Weekend Getaway

On Friday we took a 2 hours drive south to Melaka for a little getaway weekend. We did touristy things and had some good food. Also on a whim had my first massage, a 60 minutes relaxing aromatherapy massage at the hotel spa. I had been to Melaka once when I was about 10 for a swimming competition, but it definitely is nothing like what I remembered.

Didn't take too many pictures of myself, but tons of husband. The ones taken of me were so ugly. I have put on so much weight and just seeing them in the pictures is so disappointing. Tried to dress up but do not know why I bothered. Now I know why people give me such strange looks. Let's not dwell on that at the moment.

We visited the Mahkota Parade mall while walking the first day. Had to head into Watson's and picked up these makeup wipes by Biore as had forgotten to pack eye makeup remover.

I love these! They remove makeup wonderfully. The wipes are a small in size but they are potent little things. I had tried to get them at Guardian but a lady was holding up the line for a long time arguing with the cashier over something. They were having a promo of RM9.88 for 2 packs, instead of RM5.90 at Watson's for 1 pack so it was a better buy. Very convenient for travel. Will be a permanent staple for traveling.

Also picked up this Maybelline lip balm for RM8.90.

It really is non-oily as it claims and it has a nice red tint. Bought this as when we set out I didn't have space in my pockets for a lipstick. I walk around town - anywhere 'by the road' - without a handbag as I am very paranoid about snatch thieves. Any ideas about how to do the tourist thing and not carry a bag? Cargo pants perhaps?

We had a great time this weekend but I'm just having a bad couple of days. Yep besides the weight and my huge bloated face in all pictures .. ugh. First thing is that I have a ton of zits when it's usually maybe one every 3 months. My guess is that it's the Neutrogena Fine Fairness SPF22 Day Moisturizing cream - total mistake in switching from Neutrogena SPF15. That has been the only change to my skin care regime. It's such a waste of RM40+ now :( And the zits :( :(

Also my hair is not co-operating at all, I have had crazy uber bad hair days for 5 days running. Plus I hate the new hair color. It was supposed to be ashy and just one shade to the left of the regular color. It is lighter now, redder and a little uneven as the tops are lighter than the bottoms. It was done at a salon so not sure why it turned out like that. Universe just wants to mess with me this month.

(indoor lighting)

Can't wait for 6 weeks to be up so I can go back to regular hair color. Although J keeps hinting that he wants me to go really dark like dark brown or black. Black is a tad harsh no? My hair is naturally dark brown with reddish tints.

FOTD Saturday dinner

Tried to make super dramatic winged liner, looked ridiculous but used new NYX e/s - Kiss in Casablanca, Irises with some MAC Blue Flame and Carbon - so ... A for effort? :D

Biore Facial Fit Expert w-CR Clarity Radiance

Phew that's a long title. Wait it's actually even longer ..

Biore Facial-Fit Expert w-CR Luminous Whitening Clarity Radiance - Whitening Beads Facial Foam for Oily-Combination Skin

Picked this up to give it a try as my current cleanser Hada Labo AHA/BHA Cleanser was running out. Biore has always been on the shelves but this new line especially with the packaging makes them look really polished. Ok I fell for the packaging!

There are a few different cleansers in the range, all Oily-Combination, and they are fairly self explanatory.

• Luminous Bright (w-UV)
• Fine Wrinkle Care (FW)
• Pore & T-Zone (PT)
• Acne & Oil (AO)
• Clarity Radiance (w-CR)
  

I chose the Clarity Radiance (w-CR) as it seemed most suitable. On the tube it's main tasks listed - #1 removes dead skin cells and #2 prevents blemishes. It also has a whitening element in it as it mentions that it helps give 1-tone brighter skin.

I am not a fan of whitening products but living in Asia it's not something that can easily be avoidable. With a quick visit to the drugstore one can easily see how there are so many new whitening products while all the non-whitening products are shoved to the bottom shelves rarely getting re-stocked. Almost every product now has a whitening angle. As such I have finally thrown in the towel this August :D

It has a strong perfumey scent but thankfully doesn't irritate me. I am quite particular about the scent of cleansers especially if it accidentally gets in my nose, just a smidge is all it takes. It unfortunately smells a bit like Veet - yep the depliatory cream, just a little hint of the smell at the end. This makes it sounds bad but it's really not!

