Outshine Christmas Lights with René Furterer's Christmas 2009 Sets…

In the next installment of Christmas shopping temptations, René Furterer has some gift sets with your crowning glory in mind (but of course!) to get you all nice and shiny before the Christmas parties hit. Rather than just being a hair treatment setup like Trichokare (I'm never setting foot in that place again!), Svenson or Yun Nam, they also offer their own range of hair-care products that smell pretty good!

Okara Coloured Hair Set (RM89)

The sets range from RM89 – RM109 which make them pretty affordable. Thankfully, I’ve not had a bad experience at René Furterer yet, and definitely none of the hard-sell or “see how bad your hair is, you have to join us now!” gimmicks. It’s a good thing too, cos otherwise I’d be torn between wanting their products but adamant about not giving them any business. In this case, no problem! :D

I’ve been using the Fioravanti Shine Enhancing spray for a couple of weeks now, and it’s been working pretty nicely! The scent’s light enough not to interfere with any of my other fragrances, but adds a nice boost to my hair as well – I’m gonna be glistening under the Christmas lights this year! :D (well, my hair anyway!)

You can get the René Furterer sets from the René Furterer Institute at Pavilion KL (Lot 6.29) or Isetan KLCC.


Coming up: Gift sets from Estee Lauder, Kiehl’s, Origins, Shu Uemura, The Body Shop, Bobbi Brown and La Mer.

You can follow the 2009 Christmas collections lineup here. :)

When Men and Dolls Meet…

Who do you think of when we talk about someone who doesn’t look a day close to her age? Sophia Loren? Goldie Hawn? Judi Dench? This doll really takes the cake…but then again, she’s plastic so that doesn’t count right? :D I’m sure all of us would have had at least one Barbie doll while growing up (I know I was pretty obsessed with trying to accumulate as huge a wardrobe as I could for her back then!) And if you’re wondering, yup, I still have my collection in my room…somewhere…

But that’s for another day – now this is something I reckon most of us would be able to appreciate (if not the overly pink in-your-face ones, the more shopping-centric ones would!) Thomas Sabo has designed a lovely collection of charms to commemorate Barbie’s 50th Anniversary. I must admit, for a guy, he's definitely managed to capture all the things that go into making Barbie...I wonder why that is? ;)

I can so imagine wearing these as a pendant or hanging them on my keychain…sigh…now, I’m not one for overdosing on the pink, but the “shopaholic” ones are right up my alley! :D

In love with charm bracelets, anyone? *drool*

I wonder if we will ever be able to see them in the flesh (figuratively speaking of course!) here, since as far as I know they’re only being marketed overseas. You can however buy them online on the Thomas Sabo website. Some early Christmas shopping is in order perhaps?

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Clarins Christmas Sets 2009 – Have a Warm and Blissful Christmas...

How’s everyone enjoying the week so far? Those celebrating Hari Raya Haji (or living in countries observing the occasion) would be already jumping for joy looking forward to the 3-day weekend (I know I am!). So, I thought I’d tempt you all with a few more Christmas offerings…who knows, you might want to get a head start this weekend? *winks*

Clarins has both face and body products in lovely packages this year and have picked out some great complementing products for each set. Every year, I’m usually torn trying to decide whether to get sets or buy separately, simply because a lot of sets out there usually contain only one or two items that I really want, the rest being filler items and ‘spare stock’. Not the case here – it looks like the sets were all thoughtfully put together to give the best results and combinations.

White-Plus Essentials Set (RM375) - WP HP Protective Whitening Day Lotion SPF 20 (50ml), WP HP Total Whitening Essence (30ml), Shaping Facial Lift (10ml) and UV Plus HP SPF 40 Tinted (10ml)

Hydra Quench Smoothing Set (RM305) - Hydra Quench Smoothing Gel (50ml), Hydra Quench Cream Mask (75ml), Hydra Quench Intensive BI-Serum (15ml) and Gente Foaming Cleanser N/C (20ml)

Youthful Eye Partners (RM332) - Adv Extra Firming Eye Serum (20ml), Adv Extra Firming Eye Cream (20ml), Gentle Eye MU Remover Lotion (30ml) and Pure Melt Cleansing Gel (20ml)

Body Renewing Shaping Set (RM358) - Body Shaping Supplement (25ml), Renew Plus Body Serum (200ml), Smoothing Body Scrub (30ml) and Tonic Bath (50ml)

There is an entire range of sets encompassing their various ranges, so I’m sure there’s something for everyone:

