Monthly Archives: January 2012

How I Tuk Tuk-ed around Hatyai, Thailand: Day One

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 Instead of celebrating Chinese New Year in my hometown, this year’s CNY celebrations took on a very different twist where bro and I headed to Hatyai, Thailand for a couple of days! Uncle had an appointment for cataract surgery in the city so we tagged along as Mum and Dad felt we should go as we  both haven’t been to Hatyai! We left on the eve of Chinese New Year, which left us without a proper family reunion dinner… *sobs* 
We left our hometown at 5am and got to Sungai Golok at about 6-ish where we then parked the car at my Aunt’s home in Golok before heading to the van terminal in Golok to purchase tickets to Hatyai! Tickets from Golok to Hatyai cost 180 Baht per person. Personally, I would not recommend this mode of transport as it is a long 4 hour bumpy ride into the city and there were so many road blocks manned by soldiers along the way it did scare me quite a bit. 
I slept most of the way, which explains why I do not have photos of the van (am kicking myself for this now) but!! I have a ton of photos of yet another popular (if not only) mode of public transportation in Hatyai…. TUK TUKS!! 
That’s a very enthusiastic Aunt vs. a grumpy Uncle on board our very first Tuk Tuk! Aunt’s cousin’s sister-in-law came to pick us up at the Hatyai Van Terminal (makes me wonder if there’s a coach terminal around) and we pretty much sat in this Tuk Tuk for the rest of the day as Pi brought us out of town to….. 
Samila Beach! 
That’s the famous Mermaid statue in the distance… The King’s Granddaughter was at the beach so the guards cordoned off quite a huge area and sadly that included the Mermaid statue! =( 
This is the Cat and Mouse statue that represents the Cat and Mouse islands in this photo below: 
There’s a mythical story behind these two islands but I couldn’t really understand what Pi was saying (she spoke in a mixture of Thai and Mandarin) so all I did was nod and smile without understanding a single thing. >.<
The weather was really, really hot so bro and I walked round in search of a thirst quencher and we found this!! 
Coconut ice-cream!! Cost us 30 Baht / RM3!! I wish I went back for more as coconut ice-cream’s my favourite Thai dessert, so much that I always bug my Aunt to get me some should she head home across the border! 
As the heat was getting to all of us, our lovely Tuk Tuk driver (who happens to be Pi’s friend) brought us to the Songkhla Aquarium! 
A little tip here: if you want to visit the Aquarium, get a local to purchase tickets for you as locals are charged 100 Baht for a regular ticket which gains you admission into the Aquarium only whereas tourists are charged double! 
The Songkhla Aquarium is rather small but well stocked with various fish species! We even saw an elusive turtle or two but they scurried into the shadows before I could take a shot! Shan’t bore you lot with fish photos so I’m only posting one:
We were extremely lucky to have a lovely Tuk Tuk driver who insisted we stopped at random places (to the silly us who didn’t bother looking up places to visit in Hatyai). One of them included stopping on a bridge, where I took this shot of us hot, bothered but happy people in the Tuk Tuk:
Another one included this water-spewing dragon-like thingy around the Samila beach area:
whose body lay here:
When I saw this ‘mini arch’ I went ‘what on earth’s so artistic about an ARCH that it deserves such a massive space’ only to be informed that this is the body of the dragon-like thingy. O.o 
Sadly, we didn’t see the tail. =( 
All that touring around made us hungry (and Uncle agitated as he was really tired from the long Tuk Tuk ride as he’s quite tall and he had to be Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame throughout the ride as the Tuk Tuk’s roof is rather low. Lucky for us, the Klonghae Floating Market was open! It only opens on Saturdays and Sundays so we were really lucky we managed to check it out! Sadly all stalls were on land as they were doing some renovations to the market! Nevertheless, the food was more than superb. It was orgasmic. The weather in Hatyai was unbearable for me but the good food made up for every single flaw this city had! =D 
Thai stuffed sausages that can take on any German Bratwurst, anytime! They even sell Pork Satay (see those thinly sliced pieces of meat on skewers at the bottom of this photo?) which wasn’t too bad! I’m not a huge fan of the meat as I sometimes find the smell unbearable. The sausages had glutinous rice and glass noodles stuffed in them and every single sausage I tried was perfectly seasoned and well-cooked! 
Colourful and tantalizing snacks / kuihs on display! I bought some as I just couldn’t resist sinking my teeth into these diabetes-inducing sweets. 
The Thais love coconut! Coconut’s used in nearly every sweet dish in Hatyai! Quail’s eggs are cooked sunny side up and this Apam-like snack was so good that I ate 3 ‘baskets’ of the stuff. #thisiswhyiamfat
It was so good that I had to show you a close-up of this! I need to learn Thai to understand what these friendly Thais are saying! They are so helpful to bro and I when we were lost along the streets of Hatyai but we were still lost as we couldn’t understand them. #fail 
+____+
We saw a baby elephant! It’s carer was selling sugar cane just so tourists could feed the animal. I felt really sorry for it and was about to photograph its sad-looking eyes when a group of Thai schoolgirls surrounded me and asked if they could interview me. #5secondsoffame
I have no idea why I’m using these random and incredibly lame hash tags. Hehe. 
So like any other celebrity *ahem*, they asked for a photo at the end of the interview:
I saw a lady walking about with peacock feathers and at the spur of the moment I said to Aunt 
‘Can we please have some?’
Aunt lovingly bought me 20 peacock feathers!!! Thank you so much!!! <3 We managed to get them at 20 Baht each. Hehe they were a bit of a chore to transport back to Kuala Lumpur though but truly worth it! =D
Can you guess what this it? 
Clue: it’s cold, and refreshing!! 
It’s an ice-cream stick!! The ice-cream is made only with ice cubes and salt! No electricity / freezer is used in the process of making this cheap (5 Baht) yet delicious treat! Fizzy drinks are poured into the metal tubes before they are chucked into their allocated slot in the drum and before you know it, it’s frozen and ready to consume! Such genius! 
That’s pretty much if for our Day One in Hatyai… All of us crashed upon arriving at the hotel! 
I hope you enjoyed this post! =D 

