OhmigodOhmigodOhmigod!

*catches my breath*
I'm a firm believer in self-reward. Like, seriously.
I work hard and play hard. We all should know how to loosen up a bit and take off our shoes before plunging into the mud.
Well, you know what I mean.
I can't have everything. So if the little things make me happy, so be it. I'm content and grateful.
Alhamdulillah.

And so I thought of buying myself a birthday gift.
Initially I wanted a new handphone but my BB is still working well despite some issues with the battery which has been already been resolved.
I then decided to buy myself a Cambridge Satchel.
I just don't know why I'm so obsessed with this bag. 
Probably the colour. Or its simplicity. Or its smooth buttery leather.
If my backyard is full of trees that grow money, I'd buy the bag in all colours, sizes and collections. 
Gosh I want it all!
But of course, like I said earlier, I can't have everything I want.
I'm happy enough with my 13" Pink Fluoro Cambridge Satchel!
This baby is oh so gorgeous!
(^.^)

*THE box is finally here!*

*gasp!*

*fainted*

*everyone now: "ooooooh aaaaaaah"*

I'm not a big fan of leather bags but CS is just a perfection! 
It's so buttery smooth and the finishing details are mamma-mia!
I have the best birthday gifts this year!
Syukur Alhamdulillah.
(^.^)

PS. I bought this from PVSC. Check out her amazing shop!

BR: WonderBox for December 2012

Hello people!
Some of you might have heard or read or even subscribed to the variety of beauty boxes in Malaysia.
Beauty box is already so widely known in the US, UK, Australia and Japan, among other countries. 
Basically, beauty boxes are managed by a group of enthusiastic beauty lovers where they put together samples and real size items from various brands in cute boxes and ship them direct to your house!
Ain't that lovely?
It's like receiving a surprise birthday present every month!
*throws confetti*

Anyhoooo, I've only heard of beauty boxes in Malaysia somewhere middle of this year but didn't subscribe to any until December version. 
Not quite sure why I waited until December, though.
I guess I was quite skeptical of the brands and products I might be receiving.
Out of curiosity, I bought beauty boxes from 3 different companies for December.
This is a case of curiosity doesn't really kill the cat, more likely my purse. Pfffft!

The first beauty box I'm going to review is from WonderBox.
 Based in KL, it offers 4 types of subscription -monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annually. 
Its cost is RM39.90 per month, inclusive of postage. Even if you subscribe annually, there's no discount but you'll get points that can be redeemed.
The brands for WonderBox include Clinelle, Elianto, Empro, Gamila Secret, Jurlique, Kerastase, Murad, O.P.I., Office, Sampar Paris, Sothys Paris, The Body Shop and The Face Shop
Really not bad, huh?
Except that, of course, you won't be getting all in a box. Probably around 3-5 brands only and it is absolutely not possible to know what you're getting.
So those who don't appreciate surprises, beauty boxes just won't be your thing, honey.
Nevertheless, they provide some sort of beauty survey upon registration, to know your needs better.
Without further ado, let's check out some pictures of my first beauty box!
(^.^)

*it arrived a few days before Christmas. shipment by GD Express*

*tightly bubblewrapped*

*now look at that! wow, fantastic baby!*

*ta-dah! some brochures, vouchers, samples and real size products!*

*the mini catalogue for items of the month*

*the star products*

The packaging is super gorgeous, isn't it?
It took me quite some time to finally take off the ribbon because it's too cute! I totally loved it!

The items:
Clinelle Eye Bright, 15ml. Full size. RP: RM45.90
O.P.I. Shatter Nail Lacquer in Blue, 15ml. Full size. RP: RM59
Gamila Secret Cleansing Bar, 30g. Full size. RP: RM66
Kerastase Bain Chroma Riche. Travel size.
Kerastase Masque Chroma Riche. Travel size.
Clinelle Purifying Toner. Travel size. 

