End January on a nice note with reads from the girls…

Seems like January has just flown by, hasn’t it? I just realized with a start that I actually only have 11 working days for the whole of February too, so I’m gonna enjoy myself to the max! :D

For those of you fortunate enough to be on holiday tomorrow (either working in the FT area or having replacements for Thaipusam yesterday!) you might want to kick back and have a gander at some of the interesting things our little blogging circle has been up to in January. Heck, even if you’re working, it’ll definitely brighten up your Monday!

Would you stick your neck out for StriVectin’s Neck Cream? – Redlusciouslips (I would!)

Proven:inuovi pro-lash stands up to almost anything…even to high altitude! – Prettybeautiful (the lashes last simply AGES!)

Great step by step way to groom your eyebrows – Skindeco (mine are all over the place, I'm going to have to try this!)

Sometimes old favourites really are the best, especially if it’s St Ives Apricot Scrub – Soloverly (new packaging, but still just as effective!)

Want to take a peek in a makeup artist’s train case? – Askmewhats (I want to raid her case!)

Taking a closer look at MAC’s Love Lace Collection – Lipglosseater (loving the swatches!)

Sharing the love for LUSH Sultana of Soap – Pinkyplue (absolutely yummy!)

Heard of steam cream from Soap n Sorbet? – Mywomenstuff (got me so piqued I’ve ordered mine!)


As for me, I managed to pick up a bottle of Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion from Guardian at a bargain RM34.88 (usual price RM40.70) since it was on a special promotion. Seeing as how popular it is, I took a chance and headed to the tiny Guardian at Atria Damansara Jaya on Saturday hoping they would have it as three other outlets I’d been to had been sold out…and yay – they had 4 bottles in stock! Can’t wait to dig into it… :D

Value for Money: Fragrance Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day 2010…

Well, it’s just about a couple of short weeks until Valentine’s Day arrives (and yes, Chinese New Year too!). Since florists have said that even ordering flowers a few days prior to 14th February will count as Valentine’s order and hence be charged the increased rate, here's a pretty nifty promo that'll let the guys (or even girls) kill two birds with one stone! :D

Ralph Lauren is upping the romance factor on its Ralph Lauren Romance fragrance with a limited edition heart shape silver necklace. What’s more, Ralph Lauren (the brand, not the person – although that would be a sight to see!) will wrap the bottle in a bouquet of roses and deliver it to her doorstep.

Perfume, jewellery AND flowers – damn, I’d say that’s pretty good by any standards, and it won’t cost the poor boys an arm and a leg either.

For those that want an alternative to the original RL Romance, there’s also Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours – available in a 75ml EDP spray.

Ralph Lauren Romance:
50ml EDP spray – RM230
100ml EDP spray – RM290
Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours (75ml EDP spray) – RM269

Of course, I haven’t forgotten the men (on in this case, the inner boy!) – the ladies got jewellery and flowers, so what about a miniature motorcycle collectible for the men?

Armani Code Black


Ralph Lauren Black


Ralph Lauren Blue

The miniature motorcycle collectible is free with every purchase of an Armani or Polo Ralph Lauren men’s fragrance. Prices of fragrances start from RM175 upwards.


* All the promotional fragrances above will be available in February, so keep an eye out for them. :)

Clinique Juiced Up Colour – Spring 2010…

Clinique’s latest Spring 2010 collection – Juiced Up Colour is looking pretty yummy to me at the moment! :D Late last year I tried out the Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour which I loved for giving me lip-smacking ermm…lips! I dunno about you, but that had me just waiting for the rest of the Spring collection which I knew was going to be fruit-inspired.

And what a collection of fruit – damn the textured palettes! They look so pretty it’s going to be a real challenge bringing myself to desecrate the surface…*howls*…but all for the sake of beauty, eh?

One of the centerpieces of this collection is the limited edition Fresh Picked Allover Colour which has a lovely berry pattern pressed into the three soft shimmer shades. It’s absolutely gorgeous in real life and looks good enough to eat. :p (you'll see why in a bit!)

