When I was back in Malaysia, I actually had the opportunity to go for a spa treatment courtesy of my beautiful sister-in-law! She had booked a 2 hour appointment for us at Khareyana Spa in Petaling Jaya on my last week back home.

When we got there, I was absolutely amazed! It was gorgeous, the setting was right out of a picture postcard from Bali! So picturesque! It’s incredibly calming and cozy – a lot of greens, wood and water features. There’s fishes in the pond and a beautiful water garden.

Housed in a private bungalow, it’s certainly a perfect place to relax in. Ah…bliss! It has been running for a while now and is quite a popular choice for most spa-goers in KL and PJ apparently.

I asked for one of the body treatments – Traditional Balinese Body Ritual. The whole treatment was for RM200 (a special they had) which I thought was incredibly worth it! My sister-in-law and I had the same treatment but in separate rooms (we’re shy!).’

Traditional Balinese Body Ritual

This classic treatment originates from bali which is the center of the holistic spa experience whereby the treatment reflects the sacred balance of balinese culture. The elements used in the treatment are sourced out from the varied terrain of the island; salt, sand & seaweed from the beaches, volcanic stone & earth from the mountains and flowers, herbs, roots and grains from the ancient fields. Transport yourself to bali – it’s the best two hours spa you have ever taken!

Balinese full body massage.Clean and polish the whole body with bali lulur powder. Bali boreh body mask is applied to the whole body to lift out impurities and dead skin.Quick shower and application of moisturizing cream.

The room I was allocated was gorgeous. Soft music playing, soft aroma floating through…absolutely soothing ambience. I must admit, I’m truly spoilt after such a blissful experience at Khareyana Spa!

The therapist started with a full body massage using aromatherapy oil for about an hour which was just so super relaxing. This was followed with a body scrub and then a body mask. I then had a quick shower in the room which was followed by a quick application of moisturizing cream.

The products they use is from Indonesia – well reknowned brand – Martha Tilaar!

Following the spa, once I was ready to leave the cozy room, we were provided with ginger tea to drink and a few watermelon slices. The tea was good, very tasty!

You bet that next time I’m in Malaysia, I’d definitely give Khareyana Spa another visit! It is absolutely relaxing and there are plenty of treatments and packages to try!

The service was great, the place is gorgeous, the treatment couldn’t be better and was perfect, friendly and informative staff – what more can you ask for right? Certainly money well spent!

A rich, protective hand cream, rich in the living energy of tangerine, mandarin and lemon, to deeply moisturize and restore smoothness, leaving hands feeling soft and supple.

I’m crazy about citrus scents! Hence, when my hand cream was depleted, I went searching for another to try and came across Jurlique! I have always longed to try their products. This hand cream is just fabulous! It makes my hands all nice and soft and the scent is light and refreshing, but certainly not overwhelming. It is easily absorbed and isn’t greasy at all.

The texture is thick, however, it works deep into my skin and feels really nice to have it on. It is very moisturizing and hydrating. A little definitely goes a long way with this one.

It comes in two sizes: a smaller 40 ml size for $27 and a larger 125 ml size for $55. I had purchased the 40 ml one and with multiple use daily, the product lasted me for two whole months! Pretty decent, I’d say!

A few weeks ago, as my personal birthday treat, I went for a facial at Jurlique in Melbourne Central. I tried the Beauty in Balance facial which costs me $85 for an hour.

I had high expectations of the room as it is with Jurlique, quite a reknowned brand. Also, my previous experiences at Ella Bache had taught me to expect quite a bit when it comes to day spas. Since Jurlique Melbourne Central had marketed their place as a day spa, I had truly expected the same kind of ambience.

Unfortunately, it was really just a room in the back of the store. The room itself is clean and nice soothing music is played. However, it is fairly small. Smack down the middle is the bed and there is a shower at one corner and at another corner is a mirror and dressing table with all of Jurlique’s products. Whilst it is comfortable, it is rather crammed up. Hence it lacks the inviting and upscale ambience that I got from my experience at Ella Bache.

The Beauty in Balance is decribed as a "classic facial provides holistic benefits essential for radiant, healthy skin. Your personal therapist will educate and inspire you with the knowledge and confidence to sustain beautifully balanced skin daily. This facial includes skin analysis, deep cleansing and exfoliation — and encourages the tensions of the day to melt away, with a deep pressure-point massage for the face and scalp."

The therapist basically started with a skin analysis and advised me that my skin was a combination type. It’s certainly not dry, much to my chagrin, as I had been believing that it was all this while. She then tailored the products she used for my facial that day according to my skin type – mainly to achieve the right balance for my skin.

