Eyecream anyone?

Konichiwa! It's been a while. :)

       I have been using the Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avacado for about 5 months now. I was slightly devastated when I realised that I had few visible lines on my under eye area. If I am not mistaken, I think it's called fine lines. I never used an eye cream before this so I thought that maybe, my under eye area was in a need of something moisturising.

Thus I checked reviews on several eye creams and stumbled upon this. It cost RM 100 for quite a small tub. It has a creamy texture that glides on my skin. You just need a pea size amount and it will cover your under eye area. :) I apply it after my toner has fully set and dried. You can check out my toner review if you're interested (click here). I apply it every other day, depending on the condition of my eyes.

Some reviewers mentioned that it made their eyes less puffy after using this eye cream. However I don't feel much of a difference other than I had no extra visible lines appearing. My skin doesn't have sudden break outs with this eye cream. Occasionally, there are tiny little dots around my cheekbone area after using this cream. That's okay with me because I will immediately stop using it for a day or two and apply some tea tree oil on the area. :)


How to apply:
1. Make sure you have cleansed your face and pat it dry. Double cleanse it with a toner to remove any leftover cleanser, makeup, dirt and oil.
2. Take a pea size amount with your baby finger and dab some on the outer eye area and also the under eye area.
3. Use your ring finger to smooth out the product and blend it in. Remember to use patting motion and gentle pressure.

*** Side note, I only use it in the night because I find that applying this eye cream day and night will make me more prone in having tiny pimples around my cheekbone area. If you ask me about repurchasing this eye cream after I am finished with it - I'm not quite sure. I don't love it but I don't dislike it. Will update you guys if I do repurchase it. :)

P.S - I stopped using this cream because I find it too rich for me. :)

"Smile genuinely at someone today!" - Amanda Rouge

Your eyes are the window to your soul,

Body Scrub

We often lather expensive products on our face to ensure that we look beautiful and youthful. Come on, who doesn't want to look their very best? It's not about impressing anyone, it's about making yourself feel good and confident about yourself. However, we must also take good care of our body because it belongs to us, and only us. So besides exfoliating our face, we have to also exfoliate our body at least once a week. I know I know, it's sometimes a chore but your skin will thank you for that! :)

Exfoliating promotes cell regeneration. With the top layer of dead skill cell removed, our skin will look more radiant and absorb products like lotion more easily. Exfoliating also prevents ingrown hair that is caused by shaving and epilating.

It's probably about a year and a half that I have used the Natio Wellness Body Scrub. I bought it at Sasa at the price of RM40+ (if I'm not mistaken) during a sale. And it actually lasted me for a year. I actually just repurchased my second tub of this Natio scrub at the price of RM66 about a month ago. Be on the look out because Sasa sometimes has sales that allow you to get this scrub for a cheaper price. :) Yay!

This tub of scrub consist of 450grams and it lasted about a year for me. Like any other scrubs, this scrub has a grainy texture and it smells really nice. I use this twice a week (if I do remember) after I thoroughly showered. Make sure that your body is slightly wet before you use this scrub to allow a smoother application. I try to leave it on as long as I can. Although the ingredients are not 100% natural, it doesn't really bother me that much because I only leave it on for about 5 minutes and wash it away with water. :)

Here are the list of ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Polyethylene, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Apricot (Prunus Ameniaca) Seed Powder, Carbomer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocyl Sarcosinate, Triethanolamine, Sucrose. Coconut (Cocos Nucifera) Oil, Soybean (Glycine Soja) Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Matricaria (Chamomilla Recutita) Extract, Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis) Seed Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Sorbate, Salicyclic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylisothiazolinone Methylchloroisothiazolinone.

I have tried other scrubs before this but I did not like the watery texture and how fast it finished for me. Not only that, some scrubs come in a squeeze bottle that is suppose to be convenient. However, some of them are pretty pricey and they don't have much product inside. So it lasts me for only a short time. :(

Please do remember when I review on a product, it doesn't mean that other products don't work well as this product. It's just that I found that this product works well for me. And thus, I would like to share it with you guys. :)

"Think of good thoughts every single moment you are aware of" - The Secret

Happy exfoliating!

Toner - an essential

Did you miss me? :)

Anyway, I have been using the Burt's Bees Rose Water and Glycerin Toner for about 2-3 months now. What can I say? I'm a fan of "natural" and chem-free products. After 10% discount (because I'm a member), it's about RM56. If you aren't a member, it's about RM60+. Like any other toner, it removes any residue of makeup, cleanser, dirt and oil. The scent of this toner is absolutely refreshing and lovely. It comes in a pretty frosted glass bottle - which I'm very careful of. Although some may find the glass bottle quite inconvenient, I like it. I just got to take extra care of it.

After cleansing my face, I would take a piece of cotton pad and place it at the mouth of the bottle. Then, I would invert it until I feel the cotton pad is soaked. And that's it, wipe the cotton pad all over my face and neck. Make sure that the toner has fully dried before you put on any other products. :)

Here are the list of ingredients: 

Rosa damascena (rose) flower water, alcohol denat, glycerin, centaurea cyanus (cornflower) flower extract, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) leaf extract, yucca schidigera leaf extract

My skin feels refresh and clean after using this toner. I have used about half of  the bottle. However, I'm not sure if I would repurchase it again because of the price. I would let you guys know when I do. :)

Side note: I am not planning to repurchase this toner anytime soon as I find it too costly to do so. I rather make my own toner. You can check out my DIY Apple Cider Toner vinegar (here) and my Rose Petal Sake toner (here). 

