August Haul: Makeup Removers, Lippies and Glitter..

Hello hello dearies!

I had such an abundance of Rizqi with beauty products last month from freebies to passed on items and ones that I bought myself. Hence a haul post is inevitable. Hehehe.. Let's start according to the chronology of acquisition shall we?

About a month ago, I discovered Celeste Choo's blog where she posted about Neutrogena's Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub. I commented on that post and she generously offered to send me a deluxe sample of Neutrogena Hydro Boost SPF Gel and a piece of their Deep Clean Hydrating Mask. Isn't she the sweetest?

Yay, new products to try! \(^o^)/

In case you haven't noticed with my previous hauls (check it out here and here), they always seem to have a 'theme'. For example I'd buy a bajillion sheet masks in one month and then the next month I'd buy dozens of lippies at a time. Okay, I'm being dramatic but you know what I mean.

This time around, the 'theme' is makeup removers. My fave which is from the brand Pixy was on it's last leg so I got one to replenish. Then I saw that Nivea has come out with a makeup removing mud cleanser, so that went into my basket. At the last minute I saw that Watsons had a deal where with a purchase of RM20 and above, I could buy Silkygirl's Gel Makeup Remover (which I had been eyeing for months) at 30% discount. Er, so I did. Ngeee... I was given a Vaseline makeup pouch, a Rexona roll-on and a Nuteen cleanser (both deluxe size samples) for free. How cool is that?

Also bought 2 lippies and a breath spray.

The freebies...

Product List (prices are after 10% discount):

1. Ultra Fresh Breath Spray (Price N/A)

2. Silkygirl Pure Fresh All-in-One Gel Makeup Remover for face, eyes & lips (RM15.90)

3. Pixy Gentle & Moist  Cleansing Lotion (RM11.82)

4. Silkygirl Moisture Boost Lipcolor Balm in Coral (RM17.01)

5. Maybelline ColorSensational Pink Alert in POW3 (RM26.91)

6. Nivea Extra White Make Up Clear 3in1 Mud (RM13.52)

7. Free items: NuTeen Oil Away Cool Cleanser (30g), Rexona Women Anti-Perspirant Deodorant (Shower Clean scent) (15ml) and Vaseline Cosmetics Pouch (Pink).

I made a 2nd trip to Watsons and added 2 more lip products, a sheet mask from Watson and an acne patch from Miacare that I've heard so many good things about. Didn't get any freebies this time but that's okay.. :)

Round 2.. ;)

Product List:
1. MiaCare Acne Patch for Night (Price N/A)
2. Watson Milk Smoothing & Whitening Facial Mask (Price N/A)
3. Silkygirl Moisture Boost Lipcolor Balm in Rose (RM17.01)
4. Maybelline ColorSensational Pink Alert in POW4 (RM26.91)

My sister passed some of her fab stuff to me and I am over the moon! There's The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Blackhead Scrub Gel Oil, 3 Victoria Secret underwear and several sheet masks from My Beauty Diary as well as The Face Shop. She also gave me a body scrub from L'Occitane's Almond range (Delicious Paste) which was very timely since I just finished my Vineyard Peach body scrub from The Body Shop. Whoopee!

Love, love, love!

I have been into crafting the past month and so I got a few things that I feel would make a nice addition to my limited collection of glitters and stuff. They are all so cheap and the quality is pretty good for 80% of the items. I got a mixing palette for mixing lipstick colors (okay, this is not for my craft I know), glitter glues, loose glitter, heart-shaped post-its and color pencils (not happy with the color pencils' quality though).



So that's all that I got for the month of August guys. Alhamdulillah for the Rizqi. Did you buy anything beauty or craft related last month? If you did then share in the comments section below. Toodles!



Love,
Phy

First Experience: Making Nasi Lemak

Aloha dearies!

