Valen’s Vanity Square

One of the designer handbag brands that I like is Coach.

While I was wandering in the Gardens Mall at Mid Valley City last week, some guy promoting HSBC credit card distributed a product booklet filled with photos of luxury items from various designer brands, including Coach.

My eyes were immediately locked on these two Coach bags.

Bleecker Canvas Tote – RM1,600!!!

Perfume Print Top Handle Pouch – RM950!!

*Sigh* Nice to see, nice to hold, but not a nice price to pay.

If I really wanted to own one of these – I mean genuine ones, not the imitations – I probably had to get another part-time job with high return, say, selling life insurance may be? Haha!

In reality, however, I think would rather spend RM1,600 on a vacation in Bali.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve already made plans for another island holiday at Langkawi Island next February.

As we were window shopping the other day, I pointed to hubby several types of swimsuit I would like to wear by the beach, and that I must get into shape in order to fit in. Hubby then pointed to a model with sexy, loosely tousled hair in the poster on the display window, “you hair should look like that too.”

He’s right. How can a perfect swimsuit not coupled with a hot, by-the-beach, wavy hairstyle?

I want a hairstyle that is messy and yet looks sexy!

But, to create that seemingly ‘natural’ looking tousled look is going to be a tough task for me. You know, you need to apply mousse all over washed and conditioned hair while it is still wet. Then you have to spritz volumizing spray on the crown area, separate hair into many small sections, blow dry them and pin them into curls and let them set to dry, then remove pins, spray with hairspray, comb with your fingers, and…. Just explaining this already made me TIRED! I think by the time I get my hair done I would be too exhausted to go out in the sun, haha!

Well, may be it would be much easier if I just make sure there is sufficient cash in my savings account – so that I can get to perm a wavy hairstyle rather than spending hours messing with my hair!

We still haven’t heard any news about the CF for our house from the developer, but hubby and I have started browsing interior design magazines and discussing the possible interior concepts we like our new house to have this time.

Hubby would like to have a bathtub in the master bedroom’s bathroom. The thought of being able to soak away work stress in a bathtub filled with refreshing bubbles and foams is nice, but the price to pay to build one is certainly not.

Alternatively, we can buy one of those traditional wooden bathtubs. I suppose this option is relatively cheaper. I don’t know why, hubby seems to like the idea of soaking in a wooden bathtub with herbal solution.

May be when we are older (and richer), we will consider one of those hydro air therapy walk in tubs, like the one below.

This type of tub is used not only for bathing, but also water treatment that is claimed to be beneficial to health, such as reduces arthritis pain, eases muscle strain and improves blood circulation. The design of a walk in tub is actually safer for the elderly.

As for now, if our budget doesn’t allow us to have a bathtub, we will probably just install a glass shower screen, which is much easier to clean compared to a bathtub!

Back in Penang again. It’s sure nice to be home and to be near to ALL my beauty stuffs.

I didn’t do any major shopping during this KL trip. Bought only one and only one item from Benefit - the so-called ‘turned-on’ face powder, Thrrrob, hehe. Love the natural flush effect after slightly brushing the pink powder onto my cheeks and chin. Benefit has never disappointed me!

I love my natural pink, rosy cheeks, thanks to Thrrrob!

The other beauty items that I brought home with me are some free skincare product samples I received from an online store. I will try them out this week and do a review here later, probably next week. So, better watch out, ya.

AirAsia just had their fly free promotion recently, and guess what? I will be going to Langkawi Island again next February! Yoohoo! I had a short holiday there with hubby early this year; the next trip will be more like a family vacation with my mom, sisters and brothers.

Hubby and I stayed in a hotel in the town during our trip, but this time we will try to get chalet-type rooms right next to the beach. I don’t think we need to read up any travel guide this time, because hubby and I can actually be the walking guide for them, haha!

I know it’s still more than 6 months to go, but I’m excited about staying by the beach, and already started to think about what kind of beachwear and other ‘necessary’ things to bring, so that I can look spectacular under the sun, haha!

I will try to find something similar to one of these from Elizabeth Hurley’s Beach Collection.

Paris Bikini with python print
This bikini looks great, but don’t think I want to spoil it by putting it on my body. So, not in my must-bring list.

Carissima Tankini in chocolate
This one looks more like what I will wear while strolling down the beach.

Keira Towelling Jacket in pink
Put on a pink jacket and short pants for a sporty look.

Seahorse Kaftan in white and pink
I think EH looks totally sexy in this white and pink kaftan… I wonder how I would look in it.

Trinny Sundress in petal pink
Hmm, dare I wear this out to the town for shopping? To bring, or not to bring?

Other than the necessary beachwear mentioned above, I must not forget also to throw into my luggage a beach hat, beach bag, sarong, a pair of flip flops and sunglasses, a couple of bottles of suntan lotion, … Ah, the list just goes on.

For more beachwear selection, visit elizabethhurley.com.

My Malay and Indian ex-colleagues used to call me ‘che che’, which is the Mandarin term for older sister.

Then, only yesterday, as I went window shopping at The Gardens, I realized that Che Che - more precisely Che Che New York - is a designer brand that carries very pretty and creatively designed bags that every gal would dream to have a few of them hiding in the closet.

See for yourself. How can one not fall in love with these cool and chic 2008 Spring/Summer handbag collections of theirs ??

