Valen’s Vanity Square

My youngest sister is flying off to Japan this Friday. I wished I have some old textbooks to sell off.

Haha! You must be wondering what has my sister going to Japan got to do with textbooks, right?

You see, my sister got married last year and had a mini honeymoon (so she said) to Phuket Island. But this time, this is the R-E-A-L honeymoon - Tokyo and Hokkaido!!! Japan is famous for so many things - intricate and delectable cuisines, the freshest seafood, fashion and beauty items, etc. Simply put, just prepare to spend money!

At this time, I just wished that I have some old textbooks so that I could sell them off, get some money and ask my sister to do shopping in Japan on my behalf, haha! Well, I’m not interested in wacky things such as anime contact lens or curry-flavored soda drinks (yes, they have that in Japan!), I just want to get skincare stuffs that may be significantly cheaper in Japan, or not available locally.

For example, Kose Sekkisei Toner is one of the whitening products that I love so much, but it is too expensive for me at this point of time (I guess its price is close to RM200 now). I suppose it will be worth getting if its half the local price.

Anyway, I have no textbooks to sell, so I’d better quit this ‘long-distance’ shopping idea. Haha!

I am sort of on a weight loss plan currently (I’m not taking diet pills though), and when I weighed myself a week ago, I was surprised to see that I was almost 2 kg lighter than before! However, when I stepped onto the weighing scale this morning, I was almost back to my previous weight, hahaha!

This tells me that there must be something that I had done right earlier to lose weight, but unfortunately the results were screwed due to things I did or didn’t do enough last week.

Things done right:

• Eat according to my body type (read more about this on my weight loss blog); keep away from junk food and unhealthy snacks, including beverages and desserts.
• I don’t exercise during week days, but a 45 to 60 minute walk outdoor is a must every Sunday.
• Keep moving around in the house - doing housework, walking up and down the stairs, cooking, etc.

Things didn’t do well last week:

• I think I ate more than usual last week , and, errrr, indulged in chocolates that I bought from Langkawi.
• Missed my Sunday walking session a week ago as it rained the whole morning.
• Had not been moving around much at home, was glued to my desk top most of the time.
• Had constipation.

So, losing weight is just like some sort of karma thing; do things the right way and you will see the results you desire and receive happiness. Or else, be prepared to pay for the consequences! Haha!

I know I have to live on a tight budget these days and shouldn’t be shopping unnecessarily, but this won’t stop me from trying and testing beauty products. LOL! Of course, I only buy skincare items that I truly need.

For example, I recently bought H20+ Marine Toner from the online shopping mall Acmamall.com, as my bottle of Simple Soothing Facial Toner is going to be empty soon. I have never tried H20+ skincare products, but I have seen their outlets in department stores and the name sounds so, umm, ‘refreshing’? Haha! So I decided to give it a try, and for your information, it is less than a hundred bucks, okay?

While this is not my first time shopping with Acmamall, it is my first time buying from their beauty department. Previously I have purchased from them book titles that were not available in local bookstores.

As for beauty products, go take a look and you will be amazed by the product range Acmamall carries. They are all popular ‘branded’ skincare items, make-up products and fragrances - from Anna Sui to Bobbi Brown, Biotherm, Clarins, Estee Lauder, Hillary Duff, Kanebo, Kate Moss, L’Occitane, Lancome, Origins, Shu Uemura, Sisley, Shiseido, SK II, Vivienne Westwood, etc.

There seems to be discounts for their beauty products all the time. Previously there was also a free delivery promotion. Currently, they are having a 3% cash dollar rebate on all beauty products. Whether the discounted price is far more cheaper than the usual retail price, I’m not sure. However, I do find out that the price of Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion in Acmamall is RM25 cheaper than what I paid for at Shiseido’s store in Jaya Jusco@MidValley.

So, if you are too busy to shop for your skincare products or cosmetics in department stores, shopping online with Acmamall seems to be a convenient way to get the things you need, and have them delivered right to your doorsteps. However, if you need your items urgently, don’t expect to receive your goods in 2 or 3 days’ time. I received mine one week later, which was not too bad. Anyway, the delivery dates are always indicated next to the product details, so you can decide whether to order and wait, or head out to the shopping mall instead.

Also, you would first want to compare the products’ online price at Acmamall and their usual retail price to make sure you are enjoying savings by buying online. Hey, nowadays every cent counts, right?

I used to have very smooth and acne-free forehead, even when I had the worst stubborn whitehead problems on my jawlines. But since I moved back to KL, I keep getting these little bumps on my forehead.

