Le Memoire Night 2014

classic!

Just a few more pit-stops before I bid farewell to Terengganu. Whatever the future holds, I hope I will always have the most precious bunch of friends that I have found here by my side.

I can't exactly say if it was a rough road or a pleasant journey, but it was made better by all the people I met along the way. 

Without the experiences and lessons, I wouldn't have been who I am today. Thank you for the best moments and cheers to more!

With love,

Renuka G

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Closure of the third

My return to this blog marks the end of my final practicum! God it feels so good . After 3 months of physical and emotional strain, I made it to the finish line. Honestly I feel very proud of myself as throughout the whole process I was conscious enough to sense the challenges and tough times I came pass. Now it's like a big burden lifted off from my shoulders. 

The one thing I learnt would be, if you are crazy about getting something and you work for it, it will be yours. Previously in my life I have seen the negative side of craziness conquering all , this time though the scene is in a positive setting with a much much more positive ending. For that I have to definitely thank my year 4 pupils who turned my tears into a triumphant smile by the end of my practicum. It was indeed an eye opening experience full of valuable lessons. I often had the perspective that class control is all about being stern and shouting and putting up a Chucky face yada yada. Not anymore.

People, be it kids or adults can't be kept in your grip by simply playing the who's-in-control game. It won't be long till you realize you are basically interacting with a piece of wall. What I used to get the kids to cooperate was crafts. Pupils in the weak class can't sit still and listen to you doing the monologue, they rather take walk looking for goats and cows. The only choice you have is to integrate something that interests them and relate it to the content. That was how I taught science after shedding tears for a month trying to figure out what was wrong. I used to hate this class but at last they grew so close to me that I started to love teaching them so much. Thank you kids!

Speaking of life in general, I made peace with myself that everything happened and happens for a reason, good reasons mostly. And even more important, I realized the world is a free place to make individual choices and decisions. There is no need to worry about people who don't care about you, there is no need to know the truth behind every happenings, there is no need to entertain everyone who wants to get to you, there is no need be friends with everyone, there is no need to tail the beliefs and norms of a culture which does not fit you, there's just no need to be copy cats. You are free, create your own rules and be happy living by those principles.

coffee, watching the new beginning unfolds :D

If you fall, it will be your ground and if you rise, let it be your sky! *fairy-dust to all*

Love,

Renuka G 

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Unwrapped

First and foremost, I wanna send a warning to tears! If at all you are reading, please be selective of situations to flow out from my eyes. I'm sick of dealing with mascara mess and wet cheeks. Plus waterproof make-ups don't sell cheap ok? Considering all that, and also this being a closure post of 2013, I would like you to by all means stay away!

Now back to my hopefully-existing-readers.

I finally got my exam results of the 6th semester. Happy and satisfied! But that's just about exams . On a bigger picture, 2013 was a tough tough year in which I put up a tough tough front. Well I have become pretty good at masking emotions over the years. Practice makes perfect they say. Though there were hundreds of hurdles and heart wrenching moments, everything somehow fell into place at the end.  No problem is eternal. And having said that, I definitely have to thank the man above us for all his blessings.

Leaving pain and hurt aside, let's talk about the happy things of 2013. I found a handful of amazing people to call friends. People come and go, that's one bunch. But there are those who come with lots of care and love and stays with all their heart. The rare bunch. I'm glad a few crossed my path. I hope they will be a part of my life forever . Believe me, forever is a strong word. I won't use it if I don't mean it.

Apart from all mentioned, 2013 changed me into someone who's proud to be who I am. Some people are born to love themselves, some takes time to appreciate who they are while the rest are all wannabes of different kinds. I was once a member of the wannabe team, not anymore though. I think I'm special. Ok that might have sounded too much like a self-obssessed maniac, but hey,  everyone is special. Hence, me insisting my share is purely benign. I'm happy to wake up in the morning being myself and satisfied going to bed as Renuka and nobody else. Sometimes, being a typical human that I am, negative thoughts do mess with my head of who I could have been and why I'm not Mary or Jane. But such thoughts do not last and 'that' characters do not exist :D

In my perspective, I strongly feel the most important thing in life is keeping one's emotions intact. I'm progressing well in mastering it, thus, I was very much enduring and strong this year. Glad no extremely wrong decisions were made , convinced life comes with numerous lessons, and proud another river had been crossed.

