Archives for January 2016

7 days of yoga and 7 benefits I’ve reaped from doing yoga first thing in the morning

January 29, 2016 Paris B 28 Comments

Some time last year, I embarked upon what I call my “Fitness journey”. I was hesitant to even mention it here on the blog, because I’m not known to sticking to a fitness regimen. Unlike many people who embark upon a fitness journey to lose weight, mine was primarily born out of frustration – a healthier way to beat frustration, more like, but truthfully, still frustration nonetheless.

I’m happy to report that I kept to it, doing brisk walks on the treadmill regularly, and although I fell off the bandwagon at the end of the year, I climbed back on this year. Not only did I climb back on, I managed to improve myself, by incorporating short bursts of running. AND I DID NOT DIE! Let me just say that this is a major achievement for me. For my whole life, I’d only ever aspired to be a sloth… or maybe a koala; once I knew that sloths and koalas sleep for about 23 hours in a day! LOL!

But I also realised that running was a little hard on my body, especially one so unused to strenuous exercise, and I decided to go back to practising yoga on the side. I had been, on a weekly basis for a few years, but this time, I wanted to be better at it. I also decided to create a new routine, as per my new year resolution, by starting my day with a yoga session. And you know what? It’s been amazing! 😀

Waking up and winding down with the comforting A’kin Rose & Geranium Pure Facial Creamy Cleanser & Toner

January 28, 2016 Paris B 6 Comments

You know what sucks about running out of one of your favourite facial cleansers? Opening up a new one and finding that it sucks more than running out of your favourite cleanser! I persevered for a while, trying first the First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser (too stripping for something that’s supposed to be gentle) and then a sample of a Perricone MD Nutritive Cleanser (feels and smells weird and was also too drying). Neither hit that sweet spot.

So, I dug around my skincare cupboard, in the hopes of finding something that my skin would like. Isn’t Murphy’s Law “wonderful”? I found any number of serums and oils and creams and cleansing balms… but just ONE facial cleanser! One! How was that possible?!

But I was thankful for this one, because from the first contact with my skin, I knew I had gotten third time lucky with the A’kin Rose & Geranium Pure Facial Creamy Cleanser & Toner.

I take a short trip to the dark side with the Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense at the Jo Malone Cologne Intense launch in Malaysia

January 27, 2016 Paris B 4 Comments

I first experienced the popular Jo Malone fragrances after a flight – weird right? I know! But in-flight duty free was where I first picked up a sampler pack of popular Jo Malone fragrances, and discovered the art of fragrance layering. It was fun, and I enjoyed discovering new ways of wearing their scents. If you can find one of these sampler packs, pick it up – it’s worth the discovery.

But the one “problem” I’d always had was that Jo Malone scents tended to be quite “pretty”. It is the favourite of beauty bloggers (the bottles photograph well alongside iPhones and Macbooks and peonies) and the scents tended to be light and floral. They are colognes after all, and while some scents last longer than others (Pomegranate Noir, how I love thee!) they are fairly fleeting.

Well, until now!

Quite a while ago, 2010 if I’m not mistaken, Jo Malone London launched a new range called Cologne Intense. As the name implies, these are heavier, stronger, more intense fragrances when compared to their regular white label range.

Befitting of the name and the impression it invokes, the new range comes in black bottles, that are at once sleek and heavy in appearance and impression. The range now comprises 7 scents, and are now available here in Malaysia. I had the opportunity to take a sniff at the scents during their media launch quite recently, so I thought I’d share my overview impressions of the Cologne Intense range. Do bear in mind that I’m no perfume connoisseur! 😉

Your say: Are you attracted to limited edition beauty products, like that Estee Lauder ANR golden bottle?

January 26, 2016 Paris B 13 Comments

“Limited edition” is a catch-phrase in the beauty world, I’ve come to realise. Dangle this carrot before beauty lovers and before you know it, a whole collection has been snapped up; or queues have formed around the block. Oh yes, apparently this queue thing does happen. Then, some unscrupulous people hawk their finds on ebay, hoping to make a quick buck – Hey, I’ve done it back in the day. Yes, I made a pretty penny but it was too hard to keep up and too much of a hassle, so I no longer sell things online.

It isn’t limited to just beauty though. Last year, Louis Vuitton released an adorable print collection for Christmas, the Evasion collection. I wasn’t too taken by it, but I was curious, and stopped by the LV store to take a look. The one item I was most keen to check out was the mini pochette, but I was told that it was sold out and had been since its launch, where it quite literally flew off the shelves.

Now, LV isn’t exactly like makeup or skincare. It’s not something you can just go “Oh, I’ll take one of that, and that and maybe that, why not?” without melting your credit card in the process. Yet, it sold out very quickly everywhere, because it was a limited edition product (and probably because it was cute).

I most recently came to know that one of my favourite skincare products has now received the limited edition treatment as well! In celebration of the forthcoming Chinese (Lunar) New Year celebrations beginning on 8 February 2016, the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II has been repackaged from its signature brown bottle, to a shiny golden bottle, packaged with a complimentary key chain with a Monkey charm, because it’s the Lunar Year of the Monkey! 😀

It’s probably no secret that I really enjoy using this product, and I have a bottle on stand by in my skincare at all times. I use a lot of products, but this one remains a mainstay simply because it works! And the thing is, I know this is a favourite serum for many people, and one of the bestsellers for Estee Lauder, which is why I was a little surprised and not a little amused at the creativity that came with this newest limited edition offer.

But are you generally attracted to limited edition items or packaging, especially for skincare products? 😀

Archives for January 2016

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