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Eye Care Galore! - From Kiehl's to L'oreal to Decleor to Melvita to Clinique to Dior and Kiehl's again.

Now how many of you have fallen for empty promises of expensive eye products? And how many of you have been searching for the right eye cream but fall short of hope as you've spent so much on one product and you have to finish it because you have spent so much for it?

I, for one, has always been searching for the right eye product. I found the best one in Estee Lauder's Uncircle and Unline but they both got discontinued probably more than a decade ago. They both actually work! From then on, my experience with eye creams have always failed me. A lot of them probably moisturise/hydrate the area but does not treat. Hence, you only get to feel moist but doesn't do their job to eliminate fine lines or reduce dark circles, whichever they are supposed to do. So, this is a post on those products I still own and I will let you know which one feels like I have finally (after years of searching) hit the jackpot!

 

L-R: Kiehl's Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate; L'oreal White Perfect; Dior Hydra Life Youth Essential Hydrating Eye Cream; Decleor Hydra Floral; Melvita Eye Contour Gel; Clinique All About Eyes and Kiehl's Abyssine Eye Cream.

I shall arrange them from my least favourite to my ultimate favourite. Therefore, if you want to know which one I think is good and you don't have much time to read this entire post, just scroll down towards the end of the page ;)

Clarins Joli Rouge Long-Wearing Moisturizing Lipstick

Remember how I mentioned that I have discovered some other products that work really great by Clarins? Well, one of them that I'd like to share with you is their Joli Rouge Long-Wearing Moisturizing lipstick.

If you scrutinise a post I did when I asked about the possibility of a woman having too many lipsticks, you might be able to spot two Clarins Joli Rouge lippie in the photos.

The positive side to the lipstick is its creaminess and lasting colour. And if you've been reading me long enough, you would know how important it is for me to use a creamy formula. The lasting colour factor would be just a bonus with any moisturising lipstick that I'd use.

You're The Soulmate I Never Thought I'd Find - Happy Anniversary, My Love

You're the soulmate I never thought I'd find

I wasn't really looking

Cos I've given up hoping

And then you came

And my life ain't the same

As you seemed to have the ability

To take away all the pain.

You're the soulmate I never thought I'd find

That fateful meet over coffee

Where you stole my heart completely

You never even knew it had happened

Right under your nose I was smitten

I couldn't have imagined a better outcome

The feeling was one that could never be forgotten.

Naturally Radiant with Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation

The Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation was an accidental awesome discovery. I was checking out some new products at the Clarins Skin Spa in BSC a long time back (note how small my baby was then) and the beauty therapist there gave me a sample.

For my skin type and skin concern, they initially told me I should get the other foundation that will give me a matte effect and helps control oil but I thought, enough of oil-control... I already have the entire skincare range to control oil. For my foundation, I would like for it to give me a soft and glowy effect that would make my skin look natural and totally healthy.

Lancome Génifique Youth Activator and Love on Mother's Day

*photo credit

What would come to your mind when you think of your mother?? ;) 

On this year's Mother's Day, I can't help but to think of how my mom had influenced my whole lifetime in terms of beauty and beauty care. 

Yes, beauty is not just from what you see externally, beauty is from within. But other than that, you can't possibly just live on that belief and expect people to accept you as is. We are all humans, after all and it is quite important to create a good first impression before others can start to look into our inner beauty. Hence, among the things she taught me was to take care of my skin from a young age.

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It - a brilliant 2-in-1 product!

I really must must tell you this exceptional find while I was browsing through the shelves of Sephora KLCC. 

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It was just an experimental purchase. At that time, I was trying out several types of scrub and I thought I should probably give this a try. At RM39 for a 125ml tube, I don't think it would hurt my wallet too much if I find I didn't like it. Furthermore, this product doubles up as a mask if left on the face for an additional 3 minutes after scrubbing and I thought that this could do it temporarily for me while I wait for my next paycheck to repurchase my favourite purifying mask ;P

clear and easy instruction with a good promise :)

I would have to admit that when it comes to a good scrub and clay mask, I would never really put any high expectations on something so cheap. And this one is a 2-in-1 product. As far as I know, it may either be too oil-absorbing which can leave my skin too dry or it could not work at all. This is a product that I purchased on a whim and didn't make any prior research into it.

