i shall not stop writing.

As per my previous post, the package arrived today! *yeayy*

Maybelline Color Sensational in Buff.

I am so excited to try it out... have opened it and seen the colour but I shall let the owner of the blog, My Women Stuff, to feature the story first.

Thank you, Paris, for this opportunity. And thanks for the lovely surprise in the package :)

Hehe... not really TV or print news, but rather in the blogworld.

For one, I was featured on MomBloggersPlanet, the one and only local platform for bloggers, especially mommies alike to obtain useful information on self-development, tips on blogging and much much more.

If you haven't yet joined MomBloggersPlanet because you do not fall under the right group based on your own assumptions, think again... because this single man who's a personal trainer with a hot bod (*ahem*) wasn't even embarrassed to admit that he's a fan of MBP. He cites that he was drawn to MBP because of the valuable tips he got to further enhance his presence in the blog world and how he could be a better blogger... exactly what I first thought when I decided to register as a member with MBP.

Aaannnd.... in another news, so much for writing about lipsticks in my previous post and in my review blog, I have been awarded an opportunity to work with a renowned blog for just a minute role... small, but still something that I am very excited about - I am one of the four that has been chosen by My Women Stuff to test the latest lippie from Maybelline *yeayy*... now I know that I have not had any good experience with many drugstore brands since my hormonal changes in my first pregnancy. But I believe there have been many new developments in the market nowadays on more improved formula in cosmetics and skincare products. I am hopeful that things will be different now so that I can continue to own like 10 lippies on my vanity chest compared to only 3 to 4 of them expensive ones :)

I remembered how much I loved Maybelline in my foundation years in uni because I've just won a beauty contest that was sponsored by Maybelline and I got loads of stuff from them. I used everything Maybelline, then, and my best friends were privileged to be able to share the many shades of lippies I had. When other friends see the natural colours on my best friends, they even thought that I was using all those branded lippies and were surprised to find out that all the wearable colours I was using came from Maybelline. Oh how I miss those times when I could just use lippies that cost less than 20 bucks... at least I know that if little jj gets her finger inside the tube or use any of the lippies to draw on the wall of our apartment, I wouldn't mind it one bit ;P

I look forward to test it out. I've asked for a nude colour called, Buff and it will be sent over to me for me to try out. So, since I received news of this just this morning, I decided to pass on Bobbi Brown for the time being. Who knows... my prayers may have just been answered. You don't need to fork out so much dough if the cheaper brands work just as well, right? So, let's just see til then, eh?

I just received this in my inbox and I can't help sharing this update here.

I must say that I've been a huge fan of Bobbi Brown since I started working in 1999. I became an even bigger fan of their lipsticks when I couldn't wear any other lipsticks ever since I was pregnant with my first born... I was told that hormonal changes would play tricks on a pregnant woman's body, especially to her skin but when it comes to my lips, I discovered that the changes were permanent. Those brands that I could wear before - drugstore cheap ones like Maybelline and L'oreal to luxury brands like Chanel, MAC, Dior, Estee Lauder, (even no-perfume Clinique lippies) whatever else, made my lips itch, swell and sometimes black (I kid you not).

Recently though, I managed to get reacquainted with a luxury brand after their new star product was launched. But it cost a tad RM109 for a stick and now that I've used it up, I am not sure if I'd want to spend that much on a gorgeous packaging that I would be discarding.

Oh, I was digressing. Back to the point - those days while I scout around for suitable lippies (which entailed plenty of wasted dough and throwing away lippies that were used only once or twice), I was happy to discover that Bobbi Brown's lipsticks were perfect for me... well, only the lipsticks and not their shimmery lip glosses, though. It was quite a relief too since the price wasn't too steep as they kept their packaging simple and modest.

Today, I am extremely excited to receive this info through email because one of my lipsticks is finished and I need a new one in a rosy/nudy shade.

i've always loved their natural shades, although i wish they also have something in dark brown or an intense crimson-dark choco shade

moisturising lippies seem to be the current trend in today's lip products...

There is also a special Mother's Day promotion running. So if you are a fan of Bobbi Brown or would like to discover them, do visit their local website.

Speaking of Mother's Day, I have to start working on an update which I've drafted in my head weeks ago. Anyways, have a good weekend and Happy Labour's Day :) although there will be no off day for me ;P

My idea of a facial is one that is not clinical. I would like my facials to be a multi-sensory experience of touch and smell, and I always would look forward to those relaxing shoulder massages since I hardly have time for a full body massage.

