I bid so long to my love, the Ole Henriksen Walnut Complexion Scrub.

I hadn't really scheduled a post this week as I have been very caught up with a project deadline. But last night I was in for a shock and it kinda warrant a post...

I've written before almost 2 years ago (in April too) of how much I was in love with this product. I got it in a small jar out of a starter pack and have since bought at least 2 more large jars - this 50ml size. Why wouldn't I love it... it not only does a great job in scrubbing my face clean, it also leaves skin truly baby smooth. Best of all, it only retails at RM100 in our local Sephora stores and if you've been a frequent customer, a 10% off that frequent customers occasionally get would only mean buying this gem at RM90. For a good 5-6 months, this gem is all you need for your bi-weekly or weekly scrub.

Here's to a great 2014!!

The first day of 2014 started off wonderful the way it always does since the past 4 years. It was a day where us Evurl girls gather for a warm chit chat, surprise each other with new year goodies and talk about almost everything - this year, the topic centered around groceries, types of fishes and vegetables! ;P

Though we were always excited with our epic presents wrapping skills and creativity, this year's do was a little simpler but no less exciting.

A 2-week vacation in Paris & Zurich with my girlfriends.

I was away for an excellent 2-week holiday with wonderful girlfriends and since I was leaving my children and husband on their own, I was busy with the preparation 2 weeks before the trip, cooking all the necessary lunch and dinner for the family and made them into frozen 2 weeks stock, preparing checklists of chores and meals, etc. so that when it was time to leave, I left with a clear conscience :)

It was a good break for me especially since the four of us have been planning this for more than 5-6 years.. one of the girls has since then called Switzerland her home and we've all put off the plans due to the many commitments that arose since the last 6 years. I'm so glad that we finally managed to put things aside and made it a point to finally do it.

Wonderful memories are best shared with your loved ones.

Things have been so hectic lately with the little ones still haven't fully adapted to local time even after a week. It has been crazy on Mr Oosband and I too as we juggled work between the not getting enough sleep and jet-lag.

Anyway, before I write an elaborate post on my best finds and favourite stuff, I shall leave you with snippets of shots from our London & Paris trip. Our internet connection has been a little wonky too and uploading photos seem to take ages. So, I hope I could update further on Saturday *cross fingers*

3 days in Disneyland Paris - toys, good food (the High School Musical cafeteria has delicious array of vegetarian dishes!), watched a play in French and of course, our Jebat loves his Mickey so much.

some lovely time in Paris - shopping for stuff from here is super cheap compared to buying them back home, of course...

Jada loved the weather and the amount of fresh strawberries that she could enjoy...


i love the array of food/snacks that i could get... and i love my new accessories - the ring-watch (as opposed to wrist-watch!)


spot my first ever Tom Ford lippie... and the Pandora bracelet I managed to grab at a good deal. and of course, the kids were so cute fully enjoying quality time with mama and daddy.


the pix on top right was from a trip to Tesco in Orpington. I went crazy with the range of baby food and baby stuff ;)

Meanwhile, I'll let you know that the best part of the trip was the break we had together, the shopping, the good food but of course, the best company we had while in London, spending those little time we had with our good friends who're already like family to us.

Love!

Getting all excited about the Avent Special Edition Baby Blue and Pink bottles.

I'm not really in the mood for any serious post. So, today I shall share about the little little things that can make a mommy feel excited and cheerful about ;P

i bring you..... *drum rolls* -- tadaa -- Avent coloured bottles *applause all around*

Ok, you must think I am so lame...

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.

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??

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.

What is your ultimate essential that you would bring if you're hospitalised?

To those of you who have been following me on twitter would know that I've been going through a hectic few days at the hospital as my baby is down with some weird tummy bug and infection of the lungs.

oh, don't worry, as of last night, he was as cheerful as ever and the doctor has allowed him to be off the drip *yeayy*

So, my topic for today would be, what are the essentials that you would pack apart from your clothes when you know you would be spending an x amount of nights at the hospital.

Some would tell me they'd bring some hydrating masks while some say they'd get plenty of magazines to read.

For me, my most precious possession that I would usually bring with me everywhere I go almost all the time, is this baby of mine...

the MacBook Air. Mine, I fondly call him, Vin ;)

I got Vin some time early last year since I have been travelling a lot for work and I totally hate lugging around those normal laptops that weigh a tonne! Well, I was heavily pregnant when I had to travel and I didn't need additional heavy stuff to weigh me down, especially since I had to carry it in my hand luggage.

