Yummilicious: LUSH Almond & Coconut Smoothie

It's FRIDAY! *wheeeee*

(Does imaginary cartwheels.)

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, on to the review! *grin*


LUSH seems to be another brand I'm slowly but surely getting sucked into. In my UK trip a few months back, I sure made my rounds there and stocked up on a few goodies. And one of the products I picked up was this - Almond & Coconut Smoothie.

No, it's not a drink smoothie. Yes, it's a soap.

And its scent is absolutely divinely yummilicious!

Loving Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Strawberry Icing

Cosmetic companies like Sally Hansen really should learn the art of the undersell. I mean, come on, when you name your nail polish "Hard as nails Xtreme Wear" and it's just not XTREMELY WEARING, your customer gets disappointed and completely forgets the fact that she loves the colour.

My first go around with this range was like this. I loved a shade called Almond Gold but it chipped in about 5 days. Which honestly, is about par for the course when you buy RM18 nailpolish, but with a name like that you expect to have to sandpaper the stuff off! Still I'm glad I gave it another go-around because I love Strawberry Icing.

Guest Review: Baaa Baaa Black Sheep Placenta Pills

When someone I knew mentioned that she was taking sheep placenta pills for her skin, I had to ask her to write a guest review. 

The Gaudy Goddess writes:

Having just touched the age of 38 and am marching on to my middle aged years, what more can I hope for, short of going under the knife? I have no fear of surgery and pain especially it is to enhance one's looks. 

There's only one factor that terrifies me about the whole surgery thing: that I would look like I did go under the knife. For that reason, I eschew botox and fillers too. I don't want to end up with a candle wax face and trout lips!!!!

So, I looked at a solution to enhance from inside. People are trying collagen, Coq10, stem cells and sheep placenta.

Any beauty and anti-aging junkie worth his or her salt would have heard about the above mentioned. So which do I choose?

Aruba, Jamaica, Moringa...

I just love travelling, and I love my holidays. I mean, who doesn't, right?


Unfortunately, though, there's only so much travelling one can do in light of the time off and cash needed. And when I can't have that, I indulge in something else that brings out the holiday mood for me - The Body Shop Moringa Body Scrub.

Truth be told, I never gave this product much thought before. But since I really wanted to pick up the Coconut scrub and it was on a BOGOF offer, I went around sniffing for something I'd like and came up with this. And boy am I glad I picked it.

*sighs* Another Deo Disappointment: The Bodyshop, DeoDryStick in Cool & Zesty

The thing with me and deodorants is I love multitasking products. So a deo that actually has a scent I wouldn't mind as my daily perfume really captures my attention. And this fresh citrusy deo really does smell lovely and I fully expected to love it. After all, it's a stick deo (check!), smells of citrus (check!) and is paraben and aluminium salts free eliminating that niggling worry about skincancer. So what's wrong?

Review: Daiso Blotters

Us So Loverly gals here have a lot of love for Daiso. And adding to that list is my love for their blotters.

Being an oily girl, I've been trying out blotters from here, there and everywhere, and still I find myself going back to Daiso. And I'm not talking about the desktop blotters Kahani's written about before.

Read on to find out why.

Cheap glossies: Nivea Caregloss in Pink and LipIce in Candy Apple

I swear the lipstick index has nothing on the lipgloss index for sheer instant gratification in times of stress. I've been hankering after a simple, sheer, pink, moisturising gloss to top up my lipstick or use alone whenever I feel like piling on some shine. I think the need for gloss and sparkle is directly correlated to my stress levels. Argh.

Well I actually tried shopping in my stash first. But all my vanilla scented glosses were too gourmand for me on a hot afternoon after lunch, all the pigmented ones weren't pigmented enough and all the sheer ones were simply too sweet, candy or plastic. What I wanted, I decided was a super minty gloss - but my tube of Crabtree & Evelyn Garden Mint is in truth, too tacky. Yes, a veritable goldilocks of lipglosses am I.

Well I decided on picking up a tube of Clinique Superbalm (RM55 I think) as it's completely flavourless... but I as in the Curve which HAS no Clinique. Finally I took myself in desperate frustration to Guardian and found myself waffling between Lip Ice and Nivea. "What the hell!" said I, "They're only RM12.90 each! I'm a grownup now not a funds deprived teen, I'll buy BOTH." So filled with the joy of reckless lipgloss purchasing, I bought both.

