Decluttering my closet

It's near Chinese New Year and one of the things that we do is really to declutter!  Have to make sure the house is clean, I'm sure that's what you will hear from your parents if you are chinese, or alternatively, the practice that you do ever since you are a kid eh?  This year, I've taken to decluttering my closet.  I'm bad at it.  I tend to buy clothes and not throw clothes away and thus they keep accumulating (Praise God for last year as I've eased off on my shopping stint).  So, what triggered me to this bout of decluttering?

My church has taken to run a Recycling Project and this round, what they intend to recycle are leather and clothes material.  As I think about the clothes that I have in my closet, I realised that I have clothes which I've not touched for almost 5 years (horror!)  That is really a long time and some may even deemed it hogging.  A lot of times, the clothes are in really good condition (I guess my family's trait is that we take good care of our clothing cause I have t-shirts which by now, would age more than 15 years!) and I feel reluctant to part with them because they are in good condition!  How can one throw away good condition stuff?  Aih...

Anyhow, I've resolute to recycle some of the clothes which I've not worn for a year or two and pack them up into a bag for this round of recycling.

(I know, it doesn't look like there's a lot, but I think I've packed almost 20 pieces of clothing in that little bag there =p)

In some ways, it kinds of frees me as I don't feel the need to flip through all my clothes to find one that fits or one that suits me (trust me, some are really old fashion) or suits the occasion.  Plus, it feel rejuvenating to know that I've learnt to give up a little more than usual and not turn into someone who hogs things all the time.

I do believe that what we do physically have an emotional or a spiritual effect on our lives.  As I declutter, I reflect that as the year begins, I too, need to declutter some of the old habits or old practices and move on with the new year.  It's always good to begin the year light, and I guess this does spill over to every aspects of our lives eh?  

If you're like me, one who tend to keep things and are reluctant to throw things because you think, oh, I have a use for this later or that later... to tell you honestly, the later doesn't really happen.  Hence, why don't we instead clear them up and focus on the present.  Enjoy the present and look forward to the things that may come your way as the year begins...

Shills Cherry Blossom 6 in 1 BB Cream

For the strangest reason, I was really attracted to this BB Cream when I saw it at some website (no recollection of it now though).  This BB Cream is called Shills Cherry Blossom 6 in 1 BB Cream.  It is probably one of my very first full size BB cream which I bought (minus Maybelline, though I find that it doesn't fit the "full size" term).  To digress a little, I find that the brand Shills seems to be a little similar with Benefit (I mean a little) as I noticed that there are some products that's pretty similar to Benefit.  What's more, it's priced a little more affordable as compared to Benefit.  Maybe something to explore?

(please excuse the photo.  My notebook crashed recently and loads of my stuff are gone :( Have to retake and the bottle's quite faded as you can see)

Back to the review.  I remember that I was rather intrigued by its black packaging which gives off a "cool" aura to it.  However, to my disappointment, the tube is just a normal plastic tube.  Well, I'll say at least it's recyclable.  Other than that, it works quite similar to normal plastic tube.  You flip it open and press to get the BB cream out.  The nozzle is not too big, but if you press too much, it might come out too much though.  Thankfully, the tube is not those super soft tube that a slight press will trigger everything out.Another downside to it is that because it is black and it is plastic, my fingerprints tend to be visible everywhere.  Not very good sight.

Texture wise, it is thicker and more cream like as compared to the other types of BB Cream I've used.  I guess because of its thickness, it does seem to last me at least 8 hours.  Most of the others are pretty much gone after 5-6 hours.  

As my skin gets oily easily around the T-zone area, this BB Cream does cause my nose to be oilier.  My nose tends to glisten by mid-day when I am using this.  Quite a hassle as I do not have a habit of blotting my face but whenever I have this one, I have to make sure that I do blot.  Imagine walking around with oily nose, definitely not a good sight to see.

The downside of this BB Cream is that it doesn't provide any sun protection.  Although I do put my own sunblock, somehow, knowing that the BB Cream has sunblock gives me another level of assurance that I am protected some how.

Still, at the end of the day, I'm just hoping to finish the BB Cream quickly as it gets thicker along the way.

I guess, it won't be in my rebuy list.