Delayed post: Trigger-Happy Thursdays

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This week’s Trigger-Happy Thursdays arrives on a Sunday after a two-week hiatus! I was going to post up a load of Chinese New Year related photos but I couldn’t due to time restraint and the internet connection at home has been slightly wonky so I gave up on trying to upload the photos… =( Sorry! 

This post is going to be a mix of a lot of things so are you ready?? =D 
Some people hate durian but the pungent, soft, creamy flesh just draws me to them anytime, anywhere!!  I took shots of these thorny babies at some fruit stall near Taylor’s College in Subang while Mum haggled with the Durian man! =D
Bubble tea seems to be, if not ALL THE RAGE here in Malaysia where you see stalls like these popping up everywhere! I gave Mr. Wish a go at Sunway Pyramid and I think it’s better than Chatime. A whole lot better than Chatime. Hanny you need to give this a go if you haven’t had it already! =D
The boyfriend and I went on our first movie date in over a year (too stingy to visit the cinemas in the UK)! We opted for mineral water as opposed to the much favoured fizzy drinks because we are health freaks like that. HAHAHA so not true (for me at least) but we were a little sick of having sweet drinks (too many bubble tea-esque drinks) hence sky juice was the drink of our choice! 
I’m not looking forward to the day when I’ve got to distribute money during Chinese New Year! It’s a Chinese tradition where married couples distribute red packets / Ang Pows to children / those who aren’t married and this photo was taken when Mum got the money from the bank. Poor Mummy and Daddy but good for us kids! =D 
Then comes in one of the loveliest packages I’ve ever received from the GORGEOUS LILY (psst!! She’s got her own DOT COM now!) 
Lovingly wrapped up! Thank you so much, my dear!! I had to get the package from the main post office and I was ripping the package apart in the car which explains the hurried and rather unorganised shots! They do not do justice to Lily’s amazing gift-wrapping skills! =D
Another teaser pic before I reveal the contents of the package!! I cannot thank Lily enough!! 
Ta-dah!! 3 foundation samples and a whole load of MAC Paint Pot samples!!!! I still owe her a swatch post #sheepish I will do it ASAP my dear!! Once I get all my 3326987534986 things done. :s 
We arrived at my hometown on the 19th of January (Thursday), just in time for my Grandfather’s death anniversary prayer where I made something non-halal for him. =) As my Uncle and Aunties are Taoists, they prepared some paper clothes and money for him and my deceased Uncle and Auntie.. Food’s placed on the table as an offering to him and our deceased relatives. 
Here’s what I made!! Roast Pork / Siew Yoke in cantonese. =D The skin was crispy and flesh + fats were tender, moist and succulent. =) Are you hungry now? ;)  
I have introduced you to my maternal grandmother a.k.a Popo many a time but this is the first time my Mama – paternal grandmother makes an appearance on this blog! We were aghast when we arrived at my Mama’s place as my Mama always sports a permed head so we rushed her to a hair salon immediately upon arriving home just so she could get her hair done. 
And the end result? 
Elegant looking Mama! <3 Love her to bits but it worries me how forgetful she is nowadays! She's capable of asking you the same question over 5 times in half an hour! :'( I hate watching my grandmothers' health deteriorate. 
I was going to upload some photos I took during my Hatyai trip but there are just too many photos I want to share with all of you so I’ve decided to place all the photos in a separate post. =) I hope you enjoyed this post! 
How did your CNY celebrations go? =) 