The other centerpiece is none other than the limited edition Fresh Picked Eye Shadow – seen here in Fresh Picked Berry. The other shade, Fresh Picked Pear has green-pale gold shades (which you can see below).

Clinique has also added a new Lash Power Volumising Mascara to its mascara portfolio in Black Onyx (seen in the main product picture above). As for me, I’m currently trying out the Fresh Picked Allover Colour in Mixed Berries and Fresh Picked Eye Shadow in Fresh Picked Pear from the Juiced Up Collection – will be back soon with my thoughts on the individual products once I’m through testing them, but for now I’d say they definitely warrant a closer look if you pass a Clinique counter. :)

Have you seen these yet, or tried them out? Let me know what you think, and have a brilliant weekend!


Clinique Juiced Up Colour – Spring 2010:
Fresh Picked Allover Colour (Limited Edition) – RM115
Fresh Picked Eye Shadow (Limited Edition) – RM75
Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour – RM66
Lash Power Volumising Mascara – RM75


Clinique’s Juiced Up Colour – Spring 2010 Collection will be available from February 2010 at all Clinique counters nationwide.

Kérastase Biotic Concentré Bio-Recharge…

Over the past few weeks, I’ve realised that I’d been experiencing a fair amount of hair loss as well as a mildly itchy scalp despite no changes to my haircare range. It was then that I remembered that I’d gotten a box of the Kérastase Biotic Concentré Bio-Recharge to try a few months back but had never gotten around to it as I felt my hair was doing fine at the time.

This is no time to play around when the crowning glory’s at stake – I promptly dug it out and dug straight in! I will be henceforth referring to it as Bio-Recharge Concentrate as it really is a mouthful!

Description:
Kérastase Biotic Concentré Bio-Recharge is a concentrated reactivating and rebalancing programme for the scalp and its natural defences. The concentrate hydrates and rebalances the scalp’s hydrolipidic film, purifies oily roots, nourishes the hair, instantly soothes itching and discomfort and provides an immediate refreshing sensation. Contains 5% Bioflorine to rebalance and reactivate the scalp’s micro flora, and glycerol to sooth the scalp. Rinse-out formula.

The Verdict:
When I first opened the Bio-Recharge Concentrate box, I thought it was just another 3-minute treatment conditioner and should be used as such. However, after doing a little bit of digging around, I found out that you’re actually meant to apply it to freshly washed, towel-dried hair (not to sopping wet hair as you’d normally have after washing!)

Each tube is just nice for one application (I have fine but almost waist-length hair) and the concentrate should be applied directly onto the scalp section by section until the tube is used up. Take note that this will take a fair bit of time, so don’t plan it for the days you’re in a rush! :D

After massaging, I usually leave it for the full five minutes and use the time to attack my soles with a pumice scrub (hey, I have to stay in the bathroom for that time so might as well get soft soles out of it too right?) before adding some water to my scalp. This emulsifies the concentrate and I work the emulsion down the hair shaft before rinsing off.

Immediately after rinsing, I found that my hair felt a little coarser than normal, but after drying my hair was actually softer than before. No more itchy scalp too, so I guess the concentrate did its job well. :) The hair loss is more or less now under control, although I’d be a lot happier if it were completely solved! But hey, there’s another 3 tubes to be used up (the recommended use is once a week) so there’s a way more to go, and I’m pretty happy with the results so far.

Price-wise, the Bio-Recharge Concentrate is not exactly budget pocket-friendly but it is cheaper than salon treatments. After all, it was meant to be an At-Home Programme so you’re basically getting the salon results at home.

Kérastase Biotic Concentré Bio-Recharge comes in a box of 5 x 15ml and is available at L’Oreal salons. Alternatively, you can also get it on StrawberryNET for USD66.50 (MYR228)


Rating: 4 / 5
Value: $

The Balm® – Down Boy!

