Oops, I forgot to mention in my last post that you can actually get RISIS items in Malaysia.
I have seen their outlets in KLCC and MidValley Megamall. I read that they also have one shop in 1 Utama.
So there is no need to purchase online. You can bring along your boyfriend or hubby there, right away.
Girls, does your boyfriend or husband keep using that lame ‘it’s-a-waste-of-money-to-buy-flowers-coz-they-don’t-last’ excuse to not to send you flowers? Well, tell him that he can now buy you just ONE orchid or rose from RISIS, because their flowers last forever - and are all gold plated!
RISIS is a brand from Singapore that has been in the accessories industry for 30 years, with outlets spread across major cities worldwide. But I only got to know of its existence few months ago while watching a morning show on the telly.
Do you know what they did to REAL fresh orchids and roses? They encapsulated the flowers in 24K gold to so-call preserve their natural texture and shape. Of course, this unique process involves a number of steps.
The gold-plated orchids are then made into brooches, earrings, pendants and other fashion accessories.
Tea Rose Brooch SG$63; Orchid Brooch SG$55
As for roses, you can get a 40-cm long golden rose (together with its stem and leaves). Golden rose - sound like a fairy tale huh.
40-cm Golden Rose SG$108
One of their pieces that I like is the slider. It’s a versatile piece. You can wear it as a necklace, with the orchid as the pendant. Or, if you are wearing a black dress, then by adjusting the length of the chain, you can have it around your waist, to add a bit of glitter and glamour to your plain outfit.
Orchid Slider SG$70
If you want to show it off BIG, then get the orchid tray! 
Tray with gold-plated orchidssssss SG$360
There are more versions of the orchid and rose accessories plus other types of gifts available from RISIS. For more information and to purchase online, you can visit their official web site www.risis.com.
Now your boyfriend or husband has no excuse not to buy you flowers anymore.
Image source: www.risis.com
It’s the time of the year where every one starts to plan for their yearly vacation, or Christmas party, or year end shopping spree, because everybody’s pocket is eagerly waiting for that bonus cheque to slip in.
If you are contemplating what beauty products to buy yourself with the big, fat bonus, why not go to your nearest Clinique counter and check out their Holiday 2007 Collection? Here are some of them:
Left to right: Fresh Bloom Allover Colour Blusher, Colour Surge Eye Shadow Quad, Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick
Bottom: Full Potential Lips Plump and Shine.
They look really nice eh? I especially love Fresh Bloom Allover Colour that uses a floral design to carry the different shades of the blusher. Too bad I can’t afford to get one myself, coz I have no pay cheque, no bonus.
Unless someone is so kind to buy them as a Christmas gift for me, hehe.
Image source: www.clinique.co.uk
While I pamper and treat my face well with all types of skincare products, I’ve treated my hands and legs less kindly.
So far I’ve only gone for three times of pedicure, and zero times of manicure. Why not even once for manicure? Because I figure that my pretty finger nails would be damaged in a couple of days since I have to do housework and cook. So no point spending money on them.
I did my pedicure twice at Nails Hansen @Gurney Plaza. I like the place because it is nicely set up and beautifully decorated. It has the kind of girly touch-up and cozy ambience that every girl would love their bedrooms to have. I also felt that I was enjoying a very special service within my own personal space. The sofa I sat on is flanked by soft, white curtains on both left and right, so I wouldn’t be distracted by what is going on to the customer sitting next to me. I also like their service, very efficient and skillful.
The basic pedicure service I bought cost RM38. Is that considered a reasonable price or expensive? Well, even if it’s slightly pricey, I still like that place and will definitely go back for my next pedicure. Hmm, wonder when that will be.
Nails Hansen @2nd Floor, Gurney Plaza
Staff working on my toes
Nice decor and cozy ambience
Customers can read magazines while waiting for nail polish to dry
Our skin goes through a renewal cycle, and is naturally capable of shedding off dead skin cells from its surface to reveal new skin cells. However, when the dead skin cells are not totally shed, they accumulate and cause the skin to have a dull and lack-luster look, not to mention that they can clog pores and lead to blackheads.