Review: Biotherm Sensitive Skin Sun Cream Multi-Protection UVB/UVA SPF50+

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Phew! This should win an award for having one of the longest names I’ve ever come across for a sunblock! Biotherm’s one of my favourite skin care brands and I was on the lookout for a face sunblock when I chanced upon this. I jumped at the words ‘Sensitive Skin’, which is something that’s right up my alley!

So this Multi-Protection sun cream promises to hydrate and prevents brown spots with Mexoryl SX/XL which provides both UVA and UVB protection.

Housed in a tube containing 75ml, you do get quite a lot of product seeing this product is meant to be used on the face and neck. I found the sunblock to be overly hydrating (read: oily) for me so I’ve been using this on my body.

The texture of the Biotherm sunblock is rather thick and a bit of a chore to apply as you get a thick, white, sticky layer of gunk on your skin each time you apply this. It does take a while for the product to sink in. While the white layer sinks in, the stickiness is here to stay. My mum always complains when I use this product as it gets her arms sticky whenever she holds my arm (we do quite a bit of hand-holding / arm-grabbing) so I suppose this isn’t a product to use should you be going on a date! :p

I do not think it’s a matter of using too much product as I’ve tried using less but the stickiness remains the same! I cannot imagine using this on my face and just the thought of looking oily / sticky horrifies me!

All things aside, this product does not dry me out like the Sunplay sunblock and does provide good sun protection and for some reason this tube’s always in my handbag! Okay it’s probably because I’m too much of a sloth to take it out of my bag so I’ve been using quite a bit of it (i’m now squeezing the very last bits out) even though it leaves me rather sticky for the rest of the day. :D

I’m not too fussy with the stickiness if I’m going to be in an air-conditioned place for nearly half the day but then you ask, what’s the point of me wearing sunblock if I’m not going to be exposed to the sun?!?

Haha! As much as I love most of Biotherm’s products, I cannot recommend this product to anyone who lives in a humid climate as this will drive you (and anyone near you) mad. I haven’t used this in cooler (but sunny) climates but I’m guessing it should be more comfortable to wear this in a drier environment!

Rating: 1/5

Review: Sunplay SPF130 PA+++

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It’s official. I am a sunblock addict. I enjoy stalking local drugstores in pursuit of sunblocks.

This caught my eye when I was doing my usual routine, going round the aisles in Watsons and was astonished at the high Sun Protection Factor (130, can you believe it?)

Now, having such a high SPF does not necessarily mean you will not tan / burn, it only slows down the process of you getting burnt. This means you do not really need a sunblock with such a high SPF unless you intend to sit in the sun all day long, and risk getting sunstroke in the process :p

Nevertheless, I bought this as the claims do sound promising! Here they are!

• New Solarex-3 technology provides a unique UV defense system which combines superior photostability, high moisture retention and anti-aging properties.
• Highest board spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
• Light and non-greasy texture.
• Super water and sweat proof, ideal for long hours outdoors and water activities.

The texture of the Sunplay sunblock is incredibly watery and dries (rather quickly, I must add) to a clear finish. Yes, this seems super sweat proof to me! I was sweating buckets as we walked round town in Hat Yai and I was in the sun most of the time! The good? No tan / redness at all, which really impressed me as it was really sunny in Hat Yai!

Now onto the not-so good….. I did not experience any ‘high moisture retention’ at all! On the contrary, this product really dried my skin out. After barely two days’ use, my parched skin was crying out for help and I had to purchase a body lotion just to soothe my skin! I used this on my body (arms, legs) and there were fine lines on my arms whenever I bend my elbows. These lines weren’t there prior to using this product so I’m sure this is the culprit!

