Review: Valiram Friends & Family Sale 2016

Seeing that I was on the lookout for my next bottle of body mist I thought that I would see what I might find at the Valiram Friends & Family Sale today. The sale is being held in JW Marriot and runs from April 1-3, 2016.

The sale wasn't spectacular, really. I only purchased a Bath & Body Works body mist, a Victoria's Secret body lotion and five Victoria's Secret thongs.

A body mist, a body lotion and frilly things :)

The queue to pay was super long but since I was in no hurry, I patiently waited. I found it strange that the priority lane for platinum Maybank credit card holders was long as well (so much for priority, huh?). 

Anyway, I would most probably be giving this sale a miss in the future unless of course, I run out of my toiletries again.

Silkygirl Double Intense Eye Shadow & Silkygirl Moisture Shine Lipstick Review

Alpro has a warehouse sale going on in Jaya 33 now and I purchased the Silkygirl Double Intense Eye Shadow in 05 Silver Star and the Silkygirl Moisture Shine Lipstick in 08 Moonlight Pink.

I've never tried any Silkygirl eye shadow before this but since this was deeply discounted, I thought that it would be a great way to give it a try and if it doesn't work out, at least I didn't spend an arm and a leg buying it.

I tried on both products today. I applied the Double Intense Eye Shadow over my NYX eyeshadow primer and was pleasantly surprised as there was no fall out from  either color during application. I applied them using my Zoeva brushes and not the sponge applicator that it came with. I also had no problem with the colors looking washed out or fading on me. I must say though that the silver grey shade is growing on me.

Okay, so I didn't need to purchase ANOTHER lippie but it was cheap! The Moisture Shine Lipstick is a pretty pink. This product has been discontinued, I think, as I didn't see it at either of the two Silkygirl stands that I went to recently.

This is not a lipstick for those of you who prefer a lot of color pay off. This lippie feels moisturising enough when first applied but I found that it tends to dry my lips after a few hours. I have to wear this with a lip gloss otherwise my lips will chap and chapped lips are certainly NOT sexy ;)

All in all, I'm quite pleased with my two purchases at warehouse prices!

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Silkygirl Double Intense Eye Shadow in 05 Silver Star | 3.2g
RM6.00 (I purchased it during the Alpro Warehouse Sale; Normal Retail Price is RM16.90)
Made in Malaysia
Available in Guardian, Watsons

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Silkygirl Moisture Shine Lipstick in 08 Moonlight Pink
RM5.00 (I purchased it during the Alpro Warehouse Sale; I think this product has been discontinued as I could not find it at any of the Silkygirl stands in town)
Made in Malaysia
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Books Warehouse Sales

I have been restraining myself from going to books warehouse sales and further adding to my already seriously cluttered humble abode. I survived giving the recent Popular Warehouse sale (where all the English books were going at RM5) a pass and I wonder if I'll be able to do the same to the Big Bad Wolf Warehouse sale which is happening now.

I love books. I love reading. I have books everywhere in my personal space. But recently, I went through my piles of accumulated books from past BBW warehouse sales to give myself a reality check. I still have many more books that I have yet to read.

If I were really honest with myself, I have bought more books than I can possibly read in a year in the past Big Bad Wolf Warehouse sales (I have been a loyal goer to the BBW warehouse sale eversince the very first one many years ago in PJ). On top of that, I still have many more BookCrossing books that I have yet to read. Hmmm.... maybe I should sit out the BBW sale this year and make it a more zen year for me.

It has got to a point that in the frenzy of the warehouse sales and also to fatigue of being there for hours on end, I have ended up buying duplicates of the same book!!! Yes, this has all got to stop.

So far, for the record, I have read 46 books this year. I've still got many more lying around my humble abode to keep me entertained.

I have to be content with what I have and to enjoy the books that I have (why else did I buy them if I didn't plan to read them? And when else to read them if I don't make the time to read them some time soon?). Besides, I should be decluttering my life instead of adding more clutter to it. Notice that I'm trying to reason with myself!

I am grateful for having more than enough.

I shall not be greedy, I shall not be greedy, I shall not be greedy..... :D

Crimson China by Betsy Tobin

A story about an illegal immigrant from China and a woman who was about to commit suicide when she saved the immigrant from drowning and how their lives are intertwined.

Bookends by Jane Green

I love Jane Green's novels.

