do you BB?

BB here refers to BB cream :)

I am the kind of person who loves to get her face done before going out. This was done quite excessively (hehe) when I was younger. Early and mid 20s.

Now that I am married, I often have to take into consideration on how long the other party is willing to wait for me :P

Not that long I reckon.

So this is where BB cream comes in handy for me.

I started using BB cream sometime in 2009. I used to be a sucker for anything Korean (now I've recovered) so when the BB cream wave hit the world, of course, I have to be part of it too. Naturally.

BB cream is like an all in one tinted moisturizer. Gives natural looking coverage with heaps of benefits (sun protection, heal the blemishes, and the likes). Truth be told, after years of using it, I don't really notice the healing of blemishes but I continue to use it because it seems to be faster than the usual foundation and I also love the fact that it looks natural, far from being cake-y.

What I did normally (and this routine would take me less than 5 mins) are :

1. Squeeze an adequate amount onto my palm (I only need about the size of 10 cents coin but this differs - according to brands)

2. Dot it all over my face.

3. Blend.

4. Extra dots and blending (by patting) on troubled areas.

5. With a bit of eyeliner, mascara and a lipgloss, I'm done. And oh, face powder too to set everything right. Hehe.

Easy peasy. And it works wonder. So that's why I have long ditched the normal foundation.

I have only used 3 products (the full size tube) and some samples which brands and types I've forgotten.

But those 3 are :

1. Dr G (or also known as Gowoonsesang) Brightening Balm.
2. Missha M vita BB Cream.
3. Etude House BB Magic cream.

And my favourite is definitely the one by Dr G, followed closely by Etude Magic. The former needs only a little dollop for each use while the latter needs a tad more. I bought Dr G at Sasa and I'd need to go there soon to get me a new tube. The other two brands can be bought at their own outlets.

I could see many brands producing BB cream nowadays and since I've found the one that works for me, I'd rather not try other brands.

Before purchasing a tube of BB cream perhaps it's wise to ask for a sample so that you know whether it will be suitable for your skin. Or perhaps, just tell the Sale Assistant your skin condition and she would be able to find the one that works well for your complexion. Skin changes as we age and sometimes, it also changes according to humidity and weather so you might like to have a few choices as a back up. There are also people who use different BB cream for day and night. It all falls back to what works well for you :)

So, do you BB?

Forgetful dD

I encountered a number of articles that being forgetful is one of the signs of aging.

I am getting so forgetful these days it is annoying. I forgot some crucial ingredients when I'm cooking, sometimes I skipped a step or two. I am, however, lucky that my husband is a walking evidence of a really patient guy who can tolerate rubbish-meal-prepared-by-the-wife. I hope he doesn't go around telling his colleagues of the stories on how his wife ruined the meal(s) though. Gulp.

I forget where I put my stuff.
I forget the name of my students.
At times, I even forget the names of my colleagues and it isn't a joy to speak to a person whose name you are unable to recall as you are talking.
This condition worsen as I also often find myself to forget what I intended to say and would mumbled utter rubbish so that's why I now speak slowly because I need to string my sentences in my head before they come out of my mouth. However, that would only happen if I remember to do so. Sigh.

I wonder what are the contributing factors. I could only think of one. Aging. My biological age is 27 but probably my mental age (is there such thing?) is 40ish.

I would like to end this post by saying that I would religiously chew on food that could help boosting one's memory.

Urm but I forgot to buy them.

To complicate the uncomplicated

HIJAB. A short word that is controversial. Everybody has their own opinion on it.

If my memory serves me well, I was told that the purpose of hijab is to actually avoid you from unwanted attention. From unnecessary stares. From the sights of people (guys especially) that could invite slander, gossips and such.

However, I suppose it is the nature of ladies to look pretty. To stand out. Which, if you had read the previous paragraph, is quite contradicting.

Fashion evolves and this does not exclude hijab. There are many ways of styling your hijab and at times I do wonder on the real intention of the person who don the hijab. There are styles which could make the piece of cloth covering your head looks like flowy, long hair. Contradicting, yes?

I do however marvel at the tenacity of these fashionistas who could spend a lot of time complicating the uncomplicated. There are times that I stared on those girls who I couldn't quite figure out how do they style their hijab and all those knots and ties that are involved. Not to mention the ability to hold the look although the weather is scorching hot. If I were to have a piece of clothing wrap around my head, my neck, in those complicated ways, I'm afraid I would turn into a beast sooner than you can say "fashion" because of the heat as well as the sweat. I sweat a lot.

My husband would definitely give me the death stare if I were to style my hijab like the latest trends. Given my un-artsy hands and the inability to look and imitate, I would take hours to get ready. I really have to thank the sarung and go tudung made famous by Ariani. They are one of the wonders of the world. They make lives easier; no hassle, no ironing, and no styling. And most importantly, they serve their purpose. To cover the muslimah's aurat.

