Excuses and Gifts and Treasures

Things are happening so fast that i'm left with no time to pause and think, what more write?

Since excuses don't make me look good, here you go a lil updates:

My sister's birthday gift finally arrived and here it is.
Guess what? She's in love with the products and also Benefit!

that's what i'm talking about =p

Coming to my birthday gift. My sister bought for me a dress and a jacket from promod which are completely adorable and cute. For the record, I enjoyed every moment of my shopping spree with her.

promod.com

promod.com

From my dad, it's a set of Bobbi Brown facials. Toner, moisturizer and also their cleansing oil. Honestly speaking, I asked for my sister to get it for me like months ago as my birthday gift (who does that?) , therefore technically it's her gift to me. However, since I put on Amex due to their humble weekend shopping rebates, in a way it's my dad's gift too.

Apart from the dress and the facial products, my dad agreed to get me a watch from Michael Kors or Marc Jacobs, so we'll see.

Maybe this post might sound like I fancy gifts so very much, but hey, it's true. Just to an extent. I love to be pampered with gifts, only from my family members. And I feel there's nothing wrong in it as long as they can afford it. I have full rights you see =p

Being blessed with a kind sister and dad who values my happiness more than anything, I'm certainly the luckiest a girl ever!

At the end of the day though, I do have to bow and admit, gifts mean so less compared to the love and care they indulge me in.

Love,
Renuka G

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Geisha???

Hello readers! This post is going to be about cosmetics!

Ever taken a picture with the flash ON and mirrored Geisha and totally regretted the moment?

You might have accused the photographer of felony, you might have blamed it on the wrong lighting, you might have gone cuckoo figuring out the reason, so here you go the exact cause!

It's your foundation. Na-ah not a shade-gone-wrong case we are dealing here but a protection-turned-disaster issue. To be specific, it's the high SPF level of your foundation that's  bringing you the trouble. SPF reflects light/rays from your face, remember? And it scatters the light from the camera flash as well, eventually causing a wreck on all good shots.

TO be honest, of course SPF is important to protect your skin and stuffs yet why wear it at night when pictures demand flash and the sun is having a nap?

However, if you are too paranoid and can't live without the protection, opt for foundation which has SPF lesser than 10 (which is HARD to find) when there's a photography session. Otherwise, don't smear it for heaven's sake as the Cullens might get real offended and suck you dry. But for Halloween, why not?

My advice on this issue is, be on the safe side, and keep 2 foundations. One which checks SPF and another for occasions at night.

Just in case you are purchasing a new foundation in the nearest future scan for it's SPF level and also whether it contains Titanium Dioxide. They both make the ingredients for ghostly pictures!

Based on foundations that I have, Revlon and Benefit are a big No-No, and my vote certainly goes to Bobbi Brown when flash photography is in the agenda!

Good Luck staying gorgeous dolls!

Renuka G

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She turns 23

Happy 23rd birthday to my one and only sister, Uma!

It wouldn’t be complete if I were to not say a word or two about her, so here you go, 2 complete paragraphs ! ( my love for her can’t be described in just few words ok ?=D)

very old pic I suppose =p

She’s twice as stubborn as me. She’s someone who can be brutally honest with her opinions, which allows me to count on her to critique my make up, hair style, what I wear and also my actions. It’s really fun to see her make my dad agree to things which he often says ‘No’ to. Unlike me, she has tonnes of stories and tips to share. I’m not a big fan of her shopping choices, but sometimes she turns out to be right. One of the few people who taught me to love what i’m doing and develop passion for it. (Well, thank you is not enough for the words of encouragement you gave.)  When we were small, I used to bully her A LOT, lately though I’m the poor victim ( attention seeking =p). Her facebook page is very interesting to be stalked. Recently, she turned down my partnership offer to be a co-author of this blog .And did I mention she is a foodie who wears bollywood-like-shawls to movies? 

What else?

Well she is kind to the core. She chose my celebrity first perfume 3 years ago ‘Midnight fantasy by Britney Spears’, She bought me my 1st Bobbi Brown product which is the lip gloss, she also shared with me her Chanel lip gloss, and how can I forget the Charles & Keith and Mango bags! Most important point, all these she purchased using her scholarship money and not the F.A.M.A sponsorship (unlike me again). Considering what mentioned, she definitely mirrors my dad in money matters. They spend a lot for others but just a little for themselves, excluding the sugar cravings from Marks and Spencer ! Hehe

So what I bought for her birthday? Let’s see. Last year if i’m not mistaken I just bought her a bag, to be exact chose her a bag for my dad paid for it. What a scrooge you are Renuka! But  still it was me who decided to surprise her with a Secret Recipe brownie and a candle to blow in the car when we went to UPM to fetch her. That’s priceless ok? (Self-praise) This year I rebelled against my dad’s opinion of getting her another bag, yet he had it his way. And I had it my way too! HAHA Mr. Gs. The initial plan of mine was to get her a pair of shoes maybe a wedge, however, since my dad (as usual) freaked me out with the whole size-gone-wrong-fitting-gone-out-trauma, I opted for cosmetics. 