Since I’ve been to Clarins and Estee Lauder’s salons before, my visit to Lancome’s Beauty Institute was without high expectations. My main aim was only to have a facial treatment before Raya comes and that I was going to enjoy the 30% off for my first facial – at RM40 cheaper than the salon I usually frequent to, I would be just happy with that 90-minutes relaxation being pampered by a beauty therapist.

Bangsar Village is a little away from home but I just had to take my chances with this salon since it’s only a week before Raya and I am sure other salons would already be fully booked. Parking was a breeze at BVII and LBI was really easy to find.

As I arrived in front of the salon, I was a little perplexed as I didn’t know where their door was – there wasn’t any ‘OPEN’ sign and the entire outlet was decked in see-through glass. But I reckoned that I should walk over to the end of their shoplot and walah… the glass door slided open hehe…

One of them got my name and accompanied me upstairs for a skin consultation. She didn’t introduce herself neither did she wear any name tags. She asked me if I had had my breakfast and I told her I was fasting. The waiting hall was huge with comfy sofas and tables. Despite telling her I was fasting, she asked again if I wanted any drinks. Judging from that, I think she just isn’t well trained for small talks but I have to give her credit for trying to make conversations.

I was asked to fill up their form and had to wait for their machine since someone else was also using it at that time. I had nooo problems with that as she handed me some beauty magazines to flip through.

The consultation came and I was struck by how high-tech and accurate the machine was… I mean, I’ve gone through something like that in Leonard Drake and Clara’s a long, long time ago but all were very stereotype. I mean, I’ve always, always told people (beauticians, especially) that my skin type is oily. O-I-L-Y but time and again, all of them would tell me that it is impossible to have such oily skin since I have passed that 25 mark almost 10 years already. Apparently, those above 30 would normally have combo skin with some dehydration/sensitiveness here and there. Even when my skin gets all shiny and oily, some beautician would tell me that the foundation I was using is the wrong type or that I didn’t moisturise well bla bla bla.

This time however, the first sign of me falling in love with this salon was how the machine affirms my understanding of my own skin’s character. At 34 years of age (oppps… not yet 34, not until December!!), my skin’s oiliness is much higher above the average level all other women of my age. And since I have not been using proper range of skincare, I may have stripped too much of the surface oil, making my pores enlarged most of the time as they try to absorb more moisture from the surroundings. Hence, making the upper dermis really sensitive and dehydrated despite moi experiencing all-day shine.

All that time, she still hadn’t introduced herself and I was too engrossed with what I learnt about my skin that I hadn’t thought about asking her name.

One advantage of having such oily skin is that the reading showed my skin’s firmness and elasticity faring much higher than an average 30-something year old woman. *yeayyy* thus, anti-aging care isn't at all necessary although it wouldn't hurt to start.

She told me that I really need to treat the oiliness yet increase the hydration. So I asked her – how was I able to do that when the moisturisers basically make the skin dry and matte. And she went on to tell me that I need to treat that yet use something else to increase hydration. Ooohhh kayy… I was a little skeptical as I foresee the amount of products I’d need to overlap. And, just as she failed on the small talks, she wasn’t very good at explanation either due to having just a fair command of the English language. Thus, some detailed questions that I have (I sound like a journalist there) like blotchy skin didn’t have a proper explanation from her. But I wasn’t going to be a bitch that day and so I thought I’d just get on with the treatment.

As I read a review here, I went with the intention of getting a whitening facial hoping that my chicken pox marks would lighten a little so that it won’t be too visible in my Raya photos. But I was surprised when told that the whitening facial may be a little too rich for my skin and that I should have my skin properly cleansed first. I was a little disappointed with that but I wouldn’t want to argue either.

When I found out that she was going to work on my face, I asked for her name. Tiffany. My name is Tiffany. Hehe. Ok… that was sorted.

I was brought into this room, all draped in white curtains and just a relaxing chair in the middle. The lighting was in pink, to welcome me in. There was a huge locker for me to put my stuff and I was given a pair of comfy slippers to wear. She left the room and told me to press this one switch in the room once I was ready. Ok.

She helped me onto the chair and I fell in love at how the chair felt totally comfy under me. Compared to other facial salons (with the exception of Leonard Drake as they put a pillow under your legs), you are not subjected to hard flat bed. This one will ensure that the chair (when turned flat into a bed) would follow the crevices of your body, making it perfectly comfortable.

