What's that black thing at the corner of my eye?

As though my skin problems are not enough, I am now 'plagued' with this small tiny black patch (it looks like the eye-liner which was drawn too thick) at the corner of my right eye? Could it be pigmentation?

It isn't bulging and I can't peel it off or scrape it off.  My son says it could be a mild bruise. I certainly hope so.

Get those shoes or clothes while you can

Have you ever gotten yourself ready with a clear mind and pack yourself with energy and a nice seasoned pair of flatties, ready to invade the shopping mall? You are clear on what to buy, in fact, you have a list stored in your mobile phone what to look for. You psychoed yourself you wouldn't leave the mall until you get X number of pairs of shoes or Y number of blouses or pairs of pants.

Your eyes are ready to feast on the numerous offers, your feet feel so strong.  But, after hours of browsing over clothings on offer, you can't seem to find something you would kill for.  You 'up' your budget and start to look for more expensive apparels.  Where are they? Either the size is out-of-stock or the colour is not available.  Gee.. how disappointing!

Now, I've learnt this lesson umpteenth years ago, which women don't? Never shop only when you are ready. Shop when you are not ready too. As soon as you come across any nice pair of shoes or clothing, grab them! (..even when you have exceeded your spending for that month.But, be sure you can afford this.)

You may just have strolled into a shop or boutique or departmental store and expect the least to part with any money. Alas! a nice pair of shoes, on offer, caught your attention.  They are on half-price. But, I don't need another pair of shoes yet.  Grab them first!  How often can there be an offer and the item is something you like? Busy moms like us don't have such luxury at times. You will end up feeling satisfied that you've gotten a good offer for something you like.  And, you need not shop for the rest of the year too.

I bought four pairs of shoes and sandals, all within an hour.  So lucky! I don't have to crowd with Chinese New Year shoppers for shoes.

My medical examination is overdue!

Can one look beautiful when she is unhealthy? NO! So, I am going to include posts relating to health in this blog.

When was your last medical check-up? Mine is overdue by at least two to three years.  I am overdue for my gynaecological as well as a general health check-up. How sick am I then? Ignorance is bliss.. not always, though my Mom always believes so when we touch the topic of chronic disease.

If such, why procrastinate? Except for general health screening, gynaecological examination is not the most pleasant one to go through, I have to admit and I believe most females would not disagree.  We possess the most tender and vulnerable anatomy, yet they are the ones which do not get the most attention.  How ironical?

Quick, quick, pick up the phone and date your gynaecologist.

Are those skin tags on my face?

This is something new, as always new but not good.  Worse still, if they are found on my face.  My beautician identified them as skin tag. But, I'm not really convinced yet.  After googling, skin tags are those 'unwanted' tiny bulging (some are those 'dangling' flesh) found mostly on neck and armpit areas. 

Of late, upon closer examination, I found a few white, bulging spots on my face. Yeah, mine are spots, not flesh.  My 'inexperienced' beautician seemed to stay away from my cheek areas when it came to the blackheads extraction process.  When asked, they claimed that my cheek area were free from blackheads and therefore needed no extraction. 

I'm little convinced by this advice. For two months straight in a row, I was spared from extraction on my cheeks.  This month, just a few days ago, I made sure my 'grievances' were heard by a senior. Somehow, the senior beautifician was occupied and sent me someone more junior than her to 'take care' of me, she assured. I wonder what's this senior doing as I had been hearing her voice chatting away at the reception area while I was in the salon room.

I need to find a way for someone to examine my face so that I can take measures to eliminate these unsightly spots or prevent further growth of them.

Those mats don't last

Rubber yoga mats, just like, sneakers or shoes will turn dry if not used for long.  I've not done yoga for more than a year.  So, my less than two-year-old yoga mat is slowly gathering dust on the outside of the cover.  It is slowly sticking together when rolled up, and the rubber is flaking too when scraped.

I hope it will get totally flaked so that I can find no use of it and discard it. What I fear is if the mat is only partially 'unusable', this will tempt me to hoard it until it is really not functional.

Comfortable innerwear

I found these innerwear very, very comfortable to the skin.Well, I mean when we are in our slumberland.  Forget about the lacy and seductive types first. You can still walk to the kitchen and yet not feel embarassed if you are caught in this by your kids.

As I do not want to be 'wrapped' up in those tight and restraining bra at night, these are good replacement, suitable to be worn for yoga and other forms of exercises too.

Are the whitening agent effective?

Mirror, mirror on the wall, when can I see a fairer me?

One brown spot is slowly whitening, from the middle of the round spot.  So, it looks rather like a ring. How odd and unusual can pigmentation be?

I was told I need to use a few bottles to slowly see effect.  It's only my first bottle of Extreme-C and the second bottle of Concentrate, so it means I need to have more patience.

Is creamy cleanser better than soap cleanser?

Before switching to Dermalogica about 14 years ago, I was a Clinique user for quite a number of years.   I used Clinique's soap cleanser (I think it was No.2) and I liked it because of the fresh and clean oil-free feeling on my face after cleansing.  I didn't have much problems then. 

Probably due to hormonal change, I noticed the tightness on my face each time after cleansing.  And my skin seemed to get more dehydrated that it started to peel, especially on my nose area.  Recommended by my sister, I went to a Dermalogica saloon. From then on, I've been alternating their creamy cleanser with the gel cleanser along with other brands. I had stopped using Clinique's soap cleanser since then.  The results were gradually seen as I don't have anymore peeling skin. 

