Soft luscious lips!

Don't you hate chapped lips? Those dried dead skin just make your lips look horrible and sometimes it hurts too! Here somethings you can do to get beautiful lips:

1. Drink lots of water (2 liters per day)

2. Eat plenty of veges and fruits

3. Exfoliate your lips. Don't have one? Try this. Gently brush your lips in circular motion with your toothbrush when you're brushing your teeth. By doing this, you will be able to get rid of the dead skin. Make sure you don't do too hard or you might hurt your lips. Pat dry. Apply some lip balm. Alternatively you can buy Benefit's 'buffing lip beads' (comes together with a lip balm). The beads are very tiny so that you can exfoliate your lips gently.

4. Always use lip balm (before you put on your lipgloss or lipstick and whenever) & never lick your lips. Licking your lips will only make your lips even more drier.

5. Always, always, always apply lip balm before you go to bed.

No need cuticle lotion!

I did some thinking today on how I can save up. I mean, there's always something that has been custom made for anything. For example a cuticle lotion. I know that many of us need it to get our cuticles soft so that we can get rid of them (for those who do their own manicure). But cuticle lotions are not cheap. I did some research and found out that you can substitute your cuticle lotion with your hair conditioner. Obviously everyone has a bottle of hair conditioner, so that's 2 in 1. I tried this trick on my nails, and it worked just as well as a cuticle lotion. All you have to do is just squeeze some hair conditioner on your cuticles, soak your fingers in a bowl of warm water. Get a cuticle pusher and push your cuticles do the edge. Now you can save up a few dollars!

Mascara smudge?

Though I basically have normal skin my t-zone is always oily and that includes the area under my eyes. So, even when I use waterproof mascara, i would still get mascara or eyeliner smudges on that area. I've tries all kinds of mascara, the cheap ones and the expensive ones, and nothing works. And then I discovered that the oil under my eyes is the culprit to this problem. So the trick to solve this is to dab some loose powder on your lash and the area right under your eye (the skin area at your lower lash ) with a small make-up brush. Don't forget to blend it so that you don't have weird patches. And then, just apply your mascara like you normally do!!

Losing Weight

I just talked to my dad via skype the other day and he said I've gained weight. According to him, I look 'round'. WTF? Hell, yeah I freaked out. Me & my dear hubby just got back from a short trip in Hunter Valley and I know I've gained even more weight with all the cheese and junk foods I ate. So, just now, after we got back, we went for a 4km jog. Wow, that felt good! But not enough to lose weight. Now, I've got to find a new strategy to lose weight. I'm not sure how, but I have some stuff in mind.

1. Increase my water intake.

2. Drink Acai Berry juice every morning
I've heard and read somewhere that Acai Berry is very good if you plan to lose weight. I've bought it quite awhile ago, but I haven't been consistent consuming it. So now that I need to lose weight, I have to drink it every day. Will write about it in a week or 2 weeks time.

3. Exercise every day. 1 day or cardio, another day of weight & strength training, another day of cardio again and so on. My cardio routine will consist things like running, swimming & cycling

4. Reduce carbohydrate intake.

5. Eat more vegies and fruits.

6. No no no junk food

7. Reduce processes food intake

8. Reduce eating out

9. Portion control

10. Take heavy lunch and then go for light dinner.

Time to powder your hair!

If you're too busy to wash your hair, and you have an event to attend or you just don't want your hair to look oily and messy, here's a good tip.

Pour some baby powder on your hair. Brush your hair till the powder disappears. Repeat if needed till hair is no more oily.

Alternatively, you can always buy dry shampoo from the pharmacy. But why waste if you can save some cash?

Choose the right foundation for your skin color

I find that the hardest thing about make-up is getting the right foundation for your skin color. Most of the ones available on the shelves are either to light or too dark for my skin. And most of the time the lighting at the malls are just not right. Like, when I try on a foundation over the counter, it looks nice and stuff, but I've bought it, brought it home and applied it on my face the next day, it just doesn't suit my skin tone.

There're so many advices on how to choose the right color for your skin. When I was in Malaysia, I attended this make-up course. It was a really cool course, and they use Mac products. Anyways, their advise on choosing the right foundation is to choose 1 tone lighter than your skin color. While in Australia, experts recommend make-up users to choose the exact foundation color with your skin. Which means, choose the tone that disappears in your skin.