Regular skin exfoliation not only restores the skin’s healthy glow, but also clear the pores and enables the skin to absorb moisture and whatever good stuffs you put on. How often you should exfoliate and what type of exfoliation method suits you depends on your skin type. Always ask your beautician or skin experts for recommendation if you have sensitive skin or a specific skin condition.
I currently use Dermalogica’s facial scrub 2 times weekly for skin exfoliation. But what I really like is their Daily Microfoliant. I’m not using it now, and I miss it so much!
About Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
* Rice-based enzyme powder activates upon contact with water, releasing papain, salicylic acid and rice enzymes to accelerate cell renewal.
* Active agents derived from rice bran and rice extract help to regulate melanin production while micro-exfoliating dead cells, thereby facilitate penetration of the Skin Brightening Complex (bearberry, aspergillys, grapefruit and licorice) that helps to balance uneven skin tone.
* Gentle enough to use on a daily basis.
After cleansing your face, just rub some of the rice powder onto your wet face. As you rub, the powder will dissolve into a creamy texture. Rinse it off and you will see a brighter and smoother face.
Although it’s called DAILY Microfoliant, my beautician told me not to use it every day, 3 times per week would be sufficient. But I liked it so much that I used up to 5 times a week! I didn’t notice any side effect on the skin due to my frequent use of the product.
I especially liked to use it in the morning so that I could leave the house with a brighter and glowing face!
Image source: www.dermalogica.com
Very few of us can afford even one GENUINE super-luxury designer handbag in our lifetime. But what the heck, even if we can’t afford to have one, we can surely have our own favorite brands and labels, and talk about them like we would buy them the next day.
So far, Louis Vuitton is NOT one of my ‘favorite’ brands. But it IS to many, many people out there. LV bags - handbags, totes, clutches, luggages - are famed for its signature LV monogram design. (Well, this is exactly the reason why I don’t like LV. Sorry to say that.) It is a status symbol. If you are able to own a GENUINE LV handbag, you would be walking like you were 2 inches taller.
Anyway, I’m happy for all LV enthusiasts out there, coz now they have another place to shop for LV goods besides Starhill Gallery - KLCC!
Yep, Louis Vuitton second boutique is now in KLCC. It was officially launched about two months ago by the sixth-generation descendant of the Louis Vuitton family - Benoit-Louis Vuitton.
To celebrate the opening of the store in KLCC, LV has exclusively created and launched a limited edition diamond watch - the Speedy Twilight Kuala Lumpur. The watch features diamond-encrusted Petronas Twin Towers icon as the main design motif.
Read this:
- There are only 8 pieces of this watch in the whole wide world!
- Each watch is made of 85 g of white gold, 319 diamonds and 169 pink and blue sapphires!
- Each watch is sold for RM214,000!
Wow.
I tried to search online for the images of the watch but couldn’t find one. So what I did was I took photos of the photos from the magazine The Edge. Please forgive me on the less than satisfactory image quality because that’s the best I can do.
But you can at least see that Mr Benoit-Louis Vuitton is CUTE and the watch is dazzling! Well, may be not so dazzling in the image shown here, hehe. I’m only showing the watch with the pink strap, there is another color available (something like greyish blue).
Remarks: I have not been to any of the LV boutiques. I learned about the opening of the second LV outlet from The Edge. So, reading business and investment magazines also helps to update our vanity knowledge.
I wonder if it’s the artist in me (*ahem) that makes me easily attracted to eye color palettes, especially those that comes in multiple shades.
As much as I like to try different hues on my eyes, I seldom use eye shadows. The shades I use most often are light brown (Bobbi Brown) and pastel pink (Averine), which are suitable for day use when going out for shopping or meeting up with friends.
As for evening outings, something shimmery and glittery will be more appealing and allows the features of the eyes stand out. Something like this relatively new palette from Kanebo is a good choice.