Well, it has been 14 years and I think I will not switch products, unless I am undergoing another hormonal change.....(hope not so early)

My collection of Swarovski jewellery - Part 4

I like this Swarovski cross pendant for its simplicity and colour. To bring out the colour, this simple yet elegant piece is often worn with a dark-coloured blouse. I normally wore this with a black blouse.

Is this the side-effect of whitening powder?

I had my usual facial session the other day.  When it came to the application of exfoliant, I felt a slight stinging sensation on my face.  Normally, the beauty consultant would pre-empt me that I may have that feeling if my skin is dehydrated. 

I usually have that feeling too but just a little.  This time, the sensation was much greater and it was on most part of my face particularly on both my cheeks.  It was quite uncomfortable that I had to request the consultant to remove the exfoliant when she suggested it.

How could my skin be dehydrated and react to the exfoliant in that manner when I had been diligently using my skin hydrating mask more often? As expected, the consultant commented that my skin is sensitive.  In fact, she asked me to use mask more often.  Not wanting to disagree with her, I obligingly nodded my head. 

I have a strong feeling that the 'powerful' Extreme-C is the culprit.  Why not when the only thing different that month is I've started using this whitening product?  Could it be I've applied too much of it on my spot areas? Well, I thought perhaps a little more will whiten it sooner.

Local X-brand skincare products versus imported ones

Which one would you choose?  Are you a sucker for expensive imported skincare products? Or you are a user of any local X brand products such as Loreal, Nivea etc?

Are local products really effective in getting rid of common problems such as wrinkles or pigmentation?  If local products cost only a fraction of imported products, would they be as effective?  It just keeps reeling in my mind the effectiveness of such products when we can see famous celebrity such as Michelle Reis being ambassador for Loreal.  If these products are really effective, it's ironical that they don't burn a hole in women's pockets. 

How can those imported products compete with these more affordable local ones? Whatever is the reason, I stick to my own range of products which I have been loyally using for the past 15 years or so.  Having sensitive skin, I will never change products unless really necessary. 

When can I go back to my yoga again?

Next year, perhaps. With the first half of my day devoted to my kids, it's impossible that I can enrol myself to any yoga session.  And, I only prefer morning yoga although there are afternoon and night sessions offered by centres.

I desperately need one before my body go permanently 'out-of-shape'.

Powdery whitening product

Extreme C, in powder form is my latest whitening product and THE most expensive one I've ever bought.  Five years ago, I wouldn't bat an eyelid on such expensive product. But, now I need one desperately.  My face is becoming spotty for the wrong reason.

This product is supposed to be for spot areas only.  I was advised not to turn on the fan when I am applying it for fear of being blown by the wind.  So precious....every grain counts..

Hopefully I can see real results.

A gift from an ex-colleague

This pair of ear-ring is a gift from an ex-colleague. She was the one whom I bought those Swarovski jewellery from.  This simple piece was made by her. 

Farewell to My office wardrobe series - Part 3

I would celebrate if I could still fit in this piece of dress.  This dress was bought something like 10 years ago to usher in the Chinese New Year.  It's a rather 'Chinese' dress, as you can see from the oriental wave feature at the hem of the dress.  I also like the Chinese feature being balanced with some fiery red flowers (red is a prosperous colour for Chinese) and yet not so oriental. 

In the office, I wore this under a black cardigan or jacket.  A nice piece for formal as well as casual functions too. 

My collection of Swarovski jewellery - Part 3

 This choker with only a small piece of Swarovski bead around the pink Czech beads makes heads turn when worn with a matching dress. I used to match this piece when I wore either a purple or a pink top.  I remembered having inquisitive eyes falling on my choker to figure out the design of the pale pinkish beads surrounding the bigger pink Czech beads in the centre.

Attention is on the four-piece pink beads weaved together in the centre.  By the way, this choker looks demurely beautiful on a wearer's slim neck.  On days when I 'over-indulged' in binging, I would stay away from having this on my meaty neck.  It just took away the shine of this marvelous piece.

Freebies of cleanser

Two bottles of UltraCalming Cleanser worth about RM170 each bottle when you renew your membership. What a deal! What's the catch here? The products move too slowly, that's all I can think of. In all my 14 years as a member, I've not enjoyed such good bargain.

What chemicals do you put on your face every morning?

1. Cleanser
What a nice and fresh feeling when you cleanse your oily face with this cleaning agent? And I love gel or foam based one which gives a 'cleaner' after-wash feeling.

2. Face Oil
Optional but I love the scent of this oil.

3. Multi active toner
One fundamental chemical for the face.

4. Firming booster
Something I bought quite some time already and have not been using.  Supposed to firm up stubborn lines. Perhaps, it's timely to use it to conceal those lines surfacing before they deepen.

5. C12 concentrate
To be applied on discoloured areas or all over, it takes a few bottles for effect to be shown but I have yet to see this as this is only my second bottle.

6. Multi-vitamin power cream
Claims to work wonders for the eye area but I apply on areas where creases appear deeper, not necessarily the eyes.

7. Moisturiser
A must-have for my dehydrated face (as labelled by my beauty consultant). I should apply more if I sleep in an air-conditioned room, so they say.

8. Sun block
I never leave home without this at daytime. I will come back with more unsightly pigmentation if I choose therwise.

My sweet indulgence



Emm...this is newly added to my list of sweet stuff I love.  Bought this from Cold Storage, Berjaya Times Square.  At RM7, this is certainly not cheap to add to the waistline.



Sunblock spray

Be careful if you are using this kind of sunblock.  As this is sprayed on the skin, there may be a possibility of uneven or incomplete protection.  Compared to application on the skin which is easily controlled, spraying may not be so easy to use.  My other half used this for the first time and as a result his skin was unevenly tanned.  Obviously, some patches were not protected from the ray.