I chose the first three as the star products because they're in full sizes and the RPs combined are definitely more than what I paid for the whole box. 
Overall, I'm very satisfied with my first beauty box from WonderBox.
(^.^)

 Now, the question is, would I subscribe again?
Yes and no. This totally depends on my mood.
Yes because the packaging is superb. The products aren't so bad either.
No mainly because I simply won't be using some of the products, like O.P.I lacquer and Clinelle toner as I am very satisfied with my basic skincare products at the moment.
I haven't subscribed for January box yet, there are still 2 weeks left before the deadline so I'm allowing myself to do some thinking.
If I'm curious enough, I might subscribe in no time!

How about you? Curious enough?
Then head over to WonderBox now, subscribe for January and just wait for the beautiful box to be in your hands!
 

BR: Beauty Boxes!

Coming up soon...

 P.S. Nope, I didn't get these from Santa.
(^.^)

BR: Baviphat Strawberry Toxifying Mask

Tonight I'm gonna review another facial mask that I truly love! It's one of my favourites!
It's called the Strawberry Toxifying Mask by Baviphat
I've reviewed another mask from Baviphat here.
I know, I know...the name of the item is a total messed up. Who would ever want to "toxify" anyone's skin? I suppose 'detoxify' would be more accurate.
Nevertheless, I still love this mask. Not entirely because of the super cute packaging but the fact that my skin really feels squeaky clean everytime I'm using this.
(^.^)

The product description taken from Sasa website:
"Baviphat Strawberry Toxifying Mask A wash-off facial mask packed with vitamin C enriched strawberry extracts help detoxify and tighten pores for a more refined looking complexion.
It helps detoxify and tighten the enlarged pores of our skin, Strawberries contain loads of vitamin and it helps the reborn of our skin, curb the formation of any pigments and promote the blood circulation, discharging any undesired dirt in our skin."

*the one in chilli red! blardy cute packaging, isn't it??*

*comes with a tiny spoon. yay for hygiene!*

*texture is like any other clay mask*

*thin layer applied*

Baviphat Strawberry Toxifying Mask, 130g
How to use:
After cleansing, pat dry skin and slap the mask onto skin. Avoid eyes and lip areas. 
Leave for 15-20mins and rinse.
The aftermath:
My skin felt squeaky clean and firm.
My face appeared to be slightly brightened.
The mask sort of sucked the oil out of my skin, which lasted for almost half day.
Pore size minimized but only temporarily.
It smells like strawberry ice cream! Yumms!
The cons:
Need to be removed with warm water only because it may not rinse well with cold water. It's better to use facial sponge.
As its texture is clay-ish, do remember not to leave it for too long. If it dries up, it may cause wrinkles.
(*_*)

I use this mask twice a week and love the result every single time! Go buy it!

BR: e.l.f. Essential Liquid Eyeliner

I hope those celebrating Christmas are having the most wonderful time of the year and to those who don't, I bet you're having a great time with friends and family too.
(^.^)
Today I'm gonna share my views on e.l.f. Essential Liquid Eyeliner.
Other than face mask and BB creams, I am obsessed with liquid eyeliners. Can't have enough of them! As I wear it everyday, I usually toss them after 3 months of opening because of hygiene reasons. The same goes with mascara as well.
Anyway, let's check out the eyeliner shall we?
 
 *a super simple packaging*

*fine brush applicator*

*swatched*

*faded after a swipe*

e.l.f. Essential Liquid Eyeliner in Black, 5ml
The pros:
Love the awesome black! Very black indeed!
Slim packaging which can be easily placed in make up pouch for a quick touch up.
The cons:
The eyeliner is not waterproof, sweatproof and it smudged easily.
As can be seen in the 4th picture, it faded after a swipe with my fingers.
The bristle applicator is quite think and can be quite flimsy.
 I don't think I will be repurchasing this in future.

Literally LMAO!

