Beautyholics Anonymous » Shopping Haul

Hello Malaysia!

Tine — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:20 +0000

Note: This is a picture-heavy post

I was just going through the photos of the trip to Malaysia and realised that I took most of the pictures of my holiday with my phone. I guess it’s easier than lugging around a camera in a bag. So do forgive the quality of some of the pictures you see below as some are rather grainy.

Thought I’d share more highlights of my trip with you.

The Christmas decorations were absolutely gorgeous. Some tastefully done, some quite over-the-top. Either way, Christmas decorations in Asia beat the ones in Australia any time, even MYER’s Christmas windows.

The food. I’ve mentioned it before in my last update when I was in Malaysia, but really, why go to Malaysia if you ain’t gonna eat?

Catching up with my good mates. Next to my family, they were one of the best highlights of my trip
Visiting the Batik Factory in Penang. I visited the factory yonks ago when I was in primary school as part of a class excursion. I could still remember how batik was made, and it was fascinating seeing the old ladies creating batik by hand. It’s a painstaking, highly meticulous process and it’s no wonder why the real shizz cost so much. The cheap batik pieces you see at Malaysian flea markets? Most aren’t handmade, but printed on.

Visiting Singapore again after 20 years. The last time I was there (transit not counted) was in 1991. It was like visiting the country again for the first time. The hub of shopping, Orchard Road, was beautifully decorated. I barely bought anything in Singapore because most of the stuff strangely did not appeal to me. Oh, but I did buy a red coat from MNG. 50% off, about AU$70. Finally, after 2 winter seasons of searching for a red coat, I found one in a country that does not require one
Oh, and guess what? For the first time in my life, I got my ears pierced. You know how children get the ears pierced when they were wee? Yep I got mine done at the ripe ol’ age of 31. Man I was such a wuss at the jeweller’s. I kept thinking that it was going to hurt, what if I can’t stand the pain, etc. Then Tim said something that shut me up right there and then – “If you can’t even take this, how are you going to bear childbirth in future?” Right. It was actually a very short and painless procedure. God that was embarrassing, all that fuss for nothing

Family’s over-stuffed Christmas tree, Mum addicted to Angry Birds, batik artist at work and my pierced ear

Of course, who can forget the shopping?

Erm, I think I may have purchased one beauty product too many this trip. Could have gotten more, but was afraid I did not have enough weight allowance for more bottles of lotions and potions

Bee helped me get the Zoya lacquers from Singapore, facial sheet masks (love them especially in the hot summer months), BB creams to try (and the Lunasol Water Gel Foundation that Val raved about) and random false eyelashes to practise with. By golly, I shall master those fiddly things by 2012!

I also received a number of Christmas pressies, which I absolutely loved. No names here, but you know who you are. Thanks so much for the wonderful gifts, and I love you all to bits

The new Clinique Turnaround Concentrate Extra Radiance Renewer was a gift from my mum. Apparently this replaces my favourite Visible Skin Renewer Serum, which Clinique is discontinuing. A special mention also to Xin, who made me the lovely bookmark (she even made the roses from polymer clay!) The four pairs of flats were purchased during my first week in Penang, and the red coat’s from MNG, which I purchased in Singapore.

So that concludes my trip to Malaysia in December. To be honest, not all of it was good. I’ve had some tough moments, but I’ve decided to only concentrate on the good ones, and bring the positivity to 2012. It has been a good holiday on the whole, and I’ve had a great time with my family and friends.

And now, on to 2012!

Santa Claus Has Arrived in Melbourne!

Tine — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:00:09 +0000

Okay, make that Santa …Clauses? What’s the plural of Claus? Never mind. By that, I mean the parental units!

Mumsy brought me a whole lot of goodies from Malaysia for me this time. Heaps of clothes, a Coach wallet, a B.Makowsky tote, the NARUKO products I ordered, My Beauty Diary facial masks, a bag organiser (pink!), a new Shu Uemura eyelash curler, and even *ahem* tampons.

