i've got EARTH on my face!

I remember very well the very 1st time i saw a Bare Escentuals tv ad in QVC channel when i was in the states with Z, exactly 4.5years ago.  It featured its founder, Leslie Blodgett as the spokesperson doing a makeup transformation on a model, with her BEFORE & AFTER looks.  The way her product, ie. Bare Minerals foundation enhanced the model's complexion is rather amazing, she simply swirl-swirl-swirled, tap-tap-tapped, then buffed away, and tadaaaaaa........a glowing and flawless complexion is there for the showing!  Just look at her photo here (courtesy of B.E's website btw), and you will understand my amazement.....

In the ad, those beautiful complexions that i saw did NOT appear photoshop perfect, instead appeared real, but more beautiful and glowing.  And that was why i was intrigued, becoz at least it's not as fake and misleading as cosmetic ads by big brand names where their models practically looked like angels (not that i actually know how an angel looks like.....), in short, UNreal!

I got hooked by B.E's ad that day....and silently, i was determined to find a way to get my hands on it while i was still there....and the chance came in our trip to San Fransisco, B.E's place of origins:D  I brought back 3 jars of Bare Minerals foundation, 2 jars of its Mineral Veil, 1 jar of eye shadow (coz I wasn't convinced i would like using powdery shadow that might drop into my eyes later!), and 1 jar of blush!  And oh! I got the B.E's Kabuki brush @ USD28 (RM110 at that time coz exchange rate was around 3.8+ :o )

Why so many jars, u ask?

At the time, B.E was the pioneer and the 1st brand for minerals foundation, my dear....

And it definitely would not come visit our shores anytime soon...and I needed it for my upcoming wedding (yupe, i did my own make up, used my own too).

In any case you're still in the dark about minerals cosmetics, here's a piece of info i copied from B.E for their Bare Minerals foundation:

"Made with pure, crushed minerals from the earth, bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation looks like a powder, feels like a cream and buffs on like silk, giving skin a natural luminosity. Free of preservatives, talc, oil, waxes, fragrances, and other chemicals that can irritate skin and cause breakouts, its ideal for all skin types and conditions, from sensitive skins to acne and rosacea. Our weightless, silky minerals give you flawless coverage with the amazing look and sensation of radiant bare skin. Plus, it provides natural SPF 15 broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection. What's not to love?"

Yeah, what's not to love!?  PLUS, their famous caption is: "So good you can sleep in it!"

That's why i love it this long!

So when Maybelline, Loreal, etc came out with their minerals foundation last year (i think), I was already using minerals foundation for about 4 years, that's how longgggg it took a new 'invention' to reach us! tsk tsk tsk....  And now, you can actually find hundreds, if not thousands (i dunno!) of brands in the states alone for this 'earthy' cosmetic, some are better than the others, some pricier but lousier......you gotta be your own judge, be smart!

If you are one looking out for a brand to try out....just take this advice from me:

READ THE LABELS!  DO NOT BUY THE ONES THAT SAYS 95% natural, it has got to be 100%, DO NOT BUY THE ONE WITH BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE in its ingredients list!  It makes your skin itch a little.....u know....ticklish ticklish kinda itch....

and sadly to say, Bare Minerals has got IT!  And i only recently realized why i always get geli-geli feeling on my face whenever i have foundation on! :P  And to think i thought it was acceptable, normal.....HEEESSHHH! haha...

*Bismuth O: gives the shimmery glowy effect when added into cosmetics.

THANKFULLY, nowadays we have many brands out there which do not include bismuth in their minerals, phew!!!  And I am thankful i googled "What is the best minerals foundation?" last week too, coz that's how i got to read from forums about this bismuthy thingie!  So, i found 3 brands (Monave, Lumiere and Every Day Minerals) as candidates, to be my loyal substitute for my old friend B.E.....i just got the sample jars today, very excited and anticipating to try it tomorrow......and I will update here when i have decided which is "THE ONE", alrite!?  :D

***Might throw in a bonus of the BEFORE & AFTER pix too....hehehehe.....we shall see!

DA way 2 a man's heart....

is thru his tummy, they say????

 

LOL! I don't know why, but everytime i heard somebody saying this, i would be grinning 'internally' while imagining a plump (that's the minimum) happy hubby whom that somebody has (if it's a she),  or whom that somebody would become one day.... :P

So, knowing how much both of us enjoyed mum's chicken curry on sunday till we didn't have enough, i repeated chicken curry yesterday for dinner!  I SMS-ed Z to 'notify' that there will be the same chicken curry later......anticipation bahhh.... but i knew him all too well.....he might be thinking MY curry would not be even close as good as mum's....so nvm that...