2 days ago I was hit by a sudden need to have Nasi Lemak for lunch. It got me thinking how nice it would be to know how to make it myself. As long as I have the ingredients, I could make it at any time (oh-so-dangerous for my waistline!). And so I scoured the Internet on how to make Nasi Lemak with the help of my trusty sidekick, Mr. Google. At last, I found 2 versions that I felt was easy enough to follow.

The result?

Tadaaa!!!! I cooked everything myself except for the fried peanuts. My dad did that while I was a work.

I am so happy it worked out well! The rice was fragrant and tasty even though I just used instant coconut milk. The sambal wasn't bad either but I had to add some sugar to give some dimension to it's taste. My dad even gave his stamp of approval! I am feeling very grown up and proud of myself at the moment. Lol!

There's just something so satisfying about eating something you created yourself, especially if you thought that it was way too difficult all this while.

The best part of knowing how to do this is that I could customize it according to my liking. Mau lebih sambal kah, lebih bilis kah, I'm in control. Best kan? Since I find that sambal needs some work I won't be posting the recipe today. Will post it up once I've found my 'magic blend' so to speak.

That's all for now dearies... What's your favorite food? Have you learnt how to make it?



Love,
Phy

Dainty Pearls: 'Rat-bitten' Hair Cut, Me Time & A Car Accident

Assalamualaikum..

Another Dainty Pearls post is here! Whew, the past 2 weeks had been a real whirlwind for me guys. I'll be honest, it's not so much of the physical business that was tiring me, but more of the emotional side of things. You'll know what I mean in a bit. Without further ado let's get on to the the topics of discussion today shall we?

1. An upstanding member of our community passed away over a week ago. You can read my tribute to him here. His death made me think about where my life is headed and question myself if I am doing enough to fulfill my purpose in life.

2. I was so out of sorts last week that I lost concentration while driving and rammed  the side of the family car against a steel gate. A hardy as Bessie The Old Car was, the accident left an ugly indentation on one of the doors as well as the paint being scratched and peeled in certain places. Teruk oh. I feel so bad about it.

3. Sophie's hair was growing out and 'crowding her face'. We tried tying her hair but she didn't like that very much so my mum decided to cut her hair. It is normal for her to put up some resistance but usually she could be distracted long enough for my mum to complete the task. This time however she could not be 'tricked'.

After my mum cut the first chunk of hair at the back, nothing could distract her enough for my mum to balance out the cut. She has now ended up with a bob that looks Victoria Beckham-esque from the front and 'rat-bitten' from the back. Sigh... Tell me, do you have much trouble getting your child's hair trimmed?

4. I have been craving some 'Me' time lately. It just frustrates me that I have so little time to do what I love. I miss KK; the food, the sights, sounds, smell and the excitement in general. There is always some cool event and activities being held every week. I need a break from the daily grind and just get in tune with myself.

Thank goodness recently I have rediscovered the 'creative' side of me. Makes me remember my high school days when we had to make folios as assignment for various subjects. It has really been helping me to release some of the stress, Alhamdulillah.

 Bought some 'artsy' stuff recently.. And an unfinished doodle..

One of my creations - ribbon decor for pressies..

5. I had the opportunity to re-arrange my makeup last Sunday and I am so happy. It is not perfect by any means but at least everything is positioned to be in easy reach especially my face products. This is important for me because I usually start my makeup with face base and work my way to the eyes, cheeks and lips. If I can't get to my face makeup products easily then I tend to just skip putting on makeup altogether.

Foundations, BB and CC creams..

Face primers, powders and concealers in the 2nd tier.

My biggest nightmare to organize would have to be my lip products. It's mind boggling to see so many lippies and glosses all at once. In the end I decided to just separate them by high-end and low-end then group the 2 lower-end brands I have the most products of together (which is Revlon and Maybelline by the way) while the rest go to a separate pile. I used 3 biscuit plastic trays with a separator for this. Lastly but not least, for each tray I put lippies in 1 section and glosses on the other. Again, it needs some work but I'm quite happy at the moment because it is sooo much better than before.