The cleanser is creamy white but has little green and blue beads. It's not a scrub or exfoliator per se, not like old school exfoliators, so you can't quite feel it on your skin. It contains Green Tea extract (blemish buster) and whitening beads + green brightening beads (luminosity aka whitening).

This little baby foams like mad so use sparingly. It is also tad hard to wash off compared to my usual cleansers (Neutrogena, Hada Labo). Skin does not feel too tight afterwards but I did feel a smidge of it on the cheeks. Product was used on bare face but do not think it is good for makeup removal - still using Biore Cleansing Oil every evening for that btw.

Price: RM5.90 for 50gm. Also available in 100gm.

Likes
- cheap
- does the job
- improved packaging
- texture of cleanser
- the beads

Dislikes
- perfumey strong smell
- super foamy
- little hard to wash off

In summary it's a decent cleanser with a very affordable price (ok, super cheap). It'll be a nice product to pick up if you're traveling or for the gym bag. Since I'm a product junkie that's what I tend to do to try out new cleansers :D Still it is not a replacement for my favorite cleansers - Neutrogena (permanent staple) and Hada Labo (recent find).

Final NYX e/s haul for August

These were two separate purchases but they arrived together on Monday.

This has to be the boldest selection of colors chosen.

• ES59 Hot Pink (Matte)
• ES71 Aloha (Frosty/Shimmer)
• ES54 Cherry (Frosty)
• ES111 Irises (Matte/Shimmer)
• ES157A Kiss in Casablanca (Metallic)
• ES145 Marrakesh (?)
• ES132 Alaska (Frosty)

(no flash, incandescent light)

(flash)

Alaska and Marrakesh purchased through a forum member at RM9 each. These were used so the price was slashed. She bought from a recent spree and probably only swatched since you can't see it in the pan.

The others were from nyxcosmeticsmalaysia (Facebook). Brand-new at RM14.90 each. Unfortunately they do not seem to be re-stocking single NYX eye shadows but have tons of other NYX products. They recently had a major shipment come in this past week.

Pink Power! Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3

I was extra naughty on Monday and picked up a new camera. Had some extra loot after getting paid for those classes run months ago. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 in Pink/Rose.

Spotted this when sis was buying a camera a few weeks ago and wanted it based mostly on the color. Yep you heard me right. I chose something because of the color. And the color is pink. Though you can't deny that pink is gorgeous, it really pops!

Unfortunately the camera feels a tad junky compared to the 5-year+ Canon, but then they possibly aren't in the same category. It's also semi-cheap at RM499 which is great because I am not spending RM1,500 again on point & shoot camera which will be obsolete in about a year. Yep lesson learnt - if it's not a DSLR I am not spending more than 500 bucks on a camera.

The Lumix DMC-F3 was bundled with a 4GB SD card and a pouch. The guy at Foto Enata, Sunway Pyramid was wonderful and attentive. I had walked into Fotokem there earlier, hung around for a good 5-10 minutes but no one came around so walked out of the shop. Unfortunately I discovered later on that Foto Enata is a part of Fotokem or some such thing so I still gave business to them. Bah.

The Sony touchscreen camera (DSC-T70) vibration problem is now permanent and would rather not spend about RM200+ to fix it. It did this just over a year with minimal use. I've only been using it in the meantime as it is better in specs than my old but trusty IXUS 55 (SD450). These touchscreen Sony cameras all seem to have the same problem. My cousin mentioned it out of the blue at a function the other day and hers was a newer model. A quick Google search about "vibration problem" will tell the same story.

To date I have had 3 Sony cameras, and they have always gone wonky and needed to be sent to the service centers - which cost a pretty penny just for them to take a look at it. The Canon has been well-used, thrown around for over 5 years with no problems at all. Although in the past 2 years have wished that it would die out so I could trade up for a newer camera with better specs!