2 minutes into our dinner....i broke the silence... "So, how's it?"

Z: What?

Me: My curry lah! :P

Z: You see me eating till no sound no sound means i am enjoying it lah.....seeeeeee...now u have broken my 'RHYTHM" of enjoying it!

Me: huhhh??? Of course i need some kind of opinion or comment mah....abuden? how to improve worrr...

Z: Heh! I didn't know you would be able to cook such a good curry!  You know how many times i tried curry in uni years and never even come close to this?? 

:D

That last sentence is enough to put a grin on my oily face.... LOL!

***In case any of you are wondering.....after cooking, of course oily-faced lah....not to mention the hair too! :P

And no, no photo for it....we dug too fast into it.....by the time i remembered, it was indecent to snap a photo already.....maybe next time ya.... hehehehe...

Photoshop my imperfections, please!

After experimenting with a few skincare products for blemished skin, i think i finally found the one truly MATTE day moisturizer in Eucerin's newly renamed range for acne-prone skin, ie. EUCERIN DERMO PURIFYER Cream Gel! Trust me, i have tried VICHY's NORMADERM Hydracare (day moisturizer), it's actually my favourite still coz it has a very fresh smell, spreads on very nicely, absorbs fast too....just that it's not as matte as Eucerin's, that's all. Plus, there's another downside to it too....no, make it TWO....it's 2.5x more expensive than Eucerin's, and at the moment, it's sold out in all the Guardian's here in Kuching!

The even more fabulous thing about this Eucerin DermoPURIFYER Cream Gel (RM48.90 before 10% discount @Guardian's now) is that even after i sweated so terribly, my cheeks stay matte! No kidding! This is a first, i tell u....at least for me!

Eucerin DermoPURIFYER Cream Gel's info:

Attributes:

• 2% Lactic Acid Follicle Targeting System
• Comedolytic action
• Anti-bacterial
• Non-comedogenic
• Oil-free

Benefits:

• Significantly reduces impurities and prevents the formation of new ones, while providing oil-free moisturization. Improves skin condition within 3 weeks revealing a healthy-looking and clearer complexion.

Ingredients:
Aqua, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Cyclomethicone, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lactic Acid, Sorbitan Stearate, Panthenol, PEG-150 Distearate, Serine, Gly-cine, Lecithin, Alanine, Bisabolol, Xanthan Gum, Titanium Dioxide, Trisodium NTA, Disodium Phosphate, Potassium Phosphate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum.

Pssstt!!! The thing i wished Eucerin would have done differently was to have their products PARABENS-FREE :( But at the moment i think i'd need to own a normal skin before worrying about those BENs :P, well, till somebody comes up with a range of skincare like this range minus the parabens!

You see, me and Sis#2 (aka www.sketchbookoflife.com) have this shiny skin with pore issue, and we truly hate moisturizers that make our face look like we covered it with clingwrap!!! So right now, i am just too happy to have found a day moisturizer that stays matte and i think it's really helping with my currently crazy blemished skin too!

And becoz this is Eucerin's newly renamed range (this range was named differently previously), they are now having a promotion, where you can buy this DermoPURIFYER Cover Stick (for pimples obviously) at 50% with any purchase of the DermoPURIFYER range. Original price for this stick is RM48.90 as well, pretty pricey for something lidat i must admit, but well, i got 1 to try since i can buy it at half price!

Just yesterday as I was doing my morning routine of washing, toning, moisturizing with the cream gel, i then used this Cover Stick on my pimples....it's actually kinda fun...LOL! Sure it doesn't match my skintone to the T, but at least it's NOT PIMPLES that I am seeing in the mirror, u get what i mean??? So, the more i 'color', the more i imagined how great it would be for all women to have a magic 'photoshopy' stick (or WAND), then i could just color color color, or should i say cover cover cover my dark circles, the fine lines under my eyes......u get the flow.... :P Thankfully, before i used that cover stick to colour my entire face, i starting laughing at myself in my head.....imagining my sis' reaction when she reads this.....!!! Coz i am pretty darn sure she would definitely 'understand' the temptation that i had! haha...

Oh btw, i just got the cleanser and toner from this DermoPURIFYER range too! Both are priced at RM34.90 each. I really gotta try it u know....my skin has been behaving crazily the past few mths, breaking out in whiteheads and pimples.....but it's improving.....PHEW!!!