I suspected the cause of the problem to be originated from the environment, i.e. cleaning up a new house that was dusty, construction works that were taking place in the neighborhood, etc. The problem was resolved when I started using Cellnique pro sebum gel, and my forehead was clear for most of the time, except for a couple of pimples during my menses.

Today, however, a whole lot of whiteheads appeared again on my forehead (it wasn’t like that last night)! I relate this outbreak to yesterday’s event - a cleaning and painting charity service for a nursing center that takes care of old folks and mentally retarded adults.

I guess it was the scraping work (i.e. scraping off the old painting before applying the new paint). You know, as you scrape, the paint chips, dust, chemicals, germs and whatever that have been resting on the old wall for a long time started to fly all over the place. So, my delicate, sensitive skin reacted to these triggers!

*Sigh* If one has issues about migrating, she can always consult immigration attorneys. For this sensitive skin problem, who can I ask for help? I can only think of two ways to preven this from happening again: Use Cellnique pro sebum gel, or simply don’t do any dirty work again, haha!

Paris. In the past one year or so, I kept having people telling me that they went to Paris. My mom, my ex-colleagues, my husband’s colleague, and now, my sister!!

My sister is spending 3 weeks in Dublin/London for work. She had just gone to Paris to visit Eiffel Tower last weekend. *Sob* When will be my turn?

It’s so expensive to travel in Europe nowadays. Lucky for my sister, she only had to pay for the train ticket from London to Paris. Her accommodation is provided by her company. So darn lucky!

Hmm, I wonder if some day she will tell us that she is going to visit New York and stay in some nice New York City hotel and everything is paid for by her company…. perhaps I should start saving some money so that I can go along with her then? Haha!

Undeniably I’m getting very cheap skate nowadays, haha!

I don’t buy as many and often cosmetic brand skincare items as I used to. The only expensive skincare product I bought in the past 6 months is Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion! And that was only after I tested a sample bottle of the lotion, liked it a lot, and so happened I needed it for my island vacation. Other than that, my current beauty products are all from the shelves of Guardian or Watson or Sasa.

While I love my L’Oreal Revitalift day cream a lot, the next anti-wrinkle and firming day cream I will be using is Garnier’s Age Lift - because it’s 10 over bucks cheaper than Revitalift. Hahaha!

*Sigh* Looks like I have to continue to be a cheapo and forget all the fun of shopping, unless I get a job. I wonder if it’s easy to get a job these days… If I’m going to look for a job, I will need to update my resume first. It would have been easy if I had worked in the marketing line, coz I could simply post a couple of marketing resumes onto marketing job listing websites.

For me, it’s a little bit complicated. I can’t possibly include in my resume “Current working experience: - full-time housewife, occasionally writes on freelance basis, make money from blogging”, could I? Hahaha!

Since I moved into my new home and slept on my king-sized bed and pillow, my shoulder and neck ache problems seemed to disappear! That just says how comfortable my bed and pillow are, haha! Although my bed mattress cannot be compared with those sleep number bed airbeds, it is so much better than the previous mattresses that I have used before.

Anyway, even if you have the most normal bed mattress or pillow, you can still get a better night’s sleep if you know what to do and not to do before going to bed. I came across some tips that will help one sleep better at night, and I would like to share them with you here.

1. Go to the bathroom.
This is the last thing to do before going to bed, so that your sleep won’t be interrupted by a pee break in the middle of the night. Sleeping a straight night’s sleep is much better than an interrupted one.

2. Set the alarm clock.
Sometimes we don’t sleep well because we worried that we will not be able to wake up in time to attend a very important meeting the next morning. So, make sure you set an alarm clock for the appropriate time. When the alarm clock is set, you won’t have to worry about oversleeping, and your mind will be at peace to sleep through the night.

3. Do some relaxing exercises before you sleep.
If you have had a stressful day, try some relaxation exercises to calm yourself down before you go to bed. Try deep breathing. Focusing on one object and relaxing the muscles in your body will help eliminate the stresses, and you will be able to fall asleep more quickly and peacefully.

4. Wear comfortable pajamas
I know, silk and satin pajamas sure look good, but they may not be the best to wear. Pajamas need to be comfortable at night in order for you to sleep well. Choose cotton blends and material that is comfortable on your skin, and that you feel that your body is able to ‘breathe’ well through the material. Avoid material that scratches or pokes as that will irritates you and interrupt your sleep.

5. Play some music
Classical music or even lullabies are great to put people to sleep, hehe. Well, if you don’t like those genre of music, then just play any type of light music. The constant music can help to block out other noises that may be a distraction to you during the night. But remember to keep the volume low, so that you do not disturb others in your house or your neighbors.

