The MINI Obsession

I'm going away in a week time for a week of holiday in Shanghai (Woohoo)! However, my working schedule is a bit pack till the day I fly away, I will have to pack my bags (on my roster day off) days before the departure day.

I always prefer to get travel size products than transferring my products into a travel size container (if you get what I mean, I'm just lazy like that). So I started to buy travel size products/ travel kit, I'm such a sucker for miniature things. Long story short, when I started to pack my toiletries for the holiday, I found out these pile of miniatures I got in my stash! It's a drawer full of miniature products I have there! In my defense, part of them are samples given to me from several events and gifts I got from some of my shopping. Also, I always tend to ask for the sample size when I bought the full size of a product.

I know it's a lot but these minis come in really handy when it comes to travel. Right size to bring on flight if you want to travel light. Also, You can just chuck the containers away when you finish the product at the end of your holiday, which will eventually cut down your weight to go home. More room for your other stuff (e.g shopping).

Any how, I will roughly list down the brands in few categories I have in this pile (This is how I organise them too).

Travel Kit: Caudalie, Nuxe, O.P.I, Victoria Secret, Elemis, Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden, Lancome and Estee Lauder.

Body Wash: Peter Thomas Roth, Crabtree & Evelyn and The Body Shop.

Body Lotion: Peter Thomas Roth, Christian Dior, Crabtree & Evelyn, Kiehl's, La Roche-Posay, Burt's Bees and The Body Shop.

Shampoo & Conditioner: Peter Thomas Roth, Crabtree & Evelyn, Herbal Essence, Pantene, Schwarzkopf, Organix and L'Oreal.

Dry Shampoo: Batiste and Klorane.

Face Wipes, Makeup Remover and Micellar Water: Bioderma, Avene, Clinique, Lancome, Caudalie, Yes To, Biore and Estee Lauder.

Face Cleanser, Scrub and Toner : Avene, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Biore, Clinique and Caudalie.

Face Serum, Moisturizer, and Spot Correcting: Lancome, Caudalie, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Lierac, La Roche-Posay, Sukin, Kiehl's and Antipodes.

Eye Cream: Kiehls, Estee Lauder and Clinique.

Face Mask & Hair Mask: Formula 10.0.6, Michael Todd & Macadamia Natural Oil.

Hand Cream: Bioderma, La Roche-Posay, Caudalie and Korres.

Toothpaste: Oral B & Colgate.

Perfume and Body Mist: Christian Dior, Victoria Secret, Lancome, Elizabeth & James, Fragonard, Bvlgari, Gucci and Nest.


Do you collect miniatures for travel use as well?



Love, Carol

Red Earth Illusion Lights Beauty Pro Eyeshadows

I came across with Red Earth years ago while I was still living in Malaysia (Sasa Malaysia is their authorized reseller there). But, in Australia, I never really heard or seen Red Earth around before.

About Red Earth:
Red Earth is an Australian beauty/cosmetic brand that was founded since 1991. The brand gets their product inspiration from the beautiful colours of Australia and promotes natural beauty.

I did not know they are Australian brand until couple weeks ago when I stumble into their booth in Emporium Melbourne (I was strolling around in the mall nosing around). Had a chat with the staff and found out they are Australian. They were having a clearance sale on their cosmetic products due to "the products are changing to a new packaging" reason. Then I saw these cute pots of beautiful eyeshadow, I can't help but start swatching them on the spot. They impressed me right away. It's very pigmented, the colours are all very wearable and the price was reduced down to 5 dollars per pot! So I grabbed 3 pots (wanted to get all of them but I need to refrain myself).

The colours I bought were number 20 stormy night (deep navy blue), 38 cleopatra (metallic bronze) and forever and ever brilliant pearl (champagne). I dropped the champagne colour once and I cracked the eyeshadow (luckily not the little mirror it came with inside the packaging). I have been loving them! They are creamy, easy to blend and a little goes a long way because they are that pigmented (lesson learned from my first use. I went too heavy handed with them and took me ages to blend them out so I don't look like a drag queen). I like the packaging as it is a great size to put in the make up bag, travel bag and it took a small spot in my makeup storage space (you can stack them up). So overall, thumbs up from me!!

Here is a quick swatch picture I took.