(And, to know how positive i am about this? I was actually asking myself, what happens after my skin is OK again??? Do i continue to use this range? or what?...hmmm....i think i still have plenty of time to consider that WHEN my skin really turns back normal, rite?!)

***Added on 11th September 2009:
I personally feel that the Cover Stick is not effective enough....pimples (mine) do not dry out even after 2 days' applications, I guess the active ingredients are not substantial to dry pimples out?
(Just thought I'd share this update in case anybody's searching hi n low for a cover stick that won't waste their $$$)

Cleaning Sunday :)

Wow...we have just cleaned the entire downstairs, i covered the grills and windows (all 17 large panels to be exact and i just realized i missed out the 3 at the laundry room!), Z did some gardening and deck-washing, Kyra and Maia did plenty of kepo-ing! :P

Then i vacuumed and mopped the entire living, dining and kitchen....

Hmm...i must say it really feels good to have a neat n clean space to kick back and relax while watching a good something on tv with people that you love most.......that to me, is enough to be considered simple luxuries! :)

It's 5pm, Z wanted to cook TWO packets of Maggie instant noodles but i forbade him and he got upset! LOL! (We have steamboat dinner at God Ma's house at 6pm mahhh!!!! Though i know he doesnt fancy that kind of steamboat but well.......a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do! ie. eat when you are 'supposed' to! ) :P

How upset was he?

Well, he asked me: "If you crave for your fave Margarita, then i serve you Coke, how would u feel?"

ME: Well, I crave for it plenty of times, but I always ended up with not much choice but to enjoy my Earl Grey!????  :D   :D   :D

Anyway, i had a great time house-cleaning today....we should do this more often as a productive family time together...haha...great calories burning workout too!  Oh, as i was wiping the huge glass door, i made some simple calculations: 

I dont use a domestic maid, I do all house chores by myself, I dont have to go to the gym to stay trim (Heck! I wont have the time too), I think I am pretty frugal as a wife huh!  Anyway, frugality is not the main reason I do everything by myself.....I dunno...maybe I got this from Mum...she does EVERYTHING by herself for as long as I could remember.......back then, she even had to wash all our clothes by hand, can you imagine?  She had to clean, wash, cook, handle both me n sis (at the time there were just 2 of us, the other fussy 2 were not available yet! :).  And late grandparents' bungalow was not medium in size, mind you, it was huge!  Nobody really knew appreciated her hard works in that house...but today, I think she's a very lucky not-so-old lady..hehehe.....that's what matters!

 

Random me....

It's been so many days since i've written a thing here...but i always 'wrote' things, stories, thoughts in my mind though... :P  (i guess i should start making my writing desk more attractive)

The week had passed, and i have cooked quite a number of dishes i have never done before...some are unheard of too! LOL!...shark meat fillet with dip, asparagus with big prawn...YUMMY! Baked pasta in creamy sauce topped with mozzarella....yupe, real meals....and i am starting to feel motivated to learn more n more new dishes, really!

It's saturday, so we have nowhere to go to spend some family time OUTSIDE, so off to the Spring, well, what to do....can't go to Ikano, nor the 'valley'.....sigh.....

And so i stepped into Parkson, browsed a bit...was actually trying to find a plastic spray bottle to fill with glass cleaner solution, coz yours truly is actually planning to spring clean the house, and clean all the glass 'elements' in it this weekend......i didn't find that..but instead, i ended up getting 5 very quaint-colored 8R photo frames......why do i say quaint? no, it's not magical or anything lidat.....it's in duck egg blue with a silver lining.......yes, duck egg blue.....it's almost like an item you'd pick up from Laura Ashley, no kidding!

The more quaint thing is the price!  After 20% discount, i had to pay only RM8.80 for one classy looking quaint frame! And in solid wood and furniture quality finish too! :)

I 'sapu' all, well, only 5 left on the rack.  So i left Parkson a happier me!

(I shall show you the pix of the frames with OUR photos in it, all hung up much later ya!)

On top of this, i've been 'planning' Maia's upcoming 2nd birthday party....in the comfort of my very own brain , ie!  Oh, it's very interesting...... keywords: plenty of DIY-ed items :D

Happy Sunday, in advance! :D

*This blue is almost like the duck egg blue frame i got...i imagine it would go perfectly with this room here! 

I can't wait!

for the Elba cake mixer that Z redeemed for me through his treatpoints! Yes, i still do not own one at all, even though cake mixer can be as affordable as RM69 (manual handheld lah of course!).