All in all, 2013 basically wrapped up fine. Or shall I say wrapping up fine?

2014 will be a whole new chapter itself. Can't wait to be curiously turning the pages.

Renuka G

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Of new beginnings and fragrances

Here it begins the 6th semester of my degree programme. Of course I'm feeling very blessed considering the results that I've shelved the previous semester, but this is a whole new beginning. More challenges ahead of me, ups and downs, trials and tribulations, all got me excited to face it.

I really don't want an easy ride home, rather settle for the combo of both sides.  This person believes that struggles mould oneself into a better being, into a tougher self. There's no way I'm cutting corners or praying for the lady luck to book a seat next to me, I want it the way everyone else gets it. My years as a college student I want to use to equip myself with emotional endurance and positivity. The mentioned duo is what that will keep things going in the coming years of my life.

All is well!

And now let me introduce you all to my new perfume , Tresor in love by Lancome. Yes I have decided to not play safe with Gucci all the time. Lancome is a great cosmetic brand and I fell in love with Miracle once, so I'm investing on their other bestselling perfume for the next few months use. The fragrance came with a body lotion and it smells awesome as well. Bingo! Tresor In Love has a fruity flavor to it with distinct middle notes of rose and jasmine. A must try! Apart from the mentioned I also did some splurging with The Burberry collection of fragrances. The box came with 5 4.5 ml of different Burberry perfumes including their signature  Brit Sheer, Burberry Body and The Beat. Worth every penny!

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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The spritz hunt

After a year of indulgence in the notes of wild strawberries and drenching myself with the pride of a Marc Jacob's product in grip, it's finally the time to wave goodbye. My Daisy Hot Pink perfume is soon to be disposed and replaced.  Hence, this post is going to be about the journey spoilt with choices and the chosen one.

Just like shopping for clothes and shoes, I love fragrance-shopping. In actuality, I enjoy it the most for a few glaring reasons like, I need not join the fitting-room queue looking like a madwoman in a mad-rush attempting to squeeze through the mad crowd and also not wait in horror for a sales assistant to check on size availability that is sometimes already pasted on the shoe soles which some greens like me fail to notice. It's complicated you see. Perfumes are often an easy-peasy chapter. All you have to do is conduct a research in collaboration with Mr Google here, shortlist a few, try them later, narrow down again and voila, you have 'the one'. If the sales assistant is friendly enough, ask for some perfume samples ok? Many succeeded I tell you! So be a wise-spender, yet drench in a collection of various scents (even though it's just 5 1.5ml)

you know me =)

When I'm hunting for perfumes, my favorite place would be KLIA. I can give you a long list of whys but guess what? I'm too tired to type it all down. The most simple and obvious one would be, everything is there, from J.Lo to Versace, I guarantee they didn't miss a label. Not to anybody's surprise , that is where I purchased my new Eau de Toilette.

And my choice was....jeng! jeng! jeng! jeng!

Not yet.

Just to let you know, I did shortlist a few prior the, what I choose to call the ultimate 'investment'. The list included Jimmy Choo, Lola by Marc Jacobs, Lady Million by Paco Rabanne and also Bright Crystal by Versace. Why I rejected them though? That is indeed a sad thing for all the mentioned labels to digest , yet a choice had to be made and things had to be crossed. It was not a mere hearsay based decision I assure you. A lot of efforts and sniffs and spritz involved. I can't lay forth reasons for saying No to each so let me present you the ones for a few.
As you all readily known, I'm a huge fan of Marc Jacobs, however, Oh my Lola! smells too sweet and I can never stand the strong hint of vanilla in any perfumes even if it's of the designer I'm so devoted to. Sorry MJ!

