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Phy
Former makeup enthusiast and bookworm. Currently adopting a minimalist lifestyle. Contact me at phylliciarobert@gmail.com for inquiries.
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Monday, February 28, 2011

"French-fy" Your Eating Habits..

For the past 8 years of my life I have been trying to lose weight, drinking shakes and slimming teas, spending big bucks on diet pills and even prescription medicines. Needless to say, I’ve never succeeded in reducing my weight to lower than 68KGs.


Throughout those 8 years I bounced back and forth between "sensible" dieting and throwing caution into the wind by buying weight-loss ‘aids’ that I mentioned above. I would also alternate between exercising religiously and giving Ms Couch Potato herself a run for her money.


For the ‘sensible’ dieting and workout parts I gathered information from books on the subject, devouring the knowledge and theoretical parts but finding it burdensome and unable to practice it in real life. For one thing everything was so restrictive. Everything has to be low fat, whole grain, sugar-free, and light for it to be ‘healthy’.


Which begs the question if full cream milk for example is bad for us, why does it come out of the cow with that particular content of fats, vitamins and minerals in it? If fats and sugar are so bad, why is it naturally present in nuts and fruits respectively? If rice is so bad for us, why does it even exist on this Earth?


Deep in my heart I knew that all natural food sources are here for a reason and that no food groups should be excluded from our diets. However, desperation always did make me succumb to short bouts of totally ditching rice (only to eat it in two fold 3 to 4 days later). 



This kind of yoyo dieting is the norm for me but after years of going through the same happiness and disappointments of losing and gaining weight, I was ready to quit and just be happy fat.


Then I discovered a book entitled ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’ and I seriously feel like it is God-sent. This book doesn’t necessarily focus on healthy eating as we know it to be as much as balanced eating towards achieving weight-loss and wellness. It doesn’t include any charts of nutrient or calories, instead it puts enormous emphasis on eating for pleasure.


Despite being a bit distracted and ‘story-telling’-like at times, it’s still packed with practical and useful tips in pleasurable eating towards weight-loss without feeling deprived. It’s so good that I am thinking of sharing with all of you what I learn from this book in bite-sized portions.


I’m doing this simply because I want all of us to throw away our wonky ideas that has been burned into our minds of what and how weight-loss is supposed to be. I know so many girls who throw up after a meal, refuse to eat despite getting daily migraines and painful gastric attacks and taking laxatives or inflicting diarrhea upon themselves just to see the numbers on the scale go down.


Please, please, please enough with the body torture already! Being thin is not worth it at all if it’s at the expense of your health. Cliche as it may sound, our body IS a temple and we should respect it and treat it well. 
So are you ready to "French-fy" your eating habits?  

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Itchy Heart: The Body Shop's Brush With Fashion Collection..

The Body Shop has launched it's new collection which is the Brush With Fashion and I've had my eye on this since when I first saw it in their brochures last month. I had checked at The Body Shop every week to see if it has been released here in Sabah since.






I haven't been to KK for the past two weeks so I'm not sure when exactly the collection was released. In fact I had quite forgotten about it until I saw it at Center Point about 2 days ago. Here's the collection:



 Two eyeshadows, two lipgloss, a makeup base and a cheek tint



The eyeshadows....


But the product that really made my heart 'itch' with the desire to buy is this...



Illuminating Face Base
(It has a brush on one end and the base is peach colored with light-diffusing pearl. Love it!)


...and this (but not so bad la this one, still can tahan if I was to skip it)



Tailored cheek tint



Argh! I've made a solemn promise to myself to not buy unnecessary things and as much as I'd like it to be otherwise, I know that these are counted as just that. Huhu... I've swatched it at the store though and I really, really like it. 

Now I'm wondering if these babies are worth taking a sabbatical from sensible spending... Hm...

P/S: All pictures from Google..

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Switch Up..

