On 28th July 2018, just two days after I turned 27 years young, I got engaged. Preparations for the big night started even before the Eid Celebrations, and I swear to God, there were times when I thought I was going crazy! I was the typical Bridezilla, I got upset for no reason, picked fights with people when things didn’t go my way, and was very very sleep deprived. Continue reading “Akir Atul Akhirnya”
Work has taken up a lot of my time and whenever I’m free, I’d be busy planning for my engagement and wedding. Yes, I am getting married – to one of my best friends of 10 years too. I didn’t see this coming at all, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I came back to Malaysia a couple weeks back from Europe – it was for work, of course, not a vacation…..as a matter of fact I can’t even remember the last time I had a proper holiday. My schedule has been so packed – not that I’m complaining.
Being occupied with work and all these engagement/wedding plannings, of course I have to take extra care of my skin if I want to look good on television and on my big day. Before this I had a regiment already but I guess because I am getting older and my skin condition keeps changing due to my age and hormones (let me add stress levels too), my routine has changed to cater to my skin’s needs. Continue reading “Dayang Atul – 2018 might just be year of the olive”
I’m 27 this year and I am still trying to figure what product would best fit my skin. It’s not that I started caring about my skin later than most girls but because when I was younger, my skin was clear. As in – I really didn’t have a problem with it? Then again what were the stresses a teenager could’ve faced that was more serious than the issues we currently have to deal with as adults, right?
I’m sure you’ve heard of Mario Badescu. The products that the brand offers are so good. Actually good is an understatement – the products that they have are amazing! The only downside though, is they are so mahal. I used to have their whole set because I’m the type of person who sticks to just one brand at a time. I hate it when products in my medicine cabinet don’t match with one another hence the sticking to only one brand rule. Is that weird? Continue reading “Aiza Said, Brand Consultant”
I know some girls who spend a lot of money of facials. Some of them, especially the ones who are tying the knot soon, even go for facials as a weekly ritual to help them get that “bridal glow”. I go for facials too, but once a month is the most I’d do. Firstly because, I’m the type of person who’d rather invest money on expensive products rather than expensive service. Getting good service is a good treat every once in a while but nobody gets to touch my face that easily so I started searching for a more at-home, do-it-yourself approach.
My favorite part of my day is taking off my makeup and going through my evening skincare routine. I’ve mentioned the products that I use in my Lipstick Talk, although a few changes to my routine have been made ever since. However, routine is routine and it gets pretty bland and boring after some point. Which is why, I threw in “weekly home facial” in the bunch, just to shake things up a little bit.
Some people utterly despise fragrance in any form of skincare, but I don’t. I mean, if something smells really strong and nasty like the Nivea Men’s Aftershave Balm does then yeah I might avoid it out of fear of breakouts but if it has a lovely, light scent of rose… then why not?
This is one of the reasons I bought the Naruko Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Night Gelly EX (I could do without that ridiculous name, however). That and the fact that it has niacinamide listed as one of the first few ingredients. I’ve been wanting to incorporate niacinamide into my skincare routine for a while now but never found the right place to fit it in. Now, I do!
So I’ve just been in Perth recently. Vacationing and all, you know the drill. Actually I didn’t just stay cooped up in Perth but definitely got around Western Australia— it was kind of a blast. The farm areas were the highlight for me, as a self-professed #organichoe.
Anyway, nobody wants to hear about me faffing about on the beach. Obviously I did a little bit of beauty shopping– beauty items are my souvenir. I try to buy as many beauty products exclusive to a certain country as possible when I’m visiting. But, you know, my main aim in Perth was kind of to soak up the scenery and be organic and chase kangaroos– not really shopping– so I didn’t exactly visit the Australian beauty hotspots. I passed by Mecca everyday (the store Mecca, not the actual Mecca) but never went in… and obviously there was a Jurlique store in like every corner, but obviously I knew that these stores carried only pricey stuff and I hadn’t done enough research to justify spending a lot on anything.
Hey guys. So recently a friend of ours was having a birthday so we went out to curate a birthday gift for her. We say ‘curate’ instead of just, like, ‘pick out’ because we wanted her gift to not just be a single item but to resemble something more like a swag bag. Like it’s not just a GIFT, you know, but a carefully selected assortment of beauty-related items that we not only knew that she would love but also had similar, attractive packaging that would harmonise and look great together. Oh, and it was all wrapped up in a very chic clear pouch from Muji… très minimalist, no?
Anyway, we had so much fun picking out the gifts and we were so proud of the end result that we just HAD to carry out the entire curation process all over again. Now, just going out and buying a whole set of beauty products for ourselves would just be, well, narcissistic and wasteful BUT then we had the idea: why not do a giveaway?
I’ve used Avene for a good two years now but I’ve only ever used their face spray and hydrating serum. Their face spray is still my HG when it comes to refreshing myself when I’m outdoors or to control the redness I have on certain areas of my face. So far they’ve been working wonderfully and so has the hydrating serum.
Lately, I’ve been investing a lot in makeup remover wipes. My favorite would still be Biore but I have been trying out a few other brands as well. Unfortunately, I now feel that with the amount of makeup I am constantly wearing for work, double cleansing doesn’t make my worries go away as much as it did before. I still go to bed thinking about clogged pores and trapped makeup on my skin.
While elaborate makeup routines are becoming more and more popular, I realise that a lot of girls are still apprehensive about skincare. This is totally understandable, as skincare is seen as a more ‘serious’ thing than makeup— getting the wrong skincare can totally mess up your skin, while the wrong makeup can easily be washed off— plus, when beauty websites (including this one, guilty as charged) rave about long, overblown 10-step skincare routines, the skincare beginner may be intimidated from using any skincare at all.
So today I’m bringing you an article about building a simple, minimalist routine for the skincare beginner— inspired by when a friend of mine asked if she should use moisturiser or not. First disclaimer: obviously I am not a skincare expert. I’m not a dermatologist! What I know is all a result of reading up on the internet and my own experience of battling acne, but I’m not a professional and my advice is meant to be just that: advice. Therefore, I’ll be keeping the recommendations today as gentle as possible, applicable for someone who doesn’t suffer very serious skin problems. Secondly, yes my definition of ‘minimalist’ may not be the same as yours. I’m using it to mean as minimalist as a skincare routine can get, but in the end it will still be a routine with more than one step. If you want ‘minimalist’ by the purest of definitions— then just use one step. Also, just like in my Makeup Shopping for Beginners guide, I’ll be keeping the suggestions focused on drugstore since I imagine beginners are not looking to splurge just yet.
Continue reading “Minimalist Skincare Routine For Beginners”
I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life that I wish I could erase completely from my personal history book, and there are some mistakes that I could forgive myself for – and some that I couldn’t. The most recent mistake that I made, a purchase that should have never happened was me giving in to Lush when I was in the UK. I think this entry is going to be the most angry My Passport Stamp that I’ve ever written.
Lush is undeniably popular, I mean people rave about the brand all the time. On blogs, on Youtube, on Instagram….everywhere! For some reason, I’ve never been tempted enough to get some for myself when travelling outside of Malaysia over the last couple of years. But for no concrete reason at all, I found myself handing over British Pounds to the Lush salesgirl at Westfield Mall!
MY LIPSTICK STAIN 