I would definitely go back to check out their other colours since the formula of their eyeshadow is brilliant. I would love to check out their other products too and see what else they could offer. Have you try Red Earth's products?

Love, Carol

I went crazy in Priceline Pharmacy

Exactly a week ago, Priceline had a 40 percent off all skincare promotion event for 2 days (long enough to do some damage). Of course, I got sucked in, TWICE! I spent a bit there, probably the biggest amount I've spent in Priceline. Ah well, who could resist 40 percent off all skincare hey?!

So here are the stuff I bought: (These are all new products I wanted to try out by the way)

First into my shopping basket, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ and Bioderma Sebium Mat Anti-Shine Fluid. Two of the French pharmacy items I've been wanting to try (the price was stopping me from getting them) and since there's 40 percent off, into the basket please! Then I popped over to the Yes To section and grabbed the grapefruit brightening facial wipes, cucumbers hypoallergenic facial towelettes for travel, grapefruit dark spot correcting serum and then I got their cucumbers daily calming moisturizer for my husband. I heard good stuff about this range but never really tried them and since it's on sale, it's a great time to put some stuff on trial! Over at Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden section, I got the 5 minute thermal detox mask. The word 'thermal' itself attracted my attention. I somehow think this would be a nice mask to put on during a cold night for some reason. Let's see how it goes! Only 1 item from the L'Oreal booth this time, I got the new Skin Perfection Magic Touch Instant Blur. From Sukin, I got the Botanical Body Wash (nice herbal scent) and the Hydrating Mist Toner which is in a spraying form (a bit different from the other toners). I saw this moisturizer  from Physicians Formula that claims to 'look 6 years younger in 4 weeks' with SPF15 in it and I want to look 6 years younger! So I bought it (I doubt the result would be what it claims but I do want to look younger!). 

New brand discovery: Formula 10.0.6. I never heard of this brand before but the packaging and the names are really appealing to me. Price wise, it's cheap and it's on sale too. So I grabbed these to try out Down to the Pore Blackhead Banishing Pore Strips with tea tree + kaolin, Over Night Success Overnight Spot Minimizing Patches with tea tree + grape seed, Rescue Me! Acne Blemish Treatment, Get Your Glow On Brightening Peel Off Mask with Papaya + Citrus (my first peel off mask! very excited to try it!), Deep Down Detox Ultra-Cleansing Mud Mask with Orange + Bergamot and No Time to Shine Oil-Absorbing Mud Mask with Sea Kelp + Calendula.

Lastly, I got more cleansing wipes from the fuss free naturals line, one is with citrus + pineapple enzymes and another one is with green tea + vitamin c. Always great to pack up some cleansing wipes since I use them everyday (to take off part of my make up before doing full facial cleansing routine).

Since I spent over a hundred dollars, Priceline have a gift bag for me and this is what's in the gift bag (jam packed with samples, products and a makeup bag).

So, in general, I get to save from the 40 percent off all skincare promotion and got some freebies, thank you Priceline! Did you get suck into Priceline 40 percent off all skincare event like I did? Can't wait for their next event!



Love,

Carol

Dinner Menu Planning

I used to be the type of person who goes to the supermarket almost everyday to shop for the ingredients of the dish I decided to cook that day. I never plan ahead when it comes to cooking but in my defense, I was unemployed and have the time to kill.

Since I got myself working in the retail world now, working hours are a bit different with the office hours; I normally finishes at 6 or 7pm. That means, I don't have much time to think, shop for ingredient and cook. Also, I decided to bring lunch to work as eating out (lunch) everyday gets pretty expensive after a while. I would rather put that amount of money into my funds for my future new Michael Kors handbag I'm eyeing on now. All these made me realized or actually gave me no choice but to plan dinner menu ahead according to my working timetable.

I wrote my dinner menu on the notepad I got from work at the moment since I just started this habit. I am planning to have a monthly dinner menu print out but I'm taking baby steps at the moment writing down weekly dinner menu. First I wrote down the days and put a star next to the day denote my day off and a capital 'L' to indicate my late shifts. Then I fill in with the dish I wanted to cook.