6. I have been obsessed with eating chopped birds-eye chillis + lime juice with my lunch and dinner lately. It goes really, really well with fish and isn't bad at all with chicken. It's just heaven really. Hehe.. Under different circumstances, with such cravings I'd have thought that I was preggers. Hehehe..

The most perfect combo in this world when it comes to bird's-eye chili and lime

Maggi Goreng Ayam is a 2nd fave of mine with chili and lime. Heaven!

So that's what has been going on in my life. How about you, did anything significant happened lately? Do share in the comments section below. Toodles!




Love,
Phy

Finally, A Facebook 'Like' Box On My Blog!

Hello all!

I had been wanting to put a Facebook 'Like' box on my sidebar for literally years. I have tried several times but always get confused on the process and would give up. Tonight  I decided to give it another whirl and searched for a how to vid on this topic. The first one was too complicated, just like the rest I've ever watched.

As I love my blog too much to take the risk of coding gone extremely wrong, I decided to watch another video and have found the solution that I have been waiting for! It's so, so simple peeps. Whether you're a newbie or been blogging for some time, I think this video will come in very handy for you if you want to put up a Facebook 'Like' box on your blog on Blogger platform.

I am so, so happy I found this video!

Have an awesome weekend peeps!

Love, 

Phy

How To: Maintain The Tip Of Your Pencil Lip Colors

Hello there!

When I go to the makeup counters and look at the testers for pencil lip colors, I always find the tip to be flat from usage. This might be fine for some but I personally like to keep the 'pointed' tip of my pencil lipsticks. I find that it helps me to apply the colors quickly and and precisely, saving me valuable time and effort. If you'd like to know how I apply my pencil lip colors while still maintaining their tips, keep on reading!

Step 1:

First I outline my lips using the tip of my lip color. 

Step 2 & 3: I tilt the pencil at an angle so that the 'side' of the tip rests on my lip. Starting from one corner, I drag the pencil along my bottom lip to the other corner

Step 4 & 5: While maintaining the same position of the pencil, I repeat the same steps as 3 & 4, only this time on my top lip. Maintaining the position of the pencil ensures that both 'sides' of the tip are used, hence balancing the shape of the tip.

Result: Easy and precise lip color application that maintains the tip of your pencil lippy. 

Note: Don't forget to check the shape of you pencil lipstick before using it so that you can see which 'side' to use. A lopsided tip indicates excessed use of one 'side'.

I hope you find this pictorial useful. Tell me what you think and feel free to share your own tips in the comments section below. I'd love to hear from you. Toodles!



Love,
Phy

P/S: By the way, I am wearing Revlon ColorBurst MatteBalm in Unapologetic in this pictorial. :)

Beauty And Accessories Haul: The Body Shop, In2it, Padini And More!

Hello hello peeps!

OMG, I am so excited about this entry because it is a haul post! I have to warn you that it's pretty sizable because they're a collection of products that I had purchased since May this year. It's also different from other hauls that I have done before because it includes not only makeup and beauty products but accessories as well. 

Unfortunately I will not be able to give the price for most of these items because I lost the receipts! Huwaaa! Some of the photo quality are also less than stellar because I had to take them at night under fluorescent lighting. I hope you can look past all that and enjoy this post nonetheless. Let's get right into it shall we?

May 2014

I was running out of body scrub and I had heard good things about The Body Shop's Newly Harvest Raspberry Body Scrub (RM66.90) on Youtube so I decided to check it out during my trip to KK City. I have never tried a gel textured body scrub and after testing it out in the store I decided to give it a go. The Newly Harvest Raspberry Body Butter (RM60.90) also smelled so good that I could not resist getting it too.

At Guardian I found the product that I had been searching in vain weeks prior: Nivea's In-shower Body Moisturizer Skin Conditioner (Whew! Such a long name). I was so excited to find it available that I practically ran down the aisle and grabbed them off the shelf! They had one for Normal skin which contains Sea Minerals and they have another for Dry Skin containing Almond Oil. I chose the latter simply because I find Almond Oil is much more believable for a product ingredient that Sea Minerals if you know what I mean. Like how on earth do you harvest sea minerals? I don't get it.