*pic credit: doubleseunghyun twitter*

OMG I laughed too hard my stomach hurt so bad!
#OnlyVIPsKnowThis

BR: Nature Republic Snail Therapy Sheet Mask

I love sheet mask.
It has to be one of the greatest inventions in beauty world.
It's very convenient to use. I even use it during long flights or journeys because there's no need to wash it afterwards.
I'm gonna share about my favourite sheet mask to date!
I ordered these through GMarket and it arrived in two weeks.
It's available in Nature Republic stores here but GMarket is always much cheaper.
(^.^)

Snail mucus in cosmetics and skin care is a rave in Korea right now since more than a year ago.
I was like, "eewwww", at first but after all those good reviews I just couldn't stop myself from trying.
This sheet mask contains 200mg of snail mucus.

 *i love GMarket pink parcel!*

*instructions, ingredients, mfg date, etc*

*contains Snail Secretion Filtrate or snail mucus*


Nature Republic Snail Therapy Sheet Mask, 20g
How to use:
After cleansing and toning, fix the mask onto face. Leave for 15-20mins. Pat or massage the remaining essence on skin.
The aftermath:
The essence wasn't sticky or too heavy.
No strong smell.
I wore this at night and went to sleep. The morning after, my skin felt so plumpy and soft and glowy!
My face/skin looked very 'healthy'.
Totally love this! Will definitely buy this again or will try the sleeping mask from the same range.
The cons:
The shape of the mask really bothers me, as most sheet mask.
To be honest, my face is not as round as the shape of the mask so it doesn't really cover my face and nose properly.
Other than that, I'm happy with this mask.
(^.^)

BR: e.l.f Studio Cream Eyeshadow in Eggplant & Teal

Hellllooooooo......
*GD's "One of a Kind" style*
I am obsessed with that song at the moment. It's so catchy. It makes me wanna move around, shakes my head a bit. I always clap my hands according to the beat while listening to it. It has become a habit now.
Anyway, I'm writing this while listening to the song so I'm really in a bubbly mood right now.
(^.^)

This time it'll be a review on a cream eyeshadow by e.l.f
It actually stands for 'EyesLipsFace'. So cute right?
I bought a few items from e.l.f website through a spree which I have a love-hate relationship with.
On the plus side, spree is great because it helps to minimize the shipping cost. If I were to buy straight from the website, the shipping cost from US might be more expensive than the products. Thus, spree is much more convenient and there's no limit to the amount of the items I want. I can order one item or 50 items.
However, buying through spree means I have to wait for-ever! Spree has a closing time, usually around 2-3 weeks. Same goes with shipping from US after the closing date. In short, I've to wait for more than a month for the items to arrive. So by the time the items arrive, the excitement just isn't there anymore.
So because of the waiting time, I always make sure I order as many items as I want so I don't have to do another order in a long time.

All items that I ordered were make up stuff -eyeshadows, blusher, eye primer, mascara, lipgloss etc.
e.l.f. has three different types (not sure if 'types' is the correct term) which are Essential, Mineral and Studio. 
I bought different items for all three types and the best part of e.l.f is it's freaking cheap!
For Essential items, most only cost $1 while the cheapest for Mineral and Studio is $3 which is still cheap!
I was a bit skeptical over the price in the beginning but some products are really good.
And so far none of the items break me out or give me bad skin reaction.
So yeah, I'm loving e.l.f.!

Now let's start with the review!
*finally!*
 The first item from e.l.f. that I wanna share about is its Studio Cream Eyeshadow in Eggplant and Teal.
This costs only $3 each or about RM10-RM15.
 I wasn't a huge fan of cream eyeshadow because I have typical Chinese eyes or monolids (I have Chinese grandmothers from both sides). Whenever I use cream eyeshadow on my lids, after about 3 hours I'd get creases on the top of my lids which is super annoying. And my oily lids are so not helping. The same goes with gel eyeliner so I only use liquid type these days.
 So here are some pictures of the cream eyeshadows.