I guess simplicity is my kind of game. I am plain Jane and I am OK with it.

conteng muka

Naturally, a bride-to-be would want to look amahzeng (one notch higher than amazing :-p) on her wedding day. Even though what matters is really how you look in your husband's eyes but yeah there's always this feeling of wanting to be remembered as the 'stunning bride' instead of the 'ala pengantin yang muka sengal tuh'. Pergh. The latter statement tuh memang tak buleh blah la kan.

So a makeup artist is one of the great assets for you to look stunning on your 'do. Make that a GOOD makeup artist, because there's an abundant of mak andam out there but a good one is hard to find.

Luckily I found mine. Met him by chance when we attended a wedding of my husband's colleague (he was my boyfriend back then). We agreed that the makeup look amazing and he managed to enhance the bride's beauty. We also think that we would like for him to work his magic on me on our wedding day.

And we booked him right after we got engaged (which was in the end of May).

Come 18th September, he worked his magic on me whilst his sister helped to enhance my husband's looks. hee.

These pictures are taken from his website AJ cinta aliah gallery

bulu mataku bukan bulu ayam di rumahmu.

gagal sengih sepenuhnya sebab tengah fokus betapa beratnya bulu mata palesu sambil terpikir cemane la rozita che wan could handle this!

tampan sekali sampai gugur jantungku dari rangka badan hingga kena kutip balik

I am really satisfied with his work and it was fun working with him and his sister, as well as Sahlan who accompanied them! The makeup lasted till late evening (even after all the sweating due to the hot weather and also our excitement during the outdoor photoshoot - ngeh heh heh heh) so it was worth every penny spent :-)

Thank u AJ! :-) If you are interested in his work, go visit his website. His contact number is there. Their wedding package is also oh-so-pretty! He's one hardworking dude and I could see that he has a bright future ahead of him :-) BTW, he's one of the makeup artist for the imam muda show on tv9. Better book him fast before his rate skyrockets like Nurol Shukor. hehehehe. Tak lame lagi mesti mantap dia nih. Amin!

He's our junior back in secondary school. So, GO TALIBians! :-))

Skincare and gimmicks

Women are powerful consumers. We spend fortunes on many things, particularly on beauty related stuff. As time goes by, we can see varieties of skincare products being advertised and each of them claim that they have this miracle ingredients that could make our skin looks and feels better.

Do they really work?

I have no idea. But I do know that the cleanse-tone-moisturise routine is essential and if you don't slack off, your skin will thank you for it. Regardless of the skincare brand you are using and the amount you have paid for it.

If you have 10 minutes to spare, do watch this clip below about skincare gimmicks. It's downright funny and managed to tickle my funny bone! But homour aside, this clip also gives you a thought on how cunning these beauty companies can be. So don't be fooled and don't spend your hard earned moolah on stuff that works just as well as their cheaper rivals do!

'tis the season to shop

Alas, it's the mid year and sale is sprouting everywhere. Most of them brilliantly call this sale as the 'school break sale' which I fail to comprehend :- Is this sale aiming at the students? Or the teachers (who are on hols too tee hee hee :-p) or the parents to keep their kids' time occupied by giving them money to shop?

I have no idea.

But I guess it's all good. For those who are wise at managing their money though. Ahem.

Some people take this opportunity to buy the stuff they've been lemming for months and they have been saving up money. Whilst some people just take this opportunity to reason out the buying they do more during this season ;-D

I know two outlets are on sale and they are the Bodyshop and also Etude House (just in case you have no idea what it is, it's a korean brand for cosmetics and skin care).

Bodyshop is having its annual sale (they have this sale in June each year) and lots of stuff are going cheap for as low as 50 percent off the marked price. I might be getting their mascara that I have been eyeing for a year (yes, a freakin year!). I fell in love with it upon the first try on the mini tube that I got for free when I bought their vanity case last year.




Etude House is my favourite beauty shop for their brushes are really off the hook! They work wonders and don't cost a fortune :-) I bought all the brushes during sale (they go on sale quite often actually). Another beauty product of theirs that got me hooked is their tissue facial mask. They are good and they don't drip. I hate wearing mask that drips. It feels like a waste. My favourite mask has got to be the Lemon mask which brightens up your skin. They go for RM 4.83 each now so it's high time to buy them in bulks :-)

Now let's get vain :-P

aging

I've never done picture based post before so in the spirit of saying farewell to 2009, I'm gonna leave you guys with a picture heavy post of me heh heh heh :-D It was quite interesting though, as in the process of choosing the pics, I could see how my look changes with my hairstyle.

This was about a year ago.

This was when the twilight sensation hits (hence the all black apparel heheh emo lak kan konon ;p). It was also after the 1st time I did rebonding on my hair.

The second time I did rebonding, with a slightly different hairstyle. I opted for a fringe.

As my fringe grew longer, I combed them to one side.

I did my 3rd rebonding and cut my hair a bit, with a bang covering my wide forehead but something was off and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

And so I cut my hair short, hoping that it will grow long, as fast as it could.

Try and look back at all the pics you have taken for this year. You'll be mesmerized too on how different you look like within a year :-)

supply for many months to come

My darling went to Korea last week because of his work and when asked what I wanted for him to bring home for me, I just mentioned, mask.