And boy was I glad to have made that hasty purchase - the granules in the creamy green concoction are fine enough to not make the skin painful but big enough for you to feel them rubbing against your skin... they make scrubbing dull skin a joy! What I like most about it is that instant minty-cool sensation when it is applied onto skin. Remember how much I love minty stuff?? Well, this would be one of the newest addition to my favourite minty-products list!

A little goes a long way and I had initially loved it so much that I scrubbed my face every single day with it. I did that until I realised that my heavily-pimpled skin wasn't getting any better as I had over-stimulated the oil glands. And when I purchased the starter kit by Ole Henriksen, I decided that I should chillax a little on the scrubbing department ;) 

Yes, even someone who knows darn well that over-scrubbing oily skin will make skin breakout even more, can still overdo it. I am not embarrassed to admit that. Really, I love its minty sensation because it makes my tired skin feel so fresh and rejuvenated. But since I now own 2 scrubs that I am madly in love with, I decided that I should only use this when I am pressed for time - I scrub, leave it on my face as mask, shower and once I am done with my shower, I would wash it off my face. Simple and very convenient.

Once you're done with the scrubbing, your skin will feel really soft. That is because it contains some form of acids in its 'fruit acid formula'. 

the ingredients...

Seriously, I can't get enough of this product. Apart from the cool feeling that I get from using the purifying 2-in-1 scrub and mask, it also smells nice and doesn't dry up my skin. What I also realised is that though it claims to be oil-absorbing, the clay mask does not sting the skin - you know how most clay masks supposedly suck up impurities deep into your pores?? - they make the skin feel extremely painful during the first 30 seconds or more before your skin appears thoroughly cleansed. But this one does not torture you that way yet you still come out with clearer looking skin and making open pores a thing of the past.

With that instant result, I think it is really a value-for-money product... the proof would be the realisation of the fact that I have not thought of repurchasing my once-favourite Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Cleansing Mask which I've bought 3 times. I am that happy with this beauty.

Have you come across this product? I've read great reviews everywhere on it and would definitely recommend it to anyone with super oily and blemish-prone skin.

Brighter, more luminous skin with Lancome's Blanc Expert Duo - Derm Crystal & Spot Eraser Melanolyser

Remember my post on Lancome's Blanc Expert Derm Crystal about 2 months ago? Well, today I would like to update you on how it fared so far.

I did mention to you in that entry that I was impressed with the Derm Crystal immediately after the first use. If I had wanted clarity and smoothness of the skin, I got it. I used it at night and I think the salicylic acid content somewhat helped slough away dull skin - I woke up looking un-tired with smooth skin. 

I have been getting a little bit more pimples than usual before this and I must say that although it is not an anti-blemish product, it probably did help with the appearance of my skin. And since I felt truly happy with its efficacy, I have decided to get its soul mate, the Blanc Expert Spot Eraser just to see how much better my skin would look. I am, after all a big fan of brightening products and I believe that the ingredients in this range could help me look naturally radiant.

According to Lancome, the combination of both products can dramatically improve the look of skin, making it look exceptionally luminous. They would give you flawless, fair radiant skin where skin dullness is reduced, you'll get longer lasting glow, there'll be a reduction in dark spots and skin will appear brighter. I am not sure how they will fare on me but I may be biased of Lancome since I did use its whitening range some time back and my old pimple marks were practically erased off my face. Now, they have all been reformulated and that might not necessarily give me the same effect especially since my hormones have been playing tricks on me and the skin isn't as youthful as it was back then.

Thankfully, as I discovered, they work pretty well. I have been using the Derm Crystal for about 2 months now and the Spot Eraser for about 1 month. I may not see any dramatic results since I have been using whitening products for the past couple of years on and off, but I did notice that my skin looks pretty healthy even without makeup in the afternoon. Improvement in clarity is noticeable  and skin texture has definitely looked so much better.

Before this, I would use an entire range of whitening products from other brands yet I don't see quite the result I get from just using these 2 products to supplement my current anti-blemish skincare regime. At my most tired moods, I would be surprised to see how clear the skin appears.

I'm quite happy with the way this duo work on my skin. Just 2 drops of crystal clear Derm Crystal and 2 drops of the white-colour liquid of the Spot Eraser on my palm, mix them together and apply. I can't see the content of the blue tube after 1 month of use but the Derm Crystal is still about half way through after 2 months of use, twice a day. I won't say I am loving them tremendously but I do like them very much :)

Both Derm Crystal and Spot Eraser Melanolyser comes in a 30ml packaging that retails at RM350 and RM330 each. 

