Itching for a Comeback!

Hey guys, so it's been over A YEAR PLUS since I last blogged. Sigh.. 

Guess work has been catching up and I was a bit too lazy to do much on the weekends (okay, not a bit but too lazy). But when I saw there is still visitors to my blog, especially those that came for my travel posts leaving comments saying how helpful the posts have been for them.. it somewhat inspired me to get my butt back to blogging and share my experience. 

So, I guess I'll be back soon!!

Hopefully I can cover back those trips I have made (Hong Kong and Singapore again) before my year end trip to Australia and very much looking forward to Japan as well.

Once again, thank you if you're still following my blog after all these MIA moments :)

Psst.. I have uploaded a new profile photo too, LOL!

See you soon guys!

Much loves, xoxo.

Kosé: Sekkisei Lotion Mask

Hello all, I'm finally back from my getaway at Bali. It was pretty hot there, both of my shoulders are burnt and I look slightly brown now. Ignoring that fact, it was an awesome one! Really enjoyed the relaxation and lifestyle there, very simple and chilling. Shall blog about it soon ❤

Sneak peek: Sunset dinner ❤

Back to my blog title, I shall blog about the Kosé workshop I attended for their Sekkisei Lotion Mask launch. This post was supposed to be up before I go to Bali but there were too many last minute arrangements in the way. A big shout out and thank you to Carmen for inviting me to the event. It was nice to meet her and Jess again and being able to spend some girly time together.

The event started with the staffs explaining to us about their products and what are the benefits. One thing that I find awesome is that their products are made for all skin types. So, one question.. Do you know the difference between a toner and a lotion? I've seen articles and videos from beauty gurus on Youtube stating that toner has smaller molecules than lotion and it helps your skin to absorb better any product that you apply afterwards. Also, the ability to minimize the size of your pores. BUT using only toner itself might actually cause harm to your skin as it might thin out the layers of your skin. Where as a lotion will hydrate and moisture your skin and with Sekkisei Lotion, you don't need to apply toner beforehand. How much more convenience can you ask for? 

Edited the brightness but Blogger doesn't load :(

These are the facial products that we all had the opportunity to try out!
From left to right: Cleansing cream, Lotion, Emulsion and BB Cream

I was looking forward most to try out their famous Sekkisei Lotion and also the BB Cream as nowadays I prefer to use BB Cream instead of foundations for its light texture.

Here are the benefits of the Sekkisei Lotion. Can be applied as lotion mask and boost up to 10x of moisture?!? I was very excited to try this out as my skin type is more towards dry and sensitive, definitely in need of some hydration. As we all did put on some light makeup to the event, we started with the most basic step of skin care regime, removing the makeup.

Step 1: Take a cherry size amount of cleansing cream and apply on your face in circular motion starting from your cheeks to the chin and then forehead. Followed by using two pieces of tissue to dab away the excess. Do this by placing the tissues on your face as how you usually place your mask on and gently press them down to absorb the excess. Next, use a wet cotton pad to clean or just wash it off with warm water.

I really love this product as it cleans very well and doesn't leave that dry feeling from using foam cleansers.

Moving on to the spotlight product, the Sekkisei Lotion.

Image from https://www.facebook.com/kose.malaysia

Step 2: First remove the cap and you'll notice a thin line at the inner top when you capsize it. Pour the lotion till the line. Take your mask (which looks so cute like an oversize pill) and drop it into the lotion. Wait for about 5 seconds for the mask to absorb the lotion and puff. Then gently open it and place on your face for a maximum of 10 minutes for full effect.

The lotion mask has a very strong smell when you put it on initially, this is due to the herbal ingredients used in the lotion. It's supposed to hydrate your skin while giving you the calming effects from the scent. The mask is very refreshing and my skin definitely feels like it went for an express treat! ❤

Btw, you can dab on a little extra of the lotion after the mask if you feel that it's not enough.

Our mask on selfie w Carmen and Jess ❤
Photo credits to Carmen.

Step 3: Pour a generous amount of the Sekkisei Emulsion onto the cotton pad (about the size of a 50cents coin) and apply on the face. And you are done with your skin care regime! Time to move on to makeup.

It was so nice that we get to try their skin care products together with their makeup range.

BB Cream, 2 shades.
No.1 for fair skin and no.2 for natural skin color

Model of the day was blogger Nana and they have a makeup guru, Mr Dobashi who came all the way from Japan to join us. He looks like the Japanese version of Vanness Wu. Pretty humble and funny guy. He overheard our conversation and joked that Vanness Wu is his brother. Twins I would say, LOL.

Took this shot after putting on the BB Cream on half of my face to see the difference. Can you spot which side did I applied on?

*Hint: My face was a little blushing red before that (;

My opinion on the BB Cream?
Super duper love this product! The texture was so light that it felt like you have zero makeup on your face yet the coverage was awesome! I would definitely consider splurging a little extra for this baby someday.