She introduced me Bobbi Brown and I’m treating her with Benefit. Benefit is a renown cosmetic company which is applauded for their cool product names and packaging. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and the Olsen sisters are great fans who adore their products. In Malaysia, you can find Benefit counters in Sephora KLCC and Starhill. 

Since my sister is not into eye shadows, eye liners and blushers, I got her their industrial strength concealer, better known as boi-ing. And as the purchase was made online (which is of course cheaper compared to the retail price in Malaysia), I was eligible for a sample of two of their other products. The ones I picked from the 4 choices offered were the total moisture packette and their primer, stay don’t stray. The order is scheduled to arrive by the end of this week, so i’m keeping my fingers crossed. Hope she will love it! 

And once again I want to wish a happy happy birthday to my dearest sister! See you when I see you =)

Lotsa love,

Renuka G

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Foundations and Concealers

Foundation-hunt can be a daunting, pain-in-the-neck experience. While some still struggle at the beauty counters, another group purchases the wrong shade calling it the right one. The gist being, both are in serious trouble!

Foundation as the name goes is the most important base for make-up (setting aside primer) which drives many nuts at both pre and post shopping stages.

As mentioned by many make-up artists, picking the wrong foundation can ruin your entire look. Furthermore,since the shade selection of your concealer also depends on the tone of the foundation, you can pretty much imagine the level of catastrophe which awaits. Even worse, while some try to ease the selection, some divas suggest it's OK to wear the wrong shade.

Well yea no problem, until someone takes your picture with the flash ON. 
And poof! Snow White! .....without any man hunting!

The best and easy most way to pick the right shade of foundation is of course to hand it to the experts at the beauty counters. But what if they were the snotty-evil-queen?
You are all on your own.

Still there's nothing to worry because it's not a chemical equation to be balanced, they are just......foundations?

Choosing the foundation which matches your skin tone is very easy as long as you remember this mighty rule- 'It should disappear into your skin'. And voila, problem solved! So,all you have to do is, wash your face, tone it, moisturise then visit your preferred  beauty counter and swipe tiny bit of each shade you think will match, just above your jawline. That which disappears into your skin is the truly-yours foundation . And the final step is, off to the cashier you go!

As for the concealer, now it's all easy-peasy as it should just be one shade lighter than your foundation.

So the hunt is OVER!

Best cosmetics ever!

Being such a kind blogger I would also like to share a few other tips with you.
-First, put on your make-up under natural lighting since, how it appears in sunlight, and how it looks in artificial lighting of your house or be it the store can be very different. Let's always be on the safe side and avoid calling even the right, wrong.
-One more thing, if your face is the dry type, go for liquid or cream foundations and stay away from those 'two-way' compact powders. How I hate them!

Ladies, foundations and concealers are both try-before-buy products, so please do .....you know what.

Renuka G

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An Investment

I was seriously not a big fan of lip gloss and rather prefer matte lipsticks than something that shimmers too much till my eyes caught Bobbi Brown counter at Suria KLCC. Truth be told, my sister suggested their lip gloss as my birthday present while I was still vague on what to ask or let’s try a stronger word ‘demand’. The lady at the counter was friendly enough that she tried on me a few shades both matte and gloss.  Instead of going for something pink or red I chose a more natural shade since it looks more real and not to so wrong in case my make up skills fails me at some inevitable circumstances.  The chosen shade; Kir Sugar ( it smells like vanilla) Point blank, I have heard some good things about Bobbi Brown Shimmer Lip Gloss. I remember reading it somewhere that it smells nice and lasts longer than that of other brands and they were all true indeed. I would recommend this to any girls out there who are looking for a decent gloss and are willing to pay out the 80 MYR  it demands per tube. Trust me, it’s worth the money!

You think I left the counter with just the gloss? You are so wrong ,because I did spend a hefty 135 MYR on their creamy concealer. You know busy people, we don’t get enough sleep, end up with a “ring” the next morning, so ya we need concealer to just fake it for the day. Don’t accuse me of being a spend thrift or shopaholic or what-so-ever! The thing being, I’m not so fair that I can’t find a concealer for my skin tone though it is reckoned to wear concealer that is slighter brighter. Even if a brand caters, the specific colours are not available at all counters you see. Take Revlon for instance, they do have one that suits my skin-tone, but I’ve searched at so many places and yea I failed! 

Being told that Bobbi Brown products last long and the fact that I don’t use these things every day, I choose to call it an investment.

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