Are you a fan of brightening products? Have you tried these yet?

Smoked Gouda Cheese - my [other] one true love...

Since it is looking like a truly relaxing Friday, I would wanna talk about something nice and relaxing too :)

Cheese... Have you ever tried this before?

I love them smoked gouda cheese. When I spoke to a friend from a country with the widest variety of cheese (can you guess which country?), he said that smoked gouda cheese is not really considered cheese in his homeland. Simply because it doesn't taste too much like cheese... 

I gotta tell you that although I do consume cheese, I basically hate their smell. I can't stand the pungent smell of cheese. My 2 boys love them though and it gets me a little crazy when I start to smell cheese in the house.

So, when a friend of mine let me have some smoked gouda that her friend brought back from Holland, I was hooked! Like so hooked. It is so delicious... can be eaten on its own, put together in between your normal boring crackers but especially perfect when eaten in a sandwich with hot vegetable soup *yuummsss* and it doesn't have that typical strong smell of a cheese too!

These beauty ain't that cheap though... I managed to find these perfectly cut cheese only in Cold Storage BSC, 1 Utama or the Curve and nowhere else. And they don't come very often. Once it is out, it could take me another 6 months or more to find it again. It's bad!! ;P

When it cannot be found that long, I'd have to satiate my want by getting a block smoked cheese that would look almost similar but one that involves a lot of patience as I'd need to cut the block into pieces. It isn't an easy task.

This one pack would cost around RM25-26 and probably has about 7-8 slices. But it isn't something that I can indulge on a daily basis because it is still cheese and has that rich taste. In fact, there was one day when I was a little paranoid at having consumed it too frequently that I decided to google up any health benefit contained in smoked gouda cheese... 

Apparently it could be one of the healthier choice and I shall leave it as that :)

Recently, I've been left high and dry for almost 9 months and was terribly ecstatic when I was finally rekindled with my true love *drama mode*. As you can see on the photo above, there are plenty of choices for other types of cheese but the area for them smoked gouda cheese has almost depleted.

Yikes!

How about you? Do you like cheese? Any specific types that you can never live without??

Do you have any beauty products on your work-station?

In my quest to inform parents about something important, I had inadvertently forgot I got a beauty obligation as well... ;P

I may be the last one here in the pack to pose this question to you -- do you have any beauty products you keep at your work station? 

As a work-at-home mom who is always mobile (I can work anywhere as long as there is data connection/wifi, laptop and a power socket), it is a tricky question... simply because when I am working at home, I basically have ALL my beauty essentials and more within reach, all in a few little steps. But, here are the stuff I have on my desk, on the filing shelves and behind my computer screen...

as you can see, they're all about the hands and body ;)

I guess the easiest way to ensure I apply hand cream and lotion on my legs at least, would be when I wait for the computer to start. Rather than stare at the grey screen impatiently for the computer to start, I'd use them products and indulge in their lovely scents, not all in one go... but rather whichever that catches my mood.

When I was working before, I would have a small mirror on my desk and a lip product next to it so that I can get up and go when I need to rush. I never really have time to retouch my makeup and even if I did, I wouldn't even remember. So, yeah... most of the time at work, I would look a little like a walking zombie with pale lips if I don't remind myself to reapply my lipstick by having a lip product in front of me :)

But that's about it. Nothing more, nothing less.

What about you... what do you have to keep yourself looking pretty?

Read what the others have to say about this topic: Paris B (My Women Stuff), Kahani (So Loverly), Lyn (Beauty Cabby), Rinnah (Rinnah's Consumer Views), Beetrice (Beetrice's Reviews) and Dom (Belle Demoiselle) :)

A Strong Message to Parents - Tell Your Children NOT to Talk to Strangers!

This is a different kind of post. I feel a strong need to write about this and I believe that parents alike would find it useful (I hope!).

I shall not talk about securing an area for your babies/infants but the above image might be the best depiction of safety, don't you think?? --- well... the baby looks secure in the cot but the things around it is still within harm's reach. 