In my mind, i have something that i have been wanting to try.....fondant! To be more precise, Little M's 2nd birthday cake with fondant! :O I know it's a little far-fetched, especially for someone who has never made fondant before,

but worth a try! Worse comes to worst, it ends up looking as crappy as her mother's handwriting? haha.....

Anyway, the 'other' reason why i had this in mind, is coz you won't be able to find fondant cakes in this lil old city (yeah, i was gonna type 'town' instead!), seems like no bakery in kuching is capable of doing decorative fondant cakes, yet! (But i am sure there are individuals out there who can do it domestically). Plus, it's kinda boring to have the same old same old fresh cream ugly cartoon character birthday cake as per previous years.......

So, this is my future cake mixer:

Elba Stand Mix

er ELB-ESMB9925SS - 300W. 5 speeds.

Turbo control and safety function.

Steel dough hooks and beaters included.

26,000 TP HotSpot (SNHS1153)
HotDeals: 14,000TP + RM70 (HSN0153)

And the best thing is, the black & stainless-steel colours match my entire kitchen's colour scheme to the T! :D

*******************************

Oh oh oh!!! I just thought of this...like 5 seconds ago.....

instead of trying super hard to make this type of girly girly birthday cake for Little M, i might as well make her POPO into her 2nd birthday cake!!!! What a brilliant idea eh??? :P (Not to mention it is wayyyyyyy easier than the stick thin barbie with boobies!)

And oh oh oh!!!! I can just imagine her excitement, and i can even picture the way she would exclaim happily and say "POPO!!!!!".....haha....ok ok, POPO it shall be! (and her birthday guests would be left wondering what the heck is this 'thing' looking like an alien sausage with chicken pox! :O)

Lidat arh.... that means i gotta practise rolling large format fondant pieces :O (not that easy tho!)

but well, i have 3.5mths to go! *wink*

THE BEAUTY: Barbie princess super beautiful birthday cake.

AND THE BEAST: IKEA Hippo bolster = Little M's lovey that she can't do without!

UEK!!!! :P

I think i cheered too early for this...

Well, just 2 days ago, i gladly told Z that Little K hasn't fallen sick for an entire 2 week stretch :O

Why is this surprising, you ask?

Owh....ever since she started kindie,  her health schedule goes like this:

1 week clear, 1 week sick, 1 week clear, 1 week sick, 

OR, worse,

1 week clear, 2 weeks sick, 1 week clear, 3 weeks sick!

:P

SO, yesterday she started having mild fever, which was fine coz it was only 37.3c.

Unfortunately, just now her fever started going up to 37.8c, and she puked at dinner! :O

I see her nose running around in the living room too! :P

sigh......let's just hope she will be fine asap, without going to the Doc and be prescribed with 

antibiotics (as per usual!).......

PACK-A-PUNCH sandwich :D

well, i made a very nutritious and delicious sandwich for lunch today...

Little K 'sapu' her entire portion cleanly...and that really made me like THIS sandwich even more!

ok, here's the recipe for my very own and original PACK-A-PUNCH sandwich:

INGREDIENTS:

- sandwich bread (you can opt for ordinary bread or buns too! or even baguette)

- egg, beated, then 'season' with a lil bit of salt and pepper for taste

- lettuce

- cheese slice (i am using cheddar)

- ham (or homecooked meat slices is even better)

- mayonnaise (a tiny bit will do!)

- black pepper

- avocado, sliced thinly

- tomato, sliced

HOW YOU DO IT?

i think by looking at the ingredients, it is already very much self-explanatory?

:D

Very easy to prepare, tastes great, and not forgetting the whole combo truly packs a punch

of all the necessary nutrients!!! (avocado is a brain food afterall!)

Ayam masak manis :D

i lurrrvvveeeee ayam masak merah, very much in fact! but it has to be deep fried with skin intact, thus, making it 1 of the last choice in my personal menu that i'd cook for the babes! (fatty and less healthy mah.... :P)

So, this is a kiddie variation, but trust me, it's as finger lickin good as the A.M.M ok!

(coz my madher ate lots of it too, for lunch just now! :D )

INGREDIENTS:

- chicken breast meat, diced or sliced (i sliced mine into small pieces so it's easier for the babes)

- potatoes, cubed!

- tomatoes, cubed!

- red onions, minced!

- cooking oil or butter

- some water

- sugar, salt & pepper to taste

- tomato ketchup

NOTE!