I think the MacBook Air is a great investment. It is super quick - the screen starts almost immediately after you press the on button. If you need to put it to sleep, just push down the cover and when you need to use it back again, just lift the cover up and it is ready to be used without you needing to wait for it to warm up and the processor running. It is amazing.

Of course what I like about it most is that it weighs less than a kilogramme. And my friends who are used to those regular laptops or notebooks would always look so surprised when they see how simple and slim its charger.

Of course the greatest part about having the 11" MacBook Air is the fact that I can carry it in any of my handbags and no one would suspect anything. And, I have always, since 2007, buy handbags that can fit in a notebook/small laptop :)

Sometimes, when I'm in a rush and refuse to wait for a slow internet coverage, the speed of the MacBook Air processor helps quicken loading time. It just does.

Now before you ask too many questions, the MacBook Air is not for everyone and every type of use. With Mac machines, they're well known for their efficiency and stability, and widely used in design houses and advertising agencies.

The MacBook Air does not do that as its main function. As far as I understand, its slim size compromised that department and you do not have enough memory to run a design software (I think!). Therefore, it is more suitable for mobility and like me, I would use it for typing out documents and reports, and bring it around whenever I have presentations with clients. It is amazing.

Battery life is also quite efficient if the laptop is fully charged. It lasts for ages if you do not use any wifi or bluetooth connection and since usage is for specific functions, sometimes, you do not need to carry a charger.

There are still many notions that a Mac is difficult to use. I think this is a very old perception. You will never know until you own a Mac. Heck, even Mr Oosband fell deeply in love with my Mac Mini at home once he started using it. Macs are all so sleek and super sexy to me and although people refrain from buying it because it is considered expensive, I find that it is such a good investment because it hardly fails on you. In fact, before this, I was using the iBook G4 for a good 5-6 years until the screen went black, but it has never gave me any problems in that duration.

So here I am, able to watch my baby sleep while I type on its sleek and super smooth keyboard but I am able to do it because it is so easy to carry with me. I even had it along when I was hospitalised after giving birth to Jebat. I don't have to think twice about finding another bag and taking with me metres of charger that weighs pretty hefty. I've tried using Mr Oosband's eepc notebook and although it is cute and small, it still weighs a tonne.

this is all there is.... you can fold in the top and bottom flaps but i use them to wind the cords around it.

I think one of the strengths that made the MacBook Air so high-tech is the touch pad when the new batch was launched last year (or was it end of 2010?). It works like a mouse and you can slide down the pages of the documents you read by using two fingers on the touch pad. You can even enlarge the screen view like how you would do it if you own a touch screen phone. And a double tap on the touch pad would be like you clicking on the function pad of a regular laptop to open up files. In fact, I would double tap my finger lightly on the touch pad to highlight a whole word.

I never see myself a gadget geek but the convenience of it all allows me to make full use of the gadgets I have.

What about you? What is your most prized possession that you would bring along with you even if the situation may not seem fit?

Samsung Galaxy Note - A look from a mommy's perspective

Today I feel like talking about gadgets.

I think this blog is thirsty for a gadget review and although all these while, gadgets were reviewed by Mr Husband, today I feel like giving it a go, with a different perspective - from the eyes of a woman.

Therefore, if you expect some techie post, you'll be very disappointed because I don't believe a woman ever buys any gadget based on the RAM or memory size, at least not for me. To me, I would like my gadget to look uber gorgeous but not dumb inside. Hence, the usability must stand up to my highest standards according to my usage.

Like any gadgets, do not expect one thing to meet 100% of your needs. Gadgets are not as smart as [most] humans. Hence, reserve any comments to this post if you do not fully understand this paragraph ;)

So, today, I shall talk about my new baby who I fondly call, Arnold. He is a Samsung Galaxy Note who is uber gorgeous and perfect for a busy mommy like meself.

First of all, let me tell you that Arnold is also uber heavy. And I like that feeling knowing that I'd miss the weight if I suddenly forgot to put him into my handbag when I needed to go out and I like that I will be less clumsy with a heavy phone.

As you can see, it isn't that thin which is a minute factor for me simply because I love it for its super huge screen that has a sharp resolution - almost like you putting a high-res image on a computer. So surreal!

