Valen’s Vanity Square

I have been receiving phone SMS messages about sales and promotions that are going on this week at the cosmetic counters (including Shiseido and Estee Lauder) in Gurney Plaza shopping mall.

Jeez, why must all good things happen when I am at my worst financial status?!

Well, no more cosmetic brands for me for the time being. I am frequenting Guardian and Watson pharmacies more often now, and have started using products from L’Oreal and Bio-essence. They are at least half or one-third the price of skincare items from cosmetic brands.

I HAVE to cut down my expenses in these coming few months. Not that I am trying to save up money for more beauty stuffs, or some Orlando vacations or Europe tours, okay? But to get ready some cash to give my new house a make-over, as well as to buy a big wedding gift for my sister. And both are happening in September!

Jeez, why must these happen when I am at my worst financial status?! :p

Tomorrow I will be going for my second facial session at New York Skin Solutions.

Not sure if it’s pure psychological factor, or the facial is really working well, I do notice improvement on my skin.

Of course the pore and fine lines are still present, coz one can’t expect miracle to happen after just one or twice of treatment, right? (Is there such a thing as ‘miracle’ in this world?) However, the pores on both sides of my face are much refined now, and the fine lines near the corner of the lips less ‘densed’ (perhaps due to some lifting effect?).

May be the facial has helped reconditioned my skin, such that now it is able to absorb better the goodness of whatever anti-aging cream or hydration moisturizer I put on it, haha! Well, I still have to go through nine sessions of the facial to see the final results. That would be like…. 10 months later?

Was in KL last week for several days. Thought I could do some shopping since I have a few shopping vouchers (a total of RM180!), all redeemed from Jusco member card points and credit card points.

Unfortunately it was a very busy week for me, and I had not got the chance to visit any shopping mall at all! That was so unusual of me. ;P

I know I can use those vouchers (from Jusco, Sasa and Padini) here in Penang, but somehow I feel that their outlets here don’t seem to carry as many variety as in the KL outlets. Call me bias, but that’s just how I see it.

Anyway, there is still time before the vouchers become invalid. No matter how, those vouchers shall be fully utilized!

No doubt today we are all living in an era of consumerism. But the world today is also about recycling and going green for the benefit of our environment, the Earth, and ultimately, the survival of human nature.

If even IT companies are going green, recycling used cisco routers, switchers and transceivers to help our environment, then everyone should be able to do the same.

Say, you bought a moisturizer, but found it not suitable for your skin type after using once or twice. Well, give it to someone – your sister, mom, or girlfriend – who might find it doing good for her skin type.

Alternatively, put up a post and photo of the product in your blog or beauty forum and sell it! Be honest. Let people know that you have pumped the lotion a couple of times. And for that reason, you will have to sell it at a slightly lower price than that you have bought with.

Well, strictly speaking, the above mentioned may not be considered as act of recycling, but at least you are not being wasteful, right? And you are able to get back some cash!

I have been staying up really late for the past few nights working on my writing assignment and doing some self study on internet marketing. Luckily no pimples popped up so far!

Keeping a regular sleep schedule and having sufficient sleep (beauty rest, that is) every day is one of the simple secrets to great looking skin. I know that if I continue this ‘disrupted’ sleep pattern of mine, I will soon see zits popping up or, worse, signs of aging skin accelerating! Then even the best blemish acne cream or anti-aging lotion in the world wouldn’t be of any help…

Jeez, that’s scary. I definitely should go to bed early tonight!

Jeez, I have spent too much on e-books recently! And there goes my paycheck that just came in last week.

But it’s for my benefit, believe me. I’m currently actively learning about internet business. Hopefully that, eventually, I would have a successful online business and I could splurge all I like on skincare and beauty stuffs!

While there are so many mortgage lenders around to help people buy properties, how come there’s no short-term loan to cater specifically to women’s beauty needs? Haha! If there is one, the first thing I would do is to grab all these anti-aging potions!

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Crème 50ml - RM850!

Chanel Sublimage Essential Regenerating Fluid 50ml - RM712!

La Prairie Advanced Marine Biology Cream 40ml - RM700!

Lancome Absolute beta-White Advanced Whitening
Anti-age Spot Concentrate 30ml
RM480!

Sothys Global Anti-age De-stressing Serum 40ml
RM749!

Look at their prices. Now you understand why I said I need a beauty loan.

Thanks again to Jess from Lolyco for giving me this valuable Bio-essence Non-Surgical Face Lift Pine Pollen Trial Pack to ‘test’. I have been wanting to try their face-lifting cream before considering the full-size jar.

Bio-essence Non-Surgical Face Lift Pine Pollen Trial Pack (RM27.96)

Let’s see what are inside this promotional pack…

Deep Cleanser (10g)

• Cleanses skin without leaving a tight feeling after wash
• Removes makeup & impurities
• Skin feels refreshed & soft after use

To me as long as a cleanser cleanses well and doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry, it’s good enough to be used every day. But at night I will still carry out my double cleanse ritual - first with cleanser milk or cream, followed by a foaming gel like this one.

Skin White Revitalizing Exfoliator (10g)

• Removes dead & aging skin
• Makes skin finer, fairer and smoother
• Removes blackheads, whiteheads, dark spots & pigmentation

If you have used Ginvera Marvel Gel before, then this is something similar. An exfoliating gel that comes with natural micro-rice beads suitable for daily use, it is a gentle way of removing dead cells from the skin without making my skin dry. But I most probably won’t use it every day if I buy the full-size product, because it’s doesn’t come cheap (neither does Ginvera Marvel Gel)!

Radiant Youth Essence (5g)

• 95% enriched with green tea essence & Ginseng
• Locks in moisture, keeps skin hydrated and soft
• Refines pores for radiant skin

I LOVE this one! It may ‘look’ oily in its form, but as long as you massage it slowly and until it is fully absorbed into the skin, it won’t leave any trace of greasiness on your face. Instead, you will feel that your skin is silky smooth… so soft… so tender… I am definitely putting this into my next shopping list.

Face Lifting Cream (10g)

• Firms and lifts face contours
• Shallows visible aging lines
• Restores skin firmness & elasticity
• Refines pores

This cream doesn’t contain SPF, so I am using it only at night, immediately after Radiant Youth Essence. It can be used during day time as well, as long as you remember to apply your sunscreen lotion. Initially I was quite concerned if it would be too heavy for my skin (i.e. causing my skin to become oily). But, so far so good. I would prefer lotion though, if they have one.

The cream causes a cooling sensation once applied on the face. So far I haven’t noticed any obvious reduction on lines, or increased firmness of my face. But I do feel a mild tightening effect every time I apply the cream (though visually I haven’t observed any difference). I’m not sure if this means the cream is working to pull and lift my face… I hope it is! Perhaps I have to use it more often and for a longer time.

So, I still couldn’t decide whether to put Bio-essence face-lifting cream into my shopping list. Hmm, may be I should first try L’Oreal’s face-lifting cream. I wonder if they have trial pack as well…

Patients nowadays are wise and savvy health care consumers. Before they step into the doctor’s office, they would have probably done some internet search about their illness, the medications they might be prescribed, and the possible treatment side effects.

If you are a consumer who has chosen diet pills to be part of your weight loss plan, there are no reasons why you don’t do the same. Before you take any diet pill (e.g. Phentermine), make sure you have read through information about it, such as:

• Is the ingredient safe and effective?
• Is the pill convenient to use?
• Are there any side effects?
• What are the testimonials from other consumers?
• What is the reputation of the company selling the diet pill?
• Does the company produce quality weight loss products?

So, bear these questions in mind before you swallow the pill (in fact, any pill!).

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