I’m not sure what’s in this sunblock as I stupidly chucked the pack packaging into the bin without taking a photo of the ingredient list beforehand but this sunblock is not for dry-skinned ladies as this really dries you out! You really need to moisturise your body after using this so do approach this product with caution!

I forgot to mention this will run out really quickly due to it’s watery texture! I’ve used up half a bottle in merely two applications which adds another con to the list! I will never repurchase this!

Rating: 2/5 (in hindsight, this DID a perfect job as a sunblock so I can’t give it too low a rating!)

I’ve added this unpleasant photo of my drying arm just so you ladies are aware of what you may be in for should you give this sunblock a go! 

I am sunblock crazy.

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I started using sunscreen from a young age due to my sun sensitive skin which burns ever so quickly in the scorching Malaysian heat. 
Now that I’m a little older…. I think I have developed an addiction for sunscreens / sunblocks:
Now, there’s been this ongoing debate on whether physical sunscreens or chemical sunscreens are better and both Viva Woman and Paris B have covered this topic some years ago so I’m not gonna go into detail on what they are! 
I am not a huge fan of sunscreens even though my life (skin) depends on it. When abroad, I never use sunscreen but a moisturizer with a low SPF as most of the time I’m just too lazy to go that extra step in the mornings when the sun rarely, if not never peeks through those thick grey English clouds! Now that I’m back in sunny Malaysia, I start taking sunscreen seriously. Although I am aware that a higher Sun Protection Factor does not mean it will prevent you from burning / tanning, I still go for sunscreens with a Sun Protection Factor of at least 50 as I just do not feel safe if I do not see those two numbers on the tube! #paranoid
I am still in the process of testing some of these products (L’oreal, Kiehl’s, Shu Uemura’s even though it’s actually a primer lol) and will get back to you lovely readers on how they fare!! 
Psstt! This is actually a filler post as I figure out which sunblocks should I bring on my ‘balik kampung’ (travelling back to hometown) trip! My grandmothers live in Kelantan, one of the Northern states in West Malaysia and for some reason, Kelantan is ALWAYS HOTTER than Kuala Lumpur. I’m serious. It’s more humid and the sun is extremely hostile to my poor skin when I visit my grandmothers in my hometown so I had to stock up on sunblocks and now I can’t decide on which ones to bring! :s Typical of me, haha! 
Any of you heading back to your hometowns to celebrate Chinese New Year? What do you normally do over the festive season? For me, it’s usually eat, eat, and eat some more before visiting loads of people, eating loads of mandarin oranges and come back to Kuala Lumpur sick. Yup. Same routine every year. =D 

Giveaway woes….

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Hey everyone! 
I’ve been toying with the idea of hosting a giveaway for quite some time now but I never know what to pop into the goodie bag! As you lovely readers will be the ones receiving the gift, I thought I’d quickly ask if you’ve got any suggestions on what I should give away! My budget’s quite tight at the moment as I’m currently in limbo – not quite a student yet not technically unemployed.. it’s complicated lol but I really want to thank all of you lovelies for being such lovely readers with a teeny gift!

Ideally, I would love to sponsor two gifts (bearing the same items) – one for residents in Malaysia (that’s where I currently live!) and one for international readers but seeing I have no idea on what to giveaway yet… I haven’t got a clue on what the budget’s gonna be!

So please let me know if you would like me to hold TWO giveaways instead of ONE, and whether you would rather have skin care samples, make up products or a little bit of everything? =D

I look forward to hearing from all of you!! Bring forth ‘em suggestions!! =D 

Trigger-Happy Thursdays

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I was uploading my iPhone photos onto my laptop the other day and I discovered I take photos on a daily basis! So I thought, might as well put these photos to good use and document them onto a weekly blog post as a reminder of what I’ve been up to! At the same time, I felt it would be nice to provide all you lovely readers little snippets of my life. =D
As this is the first time I’m doing this, I will be putting up quite a lot of photos, starting from when I first came back to Kuala Lumpur up to now. ;)  
Warning: this is an extremely photo-heavy post! 