As for me, I prefer to follow the Aussie method. I don't really like looking whiter than my skin tone. It'll just make me look weird and not natural. Plus, with this method, you won't get a weird line along your jawline. Well, I like the Malaysian make-up tips as well, but I prefer to mix and match both tips. Take the good ones from both sides.

However, its not easy to find a tone that disappears in your skin color. Especially with my skin tone ( I would say, I'm quite tanned), its much harder. So, my advice would be, get 1 foundation which is 1 or 2 tones lighter than your skin, and another foundation that is 1 tone darker. Play around with the colors by mixing them till you get the same foundation color as your skin. Also, make sure you get the right lighting (the best lighting is natural light). So, if you can sit at your balcony trying on the right foundation color, it would be perfect. So, if you find the mixed foundation too dark, add the lighter one. And if its too light, add the darker ones. But make sure you add them bit by bit or you'll seriously screw up the color. After you've got the right tone, apply some at your jawline, cheekbones & forehead (remember, don't put too much!). After that, take a foundation brush or a sponge, and blend and blend and blend!

Tip: The best way to put natural make-up is to look fresh and glowing without looking like you're wearing make up. So, keep it minimal on the foundation!!!

More water please!

Water might sound too plain for most of us. Its tasteless, contains no sugar and it does not look as attractive as sugary & carbonated drinks. But still, water is very important to all of us. We use water to cook, shower, wash our face, soak our fingers and toes for pedicures and manicures and of course we all drink water. But water does more than all of those.

We hear a lot of people wondering, "How do I lose weight?", "How can I get beautiful clear youthful skin?", "Why am I always so hungry?", "How can I get a clear urine color" & "After a night out, how do I detox my body?"

The answer is, of course, water!! One of the main things I did to lose weight (I used to be big) was to drink lots and lots of water. But don't drink more than 3 liters or your body can be overload with water.

Drinking lots water has always been the beauty tip used by celebrities like Beyonce, Jada Pinkett Smith, Shakira, Eva Longoria, Leighton Meester, Blake Lively and more. They say that they drink lots of water to lose weight and to get a clear and beautiful skin.

So, drink up people!!

Tea

I've always been a coffee person. Every morning, I would drag my husband to a cool cafe (we go for cafe hopping every day) and say to the waiter "Can I get a strong flat white with 1 1/2 sugar please? And yes, make sure its double shot." And yes, thats how my day would start and would not be complete without a cup of good coffee (my favourite would be Campos coffee!)

Anyways, I was reading a book about natural beauty when I came across this chapter on tea. All sorts of tea like green tea, black tea, white tea and so on. The authors says teas are antioxidant, good for your skin, digestion and yes, it makes you look younger. For hundreds of years, Chinese people drink cups and cups of teas everyday! No wonders most of them are skinny (not to forget the Japanese as well!).

So, I went to this shop in Chinatown called the Tea Specialist. I've never been to a purely tea shop before and I had the shock of my life to see so many type of teas around me. There were black ones, green ones, flowery ones, and some are wrapped in white cloth. So, I went up to this lady and started asking questions. And yes, apparently the book I read was right. Teas have a lot of health benefits. It can also prevent you from getting diseases like cancer, ulcer and so on. I was really impressed and go myself a big bag of black tea that cost me AUD15! Pretty expensive for a bag of tea leaves. But apparently, the ones that we usually buy at the supermarket are not graded and not pure. It has been processed and the benefits are not... hmmm really there anymore. But the ones I bought are pure and fresh (says the lady). Oh yea, the other reason on why I bought the black tea instead of green tea is because it can make you lose weight. Crap i'm such a sucker when it comes to weight loss product.

So, I drink this black tea every day for about 2 months. Well, I didn't really lose weight (maybe its because of what I've been pigging out!). You see, I've always had this problem of... hhmm... you know going to the toilet. Just not that good at it. Haha. I just have indigestion problem (I can go on about 3 days without going to the toilet). It was up to the point where I had to take laxatives. But I have to admit, this tea really solve my problems. Its not as good as laxatives but its... hhmm more natural. I hope you know what I mean, but I don't really know how to explain this. If you've taken laxatives before, you know how much your stomach cramps when you need to go to the toilet. But not with this tea, it feels more normal.

