Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

This is one of those products that takes forever to empty. I have been using this on and off for at least 8 months now and I still have ¾ left. This is one of my first Kiehl’s products.

I was attracted to it because it is essentially an essential oil (no pun intended) and distilled botanicals  that is supposed to regenerate, repair, and replenish the skin. It is made of pure essential oil from primrose and lavender. These are the 2 ingredients that made this potion smell so therapeutic.  I normally only use 2-3 drops of this and it is normally the last step of my night skin care routine.



Magic Potion

I only use it when my skin is not in an oily state. During times when I break out or have bumps on my face, I will avoid this as I feel that it made my breakout worst. The packaging is very premium. It comes with a glass "dripper" that reminds me of science class.

Verdict: I have read a lot of great reviews about this product from a lot of beauty bloggers. They claim that it work wonders on their skin and their skin looked soft and feel supple the next morning. Unfortunately for me, it doesn’t have the same effect on me. It is probably more suitable for dry skin type. Having said that, this is a good to have product and it will definitely last a long time. I checked the label and the expiry date is 18 months after opening.

Price: Premium RM220 (30ml)

Where:  Pavillion, MidValley and Kiehl’s  nation wide

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.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX

This is the second sleeping mask I have tried and it is also a Korean brand. The last one I used was the raspberry roots sleeping mask from Face shop.

This light blue mask is a gel textured mask and it smells really good.  When my face is in an OK condition, I will just slap this mask on and go to bed. When my skin is dry, I will use this on top of my skin care routine and I will definitely wake up with better skin.

The main ingredient of this mask is snow water. I am not too sure what is it but I am sure it is super moisturizing. I have a friend who told me that she bought a jar of this mask and she forgot to close the lid and after a few days, the jar was almost empty. It has all evaporated. This can only means that the content must be made of water or some sort for it to evaporate meaning the content is full of moisture.

Verdict: Like this because if it’s moisturizing properties and because it is so easy to use. Slap it on, go to bed and wake up with supple skin.

Price: Premium (RM 100+ 80ml) I got my friend to buy from Korea, so it was only about RM60. So this is a MUST buy product if you ever go to Korea.

Where: Laneige Counter at Isetan ,Parkson and Jusco Mid valley

Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami

I know this is the first time I am reviewing a book. But I figured that I should start archiving all books I read. I do not read a lot of serious books, mainly chick flicks and some fiction. One of my favourite authors is Sophie Kinsella. I have read all her shopaholic books J

As for Haruki Murakami, I got to know this author unexpectedly. Months ago, my sister was reading a book and told me that it was a very weird narration but it gets more interesting as you read and it was by a Japanese author. I did not take any notice or attention to that. 2 weeks ago, while browsing some beauty blog, I do not know how, but I ended up in a blog reviewing books! From there I got to know about Norwegian woods and IQ84 by the same author. The description of the author and these books reminded me of how my sister described a book few months ago.

That night, I went to her room and look for the book and found Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami and of course started reading it.

Reading chick flicks makes me feel like I am in la-la land but this book makes me wonder sometimes if I am living in reality or am I living in a dream.

The book is about a 15 year old boy, Kafka Tamura who is planning to run away from home on his birthday. He is a depressed teenager who does not like his father and his mother and sister have left him when he was young. He ran away from Tokyo and ended in Takamatsu, Kamakura Memorial library. He befriended a librarian, Oshima and he started working there.

On the other end, we have Nakata who is and elderly man who had an accident when he was a kid and turn up to be not so smart. He lives a simple life and he is able to talk to cats J. He can also predict it will be raining fish and mackerels.It is very magical and whimsical.

And in the book there is a Johnny Walker character. It is quite funny when it came to that but there is a very dark side at the end..

At the beginning of the book, it feels that the author is writing about these 2 characters separately in alternate chapters. But as you read, you will start to see the link.

Verdict: The book got me hooked. It is full of metaphor and philosophy that are really deep. I have to admit that I have trouble understanding them. Just a word of caution, there is not exactly a logical ending to this book, it is meant to keep the readers thinking and interpret it their own way. And maybe because of this, it made it so unique. I have conclude that Kafka On The Shore means that you are not in a dream nor are you in reality, you are sitting on a line, the shore.

I really love the book and I am sure I will re-read it. And I think I am obsessed with the author, I went and buy Norwegian woods and also IQ84.

Where : Kinokuniya

Botanics Whitening Moisture Lock Loose Powder

I bought this from Boots in Bangkok a couple of months ago when they were having a sale. I have started using them after I ran out of my Revlon loose powder

I bought 2 different colour, a translucent one and a pink tone one (they have a name for it but I threw the box away and I can’t remember the name)

Below are pictures of what packaging they come in and also the swatches.

After Blending

I use both the translucent and  the pink one for different areas. I use the translucent one to set my BB cream or foundation and I use the pink tone one to set my under eye concealer.

I really like the pink tone one because it helps brighten up my under eye area. I will normally set the powder under my eye before going all over with the translucent one.

As for the translucent one it kind of leave a white cast on my face, but it does set in after a while. I guess there is s reason it is call a whitening moisture lock loose powder. As for the moisture lock claim on the product, well, I am not too sure it works though.

Verdict: It is good to know that the product is made out of natural ingredient like Gingko extract and Liquorice and it will only do good to your skin. Either that that, it is not the best loose powder I have ever used.  But I do like the pink tone one J

Price:   Mid-Range – 295 Baht (12gm)

Where: Boots. Unfortunately, not available in Malaysia.