It may be almost three months past my birthday, but I’m still enjoying my presents… :) This morning, I dug into the The Balm® Down Boy shadow/blush which was a gift from two loverly ladies. Yes, I realise I’m a bit behind given that everyone’s been raving about this, but what can I say – damn the pretty packaging! :D

Description:
So many men, so little time…A polished and put-together woman will make the boys go wild. This baby pink shadow/blush will add just the right amount of colour to ensure that you turn heads. Our formula is paraben-free and made of fine-graded powder, which helps to provide an even and smooth texture to the skin. The light reflecting particles also give off an aura of elegance. When you can’t keep the boys away, blame it on the blush.

The Verdict:
At first glance, The Balm®’s packaging is very reminiscent of the likes of Benefit Cosmetics and Beautilicious. I’m all for environmentally-friendly paper packaging, but this also means that I can’t get this baby wet (even accidentally!) But otherwise, being such a sucker for presentation, I love the retro feel of the casing. :) And how cheeky is the saying “So many men, so little time…”?

The blush itself is really soft and easy to pick up with a brush – just dusting my brush lightly across the surface picked up enough colour to give a light flush to my cheeks. As with most pink blushes, it’s recommended that you start light and build up the colour as you go along to avoid looking like you’ve got two clown cheeks (eeks!!)

For me, a light dusting is all I really need for a work day, so this suits me to a ‘T’. The colour is actually a little more intense in real life than what comes out in the photo, but still quite pretty nonetheless.

The Balm® also has Stainiac (cheek and lip stain I reckon is somewhat similar to Benetint) as well as two other shadow/blushes in Hot Mama (a pinky-peach hue that’ll work even if you ain’t a ‘mama’ yet!) and Cabana Boy (a shimmery pink dusty rose hue with an oh-so-romantic-novel design on the cover). After trying Down Boy, I have to say I’m pretty tempted to try the others, even though I’m not a big blush person to begin with…*beats down the temptation with a makeup case* I might not be beating them off with a stick, but it definitely put a skip in my step!

What did you think of Down Boy (if you’ve tried it), and have you tried any other items from The Balm®? If so, lemme hear your thoughts! :D

The Balm® Down Boy shadow/blush is available at selected Sasa outlets and retails at approximately RM65.


Rating:4.5 / 5
Value: $$

I Wanna be a Drama Queen…

Nothing quite like something pretty to stave off the midweek blues…lookie what I got! :D

It’s the Drama Queen Box Office Eye Palette from Stage Cosmetics…to the darling (you know who you are) thank you so much, I loves it! :D

The Drama Queen palette comes with eight pretty shades which also include yellow, bronze, turquoise, purple and baby blue…this should make for some interesting combinations…anyone wanna share their favourite colour combinations that I could possibly try? Hit me up ladies! :)

Want to Sample the New Clinique Youth Surge Age Decelerating Moisturiser?

Having been a fan of Clinique’s Moisture Surge for some time now, it was only a matter of time before they came up with something new, and guess what? Clinique has just introduced its latest de-aging treatment line – Youth Surge.

Youth Surge is touted to help slow down the visible signs of aging while simultaneously promoting cellular repair through its two products – Youth Surge SPF 15 Age Decelerating Moisturiser (for day use) and Youth Surge Night Age Decelerating Night Moisturiser (obviously for night use!)

The moisturisers are available in three different formulas – cream, whipped cream and crème-gel to cater to different skin types, so there shouldn’t be a problem finding one to suit your skin type. And just for this week (25 – 31 January 2010), you can redeem a sample of Clinique’s Youth Surge Age Decelerating Moisturiser to try.

All you have to do is click on this link (or on the image above) to go to the website to submit your details and take the voucher to any of the Clinique counters listed (only for Malaysians though!). Offer is valid while stocks last, so better hurry! :)


Clinique’s Youth Surge Age Decelerating Night Moisturiser and Youth Surge SPF 15 Age Decelerating Moisturiser retail at RM180 each and is available from end January 2010 at all Clinique counters.

Johnson’s 24 Hour Lasting Moisture Body Lotion…

While doing a bit of last minute shopping in Bangkok’s Siam Paragon before the airport cab arrived, Tine and I were browsing through the sale items in the Paragon Marketplace (quite similar in terms of layout to Pavilion’s Mercato) and came across a new variant of Johnson’s body lotion that we hadn’t seen previously. After taking a whiff of it, I promptly picked up a bottle to bring back, and if memory serves me right, so did Tine! So…was the snap decision a ‘yay’ or a ‘nay’?