I’m a lucky, lucky girl, I am.

Tim and I will be playing hosts to my parents for the next 3 weeks. Posts will be quite sporadic then as I’ll be bringing them around Melbourne, while Mum shops her brains out

Happy Friday, lovelies!

August’s Beauty Haul

Tine — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I think I’m getting better in terms on beauty hauling because these are the only beauty products I purchased in August. Big pat on the back!

Bloom nail polish in Sass & Bide I and Sibella I, Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips in #350 Misbehaved.

However, even though I didn’t make any further beauty purchases (I’m saving that for the ABBW), I thought I’d show you what else I bought. I’m not that good to not have purchased anything else for a month

The jacket on the left is a Forever New navy blue blazer, which was on sale. The frock was purchased on a whim. I was feeling pretty blue one day, and was so tired of all the blacks and greys I’ve been seeing all winter that I craved for some colour. For some reason, this Jeanswest chiffon dress caught my eye. It’s a pretty summery frock and I can’t wait to wear it.

Cheapie Chanel-esque ballet flats from Rubi.

My favourite purchase of the month would be a Swarovski charm I bought last weekend. I was looking for something to attach to my Tiffany’s bracelet, and I saw this cute little red heart that I just couldn’t resist.

So, how did you do in August? Did you haul more or less than I did?

July’s Beauty Haul

Tine — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I am incredibly proud and ashamed of myself at the same time in reporting my beauty shopping haul for July.

The reason I’m giving myself a pat on the back? I only purchased three beauty items all July. Three! How awesome is that? Okay to be fair, I did buy a pair of shoes and a bag last month, but since this is titled a beauty haul, I am off the hook, baby!

My beauty purchase for July – two lipsticks from MAC and Kit Cosmetics, and a shower cap from Bloom.

Here comes the part where I’m duly ashamed of myself. I stupidly bought two lipsticks which are very similar in shade and texture. I deserve a smack on the back of my head for these redundant, at-the-spur-of-the-moment purchases, I really do. I have this unexplainable attraction to all things coral, and these lipsticks just cried out to me. Being a weakling that I am, I just had to rescue them out of the shop and into my purse. I completely forgot I had already purchased the MAC lippie at the beginning of the month when I took home a similar one from Kit a few weeks later. Tsk tsk.

I wonder if I can do this well in August. Come the end of the month, we’ll see, eh?

What about you? Have you been good in July? If you haven’t, oh please regale me with your shopping tales. As you can see, mine was a dud

June’s Beauty Haul

Tine — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Methinks I didn’t do so bad in June, beauty haul-wise. Didn’t buy as much as last month, that’s for sure. It’s getting better, slowly but surely.

So, what did I get in June?

Nail Stuff

Bought a few nail products this month – Kit Cosmetics’ Capture the Moment Mini Nail Polish Kit from Kit Cosmetics, a pair of cuticles scissors and some orange sticks from Priceline. When I figure out how to use orange sticks, I’ll let you know. Just wondering, does anyone have any idea why they’re called ‘orange’ sticks? Are they made of the wood from orange trees? They’re surely not orange in colour. If you know, let me know!

Dermalogica’s Precleanse and Total Eye Care, which I purchased at the Dermalogica FITE Night. Reviews to come soon.

Crabtree & Evelyn’s Naturals Rejuvenating Creamy Body Wash and the Aromatherapy Distillations Soothing Body Lotion, which I bought at their mid-year sale. They were both at 50% off. Score!

Marc Jacobs Body Splash in Curacao, from Strawberrynet. I had a whiff of this at David Jones and I fell in love. I’m a big fan of orange scents and this one smells of delicious mandarin oranges. Yum!

Neutrogena’s Healthy Defence Daily Moisturiser SPF30+. This is my third tube. Yep, I love it that much.

Jurlique Moisturising Hand Sanitiser. Would this be a typical hand sanitiser, strong content of alcohol and reeking of it? Stay tuned for the review.