Pictures in the post Final NYX e/s haul for August are taken with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3.

Likes

- color = super hot sexy pink (+10,000 points! seriously!)

- auto scene mode selection

- SD card, hate memory stick

- very lightweight

- cheap, RM499 with 4GB card

Dislikes

- little noisy when processing auto scene selection

- feels junky, plastic-ish like a toy camera

- no face/smile detection like most cameras in the price range

3 new NYX e/s + FOTD Saturday

Picked up the package sitting at the post office in Klang on Saturday containing 3 NYX eye shadows.

• ES29 Deep Charcoal (Metallic)
• ES19 Flamingo (Sheer/Metallic)
• ES18 Sahara (Frosty)

Swatches (L-R): Sahara, Flamingo, Deep Charcoal

NYX single eyeshadows bought from local seller for RM19 each.

FOTD Saturday (not relevant to products above! just received them)

Need way more practice with MAC Fluidline. One eye is always okay and then the other just doesn't work. Such a noob.

Still need to amp up the color :( It's always purples and pinks with browns. Used NYX cottage cheese pencil (mid), NYX red bean pie (outer/crease), MAC Satin Taupe (outer), Anna Sui MDV pink (inner), Anna Sui MDV white (brow). Pretty boring.

Showdown! Lancome Hypnose vs Maybelline Volum'Express

A little follow-up to the post about high end vs drugstore mascara. Here are a few quick comparison pictures. Warning there are close up eyeball pictures, which look icky to me anyways but for this post they will have to be put up on the internetz for all to see. Ick.

Maybelline Volum'Express in Very Black (waterproof).

vs.

Lancome Hypnose in Black

CLOSED

Left eye - Lancome

Right eye - Maybelline

OPEN

Left Eye - Lancome

Right eye - Maybelline

You can not see a difference in the closed eye picture but with the open eyes (eyeballz!) there is a tiny difference.

Price Comparison

• Lancome Hypnose - RM93
• Maybelline VolumExpress - RM 33.90 but RM19.90-26.90 sales, very often so have never paid full price

Summary

With more coats the Lancome Hypnose performs better and builds up well. The color is also blacker, a darker true black. Personally it is not worth for such an effect as it is 5 times more expensive.

Majolica Majorca Jeweling Pencil

These Majolica Majorca Jeweling Pencils have been around for ages now but I've finally gotten around to reviewing them. Recently purchased the blue pencil (BL503) a few weeks ago and have had some time to play around with it.

Top-Bottom - Black BK999, Blue BL503

I've had the black one for awhile but rarely reach for it as I much prefer MAC's Powerpoint in Engraved. There is no comparison but for a drugstore brand it is very creamy and applies smoothly. Great for lazy mornings.

L: single line, R: smudged a little

They are easily smudged out. Just grab a tissue paper, give it couple of rubs and it is completely gone. Needless to say staying power isn't too great. I've only used it on the upper lids and usually smudged with eyeshadow. As long as nothing touches it, it will be decent so definitely not recommended for under eye area or the waterline.

Sparkles! There is quite a bit of glitter in these pencils. For the blue, especially such a lovely rich blue, it's a nice enhancement. The black has two different types, one with glitter (BK901) and one without (BK999 as above), so keep that in mind when purchasing.

Smudged out with eyeshadow

Liner in the first picture was a true solid line, second was smudged out with a little eyeshadow from the Anna Sui palette using a pencil brush. The smudging was done earlier in the day. Thanks to my crappy photography skills and camera, not sure if you can see a difference but there has already been transference at the edge of the eye and glitter fallout. Picture was taken 3 hours after the first.

For the price RM26.90 (10% off during sales) it is a nice range of pencils in fairly bold colors. They are great for experimenting with looks and to try out a color to see how it looks on you without worrying too much about the price. Available at most Watson's stores.

Weekends are for fun (and shopping)!