First up, my first breakfast outing with the family since coming home:
Extremely disgusting rice noodle soup from Kim Gary. The soup tasted like water. Eww. Never again will I step into Kim Gary.
Nothing excited me more than a blogger meet up with the lovely HANNY ! I took this ninja shot while she pondered over her eyeshadow selection. =) 
We spent one weekend at Awana Genting’s studio apartment where Mum cooked up the most amazing non-spicy Nasi Lemak ever! Nasi Lemak’s a traditional Malaysian dish where the rice is mixed with coconut milk, or coconut oil in this case to give the rice an appetizing fragrance! The rice is accompanied with some fried anchovies and peanuts, hard boiled egg, slices of cucumber and the sambal (chili paste). 
My closest friend in the world, Kean Ho took me on a late night outing to Klang’s i-City! The camera simply refused to photograph well that night and this was the best photo I had. 
Now that both the boyfriend and I are back in Malaysia, we have been going out quite a bit and most of our outings include EATING. Loads, and loads of eating. We dropped by Pizza Vs. Satay in Subang Jaya for some beef and chicken satay. 
Before you know it, it’s Christmas!! Here are all our presents under the tree! =D I shot this photo with Hipstamatic, by the way. =)
Immediately after Christmas, Popo (grandma) caused quite a stir with her being admitted into intensive care. Here’s my dear Popo with wires all over her body. =(
Them painful thingies the nurses use to inject antibiotics into her body. =’( She was in so much pain all the time and there was nothing we could do to make her feel better.
My eldest aunt sewed Grandma’s talisman into this pretty piece of cloth and I took a photo of it as it looks so pretty:
While Popo was in intensive care, we saw this clipboard with a lot of stickers on it. Upon closer inspection, I discovered the nurses place stickers of whatever they use on grandma onto this sheet of paper so they can bill us for the stuff later on! Can you believe they charged us for every, single thing eg. disposable gloves, tissues, denture containers (yes, even that)? Scary stuff. 
One yet another food outing with the boyfriend, we headed to Dragon-i in Sunway Pyramid where they are famous for their Xiu Long Bao (small dragon dumpling, if translated literally). =p This essentially is a pork dumpling with a sweet broth inside the skin! 

Oh boy, this is quite a food post, isn’t it? ;) My ever-so-kind and generous neighbour brought us out for Roti Canai / Roti Paratha where I ordered Roti Telur. Roti Canai is a kind of Indian flatbread that’s extremely greasy and unhealthy but oh-so tasty! I love this with egg and the flatbread’s usually served with some sambal (anchovies cooked with onions and chili), Dhaal (chickpea curry, usually non-spicy) and some curry. Tasty and rather affordable at RM1.50 / 30 pence! =D

Initially, the boyfriend and I were going to have our dinner at Dragon-i (remember the photo with the dumplings?) but we were snubbed by the server when we only ordered the dumpling, some Gui Ling Gou (chinese black herbal jelly) and custard buns. Thing is, we both like ordering in small quantities and then order some more if our tummies can handle the amount of food but the server was incredibly rude when we ordered the three items (without drinks as I carry my own bottle of water) so we decided to hit Sakae Sushi for a more filling meal. =D Here, we shared a Salmon and Chicken Teriyaki set and didn’t get snubbed even though we only ordered one drink and one set for the two of us hehe! Brownie points for Sakae Sushi!

Now that we are on the topic of Japanese food, I gave Mochi Sweets a go at Gardens, Midvalley! They aren’t cheap at RM3.50 a pop but I’m glad I tried them out as these aren’t the usual Mochi you get with the traditional red bean paste in them! Mochi Sweets sells traditional Mochis with a twist as there are so many flavours, ranging from traditional green tea to fruit-flavoured ones! We bought the Green Tea and Purple Sweet Potato mochis and were pleasantly surprised with a cream centre within the paste! These sweets aren’t very sweet so those of you without a sweet tooth should definitely give this a go!

Dear me, I seem to be taking mostly food photos which simply reveals my gluttony to you dear readers! *gasp*

I will attempt to take more non-food photos for next Thursday’s series =D

Do let me know what you think of Trigger-Happy Thursdays and whether I should carry on this, um new tradition of posting random photos every week! =) 

The Scrubbing Diaries: Ginvera Green Tea Whitening Marvel Gel

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On this week’s Scrubbing Diaries, I bring you a special guest for this review as the said guest has more blackheads than I do (no offence, darling) and I thought it would be best to present you lovely readers with photos that shows results. =) 
I purchased the Ginvera Marvel Gel while out with Hanny . Yes, going out with a blogger friend can do quite a lot of damage to your wallet, haha! She raved about this product and I can see why! 
Rather gory up-close nose shots coming up so please overlook this post if you can’t stomach such photos! 