Make Me Beautiful

Fantasy World

Magic Moment

What you see here are just a tiny part of their collection. Gals, you MUST visit their website to FEEL what Che Che really is! I bet words like “Oh, so cute!”, “Ah, how sweet!”, “Gosh! I want this!” would blurp out of your mouth as soon as you saw their collection of handbags and coin purse.

Simply lovely!

(And expensive!)

See more of CCNY at chechenewyork.com.

Last month I wrote that I would like my next mobile phone to be a sweet pink one.

I did some research, browsing mobile phones and price tags at different vendors. Saw some of the pink-colored models I had in mind initially, but figured that either they don’t really look nice or are simply ‘too pink’ for me, hehe.

Okay, the simple truth is: I’m so over the age to hold a pink-colored mobile phone…. (This truth was revealed to me by my dear husband. Hmmph!)

Okay, no pink mobile phone for me. Fine. I’ll get other colors then. Perhaps purple, may be brown, or… how about green?

So, again, I went visiting vendors, collecting product leaflets and reading up mobile phone reviews. You see, buying a mobile phone or even computer is not as simple as buying usb flash drives. One needs to do a lot of research to make sure the money is well invested. Right?

So, now I have shorted-listed several potential ones from Sony Ericsson.

K850i
Released last December, this mobile phone comes with a 5-Megapixel camera! That’s as good as a digital camera. Imagine, I no longer need to carry my digital camera everywhere I go just in case I need to take a couple of photos over dinner. And I can instantly post the photos onto my blog even. The price, however, is out of my initial budget - RM1,499. And the design is, hmm, quite boxy. Well, we shall see, we shall see.

K770i
Released a month before K850i, this one comes only with a 3-Megapixel camera. It definitely can’t compete against K850i in terms of photo quality, but overall it received a good review, and it looks so much gorgeous too, isn’t it? There are three colors to choose from - brown, purple and beige. If I remember correctly, it is slimmer than K850i, nice to hold and suitable for ladies. The price quoted to me was RM999, still slightly higher than my original budget of RM700. Not sure if the price would drop further in 2 months’ time.

T650i
This one looks really cool, huh? 3-Megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, plus all the basic functions, including 3G capabilities. Its price should be around RM1,000-1,100.

I also have other options that are well below RM1,000, but they come with only 2-Megapixel camera and may not offer good photo-taking capabilities.

K610i
Not too old a model, released last September. The price should be around RM700-800.

K550i
A 1-year old model, looks nice, no 3G functions though. Priced at RM699 (or lower) - this fits very well into my budget, but usability wise, not so impressive.

Tough choice to make, yeah? Oh well, I still have time to contemplate over the choices available, since I’m still waiting for my pay checks.

Bought another magazine and got another free sachet sample of Lancome’s UV Expert Neuroshield sun protection lotion for face, hehe. And, I’ve bought a bottle of Garnier’s UV Protect Advanced Daily UV blocking Lotion.

(Just a note here before I forget: both the lotions are UV protection lotion, not moisturizer. They are applied on top of your daily moisturizers, and before make-up.)

I wrote about my trial with the Lancome’s sample a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s Garnier’s turn, of course.

Once again, I’m very happy that there is another lotion with a high SPF but is surprisingly lightweight, not at all greasy, and alcohol- and fragrance-free (i.e. suitable for sensitive skin). Although it gives my face some extra shine, my face is actually not oily when I touched it, just slightly sticky. Well, that’s normal. And most importantly, it doesn’t hurt my pocket.

So, let’s make a general comparison between these two and you decide yourself which is your cup of tea, errrr, bottle of lotion, I mean.

Lancome UV Expert Neuroshield, SPF50/PF+++

• Uses the Memoryl filtering system to protect skin against UV rays for 12 hours and offers a reinforced action against UVA, which is the main cause for dark stubborn spots.
• Enriched with Neuroshield System (don’t know what’s inside this secret formula though), which forms an invisible shield to help protect skin from damage by pollution and other environmental stress.
• Price: RM160 (30 ml)

Garnier UV Protect Advanced Daily UV Blocking Lotion, SPF50/PF+++

• Uses Memoryl SX/XL UV filtering system, a Garnier-patented UV filter system (hmm, is that the same with the one in Lancome’s Neuroshield?)
• Contains vitamin E, the anti-oxidant that fights free radicals, helps prevent skin darkening and premature aging.
• Contains hydra-active complex to help nourish and moisturize skin for 12 hours.
• Fragrance-free, alcohol-free
• Price: RM26.90 (30 ml) – The biggest plus point I would say!

To me, I like both of them. I bought Garnier UV Protect because, I’m saying it again, it’s very wallet friendly. And I believe it’s just as good as Lancome’s version. So, for thrift spenders, if you wanna get something that gives you long-hours of sun protection, Garnier is your good bet.

Speaking of Botox, everyone knows that it is a form of cosmetic treatment that makes one look younger. Lines and wrinkles on the forehead, between the eyebrows, and on the bridge of the nose will be smoothened after a Botox injection.

Botox is actually botulinium toxin, a toxin derived from the bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. It is one of the most poisonous occurring substances in the world. That’s why it is used in very minute doses.

Besides its use in the cosmetic arena, do you know that doctors are also using Botox for migraines, as well as a whole lot of other medical conditions involving the human nervous system, such as crossed eyes, uncontrollable blinking, facial spasm, neck pain and excessive sweating? In fact, its effect in softening frown lines was first discovered when it was used to treat eye muscle disorders.

So, don’t think that Botox injection is simply a potion that rich wives use to keep their youthful appearance, it actually contributes a lot to the medical field and helps many patients with neurological disorders.