Description:
Johnson’s body care – nurtures and cares for you & your skin, to look & feel your beautiful best! 24 Hour Lasting Moisture Body Lotion is a moisture-rich lotion to help stop the 3 signs of dryness. Contains Shea butter to help reduce skin tightness, Vitamin E to help lessen skin flakiness and Jojoba oil to help revive dull-looking skin. Skin is moisturized for 24 hours and feels touchably soft & smooth, just like perfect baby skin.

The Verdict:
Needless to say, the smell was the main factor in picking up this baby – it smells a lot like Johnson’s trademark pink baby lotion, but somehow a little more ‘grown up’. Still very pleasing to the olfactory system though, so it should appeal to most people (unless you have an aversion to the original baby lotion, in which case better take a good sniff to see if you like it first)

The ingredients list shea butter, Vitamin E and jojoba oil as the key moisturising factors in the lotion so I was expecting it to be rather thick, but surprisingly when I squeezed some out the lotion itself was quite light and absorbed rapidly into the skin.

I decided to try it just before I went to sleep and try it overnight in an air-conditioned room to see how well the moisturising factor would hold up (the things we do to test products!) since I was previously using Origins A Perfect World Intensely Hydrating Body Cream with White Tea and that’s a rather rich cream.

In the morning, I was pleasantly surprised – my skin remained relatively smooth and soft despite the dry air, which just goes to show you can’t really judge a lotion by its texture. That said, I really do like its light airy texture since it disappears into my skin really fast and I can apply it on the go. I may not be a big fan of pink items in my handbag, but I’m sorely tempted to slip it into my bag just because it’s such a darling to have around.

I haven’t seen it in the local pharmacies yet, but I reckon it’s just a matter of time seeing as they listed Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines as the importers on the back of the bottle. It had better be soon, cos I’m fast running out of this!!

Johnson’s 24 Hour Lasting Moisture Body Lotion is available in a 200ml bottle and is available at most major retail stores and pharmacies in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Philippines. Prices may vary from country to country (I got mine for approximately RM12 after conversion from THB)


Rating: 4.5 / 5
Value: $$$

What’ll you be doing this weekend?

As I was looking at the calendar, I suddenly realized that we’re already three weeks into the new year, and January has just one more week to go. Gosh…has it really been three weeks since we had our new year fiesta? :D

We decided to have a get-together to celebrate Christmas and New Year at a go, plus it so happened that Tine was back so she could join us. Ah, that was a good time indeed – plenty of good food at Café Libre, absolutely hilarious conversation and even better company. And we’re gonna (attempt to) do it all over again this Chinese New Year yeah?

That aside, another weekend’s here…any plans? I'm supposed to be cleaning my room, but ermm...that aside (for now!), I got this mailer invite to Anya Hindmarch’s New Year Special, and am sorely tempted to go (even if I most likely end up drooling over the designs and griping at the prices)

It’s tied to CIMB credit cards though, so if you have one then by all means make your way to KLCC tomorrow.

On the other side of the track, Cherry Culture is having clearance sales online with 30% - 70% off selected items. And for Malaysians, the good news is that they now ship to Malaysia (previously the closest shipping destination was Singapore!). Although I’ve had some less than pleasant experiences dealing with their customer service, the discounted prices are really rock bottom for some so I guess you’d have to weigh the pros and cons for yourself.


What about you? Have you made any weekend plans? :)

Come on skin, wake up!! and a Promotion…

Have you ever had those days where your skin looks like it forgot to wake up with the rest of you? Dull, groggy, grumpy (!!) Heck, I think I’d be the first to stick up my hand – usually it takes a rather strong blast of cold water and a good meal to get the body going, but what about the face?

Well, I reckon the same principle can apply – cold water is obviously readily available, but what about breakfast for your skin? The answer comes in the form of Biotherm’s Aquasource 123 which is designed to be a fuss free, nutrient-packed “breakfast” for healthy skin in three simple steps.

