#BeautyBlog 3

Let's talk a bit about skincare..

I am not going to say what really works or anything since my skin hasn't exactly been awesome lately..

But I am going to tell you what I've been liking these days anyway..

Soap & Glory's Peaches And Clean and the Beauty Sleep Accelerator. Both these products smells wonderfully like peaches and if I'm being honest, that's the reason why I like it so much!

Peaches And Clean is a mild sort of cleanser. Perfect for nights when I hadn't had a full face of makeup during the day. Well, I could probably use it even if I have been wearing tons of makeup but I usually gravitate around a scrub or mask on those sort of nights. (Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It.. Love it!)

And though the Beauty Sleep Accelerator doesn't exactly help me get to sleep any faster, I do find that the peach smell calms me down and puts me into a slow mode. Not necessarily puts me to sleep, but definitely makes me want to be in bed all cozied up.

So yeah, I am definitely liking these two things. And they don't break me out or make my existing pimples any worse. The cleanser comes in a pretty huge bottle so I suppose I won't be talking about any facial cleanser anytime soon.

Chai Love.

Ever since we got the Caffitaly System S14 from Woolies, it has seem like we don't ever drink anything else around the house, Bestie and I.

We got the machine for AU$49 (a bargain!) when CBTL sells them for RM 980 for their Kaldi machine (a VERY similar design!) on their website.

Now, being a (self-proclaimed) coffee connoisseur I surprised myself when I  find that I am mostly obsessed with the Gloria Jean's Chai Latte capsules! I have never been a tea drinker, never even tasted a decaffeinated coffee.. I have always been a through and through, full blown coffee lover!

So yeah.. Chai latte! I am totally into it!

But only the one from Gloria Jean's it seems. Tried the one from CBTL and it's nowhere on the same par. The CBTL capsule tasted a tad sour, like it has a bit of tamarind in its ingredients. Don't know if it actually does, but it sure do taste like it did!

In case you didn't know what a chai latte is, it is basically flavoured milk tea. Usually spiced with cardamon, clove or ginger. I suppose if you ask for "chai" in India they would simply give you a cup of milk tea since that's what it means.. "tea" (but they normally drink it like us Malaysians, when you ask for "teh" in a shop, they'll send you a cup of tea with condensed milk already added.)

So in India, they're called "chai Masala".. But I've had one in Hyderabad once and I didn't like it at all! It was really heaty and heavily tasted of ginger.. Ughh!

Aaanyway, I first bought my first pack of ten on a whim during my stay in Perth. Saw the capsules and said, why not? Didn't expect that I would love it so much! So much that everytime I've been out the whole day, I would say to myself that I can't wait to get home and have a cup of chai latte!

Like seriously, I'm obsessed.

I'm wondering how the teabag version of chai by the other brands tastes like. I know Coffee Bean and Lipton makes them but dare I spend on them only to be disappointed? hmm.. We shall see. Perhaps I'll try them out once I ran out of my capsules stash.

Ramble ramble..

If I'm being honest, pay day isn't 'til next week but already I'm window-shopping online.
And if I'm really truly honest, I am actually looking for presents.. sigh. I'd much rather shop for myself really (hahahha!) but I really should find something for the two people in my life whose having their birthday next month.
Is it weird how engrossed I get when finding presents for people?
I myself appreciate getting practical things, but normal practical things aren't great for gifting especially when the receiver could easily get them on their own. So the challenge is finding something that may or may not be a luxury to that someone that is still practical in their everyday lives.
THAT'S my definition of a perfect gift anyway. Luxurious practicality.. hahahha!

It's like how Bestie gave me that Ciaté Mini Mani Month.. It's not necessarily something that I need, but I LOVE painting my nails, and I definitely wasn't going to buy it myself!
So anyway.. his birthday is coming up next month so here I am, glued to the laptop window shopping for inspiration.

Instead of finding things for people though, I find myself being distracted by this instead;

If you know me, then you know that I'm basically nocturnal. I really have a hard time falling asleep at night, and not for the lack of trying! I'm staying away from any medications, and would much prefer trying out a natural way to help me sleep. I don't know.. This whole set is a LOT of money though.

Anyway! I'm pretty sure that I have an idea of what to get my friends next month.. Kinda excited to get them the stuff!

#BeautyBlog 2

NARSissist Spring 2014 Gifting

SHITE!

How am I supposed to save when I am tempted this way, damn it!! The eyeshadow palette seem to be in that "goood" category as mentioned in my resolution post.. shit!

It'll retail at US$79.. Like.. seriously.. Bloody hell!

I wish I wasn't such a NARSissist..

I think I should keep my resolution.. right? It's only January. I should hold out 'til the REAL good stuff comes along.. Right?

Moving on to my first official beauty-buy this year, I saw that the Revlon's Colorburst Matte Balm has finally arrived to our shores during my nighstop in KK last week -- no, I have not eyed on them (the exact words from my resolution) physically but I have been wanting them since their release in The US.

Let's just say that I had a mix of excitement, followed by a small cuss when I saw the display.

