HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!!!

WOOOOT!!!

This is it lovelies! It's the last day of the year.

Has this year been what you wanted it to be? Have you achieved what you set out 364 days ago?

For us here at So Loverly, we'd like to take a moment to thank YOU for being with us throughout this year. Thank you for encouraging us, and for helping us to continue growing. It's been a great year for us!

So as you carry on with your countdown parties tonight, remember to keep safe, don't drink and drive, and we'll catch you girls again next year!!!

Much love,
Syen, Kahani & Eli

Brazilian Review #2: The virgin experience

So now you've read my review of Strip's Brazilian services, you're probably wondering what I think of the whole process. The reason why I separated the two reviews is because I probably will never go back for a Brazilian. But Strip did such a good job I didnt't want them to take the blame for it. Here are my reasons:

1. As Angel pointed out, I have a "mini garden". Shaving once a week keeps things in check, it's painless and damned near free. 
2. Brazilians hurt. Not much but I'm not masochistic unlike some (you know who you are) and I really don't need more pain in my life. 
3. They're expensive. Shaving's free. Umm.. nuff said.
4. I hate having to regrow hair FOR a brazilian. It's awful. When you're used to it being clean and bare being furry is distressing. I will say though that after about 4 weeks the regrowth seems finer and sparser than before. Which is great, but not really incentive enough for regular sessions. 
5. Brazilians make me break out. NOT FUN AND NOT PRETTY.

Do You have a Signature Fragrance?

"Some of us are born with It."

"The first reaction  of most people when the subject of smell comes up is to mention its 'evocative' power, and to illustrate it with an anecdote about Granny's perfume."
   -- Luca Turin, "The Secret of Scent"

Growing up, my sister and I always knew when my aunt was going out; her departure was invariably marked by whiffs of her perfume wafting up to our bedroom.

I can never see a bottle of Clinique "Happy" without thinking of my aunt.

The original Estee Lauder "Pleasures" invokes memories of high school morning assemblies as I tick off my best friend for wearing too much perfume. 

"One spray is enough. You don't need five."

Brazilian Review #1: Strip Ministry of Wax's Strawberry Brazilian

This is the Lot10 branch

If you're wondering why every beauty blog in town seems to be nattering on about brazilian waxes the answer's simple. The salon's have realised that this isn't something girls are going to jump at without a few reviews and personal retellings. I, for one, did copious amounts of research before even saying "yes" to this invite.

I've actually turned down quite a few but with the flurry of invites So Loverly's been getting, I finally gave in to my journalistic curiosity (it's a terrible thing that'll get me killed someday) and accepted an invite from established chain, Strip: Ministry of Wax to try their new Strawberry Brazilian.

This is a review of Strip's wax and services, it's not about my experience a first-time waxer. It didn't seem fair to mix the two, so the full telling of my "virgin deforestation" is in part 2 on Thursday.  If you notice, ParisB of MyWomenStuff is doing the same - great minds and all that. =P

Strip is a pretty decent place to go for your "first time". They have a special Brazilian Virgin package for RM88 that comes with a briefing... complete with the following booklet...

And an after-care package that we'll review later.

Strip is a line that started in Singapore and they formulate all their own waxes, so every now and then they'll release a new one. The last one was the Chocolate Berry hard wax, and now they have the Strawberry hard wax.

Monday's Beauty Bits: Crazy Rumors, Christmas Lip Balms, 11 Great Tips & Burberry Makeup,

Christmas is the time of year lip balm companies go to town. Kiehl's releases their LE flavours at this time, Lip Smackers goes mental, and Silk Naturals amps up the ante. It's taking ALL my self-control not to go nuts and try all seven new flavours. The formula's supposed to be even better than before (it was a little soft for our climate, but I loved the balms) and new flavours include Blueberry Cheesecake, Tiramisu and Maple Amaretto.

And as if that wasn't temptation enough, I find out that the legendary Crazy Rumors lip balm, they of the perfectly formulated vegan balms in COFFEE flavours, is available locally. Online. On Sale. *wibbles*

Lip balms aside, Malaysia is finally attracting the good stuff aye? The absolutely divine Burberry Makeup collection, that chances are I can't afford, is coming to Malaysia in January. So says ParisB of MyWomenStuff. Temptation cometh.

Check out these 11 tips by young punk makeup artist Sam on Makeup & Beauty Blog. It's been awhile since I've learnt something new like pepto bismal for pimples, corn starch for brushes, and the hair-mask trick sounds like something to use after a weekend on the beach and your hair is hay.

Review: Nivea / Labello Fruit Shine Dragonfruit Lip Balm

So my first transcontinental lip balm swap with Labello Collector Janina Hidler worked wonderfully. She was sweet enough to let me have a now discountinued LE Labello Lip Balm in Passion Fruit and two of the newer Dragonfruit which I pray they never discountinue because true to form for me, I LOVE IT. 