Now, I'm trying their green tea. Much more expensive than the black tea (AUD35). Works the same, but taste better. Will write about it when I finish the whole bag.

Been a while since my last post

Haiihh... it has really been awhile since my last post. Don't really care if anyone's reading this, really. I think I stopped at Day 3 of my Blackmore's Detox program. Did I continue. Nope. Haha. I guess I was not strong enough.

Ok, the truth is, there was too many pills to eat in 1 day, and really that bitter thing taste really bad. I just couldn't consume it. I think it contains alcohol because of the burning feeling in my throat right after I swallow it. I only took it twice, and gave up. The other pills are ok, but there're just too many of them. Plus, you have to take them every time before you eat and after. Sometimes I forgot and I don't eat at home all the time. I know that the easiest thing to do is just keep some in my handbag, right? But the thing is I always switch my handbags, according to occasions and what I wear. So when I do, I'd missed the pills.

I think the lemon detox is easier. Yes, you practically starve yourself the whole day (or for a week if you're doing the complete program), but at least you'll always remember to drink the lemon drink. Plus I have a new version on the lemon detox. I do it every other day, so that I get a day of to relax and revive and do it again the next day (this continues about a week or 2). It might not work as successfully as the complete program, but I did manage to lose some weight! So for those who think the complete lemon detox program is very hardcore, try my version. Who knows, it might work.

Day 2

Morning-

Woke up at 6 with a stomachache. Went to the toilet, and seriously, the whole process was not pleasant. Tried going back to sleep again, but the pain was still there. The pain continued, and I decided that I shouldn't go to class. Its like, there's pain for 5 minutes, and then its gone, and its back again. Haiihh... the world of detox. I slept to get over the pain and ended up missing breakfast. So, I had a salmon sandwich for brunch. After consuming Acidophilus Bifidus and Milk Thistle, I feel thirsty again.

Afternoon-

I feel awesome! Totally energized though I'm on a detox program. Honestly, I didn't expect this to happen. Did a few hours of housework (cleaning, laundry, scrubbing & vacuuming), felt a bit hungry, but I'm still energized! Oh yea, I don't know if I'm just imagining this but I feel a bit lighter today. Cool eh?

Evening -

I'm definitely feeling better and better. Very energized! But I'm quite worried that I won't be able to sleep later, as I'm feeling very hyper right now. I've taken the Colon Care, and thankfully so far my stomach has not grumble like it did last night. And I do notice I pee more today. Not sure if its because of the water intake or perhaps its because of the Milk Thistle and Acidophilus Bifidus or maybe both! But what frustrates me is, I haven't been able to keep up with the 2 litres per day requirement. Its weird, coz usually on my non-detox day, thats how much I drink. Will definitely do better tomorrow! Good nite!

Day 1

Morning-

Woke up really late, so I missed my breakfast. So, instead I had brunch. So far so good. Except that I felt so so thirsty after brunch. I didn't have any juice, so I took the Digestive Bitters with a little bit of water. Urrgh its disgusting!! The worst thing I've ever tasted in my whole life! Even durian taste better. The Acidophilus Bifidus and Milk Thistle were ok, since they are in tablet forms.

Afternoon -

I'm not sure if it was because of the detox, but I've been feeling so so sleepy. A bit exhausted, but not too bad. Had some chicken rolls for lunch, but I didn't as bad as I expected it would be

Evening -

Wow... Had a long nap, and still feeling sleepy. Must be the detox. But so far no headaches or any major problems. Thank god! Had mushroom soup for dinner. The whole day, I hvnt been feeling that hungry, but I've been really thirsty. I also haven't had any coffee, and I guess that was a success! However, the worst thing was having to take the Digestive Bitters the 2nd time of the day. Yuck! Took Colon Care before I go to sleep, and I could hear my stomach making weird noises.

Blackmore detoxification program

I have just bought this detox program this afternoon. According to the pharmacist, this program is better than rapid detox. It wasn't that expensive (55AUD), unlike the lemon detox program. It cost me 99AUD!!