Recently, we've all been shocked by the tragic kidnapping of a child near his school. But the reason I am writing this post is because a few days before that incident, the daughter of a good friend of mine was almost made a victim, possibly by the same people. According to her daughter, an Indian man came into her school, asked her by her name, knew which class she was in and even mentioned the name of her class teacher! He then told her that her mommy is not able to make it to pick her up from school and had asked him to pick her up instead. 

Now, if this were to happen to your child, would your child believe this stranger and follow him because he knew her by name and all the necessary details that a perfect stranger could have not known?

She told him that she would take her bag from the classroom and he told her that he would wait for her outside the school in his car. Thankfully, she was smart enough to alert her teacher and managed to check out his car - he had 2 other accomplice, both Indian men and a green Waja.

It was horrifying to hear this from a close friend, knowing that her daughter could have made it on the main pages of the newspapers and so I feel compelled to write this note for parents. 

When I was 7, my mom had given up on maids. Hence, she had left me in the hands of the Almighty to be independent --- I had my own keys and as soon as I got down the school bus, I made sure to lock the gate and lock the doors too. But this is the best thing - every day, at around 2pm, my beloved granny would give me a call... she would call to make sure I was safe at home and every day, she would remind me without fail, to make sure I have the curtains drawn, and that I shouldn't ever answer the door bell or talk to strangers who would tell me my mom is sick and I'd need to follow them to the hospital, whatever the story may be.

I don't know about you but these days, I am not sure if parents tell their kids to not accept sweets or candies from strangers. In fact, if I would want to be hard on myself, I can count the number of times I told my eldest son to not speak to strangers when he is out of the school gates when he was younger. *guilty!*

In the case of my friend's daughter, she told her mom that she had remembered what her mother always told her - that no way in hell, would her mom ask anyone else to pick her up from school unless it was her grandparents or some close family friends that she recognises, which would still be very rare. And I believe that this is so important - to always communicate to your child and tell him/her to never trust strangers. 

Even the days when I send my daughter to school, I noticed many parents would just drop their little children and would not even talk to them... not tell them to play nice with their friends, not tell them to behave in school and hardly have I heard parents say 'I love you' to their kids or give them a hug before saying goodbye. Most of the time, parents are in a rush. To be fair to them, unlike me, they do need to beat the traffic jam to get to work but hey... it only takes less than a minute to hug your kids, tell them you love them and that daddy/mommy will pick them up later after school ends, right?

The children need to have that security and confidence to know that hey, I should trust what my parents told me and not some stranger. And for that to happen, I believe that parents need to constantly tell their kids repeatedly and have that bond strong enough for them to feel secure and confident.

Therefore, this note is a reminder to all parents that we should communicate with our kids and make them feel secure. This is a reminder to myself too.

I feel that those days when I was younger when society is more trusting of each other, parents would always remind their children and tell them what is right and wrong. But these days, in a changing climate where people are less trusting of each other, we are always too busy to talk to our kids. It is enough that we are all so bogged down with work and some of us even bringing work home with us and so I think we would easily forget how much guidance these kids need from us parents.

In the case of those men who dare commit such a crime, I believe that they must probably do it for a living. In other words, they are probably organised and have done enough homework to be good at what they do. I am not sure how they know the name of my friend's daughter or the class she is in or the name of her class teacher, apart from suspecting there could be inside information, I also think we all may have made it easier for them to google up information about our family. I think in my fb page alone, you can find my kids' names (although not their full name), the name of my husband and the places we always go to during the weekend, thanks to foursquare. Although my fb account is protected and people are unable to google up information from my fb page, we never know what these people are capable of doing. All these information can be used positively by friends but could also be used against us. So, as much as possible, be sure to keep information secure although it is not that easy to be 100% certain. After all, a lot of our followers on twitter or/and fb could be perfect strangers. You might never know who's lurking behind those computer screen and smartphones.

Mr Oosband thinks that the school and teachers need to be blamed as well in this tragedy. But let me share with you something - during the induction programme when my eldest was just 7 years old (and that was 8 years ago!) the school administrator bluntly told us parents that teachers are not responsible for the pupils' well-being once school ends because parents should pick up their kids on time and that the teachers are all busy with things to do in their life. Imagine that! As far as I know, as long as our kids are in the school compound, it IS the responsibility of the school but yeah... so blame them if anything happens... so what, right?

Safety and security should start from home. Be safe and let your children understand how to stay safe.