So Ginvera claims to eliminate all blackheads with the tagline ‘Zero Blackheads in 1 Step’ together with the ’10 Benefits of Whitening Marvel Gel’, as seen on the back of the 60ml tube: 
1. Rubs away deep layers of dead skin cells
2. Rubs away blackheads painlessly
3. Contracts pores for refined skin (As dead skin cells have been cleared from pores)
4. Lightens black spots, freckles and scars
5. Removes oil seeds
6. Regulates sebum secretion to prevent pimples
7. Brightens dull complexion
8. Changes dark, rough skin to smooth skin
9. Whitens skin as it gives way to new born skin
10. Enhances quick absorption of skin care products
Whoa, that’s quite a lot of promises! Let’s get on to see if this product actually lives up to its claim! 
This is a rather unique product as you need to apply it onto dry skin, like this:
Spread it out over your face, or problem areas:
Here’s the fun bit. Start massaging / rubbing the product into your skin and before you know it, little bits of fluff will surface, as though your blackheads have been rubbed off! 
After you’re done rubbing your face dry (literally, you can feel all the gel has turned into bits and there’s nothing more to rub other than the bits of fluff you’ve gathered from rubbing your face), rinse and let’s admire the results!! 
This is no miracle product, so do not expect all your blackheads to disappear just after one use! The blackheads certainly didn’t disappear but the skin is noticeably smoother and the pores seem smaller too! I believe this product will be extremely effective with frequent use and will update this section once my lovely friend’s used it a little more! 
I hope the photos didn’t put any of you off! =) 

Comparison post: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation 51, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation 51 and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B10

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I love every single beauty product of mine that I’ve amassed over the last few months in the UK but due to luggage weight restrictions, I could only carry the creme de la creme of my beauty stash! Foundation wise, I packed 3 (yes, I know I’m crazy) and they are the
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
+___+ 
In defense, I *technically* packed only two good foundations, them being the Healthy Mix Foundation and Chanel as they are tried, tested and proven foundation favourites! As I only bagged the Healthy Mix Serum foundation just before leaving the UK, I ended up lugging this one along in my hand carry clear bag as there simply wasn’t any space left in the check-in bag for this! 
Nevertheless, these precious little ones arrived on Malaysian shores safely! =D I am incredibly glad I packed them along as they aren’t available here so thank goodness for that! 
Let’s get on with the review, shall we? ;)
Company Literature:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation 
- Promises 16 hours of perfectly glowing complexion and toned skin with fruit therapy to boost radiance. Fruits included are Apricots, Melons, Apples and Ginger.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Also boasts 16 hours’ wear, with a radiance-boosting formula for an even, revived complexion. Provides instant anti-fatigue complexion with their vitamin-rich fruit therapy. Fruits included are Pomegranates, Lychees and Goji Berries.
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- Ultra-light Skin Perfecting Makeup that comes with SPF15. Acts as ‘second skin’ with its new-generation texture even though it’s exceptionally delicate and light. Upon application, it’s as though you are ‘glowing from within and are bathed in light’. 
My thoughts:
Chanel has got the most creative, hyperbolific (yes that’s a made-up-word) team of writers. Who on earth would think of the phrase ‘bathed in light’ for a foundation?! The Bourjois Foundations are not only similar in name, literature and right down to the ingredients used. The only difference are the fruits used in their ‘vitamin-rich fruit therapy’. 



Packaging:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Pump bottle, can see how much you’ve used up through this plate thingy that pushes the foundation up each time you use it. Handy and less wastage this way.

2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Foundation’s housed in a sleek plastic bottle (well some people think it’s glass but I find it a little too light to be glass) with a pump. Can’t see how much you’ve used up due to the absence of that plate thingy (gosh I gotta find out what it’s called!)

3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua 
- Comes in a squeezy rectangular bottle with a spout. 
My thoughts:
I really like the sleek packaging of the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation but I prefer the Healthy Mix Foundation’s mechanism where nearly every drop of foundation is pumped out. I foresee it will be slightly messy when it comes to getting the remnants of the Serum foundation out! I love the simple, minimalist design of the Chanel foundation as its rectangular shape and compact size makes it a joy to carry around! 