"Happiness can be achieve by anyone" - Amanda Rouge

Until then,

The loofah

The colourful loofah. It's so pretty and puffy. I use it every time I shower because it really lathers up my soap really well compared to my hands. It's cheap and it only cost below RM5 for a packet of 4. Isn't that a steal? :) I normally get it at my local pharmacy (drugstore) called Guardian. 


Loofah is actually from a gourd and cucumber vegetable. Isn't that an interesting fact? :)


Here are the list of the benefits of loofah:
1. Good for removing dead skin cells.
2. Improve circulatory and promote excretory function of the skin.
3. Effective in removing calluses from the knees, ankle, palm of the hands and feet.
4. Can prevent ingrown hair due to shaving.

"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm possible!" - Audrey Hepburn 

Happy loofah-ing!

Something special - a memory

As the title states, today's post will be something special. Today marks the 6th of April 2011. My grandma's younger brother passed away yesterday. He's one year younger than my beloved grandma and my grandma is 81 this year. For those readers who aren't interested in this post, which isn't anything related to beauty - please just stop reading this instant. :) This post is something personal about me and something I would like to share with all of you out there who have special bonds with your love ones.


No one can run away from death, love, memories, bonds or relationships. Neither could I. My grandma and I formed special relationship since I was at a tender age. I was taken care by my grandma since I was a baby. I was a quiet baby but became a naughty and playful child. My grandma would always complain to my mum about mischievous escapades that I was up to. My mum response? It was time for the cane. Alas, my grandma would always shield me from my mum's beating while saying "She's just a child" over and over again in Hokkien (one of the Chinese dialect) until my mum stopped trying to hit me with the rattan cane. Ouch.


One memory I was most fond of was the time my grandma took me to the morning market on a bicycle. I would always wrap my hands around her body, feeling the wind across my face, looking at the scenery around me and hearing her joke or laugh about something. It was a morning ritual for the both of us. 


As years go by, my grandma aged and she became frail. She use to be the one that was stronger than everyone in the house, the one that cooked daily scrumptious meals and made all of us feel warm and homey. She was loved by all of us. As time pass, taking care of her needed time and patience. Especially when it comes to taking care of the elder ones. My grandma had 5 kids. Alas, it was the youngest child - my mother that took care of her. My grandma started slowly losing her memories about 2-3 years ago, my heart started to become more in pain.


Today, my aunt told me that she went to the temple to ask about my grandma. The person at the temple said there wasn't much time for my grandma left. That struck a chord in the bottom pits of my heart about the times I find myself having the impatience when I take care of her. I felt a pang of guilt, hurt and pain. Then I thought of the sweet memories that I had with my grandma... The memories that I could never replace. The times that my grandma tend to my needs and took care the rest of my four siblings. Who could ever replace her tender loving kindness? Not to mention that my grandma actually took care of 13 of her grandchildren, including me. That's a lot isn't it?


By now readers will be like, "What? That's bull crap, how could you believe such a thing?" I didn't believe whatever the person at the temple said, I just suddenly felt the spidery fear that crawled all over my heart if I had lost my grandma.


My point of this whole story was to remind you to cherish your love ones. No matter how many tears you shed after your love ones are gone, your tears would never resurrect them again. Please, fellow readers - love them, before it is too late. And please, repay kindness and love to those who have, had always love you. 

"Love them with all your heart" - Amanda Rouge

With love,

Beautiful Eyes Part 2

Long luscious eyelashes comes with the help of a mascara. To think again, what will our fine, sparse lashes look like without mascara? Barely there I guess. For us Asians, having long thick eyelashes are rare. Long and thick eyelashes are a must because it makes our eyes look bigger and more seductive. :) 


Consistent use of mascara and makeup remover around the eye area will not only hurt the eye area but also lessen the growth of our eyelashes.


1. Apply some Vaseline (petroleum jelly) using your pinky finger to your lashes gently. You can substitute Vaseline with extra virgin olive oil. 
2. You can also apply some olive oil on your under eye area to reduce the chances of having fine lines and wrinkles. 

"For lovely eyes, seek the good in people" - Audrey Hepburn

You look beautiful,

Beautiful Eyes

Beautiful eyes. We all want to achieve that, especially us girls. We try on the latest makeup product, eye cream or whatever that will make our eyes stand out and appear more entrancing. Some even attempt to undergo risky eye surgery that may lead to total blindness of the eyes. 


However, have you ever thought about having beautiful eyes but also having poor eyesight at the same time? That feeling is excruciating because I am experiencing it myself, every single day. Not that I am saying that I have beautiful eyes. *Wink*  Although wearing spectacles has been a fashion trend lately, I myself feel that it is bother. Especially when it comes to sports, dinner and wanting to look your very best. To summarise it, wearing specs can sometimes be troublesome.


And so here are some eye exercises to improve your vision:
1. Palming. Sit comfortably on a chair. Rub your hands together until they feel warm. Close your eyes and cover them lightly with your cupped palms. Avoid applying pressure to your eyeballs. Your nose should not be covered. Make sure no light can enter your eyes through gaps between your fingers or the edges of your palms and nose. You may still see other lingering traces of colours.


Imagine deep blackness and focus on it. Take deep breaths slowly and evenly while thinking of some happy incident, or visualise a distant scene. After you see nothing but blackness, remove your palms from your eyes. Repeat palming for 3 minutes or more. 


Try it for 30-60 seconds every hour. :) I'll update more tips on how to achieve beautiful eyes tomorrow.


Credits to the Malaysian New Strait Times (Friday, March 18.2011) for the eye exercising tips.


"Please do take care your beautiful set of eyes" - Amanda Rouge


Try it - because I'm,