Essence 15 Behind the Scenes Kajal Pencil Eyeliner

Okay, I truly am a sucker for grey these days.  When I saw this eyeliner, like the brush, I couldn't resist because I was looking for a grey eyeliner.  This truly stood out for me along with the brush... man, I have it bad, ain't I?  I am not one that is suited for pencil eyeliner because I have oily lids and they tend to smudge on me within the hour I wore them.  Hence, it is rarely that I do reach out for pencil eyeliner.  I've even given some away because they smudge within minutes of me applying it *shudder*

However, for this darling grey, I couldn't resist.  Plus, I think the price helps to seal the deal for me as it was selling for only RM4.90.  Such a bargain item and it’s cheaper than some of our drugstore items.

I'd say this is dark grey.  I tend to avoid black eyeliner these days because not only I look like a panda when they smudge, black eyeliner tends to dull my skin and makes me look sickish.  Dark grey seems to suit me just fine, even if I were to do smokey eyes, it suits me well.  I tend to line my eyes thickly, instead of a tightlining or lining my eyes as near to my lashes as possible.  This does help to make my eyes pop and I love it for doing so.  But like I said, I don’t have high expectation on it.  It does smudge, but it’s not too bad as long as I remember to layer my eyelids with a bit of powder to keep the oiliness at bay.  As I am in the office most of the time, it does last me at least 4 hours before smudging slightly.  That is wayyy good de for me.  Also, it tends to fade off slightly but  tends to stay on till the evening. 

For the price, it’s good.  Nonetheless, I'm on the lookout for something that can last me longer.

Picture: from ebay as I can't seem to snap a nice pic of this eyeliner.

Human Nature Strengthening Natural Shampoo

I started browsing Down To Earth after reading about Paris B's post.  I have to admit, reading beauty bloggers can definitely create a hole in your pocket! Haha...

Nonetheless, I've been looking around for a shampoo that can help with my hair loss.  It's getting quite bad in the recent years, and I was hunting high and low for a shampoo that works for me.  I came across their Strengthening Natural Shampoo and after having read reviews of it, decided to make a purchase once I'm done with my old ones (my way of curbing my splurges now is to buy replacement when I am about to finish).  This works very well for me as Down To Earth's postage services (of course, with our Poslaju as well) is truly excellent.  I ordered on a Thursday mid morning and received my items the very next day!  Talk about being efficient.

Here's the quick overview from Down to Earth's website:

Quick Overview

Scientifically proven to result in 80% less hair fall and 90% thicker hair, compared to other chemical-based shampoos containing SLS/SLES.

Aloe vera-olive scent.

When your hair's been through the perils of chemical treatments, such as styling, perming and rebonding, it's bound to get brittle and fragile.  This will cause hair to thin and fall.  Now the new CreamFoam technology infuses your hair with Philippine coco nectar and hydrolyzed proteins to restore your hair to its former glory, naturally.  Your scalp gets some hydrating TLC also, so your hair is stronger from root to tip!

And this is what was written behind the bottle:

Save your hair before it's gone! Clinically proven to reduce hairfall by 80% after 4 weeks of continuous use, our Natural Strengthening Shampoo is infused with hydrolyzed protein to fortify your hair, and Philippine coco nectar, a revolutionary ingredient that bursts with amino acids, vitamins and minerals.  Our breakthrough CREAMFoam technology acts like a lotion to moisturise your hair and scalp, leaving you with hair so much stronger, healthier and shinier!

Below are the ingredients.  Pretty au-naturel, I'd say:

I've been using it for 4 weeks now and here's my review on it:

Packaging:
I bought the 200ml bottle and I have to say the packaging fits very nicely and allows me to drip the bottle well with its curve shape.  One thing that gave me a bit of a problem was the cap.  I appreciate the fact that it's tight and helps to ensure no leakage during postage and all, but I have to say that it's REALLY tight.  I have a hard time opening it to use.  It might be a defect for just this bottle, I'm not sure, as I bought the 50ml bottle and it doesn't have give me the same hiccups.  That said, we'll see whether it gets looser as time passes.

Smell:
Okay, I have no idea how to describe the smell, but it's definitely sharp!  It's not the best smell on a product, but I do wonder if it's due to the fact that it's all natural?  It's something that I'm trying to get used to though.