Review: Himalaya Herbals Nourishing Skin Cream

We are pretty big Himalaya Herbals fans here. From their Neem face pack to their facial cleansers. So, when I found myself broke and in a hurry to travel somewhere a few years ago, I reached out for the cheapest and least dodgy moisturiser I could find in Guardian. If HH masks and cleansers worked, why not their moisturisers?

It took me 3 weeks to realise that this cream is meant for the body, not the face -- with a name like "Nourishing Skin Cream", who would have guessed? It worked just as well though. I have been using it ever since whenever my skin is in a bad spot and I have to go back to the basic wash - tone - moisturise routine.

It's HAPPY TIME!

I've been eyeing this lotion since I spotted it in Hong Kong, but it just never came to Malaysia. When I spotted it in a Guardian in Singapore for only $1.95 (for 50ml) I snapped it up. Btw, don't you LOVE travel size samples? How I wish all skincare products had them.

Why this hasn't turned up here is a puzzler. I mean, light citrus scented lotions are perfect for our hot weather, aren't they?

Monday's Beauty Bits

Since I haven't replaced my MUFE Super Mat Loose Powder (they NEVER have the right size or shade in stock when I'm ready to spend) I've been resorting to different things to set my foundation. I've never actually used the Kaolin Clay I picked up with Revlon Colorstay and it's actually working quite well. Will keep it up and see if it deserves a full review.

Ok so I'm slow on this. But did you know eye pencils hold on and last so much better if you set it with a dark eyeshadow immediately after? I knew it but never tried it. Well it works! Am just sayin...

I spotted the Samy haircare line in Watsons The Curve. If you'll ignore that Samy himself looks rather like a douchebag, the shampoos are sulphate free and VEGAN. How often do we have vegan shampoos and condis available in a local drugstore? Not the cheapest at RM29.90 for 500 ml but not horribly costly either.

Rose, Sweet Rose ~

Today's post will be short.

MAC's current collection called In The Groove has brought back several uber pretty MSFs, including a huge fave with the MAC-cies - Stereo Rose.


I've heard a lot about them, read a lot and seen a lot, so when this collection came out. This was one MSF I made a beeline for. (Heard it's flying off the shelves in the US.)

Mmm.. Dove Go Fresh in Splash: Nectarine & White Ginger

Yet another great little item they DON'T bring into Malaysia!

Far more richly scented than its Grapefruit and Lemongrass counterpart (which I love) this thick creamy peach-coloured gel is absolutely delicious. I was afraid I wouldn't like it at first because I'm not fond of the scent of ginger (reminds me of fish everytime) but no fear! What you smell is pure delicious fresh Nectarine / Apricot / Peach. There is a added hint of spice which must be the ginger.

The scent lingers faintly for a bit on your skin and hangs around a LONG time in your bathroom. Everytime I walk past after a shower I catch myself sniffing happily.

Review: Garnier Caffeine Eye Roll-On

I know that this product came out yonks ago but seeing how I just picked it up 2 months ago and it has yet to be reviewed... Why not?

Formalities first: the magic ingredient is caffeine (great for eyebags, they say) and the major selling point for this product is metal rolling ball applicator. No need for fingers, just roll away!

While the applicator had me going "ooh" and giggling with fascinated glee at first, the novelty wore off after a few days and I started focusing on the actual product itself.

Have you got a signature hairstyle?

When it comes to hair, I'm pretty much as boring as boring gets. I have no flair at all at dressing up my hair, so I keep it really simple.

And I mean really, really simple. Like this photo here.



I usually just wear my hair two ways - up (in a ponytail) or down. And I know for a fact that my ponytail is somewhat a signature look of mine already.

Monday's Beauty Bits

I came across this handy tip on removing foundation stains on Fabuless Beauty and filed it away for future use. In a nutshell you spray hairspray and use a toothbrush dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove the stain. I have no idea if this works for all formulations of foundation, but before you despair give it a try. Click the link for a picture tute.

In other news, I've bought a pair of FitFlops thanks to the joint and considerable influence of ParisB and Beetrice. =P Check my fashion blog, Frocking Around on Wednesday for a full post. When I review it if results are significant I'll cross-post it here as well.