• White-Plus Intensive Renewing Set (RM562)
• HydraQuench Set (RM385)
• Extra Firm Partners (RM478)
• Eye Booster Set (RM225)
• Shaping Facial Set (RM308)
• Starter Essential Set (RM156)
• Pore Minimizing Set (RM232)
• Clarins Men Quick & Easy Set (RM205)
• Body Slimming Set (RM335)
• HD Body Lift Double Edition (RM342)

The Clarins Christmas Sets will be available from 1 November 2009 onwards at all Clarins counters in leading departmental stores nationwide including Institut Clarins and Clarins Boutiques. (Prices differ for outlets in East Malaysia)


Coming up: Gift sets from Estee Lauder, Rene Furturer, Origins, Shu Uemura, The Body Shop and Bobbi Brown.
You can follow the 2009 Christmas collections lineup here. :)


Oh, and on a separate note I just remembered - it's Thanksgiving today!! :) Now, should I get me some turkey?

Shopping Down South and Back…

Yay…it’s already Wednesday! :D Only one more day to go before the three-day weekend…and there will be quite a few of those coming up in December…*bliss*…last weekend was spent on a whirlwind trip down to Singapore and back just because, as well as catching up with some friends and cousins over the past couple of days – all in all time well spent!

But that’s not all this is about…hehe…I managed to do a tiny bit of shopping as well as collect some birthday tokens along the way…always an added bonus!

The one thing I never fail to do every Nov/Dec is pick up a Paperchase diary for the coming year – I found out early on that Borders never stocks them in the Malaysia outlets, and the closest place I can get them is at the Borders in Singapore. Next year should be a good one…it’s purple and silver with butterflies!! How not to love it you tell me?

Kotex has just launched their Luxe range in Singapore as well as Malaysia! Gosh, it’s about time…I saw it out in Australia quite some time back already. For those who love collectibles (or if you’re just a pack rat like me!) their limited edition packs of 5 in a cute tin is retailing for just RM3.90 in Malaysia (SGD1.95 if you’re in Singapore) Couldn’t resist picking up a tin just because it looked cute…*whoops*

Just another bottle of shampoo…or is it? You’re probably wondering why I went all the way to Singapore to buy shampoo? Well, it’s not just any variant of Clairol Herbal Essences – it’s the So Shiny variant infused with (Kahani’s so going to break into my house when she reads this) GRAPEFRUIT, and it smells absolutely divine! This huge 750ml bottle cost me SGD10.50, which is pretty decent. It’s not openly available either – from what I can tell on the label, it’s a variant that’s only available in China…which probably explains why I only found it at this shop in Chinatown…score! :D

I also bought the December issue of STYLE magazine in Singapore, which came with a free passport cover – I picked out one in bright cherry red (there was also silver and bronze available) but before you ask, I only have one passport, hence only bought one copy…not as mad as to buy three copies of the magazine just to collect all three colours…LOL!

On a more recent note, I also happened to swing by 1 Utama yesterday to have dinner with my cousin. Since she was running late, I decided to wander around Jusco (they’re currently having their members day) and collected a couple of belated birthday perks too!

Earlier this month, Lancome sent me a SMS for my birthday, telling me there was a small gift waiting for me at the Jusco BU Lancome counter – it turned out to be a 30ml tube of Miracle body lotion. Not too bad, at least it can go into my bag for my next trip. :D And I just so happened to bump into Xin while at the Lancome counter too! LOL…

Diamond & Platinum also sent a birthday card late last month, together with a voucher to collect a Laniege trial kit worth RM155 (given out to members – LOL don’t ask how much jewelry I buy!)

Finally collected it – it’s a Laniege Hydra Solution Trial kit, but a rather tiny one at that! Can’t imagine this tiny thing is worth RM155…hmmm…but hey, trial sizes are good especially since I’m headed to Bangkok next month…*grins*

Also managed to pick up a pair of peep-toe black heels which were 20% off at Vincci (every store in 1 Utama was just riding on the coattails of the Jusco sale) so I managed to satisfy my shopping urges and went home with quite a few items without actually spending too much. :D

Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour...

When Erin raved about the Clinique Lip Smoothie a few weeks back, it so happened that I’d gotten a tube to try at almost the same time – talk about perfect timing. I was going out for brunch with the girls so what better reason to crack it open and give it a good run? :D

Description:
Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour is a non-sticky, highly moisturizing formula, that provides stay-true colour, buildable coverage and complete comfort, leaving lips soft and smooth. The convenient, portable flow-through brush applicator delivers just the right amount of colour to accessorize the perfect pout. During the first application, start with three to 12 full turns of the base to dispense the product. After first use, slowly click until the product appears and apply as desired. Available in six juicy shades ranging from opaque to shimmery: Raisin the Bar, MangO-thon, Pink Me Up, Berry Boost, Goodness Grapecious, and Peach Powder.