• Fell in love with the sexiest shoes from Charles & Keith. I dub them "bondage booties". Their sales are unfortunately over but the main reason I passed was because of my klutziness - could envision falling over and hurting myself very badly. They are still on my mind though! Showed them to husband (J) when we passed another C&K store and he liked them too so maybe will pick them up at the end of the week - he took the pic "to remember" hmmm. They are RM239.90, a tad pricey but they feel hefty, does not go up the ankle (a true bootie) and I love that the zipper is on the inside instead of the back.

• Got lost in Klang trying to find the post office for about 1.5 hours on Saturday, thank goodness J was driving as i would have gone mad! Traffic in that place is such a mess. We went to the wrong post office (my fault), met a really rude postal worker then decided to leave because we would only get more lost. That's the one major disadvantage about moving here having to deal with things in that town because it's so foreign to us.

• Because of that do not have those 3 NYX eyeshadows :( Have until the 28th to venture there again, with new directions to find the right post office. Not looking forward to that.

• Kept to the shopping ban besides picking up Beauty Labo Leave-On Treatment Spray (RM16.90). So now I have 3 of these - Loreal (excuse the gunk it's on the final dregs), Liese Juicy Shower, BeautyLabo. Will do a comparison review soon.

• Expendables was so-so, over the top action making it laughable in some parts. Jason Statham stole the show. Men that look like men .. yummy.

• J got few more Wicked Weasel knickers from the new Shimmer range, 3 whole pairs (605, 611 micro, 607 hipster). Apparently he could not resist after seeing them in the newsletter a few weeks back. On top of that he included a ribbed tank top (939 Singlet Ribbed Cotton) that I can wear with my jammies (bottoms). It fits me in all the right places. He gave me one of the best compliments when I tried it on - saying I had a very classic hourglass figure, then tried to explain it with hand motions and fumbling for appropriate words. So cute! Sorry if it feels like I'm getting a big head but we big girls gotta take our compliments to heart since we don't usually get much compliments ;)

• Mafia II booked with release date in about a week. A tad burnt out with video games after finishing Dragon Age: Origins last weekend so probably need a little break. I did still start a second character (Dalish Elf, Rogue) and also continued on with the expansion pack Awakening with the 1st character but not feeling it.

• We finished up Season 2 of Fringe this weekend. Want more eps! The new season only starts this September. This is probably one of the best sci-fi shows still running. It has similar elements to Abrams previous shows like Felicity, Alias and Lost which annoy me sometimes but the cast of characters really make the show. Currently we're watching another sci-fi show Defying Gravity - which lasted one season and has been cancelled. It's dubbed as "Grey's Anatomy in space" yech but the sets look great and some elements of the show work well (not "Grey's Anatomy in space" btw). All in all it is very intriguing and has kept our attention for now.

• Didn't really celebrate our 2nd anniversary on Sunday. Got each other gifts which we revealed way too early - hobby poster framed for J, perfume + phone + ww for me :) No dinner out, we're quite boring sometimes.

• Have to revise my opinion of Strip @ Curve (previous experience). Had a great Brazilian waxing session on Saturday with a very talkative super friendly lady named Joyce. I suggest you look for her if you go there, she talks throughout the session which is so much better than awkward silence. I opted for the combi wax and the pain level was negligible. It was cheaper than the hard wax at only RM88. In about 6 weeks for the next visit will most definitely sign up for the RM350 for 5 sessions package.

Perma-lust for Obi Belts + more NYX e/s

Obi Belts - leather ones especially

Can't decide between black or brown.

It's the same belt but can be worn in 3 different ways.

Yes

• wanted one for ages
• extremely flattering for my body shape

No

• can't really spend that RM100-120, now because of work situation
• at this weight should not buy anything until down to okay weight
• shipping, have to request registered mail (add extra cost) or risk it getting lost with our postal service

These are always the same reasons why I never get around to getting them *sigh*. It has been like this for a good year or two, by the time I get it am sure the trend will be on the way out! If you'd like to check them out visit Nana Fosu on etsy, ebay or their official website. Lovely stuff.

Onto makeup things. My NYX eye shadow collection will jump from 5 to 8 when the package is picked up from the post office tomorrow. Then in about a week it will jump to 12 and a week or so after that 17. I am going a wee bit crazy here. Have been trying to contain it .... quite unsuccessfully I'd say.