Body care items for the month of May.

For makeup I went a little lip-product crazy (not as bad as before though) at Guardian. I had been wanting to try the Revlon ColorBurst Laquer Balms for the longest time (they were released shortly after the Matte Balms) but I got such an extreme conflict of opinions from varying sources that I held off from buying them. This time however I decided to just take the plunge and bought Flirtatious first to see how it goes. I liked it so much that I went back and bought Provocateur as well. Hehehe... 

Guardian was also having a 'Buy 1 Get 1 Free' deal (which is pretty much unheard of for any drugstore in KK) on their Revlon Lip Butters. I must confess, I have all the colors already with the exception of 3. Out of the 3 that I didn't have I decided to get Sugar Frosting (shimmery light pink) and Brown Sugar (light brown). I am pretty happy with both as I don't have a lot of brown lip colors and I think the light pink can be paired with a strong smoky eye.

Since my elder sister was eligible for a 30% birthday discount on her purchases at The Face Shop, I jumped at the opportunity to buy some makeup items (Duh!). I got 3 of their Lovely ME:EX You & Eyes eye shadow in Peach Kissed (Satin finish), Creamy Peach (Matte) and Cocoa Powder (Matte). Out of a whim I also bought their Glitter Nail Polish in 01 which is a pretty lilac-y color with multi-colored glitter.

Makeup haul for the month of May.

Early June 2014

When I bought the Newly Harvest Raspberry Body Scrub and Body Butter at The Body Shop back in May, I had actually 'sniffed and tested' through the whole range available in the store (I kid you not, I went through ALL the scents there. I also went back and forth between scents. Even the Beauty Consultant gave up on me and left me to fend for myself). In the end it was a toss-up between the Newly Harvest Raspberry and the Vineyard Peach scent. Since I got the former in May, I decided to get the the Body Scrub and Body Butter in the latter scent for June. The scrub is a cream formula though rather than a gel. 

June is my Birthday month so I was eligible to purchase one product at 50%  at The Body Shop. I did not have a face powder from them so I decided to try their Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder. I had also never tried their Colour Crush Eye Shadows and when I saw Sunshine Yellow which is the most unique shade of true mustard-y yellow in Matte formula, I knew that I had to have it. I Came, I Saw and I Conquered. Hehe..

As my purchases were close to the amount where I could get a full-sized shower gel for free, I topped up the remaining amount by getting their normal-sized and small-sized loofah. I chose Vineyard Peach for the shower gel as well so that I could layer the scent and make it last longer.

My purchases from The Body Shop. Gave my sister the smaller loofah which is why it's not in the picture.

I continued on my way to the LG floor at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall and whatdaya know? Guardian is having a sale! I checked out what they had on display and, no surprise here, got sucked into buying several items. I got the In2it Waterproof Gel Liner Pencil in Steel and Henna Brown (twin pack), In2it Gel Tint in Strawberry, In2it Waterproof Blush Set in Romance (I had been wanting to try this for a while now) and the In2it Waterproof Brow Liner in Acorn as well as In2it Brow Gel in 02 (the final 2 items were in a twin pack).

Makeup items from Guardian.

All together now.

Late June 2014

(Remember when I stayed at The Magellan Sutera Resort? I purchased the items below during that trip to KK)

I received a 30% voucher from Padini for my birthday and so I got some new accessories to update my look. I was in dire need of a new pair of sandals so I decided to get this flats with red and cream stripes which just screams 'Summer' to me. I also bough a pair of sunnies because I have astigmatism so I need them to make driving more comfortable and chic. I threw in the light blue thin headband as well because it's cute and I hoped that it would give me a youthful vibe since everyone seems to think that I am older than I really am. *Rolling eyes*

All of the items were RM29.90 each before discount.

