The Balm Oh So Bright

I have been reading a lot about the Balm Mary -Lou Manizer highlighter and wanting to get hold of it. I finally bought it last week at Sasa Pavillion. I bought the set because the promoter said that it was on sale. I paid RM99 instead of RM 157 for this set.

I will post reviews on the product once I start using them.

Verdict: Nice packaging and I like the bag which can be my toiletries bag when I travel

Price: Mid Range  RM99

Where: Sasa Pavillion ( I am sure it is available in other Sasa)

Body Shop Sale 18 May – 20 June 2012

Body shop is currently having up to 70% sale! I was there at Mid Valley yesterday and the crowd was massive! They have a lot of items on sale and I bought a few items. Cosmetics for 10-20%. Some skin care  are up to 30%

Here are a few i bought that were at 50% off.

I have used some of their body butter (olive, vitamin E, strawberry, blueberry) but I have not tried the peach and the Brazil Nut one, so I guess that is the excuse to buy since it is sale J. These 2 and one of their Christmas b0dy butter are 50% off. The rest like the olive and the strawberry ones are 30% off.

I also bought their Ice Blue shampoo which is a menthol shampoo.  I like to use menthol shampoo once a while because I like the cooling, fresh and clean feeling. It says behind the bottle that it will also leave your hair soft. Well, it is not very soft, but comparing to other menthol shampoos that I used before, it is comparatively softer. This shampoo is BLUE in color so please don't freak out.

The last thing I got was their small kabuki brush ( for the cheeks). According to the sales person, it is made out of goat’s hair. I was contemplating between this and their bigger one (for the face) which is only 10% off (retails at RM75). I decided to take the small one since it is on sale. It is a very dense brush, but I find it a little too stiff. I hope that it will get fluffier when I use it longer.

Verdict : GO TO THE SALE!!

Price : Quite Premium (when it is not on sale)

Body Butter – RM55 (200ml)

Ice Blue Shampoo – RM 38 (250ml)

Nature’s Mineral Blusher Kabuki Brush – RM 73

Where : The Body Shop

*Please note that prices are before 50% discount

Botanics Soothing Eye Make-Up Remover

When I was still new to make up remover, I used to use Simple’s  and body shop’s camomile eye make-up remover and it was a pain every end of each day to remove my water proof mascara. Both the makeup remover are water based therefore it is not meant for water proof mascara.

Then I discovered L’Oreal’s eye and lip make up remover which is oil based. I have been using that for a while. I know that there are some people who are worried that oil based make –up remover may produce oil seeds around the eyes when use in the long run but I really don’t think so. I have been using oil based eye make-up remover for the past years and I do not have that problem.

When I was at Boot’s during one of my trips to Bangkok, I came across this Botanics make up remover and decided to try. And because I use make up remover every day, I figured something that is natural may be better for my skin.

It is the same concept as the L’oreal one. You have to shake it before you damp your cotton. It removes mascara effectively. Comparing this to the L’Oreal one, it has a mild cool sensation which is quite comforting when I place the cotton pad on my eyes, so that is quite a nice touch.

I read the instruction behind the bottle and it says that if you need a quick perk me up, place the remover in the fridge, when it is cool, damp the cotton and placed on the eyes for 5 minutes as a mask. I have not tried that, and I don’t think I will because it can be a little oily if you do not wash it off.

Verdict : Great remover for those who prefer natural ingredients. Unfortunately it is not available in Malaysia. This is my 3^rd bottle and I have stock up another 2 bottles in my cabinetJ. I will always re-stock when I am in Thailand.

Price: Mid-Range. I can’t exactly remember how much but it’s about 300baht. And most of the time they have Sale, buy 1 and get 2^nd one at 50% off (150ml)

Where : Boots (I normally buy mine in Thailand because that is the nearest)

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

This is lip butter with color. This is a good item to be in your daily make-up bag for regular usage and touch ups. I went to guardian and I saw that they do have a wide range of colors. From red tones, plum tones, brown tones, pink tones and orange tones. I have purchase 3 different lip butter.

L-R : Cherry Tart, Peach Parfait, Strawberry Shortcake

Swatches

Cherry Tart: This is a wearable red. It is like a stain of red, not too strong, therefore it is wearable for day time application

Peach Parfait: A very light natural orange tone with shimmer

Strawberry shortcake: A Barbie pink color. It sits nicely on fairer skin tone

Here are the colors on my lips

Cherry Tart

Peach Parfait

Strawberry Shortcake

My favourite out of these 3 colors is the Strawberry short cake. It may look too pink when I first apply, but after a while it really sits very nicely and not too overboard. On days that you feel a bit girlie, this is a great lippie :)

Despite saying that this is a good item to be in your regular make up bag, I find that the texture is a bit soft. So if you bring around in your handbag, I find it melting. If you notice my pictures above, the lipstick kind of lost its shape. It is not so solid, maybe because it is lip butter so the consistency is different from normal lipsticks.

Verdict: It does not dry my lips , nice range of colors a bit too soft and it melts a little especially if you carry it around in your handbag.

Price: Affordable RM 24.90

Where: Guardian, Watsons, Caring

Sofitel Saigon Vietnam

I was in Vietnam 2 weeks ago for a short business trip. Did not have time to go around that much,  but sad to say this, but I do not really enjoy Ho Chi Minh. It takes a lot to get used to the motorcycles and to cross the streets. My Vietnam counterpart told me that you just need to walk straight and the motorcycles will avoid you so you do not need to worry. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

The best thing was the hotel J. Really nice and cosy hotel.

Inside my room

When i look out

The bath

Loccitane!!

Verdict : If you do visit Vietnam, i would suggest that you stay in this hotel.It is also quite near town. It is walking distance to their famous post office, so you can do some sight seeing around. 

Price : 150 - 180 USD per night

Where : Saigon, Vietnam

Essence Cosmetics

I was at mid valley the other day and I saw a road show from essence cosmetic on the ground floor (near body shop) I was curious and took a small catalogue from them. I started google-ing to check them out during my lunch time at Midvalley. Found out that they are a drugstore brand from Germany. It falls under the “cheap and good” category. So I picked up some stuff before i left Midvalley.

L-R : Liquid eye liner, no limits mascara, XXXL shine lipgloss in "Big Night Out", Stay with me lip gloss in " My Favorite Milkshake and Candy Bar", I love Stage eye shadow base and Powder Brush

They are really affordable. I only paid RM80.70 for all the products above! I can't wait to try them out and will definitely post the reviews soon.

Verdict: Very nice packaging for the price

Price: Super affordable. Everything is below RM15 each

Where: Coci Coci, 2^nd floor mid valley, apparently there is also one in Bintang walk.