Last week I said in this post that I am planning to switch the contents of my makeup bag once a week or twice a month so that I won't get bored. After swatching countless shadows and careful deliberation, this is what I decided on for at least the next 7 days..

 

Dr Young 2p Blemish Base



Cybercolors HD Plus Mineral Loose Powder in Ivory



 MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer in Nw25



Okay I know It looks gross and oh-so-unattractive but this is a Stila Palette with a chic leather case... Or what's left of the leather...



 I didn't buy this actually,  I 'inherited' it from my eldest sister who is also a makeup junkie like me..



The colors are warm and gorgeous!



Mary Kay Eye Primer..



 MAC Superslick Liquid Eye Liner in Desires and Devices (Ltd Edtn)



 T-B: MAC Haute and Naughty Lash, 
Maybelline Volum' Express Cateyes Waterproof Mascara 
(Hello Kitty Ltd Edtn) 



 TheBalm Overshadow Sexpot Series in No money, No Honey



MAC Barestudy Paintpot



TheFaceShop Precious Collection in 02 Glow 



TheFaceShop Fan Brush


 MAC Happily Ever After Lip Kit 
(Limited Edition)



The lip colors and gloss.. 



The Body Shop Lip Butter in Wild Cherry..


Wanna know what new makeup item is making experience a bout of 'itchy heart'? Stay tuned for my next post.. Cheers!

Wordless Wednesdays: Matching?

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Makeup Mondays: Bobbi Brown Rose Lip Quad Review.

This is kinda like a series that I'm planning to do for this blog so that I wouldn't have spurts of posts of the same genre. This post is going to be a review about Bobbi Brown's Rose Lip Quad.

These are Limited Editions in terms of the quad form but all the colors in the quad are from the permanent line. This enables consumers to try out four colors of lipsticks at a time and if they like any one of the colors, they can purchase it from the store. It certainly beats burning a hole through one's pocket for four full-sized products.



L-R: Rose Lip Quad, Pink Lip Quad


The Rose Lip Quad is comprised of 4 lipstick (clockwise): Peony Lip Sheer, Brownie Pink Lip Color, Roseberry Lip Color and Tulle Lip Color.

I like all of them but my favorite would be Peony Lip Sheer and Tulle Lip Color. I think the quad is priced between RM80 or RM110. Sorry, I've had this over a year now.

The bummer news is that Bobbi Brown is not available in Sabah, only in West Malaysia, at least so far.. For those who has access to Bobbi Brown counters and are interested on trying out a few of their lipsticks but are not keen on spending a lot of money for full-sized products, keep your eyes peeled for lip quads or similar promotions.

Until the next post. Cheers!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Phy and Her Baby...

Hey y'all...

I have recently decided to stop buying makeup. I would love to say that the primary catalyst of this decision is because I suddenly acquired discipline and iron will but the truth of the matter is, I am stopping because I can't afford it any longer. The increase in EPF contributions recently has really affected my income and I literally do not even have room to maneuver or breathe.

The second reason is that I feel that my makeup collection is way beyond the point where I would be able to use all of them up. I have enough makeup to last me 1 and a half lifetimes. I am actually thinking of selling some of it but I'm not sure if there would be any buyers out there especially since they've been used (albeit gently).

I actually had to throw out a liquid eyeliner which I had bought from The Body Shop because it went bad on me and that broke my heart. Not only my money was wasted but I never even used it. That cemented my decision to stop buying makeup and use what I have.

Let's face it, girls love to shop for various reasons and among those reasons is feeling the thrill of acquiring something new. In order not to get bored I figured that I might as well 'shop' in my collection. Believe me, it's big enough for me to forget some of the things I have.

Normally when I like something I will continue to use it until I get bored or 'stumble' upon something else in my collection. Now I want to make a change where I will switch the contents of my makeup bag every once a week or twice a month so that I don't get bored and will be able to use more of what's in my collection.

I've already switched a few things this evening and I present to you the current contents of my makeup bag... 