Full face with the BB Cream. Looks a little flawless right? No editing and my red spots were totally covered well by the product. Works like magic! ❤

This is their cream blusher but the texture has a powder like finish. Love the coral shade color on the left.

Jess was so lucky to have Mr Dobashi helping her
Photo credits to Carmen.

Last touch to all, a little face powder to set the makeup and you are ready to go!

We have a little refreshment and Q&A session. Of course not missing out on the chance to take photos with our Vanness Wu!

Carmen took this while I was munching on the chocolate cake,
hence the hamster face.
Photo credits to Carmen.

Photo credits to Carmen.

And a group photo with all fellow bloggers and Mr Dobashi to end the night.

We all got a goody bag too with samples of some products. Might do a product review on that.

Till then, 

❤

Much loves, xoxo.

Food: Cosans Coffee

Time really flies.. So fast it's another weekend and it's so close to CNY already! Have you done your shopping yet? I'm sure the shopping malls would be more crowded than usual with all the last minute shoppers, not to mention the jams and parking issues. The thought of it makes me lazy and don't want to leave the house (sloth mode on).

In case you didn't know yet, there's a new coffee house in Subang!

It just opened recently and they had a private event with invited fellow bloggers for a little food & coffee tasting. I didn't get a photo of the exterior as they were still setting up some lights and stuff (didn't want to kacau their work).

First impression when I stepped in, "Yup, I'm starting to like this place already even without tasting the food yet". I really like their interior space, it's all so simple yet cozy which makes you feel like you want to just enjoy your coffee and spend whole day reading some romantic novel there. Plus, their staffs were really friendly and welcoming (bonus points for them)!

Everyone's favorite, goody bags!

Credits to Serah @ http://viviryamarlavida.blogspot.com/

I was already starting to feel a little hungry when I got there and looking at this doesn't make things better.

Seems like they have already arranged them accordingly; salads for starter, sandwiches for main and cakes for dessert. They do have soups too! But they weren't serving soups that evening so I didn't get to try.

It was still early when we got there so we went around taking some photos.

The sofas were different but they complement each other well. Something different from the ordinary cafes which has same tables and chairs. I like really the posters hung around together with the mini spotlights, all adds to the vibe.
Oh, did I mention that the sofas are uber comfy to sit on too? 

Credits to Serah @ http://viviryamarlavida.blogspot.com

This spot would be awesome if you have a big group of people. Really love the big windows, can do some people watching while sipping a cuppa.

Their signature house blends; Equarre and Carreau.

Carreau has a fruitier and sweeter taste while Equarre is bitter and has a nutty taste. 

(read more about it here)

My pick: Carreau House Blend  ❤

Left: Cappucino
Right: Cosans Latte (one of the signatures)

Our drinks were free flow that evening, how nice of them!

Wide selection of drinks : coffee, frappe, tea, sodas, chocolate drinks and yogurt smoothies

I did not pick which beans I wanted for my coffee so the barista prep it for me. I tasted bitter and strong burnt taste then I added some sugar into it. It's better but the burnt taste lingers there. As for the Latte, it has the right balance of both coffee and milk while the level of sweetness is perfect even without sugar.

They serve their coffee with brown sugar ❤

We were served two of their sandwiches that evening; Asianese Roasted Chicken and Smoked Duckling.

Love the tender juicy chicken thighs, lemongrass and overall flavor but it would be better if there's a bit more chicken in it as I tasted more of the greens rather than a balance of both. I would also prefer if they ask the customers whether or not they want to have coriander in it. I know it's part of the recipe but I am a strong hater of coriander :(

Credits to Emily @ http://emilychoong.blogspot.com/

This is something that I would go for during my next visit there. Smoked duck with mozarella, arugula and tomatoes, how does that sound to you? Heaven! :D I definitely prefer this much more than the Asianese Roasted Chicken as the duck was good together with the cheese, everything seems to go perfectly well with each other. 

Blogging about it now makes me hungry.

My most anticipated session for the evening, a demonstration by their award winning barista on the two coffee brewing methods; Aeropress and Pour Over. You would never guess that preparing a good cuppa coffee requires tonnes of effort behind it.

CEO of Cosans Coffee, Mr Matthew introduced and thanked his staffs one by one for all of their hard work in making the cafe happened. In less than 3 months, they came up with everything from scratch, from the concepts, designs, all the way to the art of coffee. He also mentioned the meaning behind Cosans.

Co = Coffee, San = Sense, S = Social Responsibility

After that, they had a lucky draw session where 6 winners are picked. Too bad I wasn't in luck.

We continued to mingle around and have more drinks!

Credits to Emily @ http://emilychoong.blogspot.com/
From left: Carmen, Emily, Sandra, me and Serah 

Some of the fellow bloggers that we managed to take a photo with using Emily's camera! :D

I'm so happy to meet all of you lovelies ❤

The staff took a polaroid shot of us. Yay for the photo as Jessica and Jia Qi's in it! ❤

Try to spot us when you visit this cafe!

In each of our goody bag ...

