Archives for March 2018

Taking a second look at the Mad Hippie Vitamin A Serum with Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) and it’s still good stuff!

March 19, 2018 Paris B 26 Comments

It isn’t often that I talk about the same product twice on my blog. I first shared my thoughts on the Mad Hippie Vitamin A Serum back in 2015. I liked it back then. It was one of the few retinol products that I found helped my skin, and was gentle, yet effective. So, why am I favouring it with a SECOND review?

Well, 2 reasons really.

The first is because I wanted to share that Mad Hippie is now available in Malaysia. I have not tried many products from them (Only the Vitamin C and Vitamin A serums – here’s what I think of the Vitamin C), which brings me to my second reason.

I was told that the Mad Hippie Vitamin A serum had been improved upon with a new, and effective retinol ingredient, and I wanted to see how a product that worked well the first time around, could be improved upon.

Well, well, well. Knock me down with a feather – it still is very impressive! 🙂

My DIY weekend project to transform my balcony from drab to fab with Ikea Runnen Decking

March 16, 2018 Paris B 70 Comments

Last weekend, I undertook a small home improvement project that I’d been wanting to do for a long time. Ever since I moved in, really. But it was something people kept talking me out of, every time I brought up the subject.

“It’s too impractical!” “Your floor will be dirty!” “It’ll be too expensive!” “How will you clean it?”

That’s all the practical voices. Some externally, and to be fair, internally as well. I am a very practical person, and I certainly thought about all this. But deep down, I still wanted to do it.

So I said “To hell with it! I’ll figure it out later!” and I went ahead and laid down decking on my balcony. Much to my surprise, when I showed it off on Instagram stories, because I was so proud of myself LOL!, so many of you asked me about it, how I did it, where I got the materials etc. I decided I’d write a post about it. Incidentally, there wasn’t a lot of information out there when I was doing my research, so I reckon this will be helpful 🙂

I did not want to hack my floor tiles on the balcony (I wasn’t allowed to and on hind sight, it was probably a good idea not to). So, I needed decking that could sit over the existing tiles. There are many places you can look, but my research brought me to Ikea! 😀 When I got there, and poked around, I saw the ones I wanted were on sale. It was then a no-brainer 😛

These are the Ikea Runnen decking for outdoor use, and I’ll tell you how I did it, and what you need to know. Best of all, you can do it yourself. I did. It’s light enough that you can carry all the pieces you need home yourself, and fix it up yourself – no need to fuss around trying to get some guy to fix it up for you. When you want something done properly, just do it yourself! 🙂

Trying my first bubble mask and a host of other affordable masks in the Mamonde Flower Facial Mask range

March 14, 2018 Paris B 6 Comments

Some of you may be aware, from my sharing over on Instagram, that I have been quite actively using masks. What I’ve learnt, is that regular masking is more beneficial for your skin, than that once-a-week treat that you give yourself. Masking, as I’ve told you once, is not just for the weekend. If you want better results, use them regularly.

Naturally therefore, cost is then a concern, for regular masking depletes your stock quickly. So, when I was invited to try the Mamonde Flower Facial Mask series, I was happy to. Mamonde (pronounced “ma-mond”) is an affordable brand from Korea, under the giant Amore-Pacific corporation. While I do personally find that their products are targeted towards younger skin, some of them have been decent for me, so I am always keen to explore a little more.

There are 4 masks in the Mamonde Flower Facial Mask series – 2 wash off masks and 2 leave on, or sleeping masks. They each target a different concern, and have flower extracts, which is a mainstay of the Mamonde skincare range.

Let me tell you about each of them, and which I think would suit each different skin type or concern. It may not necessarily gel with what the brand will tell you, which is why I’m doing this. I received a little flack because one of the products did not sit well with me, and I’m not sure I understood why. Isn’t it about how it worked for me, as opposed to how it was supposed to work? Honestly, I didn’t quite get it. But there you go. Expectation vs reality haha! 😀

Harvest an armful of wildflowers and grain in the evocative Jo Malone English Fields Cologne Collection

March 12, 2018 Paris B 6 Comments

Sometimes, the universe works in mysterious ways, as was just proven to me very recently. I’d come across news about the new, limited edition Jo Malone English Fields cologne collection online from UK bloggers who’d had first dibs at them. What caught my eye were the bottles. While soft pastel shades aren’t very representative of me, nor are they shades I gravitate to, I was still enamoured by the aesthetic. It was so simple, yet eye catching.

I then shared about it in my monthly newsletter. 2 days later, a picnic basket landed on my doorstep.

Nestled within, amongst a selection of delicious baked goods, was the Jo Malone English Fields cologne collection! To say that I was surprised was an understatement. Try shocked, or even gobsmacked, or just plain ol’ speechless!

Each year, Jo Malone London puts out a limited edition Brit cologne collection curated around something traditionally English. While they have covered desserts and stately homes, one of my favourites must be the one they did about Rain. Oh yes, rain is so quintessentially English! I didn’t manage to get my hands on it, because it sold out quickly (and there was only 1 store back then I disliked going into) but I remembered it, and I hope they bring it back so I can grab them!

This year, the collection is English Fields, yet something very quintessentially English. They picked a combination of flowers and grain that are so entrenched in the English countryside, bringing to mind brightness of colour combined with the earthiness of grains, and making it something quite special.

I’ll describe it to you the best I can, but I’m told that this collection is selling out VERY fast, which I believe is more to do with its aesthetics than scent. Let me tell you why 😉

Archives for March 2018

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