Review: Remove Your Make-Up without Scrubbing Your Face Off

Now most of us uses foundation and water-proof make-up especially for mascaras and eyeliners. Yes, it looks good and stays on your face the whole day with minimal smearing. Which also means that when it is time to wash it off, it can be a b**ch to do so as well.

I know your predicaments. I have tried many brands (most of them I tried halfway and then threw it away because it doesn't work) from oil-base to water-base to those wipes. None of them cleans your face entirely and somehow you still feel "dirty" with residue of make-up still stuck. Either that, or you would have to scrub it off (literally) until your face becomes sore. -_-"

For some time now I have been taking the easy way out by using Johnson baby oil. I don't recommend this because at the end of the day, you face is darn oily despite washing it off with cleanser. Thank God I didn't experience massive outbreaks ok. phew~

And then, the revelation came (in the form of my mum), and she recommended these two wonder-products which I have been using ever since. And yes, by now you know that I am quite kiamsap a thrifty person so it doesn't cost a bomb. :)

(1) Loreal Gentle Lip and Eye Make-Up Remover (less than RM30).

This product is damn awesome ok!! The upper dark blue layer is oil, and the lower light blue area is erm.. I don't know. You shake it, and then squeeze a little on the cotton pad. Place it on your eye and hold it for a few seconds. Then gently swipe... voila~ you will be amaze that most of your waterproof eye-makeup will be removed. Almost instantly. Amazing~!

(2) Nivea Refreshing Cleansing Milk (less than RM20).

For your foundation, just squeeze onto the cotton pad and gentle wipe your face. Then, you can proceed to clean it off with our normal facial cleanser. What I love about this product is that it is very moisturising and is not oily. It is milky and your face would definately feel very hydrated - it somehows retains the moisture in. Most importantly, it doest the job very well! :)

So yup, that's my two not-so-expensive secrets to make-up removing. I strongly recommend that you use them together. Both products are very gentle on the face and your eye area (very sensitive area!). And it works! :D

Love;

Mrs Lee

101 : Skin Care

Believe or not, I never knew what's with the fuss of people going through the tedious process of skincare and forking out tons of money for the products/facial. I guess all along I've been blessed with extremely good skin (good genes) and I've never bothered to take care of them until ... I was bambu by my colleague. -__-

She was going on and on about having wrinkly and age-spots face when I am older if I don't take care of them now etc etc. And I will lose my "face-glow" whatever that means. O_o"

My facial regime is facial cleanser (any brand that is cheap from Watson/Guardian). That's all. I am very quite suaku and I don't even know what's a toner for. Ok, you may proceed to snicker.

Over a short lunch period session, I was given a crash-course on basic skincare. And I've been religiously following my new regime ever since. Now for those who has relatively good skin, you need not splash on expensive products, (so-called) mediocre products are good enough in my opinion. Trust me when I said my skin was sensitive to Estee Lauder's moisturiser (itch like mad!). So girls, expensive need not mean it is suitable for your skin.

Just my two cents' worth of advice la. *shrug*

For those suaku like me, I shall share my simple and basic skincare tips.

(1) Cleanser - Garnier (less than RM20)

I've been using Garnier for the longest time ever. I love their lemon-y scent and to me it does the job perfectly well, so no need to change brands. 

(2) Toner - Neutrogena (RM19)

I have never ever used a toner before and my colleague gave me the wtf look. The lecture which I got from her was not pleasant at all. I even asked whether if I need to wash it off -_-" (I really thought I need to la!!). She recommended this brand, cheap and good in her words. To me, so long as it doesn't memedihkan my face then it's ok for me. So far so good la.

(3) Sunblock - Vaseline spf 30 (less than RM20)

This is useful not only when you go to the beach. So I learnt that you have to apply as base before putting on your full-on makeup. Apparently no matter where you go, you will get UV rays hence will destroy your face. Or something like that la. I was recommended to use Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Sunblock, but the orange-y smell of Vaseline (yes by now, you would realise I am a sucker for nice smelling products) is too tempting to not buy! I only go through this step in the day time, at night you may skip this step .. unless if you think that flouresant lights in the room or the moon emits UV rays la 0_o

In case if you wanna know, this brand is pretty good in the sense that it is not sticky and doesn't smell sunblock~y if you know what I mean. [p/s: actually what's the correct spf you should get?]