*pic credit: voussouriez.com*
*comes in boxes like these*

*look at that size!*

*eggplant*
*sorry forgot to take a pic of teal!*


*Shade: Eggplant. left: without Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP). right: with UDPP*

*Shade: Teal. top: with UDPP. bottom: without UDPP*

*super waterproof*

e.l.f Studio Cream Eyeshadow in Eggplant & Teal, 10g
The pros:
Fairly pigmented. Shade is a lot better with UDPP.
Dries pretty fast, doesn't crease.
Super duper waterproof! Lasts the whole day! Yay for monolids!
It's cheaaaaaap!
The cons:
Need to use fingers or Q-tip because it's hard to blend in the cream using eyeshadow brush.
Pretty tough to remove, need to use a really good and oil-based make up remover.
The packaging is just too big and heavy and ridiculous!

BR: ElishaCoy Diamond Shiny Pearl BB

If you're a party girl, this BB cream suits you best!
But before I share the full review, I want to explain a bit about the brand.
Elisha Coy is another famous brand from Korea specializing in cosmetics and skincare. 
Japan has been all-rage about the brand until now.
Apparently I can't remember seeing or going into its stand-alone shop during my trip to Seoul last year.
If you're interested, you may read about the company here.
I swapped this with my friend because she got it as free gift and she seldom uses cosmetics.
 
 *pic credit: mysune.com*
*full size: 50ml*

 *15ml tube*

 
 

ElishaCoy Diamond Shiny Pearl BB
 It has 7 Jewelry Powder to provide "dramatic shiny glow makeup".
"Two in One' on the tube means it's both cosmetic and skincare at the same time, as what most BB creams has claimed.
Loves:
Easy to blend and doesn't streak.
The coverage is just enough for me, covers my pores but doesn't feel like wearing a mask.
It has SPF27 PA++ so I don't need to apply sunblock.
Loathes:
I think it only has one shade.
Honestly, I totally loathe the 7 Jewelry Powder! I thought it would just give me a hint of shimmer look but I have obvious glitters on my face. If you noticed my last picture, there was still leftover of the glitter on my fingers after I blended in the product.
Those who want to look like the Cullens might like this. 
Or if you're a party girl. Otherwise, I think it's too much for a day use.

BR: SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream

Another quick review, this time it's a BB cream.
Other than facial mask, I've to admit I'm also getting obsessed with BB cream because I really like its texture compared to foundation.
In my opinion, BB cream is lighter and easier to apply although it doesn't provide coverage as good as foundation which I like. It gives a more natural look.

So the BB cream that I wanna share about is from SkinFood which is called Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream.
Phew, such a long name!
I got this sample during my shopping spree in Myeondong, Seoul last year.
I usually poke a small hole using pin/needle for samples to keep them hygienic and avoid the products from getting dried up.


*pic credit: theskinfood.com*
*full size: 45g*

 
 
 

SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream (#1 Light Beige)
From theskinfood.com:
"This triple functional BB cream not only protects your skin from UV rays but also contains adenosine and arbutin which firms and brightens skin, and has platinum with grape cell extract providing skin elasticity."
Loves:
Super easy to blend & doesn't streak.
Very light texture.
Not greyish unlike most BB cream.
It has SPF45 PA+++ which is awesome because I don't need to apply sunblock anymore.
Doesn't break me out. Yeay!
 Loathes:
The coverage is just so-so and lasts for about 5 hours.
Oil control is also so-so. I have combination skin and I needed to blot my T-zone after 2 hours.
It has a weird smell.
 
The sample lasted for about 5 days which is impressive as it shows only tiny bit is needed to spread over face.
It also has a dewy finish which I always have a love-hate relationship as it tends to make my face looks either fresh or oily.
Anyway, I used this everyday for 5 straight days and I could sort feel my skin is smoother and 'healthier'. I'm not sure how to describe this in the most specific way but my skin looked radiant even after I removed it.
So I guess the arbutin and grape cell really work then.
I might purchase the full size bottle in future but right now I have too many BB creams so need to finish them up first.
Or at least break them open and start using them!
(*_*)

mushroom head

*pic credit: google*

This is my favourite hairstyle for GD!
His platinum mushroom hair, from their MV 'Monster'.