Ideally for the days I have work the next day, I would plan the dish that normally have enough left overs for lunch. For example, lasagna or fried rice. Then for the days that I have day off the next day, I would cook something like steak or fish with salad that don't have left overs. As for the days I finish earlier than usual, I would cook something that takes longer to make like chicken pie or beef stroganoff. As for the late shifts, I don't have to cook!

This actually helps a lot with money saving! Not just the lunch money but grocery shopping money too. Having dinner menu plan ahead, we know what to get during the grocery shopping time especially when there's sales on, a bonus because you know what you need instead of impulse buying.

So for the versatile dinner menu, I always write down a note on the notepad when I think of a different dish or when there's new recipe I want to try. I like choices so I would try not to repeat the dinner menu too often.

I know it's not hard to figure this habit out but I don't think many out there is having this dinner menu planning habit. I hope this post would inspire some of you out there. Think on the bright side, it's a food money saving and more shopping money :p

Love, Carol

My Current Skincare Routine

Hello there, can't believe my last post was on 29 April 2014, which is the day I started my last job. I was definitely busy! Long story short, I left my last job and got myself a new job at UGG Australia. Anyway, it's winter here in Melbourne so it's time to change a bit for my skincare routine.

Morning Routine:

First I start off with facial cleanse! For normal cleansing, I use l'Oréal gentle cleansing milk. I apply on my skin and massage them lightly on my skin. A good way to start off my morning with a mini facial massage. Then, I use cotton pad to remove the product. Sometimes, for a better cleanse, I use Bioderma Crealine H2O cleanser. I pour some on a cotton pad or 2 and wipe my face to clean. Water like product, simple, refreshing and one of the best cleanser I have ever experience. These two are my staple morning cleanser at the moment as they are the 'rinse free' type of cleanser. Quick and easy!

I'm using Elizabeth Arden Refining Toner Lotion after the cleanse. Not a fan of this toner (can't really tell what it did to my skin), I'm just trying to finish it up. Then I use Hydraluron by Indeed Laboratories as my morning serum. This hydration booster is awesome! I just need a pee size to apply on my face. I can feel my face absorb them right away, it's like a sponge with water! Skin hydration is very important especially in this harsh winter weather. Then I apply Vitamin E Gentle Eye Cream by Boots around my eye area. This is a creamy eye cream with SPF15. For moisturizer, I apply the l'Oréal luminosity code day dream. I love the lovely smell and silky creamy texture, hydrates my skin very well. I have combination to oily skin, using cream moisturizer is always a pain because I need the ones that will not leave my face looks and feels oily after the application. For this luminosity code, it is creamy form but once I apply on my face, it set nicely on my skin without the oily look or feel. For UV protection, I'm currently using l'Oréal UV perfect 12H Longlasting UV Protector. It has SPF50 and it's not oily on my skin. 

Night Routine:

I have makeup on most days, so makeup removal part is almost part of my night skincare routine. When I have thicker makeup on, I will usually use Topshop Facewipes to take my make-up off so my face can rest and breathe while doing other stuff at home. For a proper makeup removal, I use All Gone Eye and Lip Makeup Remover by Elizabeth Arden to take my eye makeup off. Then I use Bioderma Crealine H2O Cleanser to remove my makeup thoroughly. Everyone raved about Bioderma Crealine H2O cleanser, I really think it worth the hype! After all makeup removal, my eyes normally would be a bit puffy (because sometimes I rub my eyes too hard, I should stop doing that!). So, I use the Caffeine Eye Roll-on by Garnier to roll around my eye in circular motion. It's very soothing.

I will usually wash my face in the shower and I use the Rapid Clear 2 in 1 Cleanser Mask by Neutrogena. I love this product and I usually leave it on my face for about a minute or 2 before rinsing it off with water. I have wrote a blog post about it and you can read it here. Then I use the same toner as I used in the morning (mainly trying to finish it). For serum or facial oil, it depends on my skin that day, I alternate between 2 products. For a dryer skin day, I will use the Youth Boosting Therapists Secret Facial Oil by Sanctuary Spa. It is a mixture of pure oils; sunflower, jojoba and wheat germ oil. It's a dry oil I would say (not the ones that leave your face super oily), it soak into skin to help hydrate and condition. For a normal day, I would use Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum by Caudalie. It is an oil free serum, it's very moisturizing, smell divine and easy absorption, leaving my skin soft and supple. Lastly, I will apply my favourite night cream at the moment, Lait-Crème Concentré by Embryolisse. This is a cult favourite product, I bought it when I was in Paris to give it a try and I fell in love right away. A little go a long way, I just need a pee size to moisture my entire face. It boost my tired dehydrated skin (especially after wearing makeup for long hours), it acts like my 'face food'.