(4) Moisturiser - Odbo Aqua Moisturiser (bought from Korea at RM80)
Yes yes I know I said I won't but expensive stuff but this one was back in 2010 during my honeymoon in Korea that I tangan gatal went and buy with my husband's money *impulse buying* sekali bought two tubes some more hehehe ~ I like it that the moisturiser will dissolve into water-like liquid once you apply on your face. Can't stand sticky products! urgh ~

(5) Eye Cream - Odbo (bought from Korea .. forgot the pricing)
I only use this in the night because I damn malas :p Apparently will help reduce under-eye bags la.. but in my case, it is pretty severe so I don't know if it will work or not. *I blame you TVB!!!!*

To recap:
Morning - Cleanse, Tone, Sunblock, Moisturise, Make-up
Evening - Make-up Remover, Cleanse, Tone
Night - Moisturise, Eye Cream

And that's my new facial regime at this point in time. Surprisingly it doesn't take too long. I know I know there is the facial scrub and mask which I skip. Cut me some slack, I'm a newbie! -_- Too many things and steps for me to remember!

Love;
Mrs Lee

Enter the Year of the Dragon 2012

First of all .. I would like to wish everyone a blessed KONG HEI FATT CHOI :) Just had my reunion dinner with my hubby's side of the family and as usual the home-cooked food was awesome! Unfortunately this year there is no authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice (my hubby is a Hainanese and yes he has a flat head hehe). After the reunion dinner, we went over to my side of the family for round 2 (more of for coffee and dessert). I have always loved a reunion dinner - not only the food, but the idea of having your close family members surrounding you on that day. :)

For the year of the Water Dragon, my wish is to (no I am not superstitious if you are wondering) : 

1. Have a baby (God-willing).
2. Build up my 'war-chest' aka savings.
3. Have an astounding bonus and increment.
4. Continue to improve on my work (as per my appraisal).
5. Lose weight and tone up via the gym.
6. Eat healthy.
7. Travel more.

Not impossible to achieve right? Yes, I am a very practical person. :) No point setting targets/goals which is beyond your reach. At least that's what I feel la. 

Anyway, gonna end abruptly here. Gotta wake up early tomorrow to visit my relatives. 

HEADING TO JAPAN NEXT WEEK~!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

Love;

Mrs Lee

101 Guide : Applying Japan Visa

Now don't start rolling your eyes. Japan visa is one of the most troublesome to obtain ok! Granted that you don't have to pay and the validity is for 3 months. Thank God I asked the travel agency way in advance so we won't be caught offguard.

For those kiamsap like me who booked via PYO Travel, you would need to do everything by yourself. Below are the requirement which you would need to apply for a visa to enter Japan for the purpose of a holiday:

1. An original visa application duly complete. Tips: If you are unsure of how to fill-up certain section, it is best to leave it and filled it up at the embassy with the personnel's guidance.
   
   
2. Original passport with validity of 6 months. Yes, you are suppose to bring the original for them to sight.
   
   
3. One passport size photograph - NOT JUST ANY NORMAL PASSPORT PICTURE OK! It has to be (4.5cmx4.5cm) with white background which is taken within 6 months from the application of visa. Tips: Remember to tell the photo studio that this is specifically for Japan Visa, and they will know what to do.
   
   
4. An original company letter stating your position, period of services, purpose of journey, length of stay, and guarantee of expenses. [For those who are not working, you are required to write a self-explanatory letter about your trip to Japan]. Yes, you may proceed to roll your eyes now. Tips: For those who are working, you may refer to your HR, they would be able to assist. 
   
   
5. Personal saving account / FD / current account statement with mininum credit RM7,000 (CTC by the bank) and must show the applicant's name, account number, and current balance. Yes, you may roll your eyes again. How the hell can the average Joe provide these kinda balances??!!?!?!
   
   
6. Copy of marriage certificate to show the relationship between the main applicant and the person accompanying him/her.
   
   
7. Confirmed flight booking / itinerary from your travel agent or airlines company. Tips: For those following tour, use the tour itinerary. 

All documents must be arranged in that order. Collection of the visa would be 3 working days.  

And if you think that is not bad enough : The embassy of Japan has the right to request for additional documents or call for an interview!! 0_o

That being said.. I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY JAPAN TRIP ON THE 30TH OF JAN~!!! weEEeEeE~

The Travel-Junkie;

Mrs Lee

Review : TVB Series - Bottled Passion

Disclaimer: All pictures and videos are from TVB.

