Going Dairy Free

This Monday I decided that I would try going dairy free for a month. The reason I decided this is because basically there are all these studies and also just so much advice from people linking dairy consumption to acne and also hair problems, which I ahem, have a lot of. SO, I figured that going dairy free for a month would give me enough time to see if it really did help me and if the two really are linked. You know milk=acne and all that.

So far it's been one week.

I am DYING.

No I'm exaggerating. But... I do miss milk, a lot. I love milk. I drink it like twice a day. I eat chocolate once a day. Ice-cream is my favorite food in the ENTIRE world.

On the plus side I think I've already lost like 2 pounds.

Today seems to be especially hard because first of all it was free Starbucks day and I don't consume caffeine so I figured never mind, I'll go get decaf but it's like WHAT'S THE POINT because I can't put milk in it. Then I was like ok maybe then I have a donut but chances are that donut has milk/butter in it. What about a chocolate chip cookie -WRONG- bec of the chocolate chips. Now I keep imagining my whole life a dried up prune of a life with no more dairy. On the plus side, I'm probably going to lose a whole lot of weight. BUT STILL!

And pictures like this from Joy the Baker, aren't helping my situation.



Update: Going Dairy Free for over two months did nothing so I'm back to happily eating dairy, whenever, wherever I want!

And... I'm done!

I finally finished my application to Nanyang Tech's Master of Mass Comm program, which is such a freakin' relief because I swear I'd been driving myself crazy because I just couldn't finish it. I just couldn't make myself do the essays in one go. I just had these fits where I would write a bit - come back, write something else that was mostly unrelated and then go away again. So it became this stop and start thing. Since the deadline was December 31st, I finished it this week and sent off the documents this morning. Just checked UPS, apparently it is "in transit" and has left Malaysia. So basically I now feel like this load has been lifted off me.

I've been planning on applying for my Masters for a while. Hopefully I'll get in. If I do I'll be in Singapore for the duration of the course which is basically 1 year from Aug 2011 onwards. Crazy. I can't imagine leaving my parents. I know I studied at McGill for 4 years without them but it just seems like I'm so much closer to them now. I feel kind of a panic descending on me whenever I think about leaving them.

My mom tells me that its important that I put some distance between us because I need to figure out how to live without them. The truth is, I'm the youngest child so realistically I know that we wont have forever together. But I just dont think I can even face the prospect of my life without them. I guess my mom figured that out and thinks I should get married or something. Which I totally agree with but I don't know to who and how and when and all that other stuff.

Also there's the whole country issue. Malaysia is Malaysia. And it seems like nothing is really changing here which is sad because Malaysia is such a wonderful country. I don't know whether my future will always be here and yet I can't imagine a life without my parents somewhere else. I know, it's about my parents again, but really they my whole world in a way. Even though I've been ALL over the place.

Anyway I better go, I'm getting a little tired and I want to read a couple of beauty blogs. Signing off!

The Great Singapore Adventure

I got back 2 days ago from a dizzying trip to Singapore. I was there for my friend Tina's wedding to Karan (gorgeous couple) and also to just sightsee and shop. Unfortunately I am now also at home with a bit of back problem as a result of having an actual slip disc and having to do stupid lifting work at my office despite my protests that it was hard for me. Still I was ignored and then overstrained and hence now I am lying prone on my back for today and tomorrow. With a couple of minutes here and there at the computer for blogging time :)

I was with two colleagues from work, Lega and Vasanthi and basically we explored Singapore - fast and furiously. Our itinerary was as follows:

Day 1:
Wake up at 4:00am
Flight at 7:30am
Land in Singapore at 8:30am
Go to hotel - dump bags
Eat lunch in Little India (was terrible)
Go to Vivo City - shop
Take the monorail to Sentosa Island
Walk on the Beach at Sentosa and take pictures
Go back to hotel and check-in officially
Eat dinner at Orchard Road with a stopover at Sephora (will elaborate)
Take public transportation (1 hour) to the Animal Safari
Catch home last MRT at 12:00am which stops halfway to hotel
Take cab the remainder of the way back and sleep at 1:00am