Facial mask sheet is something, that I think, would not be much of a hassle to look for and carry back home. It would fit nicely in his luggage. It's way cheaper over there too. I have other things that I wanted but being a guy I know it would be a tad tougher for him to look for those stuff so that's the reason for saying only 'mask'.

Back in my mind, when he texted me that he had bought me the mask that I asked him to, I was thinking more of like, 5 facial mask sheets. Or probably 10. So when he emailed me this pic, I was beyond shock.


Too cute. Hehe. I don't have to buy facial mask sheet for months to come! (I only use once every week, along with my clay facial mask and peel-off facial mask. If you're a guy u must be confused by now, huh. I think I lost u at clay facial mask :P)

And before he boarded the plane, these were added into the weight of his luggage.


All of them are way cheaper over there. If I was with him, I could imagine myself gone crazy in the shops and he'd be watching me with fearful eyes :D I've tried a couple of items. I'm a bit nostalgic so it was pretty tough to decide which item should be ruined first. If I could, I want to keep it for years to come but hey that's what blogs and pictures are for so I'm keeping it here in my blog, where it'll remain to be seen for centuries, maybe :)

And did I mention that I heart him? Mwahhx! Thank you so much!!! (tak sia2 selalu bawak dia masuk kedai etude house, etc..pandai dia pilih brg kecantikan...:P)

Glad you didn't go for a long time, the distance was unbearable!

advice from the elderly

I'm gonna be 25 in a couple of weeks so I guess that kinda makes me an elderly. Oh I'm a wee bit depressed thinking about how I'm gonna be halfway to 30. A very big number that when I was a kid, I thought a 30-year-old sounds ancient. Of course, I don't think like that anymore. Not even close. Jennifer Aniston is 40 and she's smokin hot. It's not impossible, y'all :P

One could slather all sorts of creams and lotions that one could find, on their skin but it's not the sole warranty of fighting the age.

One also need to care about the inside of one's body. It's just like caring for a car. You wash its outer surface as well as sending it to the workshop for scheduled services and such.

We can't really send our bodies to the workshop. But we can, however, start with something as simple as having sufficient sleep. New research shows that people who get at least 7 hours a night and get restful sleep are less susceptible to colds. Sleep really is important for your body and helps boost your immune system. This is what I read from the online articles (Yes, as I get older, my readings now includes health's stuff too :P)

I suppose most of us adults know the importance of sleep but how many of us actually have enough sleep night after night?

We get tight up with work, programmes on the telly and even catching up sessions with friends that we often neglect the importance of sufficient sleep. We get older and so do our bodies. They won't function as efficiently as we were younger. Going to bed early when we are 55 and above would probably be a tad too late, some of our systems might have gone haywire by then.

So, what are you waiting for? The clock is ticking and the blanket is waiting for you to envelope it all over your body. If you are reading this past midnight, I think it's time to go to bed, baby :)

Because I Deserve It!

Sometimes we are so caught up in pleasing others, we forgot to please ourselves. And that is a shame.

My teacher once asked everyone in my class to name 3 persons that we love most. Almost everybody named their parents as the one they love most. I, on the other hand, named myself as the person that I love most. In the end we came to a conclusion that we need to love ourselves above others, because if you don't, no one else would. And when you love yourself, you would take really good care of yourself.

After consecutive weeks of torture and damnation, I felt that I just need to give myself something, for making it through all the shit.

And so I pampered me :)

I focused on one part of me that needs the most attention (as for now) and that is my hair. They need a bit more care and affection. My hair and I always have this love-hate relationship.

So, on last weekend, I got a new haircut at this salon that I have always had my eyes on when I go shopping. Nothing grand about it but it's convenient. I gave myself a good nearly 2 hours of pampering. Complete with hair treatment session and all. Almost go through with the rebonding idea but that has to wait if I don't want to go broke :P

Walking out of the salon, I felt like a superstar. That feeling made me glowwww for the whole day and that's it, I shall care more about myself! It's about time anyway ;)

P/S - So the whole point of this filler blog post is that...... when things aren't going to the direction that we want to, stop for a while, take a break and do things that would make you feel better. You deserve it above all!

Flu + Fever Alert

What do you do when you have fever + flu ?

Admit it, there are times when you don't feel like going to the doctor, for whatever reason it might be. So during those times, you usually fall back to the medication that you bought when you last met the doctor.

This is what I usually do. Take the antibiotic.

But apparently, according to a friend, you have to be cautious in taking antibiotic. It is more suited for bacteria-caused sickness (such as cough). However, for flu, which is caused by viruses, it is quite unsuited. In other words, it is quite useless, really. Besides, the microorganism will become resistant to the it. Therefore, when you really need one, you might gonna need an antibiotic with a much higher dose.

However, there is one habit that is apparently proven good during those fever + flu times. That is, to drink plenty of fluid. This includes water and also isotonic drinks such as 100+ and Revive. When you are feverish, you lose plenty of fluid as well as electrolytes. So that explains why you are recommended to drink isotonic drinks.

Well, my work is done here. I'm feverish atm so that's why I went all medical for this entry :P