This one's about a girl, her best friend (a boy) and once upon a time close friend who suddenly makes an appearance in their lives after many years.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

This story is about Ronnie, a troubled teenage girl whose parents are divorced goes to spend the summer with her father. Her father, a former concert pianist is now living in a house on the beach. While there, she falls in love with William, an unlikely match for her, who changes her. This is a story about first love as well as love between parents and children.

Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter

Mr Darcy, of Pride and Prejudice, the ideal man... but does he really exist? Well, Emily Albright has had meetings with Mr Darcy himself while she was on tour to England with the Jane Austen Book Club (which, by the way, is made up of little old ladies and an old man! Just as there is the perfect man, there is also the anti-Mr Darcy in this book whose name is Spike Hargreaves. A nice humourous read. 

How to be a Property Goddess by Smita Talati

This is a guide for women who want to be home owners. It covers all aspects of home ownership from buying and home maintenance to selling, investing and renting homes. 

Put More Cash in Your Pocket by Loral Langemeier

This book is about making more money by doing things that you already are doing (but most probably aren't charging for). It lists possible money making ventures and goes about showing you the steps that you have to consider such as the resources that you have or will need for your venture, your personality, deciding how much money you need to make in a month, how much time it will take for you to receive your first payment, testing the market, replicating and duplicating a business model that is already out there (as this implies that there is a ready market out there wanting what you have to offer), five key distinctions about your venture that makes you stand out in the market, your talk track where you describe your venture in a sentence or two and even the ask-for-the-cash talk track when you need to ask for payment.

This is a fantastic book for anyone thinking of doing some freelance work on the side to generate more income.   

The Gift by Cecilia Ahern

This book is told in a story about Lou, a successful man who is constantly busy climbing the corporate ladder at the expense of his family and loved ones. One morning, he buys Gabe, a homeless man who sits outside his office building, a coffee and thus begins the friendship between the two men. When the mail room in his office is underhanded, Lou takes Gabe on to help out in the mail room. As time goes by, Gabe presents Lou with choices, one of which is being able to be at two places at one time by just taking a pill.

This book is about cherishing those around you and spending with them the most valuable asset (more valuable than money, gold, oil, etc) that all of us have been granted with --- time. The gift of spending time with your loved ones is the one valuable gift that you can give others. This book reminds us that most of us are just way too busy doing our own thing and thinking about ourselves that we simply fail to spend enough time with our loved ones. I know that I'm certainly one of them and I needed to read this book!   

Pay It Down! by Jean Chatzky

In this book, Jean Chatsky shares her advice on how to track your spending, strategies of finding money so that you can pay off your debts and then build your savings after you've managed to successfully pay off all of your debts all on just $10 a day. 

I found this book in the latest Big Bad Wolf Sale and  purchased it because I have read a book written by Jean before and I wanted to see if I could gain any real down to earth ideas about thinking about money. 

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach

I've been reading a load of books ever since carting back loads of books from the most recent Big Bad Wolf Sale. I haven't been doing a great job at updating my blog with reviews of the books that I've read though...

So, I hope to play catch up with my book reviews within the next few weeks. So here goes...

The Automatic Millionaire presents you with the idea of a financial plan that is automated, one that you can forget about once you have set it in place.

I like the idea how this book presents the idea that you can even make giving to charity (something that is often overlooked when making financial plans) automatic (apart from the other obvious aspects of financial planning that you should automate such as you retirement plan, savings cushion for a rainy day, home ownership and paying off debts).

The Big Bad Wolf is Back in Town!

The sale that I've been waiting for all year long is finally here.

...and this is only a third of the hall!

I was at the Big Bad Wolf Sale earlier today (or should I say yesterday, considering that this post is being published at 12:20 am, Tuesday morning). It was HUGE!!! Lots of books --- I was in heaven!!!  :)

Needless to say, I bought loads of books!

I didn't have trouble getting there. In fact, I didn't even have a map with me. I figured that I knew where UPM was and that since MAEPS, the venue of the sale, was somewhere near UPM, I would eventually see signs for it. And so, I headed for UPM, followed the signs showing the directions towards MAEPS and found my way there.

While the hall was really spacious with lots of personal space between customers (so we didn't have to rub shoulders and god forbid, whatever else!), getting to the hall from the car park might be a challenge for some people as it is a fair bit of distance to walk and at some points, it is an uphill climb.