The series totally caught me by surprised. Not much adverts and promo was done on this show. But yet, the storyline was amazing and was a breath of fresh air.  To top it off, the cast are not your usual "siu sangs" and "fadans" but yet the series was very captivating. Highly recommended!! However, don't put in too much hope for the ending though (it sucked big time). Here is the official site. 

The Cast Worth Mentioning: 

Raymond Wong as Lee Ho / Tung Pun Sin. Apparently, he was the third choice for this role - this first two being Bosco Wong and Moses Chan. In my opinion, Raymond did exceptionally well for this role (my Dad thought Bosco would fit the role better). The character is not easy to be portrayed simply because he has to be evil to seek revenge by using and playing with the hearts of women. And yet, the character has to have a conscience. It's like a villain who has a good heart. 0_o I think with this performance, more doors will be opened for Raymond Wong to take on more lead roles. Oh not to mention, he is sangat bergaya too with a hot body (watch out when he goes topless .. I forgot which episode). 

Nikki Chow as Tsui Sum. I would say Nikki Chow improved in terms of acting. She usually does comedies so for such an emotional character, she did alright. At least you feel her emotions when she got played out by Tung Pun Sin.

Rebecca Chan as Tung Kwok Hing. To me, the entire series hinges on this character. Of course Rebecca Chan is a veteran but the producers casted the correct actress. She is perfect for the role! Her performance is flawless! She is so evil and scheming. And she is the epitome of those traditional mothers where the son is more important than the daughters. Interesting character. Thumbs up!

Excerpts Worth Mentioning: 

(may contain spoiler)

Throughout the series, I love how to scenes are being played out whereby they show the ending, then rewind backwards to show what transpired that caused the character or situation to be at its present time. Very creative indeed. 

I also like how Tung Pun Sin go around breaking women's heart. His choice of words. His gestures. All very charming and well played out. :) If I was one of the women, I would fall for him too. Definitely. :p

Of course, I also find Raymond Cho and Claire Yiu roles as husband and wife as well as brother/sis-in-law to Tsui Sum quite amusing. Their roles lighten up the otherwise too sombre series. Their constant bickering is quite hilarious. 

The Ending: 

(may contain spoiler)

SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS!!! 

(1) Tung Kwok Hing was caught and put into prison too suddenly. She eventually died from a heart attack. How typical. *roll eyes*

(2) And the most ridiculous of all is ... why the hell did Tung Pun Sin NOT go to the hospital to get his wound (he was stabbed) treated?? He would rather crawl (yes!! CRAWLED!!) aaaaallll the way from the heart of Guangzhou to the pier where he crawled himself into a sampan and rowed himself to the middle of the sea and die. 0_o like WTH?!?!?!?! Doesn't make sense at all!

So yeah.. as mentioned, Great Main Cast. Great Storyline. Sucky Ending. 

Typical TVB.

TVB Addict;

Mrs Lee

Pressure Cooker

Recently both me and Bear has been bombarded with the "When are you having a baby" question. I know family, relatives, and friends meant well, but it is quite pressuring at times for me at least. Both of us do not have a planned dateline as to when we wanna have a baby .. we are taking the "if it happens, it happens" approach. 

Of course personally, I would love to have one of my own. Trust me on this, I ADORE children!! But when month after month comes and I don't get pregnant, I do sometimes get terrified worried that something may be wrong with me. But then again on the other hand, we have not been "trying" per say .. so I guess my worrying is not justifiable. 

I don't want to be blaming people, but this occasional paranoia does stem from the pressure that (I feel) I am getting to conceive in time for the Dragon Year. Sometimes, I hope our loved ones would just take a seat back and let both of us enjoy our companionship and if God willing we would have our own bundle of joy. In our own timing. Unpressured. 

P/S: Dread the on-coming CNY, where people would ask again. sigh ~

Love;

Mrs Lee

The Year That Was 2011

Last year was an awesome travelling year for us :) .. which inevitably resulted in me not having sufficient leave for Christmas :(.

(1) Pangkor Island - January 2011: For our second honeymoon.

(2) Singapore - April 2011: To watch The Lion King Musical. 

(3) New Zealand - August 2011: Highlight Trip of the Year! Beautiful country. Experienced snow for the first time.

(4) Le Meridien Khao Lak - September 2011 : First year anniversary plus my birthday. Romantic getaway.

And that pretty much sums up what 2011 was for me. Loads of travelling. Loads of bonding with Bear. And looking forward for more this coming 2012!

Oh.. did I mention that we will be heading off to Japan on 30th Jan? :p

Love;

Mrs Lee