Serenity

ahhh.....nothing like a serene day just watching fish swim :)

Brekkie!

I have an appointment with the doc and this is my brekkie.... yeah, I know, it's ironic, isn't it?

My Knackered Flats

I guess this just goes to show just how much walking I do daily. I normally walk from my office to the mall nearby twice a day, once in the morning for breakfast and once in the afternoon for lunch. Oh well, at least this would justify my next shoe purchase!  

I Dropped My Compact Powder!!!

Arrrggghhhhh....... I dropped my makeup pouch one morning when I just about to get out of the front door for work. The whole makeup pouch just kind of dropped from my bag onto the floor. And yes... my almost finished NYX Stay Matte Not Flat compact powder foundation broke to bits :(

Oh well, on the brighter side, there's just a little bit more product to use up before I move onto my Naked powder by Revlon.

In case you're wondering, I still carry the NYX powder foundation with me in my bag as the lid is pretty tight and I don't have any problem of having the powder spill out. I intend on using up every last bit of it!

Brekkie at The Gardens Mall

Brekkie was good :) Yum!

Tesco Loves Baby 30 Moisturising Baby Wipes

I'm not a brand snob and am always game to giving house brands a try. Hey, if I can save some bucks for similar quality products at lower prices, why not?

This is my budget friendly solution to makeup removal wipes. It's gentle and it doesn't irritate my skin. On top of that, it is not super wet like some other baby wipes and it smells refreshing (and no, it doesn't smell like baby). It removes my makeup well and is also super affordable. Love!

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Tesco Loves Baby 30 Moisturising Baby Wipes
RM3.49 (I purchased it when Tesco had a promotion going on for two at RM3.49)
Made in Korea
Available in Tesco
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Names

The baby is unfortunately named Andrea. Now, while that may sound pretty normal and even mundane within the western context, this particular Andrea exists not in the western world. There is nothing western about Andrea. Neither of her parents are westerners. In fact, they are as Malay as you can get.

So what were her parents thinking of??? They have obviously not taken into account the context of the surroundings that they exist in when they were selecting a name for her

Ha, be prepared to have your child complain later on that people are ask her if she is Muslim or not...and when she says that she is, they would want to know why she has a non-Muslim name (oh yes, there are going to be people who would want to know that). They might even want to know if she is Malay (pigeon holing people into their respective race categories seems to be a very big thing around here).

Andrea's mother comes from a kampung. She married a city boy. I guess she married up. She doesn't feel comfortable speaking English around more fluent speakers. Perhaps this name choice is more about  Andrea's mother's aspirations to white wash her child in the literal sense?

I think it is important to name your child with a name that would reflect her belonging within the context of the immediate society that she will be raised in. It is important that the name of your child reflects her cultural background as well. After all, shouldn't we all be proud of our respective heritages?

Kipling Fans Day | One Utama

Meet Thijs (hmmm.... strange name but each Kipling gorilla is named after a Kipling member of staff.... perhaps these are his initials???). 

He is part of my Kipling Fans Day door gift in One Utama (the other being the cupcake which was yummy --- have I ever mentioned that I simply looovvvveeee cupcakes???).

The door gifts are for those who signed up for the event on the Kipling page. I decided to drop by their outlet after work since it is only a stone's throw away from where I work and I wanted to see what was on sale.

I'm happy to say that there was nothing that I wanted and I walked out only with the door gifts. I had only recently (in May) purchased a bag and a wallet, both of which I love. I'm happy to say that both are holding up well to my daily use :) I'll only make another purchase if I really need to. In the meantime, I'll enjoy my current Kipling gear :)

Empties August 2015

These are my empties for August 2015:

1. Tesco Loves Baby Gentle Baby Wipes (80 Sheets)
This is what I use as makeup wipes. It smells nice, it's gentle and, most importantly, doesn't cost an arm and a leg --- Score! I've since repurchased this product.

2. Tesco Everyday Value Facial Cotton Pads (100 pieces)
I actually prefer these to the covered cotton pads. I find these nice and soft on my skin. I use these to remove my eye and face makeup at the end of the day.

These were sold in twin packs and I'm on my second pack now.

3. Guardian Facial Blotter (100 Sheets)
This is one of the products that I regret buying. The paper is thick and not very absorbent. To make things worse, I bought not only one but TWO of these when Guardian had a promotion going on in their stores.