Texture:
One thing I do notice is that I have to use a little bit more than the conventional chemical laced hair shampoos in order to get it foamed.  The first time I used it, I had to top up half way cause the hair was getting tangled. It took me the third use to remember to add a bit more.  Another thing I had to make sure I remember is to shake the bottle.  It took me quite a few times to remember it.  With this combo, the lather works out pretty nicely.

Does it strengthen my hair though?  That is yet to be determined.  I do know that my food intake hasn't been as healthy as I wished it to be, and it may have contributed to the amount of hair that's dropping off, as well as it may just be nature and the amount of hair that drops off from my head just tends to be more than others.  Nonetheless, in comparison to the shampoos I've used thus far, this seems to be helping a little.  The amount of hair that drops off during shower seems to be lesser.

I guess I'll continue to use this for a while and see if it helps in the long run.

One thing for sure, I don't have to worry too much about stocking up because I have to say, the delivery service by Down To Earth is just awesome.

Beautilicious Magic Spell Auto Eyeliner

About a year ago, when I started to really explore on eyeliner, I grabbed this at Parkson.  I think they were clearing stocks as this was going for 50% off.  I tried the color and found that it was nice, just the way I like it to be and grabbed it.  

I'd have to say, this a cream eyeliner pencil.  If you don't have oily lids, I think this would be quite a wonderful item for you.   In terms of application, one draw and you have a dark brown eyeliner sitting nicely on your eyelids.    Like what's written there, it comes with a smudger (a rubber type.. still figuring it out) as well as a mini integrated sharpener.  Great if you want to get that waterline drawn.  

Sadly though, I do have oily lids and this is something that was thrown aside for a fair while.  

Nonetheless, I came back to using it much, much later.. like a year or so and I found that it works well for me!  I guess the cream has dried up a fair bit and now it sits well on my eyelids even without needing any primer.  

It glides on easily on my lids (creamy but not very) and it stays smooth.  No pulling necessary.  Love the brown, love the texture and love the ease of application.

I don't know about you, but I don't seem to see this brand anywhere now.  Any idea what happened to it?

I don't mind buying it again and keeping it aside before using it.  

Binning at the start of the year

This is it folks.  It's the start of the year, and the first thing I did was to start clearing stuff from my room.  I have to say that I have a tendency to hog and keep things thinking that I will use it in the near future.  Many a times, I don't and I just keep and keep and keep.  This year, I'm resolved to cut down on the things that I keep in my room, because I want to keep things as simple as I can... what's the best way than to start throwing out things that's been used and bin them.. *wink*

Kao Essential Damage Care Nuance Airy Shampoo.  

Got this during my last Singapore trip.  Don't see it anywhere in KL though.  I tried this whilst I was bunking at a friend's place and found that it really does help to keep my hair light and bouncy.  So, off I went to the nearest Watsons and grabbed it for SGD2.  Totally a bargain purchase!

Garnier Mineral 24H Dry Care

Bought this on a whim, and partly cause my previous one was finished.  Smells good and it does help to keep sweat away.  However, it's a little too wet during application.  Am glad I've finished it =D

Elken Elysyle Coral Glow Lip Gloss

Shared this purchase with a friend cause the colour looks nice.  However, I dislike that it is sticky upon application.  I was trying my very best to finish using it because, really, how many people would like their lips to have to sticky feeling?  I sure don't.  Boy, am I glad I'm done with it.

Korean Brand Pink Lipgloss

Okay, this is a cheat.  I didn't finish it but I decant it.  why?  Because the top portion broke.  It looks so pink here right?  But in actual fact, once applied, it gives my lip a very natural soft look which I love.  Hence the decanting.... (sorry, can't remember the brand though)

Maybelline Mineral BB Cream

Okay, I cut this into half because I knew there were more inside this little tube.  Sorry for the maimed look.  Review is here.

Beautilicious Magic Spell Auto Eyeliner (vitalizing + waterproof)

Seriously, I do buy a lot of things on a whim eh?  This is one of them too.  I was testing out some eyeliners and when I saw this on sale, I just grabbed it without thinking twice.  Initially, when I first used it, it smeared and it felt too creamy for my lids (I got oily lids).  After leaving it lying for almost 1 year (I don't really remember how long), I picked it up from my drawer and start using it.  What do you know?  It turned out to be one of the best eyeliner for me.  It didn't smear and it truly is waterproof.  I used it so frequently that it was used up pretty quickly.  From this experience too, I realised that for eyeliners to work for me, I have to leave them be for a while before using it on my lids.

