Rinse, Dry, Repeat

Spring cleaning day!

At least once a week, mostly on a Saturday or Sunday, you'll see this strange sight laid out on my study table.

I switched from Ronasutra's Mineral Foundation to Make Up Forever's Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation about a month or so ago (it's awesome, in case you're wondering!). But I hate the idea of double-dipping as I've got hyper-sensitive, blemish-prone skin and I'm worried about contamination.

To get around that problem, I use a clean sponge every time to pat on my foundation. There isn't enough time to clean my sponges daily in the morning, so I stack them aside and wash them all at once over the weekend. And there you have it, my lazy busy career woman's solution ;)

My sponges are from Guardian (RM24.90 for 20) and they're rather well made - dense, firm and able to last at least 3 washes before becoming too rough and grimey. Plus, they're sold in a resealable zip-lock bag so you won't have to worry about dust getting in!

Super detergents

I've been using Daiso's trusty sponge & puff detergent (RM5, very purse-friendly) on and off for a few years now. It gets the job done and I love squeezing out all the grime that has accumulated and watching the brackish water, which takes on the colour of teh tarik, swirl down the sink. I'm weird, I know, but it's strangely satisfying and I recommend doing it! :P

For brushes, my favourites are either a very mild shampoo or e.l.f.'s Studio Brush Shampoo (US$3). It's colourless, odourless and comes in a chic, slightly masculine clear black bottle. It isn't easily available in Malaysia though, so your best bet is to wait for an e.l.f. spree on lowyat.net. I bought mine sometime back from StrawberryGirL.

Otherwise, just use baby shampoo, it's generally as good and more affordable than high-end brush shampoos :)

Guess Who's Back?

bigbadwolfbooks.com

It's dear Wolfie, ashore after a perilous journey across the Read Sea in hot pursuit of the villainous B.A.D. (Book Acquisition Department), who made off with all the books set aside for this year's sale *gasp*.

But fret not - his ships have returned victorious, reclaiming no less than 3 million books for your reading pleasure. Hoorah! Full speed ahead for the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2013!

Should you rather shop than sleep (me too!), no problem, drop by Mines International Exhibition & Convention Centre any time - 11pm, 3am, 7am, it's your call - between 6th to 15th December for a serious dose of retail therapy, as the sale goes on for 230 hours without pause!

Phew, it's exhausting but so fun just thinking about it. Talk about making it almost impossible to find an excuse for not visiting. Don't forget your recyclable/luggage/trolley bags as you'll need them to keep your books safe and hands free to pick out more steals.

Take a day off from work if you have to and go during off-peak hours (11am-5pm on weekdays; 2am-6am any day) for maximum shopping comfort. Digging up hidden gems are a lot easier when you don't have to jostle against sharp elbows for standing space ;)

If you've scored preview passes, check your inbox as emails have been delivered with instructions on how to collect those precious passes. These "golden tickets" -  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FTW - grant bearers access to the sale one day before it opens to the public, and they're highly coveted!

I'll be keeping an eye out for Haruki Murakami's works (sold out really fast like musang king durian ice cream last year), YA gems (Jellicoe Road's my best find to date), pop up books, and The No.1 Lady's Detective Agency series.

See you there? What titles/authors do you hope to find at BBW 2013?

NARS!

NARS is finally here in Malaysia woohoo! I'm a bit worried for my bank account, to be honest :P

"Find your own way, have an open spirit and believe in your own beauty." - Francois Nars 

The maestro himself, Francois Nars

I look like a raccoon when I line my eyes like that :P

I've yet to pop by Pavilion to check out the store but word is it's a little small and product prices aren't displayed at all (nope not on counters, displays or the retail units, nadah), so you'll have to ask retail associates for exact figures.