But of course, the main attraction that got me to fall in love with it was when I saw it on my BFF, Nicole. For someone who used the conservative 3310 for more than 5 years and then switched to another conservative phone, I was surprised that she picked this up and learnt to use it so quickly when she is never familiar with android phones. That said, the wallet-like cover that she had, made it look like a Chanel wallet and that was when I fell in love with it at first sight. Shallow, you think? Read on...

Another steal deal would definitely be the stylus. A phone with a screen that's almost the size of a pocket computer and writing capabilities should be a dream gadget for busy mommies, definitely. Some are just clumsy to type on the virtual keypads and prefer to write, while the Samsung Galaxy also allows pretty darn good voice command features if you are the type who likes to tell a gadget what to do. I cannot comment much about the voice command feature as I hate talking to gadgets but I know Mr Husband does use it frequently on his Galaxy SII and I guess it is good because he says so ;P

Now the size is somewhat of a mix of hits and misses. Above is the photo of a Note in between the HTC Windows phone (left) and Galaxy SII (right).

I was surprised at the so many admirers of the Galaxy Note for its functions, features and speed yet they are willing to forgo the experience only because they think the phone on one's ear looks uber weird.

Look, first of all, there is always a solution to every problem. Secondly, there is this thing called the bluetooth headset, in case you have never heard of it??

But thirdly, which is what I truly feel - who cares how stupid it looks on a person's ear... you don't own one, do you? Therefore, you simply cannot comprehend how wonderful it is to use it. It's almost like god's gift, I tell ya! So what if it is huge and fugly? When you're in love, it becomes just perfect for you, no matter what others say ;)

And if you think battery life is a bane for all android devices, read the above paragraph again on what I said about a solution to every problem... when I am in the car, I would plug it into the car charger and when it is in my handbag, I have it plugged in to the battery charger pack (as in the picture above) that I'd carry in my handbag at all times.

So you wanna tell me more negative points? I will combat it with such easy solutions, you may never even think of ;)

Favourite apps

Next, I shall talk about my favourite apps. As it is with android phones, there are plenty of apps that you can download for free from the Market. If you are an iPhone user, I guess you may say that iPhone has more apps than an android. As I have never used an iPhone before, I may not be able to comment much on this though I am a heavy user of mac (I have the mac mini as my desktop, a macbook air as a laptop and Mr Husband owns an iPad).

But all things mac may be a little boring because familiarity breeds contempt. Haha, well that wasn't exactly why Mr Husband and I do not own an iPhone.

Now, I can talk about so many apps until the cows come home, so I guess I will just touch on some of them. Who knows, if this post is popular enough with mommies alike, I may one day do reviews on apps alone :)

1. The Mini Diary

When I was using Mr Husband's Galaxy SII, I fell in love with the Mini Diary. It is almost like a simple blog to me because I can easily paste a photo, put up the location and describe what I did that day, offline. Isn't this one just cute? I can document everything that I've done, even put photos of all those dishes I cooked and write about them so that I could flip the pages one by one and glee in awe as I read what I did days back or weeks back. I so love this app.

It works just like a diary only that you're not able to share it with friends and there's no password option, in case someone decides to look into your phone. That said, if password is what you need, I guess you would be smart enough to lock your screen first and no one can check anything.

As for sharing a page with someone, I have tried sharing a page on facebook but it came out as a photo with description instead of the actual look and feel.

2. The S Memo

Then, comes the point where I said that it has handwriting capabilities for clumsy mommies. This is the S Memo where you can do almost anything. Save them, and this page will appear when you click on S Memo so that you can see your previous saved documents and just touch on it if you want it open.

Well, I shouldn't brand this app for only busy mommies. I'm sure you ladies would have so much fun using this app too. But I wouldn't know because I am a busy mommy ;D

3. The SwiftKey X

But if you think you want to use the keypad, I would highly recommend this SwiftKey X app. I think you'd need to purchase it from the Market but it is worth the buy! The keypad actually learns up your typing pattern and it will predict what you're trying to type so that you will not have to type a whole word everytime. For this, I had programmed it to learn my typing patterns from my gmail, facebook and twitter accounts, and not forgetting the sms as well.

So, when I type just 'He', the tab 'Hey', 'He' and 'Hello' comes out. The more alphabets you type in, the more accurate the tabs will predict the words you're trying to type out.

The positive side of it is that if you're trying to send the same message on several applications, you do not need to copy paste a sentence. It will automatically learn the sentence and predict even before you type the next word! Amazing!