Last but not least, Illamasqua’s Cream Blush in Dixie. Phhwooarr to the bright coral! Too much? You know what’s coming next. Yep, a review

Not too bad this month, right? Don’t think I’ve broke the bank. Yet.

May’s Beauty Haul

Tine — Sun, 29 May 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Methinks it’s time to do monthly shopping haul posts, not to brag about what I bought, but to show myself I buy too much and need to cull my purchases. My tiny home doesn’t have enough space to keep the stuff I buy!

SASA.com

I bought some Naruko skincare products and BeautyMate facial sheet masks. Val‘s been raving about them for ages, and I knew I just had to see what the fuss is all about. They’re looking good, very good so far. Delivery took about 3 weeks. Sasa threw in free cotton puffs and a heart-shaped purse with the order too. Review to come in a month

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

The word ‘gel’ had me at hello. Review to come soon!

BeautyBay.com

The uber popular top coat, Seche Vite and the highly coveted Urban Decay NAKED eyeshadow palette. Just as BeautyBay tweeted that the NAKED palettes were back in stock, I pounced like a ninja.

Vitamin E cream

For the operated-on boob’s gnarly scar.

Soap & Glory Hand Food

Does the sweet marshmallow scent appeal or repel? Review to come soon!

NARS blush in Amour

I bought this right after I found out that Mecca Cosmetica has dropped their NARS prices. Amour is a gorgeous matte peachy pink. I’ve been wearing it daily, and I love it!

Not exactly beauty-related, but I’ve been wanting to get the Royal Doulton candle in Cotton Blossom for a long time now (it smells amazing), but I just couldn’t justify a $30 candle. Thanks to Chadstone’s VIP Shopping Night on the 25th, I got this at half price at Jacqui-E. Score!

Geez papa cheeze, I really overdid it this month (>.<) Cut back! Cut back!

Oh Yeah, I Holiday-Hauled And It Was Good

Tine — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:51:43 +0000

What are holiday snaps without showing you what I hauled back to Melbourne, eh?

Please bear in mind that these photos are not meant to brag about my loot, but just to show you what I bought (a lot of unnecessary, but wanted very much, junk ) and what I was very kindly given. I’m very grateful to my family and friends who have showered me with such lovely presents as you will see below.

Gifts From Family and Friends

I usually play Santa Claus when I return to Malaysia, when I bring home gifts and souvenirs to my family and friends. However this trip, I came home with even more stuff from other people than I anticipated. I was touched *sniff*.

Goodies from cousins and friends

Perfume and skincare products from Mum

Coach tote and matching wristlet from Mum, another wristlet from my aunt

Apparel

Clothes and shoes! One cannot go to Malaysia and not come home with shoes. I was actually hoping to get more shoes this trip, but there weren’t that many that caught my eye. I wanted a pair of nude peep-toe pumps from Lewre so bad, but every branch I went to, they had sold out in my size. Bummer. The pretty cheongsam was purchased off-the-rack at Gurney Plaza, Penang. It fitted me perfectly, I didn’t look like a Chinese restaurant employee and it was only $50. Score!

Beauty Products

My shopping list was filled with beauty products I’ve read about in blogs and were eager to try out. Drugstores like Watsons and Guardian became my favourite haunts because there is such a myriad of goodies just waiting for me to pop into my shopping basket. I was pleasantly surprised to see more Japanese brands now sold in Watsons. Some items I picked up were set of the very popular My Beauty Diary facial sheet masks (the set is available exclusively at Guardian drugstores), a Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturising Lotion, a Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic trial set, a Biore cleansing oil, Vaseline sunscreen (something Beetrice had been raving about), etc.

As for makeup, I didn’t buy too much this time, although they still cost me a bomb *gulp*. Restocked my MAC Studio Fix powder foundation, bought Stage’s Wonderbalm (I likened Stage to Malaysia’s MAC), an Anna Sui lipgloss, and a Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner. My most expensive makeup haulage would be Guerlain Serie Noir blush and Dior Cannage quad eyeshadow palette, which I will review in my coming posts. First impressions? Gorgeous as hell. ’nuff said?