I just treated the walk up and back down to the car park as exercise. In fact, I walked up and down from the hall TWICE as I had TWO shopping sessions --- Shopping Session 1, walked down to the car park to put my purchases away, walked back up, had lunch and after lunch, Shopping Session 2!).

I understand if you're not as crazy as I am and if the very thought of having to walk uphill in the heat turns you off or if you have young children or the elderly with you, I would strongly advise you to take the shuttles (yes, there are shuttles from the car park to the hall).

Pizza Hut on wheels! 

Food isn't an issue as there was a Pizza Hut food service truck just outside the hall. A personal pan pizza with ice lemon tea costs RM10. There was also another vendor selling drinks and hot dogs nearby. There is a fairly big canopied dining area (with fans) outside where you can have a quick bite or just have a drink while you rest your tired feet.

Books, books and more books! :)

Most of the books were going at RM8 each. Others were RM10, RM12, RM15 and RM20. If you're a bibliophile, this is a MUST go event. The sale ends this Sunday, October, 16, 2011.

As always, one visit is NEVER enough! Hmmm... maybe I should go visit the wolf just to see how he's doing soon... ;)

The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

Truth be told, I read this book a few months ago but I guess I never got around to blogging about it until now (yeah, that's the procrastinator in me!).

Anyway.... this book, written by Sidney Poitier, is a memoir of his life. Written in the first person's voice, he looks back on his life and career.

He was born and raised in a small island named Cat Island. He had an idyllic life as a child growing up on the island. By thirteen, he had dropped out of school and was working on construction sites. Worried that he would end up in jail, similar to his friend who stole a bicycle for fun, his father sent him off to Miami to live with his elder brother.

He started in his acting career when there weren't any black actors working along side white actors. It is about him breaking barriers and never accepting limits that were presented to him. He has certainly come a long way from his hard beginnings and has made it big. It is most definitely a story of the American Dream. It's an inspiring read.

The Big Bad Wolf Sale

The much awaited for sale is finally around the corner. I'm looking forward to making my annual book purchase. This time around I'm on the lookout for personal finance books as well as novels.

For those who are contemplating on whether or not to go, listen, it is worth your time going there. The books are dirt cheap (paperback novels at RM8!) and they are new.

This time around, Big Bad Wolf promises an even bigger sale with 1.5 million books! I've been going to the BBW sale ever since it started and during each sale period, I've made two to three visits. One visit is never enough!

The books that I purchased have given me many hours of reading pleasure. If you're like me and you absolutely cannot imagine life without books and you want to stretch your budget, this is the book sale that you MUST go to to stock up on books.

Yes, I've heard some people moan and groan that it's in Serdang, but you know what, Serdang is not out there in the sticks as some of you may want to believe. It's only 20 minutes from KL if you take the PLUS highway. Have a sense of adventure and venture out to this new location. You just might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

Will I see you there???

LOREAL Stock Clearance Sale

I went to the Loreal Stock Clearance sale in Sri Petaling Hotel today. Okay, granted that it was quite a drive for me to get there but I thought that I'd go to check it out to see if I could pick up some treats at a discount so that I wouldn't kick myself so much if the products didn't work out.

I haven't been to the Loreal Stock Clearance sale for quite a while now and I must say that it has changed quite a bit. Their warehouse sales in the past have been quite a mad house with loads of women pushing their way to get to the products. Back in those days the sales were often held only on one day and some women would take the day off from work just to go to it. Today, shopping was a breeze.

The products are no longer as cheap as they used to be, I'm afraid. I remember the days when the Maybelline  lipsticks used to be RM 10 each. Now, they cost RM19 each. Kinda pricey for a drugstore brand sold at a warehouse sale, if you ask me.

I recently bought the Maybelline Angel Fit Foundation at Watsons for RM32 (and that was a discounted price, the normal price is about RM40). I saw it at the sale today and it was selling at RM22. Strangely enough, it didn't have the same names that they have for the products in the stores. The bottles only had code numbers which can be difficult to buy especially if you're thinking of picking up a bottle after having tested out the colours at the stores earlier on.