Kanebo LUNASOL Geminate Eye, RM160
It contains 5 gem-like colors to give you the soft and glistening look on your eyes. May be that’s why it is called ‘Geminate’. Yeah, make your eyes look like a GEM! There are also other color combinations ranging from pink to brown and blue.
Although I would very much like to have one, but I don’t think I will get one soon because I already have my Kanebo Testimo eye shadow.
I bought it last year but have used it for not more than 5 times! I only use it for evening occasions, such as going out with hubby for our wedding anniversary dinner, birthday dinner, Valentine’s Day dinner…haha!
Guess I should use it more often. Hmm, may be I will try to use it to create a smoky-eye look (a mild one though) tomorrow night, for I’m going to see Matt Damon ……. in the cinema of course!
Image source: www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp and www.kanebo-cosmetics.co.jp.
If Simon Yam got influenced by his beautiful model wife Qi Qi to start using “Miracle Water”, I don’t see why other women won’t.
Therefore…. deng deng! The Miracle Water is here!
SK-II Essentials Kit, RM98:
Because I can’t afford the original size bottle, which costs almost RM300 per bottle, I bought this SK-II Essentials Kit instead. I got it last month (then claimed the money from hubby, haha!), but haven’t started using it because I want to do a test to see if it really makes a difference for my skin.
Actually this is my second purchase. I bought it for the first time end of last year. However, I didn’t use the Facial Treatment Essence regularly. I used it for a week, then stop for several days, and continued for few more days, and off again. Our skin has a 28-day renewal cycle, so of course I can’t see any obvious improvements if I don’t use it continuously for 28 days.
(I think may be it’s the it’s-so-precious-so-don’t-want-to-finish-it-too-soon kind of mentality. But a bad skincare habit it is - not doing the skin any good and waste of $!)
So this time I’m determined to use it every day and observe the changes. The only thing is I keep forgetting to ask hubby to take a photo of my current skin condition, mainly large pore and fine lines problem.
To prove that something really works, we need to see evidence, right? So it would be good if I can compare my face ‘before’ and ‘after’. Then it would give me more reasons to get a large bottle of the Miracle Water - and have hubby paid it for me, hehe.
I don’t know how long before I can see the difference. I will try to take a photo every 7-10 days, and show it when I finish the 30-ml bottle, or earlier if I see marked improvement on my skin.
One thing for sure, the Facial Treatment Cleanser is very good. My skin feels really cleaned, fresh and is brightened up after washing.
So, let’s wait and see if a miracle is about to happen…
I bought two make-up items from Shu Uemura earlier this year. I was looking for a foundation that is able to give my face a smooth finish by ‘covering’ up the pores.
The promoter recommended to me the pink base UV Underbase Mousse (SPF17, PA++) and the Powder Foundation Natural Glow Finish (SPF20, PA++).
UV Underbase Mousse, SPF17, PA++ (RM135)
This is to be used as the first ‘coating’ even before you put on your foundation. Because of its mousse form, it is easy to apply over the face with a sponge. It contains witch-hazel extract that is known to “tighten and firm the skin surface and pores”, giving the face a smooth and even surface for the following make-up to stay on.
If you already have a rather even skin texture, but just want to show a healthy skin tone without putting on additional make up, using this underbase alone is already sufficient. Of course, it won’t be able to cover up your dark eye circles or blemish marks. So during some of my better skin days, I would just use it by itself.
Powder Foundation Natural Glow Finish, SPF20, PA++ (Rm125)
Sadly, I don’t like to use this after I bought it. It did give my face a smooth velvety finish when the promoter applied it on my face. But when I tried it myself, I just couldn’t achieve the same effect unless I used a lot, then it would be like a thick layer of paint and my whole face would look very unnatural. If I applied a thin layer, I could see patches of the foundation, which was not easy to even out either.
Oh well, may be it’s just me and my poor technique; I don’t know the proper way to apply a foundation. For now, I’m reserving it for formal night functions where almost every woman has a thick coat of ICI on the face and it’s okay.
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