I will not bore you with a step by step account of my facial. However, it was certainly a good experience though I wasn’t too pleased about the crumminess of the room. Apart from the usual facial treatments i.e. exfoliation, steaming, cleansing, toning and moisturizing, she had also done a good job with the deep pressure point massage for my face and scalp, leaving me feeling absolutely relaxed and happy.

After the facial, my skin certainly glowed and I love the smell of the rose mist which she had applied on my skin. She even applied makeup for me post-facial. Light makeup with Jurlique’s new finishing powders and lip gloss.

For $85, I’d say it is a reasonably good experience. I would have liked for the setting to be much better but the treatment itself was well worth the money!

Full and dense for dusting loose or pressed powder on face or body. This brush is particularly good for blush application with soft fibres that form a full, rounded shape. M·A·C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature wood handles and nickel-plated brass ferrules.

Hope you all had a fantastic Valentine weekend and to those celebrating Chinese New Year, Happy Chinese New Year!!

With all things lovey dovey going round, I thought I’d write a review on something I love! My MAC 150 Face Powder Brush! This has been my number one face brush since I first bought it last year!

MAC 150 Large Powder Brush retails for $85 in Australia and is a large, dense and dome-shaped brush. I bought this sometime last year and have been loving it since. It is a perfect brush for use with loose or pressed powders and I also use it with my MAC Mineralized Skin Finish to highlight my face. It is admittedly an incredibly large brush, but I find it’s size useful for me particularly to quickly brush powder on my face when I’m in a rush.

The density of the brush also causes it to be rather "scratchy" but only slightly in my opinion. I have gone to the MAC counter and played with other softer brushes, however, this one although it’s slightly scratchy does what I need from it very well. I’m thinking of buying the other "softer brushes" like the 116 and 129 in time to come.

For now, the 150 will do as though it isn’t one of the softest brush I’ve tried, it is still quite acceptable and soft to me. I love using this brush as it is huge and fluffy enough for me to set my makeup quickly with loose powder and gives me great coverage. It also blends well and doesn’t waste any product due in part to it’s density. This to me is a wonderful multi tasker brush which I love using on a daily basis!

The first thing to do if you buy this is to wash it first before first use. It kills the stiffness and that’s when it becomes softer for use. After I’ve washed it a gazillion times now over and over again, I find that it really is soft and is such, one of my favourite brushes. It does shed occassionally, as with other brushes, but not that much. It has certainly held up through the many rounds of washing I’ve put it through.

Conclusion? I’d say that I was pleased with my MAC 150 purchase and never once regretted it. It was my first MAC brush and I continue loving it! However, there are mixed reviews about it, particularly on the "scratchy" bit. So I guess it depends on the individual whether or not a MAC 150 would satisfy her expectations. It certainly did for me!

I was in love when this range was released last year. I ended up trying out a lot of the products within this range and absolutely love the scent. It’s feminine, soft yet refreshing at the same time. The scent is light and not in any way offensive. A perfectly wearable scent for any time of the day.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel

A soap free cleansing gel that lathers to leave your skin feeling refreshed, clean and soft with a whisper of the decadent Japanese cherry blossom fragrance.

The shower gel is absolutely delightful. It has a mild and sweet romantic floral scent. I like that whenever I use this scent, the beauty and serenity of the smell wafts throughout the bathroom. It is a very refreshing shower gel and the fact that it is soap free, means it is perfect for my sensitive skin.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Puree

A lightweight moisture lotion that softens, smoothes and hydrates with a whisper of Japanese cherry blossom fragrance.

This is a lightweight body moisturizer which smells absolutely delish. The scent is wonderful and I’d say is perfect for either summer or winter. It does have a stickiness to it though which I don’t particularly like. It’s consistency is very light and fluid – almost like applying water onto skin. Cools and refreshes the skin once applied. The sticky bit is the only thing I hate about it. Oh, and it also doesn’t seem to moisturize or hydrate all that much.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Eau De Toilette

This beautiful light floral fragrance captures the romance and elegance of the Japanese Cherry Blossom with fresh and delicate floral notes on a fruity musk and sandalwood base.

Inspired by the intense natural beauty of the Cherry Blossom tree which blooms for only a very short time each spring.

The EDT is a really lovely scent. It is a pretty, floral scent, light, fresh and breezy. It is not overpowering at all. Whilst it doesn’t last all day, it does longer for quite a reasonable amount of time. When layered with the other products, it’s effect is absolutely lovely and amazing. There is little not to like about such a beautiful and soft scent.