And though I didn't need to get any new lip product, I reasoned that there is nothing wrong with getting a nude shade since I lost Honey of the Kissable Lip Balm Stains that was in my snatched sling-bag. After a quick deliberation, I decided on the shade Complex which is a beautiful cream nude with a slight browny-peachy tone. (On me anyway.)

The product feels good when applied, no tugging on the lips.. and as all the other crayon lippy products, it is very easy to apply! I highly recommend this product if you love matte lipsticks.

I can't comment on the staying power since I eat whatever no matter what's on my lips! Plus, pretty much everything is drying when you're in an airplane! hahahaha!

I'm like the WORST beauty blogger, so thank God I am not actually one. Just someone who writes about beauty.. sometimes.

Anyway, no signs of the Lacquer Balms yet.. But I don't think I can find an excuse for getting those anytime in the near future.. (Too many lip products to go through!)

PER/KUL/KTM

This has been a pretty cool week..

Mostly because I've been visiting places with cool temperatures! Ha!

Earlier this week I flew to Perth which was supposed to be in the summer but the nights were actually 12-ish degrees Celcius. No complaints there of course; I'd like to think that that is my kind of weather!

It was a pretty short stay, one that only allowed me to go to Woolworth and grab some necessities. (Coffees mostly!) Went a little nuts with the Caffitaly capsules, spent AU$50 on them pretty much! Hahahahhaha!!

At least I know that I'm good for the rest of the month. Those capsules are sold at RM 20+ at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for a box of ten while I got it at AU$6 for a box of sixteen from Woolies! I'd call that a good bargain so yeah, that's one reason to jump for joy!

The day after coming back from Perth, I flew to Kathmandu. It was my first time nightstopping there so I was really looking forward to it!

What's fun about the whole trip was the bit where I flew with all girls and they were all not too far from my batch!

They've been there multiple times so they showed me around. Our hotel was actually within walking distance to one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu, The Boudhanath Stupa.

I must say that the whole atmosphere kinda called to my artistic side and you'd probably notice from my Instagram photos..

The weather was brilliant, it didn't rain at all so I had a wonderful time walking around to see what Kathmandu has to offer! It was as dusty as any Indian countries I've been to though, so my shoes changed colours by the end of the day!

Overall, my week was pretty awesome! I look forward to another day in Kathmandu in the future. Perhaps next time I'll bring along my Diana+ or my Nikon. I haven't been to any place worth the trouble (of carrying a film-camera) in such a long time.

And now I got an extra day off because there was some scheduling error/changes in my roster so instead of having to do a Xiamen turnaround tomorrow, I get three solid days off! woohoo!

Have an awesome week ahead, dear readers!

2014

Oh shucks.. guess it's time for me to go a lil' deep (ha!) and talk about something of more substance..
I blame the moody weather. It's been raining pretty much everyday here in Bukit Jalil.
Also The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty.
That movie is the shiz. Reminiscent of The Alchemist. To me at least. I find that the movie is interpreted differently by the audiences. Some would see it and say that the movie is about travelling.. I saw it as a whole lot more. Are we even remotely surprised? (I wasn't.)

If you haven't seen that film, you better! It's one of those movies that anyone could enjoy.. but if you're someone like me, you might end up leaving the cinema feeling a tad bittersweet and.. poignant.

It's been a week of 2014 and things have been alright so far. Nothing major happened so there's nothing much to tell. Though I must say that I have been having less emotional breakdowns for the past couple of months.. which was great! I'd been crying over a lot of things at the first half of last year and that just went away somehow.
I haven't been too crazy about work though, which isn't so great. I hate the days when I have to remind myself to smile. There's nothing worse than having days like that.

Of course like everyone I've set a few resolutions for myself. To no surprise, most of them revolves around finance. Surprisingly I didn't jot down "eat healthy" for once.. probably because I haven't been eating a lot of junk anyway, and I haven't been eating much altogether! Perhaps I should write down "eat" instead. Dieting didn't at all cross my mind, but I am just.. uninterested. Which is sad, I know.

Actual resolution worth sharing includes;
1. For every clothing that I buy, I must throw/give away a piece that I no longer wear.
I have way too many clothes, really, yet I keep wearing the saame things over and again. (Then say that I have nothing to wear, of course!) So in hopes to de-clutter my wardrobe (and maybe life) I am starting with that. I have also just set aside a big bag of clothes that I no longer wear yesterday. Yayy!
2. No girly-things splurges unless something really good comes along, or I've been eyeing on that certain thing for more than say.. three months.
I shop way too much last year. Way waaay too much! So I am putting my foot down on splurges. Buys are okay, but no more splurges! I am planning to hold off on splurges until November; that's when the good sales comes along and all the awesome holiday sets comes out! teehee..
3. Enough shoes, bags and jackets!
Seriously, I have a problem in this area too apart from my make-up stuff. As I was sorting my closet yesterday I find that for someone who lives in the tropics, I have way too many jackets, sweaters and scarves! And though I believe that there's nothing wrong for having a shoe for every mood and occasion, owning SIX boots is a bit too much, don't you think?
4. Slow down on the cigarettes, Starbucks and Coffee Bean.
Well, this one is no stranger to my new year's resolution..
5. Blog again.. Once a week at least.
Hence, the regular updates again! I feel like ever since I've become an iPhone user, I've been extremely distracted from my normal habits like reading and writing. In a way, I love that it keeps me occupied when bored (which is pretty often) but I'm not impressed by how easily it kept me away from my first love. I blame myself, really.
Anyway, since I've been into beauty related things lately I figured that I will have things to write about every week. I could probably alternate between life and beauty each week. Or just beauty stuff when my life gets too boring. *sigh*

Okay, I had a pretty good two days off from work and now I better start packing for my trip. It will be a long week for me, Perth tomorrow night and Kathmandu a day after that!
I hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe. Have a great week!