The Verdict:
The claims that the Lip Smoothie makes is quite remarkable – with Vitamin C, Acai Berry and Pomegranate as antioxidants as well as Shea Butter and Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, you can imagine that’s quite a potent combination of ingredients…but how well is it going to hold up?

Lips are more vulnerable to lines and wrinkles as they have no oil glands, plus did you realise just how much you abuse your lips? Lick, bite, purse, pout…not to mention all the food you eat! :S When I tried the Lip Smoothie, I liked that the consistency was just right – not too goopy or runny and looked pretty darn good on my lips too. :D The colour I got was Goodness Grapecious, which looked rather dark in the tube and outside band, but went on to give me a light sheen of colour which I liked.

Not bad right? The gloss is nothing to be sniffed at either…holds its own for a couple of hours before it starts wearing off, but still leaves your lips nicely plumped afterwards. Plus the fact that it’s in a click-pen makes it easy to tote around in my bag – and 5 clicks is just right to cover my lips…mmm…*smacks lips*

There are a couple of areas I have to point out though – I know I’m supposed to click until the first bit of lip smoothie comes out from the brush, but by golly, I spent a REALLY long time twisting away just to get to the first bit. I was sitting in the car with Connie twisting the base of the click-pen for a good 2 minutes before the lip smoothie made an appearance in the brush…quite a workout, that one. The other area is that the barrel is not see-through, so there’s really no way to tell how much more is left of the product. I can’t say too much about this since Clinique typically doesn’t do the see-through design, but that’s just my two cents worth. Other than that, hey, I’m pretty happy with the Lip Smoothie…anyone wanna test out my smoothie-d lips? *wink*


Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour comes in six shades and retails at RM66 each. Available at all Clinique counters nationwide.


Rating: 4 / 5
Value: $$

L’Occitane 2009 Holiday Gift Sets…

One of the brands that typically catch my eye every year during this holiday season is L’Occitane thanks to their gorgeous holiday gift sets – the Verbena collection this year is looking particularly appealing, and there are quite a number of notable sets this year. Of course, if the exact combination you want isn’t here, you can always ask them to make one for you instead! :D

Verbena Collection (RM129) – Contains Verbena Shower Gel (75ml), Verbena Body Lotion (75ml), Shea Butter Verbena Soap (100g), Verbena Shampoo (75ml), Verbena Conditioner (75ml), Citrus Verbena Solid Parfum (10ml) and a pouch.

Aromachologie Travel Set (RM129) – Contains Revitalizing Shower Gel (75ml), Relaxing Body Lotion (75ml), Dry & Damaged Hair Shampoo (75ml), Dry & Damaged Hair Conditioner (75ml), Shea Butter Milk Soap (50g), Shea Butter Hand Cream (30ml), Pure Shea Butter (8ml) and a pouch.

L’Occitane Stars (RM139) – Contains Pure Shea Butter (8ml), Shea Butter Verbena Soap (100g), Shea Butter Hand Cream (30ml), Shea Butter Foot Cream (30ml), Shea Butter Ultra Rich Lip Balm (5g) and a pouch.

L’Occitane Discovery (RM159) – Contains Pure Shea Butter (7ml), Shea Butter Hand Cream (30ml), Shea Butter Verbena Soap (100g x 2), Red Rice Foaming Cleanser (50ml), Red Rice Purifying Toner (50ml), Immortelle Precious Cream (3ml), Revitalizing Shower Gel (75ml), Relaxing Body Lotion (75ml), Dry & Damaged Shampoo (75ml), Dry & Damaged Conditioner (75ml) and a Shea cotton bag.

Olive Radiance (RM129) – Contains Organic Olive Radiance Cleansing Foam (50ml), Organic Olive Toning Face Mist (50ml), Olive Moisturizing Face Lotion (1ml x 5pcs), Olive Luminous Body Cream (75ml), Olive Shower Cream (75ml) and a pouch.

Shower Time Essentials (RM119) – Contains Revitalizing Shower Gel (75ml), Lavender Shower Gel (75ml), Cherry Blossom Shower Gel (75ml), Almond Shower Oil (75ml), Shea Butter Verbena Soap (100g) and a pouch.