These are all the NYX shades then. It's a nice variety of colors since I'm trying to be more adventurous with color.

My weekend plans are going to pre-order a video game coming out on the 27th (Mafia II) and watching The Expendables with the husband. Plus trying to not shop too much - I am supposed to be on an actual shopping ban y'know. Have a great weekend everyone!

High-End > Drugstore Mascara?

My mom does not use mascara so whenever she gets a makeup set, she gives the mascara to me. She usually buys Estee Lauder and the different ones she has given over the years have not been impressive. I have stuck faithfully to Maybelline Volum'Express mascara in Very Black for many years now. So on Friday she handed me a mini tube of Lancome Hypnose mascara that came with a gift set and I gave it a try.

It might be my imagination - since I've not compared them side-to-side - but there seems to be an actual difference in this high-end mascara vs my regular drugstore mascara. My lashes which are average length just looked so lush!

Warning - close up eye photo ahead. This is just with one time application on the top lashes. I would say about one to two coats.

Excuse the clumps and fallout. As usual I was rushing to take the pic - late to go out and especially did not want husband to see me taking vain close up photos of my lashes!

The photo is a sorta cheat as I stumbled across a perfect light angle which makes me look so glowy. Reality is more like this ...

Quite a natural look for the day. Products are the usual suspects except the Lancome mascara and Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in Medium Beige. Have been using that foundation for over a week now. It's great as it feels light and is not as stinky but not sure whether it is going up to the top as the HG past Color Stay just yet. I prefer the coverage of Color Stay and sometimes really need it.

Also loving the Eco Tools brush set and MAC Fluidline. I've only used them for about a week or two but can't rave enough about 'em. Why did I go all those years not using gel liner! I still need major practice as you can see in the eye close up but you can do so much with it. Depending on the type of brush or the angle. Love it!

So maybe if I'm not too broke next month, will purchase my first high-end mascara.

Currently on a total shopping ban because I have spent way too much this month. Husband bought a gift for me over the weekend. Burberry Brit perfume which I planned on purchasing myself but he decided to add on another anniversary gift!

RM 390 for 100ml, always save up and get the 100ml instead as the 50ml is RM290.

So yep totally excessive spending from both of us these past few weeks. I had wanted that perfume forever but kept putting it off or they never had it in stock after Burberry Brit Sheer was released. This one had a manufacturing date 2 whole years ago btw :) Sis and husband helped me pick out the perfume with the help of a wonderful sales assistant at Parkson 1Utama. I am so indecisive about perfumes for myself, but apparently I choose great perfumes for just about everyone else. Strange how that works.

Shopping ban is re-instated as at 12:46pm, as realized that I had joined a spree for NYX eyeshadows this morning. Oops!

Other news

• CS pencil brush, replacement for wrongly sent item, arrived on Friday evening. I finally have a pencil brush. Great job by Coastal Scents. Thank you!
• Have 4 NYX eyeshadows coming in the mail sometime this week but have placed an order for 5 more which will arrive in a few weeks so at least it's sorta .. spread out .. right? :D

July Favorites

** LOVES **

1. NYX Single Eye Shadow (post)
Finally fell in love with these. My first e/s was Vanilla Sky which is used as a base color so did not get to see the real pigmentation of the colors. After getting a few others - Mermaid Green, Red Bean Pie, Iced Mocha - you can really see how lovely they are. Getting more immediately!

2. Hada Labo AHA/BHA Cleanser (post - same as #1)
Am glad that I picked this up after hearing all about it on the local beauty blogosphere. My current favorite cleanser to keep in rotation along with the other staples.

3. Beauty Labo Serum - Night Repair (post)
Lovely scent and not as goopy/sticky on hands as other serums. Definitely a repurchase. It has old outdated looking packaging, the whole range is baby pink with white accents but the price (and the product) is a real winner.