Day 2:
Wake up at 9:00am (too tired from the night before)
Breakfast at 9:30am
Off to Bugis street for some street shopping at 12:00pm ish
Lunch at Nando's (could not take Singaporean food anymore) at 3:00pm ish
Back to hotel at 5:00pm to get ready for Tina's wedding
At Tina's wedding at 8:30pm

Day 3:
Drinks after in Honeymoon suite with family till 3:00am
Sleep at 3:30am
Wake up at 9:00am for breakfast
Pack up bags by 11:00am
Off to Bugis area - this time to the malls by 11:30 am
Shop, shop, shop
Lunch at McDonald's at 2:00pm
Back to the hotel by 3:00pm
In airport by 3:50pm - check in
Flight slight delayed, left at 6:00pm ish

As you can see out itinerary was CRAZY.

What really struck me most of all about Singapore was the insane level of consumerism that seems to be the very lifeblood of the city. Especially Orchard Road. I mean look at it:


And it was like that EVERYWHERE on Orchard. Which makes me think, since I am planning on doing my Masters there... will I also get swept up in the frenzy and then fall flat on my face? I wonder. I don't want to go broke. But I do love shopping and have been known to indulge. Speaking of...

Sephora Haul

Urban Decay Primer Potion Professional Size, SGD 50.00


Basically a staple since I wear it everyday under my eyeshadow.

Givenchy Le Prisme Blush in Vintage Pink, SGD 79.00



I wasn't planning on buying an overpriced blush. However I left my beauteous Nars and Bobbi Brown Blushes at home so I figured ok nvm I'll buy a drugstore blush to tide me over. NOTHING worked. It was all incredibly unflattering. So I thought yeah, I'll splurge for another Nars blush. Turns out Sephora Singapore doesn't do Nars. What??!! I asked an SA for help. He turned out to be a Givenchy makeup artist who just wanted to sell me his stuff. He was convinced I would look good in peach something. I was convinced I would look better in pink. I was right. I bought the blush.

Bugis Street

Owl Necklace, SGD5.60 and Disc Ear-rings, SGD6.00


Cute no? Especially the necklace. It was one of those love at first sight type purchases.

Muji
I am obsessed with Muji. I think that if I could outfit my life from one store, it would be Muji. Seriously. Except I wouldn't have anything to wear to Indian weddings. Anyway here's what I got.

Make-up case, SGD29.90





How awesome is this make-up case? It can hold my brushes and it comes with a random polka dot thing that completely confuses me. I think it's supposed to hold tissue.

Leather Belt, SGD35.00


I wear a belt practically everyday and this one is really simple and looks like it's pretty decent quality so I bought it.

Long Cylindrical Plastic Containers, SGD1.90 and Pot Plastic Container, SGD2.30


I always travel with small bottles of liquid so this is basically perfect. The lipgloss pot is so I can depot my old Urban Decay Primer Potion that's gone hard.

Boss' Christmas Present Bag, SGD1.90


Cute bag no? I photographed her whole present though. Got the Man U Desk Calendar from the Book Depository for USD7.95 and got the novelty Christmas M&M's at Cold Storage for like SGD8.00. I think it's a super cute gift.

So that's basically what I got. I actually think they're all really good buys EXCEPT for the Singaporean version of Her World which was complete shit. It was basically like a very long advertisement and the articles had teeny tiny print.

Singapore on the whole was a lot of fun. Super tiring though. Also my friend's shoes went missing in the hotel which ended up being a whole big drama. I felt really bad though especially since it was their first time out of Malaysia. Actually it was really interesting to travel with people who have never been overseas before. It made me appreciate that I've had the opportunity to travel all over the place much more.

Better sign off - wanna watch BONES!

The Best Concealer. Ever. Or Maybe that I've ever used.