Lady Million, it was so clear, the same problem but this one is TOOOOOOoooo sharp and heavy that I could faint even before reaching the next room. I love my perfumes mild, regardless of it being an Eau de Toilette or Parfum or what-so-ever! Setting that aside, one thing good about Paco Rabanne's scents is. they last long, like really-really long. Anyway, they all were sent into depression-mode this afternoon and I kinda am feeling sorry right now. Tranquilizer anyone?

Without further ado, let me reveal my perfume for the next 1 year period.

Tada!

It's Flora by Gucci- Gorgeous Gardenia. Please do not believe any slanders thrown upon my beloved perfume for having affairs with the famous bread brand, for it's not true! Hehe. To tickle your memory, Gucci launched the Garden collection just a few months ago, in May to be exact, with a huge advertising campaign. Many were pleased with the fragrances but cringed at the price placed. In Malaysia, it costs 364 MYR per 100 ml bottle. Quite pricy I should say. However, bearing red berries and pear on its top notes, the mildly sweet scent definitely impressed me in all ways the moment it faded on my wrist, and of course is worth every penny.

I got Carolina Herrera L'eau's sample!!

The sweet me signing off

Renuka G

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Perfume guide for dummies

I'm a stickler for good perfumes. Prior picking one, I study some products first and that perhaps gives me enough knowledge and pride to write about an incident that took place during my previous semester break.

A shopaholic's routine, as you all can predict is shopping of course.  I went shopping that fine day as well. Usual look-see and stuffs. Suddenly I had this thought of sampling perfumes since my TH Dreaming which I use when I'm home is going to dry up any time soon.

Well I went to the perfume counter and requested to test the top selling perfume which hit the market some time ago, Burberry body. The sales representative looked at me as if I said some alien word. Then after repeating it twice with British and Malaysian accent, she comprehended. She took the perfume and sprayed in on the usual test blotter. Guess what? She soaked the paper. That's not how you do it. The right way should be to spray twice a few centimeters away from the sheet and let the customer test it by smelling from the opposite side. She didn't bother or perhaps didn't know.

Just for the record, the scent was not even as fabulous as anything mentioned . Burberry body= dish washer.

Since I apparently expressed my dislike in an universal language to my sister publicly, the rep decided to convince me into trying some other labels. Wait, before she even begin, with all her concern she asked me a question, 'what smell you looking for?' Exactly this! I told her it's something citrusy and there she was, frozen!

Let me tell you ladies, there are only 4 type of scents when it comes to our perfumes. It's not 'feminine', 'fun' or 'sexy'. Wrong words! The 4 are: floral, citrusy (or fresh) , fruity, and vanilla.

Only 4 basic ones to remember. Is it that hard?

(I'm also aware that some prefer to use 'strong' and 'mild' but that's pretty hard to narrow down. )

Without a doubt, the person who is at the counter to assist customers should of course have this basic knowledge but it's more like a sorry sight lately in some places. Happily though, when we say fresh nearly all sales reps gets it. Easy uh? Oh ya it is, since you can spray anything and call it fresh. People won't know. Cheaters! Most sales representatives or promoters especially in small cities do not have much clue about the perfumes they have at their counters. Trust me!

All they know is the art of soaking and coffee bean for rescue.

I seriously feel that the girl at the counter shouldn't have asked me that golden question as my clear answer gave zero help in finding the fragrance of my preference. What to do? It's all luck.

Honestly I have no intention or personal grudge to bad mouth the naive sales rep but merely emphasizing the fact that one should know the best or at least the important details about what he or she is representing . In order to sell, you must assist right? So why not learn?

I specially love hypnotic poison n dior addict 2 

Perhaps I should have taken a few moments to show my mother of India attitude and educate her, but time constrain you see. Next time ok?

BTW who said reading fashion magazines and blogs make one a dumb doll?

Well, as for my new perfume, I bought it from the duty free outlet in KLIA for 180MYR. 5 different Christian Dior perfumes in a box, each of 5 ml and guess what? Blimey, it's worth every penny!

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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