As I am not one to waste products, I am plan to go through the second pack. Definitely not a product that I would repurchase.

4. Essence Long Lasting Eyeliner in Berry Merry
Hmmm... This was a product that I purchased out of curiosity. Read the review about it here.

Despite the many rave reviews about this line of products, this is not something that I would repurchase as I think that it is quite pricey for the amount of product and wear that you get out of it. The color doesn't really last that long and I think there are better quality products out there.

Not going to repurchase this one.


Well, like everything else out there, not everything purchased on a budget is going to be great. But then again, you could purchase high end products and still not be pleased with the quality that you get. I digress..... Still, there are many good products out there that you don't have to break the bank to purchase.

I love my little experiment purchases and I especially love it when I am pleasantly surprised when I discover a gem :)

Grateful

Today, I'm grateful for:
1. Getting to a Section 14 safely
2. Having no problems renewing my car road tax
3. Being able to assist a blind man to the door of the post office while I was there renewing my car road tax
4. Being able to buy lunch from the food truck and thus having a different sort of lunch than what I would normally have
5. Being able to park my car in Jaya Supermarket which is super close to the places I needed to go to to do my errands
6. Finding that the parking space that I vacated at my office was still available upon my return from my errands

7. Everything going smoothly and quickly without any hiccups

Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask Review

I've been considering buying face sheet masks for quite a while now but most of my online research have found them to be not at all effective. My own experience of sheet masks in the past years ago have not been so memorable either.

Then, there was also the budget factor as sheet masks costs a lot more per use and I didn't want to buy something that did nothing much for my skin.

So, I decided to look at the conventional types of masks which was when I discovered the Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask. It comes in a tube and I figured that I was getting more for my money per use compared to sheet masks.

I purchased this product a couple of weeks back as I felt that my face was grimy from all the makeup that I've been wearing day in and day out and my skin needed a good scrub. I have since used this product three times so far.

The Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask is not like  the other masks out there. In fact, it's more of a scrub than a mask. It contains no parabens which is something that I like about this product.

I get a warm sensation when I first apply it on my face. It is grainy in texture due to the sugar in it and it is not a product that you can smooth on as a normal face mask. With this product, I kind of have to pat in onto my skin. It also has a nice citrusy scent but the scent doesn't last long after I've washed it off.

I leave it on my skin for about 7 minutes (as per the directions on the tube) and then massage it for a bit before rinsing it off.

I love using this product when I feel like I need some me time and pampering :)

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Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask
RM20.00 (I got mine for RM15 as I had a RM5 store voucher)
Made in USA
175ml
Available in most drugstores
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Of Hitting Pan

Okay, these are the makeup products that I've hit pan on:

1. Stila Color Convertible in Magnolia
I just love this cream blusher. I got this in the Stila Glow and Behold Gift Set that I purchased around Christmas last year. When I first got it, I did't think that the colour was all that exciting but I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on my cheeks. It gives my cheeks a natural flush. I wear this to work everyday.

2. NYX Stay Matte Not Flat Powder Foundation
This was purchased around this time last year. I use this as my setting powder. It's an okay product, nothing brilliant.

I'm looking forward to finishing this product so that I can move on to other products.

3. Catrice All Round Concealer Palette
This was purchased early this year and as you can see, I have only used the middle three colors.

I like that this product is not so thick as I find thick concealers tend to look cakey on my under eye area. In fact, all three of the colors that I use are creamy and easy to blend.

I use the salmon color to hide my dark under eye circles and then apply the darkest skin tone shade on top of it. I then use the lighter skin tone color as a highlight in my inner eyes to give me the bright eyed and awake look. This is another one of the staple products that I wear to work everyday.

I may have hit pan on these products but I bet that I still have at least another three months to go on the Catrice All Round Concealer Palette and at least another six months to go (if not more) on the Stila Color Convertible and NYX Powder Foundation.

Glutton

Fat people spend a lot of time talking about food. What a waste of mental energy.

The Female Brain

On being sour grapes after being told that she would be a tutor to another colleague who gets to play the role of lecturer:

"...but the students don't like her." --- Do you have to make such remarks about your colleague in order to feel better about yourself? Are you indirectly saying that the students like you better? What a sad person you are. Since when did being liked equate to being effective as an instructor?