4. Business Calendar

And this one? I have loved this app since the day I used the android Xperia x10 mini. It is a free app called, Business Calendar. Even though free, the app comes in many different widgets for you to choose to place on your home screen, just like what you see at the picture on the very top of this post.

Yes, the Samsung Galaxy has its own very sexy calendar but I much prefer the Business Calendar because it has all my gmail calendars as tabs underneath the calendar (and I can personalise the colours for each calendar). I have a host of email accounts, one with my full name, one I use for work, one for blogging usage and another one for my business use, and so this calendar fits my needs to a T. I also share a calendar with Mr Husband and some other users/functions (which I did not highlight on the calendar unless I need to). Therefore, as a kiasu lady, I know that all those I need is there when I need them but until then, I at least have my personal schedule and Mr Husband's schedule on my phone. I love this app!

And if you need a week view, you can just swipe the week using the stylus and this page will appear. Another plus point there - where you can choose the number of days you want displayed!

5. Photo editing app

This one's another love of mine, introduced by Mr Husband. The pixlr'o'matic allows the most amateur photographer to have an almost professional touch! But that's not the main deal. I guess for the most part, one should NOT compare an 8mp camera phone to an actual 8mp camera. It isn't that great although you should get used to the functions in order for you to get the most of the camera's capabilities (and it can surprise you too). And this app actually makes photo-taking a lovely experience. Just look at the photo below...

It has many different features and after creating a fine border, a normal photo of a capuccino and mocha gets a nice treatment. You can make a sharp photo look blur and a new photo to look ancient. You can have a warm tone look cold and even add details like lights and rainfall to it. It is amazing, and it is FREE! :) When you're done with it, you can share it on Whatsapp or Twitter or fb or even email it to friends! Love love!

6. Cooking app

Now, this app was probably initially designed to be used in an iPhone. It can be downloaded from the Market to your android and it is one of my favourites. I mean, a Note is almost like a pocket computer to me and with this app, I just need to bring the Note with me into the kitchen and I can create magic. Love x3!

7. Games and Entertainment

While waiting for food to be cooked on the stove, I have my virtual kitchen to take care of... this is my bakery, downloaded from the free Bakery Story app. It is almost like Cafe World to users of fb only that this one allows me to be totally anonymous and getting neighbours is a breeze because we hardly know one another. I love this game!

And because I like cooking so much, I also downloaded Restaurant Story. Two huge virtual kitchen and one actual kitchen to take care of, mommy's a busy lady already ;)

8. Mommy's Calendar

And because mommy's so busy, mommy needs an app to tell her when she'll transform into a lion with an awful mood at that time of the month, when she is fertile to have more cubs and many more features which I have yet to discover ;P

This one's an app I purchased because the free version doesn't have a widget. A busy mommy needs her widget. Always.

And unlike the apple store, the Android Market allows a full refund within 15 minutes of purchase if you're not happy about the app. But then again, if you're a smart mommy like moi, you should try out all the free versions relevant to your usage before you decide which one is going to be worth the purchase. Am I right or am I right?

So, to conclude, this is my note on my Note. As seen here, my home screen where I have loads of widget and apps. On the top, is a Galaxy exclusive, me thinks. I have all the cute photos screen played live so that I can look at them every time I miss my munchkins. Heck, I even have pictures of dishes I've cooked just so that the stream of pictures would look enticing ;) mommy loves....

The super large screen allows for more apps and programmes to be placed on the home screen. Of course, you can have more pages if you have more apps but I prefer the important ones to be placed at the most front, within easy reach.

And there on the left side is one of the widgets from the business calendar. There are plenty of variations and size options but I chose this size as it looks just perfect.

So, you'd ask me what I think of the Samsung Galaxy Note... and I'd say, it is just perfect.

Do you own a Note? Don't you just love it?

Happy Birthday To Me...

Today, I turn another year wiser (I think!)... a day to reflect on what I have went through, the life lessons that would either toughen me up or make me feel totally hopeless.

I believe that we set out our own paths in life based on our beliefs, what we like, what we don't.

I am easily affected by people who come to me for help because I am empathetic and would do everything I can to assist them but I guess I've learnt that most of the time, not everyone comes to you for help although they think they do. Help is something that a lot of people need to accomplish on their own because a lot of people don't really need to be rescued by people other than their own selves. Therefore, I've adopted a stand that I'd need to first help myself in order for me to stand strong for my family, who needs me to be there for them at all times.