I'm not convinced as to the arguments in this article as it does seem like the journalist is trying to create an issue where there is none. No reported cases, no problems etc. But still worth considering if you're into tinted or big-eye contact lenses. Be safe people!

My regular foundation routine must be working. I try to wear lighter / mineral foundation on weekends to give my skin a break and someone pointed out, as Malaysians will, that my skin had a blemish unlike my usual 'flawless complexion'. Considering my skin is MORE flawless now than it usually is, all I can say is YAY Revlon Colorstay!

What's In My Travelling Bag

I love my job but one of the downsides of being a researcher is that you usually travel at the drop of a hat. The appearance of a white travelling slip on the worktable is usually followed by a wail of, "AGAIN?! But I just got back/ Haven't done my laundry from the last trip/ Have a pile of papers to go through/ Need to clean my house!"

During a 6 day work trip out to the countryside last week, one of my colleagues gloomily observed that it felt like we have been away from home for years like Rip van Winkle.

"I half expect to reach home and find my kids grown up," he said glumly.

"And my wife fat," added another.

We sputtered beer all over the table.

Since I am on the go all the time, I have a plastic bag of toiletries on my bathroom shelf ready for me to grab and run at any time. Click to see what I bring!

Back to Basics: Aqua Cream

It really doesn't get any more basic than this. Especially when you have a label like this one here.


This was the label. Really.

Now read on to find out why I bought the cream.

Don't Knock It til You've Tried It: The Italy Towel

If you thought that today's post has me raving about some ultra-soft cashmere towel, think again. The Italy towel is a piece of synthetic cloth which looks so unglamorous and ugly, you wonder what the hype is all about.

I haven't the faintest idea how the Italy towel came by it's name but I do know that (1) it's a Korean thing, (2) it's used for sloughing off dead skin cells, and (3) it works pretty damn well.

How do you mend a broken heart?

With retail therapy, of course.

After the incident I told you girls about last week (you can read about it here), I ended doing a little shopping spree to help get my broken heart chugging again.

But before that, let's have a look at what the makeup-mad gals have been up to in June, 2010.

• Beetrice of Beetrice's Reviews has me wanting to run over to L'Occitane to check out their Peony Makeup Collection!
• If you're a little mad about getting your bag super organised like ParisB of My Women Stuff, then this might just be what you need!
• Getting married and want great hair for your big day? Xin of Pretty Beautiful has some pretty neat tips.
  
• Lipglosseater Jenn's review of this Mushroom & Ginseng product had me running back to Boots.
• Yani of Red Luscious Lips is sorely tempting me with this one Benefit product. And it's got great advice to give too. *grin*
• Nikki of Askmewhats shares her love for this body sunblock which I really wished they'd bring in to Malaysia!

And now for pics of my little shopping spree, after the jump.

Bangkok Haul!

Hey lovelies,

Was away to Bangkok for work for most of last week, and I decided to extend (only) a day to shop. Of course.

After all, it was my first time to the glorious shopping haven, and from what I hear, no trip to Bangkok would be deemed complete without hitting the markets and the malls!

Due the lack of time though, I didn't manage to shop all that much, but I'm still quite happy with what I did manage to haul home. Starting with this!

Maybelline Watershine Pure in PR31 - The Perfect Pink Lippie I never knew I had!

Despite my recent love for reds I've actually always been a pink lippie gal. Candy pinks of my early 20s, muted pinks, vintage pale pinks, fresh pinks, bright pinks, nude pinks, berry pinks...

Lately I've been craving a shade of bright pink that didn't scream fuschia, wasn't so purple as to be berry, was sheer and more pigmented than a gloss. And I've bought lippies, lord help me. Over and over searching for the perfect pop of bright colour that somehow felt right and it was sitting in my stash ALL ALONG. I picked this up in one of our blogger swap meets - from ParisB I believe and thought it was just too bright for all but the most fuschia of moments. Well guess what?

It's not. It's sheer, it's bright, it's not fuschia, it's not berry.

It's perfect.

Pair it with a pink blush like Down Boy! and it's perfect-er and tote it around with you because it doesn't last past a meal.

And to think I had it all along. And dirt cheap too. =D

Maybelline Watershine Lippies retail for about RM23 - grab yours on sale to snag it below RM20!

Now to find one that looks like Posietint... (no I am never satisfied)