So I have an acne problem. No biggie. Well sometimes they are kind of big but you know what I mean. On a daily basis I have to conceal my acne because it's red, bumpy, etc. The thing about concealing acne is that while you don't want people seeing it you don't also want to be clogging up your pores while you conceal them thereby making the situation that much worse. Which is why I look for concealers that conceal and heal. Say it with me now, "CONCEAL AND HEAL."

Day before yesterday I was out for dinner with a friend in Empire Shopping Gallery and we stopped by the high end version of the Sasa stores. Lo and behold they were carrying TheBalm make-up line which is famed for having the best under eye concealers. I have a pretty decent undereye concealer so for now I'm not tempted.

The SA tactfully noted that I might be interested in their Liquid TimeBalm Spot Concealer with Tea Tree Oil because well you know... my face. SO I am so beyond getting offended when people suggest acne targeted makeup and skincare so I was like yeah ok, I guess I'll try it and guess what? It was amazing. The shade Honey is literally an exact match for my skin and the texture is a dream especially when compared to the shitty Clinique concealer I've been using.

Here it is in all it's awesome TheBalm glory:



So cute, right?

And I've been using it for two days now and literally I've had people telling me that my skin has completely cleared up. And I'm like no, actually, I just got really good makeup. But who cares right? And not only that the Tea Tree seems to be working because the skin on my face just doesn't feel as tight and unhealthy and the acne seems to be getting better.

So the verdict - this is freakishly good for people with acne. BUY IT!

Shu Shame

About two weeks ago I decided that the usual lady who does my brows wasn't cutting it anymore. My brows had lost their shape and one was definitely smaller than the other and I just needed a change, ok?! So of course I decided I had to visit Shu Uemura's RM30 a pop brow shaping Brow Atelier. Because let's face it, I can really appreciate the finer things in life. I found out about this service after reading a couple of blog posts about it.

Anyway I went to the new Shu Uemura boutique in KLCC and walked up to the first SA I found and was like, "I want brow shaping!" In retrospect, she actually seemed quite taken aback but you know, whatever. So she spent like a half hour plucking, shaving and cutting my eyebrows because I am a neanderthal and was like see! And I was like AH! It's too thin. So then she got me this brow gel stuff and this hard pencil which were both brown and proceeded to make my eyebrows look perfect. Like 60's movie star perfect. So I was like man, ok I'll buy them. Which meant spending about RM140.

See here's the thing, if you spend RM250 in Shu Uemura they give you 2 free eyebrow shaping sessions, 2 free makeovers and you become a member... for life! I mean you see I just kind of had to... ahem. So ANYWAY, I was like alright I need a purple eyeshadow and she proceeded to rub this beauteous eyeshadow on my hand and I was like right. So that's RM65. And then I was like ok, give me an eyelash curler which is RM60. Which was RM265, so perfect right?

But then the SA was all like hey it's 12:00pm so our happy hour has started. You can buy a small cleansing oil and get an eyelash curler free! So for just RM40 more (since the cleansing oil is RM99) you can get BOTH things! I wish I could say that I didn't take the bait. But I did because I wanted the iconic cleansing oil DAMMIT.

Here's my loot:

Brow Manicure - which started the whole mess



Hard eyebrow pencil - you actually need to go in to the store to get it resharpened



Super gorgeous purple eye shadow



And since my picture was quite shit, I got one off the internet:


The ICONIC Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler - I've tried it once, it's quite good really.



The High Performance Balancing Oil Fresh. I can't figure out whether this is overrated or really good. Because it's supposed to make your skin way beter. It is amazing at taking make-up off though. Like almost magical. Kind of sucks with eye make-up though.



The total damage was RM304. which was RM274 more than I was supposed to spend. But I totally made peace with myself when I bought it because you know I deserve it, I work hard. Well kind of hard.

But that didn't mean that my parents would understand so when i came home I



brought home a Kinokuniya bag



inside which was my Shu bag



TADA!

I did tell them about it eventually. Well I kind of had to since it was charged to a supplementary credit card.