My makeup bag from L'Occitane 



 Face primer by Revlon



Concealer and powder foundation by MAC 



Makeup base with sunblock by Neogence.



Bobbi Brown Gel liner in Expresso. 



 Eyeshadow base by MAC



 L-R: Rubenesque and Indianwood Paintpot by  MAC 



 L-R: Hot Stone e/s, Nude Beach e/s, Rose LipQuad and Pink Lip Quad



Faceshop Color Nuance e/s in BR801  



 The Body Shop Bronzer in Warm Glow (2010 Autumn Collection)



Heroine Make Kiss Me Volume and Curl Mascara 



My assortment of face and eye brushes... 



 Tweezers and lash curler...



The Body Shop Lip Butter in Sweet Lemon..


MAC Blush Ombre in Azalea Blossom



I've invested so much money into my makeup collection that I literally feel like it's my baby. Honestly, if there's a fire I would save my high-end makeup first THEN my important documents. 

If a thug snatches my handbag and my makeup bag with my high-end products are in it, I'd run after him (or her... you just never know these days), save my makeup bag and strangle the little bugger with my bare hands. 

You get my drift...

Anyway, I might make these product switches into a regular post. Feel free to post any questions you might have or review requests on any products that you've seen in this post. Until next time.. Cheers!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

What Would You Do?

Okay, I have heard for some time now that Facebook will be shut down on the 15th of March 2011 because of the various downsides associated with it.


To be honest I didn't believe that they would. Shut down Facebook that is. I thought that the announcement is just a false alarm, like the time waaaayyyy back in 1997 when they said that Earth would be invaded by aliens  by October in that same year and didn't (talk about awkward).


I have to admit that I like Facebook. A lot. And if they close it down I am going to be upset because I've re-connected with long-lost friends and family members through it. I've built cities and farming estates. I've made beautiful islands. I've...


Okay, taking deep, cleansing breaths now lest I get upset midway though this post.. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way about Facebook either.


The most important question now is what should we do in preparation of this improbable Facebook 'apocalypse'? Do we:


a. Save backups of all our uploaded pictures, friends' email addresses and contact numbers.

b. Terminate our Facebook accounts permanently ASAP so that we can gleefully say 'Hah! I terminated my account first. I left you Facebook, not the other way round. How do you like them apples?' (cue triumphant laugh). Pride is a very fragile thing.

c. Re-activate our sorely-neglected Friendster / Myspace account (or shame-facedly create a new account for those who had terminated theirs).

d. Do nothing.


I will be keeping my fingers crossed and go with 'a'. How about you, what would you do?

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Just The Way You Are... A Parody..

How do you butcher one of the most popular romantic/sweetest love song to date and making it into one of the vainest, most self-indulgent songs ever? Easy. A few change of words is all you need. Enjoy.




Just The Way I Am


Oh my eyes my eyes
Make the stars look like they're not shining
My hair my hair
Falls perfectly without me trying

I'm  so beautiful
And you tell me every day

Yeah you know you know
When you compliment me
I would believe you
And it's so, it's so
Sad to think that I totally see what you see

But every time I asks you "Do I look okay?"
You'll say

When you see my face
There's not a thing that you would change
Cause I'm amazing
Just the way I am
And when I smile
The whole world stops and stares for a while
Cause boy I'm amazing
Just the way I are

Yeah my lips my lips
You could kiss them all day if I'd let you
My laugh my laugh
I hate but you think it's so sexy
I'm so beautiful
And you tell me everyday

Oh I know I know I know
You never ask me to change
If perfect's what you're searching for
Then I'll just stay the same

So, won't even bother asking
If I look okay
I know you'll say

When you see my face
There's not a thing that you would change
Cause I'm amazing
Just the way I am
And when I smile
The whole world stops and stares for a while
Cause boy I'm amazing
Just the way I am

The way I am
The way I am
Girl I'm amazing
Just the way I am

When you see my face
There's not a thing that you would change
Cause I'm amazing
Just the way I am
And when I smile
The whole world stops and stares for a while
Cause boy I'm amazing
Just the way I am

Yea-eah.