If you're shy like me and prefer flipping price tags over as discreetly as possible, or have an image to maintain as the kind of person for whom price is no concern (whyy??), you're in luck! :D

Nicole of Nicole's Mirror has compiled a price list here. Girl's a lifesaver! Prices are pretty reasonable given NARS' positioning as a high-end brand. Affordability, however, is subjective.

Personally I do consider RM90 quite steep for a lipstick, but I'll be KIV-ing it, along with the Radiant Creamy Concealer. 

That said, the Guy Bourdin 'Fashion. Glam' holiday collection's so pretty - vintage pin-up looks ohemgee - that it's really testing my resolve not to splurge!

What about you? Are you jumping onto the NARS bandwagon and which products do you have your sights on? :)

Bonjour!

Still can't believe I'm going to Paris next year, ahhhhh!! Someone please pinch me! *ouch*, not so hard :P

Oui, I'll only have slightly over a day at the city of lights, but it's exciting nonetheless to finally visit a place I've dreamt so much about growing up. Not to mention I'm more of a Francophile now thanks to Anna and the French Kiss.

There's so much I want to do there but so little time. Let's see, if I could I'd...
- Visit the Louvre
- Gawk at the Monets at Orangerie Museum and Musée d'Orsay
- Sip on Angelina's divine hot choc elixir
- Taste Pierre Hermé's omg-best-thing-ever macarons
- Find out what's all the fuss over Christine Ferber's jams (Monsieur Pitt's a famous fan)
- Watch an old movie in one of the Left Bank's many cinemas
- Picnic at the Tuileries Garden
- Soak in the literature at Shakespeare and Company
- Show some leg at the Moulin Rogue *wink wink* hehehe

I've sort of sorted Shakespeare and Company, My brilliant plan: When the tour bus stops at Notre Dame, I'll dash across the road to the store, mingle a little, pick a book to bring home and have it marked with the store's eponymous stamp :D

{Toshio Kishiyama}

Books, glorious books. I hope heaven is as well stocked :P

{slowtalk.com}

Stamped on every book bought from the store.

Anything else you'd recommend doing in Paris? :)

See You Tonight

Two summer holidays spent working at a quaint little boutique owned by a young, bubbly proprietor fond of country music has given me an appreciation for banjos and smexy Southern drawls

Just draw out the vowels in "ya'll" in a deep baritone and I go weak at the knees. That's all it takes, really. Easy peasy... but only if you can talk like a cowboy and charm the legs off a filly.

Scotty sounds like he could and heck, I'd gladly listen to his voice all night long. So how could anyone resist his plea of "girl I gotta see you tonight", I don't know. Especially when he sings, "I would drive a million miles just to see that little smile in real life."

*Swoon*

See You Tonight ;)

Official vid isn't out yet but from the teaser it looks a bit like a rehash of I Love You This Big

Late Night Stimulation

Just before drifting off to sleep last night, a renegade fragment of my mind decided it wasn't ready for slumber (wish it had asked my opinion first) and started wandering off on a textual analysis of On The Jellicoe Road.

I love the book, I really do, and the brief literary rumination was enlightening. After last night's sudden burst of insight, I'm all the more incredibly amazed and impressed with just how brilliantly Melina Marchetta has taken two seemingly unrelated narratives, carefully shredded them to pieces and proceeded to join them back into a fragmented whole -- like you would a jigsaw puzzle. Who knew it'd be possible to love a raggedy bunch of fictional characters more than you thought you ever could?

Honestly though, mentally pouring over a book's literary devices in the dead of the night when you're trying to shrug consciousness off your tail, is a few marbles short of cuckoo if you ask me.

[Image courtesy of papaija2008/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net]

Impressionist

I could spend hours pondering a Monet, just thinking up stories to go with the dreamy watercolour scene.

Yeah, I know, sometimes I fear for my own sanity too ;)

In my defence:

Poppy Field in Argenteuil

The Garden Gate at Vetheuil

The Iris Garden at Giverny

Springtime

Clifftop Walk at Pourville

The Sea and the Alps