Ahem. So anyway I wore the lovely eyeshadow I bought to Tina's Hen's Night which was mad. Here's a blurry picture of me in the mirror. Dunno if you can make it out but that's a lovely dress I got at Dorothy Perkins:



Anyway that was my long post after a longer hiatus. Hope to be back and blogging regularly!

A Perfect Saturday

1. Lazy breakfast of a hardboiled egg and lovely thick raisin toast.

2. Got my hair washed and had a complimentary neck massage to go with it.

3. Ate lunch which consisted of yummy crab curry and fried okra.

4. Finished reading chick lit book of the moment.

5. Blogging about the perfect day :P

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I totally caved and bought Stieg Larsson's Bestseller, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I, and basically everyone else, have been seeing this book in displays everywhere and I figure, it's a bestseller so if a whole bunch of people like it - I probably am too.

Also since I read Carlos Ruiz Zafon's beautiful book The Angel's Game and Jed Rubenfeld's entertaining The Interpretation of Murder I figured that it's time for me to read something else other than my usual chick lit. I'll let you know how it goes.

Super Overdue: US HAUL!

I was supposed to do a huge post on all the stuff I bought in the US which I completely haven't delivered. Basically it's been taking me forever because I had to take the pictures (which are not so great) and then I had to edit them and then I had to write the actual post. All of which took some time because, as per usual, I am going through my perennial I-don't-know-what-the-hell-to-do-with-my-life phase.

But lately I think I've kind of figured out what I want to do SO here I am finally writing this post. That and the fact that because I did a chemical peel today I'm at home from work. BTW chemical peels hurt like HELL.

So let's get to it - I'm going to do it store by store.

Online Shopping Haul

Nordstrom
Nordstrom was one of the stores that actually let me buy stuff with a non-US credit card. The initial plan was to go crazy shopping at Sephora online but I was completely thwarted by their US credit card only policy. In any case Nordstrom totally came through and I bought the following MAC staples. Oh yeah, MAC also totally rejects non-US/Canadian credit cards.

So this is the MAC 116 Blush Brush. I got it because it was recommended by Temptalia as a good brush for blush beginners which I definitely am. It has actually totally lived up to its reputation, its easy to pat on the blush and then sweep it to blend. The brush is a good medium size and is quite flat.

This is the MAC 219 Pencil Brush which is supposed to work as a precise crease brush and also as way to work color near the tearducts. Note that I wrote supposed. So far I've found it kind of difficult to work this. It's just so conical shaped and kind of fat that I find it difficult to do anything really precise with it.

This is the MAC 217 Blender Brush. For the longest time I thought this was completely useless because I initially bought it to be a crease brush but its way to big to work on my eye. It does however make a really invaluable blending brush especially when working with dark colors.

The MAC 239 Shader Brush which is like The Holy Grail or as beauty fanatics like to put it HG of all eye brushes. You can really just use this for everything and its just the perfect brush because it gives you a lot of control and you can just pack the color on. It's mentioned on basically every single beauty blog and its totally worth the price. I use it every single day.

Ebay
Again, as the result of not being able to use my credit card in different places I turned to Ebayyyyyyyyyyy. I bought Be Curly which is essential in my hair taming regimen and I also bought this amazing product:

Urban Decay Primer Potion - it makes my eyeshadow stay put all day long and works like a dream in humid Malaysia. Totally lives up to the hype.
























Amazon

Ok I bought Ella Enchanted because my cousins have borrowed this book and never given it back and I loved it as a child and seriously they totally know I want it back and I don't know what the hell is wrong with them.























So this is Benefit's High Brow, which is basically a matte light, light pink pencil that you're supposed to put under your eyebrows to make the shape really pop. It's actually got a really nice creamy texture. I find that it's a little cool on my skin but I'm sure if you're fairer or basically... white it's pretty good. But as long as I blend it well it looks pretty good.



























Now for when I actually got to the U.S.

Dillards
Dillards was actually super fun because the people there were really nice and it basically had everything anyone would need but it wasn't huge and overwhelming which was nice. Only thing, the clothes were fairly hideous. Especially the prom dresses.