Three steps (Biotherm has termed them as Cleanse, Balance and Moisturise) to skin that says “HEL-LO!!” every morning instead of fighting me at every turn to get it going? Bears taking a closer look…

Biotherm recently reintroduced their new Aquasource 1.2.3 with unique formulas, each enriched with trace minerals and pure thermal plankton. This trio is enriched with balancing Zinc which is ideal for those with normal to combination skin.

L-R: Biosource Hydra-Mineral Cleanser, Aquasource Hydra-Mineral Lotion and Aquasource Non-Stop

Cleanse – Biosource Hydra-Mineral Cleanser is a soft pale green cream that turns into a light silky mousse to gently cleanse and tone the skin. Comes in a 150ml tube.

Balance – Aquasource Hydra-Mineral Lotion rebalances the skin as it hydrates, creating a fresh sensation. Comes in a 200ml flacon.

Moisturise – Aquasource Non-Stop is one of Biotherm’s flagship products, and concentrates the equivalent of 5,000 litres of spring water in an ultra-fresh, non-greasy texture to work like a hydration network on skin’s surface to provide hours of moisturisation. Comes in a 50ml jar and is available in cream or gel formulas.


Promotion: For the month of January, there’s also a special limited edition of the Biotherm Aquasource Non-Stop Supersize available, which comes in a 125ml version for just RM210 (75ml more than the usual 50ml jars). These are pretty rare, so it’s worth checking out if this product works well for your skin. There are also some other promotions on the Biotherm Malaysia website that you can check out from time to time.


Alternatively, you can also check out my thoughts on the Biotherm Aquasource Oil-Free Clarifying Hydrating Gel (with Copper) which I reviewed previously. Any thoughts on the new formula, or have you tried it for yourself?

The Body Shop Merry Cranberry Lip Balm…

Last year I wrote about the 2009 limited edition festive ranges at The Body Shop which consisted of the Black Velvet Apricot, Nutmeg & Vanilla and Merry Cranberry ranges. The Black Velvet Apricot was just ‘meh’ to me, while I didn’t like the sweetness of the Nutmeg & Vanilla range. However, the one that I did like was the Merry Cranberry! I picked up a pot of the lip balm just before Christmas during one of the mini-sales (hey, any reduction on the existing price is a bargain) and have been using it for the past few weeks.

Description:
The Body Shop Merry Cranberry Lip Balm is a fruity, moisturising balm with a delicate shimmer to leave lips feeling soft, smooth and well-protected. Contains cranberry seed oil, Community Trade organic beeswax, Vitamin E and Lanolin to lock in moisture, condition, nourish and protect the delicate skin on your lips.

The Verdict:
I first came across the Merry Cranberry lip balm in Singapore during a weekend trip, and the one thing that totally had me hankering for it was the scent – it wasn’t solely cranberry, but to me more of a blend of various berries…strawberry, raspberry, cranberry…I think you get the idea… :D

When I first opened the tin, I was greeted by the usual waxy surface that’s quite typical of The Body Shop lip balms. No biggie, as once you swipe at the surface it’s a breeze to use. I usually have to apply a fair bit of pressure to pick up the balm since TBS lip balms are quite solid and this was no exception.

However, once I got into it what resulted was a lovely tinted glossy sheen with a hint of shimmer – this would fall into the “my lips but better” category and even looks quite pretty when applied over my existing lipstick as the shimmer gives the colour a little ‘bling’ factor.

As far as lasting power goes, it doesn’t have very high staying power (a couple of hours at most) and requires regular reapplication but given that it is a lip balm and not a lipstick or gloss, I’ll choose to overlook that matter just because it smells so damn awesome that I’ll make any excuse to reapply a fresh layer for a scent boost. LOL!


The Body Shop Merry Cranberry Lip Balm retails at RM22 for a 15ml tin and is available at all The Body Shop outlets for a limited time.