Caring for the lippy: 

Lip is part of our face after all, I always neglected them when I was younger but I finally learn to take care of them now. Exfoliate! I always exfoliate my lips after my facial cleanse when I remember (still trying to make it a habit). I have 2 products for this: Lip Exfoliator by Elf Cosmetics and Mint Julips Lip Scrub by Lush. They act like body scrub but these ones are for lip, they take the dead skin away, leaving my lip smooth without cracks (again it's winter, dry lip season here). Then I will apply lip balm to moisture. Usually I will apply Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm by Nuxe, it is a great product. It's very moisturizing and does not leave your lip glossy or sticky. Also, it smells great. On some days when I have a really really dry lip, I will put Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Lip Protectant. This fix my harshly cracked lip over the night, great stuff! I have Lip Conditioner by Caudalie stapled in my handbag. This is a quick nice smelling smack on lip balm in a lipstick form.

There you go! These are my skincare routine for the winter season. Stay warm, stay hydrated!


Love, Carol 

Duchess of Cambridge in Australia

The royal family (Prince William, Princess Catherine and Prince George) visited Australia earlier this month. For the Duchess of Cambridge and the little Prince George, it was their first visit to Australia. I always adore Kate's style and her choices of clothes during her visit here were gorgeous! I have collected some pictures from Vogue Australia to share. She's flawless!

Which one is my favourite look? I can't really choose to be honest!


Love, Carol

Easter Roadtrip

Hello! I hope you had a good Easter (if you celebrate Easter. I personally don't celebrate Easter but embracing the holidays!). So, long story short, we bought a car, it was at Byron Bay, we flew to Byron Bay to get the car and drove it down to Melbourne. Technically, it is a small holiday for us!

Day 1, we flew up to Ballina Byron Airport from Melbourne via Jetstar (did not know there is an airport there and it took us just about one and a half hour). Weather was great, sun was shining and perfect temperature for me (about 25degree). We spent our very short time in Byron Bay, strolling by the beach, it was very busy as expected since it is peak season (Easter holidays!).

We had lunch with Keith's aunt and uncle at the Byron Beach Cafe. Facing the sea, it is a great cafe to dine in. Casual, relaxing and very busy in the mean time (who doesn't want to dine facing the great sea view?! Especially their food was awesome!). I had the slow cooked pork belly and Keith had their BBQ Mahi-mahi, we were totally blown away, the food was divine! It's always great to walk after a big meal. We walked to the local beach-side market and bought ourselves some chocolate dipped frozen strawberries. Perfect for the warm weather we had there (about 29 degree)!

We hit the road to Coffs Harbour after our dessert.

Spent a night at Royal Palms Motor Inn in Coffs Harbour. We were thinking of spending a night at Byron Bay but all booked out (it is Easter Holiday after all).

We start our journey to Sydney at 6am in the morning (after our coffee and breakfast).

We arrived Sydney at about 1pm after the 6 hours drive! After checking into the Hyde Park Inn (where we spent our night in Sydney), we walked to Pitt St and had our lunch at 3 Mama Chef's. It is a Thai restaurant and we loved the food there (probably one of the best we have tried so far! Highly recommend it!). We strolled around the city and took some pictures, we had a great day! We realized there's Din Tai Fung near us in Sydney, we had our dinner there (we have been missing their dumplings!).

After a night sleep, we started our journey to home - Melbourne! It was a 9 hour drive trip. We packed the car with some drinks and snacks, just in case.

We turned into Yass, a nice little town that is over 150 years old! We didn't really have any proper breakfast and we didn't want any fast food drive-thru on the highway. Wonder around in the town to stretch out those legs, we spotted Cafe Dolcetto! We had our breakfast there and wow! The food was so fresh, simple and yummy (another place we highly recommend!)! Then we continue our trip back with a satisfied and full stomach!

We arrived home finally! Tiring but it was a great experience!! That is how we spent our Easter weekend on the road. 

Love, Carol