Then, Tiffany turned on the specially composed music that has been customised according to the treatment. Hmmm… the music actually sounded more like those from drama minggu ini days or cheap documentaries you get from FINAS. Hehe. But but but… as the treatment progressed, the music changed into soothing tunes which later just gets switched off from your senses as you enjoy the beauty treatment.

And that came the best parts… for someone who totally enjoys her facials, I noticed all the little details.

Tiffany went on to clean my face, first with the milk and after that, with a Pore Focus cleanser, suitable for my skin type. I’ve always loved the subtle scents in Lancome’s products and this cleanser has micro beads in it where I feel totally cleansed and refreshed. Then, she used a scrub on my face and as if she knew my bad habit, she advised me not to press on my skin hard when scrubbing as the scrub already contained properties to lift off dead cells. I liked that she layered my face with a piece of tissue after every cleansing ritual to take off the excess and then wiped off with wet facial cotton rather than rinse using a sponge, to prevent unnecessary tugging of the skin. Only after the final scrub did she use the sponge and I loved how warm water felt on a thoroughly cleansed skin.

Then, it was the steam and I wondered how she’d perform the extraction on me. I’ve always cringed that part since everybody else I went to had not scored high points in that department with me.

I was pleasantly surprised though that instead of leaving the room while my face was under the steam machine, Tiffany performed what must be one of the best hand massages I’ve ever experienced! If that was a special technique specifically from Lancome, I say, kudos to Lancome (and good job, Tiffany!). She was firm but knew what felt good. I didn’t have to undergo any pain in order to feel good. This already scored high points in my book.

The extraction part came with a wonderful surprise. All these while, my previous beauty therapist was the only person I’ve ever met who could extract my milia, even those painful ones near the eye area, with me feeling less pain. But Tiffany, well… she did better than that! She didn’t need to prick deep into the skin. All she did was a simple quick pierce and the oil seed came out and moi feeling minimal pain. What I liked about the extraction process was the fact that Tiffany had used 2 facial cottons dipped in their signature rosey-scented toner and pressed them together to pinch out my blackheads and whiteheads. That, is so much better than the feeling of cold metal prong being prodded on my skin. Another plus for Lancome (and Tiffany!) *yeayy*…

When that was over, Tiffany used a machine similar to the one used in Leonard Drake where it helped eliminate surface bacteria on the skin. But instead of doing just a shoddy sweep, she rolled in onto every part of the face, twice. *more points*

A peel mask was then put on my face (not a peel off mask but a peel) and Tiffany then left the room. Oh, plus points again for putting on Primordiale eye cream on my eyes (and lips too!) before putting on the mask. This similar process was also done before steaming my face.

10 minutes was probably up and the mask was rinsed away and the lights in the room was instantly dimmed. Tiffany used a relaxing cream and worked her firm hands on my face and upper body.

Instantly, I fell in love with the salon (and Tiffany! hehe…) and my initial intentions of wanting to explore other salons quickly diminished. This salon is here to stay ☺ It was such a good massage and I didn’t feel like I needed more… it was like the method was done perfectly for one to feel just right… that’s good, isn’t it? I’m not sure how long that lasted but after the massage, I felt drowsy and ready to sleep.

Next, she put a hydrating mask on my face. Now, this is one unique experience too since most salons would already double mask me. Here, they do a mask at a time. I fell asleep this time and Tiffany spoke to me in almost a whisper to tell me that she was going to clean my face when that time was up, finishing with such a nice soothing warm wipe on my face, neck and shoulders.

After that, she put on Primordiale Eye Gel to my eyes and lips area, the Hydra Zen serum, Aqua Fusion moisturiser and sunblock with SPF50. Plus points for slathering all those not just on the face but décolletage area as well! Then, the bed was transformed slowly back into a chair and before I got up, Tiffany gave a nice head massage to fully wake me up.

I got up and realised that the entire room was enclosed in white curtains and I couldn’t see the locker hehe. Tiffany pulled one part of the curtain to unveil the locker and then only did I realise the rationale behind it… I guess they had wanted the customers to feel like you’re the focus… and your head won’t feel cluttered seeing all those props, gadgets and products everywhere. I guess that had worked beautifully! All you see is a chair in the middle with curtains all around *applause*

As they had a Raya promotion, Tiffany then explained to me a mix & match package where I would get double the value I’d sign for instead of the usual buy-5-get-1-free. The amount was a little hefty to me but I was game for the double return that I would be rewarded with (plus that heavenly massages that I would get!!). And… they allowed me to pay a partial sum, where the balance is due at a much later interval. That scored another plus point in my book ☺

Really, I am in love.