Rating: 3.5 / 5
Value: $$

Clarins Spring 2010 – Cotton Flower…

I know we don’t get the four seasons in Malaysia, but can I still say “Spring is in the air”? :D After the deep colours of the winter season collections, this season looks to be skewed towards pretty and subtle colours, some of which can be found in Clarins’ Spring makeup collection, Cotton Flower that'll be reaching us in a couple of weeks.

As always, there are a couple of limited edition items which are the Cotton Flower Face Palette and Cotton Flower Eye Quartet & Liner Palette, while they also add new colours to their permanent collection.

Limited Edition Cotton Flower Face Palette and Single Eye Colour in Desert Blonde (also available in Dusky Rose) – I really must say that Clarins’ face palettes are getting prettier with each collection. There was the gold-dusted wheat pattern in their Nude Inspiration collection last year (I only just recently managed to bring myself to mess up the pattern and use it!) and this one is no different with a cotton flower motif.

Clarins Jolie Rouge in Pink Blossom (also available in Rose Berry), Joli Rouge Sheer Lipstick in Sorbet (also available in Toffee) and Gloss Appeal in Iced Pink – all the colours this season are in shades of pink and rose. I reckon it probably has something to do with the fact that many people overseas love holding weddings in Spring, and these colours are perfect for creating the ‘come-kiss-me-already lips’ look… :D

Limited Edition Cotton Flower Eye Quartet & Liner Palette – this is the only product in the Cotton Flower collection that stands out among the others because of its deeper colours and blue-violet hues. Personally, I like the look of the glacier violet and blue lilac shades…I have a dress and heels that match those shades perfectly (I just need the right occasion to wear it out…darn…)

Clarins Cotton Flower Makeup Collection:
Cotton Flower Face Palette – RM155
Cotton Flower Eye Quartet & Liner Palette – RM155
Single Eye Colour – RM63
Joli Rouge – RM83
Joli Rouge Sheer Lipstick – RM83
Gloss Appeal – RM83

The Clarins Cotton Flower collection will be available at all Clarins counters, boutique and Clarins Institut from 1st February 2010 onwards. (if you’d still like to get your hands on the Nude Inspiration collection though, this would be the time to pick it up before they bring in the new collection!)


So, do you like/ love/ hate the new Clarins collection, and do you have your eye on anything in particular? :)

Entering the Fashion World with Carven Ong…

Last month before the festive season hit full force, there were events in abundance and I actually ended up going to Prince Hotel twice in the same week because one was for the Princely Wedding Fair 2010 preview, and the other was the Carven Academy of Fashion 18th Anniversary and Graduation Gala 2009.

There were canapés and drinks served outside the ballroom with some of the designs done by the students put on display, but thanks to the usual horrific traffic in KL I only managed to get there just before the event itself started. The layout of the room was badly inadequate as it was not meant to accommodate the volume of people that they invited.

Students of the Carven Academy of Fashion were meant to display three of their pieces each at the graduation gala before a panel of judges made up of the likes of Gillian Hung, Scott Chu, Christopher Low, Wee Chee and Jeen Lee who are all notable in their own rights (I’m sorry though, but at the risk of sounding ignorant – I hadn’t heard of any of the others apart from Gillian Hung prior to this!)

If you notice, the photographers were all crammed behind the judges’ table – and there were only about 20 seats or so allocated for invited journalists and bloggers…woefully inadequate. There were an additional 2 rows of empty seats behind the media section that were empty but labeled for some Datin that didn’t show up. I reckon they should have just removed the labels after the event started so that everyone would have been a little more comfortable, but those seats remained empty until the end. I heard later that the media that arrived later were just squeezed in haphazardly and some were so miffed with the arrangement that they just walked out (!!)

Anyway…the focus was meant to be on the show, right? So here we go…these are some of the choice outfits that piqued my interest during the catwalk show…

For some reason, most of the graduates seemed to prefer monochromatic colours for their designs as there were many black and white outfits. New colour shift, or sticking to basics?

This one was a real breath of fresh air though – cheekily named “I’m Not A Little Boy” by Jozef Liew had all the bubblegummy colours and plastic you could possibly remember from your childhood…right down to the dolls perched on his models’ heads (and yes, that is an Ultraman you see on the male model’s head!)