** HATES **

1. Etude House Stippling Brush (post)
This was the worst buy of July. It sheds horribly leaving black bristles on your face. They meld very well in the foundation so the hairs need to be picked up individually. Prefer to stick to using fingers for foundation application to save time and not look like I'm shedding.

2. Burt's Bees Super Shiny Lip Gloss (review)
Goopy, haven't used it much. Went into detail in the review so do not want to repeat myself. It was quite a disappointment as I love Burt's Bees lip balms and was looking forward to the lip gloss arrival in M'sia.

3. i.Fairy Sakura Pink Circle Lens (review)
At first I absolutely loved it. Then looking at the pictures posted in the review and that one time wore them out, they look quite ridiculous. It's a little too much for me. Have not worn them since.

*So-called 'hates' list, really a "meh" list as it's just stuff i don't care about but can't say i truly hate.

Weekend Drugstore & MAC Buys!

Did quite a bit of shopping over the weekend.

Drugstore buys

1. Liese Juicy Shower - RM 28.80 at Watson's (from RM32.00)
2. Revlon lip gloss in Pink Pursuit - RM 25.90 at Watson's (from RM32)
3. Majolica Majorca liner in blue - RM 26.80 at Watson's
4. Hada Labo Moisture Lotion - RM 36.81 at Guardian (10% off?)
5. Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in Medium Beige - RM 54.90 at Guardian (RM55 intro price)

My favorite hands down is the Revlon Photo Ready foundation. I picked this up Friday and used it both on long days out on Saturday and Sunday and it performed very well. It is much less thick than Revlon Color Stay and feels so much lighter on the skin. It doesn't have that stinky smell either. Best part is the pump bottle! It is only available at Guardian so far. They have a huge poster ad in their stores for this so it must be new! The intro price is RM55 but the price will go up later to over RM60 I'm guessing. Whatever the case this is going to be my new HG or perhaps I will alternate between the two.

I also succumbed and picked up the Liese Juicy Shower and Hada Labo Moisture Lotion. After all the reviews these past few months it was hard to resist especially with the discounts (a wee bit of discount!). Honestly I am a tad disappointed with them. The Liese Juicy Shower feels like it does not do anything and the berry scent it advertises is so faint - major reason why it was picked over BeautyLabo which is almost half the price at RM 16.90 during sales.

The Hada Labo Moisture Lotion .. does it even do anything? It feels like there is a sheen of softness after completing the application process but is it just the product on top of the skin. The application process is also a tad tedious. The whole patting into the skin or smooshing your skin, is that even good for your skin in the long run. I regret buying this and should have paid a bit more to replenish the Clinique toner instead.

Onto my MAC birthday present from my sister. Instead of picking them out for me we went out shopping together on Saturday, she let me choose them and then she paid. Thanks sis!

1. Painterly Paint Pot - RM 70.00
2. Fluidline in Blacktrack - RM68.00
3. Sharpener - RM12.00

My favorite out of all these is the Painterly paint pot. I have been using MAC Prep+Prime Eyes for ages and it's only half gone. I don't dislike it per se but I prefer eye primers that are more liquidy than creamy. Painterly has a different consistency from Prep+Prime and gives a nice base which supposedly helps enhance the colors of your eyeshadows. I did not notice any creasing either which is great.

Finally an unexpected gift from the husband.

A new phone from the husband our 2nd anniversary, coming up in about 2 weeks :D It's the Samsung Corby Ch@t B3410W. It is exactly what I would pick for myself - and in pink! It should have more pink actually .. all over. It is quite low-tech but I am totally against having an iPhone (especially) or touchscreen phones. This has just enough touchscreen to not be annoying. The best part for me is ...

The QWERTY keyboard! I told ya I'm low-tech. I like an unfussy interface.

The only downsides to this is the annoying widgets! They open but then stay cluttered on the desktop. To close it you have to drag it onto the widget bar. There is no close button. I have no idea who designed it or why they would design it like that. #2 it does not smart select which internet profile to use i.e. if wi-fi is available, choose it instead of using telco gprs/3g. As such I am giving Digi a try before I switch from (overpriced) Maxis -- and toting around two phones like a crack dealer.