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Right before my husband and I left for Manila, my dear friend Samia and I shot another video together! This time, we took on strobing and contouring!
Check out which one loves which! And hopefully, this video may also be helpful to people trying to decide which of the two may be best for them for a certain makeup look!
Enjoy! <3
More later!
Love,
Carol
It’s always a lot harder to do this when you’re older, no? But let me back track a little.
When I first moved to KL with my husband, I would have to admit that while I was looking forward to our new adventure, I found myself feeling sad during the first few months. This is probably the first time I am ever talking about this. But I guess, it’s time.
I was in a different country with no friends, no job to keep me occupied, and nothing to do for the first few months except scour the internet for interior design inspirations and trying to nail down a ‘look’ for our new home. A job that I was even sharing with my husband who also has a passion for interior design and homeware. (A post on this later, I promise)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCDPy3eiqeV/
I won’t say I was homesick as I have always been very capable of adapting to a new place. I didn’t get the urge to hop on a plane back to Manila and I was hell bent on making it through whatever it was that I was feeling.
It’s the first few weeks or months where you have nothing to keep you busy that are the hardest. I was on my phone a lot – a lot more than usual – bugging my closest friends from home and egging them on to tell me about what’s been happening back home. I was in the mall a lot during office hours, window shopping by myself and thinking to myself – for the first time ever – that it would be nice to have a friend around.
Hello, my loves. It feels so good to be finally over the Paris leg of the trip! It actually makes me feel that I’m getting over the backlog bit by bit.
I know the updates have been slow in this space (as well as the YouTube channel) but I’ve been so busy, there are days when I just don’t know where my day went. It’s bound to let up by the second week of March – hopefully.
For now, let me share with you some photos from our day-trip to Geneva last August. We took a high speed train from Paris to Geneva early in the morning. The TGV Lyria takes about 3 hours and 5 minutes from Gare de Lyon to Geneva’s Central Station.
Since it was still too early for my brain to function, I slept most of the way. But every time I opened my eyes in between naps, I was treated to a beautiful view. It is common knowledge that the French country side is gorgeous but that is quite an understatement and the photos I have here do not give it justice. My excuses would have to be we were moving too fast and that the glass keeps reflecting the train’s interior.
The main reason for us making a side trip to Geneva is our friend Anne. She’s Alvin’s colleague from our Foreign Ministry and is currently assigned there. We missed her, obviously. 😉
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I know a lot of you out there are on the hunt for the perfect gift for your long-time special someone and I think I have just the right suggestions.
I actually have this gift-giving philosophy that I just want to share since we’re on the topic of romantic gifts. Personally, I don’t believe in giving extravagant presents at the start of a new relationship. (That’s why I said ‘long-time’ special someone earlier)
Gifts, I believe, should get better in time because they symbolise all the work and effort you’ve been putting in your relationship. During the beginning, it’s always sunshine and rainbows but as the years go by and once you get married, you will definitely encounter challenges making life harder and being together a challenge.
A friend of mine, who has been married a long time, recently said something along the lines of “People nowadays gush over hardships after one year anniversaries. I want to hear what they have to say on their 15th.”
To me, gifts aren’t about the price tag as well. It’s about what you can afford without breaking the bank and veering away from your priority expenses as well as the meaning that it comes with. BUT for long-time couples who can afford to splurge or for those that are celebrating special milestones this year, I think my recent visit to the Carrera Y Carrera store in Starhill Gallery might be interesting.
I was invited to check out their current collections. The Spanish jewellery brand has been here in Malaysia for a while now providing beautiful, handmade pieces.
Finally on my last installment for Paris! Since I’m writing this in the middle of the night as I suffer from monthly lady pains, I’m just gonna make this a quickie post. Also, so I can proceed to writing about Geneva next. 😉
After our half-day trip to the Versailles, my husband and I quickly went back to the city to do some last minute shopping for souvenirs and sight seeing. We first dropped by the Palai Garnier which is the official home of the Paris Opera.
It’s definitely a grand building and a pleasure to look at. After exploring that area for a bit, we went straight to the Galeries Lafayette. Not to splurge or anything but to just stare and be in awe of the ceiling. Yes, we’re kinda weird. But just look at it!
We walked around, getting lost in rows and rows of shops till it was almost sunset. We made our way back to the Eiffel Tower so we can catch a river cruise along the Seine. We wanted to do the cruise at the right moment to maximise what we could get out of it.
Normally, we wouldn’t make much effort just to join a cruise but since the ticket was included in our Paris Pass, we decided that it might be a good way to end our trip.
So a lot of people here in KL got totally excited when it was announced that Physicians Formula is coming. I, myself included.
I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch and instead of posting about the event itself, I decided to do a first impressions video on some of the products they gave us!
That’s a lot more interesting, right?