Rootote recently had a massive 40% sale and is in fact still having it on their site at the moment! When I first got the email notification, I dismissed it as I didn’t think I was in the market to get any more totes! I completely forgot about it until I read Tine’s entry on her Rootote purchase.

Upon seeing those cutesy pouches, I knew I had to have one too! It’s just too cute for words and cannot be missed for sure, I thought to myself!

Of course by the time I actually visited the site I was kinda late and a lot of what I wanted has already been sold out.

I ended up getting two makeup pouches (Rootote’s new addition to their product line) and one thermo-keeper medium sized bag.

I’m ecstatic today when I received the package! Since I’m based in Melbourne as well, it only took them 24 hours to have it delivered and I was definitely a happy camper when I got it this morning!

I purchased two matching pouches in two different sizes. The design I got is called “Girl”. I absolutely love the baby blue and light pink color combination. So feminine and cute. The design is just so complimentary and I found it absolutely adorable. Both pouches are made of polyester.

I’ve already started using the little pouch for my day to day makeup that I bring around in my handbag. The little pouch pictured on the right below is a single compartment pouch with zip closure. It has 1 zippered mesh pocket and 1 outer pocket. The size is 10 x 14 x 6 cm. Very cute and handy to have in my handbag for certain. This one retails at $25 (which I thought was expensive) but on sale, it’s only $9! So get it while you can.

The second pouch I got (pictured on the left) is a bigger pouch measuring 16 x 9.5 x 5.5 cm. It has two compartments with zip closures, 7 inner pockets and 1 brush holder. This pouch even comes handy with a cute compact mirror. This one would certainly be great for me to bring whilst travelling. The double compartment pouch retails for $29 and now on sale, it’s only $10.50!

I also got myself another tote – a medium sized thermo keeper tote – which I plan to use whenever I’m bringing lunch to work. Apparently these thermo keeper totes come in three sizes – lunch, medium and grande. I thought the grande would be a mighty bit too large to bring around for lunch, but the medium would be okay. I would actually have preferred to get the lunch size but since it wasn’t available anymore, the medium one’s okay too.

I got mine in the Harvest pattern – so, so pretty! This pretty tote is made of polyester on the outside and comes with a thermal lining inside. It is a fairly decent size and I’d be able to pack quite a bit in there. I could even bring a whole picnic in that bag I’m sure.

This one retails for $45, but on sale now for $18. Great bargain if you ask me! I’d certainly get the lunch sized one too when available.

To be honest I now kind of regret I didn’t check out this sale earlier on seeing that I was actually notified of it! I missed out on a lot of the pretty totes I used to have a lemming for, but, oh well, I suppose I’ll content myself with what I’ve got at the moment.

To those of you who have been lemming for a Rootote, now’s really the best time to check it out! There ain’t much left I tell you, but definitely worth checking out anyway.

A state of the art blend of several well researched antioxidants, plant oils and potent anti irritants in a silky silicone base

Truly a unique product due to the number and levels of antioxidants it contains

Concentrated formula leaves skin radiantly soft
Supplies dry to very dry skin with the ingredients it needs to function normally, as well as look radiant and feel silky smooth

May be used around the eyes

100% fragrance and colorant free

Contains stabilized retinol

I started using this in June last year and for the past 7 months I believe that this product has really repaired my skin. I think that this serum was one of the products apart from my other Clinique products which had repaired my skin completely. It has repaired my skin so completely that I went from having absolutely dry and parched skin to a normal, balanced skin.

This serum is orangey in colour and is not fragranced. It is very silky in texture and makes my skin feels absolutely nice and smooth immediately upon application. It absorbs really fast and I only use a teensy amount at night.

It feels gentle yet it is incredibly effective. During winter and when I initially started using this product, it wasn’t enough for me and I would normally put on my Clinique Super Rescue Night Moisturizer after it.  However, over time, using this serum alone at night has been adequate to hydrate and moisturize my skin.

At the moment, I have stopped using this product as I find it to be a bit too much for my skin to handle in the summer heat. I’m afraid that it might be a bit heavy for my skin in the summer. When winter comes, I’ll see if I still need this product or perhaps my skin has well and truly been repaired to a normal state of balance.

It is notably a rich serum so I don’t think I would recommend it for oily skin. However, it certainly worked wonders on my skin and for drugstore pricing of $39.90 (Member Price) for a tube that lasts forever, I’m certainly a pleased customer.