Got these Steve Madden sunglasses because I've been looking for like Eurotrash sunnies that are not too glittery or monocle like. These are great they're a little CRon, a little aviator and they look goooood on.



























I got super excited when I found out there was this Lancome special where if I bought stuff worth $32 I would get this free bag and lipstick and some other stuff. Anyway what I did buy where these two eyeshadows above, they are Color Design Eyeshadow in Exhibition and Kitten Heel. To be honest they really don't blend well and don't stand out that much. So they were pretty much $17 a pop disappointments. But I do wear them... so I guess its ok.

Here's the GWP (Gift with Purchase) I got!
















































































I got a Lancome eco friendly bag, a makeup bag, a lipstick (kinda pulls a bit too orange on me - should be good with lipgloss), a dark brown eyeliner, Hypnose mascara (yaay!) and the most gorgeous Juicy Tube- the color is apparently Pink Horizon. Sorry the swatches are so crappy, it was a really cloudy time so I wasn't getting much light. That and I can't take pictures.

Walmart


These are the Revlon luxurious single eyeshadows which I've mentioned before. Technically I bought one of them at CVS and the other two at Walmart but whatever. They're pretty sheer but they are super pretty and really soft and easy to work with. Totally worth the $4.99 pricetag. I got the Perle and Satin finishes. I know a lot of people don't like to wear shiny/glittery eyeshadows on a daily basis but it's like then why bother wearing make-up at all? Plus I think maybe because I have a darker skin color I can get away with more glitter. Right?

Kohl's

I bought this shirt because my Mom made me. Anyway it does look super cute on and I wear it to work pretty much once a week.






















This backpack was super cheap like $20 and I was tired of carrying my Eddie Bauer sling bag around because my back was killing me so I got this crazy pink Adidas backpack. I know I totally look like a kid when I carry it but its so comfy and carries everything so perfectly that I don't care.






















Sephora




























I was looking forward to going to Sephora more than anything else when I found out I was going to the US. I know... but still! It was actually quite awesome mostly because I could actually buy things like Nars and Urban Decay. Also though I didn't buy any, Stila's eyeshadows are beautiful.



I didn't really want this. What I wanted was the Naked Palette but that wasn't going to happen because its only been released like now. So I got this instead. It's really pretty and all but I have two issues with it. I don't think the colors really pop that well on me and also the ones that have glitter have major glitter fallout which means I can only wear them at night. Which sucks ASS.


This is probably one of the best things I bought. It's a Nars Blush in Lovejoy and its this reddish brown blush with gold shimmer. Not flecks of glitter like Orgasm but just shimmer. I thought Nars would be too shiny for my oily skin but it actually looks amazing on, even if I do have to use a light hand.




















Target!

I went insane in Target because of two reasons: 1. It is awesome. 2. It was like down the road. ANYWAY I got a shit ton of stuff which included...

A black Mossimmo dress. Such a pretty dress on me. I know its super plain and I actually have no idea where or when I'm going to wear it given how casual my job is but I really don't care because it makes my body look beautiful.
























I bought 3 Loreal Voluminous mascaras because it actually does live up to its hype. Yes it seriously clumps but its also $5 and gives volume to my lashes without because trashy. And its $5.
















Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss. Because my mother told me to buy it.


































































I got Sonia Kashuk's eyebrow comb and sharpener, Tweezerman hella expensive ($25!) tweezers and Goody's ouchless hair bands, hair clips, hair pins and scrunchie things. Great staples to have. I've been using the Tweezerman tweezers everyday since I got it. Ditto on the rest.

Store in the The World of Coca Cola in Atlanta

The t-shirt doesn't fit me even though its a bloody medium... the postcards are cute though. Not quite sure who to send it to...





That's pretty much it. I'm really broke post all the indulgent shopping but I really couldn't help myself since I probably wont be going Stateside anytime soon. Here's a picture of ALL the stuff!