I love it that their facials cost an average RM180 (some are lower, some as high as RM300 for the whitening facial) yet I get such excellent service and an accurate reading of what my skin is like so that a more effective treatment can be administered. Secondly, I loved that they didn’t rush on me… Tiffany took her own sweet time and experienced enough to know what needs to be done. I forgive her for her lack of communications skills with such firm hands ☺ Thirdly, I am okay with the extractions done on my face and appreciate those little details that Lancome created for a better and less stressful experience.

I love that they didn’t push me to buy any products but since I wanted to revamp my current skincare, I felt so well understood as they didn’t recommend that I buy from the same range. Instead, for the first time ever (which you may not receive such advise from the counters) my problem skin is dealt with more accurately – cleanser for oily skin, toner for sensitive skin, serum from the hydra zen range to increase hydration and the whitening moisturiser that will help slough off dead cells gradually while preventing that tired/dull look and evens out skin tone. Best of all, as pointed out by the one when I returned home, I didn’t look like I had the chicken pox again unlike how I’d look after every facial (and since it is in Bangsar Village, I was able to check out the clearance sale in Zara as well *yeayy*).

I guess if you know that Lancome products work well on your skin, do give Lancome Beauty Institute in Bangsar Village II a visit. Nope, this post wasn’t sponsored and I write truly from my personal experience.

So here’s the number – 03 2287 1084 / 03 2287 1087. It’s on the ground floor and if you’re not sure where you are, it’s the other side of where Coffee Bean is located (I had to walk a bit since there was no directory on site). There’s also one outlet in The Curve but I do not have their number.

Oooohh… I’m still in love as my skin still feels supple today. After more than a year of neglecting my skin, the wait was all worth it ☺

P/S: Another review and photos can be found here.

I never knew that large pores are due to the skin being very dehydrated and that the pores are open because they’d want to trap in more moisture from the environment. That makes so much sense. I was always told that large pores are due to skin being very oily, which is only less than half the truth.

How did I know this? Well, after 4 loyal years (minus the 1-year plus from my final trimester and the months after) of sticking to one beauty therapist, I had decided to explore new ‘territories’.

I know many of you treat facials as a luxury but for me, ever since I was in uni, facials are a must. It started with once in 3 months sessions and later making it a monthly ritual. I always tell the one (or anyone else for that fact!) that beauty doesn’t always come naturally… women would usually need to work to be beautiful (and I am not talking about the saying, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder’). Let’s not talk about vanity… this is more of one taking care of one’s appearance. Being vain and being careful about one’s skin’s health are two separate traits.

I had always had a problem skin type. Though it always appear to be smooth, it is usually congested and oily although I hardly get acne or pimples. My body seem to produce too much oil through my facial skin that I’d get milia or bumps around the chin and cheeks.

Throughout the years, I’ve tested so many beauty products out there, starting with those cheap retail products you can find in our local drugstores, to those carrying expensive brands. Therefore, I used to be able to point out the little details of each range of specific brands if you’d want to try them out – those include Shiseido, CD, Biotherm, Clarins, Clinique, Lancome, EA, Origins, Estee Lauder, Aveda and Dermalogica. I said ‘used to be able to’ since that habit of changing skincare was dropped many years ago. Then, I would change my range of skincare as often as 2 months, if I find that the bumps around my face are more than before. Yes, Dermalogica helped to improve the overall health of my skin but they only worked for a good one year and since I only started working then, their facial packages + products created a big hole in my pocket (or rather, a big ditch in my credit card statements). More often than not, I would quickly convert back to cheap over-the-counter products once my skin has improved to condition my skin to use cheap products like L’oreal or Oil of Olay and the likes of those.

I went to many facial therapies but they all had something I didn’t like – either they were too pushy for packages, the experience wasn’t truly relaxing or that the facials didn’t show any marked improvement. Worst of all, my only concern has always been the extraction process… due to the much congestion of my skin, I have always needed to go through extractions in facials – which many beauty parlours either didn’t provide such service, their extraction was too painful or that they didn’t do proper extraction, making the skin area much worse. I didn’t like Leonard Drake as they’d squeeze you to sign up for so much of a package and always end a facial by asking you to sit through Chinese tea while they push for product sales. But what I didn’t like most was that they didn’t provide me a personal service – you’d always need to share a room with another customer, you’d hear other people talking, the cleansing and extraction process were done by a different set of staff and I didn’t like it that they’d always give me students/newly graduated students to prep my face as their techniques were always inconsistent. For the amount you need to fork out, those issues are important to me.