I've also learnt that friends can be a bigger supporter, sometimes stronger than family members. Hence, I am forever grateful to those people who have taught me a thing or two about life experiences and continue to support me in most of the steps I take.

Best of all, I think I've come to an age where I feel that my family is everything to me and that everything I do involves considering how the decisions I make will affect all of us... and so, I am forever thankful to the man who is always behind me in all the decisions I make, who continues to push me to be a better person, for us to build a stronger future together and always showing me that there is nothing too difficult that cannot be overcome.

Here's to the wonderful achievements - another year passed with so many wishes fulfilled.

And for a great start to another year wiser, what better way than to rejuvenate and refresh one's senses with the first gift I got from a friend yesterday, from the Christmas set by Loccitane.

To those who matter, I love you all :)

Kiehl's BABY

About a month ago, my 2-year old Jada developed some skin reaction. We weren't sure what caused it because for one, we have not changed her diet and secondly, we didn't change the washing detergent that we've always used for her clothes. But her body remained reddish, spotty and she would stand against the door or the edge of our sofa so that she could scratch her back, just like how a bear would scratch their back against a tree - cute, right? However, as a mom, I just couldn't stand to see her that way.

From my numerous visits to Kiehl's before, I would always make sure to bring home samples of their baby products. When we tried on the body shampoo and lotion sample, we were surprised to find how silky smooth her skin looked and felt. Therefore, I have always told myself that if I get a little 'gatal' one day to splurge on body products for her, I would definitely go for those Kiehl's baby products. And the timing couldn't have been so apt.

But, you know how it is... just when you have this urge to splurge, the products weren't available. The body lotion is out at the BSC and Isetan KLCC outlets. Apparently, it has been sold out everywhere for about a month.

Lucky me, at a rare visit to 1 Utama after a birthday celebration with my eldest and treasured friends, I passed by the Kiehl's outlet and thought I should just ask if they do have the products. Walah... they still have some stocks left :D

I kid you not... these liquid work like a gem, especially if you have babies with extremely delicate skin.

And the best part was, I got a 15% discount for the items as they had a one-day-only Mothers' Day promotion only at the 1 Utama outlet that weekend. How cool is that?

FYI, they also have other gift sets for babies but I didn't think I should spend 70bucks on the diaper cream because the RM20++ Bepanthen works wonders already. So, these would do for now.

Have you tried any of the Kiehl's Baby products before or bought for friends? Do you like it?

In Love With Little Girls' Closet

To some of you who are in my facebook list of friends and saw how attractive the latest collection of exclusive hand-printed batik dresses look on little jj, can now check out the latest designs in my beautiful friend's Little Girls' Closet website, where you can find Beautiful Dresses for Little Girls :)

I think the first time I helped promote her website was way back in October 2009 when she first launched her hand-smocked dress collection. As a close friend, I had the privilege to try those dresses on my little jj and I thought they were not only very pretty but they're also very neatly sewn. Best of all, I especially liked the hand-smocked detail on the dresses that run through the entire bodice, not just a small horizontal stripe like most of the smocking dresses you find everywhere else.

She shared with me on the fact that she received the most orders when I wrote about her site on this blog of mine last year (gosh... I should start charging advertorial/advertisements in here!! hehe...) and I guess it is only fair that I continue to help promote her online shop because I truly believe in her quality dresses for little girls. I think the designs are fabulous, the workmanship is pretty neat and I like that they're all pretty comfy and easy to care for....

Little Girls' Closet's Spring Batik 2010 is even prettier! There are 12 different designs in 5 vibrant colours. Everytime I put any one of them (little jj owns 4 so far) on little jj, people would always ask me where I got them dresses from... so now, look no further - go to Little Girls' Closet and be mesmerised with their latest hand-printed Batik collection.

little jj in Simple & Stunning	little jj in Pretty Luxury	little jj in Halter Elegance

But but but... if you haven't got your hands on their gorgeous hand-smocked dresses, you will be pleased to note that they are ALL going at 40% discount, to make way for more new collections that are coming soon. With the 40% discount, you will still enjoy free delivery (within Malaysia only) and the dresses will be sent to you in a nicely packed package.

As for me, my hands are feeling really itchy to click on those new Batik tunic tops... they look exquisite!

photos courtesy of Little Girls' Closet

let's see... shall i take the pretty one on the most left, the center beautiful piece or that elegant one on the most right? hmmmm....

Do you like what you see?