Here's what I bought:
1. Loreal Derma Genesis Pore Minimising Smoother (Gel Cream) for RM27 (This product contains Hyaluronic Acid and it was a curiosity purchase as I've read so many good things about Hyaluronic Acid)
2. Loreal Touche Magique Concealer for RM20 (I've read great reviews about this product)
3. Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner (Waterproof) in 01 Black for RM23 (I've read great reviews about this product too). The package includes the gel liner as well as its own eyeliner brush.
4. Maybelline Clear Skin Minerals BB Cream in Fresh  for RM14 (This was my curiosity purchase. I've tried out the testers at the store many times before but never got around to forking out around RM20, normal price, for it. It's a small tube that's easy to carry in my bag and it comes with SPF 26)
5. Two Maybelline Eyestudio Eyeliner Pencils for RM6 each (for my mom)
6. Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Permanent Hair Color for RM14 (This is my staple purchase)

The good thing is because everything was kinda pricey, I wasn't going crazy and getting EVERYTHING I saw. I was quite reasonable in selecting my purchases.

If you're thinking of going to the sale, it runs till Sunday, September 18, 2011.

Make Money Not Excuses by Jean Chatzky

This is another book which I picked up at the last Big Bad Wolf warehouse sale.

This is a personal finance book written by a woman for women. Most women make excuses as to why they are not actively involved in the management of their money and what this book does is tell women to stop being passive and start taking an active interest in managing their money.

This book is full of financial advice that are do-able. She gives a breakdown on how you should funnel your expenses according to the various expense categories:
Housing               35%
Saving                 10%
Living                  25%
Transportation     15%
Debt Repayment   15%

Housing includes not just the mortgage payment for your home but also the cost of living there such as taxes, insurance, utilities and repairs.

Living expenses include things like clothing, food, donations, entertainment, gifts, travel, etc.

Transportation includes not just payment for your wheels but also gas, insurance and maintenance.

Debt Repayment are payments for debt which don't include payment for your home or your car.

There are also maps to a million throughout this book that illustrates how much you'd earn if you put in a certain amount of money away to invest each month and shows what the amount will be in 10, 20, 30 and 40 years' time.

For example, if you could save $10 a day, which is $70 a week, and you put it away to invest at 8 percent, it would be 55,615 in 10 years, 179,062 in 20 years, $453,069 in 30 years and $1,061,266 in 40 years. Amazing, huh?

I'm inspired to save!!!

And oh, by the way, she has a website (click on the link) where you'll be able to find more money advice.

I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi

To be honest, I had absolutely NO idea who Ramit Sethi was when I purchased this book. I only discovered that he's big in the US when I visited his website and youtube and found a bunch of his video clips which were aired on TV in the US.

This is a book which I stumbled upon in the last Big Bad Wolf Warehouse sale. I'm really glad I purchased it.

Okay, the title of the book is kinda corny, but the RICH in the title has more to do about having enough $$$ to lead a rich life doing what you love instead to being RICH in just the monetary sense.

This personal finance book explains in simple terms many things I didn't know before reading the book --- the difference between mutual funds, index funds, lifecycle funds, stocks and bonds, the importance of diversification, asset allocation, dollar cost averaging, etc.

He also offers a lot of common sense advice (but as you and I both know, common sense is not so common anymore) such as why you should have a credit card (it's not all bad, as many people think), the importance of having your investment portfolio diversified and typical asset allocations by age.

He even gives you a script for what to say when you call up your credit card company to negotiate with them for a late fee waiver (note: this is only if you've been paying your bills on time and have missed a due date once and not for repeat offenders!).

He also asks, "How you're going to spend your next $100?" --- now that's a question that forces me to think about how I've been spending my money and how I would like to change my spending habits to include my plans for my future.

I particularly loved the way all the information was presented in the book which made it enjoyable to read and not dry like most of the other personal finance books out there. This is a must have personal finance book if you're clueless.

Here's the first chapter of this book which is entitled Optimize Your Credit Cards (click on the link) which you can download FREE!!! My guess is that you'll be hooked once you've read the first chapter and will want to purchase the book.

The Song of Silver Frond by Catherine Lim

This is yet another one of the books that I finished reading weeks ago but am a little behind in chronicling about it here. 

This is a rare and different sort of love story but it's a love story nonetheless. 

The story is set in Singapore and it is about a wealthy old man (who already has 3 wives, many children and grand children) who falls in love with a child-woman egg seller. He is old enough to be her grandfather and she was playing with homemade dolls when he met her.

This couple has hurdles to overcome, hurdles set by tradition, religion and society.   

this is another book which i purchased at the last big bad wolf warehouse sale.  it's another werewolf/ human love story (kinda along the same lines as the twilight series).