#BeautyBlog 1

Guess I'll start like a series of girly stuff that I am into in this blog..
So if you're not into that, keep away from my blog when you see the hashtag.
I haven't found the right mood to talk about 2013/2014 yet, so I'll skip that new year's entry for now..

Benefit Cosmetics is having a SALE-abration online and I can't help feeling intrigued by the offer.
When you use the offer code WINTERSALE at checkout, you will get free international shipping with $75 order. I know, 75 dollars is not a small amount of money.. (about RM 250 according to XE.com) but I've been meaning to get (and try out) some things from the brand.
Wouldn't this be a great opportunity to do so?

Oooh, the temptation..
For $36, this set includes a full size of Benetint, a full size of They're Real mascara and a deluxe-size sample of The POREfessional in a cute little tin!
I do need to get a new mascara soon. They're Real is a pretty good mascara after all and the mascara alone is retailed at RM 85 here! (Although to be honest, Maybelline's The Falsies is still #1 in my book!)
Anyway, I suppose you'll know soon enough if I actually purchase anything during this sale-abration. I'm still contemplating.. Trying to be strong, really.

This offer is valid 'til the 17th and if you're in the US, you get free shipping with any order! (Lucky bitch!) If you are from Malaysia like me, and wouldn't want to spend RM 250 to get the free shipping but still want to get something from the brand, the standard shipping rate is $18.95. (About RM 63.. ughhhh!!)
Might as well ask around if your friends want to get something too.. Or buy your girly girlfriends their birthday gift in advance! That's what I do to justify my shopping most of the time anyway..
HAHAHHAHAHAHHA!

Happy New Year!

I had a good start of 2014..

Though I didn't get to spend new year's eve with loved ones (two years in a row, now) I did get awesome colleagues on my three days trip!

We had new year's eve in Bangkok which was different.. Despite the political chaos there, it was pretty safe to wander around the city as everyone was in such a party mood.

The streets were packed, the malls were packed, pretty much everywhere was packed with Thais!

We arrived at noon and went straight out into the city to bask in the atmosphere. Not exactly my thing, to be honest. There were just TOO MANY PEOPLE!!

But anyway, what I wanted to do the most was to check out the NARS counter in Siam Paragon and Boots just outside of the mall! Hahahahha

So anyway.. I did my final purchases of 2013 there..

The original plan was to only "check out" the prices at the counter and then actually purchase the items on my wishlist at the airport as they would be duty free there. But Siam Paragon had a sale while I was there, and as the prices were cheaper than in the store back home, I decided to just grab the chance!

Since these items had been on my wishlist for a good few months at least, I have done my research!

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in the shade Stromboli. This retails at US$ 44. In KL it retails at RM 165. I read in a blog somewhere that it was around THB 1450 at the airport. At Siam Paragon itself, it is retailed at THB 1700 (VAT!) but because of the sale (15% off), I got mine at THB 1445! I consider that a bargain.

Of course it could've been even more cheaper at the airport since I might get some sort of a staff-discount. But I don't want to deal with the disappointment in case my shade wasn't available.. I'm happy enough to get it cheaper than in KL to be honest!

Anyway, I can't tell what I think of this yet   since I've only used it twice. This is also my very first time owning a high-end brand foundation so my opinion on it wouldn't be fair since I only have drugstore/pharmacy brands to compare it to! (Not sure if I'd mentioned this anywhere but I don't even own anything from MAC!)

The other item that I got was the lipstick that I've been wanting, the Semi Matte Lipstick in the shade Funny Face.

($26 in the US, RM 90 in KL and THB 990 in Thailand! After discount it was THB 841.) I've asked three times for it at Pavilion but it never seems to be in stock. Oh well, I've got it now!

The other two items in the photo of my 'final purchases' were a sample of the face primer that I got with my purchase at Siam Paragon and the foundation pump that I bought at Pavilion the last time I was there.

Yes, I bought the pump before I got the foundation.. I am just that nutty!

Oh and the only item I got from Boots was Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean cleanser that was RM 20 cheaper than in Sephora KL! Aghhh! I was so irked that that was all I got left in my purse or I would've stock up on a LOT of the Soap & Glory stuff!

Okay, gonna stop rambling now. I had so much fun and laughs with my crew, but not enough sleep for the past three days.. Tomorrow's pick-up is at 3 am so I suppose I should head to bed now.

Hahahahahaha!

Have a good 2014, dear readers..

Perhaps I'll write an actual, sappy kind of new year's entry sometime this week!