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I’ve been missing again, haven’t I? I’m still around and have been thinking about my immense neglect of this blog. Haven’t had much juice thus far, so what I’ve done is come up with a list of stuff I am going to review in the coming days, weeks, months! I’ve also been quite busy with all kinds of stuff, both personal and at work!

A few things I had going on:

- I have been given the opportunity to take up a bigger role at work, hence, more responsibilities, getting busier and definitely more stress! Been trying to cope with the change and maintain my cool and sanity at the same time

- I had my best friend visiting last weekend. Went out with them a couple of times and that obviously took up my whole entire weekend.

- Watched Mamma Mia – the musical with Tine last Wednesday! What a fantastic show!

- Catching up on my piles of reading.

- Getting my driving up to scratch to convert my International Driving License to an Australian Driving License. What can I say, I’m a frightened cow when it comes to driving, especially here in Australia (God knows why), so it’s taken me so, so long even to get myself to this point.

Being frightened and stressed does not help my writing flow, hence the writer’s block.

Anyway, I’m hopefully more in tune with myself now, so back to blogging! More reviews coming up!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Envirosax in the US is having a little promo for Valentines Day!

For the next 48 hours (10th and 11th Feb), they are offering 20% off all pouches (set of 5 bags).

Enter “BLOGLOVE” in the Discount Coupon section at check out to have the discount applied.

Delivery by Valentine’s Day

If you absolutely need to get it there by Valentine’s Day, make sure you place your orders by midnight Wednesday 10^th and select overnight express freight option to receive your package on Friday. Orders placed Thursday 11^th will not make it before the weekend.

Terms and Conditions

Offer applies to all pouches (set of 5 bags) except Botanica Pouch Set. Promotion starts 1.00am February 10^th and ends 12.00 midnight February 11^th 2010 and while stocks last. No restrictions apply to quantity. Valid for orders placed on the USA (www.envirosax.com) and Canada (www.envirosax.ca) websites only which can only deliver to the US and Canada.

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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.

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