❤ A bag of Carreau house blend (YAY!)

❤ Two packets of Dammann Fréres tea; Black tea and Chamomile herbal tea

❤ Two packets of Gryphon's artisan selection teas; Hanami (blend #152) and Lemon Ginger Mint (blend #212)

❤ A name card with the serial number for the earlier lucky draw session

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

My overall experience there was great, will definitely drop by again for a cuppa soon!

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For more info, you can visit their website or FB page.

Opening hours: 

10am - 12am (Sunday - Thursday)

10am - 2am (Friday & Saturday)

Address:

No 30 (Ground Floor), Jalan SS15/4, Subang Jaya

Tel : 03-5612 9600

Much loves, xoxo.

Liebster Award for Bloggers

What is the Liebster Award? 

"The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers which reputedly started in Germany.  "Liebster" is a German word which carries several meanings such as sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. So in other words, you can put it as the "Favorite Blog Award" given by one blogger to another."   

First of all, a BIG THANK YOU to my dear friend, Nicole for nominating me for this award.

I started blogging with the intention to share and to express my feelings and this serves as an encouragement and motivation for me to do better. I still consider myself new to this whole blogging experience although it had been months because there are a lot more for me to learn from all fellow bloggers out there. And it is said that the Liebster award was created to recognize and/or discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere. Therefore, I really appreciate this recognition and support ❤

So, yea.. I hope I can blog more interesting stuff to gain more readers (:

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Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Post about the award on your blog.

2. Answer the questions that the blogger has set for you plus create another 11 questions for the nominees of the blogs you nominated. 

(Blogs nominated must have less than 200 followers)

3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.

4. No tag backs!

Here are my answers to Nikoru Nicole's questions (all in purple):
1. Does blogging interfere with your personal life?
No, I think it doesn't as I only blog for leisure and sharing purposes. My main focus is still on my studies, family and friends.

2. Do you find blogging hard?
Sometimes. Because at times I have a lot to blog about but I didn't have the time due to classes and other commitments and other times is mainly because I don't really have a topic to blog about. I'm still learning to make my blog better and more interesting.

3. What makes you smile?
Actually it's pretty easy to make me smile. Just smile at me and you've got me! (:

4. What can you say about 'dream'?
Without dreams, there wouldn't be dreamers. And without dreamers, so many things wouldn't have exist. You can dream all you want but remember to chase them or you'll never catch you dreams. Stay calm and keep dreaming! (:

5. What is your dream?
To spend my life with loved ones around.

6. What do you envy most?
Sweet old loving couples who still hold hands and care for each other.

7. One thing you hate about blogging/bloggers?
Nothing in particular but I do not support/encourage people to do 'hate blog posts'. We'll never know the truth listening to one side stories.

8. Tell us one of your bad habit & good habit.
Good: I need to keep my things clean and organized most of the time.
Bad: OCD? I tend to run through everything and check several times to make sure that it's all good.

9. List 3 future goals you want to achieve.
❤ To graduate with a first class honors.
❤ Travel around the world and learn something new.
❤ Set up my own business while being an awesome blogger.

10. Who would be your perfect dinner date and why?
No one in particular as long as the person I'm having dinner with is an enjoyable company.

11. If you had 3 wishes that you could get answered instantly what you wish for and why?
❤ Global peace and love. It saddens me to read news from all over the world reporting bizarre cases such as 'rape festivals', unnecessary killings for fun and gold, disasters and etc.
❤ Health for everyone. I believe that health is always more important than wealth as no matter how rich you are, you can't buy health.
❤ Success. I want to be a successful independent woman! :D

And now I would like to nominate 11 blogs that I think deserve this recognition..

* drum roooooooollssssssssssss *

1. Jessica Yong - It's Jess!

2. Jenn Jennie - www.jenngorgeous.com

3. Serah Lim - Vivir Y Amar La Vida

4. Fibiee Liew - fibieelyh.blogspot.com

5. Jq Lee - Nia Angel by JQ Lee

6. Audrey Looi Niyen - Audrey Looi.com

7. Sabrina N. Azmi - Sabby Prue

8. Nicole Yie - [N]icole [Y]ie

9. Shi Kee - Shikee - Just Being Ordinary

10. Shivani Balraj - Pen My Blog

11. Koeyy Leow - www.koeyleow.com

My 11 questions to my fellow nominees: 
1. What attracts you?
2. Favourite fashion brands / designers?
3. What is the thing you would wanna do if the world ends at the very next hour?
4. Favourite makeup brands and recommendations?
5. Craziest thing you've done before.
6. Favourite quote or principle?
7. If you could turn back time, what would you change?
8. What inspires you to blog?
9. What are your honest opinions on my blog? (Suggestions are welcomed for me to improve ^^)
10. 3 words that best describe you.
11. Who matters most to you?

And by this, I shall end this post.

Thank you so much again for the award and best of luck to my fellow nominees! (:

Bonne chance! ❤

Much loves, xoxo.