Now on to the makeup items. First of all me and my sister Hana went to The Face Shop at Warisan Square hoping to buy their sheet face masks. Unfortunately they didn't have much products in stock because apparently they are moving to KK Times Square. Bummer. I managed to snag 2 of their Lovely ME:EX You & Eyes eye shadow in Purple Fog (Shimmer) and Toast (Matte) though. I had been eyeing Toast for some time and Purple Fog is such a unique color with both silver and gold shimmer in it so I was a happy camper.

L-R: Purple Fog, Toast.

Next we went to The Body Shop where I got 2 of the shades that I had been wanting since the month of May (I had wanted to get these together with Sunshine Yellow but decided to buy them in future instead). The Body Shop Color Crush eye shadows that I got this time were Moonlight Kiss (Matte Black) and Something Blue (Satin Teal). 

L-R: Something Blue, Moonlight Kiss

I also purchased 2 body care items from The Body Shop. The first one is a Shower Gel in Mango scent which might just be my 2nd favorite scent after Strawberry. It smells so yummy! The next one a Body Sorbet in Strawberry which is a new product from The Body Shop. It comes in 3 scents; Strawberry, Moringa and Satsuma.

 L-R: Shower Gel in Mango, Body Sorbet in Strawberry

After The Body Shop, I went to Watsons to discover that Maybelline had new colors for their 24 Hour Color Tattoo cream shadows! I was so happy that I almost did a jig then and there! The new colors are Inked In Pink (which shares the same cult favorite status as Bad To The Bronze by the way) and Gold Rush. They are not added to the current 24 Hour Color Tattoo collection though, instead they had replaced Tough As Taupe (Taupe) and another color that I can't remember. It might be Fierce And Tangy (Orange) but I am only 80% sure about that.

So is that all I picked up? Nope. After browsing further through Watsons, I got the Waterproof Eyeliner Pen (with  beveled fibre tip) in Very Black from In2it. I had never tried an eyeliner with a beveled tip so curiosity got the better of me. Hehehe..

Top L-R: Gold Rush, Inked in Pink.

Bottom: Very Black.

All the makeup items for late June.

Group photo time. Hehe..

So there you have it, my big collective haul throughout the month of May and June. I have been enjoying all of these products, some more than others. You will definitely see some of them in my June favorites (I know it's late but hey, there's no harm in sharing right? Hehe..) as well as my July favorites post. 

Have you tried any of the products above? Would you like me to do a review on any of them? Do share in the comments section below. I love hearing from you. Toodles!

Love,

Phy

Dear Diary: A Double Celebration For The Month of June

Hello hello there dearies!

This month of June is calls for a double celebration for me. Not only is it my 28th birthday, but I just received news a few days ago that I had been officially confirmed in my job. Alhamdulillah, now my pay scale has increased and I am entitled for medical benefits as well as Annual Leave. Hooraaayyy!!!

The past year as a 27 year old had been a roller coaster ride for me. I had to let go of someone I had loved and who had been a part of my life for a very long time, I was unemployed for more than half a year, worked overnight shifts and dived head first into a job that I had 5% knowledge about with minimal guidance.

At the same time I had also watched my darling Sophia grow into an intelligent toddler and grew with her as a mother, gained confidence in my job and am now doing interviews for recruitment. I had chaired meetings, been part of preparing for inspections that could have made or break the place I work for and came out triumphant. Now I have been confirmed.

Yes, oh yes, I have certainly came a long way from the 27-year old who came back to her hometown from the City with her head down with defeat. Alhamdulillah, they say time heals and I am certainly well on my way there.

I am truly looking forward to entering my 28th year on this Earth and will do so with an open heart and mind, in shaa Allah. May this coming year (and beyond) brings me ways to achieve my dreams as a makeup artist, enrich my experience as a lifestyle and beauty blogger, bless me and Sophia with health and happiness, the opportunity to travel to my number 1 destination at the moment which is Melbourne and meet me with my future husband. Amin.


How old will you be this year? Is there anything that you are celebrating this month? Do share in the comments section below.


Love,
Phy