It Don't Work No More: The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost

Ever had a product which worked but stopped working after you moved to a different climate?

I have. Lots, in fact. The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost is one of them.

I absolutely loved this stuff while I was in Australia. It kept pimples at bay, helped to heal blemishes really quickly and made my skin look brighter after weeks of regular use.

Cue my return to Malaysia.

Shopping in Bangkok!

Hello lovelies,

So I'm guessing you would have already seen what I got from Bangkok. And while it's not exactly a big haul... I was rather happy all the same.

I was wandering around pretty much on my own for a couple of days, and getting around via a taxi or their subway or sky train is easy enough. Both are extremely affordable and safe enough.

Just a little note about taxis though. They are supposed to use the metre (insist on it), but I think they try to circumvent that by tipping themselves! So check your change after you pay them. You never know if the taxi driver has helped himself to a lot more than he should.

And as promised, here's a list of some of the places where I had better luck at splashing my cash.

So here goes... read on!

Monday's Beauty Bits: How to look alive when you feel undead

Feeling hungover?

I got the idea for this post from my absolute new favourite Makeup Guru Lisa Eldridge. I work pretty hard and as a result, for my sanity, I do tend to play pretty hard. Over time I've amassed a few ideas which help me look alive the morning after a night on the town. As proof that this works, I've had compliments on how "fresh" I look at 8am when I've tumbled into bed slightly tiddly at 3am the night before. Now if only I could find a way to FEEL as good.

Before going to sleep
This is where self-control really kicks in because if you can do ALL this before going to bed you'll look and feel much much better the next day.

1. Drink as much water as you can hold - hangovers are the result of toxins and dehydration so DRIIINK!
2. Have a shower - it gives you a few precious minutes extra the next morning and also helps sober you up.
3. Don't go to bed drunk - seriously. Eat eggs (new one I've heard recently),  shower, drink water, staying up that extra hour sobering up helps you more the next morning that going straight to bed. 
4. Take off ALL your makeup - hurrah for cleansing oils!

Le Dolce Vita ~

Bonjour!

NARS Dolce Vita is a shade that needs very little introduction. Originally a lipstick colour, Monsieur Françoise saw it fit to extend this immensely popular shade over to the blush as well.

And boy am I glad he did.


Over the years, I've picked up both lipstick and blush, and they are just beautiful. Used together or apart, this cool dusty rose shade has never failed to impress me.

So let's take a closer look at the products, shall we?

Sparkly goodness: The Body Shop Nail Colour in 02 Twinkling Pink

I'm rushing this post because this is a limited edition product and I'm afraid it'll be sold out if I wait to review it. 

Twinkling is RIGHT. This metallic pink has silver sparkle and fine holographic glitter. In bright sunlight it's quite mesmerizing. It's, of course, quite hard to capture on a photo so I suggest you drop by a The Body Shop outlet and check it out for yourself! 

Steam Cream: Miracle or Hype?

Let’s have a show of hands, ladies. How many of you have been suckered into buying a product just because the packaging was cool/ cute/ pretty?

You at the back wearing blue, are you really sure that you haven’t done it before? It doesn’t have to be beauty-related – it could be a pen, a water bottle, a mug…

Aha, your hand just went up. Don’t look sheepish, we have all done it before.


The first time I saw Steam Cream, I squealed.

“Soooo cute!”

Packaged in aluminium tins (click here to find out why tin packaging is cool), Steam Cream’s main selling point is the design on the tin. There are quite a number of designs to pick from (see here) and there is bound to be a design for everyone.

I have a weakness for goldfish and koi so it’s no surprise that I fell for the Kingyo design. When I found out that it was going to be discontinued, I threatened my best friend in UK with bodily harm until she agreed to get it for me.

(Actually, I sent her several emails saying “I want I want I want I want. Should I get? Should I get? Should I get?” and she replied with “I got it for you so stop asking.”)

Interview review: Ocean Potion Anti-Aging Face Moisturiser SPF30 with Retinol

Disclaimer: Ocean Potion is running advertorials and a competition via Advertlets. This post is neither. It is an honest unpaid review. The product was provided for review by Ocean Potion. 

My mom's a devout believer in sun protection and yay for her! So when I saw this product on Ocean Potion's lineup I thought it was brilliant and asked for it on her behalf. She used this for a month and here's her take on it.  

The little things in life...

That make you happy.


(Meet Marco. A gentle giant of an Old English Sheepdog. No, he's not mine.)

I was over at Kahani's the other day, and all of a sudden she squealed, "OOOOH! There's something I've gotta show you! Come!"

She looked mighty excited, so of course I had to see.

And there it was, a brand new shower sitting in her bathroom. She even let me have a little "test-drive" just to show me how wonderful the water-pressure was. And wonderful, it most certainly was.