Out of all the graduates, the winner of the gala was quite distinct (at least to me, anyway). Miki Lee deservedly won with her designs themed “Transformation”. Ingenious idea – the bags her models were carrying actually transform into jackets and coats! :D

The rest of the evening was filled with other dresses designed by other students as well as Carven Ong himself.

There was also a performance by Soo Wincci – I reckon she can carry a tune decently enough, but as to whether she can really hold her own as an artist I couldn’t really tell since the speakers at the back of the room threatened to shatter my eardrums. And yes, it was that deafening.

Of course, the evening would not have been complete without a shot of the man himself (seen with one of his bridal gown models). Damn, I need to get a DSLR…these ‘at a distance’ photos are becoming embarrassing! :s

And true to character, the evening was not without its pinnacle moment – when a certain SOMEONE decided that she hadn’t been exposed enough (she arrived late!) and proceeded to sashay to the front right in between the stage and the cameras, stop and POSE, all while there were still proceedings happening on stage. How déclassé, seriously. You may be dressed in the designs of Carven himself, but isn’t it a bit disrespectful to steal the limelight while he’s still on stage? Then again, after seeing similar instances multiple times over the past few years, the antics of this particular person doesn’t surprise me anymore…*shrugs*


Carven Ong (Couture & Wedding Specialist)
Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur
No. 4 Jalan Conlay,
50450 Kuala Lumpur
03-2162 8232

Carven Academy of Fashion
No. 8 First Floor,
Jalan Panggong,
50000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2072 8632

Operation Declutter Under Way…

So far so good…just over a week into 2010, and I’m holding fast to my resolution to de-clutterise my life. To be honest, I hadn’t done much cleaning at all since the house repainting and renovations were completed in November, and everything is still pretty much in boxes all over the place *sheepish look* but hey, on the other hand now’s a good time to start, right? Remember, the goal was to turn my room into a little oasis… :)

To date, I’ve chucked out three big garbage bags worth of rubbish (and that’s AFTER separating out the stuff that could be given away/ recycled, which was another big box’s worth) but instead of boring you with those mundane details, I’ll skip ahead to last weekend’s project of…the dressing table!

Now, I mentioned in a previous post that the first thing to be done up was the dressing table right? :D The reason for this is because it’s the table I use for my makeup every morning, and erm…looking at the table in the morning wasn’t really inspiring. The photo below says it all (WARNING: Shocking photo ahead!)

Embarrassing, right? *sigh*…during the renovations everything got unceremoniously dumped in a big box and afterwards, things were rather busy so it never really got “unpacked”. The only clear bits you can make out are probably the items that I use on a daily basis!

Nothing like a blank canvas to work with – and I even got to add to the décor! LOL…the caricature on the left was from the Lipstick Gossip event, the overhead nameplate I got from Palm Beach in Los Angeles back in 2005 and my DIY earring holder is on the right wall.

From there, it was a matter of sorting all my stuff into the many storage cases I have (Ikea is such a godsend for these I tell you!) before stacking it up on the table. And the end result was pretty pleasing (to me, anyway!)

Left side: Perfumes and hair accessories
White cases: Jewelry (L) and lip products (R)
Blue cases: Foundation, base, loose powder, blushes (L) and eye colour cosmetics (R)
3-Stack: Sponges, applicators, empty sifter jars, etc
Corner rack: Daily use products
Black case: brushes - picked this up from Stage Cosmetics

I also got a green table mat from Daiso to put on the table just so I won’t get my makeup all over the place or my brushes dirty, plus it’s easy to clean and wash. And there you have it! :D Took me the better part of a day to sift through everything and chuck out old cosmetics, but the payoff was well worth it.

Dunno about the rest of you, but looking at it…now I’m back in the mood to apply makeup…LOL! And on a side note, I never realized just how many eye and lip products I had – they fill up a case each, and even then there’s spillover which went into the black case…eeps!!


But there you go, one section down…next on the list is the bathroom! :D