Samia and I during the launch! 😉
Before I jump right into it, just a quick background on the brand. Physicians Formula is an American brand founded by allergist Dr. Frank Crandall who created a unique line of cosmetics for his wife who had sensitive skin. Now that’s what you call love! 😉 Their products are known for being friendly to your skin as they don’t have parabens, fragrance, and other ingredients that could cause harm to your skin. They’re all hypoallergenic and tested by dermatologists too. 😉
Here in Malaysia, you can get your Physicians Formula fix exclusively in Watsons stores. 😉
Check out the video below!
Hello, my loves. I’m back with another review and this time, it’s going to be about this product that I didn’t expect to fall in love with.
I’ve tried a lot of serums and creams that’s supposed to slow down the ageing process and I have to say that this is one of the products that I really loved. I’m going to share with you a video review on it but if you’d rather read about it for more details, you will find all the information after the jump!
When I was first approached by Beaunistry to review Osyean, I thought it was gonna be just like every product out there. The beauty industry does have companies that tend to oversell and under deliver. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the results I got from it. Of course, no product is perfect. So you will have to read on till the end for my balanced review on this product. 🙂
But before we start, a little background on my skin. I’m aware that not all products work similarly for every person who tries it. There are many factors to this but I think the biggest one would have to be one’s skin type. Since it worked well for me, I guess I should tell you about my skin first.
I personally have dry skin that tends to be dull unless I am religious with the scrubbing and brightening products. I am also prone to sun damage. I think this product works really well with people who have a similar skin type to mine. (If you have oily/sensitive skin, do let me know how this product works for you! I’m very much interested!)
What is Osyean?
We reserved the first half of our last day in France for a short trip to Château de Versailles. Seems fitting doesn’t it? Also, considering the itinerary my husband drew up for our Paris trip, it seemed better to venture out of the city on our last day.
I’ve always been fascinated by this place – even before the public’s whole Marie Antoinette obsession that followed the release of Sofia Coppola’s movie. Side note: Didn’t like the movie. It lacked character development. Great shots and soundtrack though. Also, Kirsten Dunst was perfect for the role.
There’s just something so intriguing about this palace. From its grandeur, the lavish lifestyle of its former inhabitants, and for it being the setting of their downfall as well. It actually makes you want to wish that the walls can talk.
To this day, the château remains to be a symbol of France’s absolute monarchy or what they call the ‘old regime’.
Getting there:
The easiest way is by taking the RER train (not the Metro) to the Versailles Rive Gauche station. From there, the palace is only a short walk. There will be maps all over the station.
Tickets:
It’s best to book your tickets online as lines outside the palace are horrendous. Especially if you’re visiting in the summer. We were lucky that it was starting to get cold during our visit so we didn’t end up sweating and burning under the sun while we waited to get inside, tickets in hand. We stood in line for about 15 minutes which isn’t so bad though. But of course, on warmer days, the wait will definitely be longer. A ticket that will take you through the palace and the gardens is at 15 Euros. This price also includes the audio guide. If you want to enter the Trianon estates, there will be extra fees.
The château
Located about 20 kilometres from Paris, Versailles used to be a sleepy village but nowadays, its a bit of a posh suburb. Louis XIII had a hunting lodge built in this area but it was later on expanded and renovated by the Kings that followed him: Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI.
The château has indeed come a long way from its stone and brick hunting lodge days. It’s the epitome of grandeur – with art and gold leafing in almost every corner, painted ceilings, intricate sculptures, and lavish furniture. It can be overwhelming.
Hey, my loves! Here’s a ‘preview’ video of our Japan trip. 😉
I decided to make this (affordable) haul video even though I’m still light years away from actually doing the Japan travel entries for the blog (thanks, backlog!) due to one reason:
The snacks we brought home are in grave danger. From my husband and I, actually. We’ve been eating like crazy! I even failed to mention the different variants of awesome bread and the Star Wars chocolate wafers we brought home. So before we consume everything, might as well just show you guys already. 😀
Do watch all the way till the end as I will be giving shopping tips – where to go for great but affordable finds!
Watch out for my new Sailor Moon collectibles! Yeah, yeah. Once a geek, always a geek. 😉
**Apologies if my makeup in the video is all sweaty and not so fresh. (My powder is creasing on my eyelid creases and my liquid lipstick is actually fading from my mouth’s inner corners! Hihi!) I filmed this after being out and about for hours under the sun and had no time to retouch! I figured you guys will still love me since this is more real anyways. Nobody’s perfect! 😉
You can find the list of products I mentioned after the jump!
Sharing with you guys the 3-minute makeup challenge my good friend Samia and I did recently.
Samia is an amazing makeup artist and is one of my closest friends here in Malaysia. I had an amazing time filming with her! Do check out her blog, Instagram, and Youtube channel! 😉
Now, here comes the video! Excuse my cursing – I did admit to you guys that I’m not as diplomatic as I should be on my free time 😉 – and my humungous hormonal zit brought about by a recent tiny change in my lifestyle (which I may be sharing with you guys soon!).
Enjoy!
Here’s the link to the Bean Boozled Challenge we uploaded on Samia’s channel: CLICK!
Check out her channel by clicking here!
More later!
Love,
Carol