6. Read a book
But do not read something too interesting, exciting, scary or emotionally challenging! You want to read a book that relaxes your body and mind, so that you will be put into a relaxed state and be able to fall asleep faster. Pick a book where you can read a few pages or chapters and be put aside to be continued the next night.

7. Limit your beverages
If you need warm milk to fall asleep, drink in moderation. Don’t drink a gallon that will fill your bladder up in a few hours. Having to get up and go to the bathroom during the night only causes a restless sleep.

8. Don’t eat sweet foods before bedtime
Taking sugar right before bedtime can mess up your night of sleep in a variety of ways. It is believed that eating sweet foods before bedtime makes one harder to fall asleep, and in addition causes vivid dreams and even nightmares. How true it is, I don’t know. But I do know eating something sweet before bedtime may cause me to put on weight!

Hopefully with the tips mentioned above, you will be able to sleep a better sleep every night, and wake up freshed up!

Anti-aging secrets can be sometimes as simple as 1-2-3.

Change these 10 bad habits to slow down your skin aging process, and you will be on your way to looking younger and staying healthy!

1. Frowning.

You’ve gotta STOP FROWNING and be happy! You don’t want to see those sad and unhappy lines settling down on your face to become wrinkles, do you?

2. Staying up late at night.

Your body undergoes repair and healing process while you are sleeping. Not having enough sleep or going to bed late is one of your skin’s greatest enemy - it speeds up your skin’s aging process. So make sure you get 8 hours of sleep every day. (easier said than done though, hehe…)

3. Under the sun frequently.

Another great foe of your skin is the ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Not only it causes skin problems like pigmentation and freckles, it may also lead to skin cancer in serious cases. The damage imposed by UV rays also causes the skin to age faster. Always apply sun protection lotion or cream 20 minutes before you leave the house.

4. Incomplete make-up removal.

Always remove your make up thoroughly at the end of the day! The pores need to be clean so that your skin is able to breathe normally.

5. Not drinking enough water.

Water is the source of life, and your skin needs that to help maintain its suppleness and health. Everybody knows a person needs at least 8 glasses of water everyday, and these exclude caffeinated beverages.

6. Smoking and alcohol drinking.

Besides being a risk for lung cancer, smoking can also cause one to look 10 years older the real age! This is due to the nicotine content in the cigarettes. Nicotine has effect on the blood vessels of the skin that can lead to wrinkles formation. Alcohol is dehydrating, and may affect the skin’s normal function.

7. Dislike exercising.

If you want to stay healthy, look and feel young, you’d better pick up your butt and start moving! Exercise helps improve blood circulation, increase muscle strength, and the sweating helps remove toxins from the body. If you want a healthy and glowing skin from top to toe, start exercise today!

8. Likes for oily and spicy foods.

There is nothing wrong if you like oily and spicy foods, just that they aren’t the best for your health and skin. Cutting down on this group of foods will help to minimize problems such as oily skin and acne. Consume more fruits and vegetables as they are rich in vitamins that are beneficial to the skin.

Today is Monday. Had just rested for two days without doing any cooking (left that to husband), ate out a couple of times, shopped for groceries, went for a noon-time walk in the hills, watched ‘Yes Man’ DVD at home… sounds relaxing right? But why am I still feeling tired and oh so sleepy? Haha!

Well, didn’t really sleep well over the weekends, and that shows on my face! My complexion sure looks dull and haggard now (saw it in the mirror I keep in this study room where I’m typing this very post). Think tonight I will try the new mask sheet I bought from Skin Food during the weekend.

It is the Snow Tea Mask Sheet, meant for brightening up dull and fatigue skin. When used often, it claims to help ‘…minimize skin discolorations, prevents freckles, and brown spots caused by ultraviolet rays…’ Well, will see how true that is.

I’ve never tried before any products from Skin Food, this mask sheet is my first purchase from this skincare brand. I was in the Skin Food outlet in Mines Shopping Fair because I was checking on some of their products upon a request of my blog reader.

Skin Food sure carries an interesting range of products made from natural ingredients. Although the price tags may not be very economical, they still consider affordable when compared with the high-end cosmetic brands. Perhaps I could try their creams and lotions some day.

Actually, if I had the money, I mean, lots of money, instead of being a customer to my favorite beauty stores, I would rather consider opening up a store myself, haha! Some of them offer attractive franchise opportunity. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could make money with a beauty store, and at the same time use the products myself? Hahaha!