I was also once duped into going to Bella. They advertised a free treatment and wounded up getting pressured to sign up for their exorbitant packages. Vivienne, the marketing manager was so blatant that she even took my credit card to swipe 2 grand worth of facials. I was pretty new in that marketing tactic and didn’t do anything much to stop her. The only thing good about the experience with them was that their Repercharge skincare actually did work on improving my problem skin and I learnt from them the wonders of Azulene mask and clay cleanser on my stressed oily skin. This Azulene ingredient can be found in Aveda's hydrating mask, which is much better than the Dermalogica's hydrating mask that many swears by. I left them soon after I have exhausted all my sessions.

Clarins Insitute was heavenly. But they didn’t do anything much to help my skin since they didn’t believe in extracting the impurities. Therefore, my skin kept getting congested. I only went there a couple of times.

I checked out Estee Lauder’s outlet at Metrojaya’s Mid Valley when they were handing out 50% vouchers for their opening but I wasn’t happy with their highly priced sessions when they didn’t do extractions nor massages.

While working in the finance industry, I met a woman who’s skin was so lovely. She recommended me this beauty therapist who’s based in Atria, Damansara and I was hooked from the start… her facials are only RM150 and she would work on my face even for 4 hours, just so that all the impurities are gone and my skin was prepped really well so that I don’t go out of her salon with red blotches all over. She was so good.

But, me being a woman, I strayed a bit after the skin has improved and found another love in Shiseido the Salon @Sogo (it has closed down due to change of management, as I was told then). Ivy, my beauty therapist wasn’t anything to shout about but she wasn’t bad either. She only extracted what needed to be extracted, put on the double mask every time I visited and their packages were very modest. What’s best, they allow several partial payments not necessarily to be paid at every next session. I guess, that was the longest salon I’ve ever been loyal to… the salon didn’t push any products and I was truly comfortable with Ivy.

When it closed down, I went back to Atria and my skin improved tremendously.

I stopped in my final trimester because I was having so much discomfort from the grueling 3-4 hours of lying on her thin, hard bed and I felt that the extractions could make the baby stressed. Once I stopped going for one session, I kinda broke the habit and I became ignorant of my skin.

After more than a year, I started frequenting her salon again but find that I no longer am game for all those painful extractions. I felt that she worked on my face much more than what’s needed as she would prick on almost every tiny bit of my congested pores although most of them are not very visible and can be extracted later when they are more mature. My visits to her became pretty stressful as I always dread the painful needles and metal prong she’d use on me.

When I got the recent chicken pox from little jj, my skin went berserk from the calamine lotion that I had to slather continuously. I also couldn’t wash my face properly since I was afraid that the pox would burst and give me permanent marks… I went on to put aloe vera gel on my face and although it did make my facial skin softer, I could see that the upper dermis looked truly dehydrated. Hence, I told myself that it is time to take care of my skin again, properly, and that the current skincare product with glycolic acid that I was using might not be suitable anymore due to my fluctuating hormones.

So, seeing how a friend’s face look super clear and gorgeous, I decided to try out SKII. My reasoning for SKII is because it would also target pre-aging treatments and I am going into my mid-30's... therefore, it is high time for me to start an anti-aging ritual. SKII only worked for awhile and I was back to getting bumps on my face. In fact, I got a few acnes as well. Therefore, I think it is still too rich for my oily skin type.

When I met my friend, Nicole and saw how much her face was looking so plumped up and hydrated, I was desperate to try out her new therapist who’s salon is at BSC itself, one of those places I don’t mind going to often. And, since the salon uses Thalgo products which is well known for its marine properties, I thought that this is one brand that I haven’t tried and would wanna try ;)

A few calls to the salon and me not getting any replies, I quickly did some googling on the net and found some rave reviews on Lancome Beauty Institute at Bangsar Village II. Unfortunately, their contact number was nowhere to be found in the net and I had to call up their counter in KLCC to get their number. Since I used Lancome products before and they never gave me any problems, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try them out since I need to get my face treated before Raya comes.

So, with an open mind and the intention of only trying out one treatment as I still wanted to try out the Thalgo salon, I drove over to BVII yesterday morning and headed out to the Lancome Beauty Institute. Oh, what a beautiful experience indeed. For someone who’s been here and there, this experience deserves an entry of its own!