"I woke up one morning and there it was in my bathroom," she proclaimed, half cackling with glee.

How much do blogs influence you?

Hello lovelies,

Finally! It's the last workday of the week. Awesome-ness.

Since there's been quite a good number of reviews this week, I thought I'd finish the week of with a question instead - How much do blogs influence you?

Or if you'd rather, I'll rephrase it for you. Do you blody run straight out to a mall (or online shop) the minute you see something on a blog and decide you.must.have.it?

Rave: Cheerful Mind Badger Balm

Pix from MusingsofaMuse

Scent is a powerful thing. It's actually important to me that the hand cream I bring around with me smells wonderful. One of my most poignant memories was using Soap & Glory's Hand Food in the London Tube when the train had been stalled for awhile and tensions were high. As soon as that lovely scent went airborne, people around me started smiling, a few (yes these are Londoners) asked what the lovely scent was and where they could get it. I passed the tube around for a few ladies to use, the train started up, it was a glowing moment.

But sadly, Soap & Glory isn't available here... still that's where Badger Balm comes in. This solid salve makes it perfect for handbags and for long haul flights (it's solid so it passes through liquid restrictions) - can you think of a better time to have a cheerful mind than a long haul flight?

So does this salve live up to its claims? Hell yeah!

Review: Stage Picture Perfect Camouflage

One of the things I picked up during the last Stage Cosmetics sale was their Picture Perfect Camouflage. Usually priced at RM 55, it was selling at half-price for RM 27.50. What a steal.

The shade which I bought is "Ingénue Genie". What that means is anybody's guess -- I was far too busy jumping over the moon for joy. It seems that I have finally found a perfect concealer match!

Loving: NARS Deep Throat Blush

After I snagged up NARS Outlaw most recently, I thought of giving it a quick swirl and do up a review. Only to realise that I haven't quite reviewed NARS Dolce Vita, which I purchased before this.

Or Torrid, which goes even further back.


Heck, I realised I've never reviewed a single NARS blush before! So let's start at the very beginning - NARS Deep Throat. A very good place to start.

(You know the song ladies!)

Monday's Beauty Bits: New OCC Lip Tars, Keratin Treatments in Msia & OPI Axxium Gel

Local blogshop Serendipity's got the latest OCC Lip Tars in (Harlot, Stalker, Strutter, Strumpet, Trollop, Trick, Divine and Cha Cha) and 12 gift sets for Christmas. Am once again horribly tempted by the Japonesque brush sets...

Perhaps the only straightening hair treatments that are GOOD for your hair are the ones that coat your hair with a layer of keratin instead of just ironing it flat. The best known of these is the Brazilian Keratin Treatment and guess what? It's available in Malaysia at A Cut Above. Incidentally, Winnie Loo's branching out, she's now also the Max Factor makeup artist for Malaysia.

Another coveted beauty treatment (coveted by me) is the OPI Axxium Gel manicure and it's now available in Malaysia at Color Culture for RM130 a treatment. Yes its crazy costly but it won't chip at all until its removed so depending how fast your nails grow you can make it last two weeks. Great for special occasions that run on for a few days.

Bangok Haul: Round Two!

Hey ladies!

So I told myself that I will go back to Bangkok someday, and I actually did. I just didn't realise that it would be quite so soon.

All my life I've never been to Bangkok and then bam - I've been there twice this year. Right now, my chanting mantra is "I've never been to France." *winks*

Anyhoo. The trip was totally ad hoc and rather last-minute. And altogether pretty cool. So check out what I hauled back after the jump. Pic heavy post, this one!

Loving: Shiseido Luminizing Face Color in RD103 - Petal

Edit: I just realised from Syen's post today that this costs as much as a NARS blush. Whoa. 

This is one of those impossible to swatch and / or photograph blushers. See how peachy it is in the photo above? Well... it's not really that colour, but no matter what settings I used or how I tried, or what lighting, the pictures never turned out any better. So I went online and found this photo of the blush's shade:

It's not really that colour either. This one's too pink. The first is too peachy. I'd say my best description is that in the pan it's somewhere in between - a mix of both pink and peachy tones.

When I first got this blush my reaction was "meh, another Orgasm dupe", and besides the fact that it isn't as shimmery, my first impression wasn't that far off. Yet day after day I found myself reaching for this blush increasingly because it's one of those "no-blush, blushers". What am I nattering on about? Well, it gives you a pretty flush, makes your cheekbones pop, and yet you won't notice the blush, you'll notice YOU.

Review: MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer

The last time I was at the Sydney airport, I dropped by the MAC counter to see if I could pick up something to cover my pimples. Travelling tends to wreck havoc on my skin.

After much wrangling with the MA that I did not need an undereye concealer and explaining to him that MAC undereye concealers leave me looking 80 years old, I finally walked away with a Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC 30.