Reading Challenge Activated!

Hello hello darlings!

Did you notice something different about my blog? If you look on the sidebar, I have displayed a Goodreads.com bookshelf on the books that I have read. It is by no means complete, I still have to update some more books. Isn't it pretty? I love how it is displayed. I am thinking of doing a bookshelf of the books that I am currently reading as well but we'll see.

I am also embarking on a reading challenge by Goodreads.com and I have set to read 25 books by the end of the year. I wish that I had signed up for it before I discovered the free reading site I mentioned before. I could have had 10 books under my belt already!

Anyways, it would be really great if you could join me on this challenge. You can set the number of books that you'd like to read in a year which is great. I think 2 books a month is a good goal but it's really up to you.

So what do you say? Come on board and let's get reading.




Love,
Phy

Review: The Body Shop Shower Gel

Hello helloo..

You might not know this but I have an Eczema problem which affects my legs. It was so bad that I had to seek treatment from a skin specialist. One of the things I was advised to do was to avoid using scented soaps, shower gels or body moisturizers. Being quite the girly girl who loves all things that are nicely scented, I struggled with this dictate. I have disregarded the doctor's advise numerous times and paid the price of having to endure painful Eczema 'outbreaks' on my skin. In the end I accepted defeat that I will never be able to have a nice fragrant bath for the rest of my days.

2 years ago however, I was given a travel sized shower gel from The Body Shop because I bought RM200 worth of makeup. It sat untouched in my bathroom caddy for the longest time until one day, I decided to just throw caution in the wind and tried it out. I waited a few hours after my bath certain that I was going to have a painful few days ahead of me. 3 hours later, nothing.. The next morning, still nothing. No itchiness, no pain.

I tentatively used it again the 2nd day and the same thing happened. That's when I fell in love. I finally, finally found a shower gel that smelled delicious yet does not irritate my skin. Even though it might be insignificant to some but after using pharmacy-grade, non-scented body cleansers for years, to me it felt like splashes of color had been added to my life. For the first time in a long while, I felt free. I am not even kidding!

250ml, RM29.90

Would I recommend I?
Yeeeeessss!!! If you have sensitive skin or skin problems such as Eczema, do try the travel-size bottle first.

Would I re-purchase it?
Absolutely. Been using it for the past 2 years and still going strong, in shaa Allah.

Do you have sensitive/problematic skin? What bath product do you use? Do share in the comments section. 

Love,

Phy

Dainty Pearls: Donuts, Online Novels and a Friendly Fairy..

Hello dearies..
It's been over a week since my last post. So sorry! I've been so obsessed with something (will talk about it later on) that there's nothing else I'd be doing if I have even 5 minutes to spare. Read on for an update on what has been going on in my life for the past few weeks.

1. I have unfortunately developed a craving for donuts. I'd be sitting at my desk doing my work and suddenly a fluffy, pillowy donut smothered with crunchy sweet sugar would pop up in my mind. Aaanndd I have been having 2 every day for the past few days. Oh Heaven help me!

2. I discovered a site where I could read online novels. This is not the kind of sites where only Sherlock Holmes or Huckleberry Finn are free peeps. No, no, no.. There's Sarah Shepard, Jude Deveraux, Mary Balogh, Anne Rice, etc. In the past 10 days I believe I have read 9 novels straight. It's so addicting especially for a bookworm like me! This my friends, is one of the reasons that I haven't been blogging of late. Huhu..

3. Sophie has been really into this story book called Friendly Fairy. She would ask me or my sister to read it aloud to her repeatedly. I dare say that I have pretty much memorized that story and so has Sophie. Whenever I read a line she would finish it for me. It's totally infuriating (having to read it repeatedly) and adorable (Sophie finishing the sentence) at the same time.

By the way, Sophie is able to speak more clearly now. If she doesn't want something then she'll say "Don't want", etc. She is still more on parroting what people say to her (which she catches on so fast that we were always refraining from swearing in front of her - something I am most guilty of when driving). Also, she has learnt to blow her nose! Yay!

4. I am most interested in de-cluttering my makeup stash (and my room in general). It's so hard though especially the high end makeup items because they're like my babies. However, I must say I haven't given much thought to the makeup items that I have sold to my colleagues back in September last year, nor do I remember most of them which goes to show how little those items had meant to me.

Also, if I am to be honest with myself, the mountains of magazines are starting to give me a headache. I buy about 2-3 magazines a month and I am currently keeping ones from year 2013 and above. I want to donate them to the library but I had thought to browse through them first to get inspirations for this blog. It's been several months and I have yet to do so.

I have half the mid to just donate them all RIGHT NOW and not buy anymore since I have yet to even sit and enjoy reading a magazine back to back at a leisurely pace in years. Frenzied flipping of pages so as to complete a magazine before a pair of little hands come to tug them out of mine and destroy them (given a chance) does not make a relaxing reading experience.

5. The Black List Season 2 is back from it's mid-season break (who takes a break after 8 or 9 episodes though? That's so absurd) and Reddington is of course as smooth and suave as ever. I think he's Elizabeth Keene's dad for sure. What do you think?

How has 2015 been treating you so far? Do share your experience down below in the comments section. Toodles!




Love,
Phy