Favourites of The Month: June 2015

Wow, can't believe June is almost end and I'm ready for July. I don't do monthly favourites that often because my products are almost the same unless I switched some of my makeup and trying new skincare products.

I keep my makeup very easy and simple as I prefer putting on neutral eyeshadows and put on some glow onto my face. Whereas for skincare, I'm in the process finishing up my backups before things expired and going back and forth with my oldies which I've developed some good relationship.

Start with skincare, body care and makeup:

Kose Sekkisei Emulsion
I used this years before but never really like it because it was too thick for my skin, somehow, I think the product got reformulated/ my skin change (not sure), I like it this time. It was my freebies from my Kose haul awhile back. I use this after toner, pump 1-2pumps and massage into my skin. It sinks into the skin quickly without feeling sticky. After some consistent use, I noticed it brightens up my complexion too.

Cellnique Soothing & Hydrating Lotion
Aww, this one, my all time favourites and what can I say, more hubby loves this too. It is probably the best face mist I've ever come across. Sometimes, I use this to soak my cotton pads and let it sits on my skin for 5-10mins, so refreshing and it makes extraction less miserable. (Not advise to extract our own, we aren't professional who know it might leave ugly scars?)

Cellnique Total Day Time Protection SPF 30
I go through tubes of this, it has a pink tint, which brightens the complexion and make my skin looks better and more awake. There's a LE for mother's day too, which comes with Marula Oil and act similar like CC cream....I bought 1 for my mom during Mother's Day, she likes it a lot. In case you are like me, just dust some loose powder for a matte look. It is good on its own too, I don't find it too oily, but add a hint of glow and dew to my face. Love it!

Alqvimia Anti-Stress Body Oil
This is the sample size, I have a bigger bottle with Lavender oil. This stuff is amazing. I'm someone who enjoy pamper myself with good things, seriously, I safe money and then I splurge. Previously I signed up body treatment mainly for massage because I always encounter soreness on my back, neck and with my extreme workout I really need some massage to ease my muscle tense. The oil smells nice and really relaxing. It pours out thickly but it absorbs completely when combines with massage. The skin feels so soft and I have a nice nap/ sleep. 

Maybelline Master Conceal # 20light
affordable concealer, almost medium to high coverage. It blends really well just beware not overly done as it will look slightly cakey on the skin.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer # Pore Minimizing
Great primer for hot weather, it keeps my skin matte and fresh, my makeup last longer too.
It feels so smooth after use, I have quite large pores, I don't think it will hide them but it doesn't makes a difference to my makeup look.

Maybelline Volume Express Cat Eye Mascara #LE Hello Kitty print
I bought this long time ago but never use it, when I did my spring cleaning I noticed I still have a backup for this. The mascara wand is like comb that you brush onto lashes, leaving them long and more define. The Hello Kitty print is just something to die for. haha. It doesn't smudge even I use it for almost 9hours and easy to remove.

Ambient Lightening Blush Palettes #Luminious Flush, #Incandescent Electra, #Mood Exposure
I was not a blush person but after I met the ambient lightening blushes, OMG, it is something I must have everyday, even without eye makeup I will still make sure I apply blush, how crazy! Honestly, it is very hard to order from Sephora website because for oversea order, they tend to cancel for some really weird reasons. I like LF and IC which gives the nice glow and hint of color to my cheeks. It creates a soft focus look and you skin just looks better, healthier and you just look a lot better and good with the blushes. ME is more like a muted, rusty color but still pull off really nicely and settle. Sometimes I use it as an all over eyeshadow too.

Too Face Natural Eyes
The previous packaging comes with paper box but this newly released comes with a tin box, which is so much better and easy to carry around. The colors ranges from matte to slightly glittery and from day to time which is so versatile. The eyeshadow is buttery smooth and good pigmentation.

Well, that's all for my monthly favourites.  Hope you all enjoy reading it. Please share you monthly favourites in the comments too, I'm very happy to know them too.

Jill Stuart Layer Blush Compact 07 Fringe Flower

Aww, who can resist Jill Stuart cosmetics? My heart melts each time I bumped into their makeup line, so classy and elegant.

My cousin sister helped me bought this baby few month ago when she came back for her engagement, so I asked her to help me grab this before she headed back. I have Jill Stuart Jelly eyes which are so glittery and bouncy and... oh, too many words to describe how much I adore them.

I've never own any JS blush simply because it isn't available in my country and since our MYR dropped like crazy, I really not in the mood to spend so much money on something that hardly to access.

 

If I'm not mistaken this is the newly release from spring 2015. JS products always come with its unique feminine fragrance that capture my heart. It isn't a matte blush, more like a satin with some fine shimmer blush. I like how compact it is and you can get assorted shades from a single blush palette. The blush comes with plastic packaging (sadly), but it is what makes the whole thing so light and easy to travel.

Another plus point, the blush also comes with a brush, which is super soft and I'm pretty sure it is goats fur. It feels so soft but at the same time it has that goats odour. haha! The brush head can be adjusted according to your preferences, what makes the blush so pricey (my point of view) is the brand itself, quality and the swarovski decor.

All it all, I'm happy with my purchase if not because of our poor currency, I think I might grab another few more blushes. They are just so lovely whether to use or to collect.

Review: Kose Infinity Refining Massage Cream

Hello. The weather has been really extreme these days, is either rain all day long or being sunny, burning my skin all day. I'm really glad to share about my wonderful experience using this massage cream in this post.