Source of original lyrics here .


I wonder if I need to run and hide lest die-hard Bruno Mars fans come a-knocking at my door with pitchforks and torches?

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Day 5 Guilin Trip: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow....

On day 5 we had the option of either staying back in Guilin City with free time to rest and shop or we could go to the scenic Longsheng Dragon Back rice terrace. Only 9 people stayed back while the rest of us chose the later and sat through a 4 hour bus journey to Longsheng.


Since the trip to Longsheng was not listed in our itinerary, we had to pay an extra USD30 which is about RMB200 or RM98.



It was only 3 days after travelling in our new bus then I noticed that there was no emergency door. Instead there was this... 


Guess what? It snowed half-way to Longsheng. I've never seen nor experienced snow in my whole entire life and I was really jakun about the whole experience. Lol.. Actually all of us were...



Snow...



We stopped here to take another bus to our actual destination..



Snow flakes on my sleeve. It looks so tiny right? Like the ice shavings for our local desert, Ais Batu Campur (ABC)



Snow covered trees



Playing with the snow: Me Haslina and Din..



Can you see the mist down below at the parking area?



Wanted to take a picture of scattering ice ala Winter Wonderland... Take 1: Fail. Ais lekat d tangan..



Take 2: Fail. Ais dah jatuh baru kena snap.. 



Take 3: Fail. Muka tak nampak tapi bagi pass jak lah, tangan dah freezing bagai nak tercabut. Capturing a Winter Wonderland moment is not as easy as it looks.



The tiny snowflakes doesn't seem like much but eventually it covered every outdoor surface, including this car.. 







Stalls selling souvenirs and small winter essentials like hats, gloves and socks..



Weeeee.... 



We had to go up a lot of steps to get to the rice terrace. 



No, this is not the famed Dragon Back Rice Terrace...



Neither is this...



... or this...







Isn't she just the cutest thing? That's money she's clutching in her gloved fist that some of our tour group members gave her... Macam mau bawa pulang dan guna sebagai bantal cubit okay... 



Snowman China-style?













Unfortunately we had to turn back halfway to our destination because the road was freezing up and if we delayed going back to Guilin CIty by pushing through to the rice terrace, we might get stranded there because the road would be too slippery (it's the ice you see) to use. So we did not get our money's worth but our guide made up for it by providing us with dinner (we were supposed to buy our own dinner for the final night).

That night we went to a cafe near our hotel which is Milo Coffee. The ambiance was laid back yet classy at the same time. My friends ordered two sets of coffee (there were 8 of us and one set only serves 4) whereas I decided to opt for milky tea.

Each big pot costed around RMB46 if I'm not mistaken.



Lampu pun sangat romantic...



The guys had been there the night before so they chose the coffee..



My milky tea. The glass is just so cute...







Told you the place was classy... It has a piano at the center. We opted for a private room without a Karaoke set.



Wondering why all of us girls were holding flowers?


There was a boy on the roadside selling flowers and he were pretty persistent. In the end all they guys bought flowers from the boy and gave it to us girls. Thing is, when that happened, another girl selling flowers came running to us and wanted to sell us flowers too. I guess she saw the guys bought flowers from the boy and was hoping that they would buy from her too.. 

I really felt sad when I saw those children in the cold trying to earn some money at such a young age. It makes me wonder where their parents are and what were they doing...


Since that was our final night and shopping opportunity there, the guys went nuts and bought almost everything at random stalls. Memang untung la stall yang menarik perhatian diorang ni.  Sah tutup awal malam tu.. Hehe... Don't believe me? Here's proof...



In the end he had to buy another small luggage bag to put all his purchases in..


Us girls didn't went all crazy because girls always buy a lot as we go along anyway so there was no frenzy.. Hehe...


That concludes day 5 and the final day will be coming up soon..