Valen’s Vanity Square

When it comes to skin care products, I’m not one of those who are very particular about using only natural skin care products. It does feel nice to use natural skin care items coz they smell fresh and very natural, of course, haha! But so far my skin doesn’t complain much about most of the non-natural products, as long as they don’t cause excessive oiliness or dryness or trigger acne, I’m fine.

While the well-known brand Burt’s Bees uses all natural ingredients in most of their products, including their facial cleanser, it is difficult to find a skin care product that is 100% natural in the market.

I believe not all synthetic products are harmful to the skin, and not all natural skin care products can solve all our skin problems. Sometimes it is not the question of whether the skin care product is natural-base or synthetically produced. It is the matter of suitability, whether the particular product suits your skin or can treat your skin problem. Natural skin products are in general milder and more suitable for sensitive skin. They may not be able to treat acne marks or treat fine lines as effectively as those partially natural or synthetic skin care products.

Even when you are using a natural skin care product, it doesn’t mean that you can be careless with other aspects of skin care, as good skin care always comprise of healthy eating habits (avoiding oily food), regular exercise, drinking a lot of water (8 glasses everyday), and cleanliness.

Time really flies. There are only 3 more months to go before we come to the end of 2009. Before that, there will be Christmas, of course.

When mention about Christmas season, I always feel like it is the busiest time of the year. Well, companies have to conclude their annual financial status, salesmen will try to close their last sales before closing their account. And certainly everyone will do their Christmas shopping–last minute.

Many people will want to get ready for parties and dinners starting from now, such as to start a weight loss program so that they could get back in shape by then. Well, 3 months are not a long time, and not a short one either. But whether one is able to shed the weight needs to be shed depends on the weight loss method and how persistent he or she is. Some may have started to search for the best weight loss supplement in the market, hoping to lose weight fast and will look their best during Christmas.

For me, I have more than 3 months to lose what I need to lose, as I won’t be preparing for Christmas, but for Chinese New Year!

I will be ’stranded’ at home this whole week!

Hubby has a hectic schedule this week, and I will be cooking and having dinner alone for two evenings, and late dinner with hubby at home for another two. Hubby is also tied up with with a training course during the weekend. That means, no shopping malls for me for the rest of the week! Well, that’s good I suppose, coz I won’t have the chance to spend money. Haha! (Still dangerous though, as there’s something called online shopping! :P)

But things are so much settled now; at least I have a home to stay in and do whatever I want when hubby is not around. Unlike when we were in Penang, I had to travel along with hubby whenever he had to be away for a couple of nights. During those days I really wished that I had one of those mobile homes, where everything I need would be right there traveling with me, including my bed and TV, and I didn’t have to worry about packing and unpacking all the time.

For now, I have to plan how I am going to spend my week while hubby is occupied by his own activities.

Oh dear, I’m seeing red light bulbs blinking all over in my bank account. Luckily, I have settled this month’s credit card payment, now I’m waiting for a big paycheck to come rescue me for the next couple of months. The check is oh so delayed….

I have been postponing my passport renewal due to cash flow shortage, haha! It’s expiring Jan 2010. This means I can’t go any where out of Malaysia now, until I renew my passport. Well, I suppose there won’t be a year end trip for me, I don’t think hubby would suddenly tell me that we would go for some orlando vacations for Christmas. Such wonderful surprises only happen in my dreams…

But I do hope to visit somewhere near, like Hong Kong or Bali in the first quarter of next year. I’ve never been to Bali. It’s like everyone in the world has been there, seen there, eaten there, taken photos there, except me. However, I’ve visited Hong Kong twice and still feel like going back again. I don’t know why, I just like Hong Kong so much; I think it’s a really cool short holiday destination.

Anyway, useless to plan for anything now since I don’t have a valid passport and lots of cash. :<

Had a late night yesterday due to a wedding dinner that ended late. Although tired, hubby insisted that we went for our Sunday exercise routine - he jogs, I walk.

Since we came back to KL a year ago, hubby has not joined any gym membership. He misses his 3-times weekly treadmill session, and the shapely biceps and triceps he built while in Penang have now turned into something I called “they so look like chicken thigh”. Haha!

Now he only gets to jog once on Sunday morning, twice if there is a public holiday over the week. He is still contemplating about signing up for a gym membership. He believes in working out and eating right to achieve ideal weight and shape. Although we’ve heard about the very popular supplement hgh releasers, which are human growth hormone (HGH) enhancers (not the hormone itself) that help to increase hgh levels by stimulating the natural production of HGH in our body.

FYI, HGH is responsible for promoting growth and cell reproduction in humans, thereby helping to repair tissues and regenerate cells for our vital organs. This hormone has also been associated with muscle growth, faster muscle recovery, promote healthy joints, improve energy and vitality, etc.

Taking HGH releasers is not injecting the hormone (like some sportsmen did), but to help the body produce its natural hgh through the help of the supplement. You see, as we get older, our body slows down the production of this hormone.

Still, hubby prefers the most natural way when it comes to health. And I full agree with him.

Ohhhhh jeez, I spent money again!

Remember that little ‘trick’ that my beautician did for me during my last facial session 3 weeks ago? It minimized my pore and made those fine lines look less obvious? The pores are still smaller than what they had been for the past few years! That made me signed up for NYSS ultimate treatment package - the Plantcenta treatment package!!! (I see, it’s a trap that they set up for me, haha!)

The package original price - RM9,800! But I got a huge discount, hehe. Also received a set of their skin care products, just when I need to replenish mine. I am paying the money by installment, of course, for 2 years.

Oh man, I really maxed out my credit card this time. And I will be in debt for the next 2 years, haha! But think of it this way, I won’t have to go around tying different types of expensive anti wrinkle cream from now until I completed the package, which will last me for more than 1 year, because the facial treatment would have improved my complexion so significantly. (Hopefully…)

I will certainly keep my blog readers updated of the progress of my skin after the facial sessions. But now, my most important task is to come up with a few money-making plans. I need money, can’t let my debt stop me from shopping, haha!