The female brain places waaayyy too much importance on being liked. 

Lies People Choose to Tell Themselves

Why do people tell lies? Has it got to do with self perception or are they just delusional?

Talking about losing weight to be healthy is one thing; you can make plans to cut down on your food intake and exercise and talk about it till the cows come home but you've got to carry out the plans if you want to see any sort of change.

Nobody is suggesting that you loose weight. If being clinically obese is your thing, fine, each to their own. I guess, you don't love yourself enough. You choose to continue to take chances on your health. Well, carry on doing what you're doing. Just DON'T keep asking me what I think.

I'm tired of listening to you talk. Please don't waste my time.

Empties July 2015

These are the  product empties for July 2015:

1. FA Deodorant Purple Passion
I purchased this in a pack of three on one of my trips to Dubai. It keeps me smelling divine :)

2. Benefit Maybe Baby Body Lotion 200 ml
This is the second tube which was purchased on ebay years ago and which I rediscovered in my closet recently. I really love this product and am so sad that it's been discontinued :(

3. Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser
I used this as a makeup remover.

4. The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream 15 ml
This is another product that I discovered sitting in my closet. This was a freebie that came with the purchase of other products from the Body Shop. This is another product that I used as a makeup remover as I don't use moisturisers and I hate to see a product go to waste.

5. Daiso Silk Facial Oil Blotter
This is one product that I keep repurchasing over and over again.

Insults

Please, please, please stop the insults. I'm tired of your small mindedness. Grow up.

Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Berry Merry Review

Okay, I've used the Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 18 Merry Berry for a week now and I'm ready to do a review on it.

I purchased this eye liner after reading numerous positive reviews about it online. Unfortunately, my experience with this product isn't as positive :(

This is an automatic eye liner which doesn't come with much product to begin with. Although this is a soft eye liner, I have to apply quite a bit of this product before it shows on my skin. So far, it looks like I've used quite a bit of the product and it's only been a week! I'm not expecting this eye pencil to last very long, by the looks of it.

Considering how much product needs to be applied per wear, it's really not a cheap product for the price paid.

The colour, a beautiful satiny plum color when first applied, doesn't seem to look the same by the end of the work day. It fades and loses its intensity :( It loses its satiny plum color and looks more brown at the end of the day --- go figure! I find this a let down.

The Good

• It's soft
• The color looks beautiful when first applied
• It's an automatic eye liner and is convenient as no sharpening is required
• The packaging color is reflective of the color of the pencil inside which makes it easy to identify the color that I want quickly among my other eye pencils

The Bad

• Not much product to begin with
• The color fades throughout the day
• I need to apply a lot of product before it shows on my skin
• Looks like it won't last me a long time
• The price is not as cheap as it may appear to be in the beginning when you factor in the price per wear

It is unlikely that I'll repurchase this product.

Update August 29, 2015
I've finished using this product. It only lasted me for seven weeks. A little bit of this eyeliner broke on me when I was applying it one morning. 

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Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 18 Berry Merry
RM12.60 (Available at selected Watson's outlets)
0.28g / 0.01oz
Made in Germany
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Empties June 2015

These are the things that I finished in June:

1. Guardian Facial Squares 100 Pieces

2. Lux Soap in Magical Spell 

A frugal solution that costs a fraction of the shower gels that I used to purchase although I still do enjoy treating myself to shower gels from time to time.

3. Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom EDT 50ml

This came as part of my birthday gift set from my sister a few years ago. The gift set consists of a shower gel (which was the first to be used and finished), a body lotion, a body mist spray and an EDT (just finished) which all came in a gift basket. 

It's an okay scent and not something that I would purchase for myself.

4. Daiso Silk Oil Blotters
My favorite oil blotters that I've repurchased this product a zillion times!

Treat: Essence Long Lasting Eye Liners

I caved in and purchased two Essence Long Lasting Eye Liners after reading so many good reviews about them. So far, my only Essence purchase are my Essence Lipstick and the Essence All About Matt! Fixing Loose Powder, both of which I love.

I got them in colors 18 Berry Merry, which is a purple, and 19 Hot Scorch which is a copper brown with glitters in it (something different from the normal brown that I usually have). 

The formula seemed soft when I swatched the testers at the store. I'm looking forward to testing them out to see how long they really last.