Last by not least, my most expensive purchase of the trip – the Panasonic Lumix LX5. My 4-year-old point-and-shoot just couldn’t cut the mustard anymore and it was time to get a new one. After much research and asking around for recommendations, I went with the LX5. Chunky as it looks, the photos it produced (and only in its Intelligent Auto mode too, without even playing around with the manual features yet) were amazing.

Oh and the iPhone 4? A present from the father-in-law. Ahem ahem

So there you go. I can pretty much close shop on my shopping for the year now with most of the unnecessary-but-still-want-to-buy stuff I came home with up there. Right?

…

What’s that now? There’s a sale going on at Priceline?!

Blush Haulage

Tine — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:57:03 +0000

I love my blush, and it pained me to not buy any for quite a while. The drought must have really gotten to me, because in the span of two weeks, I ended up with three new blushers. Okay, to be fair, I did buy the Benefit Bella Bamba mid December 2010, but it only just arrived today (hello Australia Post, anybody home? *knock knock*).

Benefit Bella Bamba, Chanel Joues Contraste in #55 In Love, and Illamasqua Powder Blush in Hussy. The Bamba because I fell in love with just the freakin’ pictures on Karen’s Makeup and Beauty Blog, Chanel’s In Love after seeing it on several beauty blogs (got it on Strawberrynet. So much cheaper!) and Illamasqua’s Hussy because Nadia tempted me too much with it.

I’ve tried all three, and they’re all instant loves. Proper pictures and review coming right up!

Erm, is it too much that I’m actually also expecting Givenchy’s Prism blush AND Guerlain’s Serie Noir blush when I’m back in Malaysia? *blink blink*

I Hauleth Bath and Body Works

Tine — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:06:57 +0000

I haven’t posted any pictures of any shopping hauls in a while now, so I thought I’d show you my recent purchase from Bath and Body Works. I loved Bath and Body Works when I was in the US, and it was so difficult narrowing down the things I wanted. I decided more on things for the home this time, since I have enough body lotions to last me a lifetime.

Stef organised the spree (what a darling), did all the hard work liasing with HopShopGo, Excel-sheeted all of us involved, etc. Her mum had quite a fright of the boxes that arrived at her home

Candles, hand sanitisers, antibacterial sprays, pillow mist and lipbalms

You’d think that from the amount of hand sanitisers and antibacterial sprays that I’m some sort of a clean freak. I assure you I am not (well, not to that extend anyway). The hand sanitisers were only US$1 each, and the candles US$5 each. Including the hefty shipping fees, they weren’t too bad. Oh and those C.O. Bigelow lipbalms and gloss are awesome, and highly recommended

Have you purchased anything from Bath and Body Works before? What are your favourites?

Look At What The Postman Brought Me Today

Tine — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:23:59 +0000

Yep, that’s right. I finally bit the bullet and bought the Clarisonic (the rest are samples and a gift-with-purchase makeup pouch), thanks to the strong AUD. I’ve never been more excited about getting beauty products in the mail than this one, and also more worried that it wouldn’t arrive. I haven’t been pleased with the postal services lately, with Australia Post, UPS, DHL, TNT, etc. No postie has ever asked for any identification when delivering packages. They just assumed you’re who the label is on the package and shove it to you. I kid you not, a couple of months ago, I almost accepted a delivery for a Dell laptop. The courier didn’t even care that the label was addressed to an Aussie, and I’m Chinese! Preposterous, I tell you.

But anyway, I digress. I’m just so excited about the Clarisonic Plus, and I cannot wait to dive into it tonight. This is, by far, the most expensive piece of beauty product I’ve ever purchased. But hey, if my mum and my aunt can each have one, so can I, dammit!

Stay tuned for the review