Lavender Clean Hands (RM139) – Contains Lavender Cleansing Hand Wash (250ml), Lavender Moisturizing Hand Lotion (250ml), Shea Milk Soap (50g) and a Lavender hand towel.

Candied Rose Limited Edition Set (RM330) – Contains Candied Rose EDT (75ml), Candied Rose Shower Gel (75ml) and Candied Rose Body Cream (200ml)

Officially, all of the sets above will be available from 1st December onwards, but do keep an eye out for them as they could be released earlier. (I heard from a little bird that some stores may get them in as early as end-November!)


Coming up: Gift sets from Clarins, Estee Lauder, Rene Furturer, Origins and Shu Uemura.
You can follow the 2009 Christmas collections lineup here. :)

Weekend Wheels and Deals…

The Crabtree & Evelyn Christmas Preview started yesterday, and will be going on until this Sunday. If you’re a VIP member, you get 30% storewide, 50% on selected ranges (general public gets 20%). I’ve already picked up my stuff, but you would not imagine the way some of the ladies behaved trying to push and shove their way to the front just to get the Hand Therapy Sampler (free for the first 20 customers with a RM120 purchase) until there were mini-avalanches in the store from products being jostled here and there. If you’re going and there’s a crowd, please be civil and polite, okay? :)

Guerlain has just launched their Collection Imperiale (Noel / Christmas 2009) – from today until Sunday (22nd November) Isetan Gardens Midvalley is offering double Guerlain EMOTION points on purchases. If you’re not a member yet, a minimum spend of RM500 entitles you to a free membership with perks, which includes reservation of limited edition purchases and invitations to new product launches, beauty workshops and events. For this weekend, if you purchase above RM500, you’ll also get a 4-piece gift as well as a weekend bag.

Stage Cosmetics is having their Holiday Sale from tomorrow (21st November) until 3rd January 2010 with a 15% discount storewide (discount is not applicable for their new Burlesque Ball collection). Might be a good time to check out their eyelash curler as well as eyeliners, as both are simply fabulous. (and yes, I have both! Heehee…)


Have a good weekend peeps!

Lancome Holiday Colour Collection 2009 – La Nuit L’Absolu Rouge...

Lancome has just released its Holiday Colour Collection 2009 which is focused on two star shades – plum and brown, perfect for any Christmas and New Year’s parties. The goal is to look elegant, yet with a hint of mystery...seeing as how there’s always an undercurrent of romance during this season, perhaps this was the inspiration for the collection this time around.

Sparkling Cherub (RM150) – Features champagne and bronze shades together with a hint of pink to bring a bit of glow to cheeks for a subtle glow.

L’Absolu Rouge (RM75) – with Lancome’s Pro-Xylane™ star formula to replenish lips, there are two creamy shades with SPF12. Nocturne is a nude beige with a hint of plum, while Feline is a rich plum shade.

Ombre Absolue Quad (RM140) – Good for smoky eye looks, this quartet contains a shimmery nude, two grey-taupe hues and a deep plum shade...I have to admit, I’m liking this one quite a bit! :D

Color Fever Gloss (RM75) – The latest shade in this range is a dazzling plum-red...perfect for that pout under the mistletoe maybe? *wink*

Ink Artliner (RM120) – There are two new colours for this which is an iridescent black as well as brown (shown above)

Personal Thoughts:
It would seem that the trend now is to have a patterned design on blusher/highlighter compacts – not new, but certainly seen more often in recent collections compared to previous times. I guess someone decided to capitalise on the “OMG-it’s-so-cute-I-have-to-have-it!” group (yours truly included!) because the Lancôme Sparkling Cherub is just adorable.

That, plus the fact that this latest collection has an underlying purple/ plum shade running all through it is enough to do my head in...while I will draw the line at wearing plum lipstick, I’m not above going for the Color Fever Gloss – perhaps layered over a nice dusky rose liner...hmm...

Any thoughts on the latest Lancome collection, or have you tried it lately? Hit me up, ladies! :)


Coming up: Gift sets from Clarins, Estee Lauder, L'Occitane, Rene Furturer, Origins and Shu Uemura.
You can follow the 2009 Christmas collections lineup here. :)

Crabtree & Evelyn Christmas 09 Preview…

Crabtree & Evelyn will be having their Christmas Preview from tomorrow until Sunday (19th – 22nd November) with discounts of up to 50% on products and sets. I just happened to walk past the 1 Utama outlet yesterday with some friends and was quite amused at the sheer volume of hatbox sets piled up in the store – every nook and cranny available was stacked up with multi-coloured boxes. :D

Got my invite in the mail a couple of days ago…I’m thinking of stocking up on Gardeners’ Hand Remedy and picking up a couple of gifts…anyone else hankering for stuff?