 

I've been using this for months and honestly it lasts me really long because the jar is still quite full and seems barely touched/used.
Normally I cleanse my face, follow up with a deep cleansing mask (Kose SEKKISEI Clear whitening peel off mask - amazing!) then top up with this massage cream and viola! It always makes my skin softer and bouncier, this is a fact that I noticed and it will never change.
It comes with a thick cream, I will scoop a dollop of cream, warm it up between my palms and massage the entire face, the scent is very mild and soothing. When it warms up, the cream will turn into oil like consistency, not worry it will not make skin becomes more oilier, instead it nourished it nicely.
I like to massage my cheeks and forehead and when the cream touches my skin, OH MY... it feels so luxury and so pampering. I like to massage for about 10-20mins, really depends on my mood and how sleepy I am to rush into bed. Then, add some water and gently massage again, and slowly rinse off with water. I suggest to use a cloth because it makes the removing part so much faster and easier.
Later on, follow the rest of my skincare routine. I'm really amaze how well it works on my skin, it never fails me because it just makes my skin feels, looks so much better the next morning as if I've had an expensive facial treatment.
It is a weekly treat for me, and it seems to be a must for me after the peel off mask, definitely hydrates and nourishes my skin. Sometimes, I bring it together with me for a quick hand facial at the Kose facial counter, it feels so, so good.

Price: RM242.70 (include GST)

I highly recommend this product especially for those who are in their mid 20s and want to try some anti-aging products, off course people who have more mature skin are recommend to try this too. It is such an amazing and wonderful massage cream, not oily at all. 1 jar definitely able to last more than 6months, it all depends how much and how frequent you use it.

Give it a try, I'm sure you will like it!

Recipe: Flourless Banana Pancake

Ingredients: 
- 1 banana ( ripen will be better flavour)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup of oat ( grind with food processer until fine and powder texture)
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- milk (full cream/ low fat)

Garnish:
- a handful of blueberries
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1 tbsp of creamy peanut butter (I'm using Peter Pan brand)
- drizzle with honey

** I don't use vanilla essence, I want it more natural, please feel free to add in if needed. **

Procedure:
1. Mashed the banana, then heat it in microwave with 1/4 milk for 20-30 secs.
2. Heat up sauce pan, add some olive oil
3. Pour a desire amount of pancake mix with shapes you fancy
4. Turn both side until fully cooked
5. Serve & garnish
6. Snap picture and eat it.

** Tip: banana smells better after been baked. Please feel free to adjust the amount of oat into the batter till desire consistency **

Good luck 

Have fun trying the recipe!

Jumping Into Healthy Eating Bandwagon

Greetings to everyone. I've been MIA for a quite awhile since my last update, as usual, I'm busy with work and other personal stuff. Although I have pretty hectic work schedule, I am happy to say eating healthily makes me feel so, so great.

I workout (weight training) as usual and incorporates with some dance, pilates, zumba once a week, it might sound crazy for someone but I'm freaking enjoyed it. I read some blogs whenever I'm free and the healthy eating trend sort of suck me in. I don't think eating healthy is hard, you just need some interests and passions. Eat healthy fats, proteins and reduced refined sugar makes me feel lighter and happier.

What I've noticed after eating in a healthier ways?
- better complexion
- less GI problems (bloating, indigestion, gastric)
- more energy
- happier

My amazon.com order just arrived few days ago, I thought to share with you all what I've ordered. A lot of Youtubes owned these books, and there's some good feed back from the reader. After discuss with my hubby, I decided to give it a try, whatever it is, I just love cook books especially these health related recipes, they seriously have a place in my heart.

I'm not going to do any reviews about the books yet since I'm just started to read it and glance through some of the recipes, same goes to the spiralizer. My purpose for this post is to share what I've been into lately and share my first impression about the books and spiralizer. Just let me know if you need me to do an in depth review.

1. Get The Glow by Madeline Shaw - I like the intro a lot, it gives me a clearer idea of eating healthy without cutting of every thing. Plus, she is a nutritionist so I'm pretty sure you turn into unhealthy zombie after try out the recipes and cut of some unnecessary foods. Is very friendly for those who just going to start on a healthy eating journey, nothing is too crazy. I love the hard cover and photos too, very well presented to the readers.

2. Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward - I enjoy reading the intro too, a lot of information about the foods and ingredients, the explanation is clear and easy to understand. Sometimes when I go through some recipes, I have difficulties in understanding the name of ingredients and making the whole cooking process harder. I think is a good book for people who are on special diets such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free. The photos are so pretty, is just nice. I don't have to be a great cook to try out the recipes which is so great.

3. Spiralizer - There are tons of brands/ model in the market, I'm just a beginner so I don't want to go over crazy with the new toy. I ordered the Paderno spiralizer exchange rate and etc. It costs me around RM180++ which is crazy and expensive. I tried making zucchini pasta and baked potatoes (curly fries), quite easy to use. The only complain is the whole thing is made of plastic, so it feels quite flimsy. I got the basic type which comes with 3 blades (thin noodles, thick noodles and ribbons). I would advice to get the basic one because from price aspect is cheaper and I don't think you will able/going to use all the blades. All in all, if you are into the healthy eating bandwagon/ vegetarian it is something worth to invest.

Here's are some of my dinner meals which I have every evening in office. Just chop and cut, simple and they are all ready to eat. I eat lots of leafy veges, they tastes so good, sometimes I will have an egg, quinoa, tuna chunks and whole meal bread.

Hope you guys enjoy my non beauty related post.

Have a nice day!