***i marinaded my chicken meat with salt, pepper, light soy sauce & black sesame oil.

But even if you skip this step, i doubt this dish won't turn out just as nice :D

HOW YOU DO IT?

1) Heat up oil in wok

2) Add in onions, fry till fragrant!

3) Throw in potatoes, cook for a while till it's soft enough to eat! (otherwise, don't blame me if you kid refuses to swallow it)

4) Add in chicken meat, fry till cooked.

5) Then, put a few tablespoonfuls of tomato ketchup, sugar, salt & pepper to taste!

6) Add some water if you don't like it dry!

VERDICT?

Yummmm!!!!! I love it too! Btw, i skip putting any starch into it coz i personally feel it's not necessary, but those who cook this dish with more water, you can add it if that's what u like.

Kyra loves it, ate a whole plateful of it with rice, Maia loves it, Madher loves it (i suspect), I love it.....EVERYBODY loves it....

So, what are you waiting for?

today i fell in love......

with a bag, that is....

:P

How uncommon is that for a woman, any woman to fall head over heels with a handbag, or shoes, rite?  But this love dilemma happened not becoz it's  ANOTHER new bag on the block, new me on the broke!  This bag was handmade by the mother of a multi talented designer (Patty Young) who designed amazingly beauttttiiiiifulllll fabrics used for it!!!  My love story with the doter's fabrics started a few months ago, and almost every time when i sew or make something, you bet i'd be wishing to get my hands on those supernice creations:( (but unfortunately for us, these are not available in our shores...in fact, far from it!)

You just know when you have such amazingly beautiful fabrics, not much can go wrong....

unless of course you dress up your curtains, kids, dog, car and yourself with it????!!!! :O

Ok, here they are.....(i love big roomy bags! that's even more WHY!)

GREEN: Amy Butler fabrics, RED: Patty Young fabrics

Both USD59.99 :(

let's start with.......FRENCH ONION SOUP?

1st, i forgot to snap pix of it.

2nd, i know you must be wondering "why onion soup" on her 2nd post?*

3rd, like i mentioned, i might have s.t.m.l** anytime, so i just 'record' anything i like and need :P

*coz my XTREME-fussy lil eater loves it! that's why!

**short term memory loss (i cant afford to FORGET to cook something that can make my XFLEater eat 3x faster than her normal rate, can i?)

ok, here it is! (btw, i saw this on Astro 2 days ago, something entitled 'french food at home'?)

INGREDIENTS:

- large onions, sliced

- GRUYERE cheese (i dont know what the heck this is, yet! and i dont have it impromptu, so i replaced it with cheddar! i am not a fussy eater anyway, and it adds calcium!)

- butter

- salt & pepper to taste

- white wine (you can opt for Apple Cider Vinegar?)

- flour

- water

HOW YOU DO IT?

1) Melt butter

2) Add sliced onions and fry it till golden

3) Add water (up to you to estimate), flour, wine, salt and pepper, cheese,

and let it simmer!

VERDICT?

It's not really that yummy, or maybe coz i actually replaced the white wine and the cheese that caused it, i am not sure, :P so i topped it up with a few EXTRAssssss (more nutrients, and btw, i dont usually cook food that are loaded with calories but low on nutrients, i think it's such a waste of our spare tyre(s)!

So i added these:

* button mushrooms (champignon), sliced

* diced chicken meat

* dried scallop :D

AND......my doter loves it, that's what matters! :)

finally.......

You must be wondering why my opening post's title is sooooooo ending, rite?

Well, i finally get started on writing an open journal......a blog as most of u would call yours....

But my main reason for doing this is not to earn money, nor to gain popularity whatsoever....

I have only one simple but important reason and that is, i do not want to look back in years to come, and wondered why i never jot down all the cute things that had happened in my life....

(and in my case, most of the cute things usually involve 2 very kepoci little creatures) :D

I have come to realize and accept that my handwriting is so crappy nowadays (and i blame it on keypads and technology)! :P trust me when i say i have tried starting a real journal, u know....the BUKU type.....but after writing the 1st few sentence.....i remember feeling disgusted by what's staring back at me, no no....not the contents, not the substance...haha....but yeah, i've got a HUGE issue with my ugly handwriting......(even Z chuckled and laughed when he 1st noticed how ugly they were! imagine that!).  So that's how i figured typing is still the best consolation, for me....and for u.

So, i shall cut the crap and "WELCOME TO MY 'BLOG'!"