Have you seen this Pink Mobile?

Some of you would have seen this huge pink mobile making its way around the likes of the Curve, Bangsar Village and Damansara Uptown over the past week – it’s actually the ‘Power Over Cervical Cancer’, or POCC Pink Mobile aimed at raising awareness about cervical cancer.

Breast cancer awareness is now on the rise thanks to various campaigns, but the same should be done for cervical cancer too. Just check out the facts:
- Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting today’s women
- In Malaysia alone, cervical cancer makes up 10.6% of all female cancers
- Over 700 Malaysian women die from cervical cancer each year

The National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) has launched this Pink Mobile to achieve this, supported by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) where women will be encouraged to complete a Cervical Cancer Risk Test. I’ve already taken it, and don’t worry, no uncomfortable activities involved – you just need to fill in two sections highlighting information on cervical cancer and assessing your risk to contracting the disease. Better yet, for each Risk Test completed, GSK will contribute RM1 to NCSM.

The POCC Pink Mobile will be headed around the Klang Valley area for the next three weeks (you can check here for the schedule), and are hoping to complete 10,000 Risk Tests by the end of the year. Those who drop by the locations get some perks though:
- early birds who complete the Risk Test at each location will get a mystery gift from Pureology and Stage Cosmetics
- every 500th woman to complete the Risk Test will get hampers from Pureology and Stage Cosmetics worth RM250 each
- the 10,000th participant will get Pureology and Stage Cosmetics hampers worth RM450 each
- Redken styling products will be available with a minimum donation of RM10, while exclusive Redken merchandise will be available with a minimum donation of RM15. All proceeds will be channelled towards NCSM for cervical cancer awareness programmes

Of course, if you can’t make it to the Pink Mobile, you can also complete the Risk Test online, but let’s face it, the mobile itself would be more fun right? *winks* If I’m not mistaken, they will be in downtown KL today driving around at 4pm, and at Twentyone kitchen+bar at 7pm. So, who’s going? :D

Succumbing to Lush Icon and Jordi Labanda…

Last week on my birthday, I’d made plans with Erin to meet up for dinner so that I could pass her a couple of items. Who knew this girl could be such a devil in disguise, seeing as I ended up tagging along with her to Lush Icon – a fashion boutique tucked away in Bangsar Village II.

I didn’t leave unscathed – what can I say, the shop was done up in purple…*sheepish grin*

Erin had been gushing about the outlet, seeing as it carries designs by commercial illustrator Jordi Labanda. I really want to call him a Barcelonian since he’s lived there almost his entire life, but as he was born in Uruguay the lines are a little blur. After catching a glimpse of the various Jordi pieces at Lush Icon, I’d have to agree that his designs translated onto clothing and bags are gorgeous.

This is the “oh damn” purchase – a full length, empire line, cotton Jordi Labanda dress with mannequin print. There are ties at the back so you can have it either spaghetti-strap style or halter style. No pics of the entire dress though – you’ll have to wait until I wear it out! :D

Its sister, the Jordi Labanda Mannequin Kaftan should give you an idea of the pattern…but let’s face it, the long dress was simply calling my name – it was the last piece in the store, and fit PERFECTLY (doesn’t happen very often, so when it does I tend to pay more attention to it!)

I love the beading detail at the end of the tassels…when tied, they dangle halfway down my back…teeheehee…

When I was looking at other outfits from Jordi Labanda, these are two of the other dresses I thought looked quite nice – unfortunately, I don’t have the body dimensions of a whippet, to carry off this kind of back cut so I’ll have to make the best of what I have.

Pricewise, Jordi Labanda clothing and bags are on the premium end of the scale – the dress I had my eye on had a heart-stopping RM799.00 price tag (!!) But no, I didn’t take leave of my senses…Lush Icon was having a sale at the time, so it did work out to something more agreeable to my wallet, otherwise I’d have had to exist on bread and water for the rest of the month! :D

Lush Icon also carries some other labels like Vita and Hansel, so if you’re in the area do pop in and look for the owner Rachel – adorable girl with an eye for accessorizing. I know I’ll probably have to avoid BVII like the plague if I’m to have any chance of salvaging my paycheck from her clutches, but…the pieces are just too pretty to resist!


Lush Icon Boutique
1F-1B First Floor, Bangsar Village II,
No. 2, Jalan Telawi 1,
59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03-2282 9619