Random Compact Powder

This was a crazy and silly purchase.  I went to Daiso, saw this little thing and bought it to use.  I have to say that it works pretty well to stave the oilies off my face.  I would guess that given this is from Japan, the QA is better than in this part of Asia.  I know most people do freak out for this is just RM5... (mental block eh? Cheap things = no quality), but really, this is a good purchase.  I've not been back to Daiso to buy more because I already had a back up from a different brand.  However, if you are looking for cheap bargains and from a trusted brand, I'd say head on to Daiso and have a look around.  You'll be surprised how much gems you can find in that shop.

Blessed New Year

 Hello everyone!  I want to wish you all a blessed new year.  2012 has been a busy year for me, with many demands from work and the different things I am involved in that took plenty of my time and energy, thus the lack of blogging.

2013 is a year of consolidation for me, and I am looking forward to cutting down the unnecessary activities and spend more time on those that is important to me.  I'm hoping to blog more this year, but that really depends on how things will go in my life.

I pray too, that as I work on my plans... that God will bless you your heart's desire and may everything you wish for in the planning of your 2013 be a success!

God bless ya!

Teal Nails

With the year drawing to an end, I wanted something less sombre and more cheerful.  I was at Etude House recently and my attention was caught by this cute lil' teal nail polish.  It's matte, but in picture, it doesn't show as much.

I do find the texture slightly thick.  I'm not sure if it's because it's matte as this is my very first matte nail polish.  But for the price of RM9.90 (there's discounts, so I get to pay less for it too, yay, score!) I do think that it is doable.

p/s: please excuse the poor application eh?  Been a while since I've done up my nails.  My skills have turned rusty :(

Binning Time... Again! July, August & September (eeps, 3 months de??)

This is probably my most (will be at the least) most active posting ever.  The focus this year has really been about clearing and binning all those that I have and thus, there isn't much posting of things that I've bought and used (unless they are finished).

Also, with the busy-ness of work and etc, I do find it a struggle to blog as much as I wish I could.  Maybe in time, I will be able to find more time to blog, but for now, do bear with me and my sparsely updated blog.

Garnier Aqua Defense Moisturising Gel
I've finished 2 of them in the span of 3 months.  Quite gung ho with it...

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil
Definitely my favourite brand of cleansing oil.  During my recent trip to Hong Kong, I've stocked up more! Woo hoo

Elken Ultimate Perfect Clarifying Lotion
Just another toner which I got when I was using Elken products.  it does help as clarifying lotion, and I tend to use it during the night to do a final cleansing of the face before I start my skincare regime for the night.  Does it job, but not a rebuy coz it's expensive and there's others for me to try out =D

Aiken Daily Sunscreen Face & Body
Nature Republic Color Day Apple Nail Remover
I've had it for a while since I have the tendency to start and stop my self-manicuring habits =p

Maybelline Unstoppable Lash Extension Mascara
I just realised that I've never posted about this mascara.  I've had it for the longest time and had to stop using it cause it was starting to irritate my eyes (I'm a mascara slacker you see, only on occasions do I wear mascara).  I love the wand as it could reach to those short little lashes at the inner corner of my eyes.  Didn't repurchase as I don't see it around, as well as the fact that there's too many out there!

There's definitely some goodies which I bought during my recent trip to Bangkok and it is just a matter of time before, I guess, I start being active in blogging again.  Till the next time!

Blog Post to Check Out

This is definitely a first time for me but I couldn't resist introducing people to this blog, as well as this wonderful post done by Juli at Bun Bun Makeup Tips.  I've been battling with facial acne these few weeks and it was horrendous!  I've tried changing and testing to see which products were causing my skin to break out all of a sudden, AGAIN!

This blog post helps me to re-examine my lifestyle habits (yes, they are definitely habits) and I would have to confess that I need to eat more fruits containing Vit C and to catch up on more sleep (so,so so guilty on this).  Hopefully this will help ease the pimples away from my skin and it'll be back to normal soon.

So, do check out what she has written ya!