Aigoooo Jiyong-ah, why are you so cute?!
(^.^)

IKEA Meatballs


Me and my sisters would go to IKEA just to grab this for lunch and then drive back to Melaka.
Things we do to satisfy our cravings.
(*_*)

BR: Baviphat Mango Magic Brightening Mask

A quick review on this super cute mask! 
It's called Mango Magic Brightening Mask from Baviphat.
Yeah, I also think of Kimora Lee Simmons everytime I mention/write the brand name.
(*_*)
Baviphat is already quite known in Malaysia although they don't have any stand-alone store.
 From the FB page Baviphat Official, I found out that some items are available at major Watsons around the country but I honestly haven't found any.
I bought this in Seoul last year. 

*pic credit: iprettyface.miyoc.com*

*super adorable packaging!*

*comes with a cute tiny spoon. yay to hygiene!*


Baviphat Mango Magic Brightening Mask, 100g.
How to use:
After cleansing, pat dry skin and slap the mask onto skin. Wait for 2-3 minutes for bubbles to appear and rinse.
The aftermath:
Nothing much, seriously.
The cons:
Where do I staaaaart? 
Apparently, only the packaging is working well for marketing purposes.
It doesn't smell like mango at all which is so meh..
This is actually an oxygenating mask where bubbles should form after a few minutes in contact with oxygen. I waited and waited for 5 minutes but couldn't see any bubbles.
The mask is also quite thick so rinsing it off was quite troublesome. I needed to use facial sponge.
The worst part, it broke me out only after a few hours!
I've stopped using this after a few tries because my skin got bad reaction everytime.
Now I'm using it on my elbows, hopefully can brighten them.
I think TonyMoly Tomatox works better for me.
 
On a happier note, I'm keeping the cute tub for my brooches!

BR: Etude House Minisize U Massage Peeling Pack


I miss Seoul, seriously. 
A friend of mine is planning a trip next year, I’m still thinking whether I should join her or plan a trip to another country since I’ve already been to Korea. 
There are so many great things about Seoul and among the things that I miss most are definitely their beauty houses. I can go insane with those many choices. 
Thank goodness some of the brands are here in Malaysia too. 
(^.^)

Apparently I’m not using their skincare line so most of the time I would buy cosmetics and facial masks. 
After I bought a few types of masks, I couldn’t help but to notice their preference to call it ‘pack’. There are sleeping pack, wash-off pack, peel-off pack, nose pack etc. So I figured that pack is another word they use for masks until I bought Etude House Minisize U Massage Peeling Pack
I first thought it’s to be used as facial mask but turned out it’s actually a scrub. 
I find it quite weird because as the instruction also doesn’t mention that it needs to be left on the face for a few minutes like most masks. 
I always scrub my face at least twice a week to get rid all those dead skin cells or dirt before slapping any mask. It is said to be more effective for the skin to absorb the essence of the masks after using facial scrub. 
As I had run out of facial scrub, I bought one at Etude House AEON Melaka. 
It comes in a plastic tub and no spatula included. 

The active ingredients of this pack are fermented rice wine lees and glycolic acid (which is a small part of alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA) and it's commonly used to treat acne).
Based on the box, this pack is formulated to exfoliate to remove dull skin cells and tighten pores.

 *the instruction & ingredients*
*comes with a protective layer*
*after gentle massage*

Etude House Minisize U Massage Peeling Pack, 180ml. RRP: RM39.90
How to use: 
After cleansing, scoop out a 10cent size dollop and massage onto face while the skin is still damp. Massage for about 2-3minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. 
The aftermath: 
The tiny granules were really soothing and didn’t irritate skin at all. Nice rice-y smell. My skin felt squeaky clean but no changes to pore size. I use it every other day or at least twice a week. It didn't break me or give me rashes.
Cons: 
It is quite oily (which I really hate!) and it has to be rinsed with warm water before finally splashing cold water to ‘tighten’ pores. 
I won’t repurchase this as I prefer my scrub to be in tube. 
I also wish it'd come with a spatula, more hygienic.