I was recently contacted by MOR Cosmetics to review a few of it’s products. Imagine my delight of being contacted by one of my favorite brands! I’ve been a fan of MOR Cosmetics since I first discovered it last year! I went to the warehouse sale and got tons of products as gifts and even hauled a few for myself.

Needless to say, I’m honored and happy to be given the opportunity of reviewing such fantastic products!

I’m sure you can already tell that I love the products I got!

One of the items I got in my pack was a Body Butter in the Cucumber and Casaba scent.

It is described as "Fresh cut Melon and Green nuances blend with White Jasmine, Muguet and Rose Petals. Under tones of Beige Woods and White Musk soften and leave an uplifting scent”.

One thing absolutely unique and beautiful about MOR Cosmetics’ Body Butters are that it comes in this beautiful packaging as you can see in the above picture. I swoon all the time when I have a MOR Cosmetics Body Butter in my hand. It’s just so, so pretty! It looks so exclusive and makes you feel so sophisticated using it. Such is the power of pretty packaging, ladies!

MOR’s Body Butters are an intense body moisturizer meant for dry skin or skin in need of a little repair. I would say it’s a perfect aid for winter, however, for me, even in summer, its a usable product despite its intensity and thick-cream-like texture.

The Cucumber and Casaba scent that I got is absolutely heavenly! It’s fresh and certainly very, very uplifting. I use this body butter at night prior to going to bed and it just makes my skin absolutely fantastic. The big plus point is I wake up to absolutely smooth skin!

This luxurious body butter which is made of shea and cocoa butter is a heavenly product that would make any lady feel luxurious and sophisticated using it! The packaging is certainly enough to turn the whole experience into a luxe and and beautiful one.

As it is thick in texture, it is quite hard to spread it. However, really, a little product goes a long way and it gets absorbed really quickly despite its thickness, and your skin will really thank you for it! Apart from smelling absolutely delicious, you’ll really have nice and smooth skin after using any one of MOR’s body butters. Trust me, I’ve tried two of them already! I’ll review my Lavender Periwinkle scent soon.

In summary, I’d say if you have the opportunity to try any of MOR’s body butters, do so! It’s beautiful! It’s also beautiful as a gift!

Lip Tint: While delivering a high shine finish, Zuii Lip Tint is more than colour with a unique blend of Organic Rose, Beeswax and Aloe Vera that moisturizes and nourishes dry or chapped lips.

Lipstick: The creamy organic formula is soothing and nourishing, rich in colour and long lasting, reinforced with Jojoba, Sunflower and Aloe Vera.

I had previously reviewed the Lipstick in Mandarin, which I absolutely love. The nude-ish shade is absolutely appealing and I absolutely heart it.

I have now been given the opportunity to review two more products from Zuii – a liptint in Seashell shade and a lipstick in Butterscotch shade.

I’ll start off my review on the liptint. The Seashell shade is a coral colour and is perfect for the natural sun-kissed look. Zuii’s liptint is free of flavour and is quite shimmery. Not too shimmery that you’d hate it, but just enough shimmer to add that extra juice and shine to your lips. It lasts a while – a decent enough time. It isn’t sticky and feels great to put on.

As you already know from my previous review of their lipstick, I absolutely love the Zuii lipstick range. Its creamy and moist, rich in colour and absolutely flattering to put on. It is also long lasting. I tried the Butterscotch shade this time and I must admit I’ve never been one to like pinkish shades, but this one stroked a chord in me, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The pink is just right and suited my lips perfectly, even against my honey coloured skin. I continue to be impressed with Zuii’s lip products and I absolutely love them.

Here’s the swatches:

Don’t forget the giveaway finishing up end of this week!

Description: Medium coverage moisture liquid foundation with a smooth silky finish containing Calendula, Aloe Vera plus Vitamin E and C. A moisturiser and foundation in one. Non comedogenic, soothing and suitable for sensitive skins.

I am so grateful Zuii Organics sent me this for a review. This is a fantastic product! It really is!

This liquid foundation isn’t rich and is quite moisturizing, actually. It works nicely on my skin and doesn’t seem to have that heavy feeling despite having a nice and even finish. The coverage is good, I’d say it functions as it says, as a medium coverage foundation.

My dry skin seems to love it and the foundation stays on nice all day. I was given a Natural Fair shade which is slightly light for my skin tone, however, since I like the product, I go through an extra mile by applying a little darker shade powder on top of it to balance out the tone.

I don’t use much to cover my whole face, so a little goes a long way. The texture of the product is milky creamy but not runny at all, which is great. It also is easily blendable and wearable for me even now when the weather’s starting to get warmer.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with this, and again thank you Zuii.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for an experience with more Zuii products!