let it dry. The tube suggest that you leave it on for 15 seconds but because it's kinda humid here it takes a longer time to dry so I just slap some on and run about a bit to put my PJs on. By then it would be sufficiently dry so you can start slowly rubbing your fingertips in a circular motion around the areas with the cream. It will start to flake off so stand near the sink. If it's not completely dry just keep massaging and it will clump up and fall off on it's own. Dunno if it really works or not but leaves skin feeling light and supple. Good massage this one.

Lotion
This one is actually more like a toner. It contains Alcohol Denat which I wasn't too keen about but it's hard to find a non-alcoholic toner that cleans well. I didn't like the neutrogena one too much as it stopped being good after the second bottle. 'Simple' has a smells funny to me. This one is quite pleasant. After it gets acsorbed into your skin, slap on some of the Emulsion and your skin wouldn't dry up so easily. I like to decanter my toner in a spritz bottle and spray it on my face then wipe off. That way I save the toner and have a more even distribution of the liquid on my face. Plus I don't have to expose the product to the air as much.

Emulsion
This is pretty good stuff. You only have to use a little bit to make your skin smooth and supple, ready for makeup. I use like one bottle of moisturiser to 3 bottles of toner ! That's how little you have to use. It doesn't feel sticky after application but it feels I end up with a bit too much and my skin feels moist I will put on some vitamin powder to sorta seal it in.

Vitamin Powder
This is a loose powder that is meant to go on as the last step of your skincare. I use it almost everyday as a good loose powder for sucking up all the oiliness from my skin. The packaging is also handy enough to carry around in your handbag. This has the same function and properties as the Ettusais treatment powders.

Night Cream
I use this at night in place of the emulsion. Sometimes I use both together. Only takes a little to cover the whole face. Occasionally it feels heavy on the skin but also can be remedied with the loose powder.

Essence
This is one of the products that I still hang on to becasue it works well. It's not part of the range but it does feel like it belongs. It has an oil layer and an essence layer. Shake the bottle to blend the 2 together, dispense about 5 drops on the palm of your hands and spread quickly all over your face. Rub your palms together to warm them up and lay it on your face to help the infusion of the essence into your skin. This step feels good at night after a long day at work.

I've recently moved on to other products but I think ZA will always hold a dear place in my heart. Maybe it's because it's by shiseido. Or maybe it's because it was whitening. I was forced to let it go when I realised the alcohol content wasn't doing well for my skin in the long run and I realised I have recently developed sensative skin. This SA in Sasa put on of those skin cameras on my face and I saw the tell-tale signs of redness across my face. I've done the test before at an SKII counter and those were there before I started this range. Sighs. It was good while it lasted.

I've got a couple more products from the range that I'll post up tomorrow. This one is getting a bit long. Tomorrow is going to be a 'fun' activity-filled day at work tomorrow. Can't wait to see what everyone has to say about it during lunch.

It's nice, you know. Being able to share this sort of thing with someone who really understands what I'm talking about.

In the beginning...

2009-06-29T15:44:00.000+08:00

Having began work in a rather service orientated job, I have come to realise how important it is to look my best (abait not necessarily professionally flawless but more non-chalantly attractive). There were many ups and downs in my journey to achieve said attractivity from the right way to hand out a name card, the wrong undies with my slacks, the smudged mascara emergency kit, and being able to imbue feminine dominance over my predominantly male counterparts and clients.

Ah, to be an Office Lady...

I chose to start this blog more as a self documentation of my working experience rather than a typical beautyblog because I have many other things to say about work life (office politicking survival kit!) at least from what I'm going through. I have an older blog out there which I won't devulge but you can always google. I feel that I have outgrown it somehow. Maybe I will keep that one more for my own personal outpourings.

Oh, and spend alot of my paycheck on makeup and food! I adore good food and pretty makeup packaging. So expect pictures. Well... I'll try...Haha! The Boyfriend is a photographer so his work will feature here as well. I'm a compu-techie who loves RPG games and Virginia Henley romance novels. I study japanese magazines like JJ and Vivi maticulously because I so love the clothes they advertise. These japanese magazines have been the main inspiration in my journey. My favourite accessory is a silver hearts Tiffany & Co bracelet, the first jewelery the Boyfriend ever gave me.

2009-05-09T01:17:00.000+08:00

This space is booked.