Scent: 
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Rather heavily scented. Smells more floral than fruity. Thankfully the scent disappears upon application.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Heavily scented though this seems to smell fruity. I always get a whiff of lychee each time I apply this and it makes me crave lychees! :s 
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- According to Chanel, this foundation has a ‘crystalline fragrance that accentuates the sensation of freshness and pleasure upon application.’ Quite true, I have to say as this smells really posh. =p
My thoughts:
I do find fragranced products a pain, at times but I’m willing to overlook this as these three foundations are the best that I’ve tried! (not that I’ve tried many foundations and I’m looking to change that) All three are heavily scented and I have to say I can’t pick a favourite scent as they all smell divine! =D 





Colour: 
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation 
- I have this in Shade 51, Vanille Clair where it is a yellow-based foundation with a slight grey hue to it. 
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- I also have this product in Shade 51, Vanille Clair where it too is a yellow-based foundation with a slight grey hue to it. However, this foundation is SLIGHTLY DARKER and MORE YELLOW than the Healthy Mix Foundation. 
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- I have this in B10 Beige Pastel. Extremely yellow-based foundation with slight orange undertones. This is the darkest foundation amongst the three. 
My thoughts:
The Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation is the best match for my skin tone although the difference is barely visible with the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation. This Chanel foundation somehow has the properties of a BB cream where it has the ability to adapt to your skin tone to a certain extent, methinks. The swatch on my arm seems a little orange and quite a lot darker than the Bourjois foundations but when it goes on my face the difference isn’t that obvious so I’m happily overlooking that! =D



Texture: 
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Creamy and slightly thick and incredibly easy and fool-proof to apply be it with your fingers or a brush.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Watery texture, slightly harder to blend and takes longer to sink into the skin due to the texture.
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- (bottle needs to be shaked well so the foundation’s mixed properly before use) Creamy and fast-drying texture where it just disappears into your skin so quickly that no one would notice you’re using any base make-up!
My thoughts:
Chanel wins hands down in terms of texture. The foundation kinda dries to a powdery finish but it’s not the kind of matte powdery finish you get with some oil-controlling foundations! The only downside to this is that you need to work the product into your skin quickly as it dries up rather quick. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation comes in second as the texture is similar to the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, only creamier and the finish is rather dewy. The Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation is not recommended if you are in a rush as this takes a while to sink into your skin and I found the watery texture a little difficult to work with!




Coverage + Finish:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Medium coverage, buildable. This gives a dewy finish and is non-cakey.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Sheer – Medium coverage, buildable too. The finish is slightly more natural (due to the watery texture, I assume) than the Healthy Mix Foundation and isn’t as dewy as the latter. 
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- Sheer – Medium coverage, incredibly lightweight and natural-looking finish. Not dewy nor matte but leaves the wearer with an amazingly smooth and porcelain complexion. 
My thoughts:
Definitely the Chanel foundation for this category as the technology behind this product is simply mind-boggling! I simply cannot understand how this just disappears into my skin, making it look oh-so natural as though I do not have a single bit of make up on! Finish wise, the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation comes close to the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua as this also leaves the skin looking really natural though the coverage isn’t as good as Chanel’s. The Healthy Mix foundation is the one I wear if I’m having an evening out and I want fuller coverage. 




Overall thoughts:
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua wins hands down in my opinion even though the shade is a little off for me. The texture of this foundation is simply extraordinary and it has never disappointed me in terms of wear (non-cakey, non-streaky etc.) so this is the best in my opinion! 

Then again, I suppose it isn’t really fair if I compared a high-end foundation to drugstore ones so I’ve chosen an overall winner, taking the price tag into consideration. I feel the Healthy Mix Foundation is a good overall foundation as it’s easy to apply (just like Chanel), blends really well and the shade suits me well! Of course, at £10 / RM50 for 30ml you can’t get any better than that! 

The Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation has its plus points too as I find this the most value for money foundation as you only need so very little to even out your skin tone! I am always extra careful with this foundation as pumping out too much would result in me having to wait quite a while before the foundation sinks into my skin. When this happens, I usually wipe the excess foundation off with tissue and this can add up to quite a waste of product so be extra careful when pumping the foundation out! 

All three foundations have their positives (and negatives) so I cannot really say I dislike any of them! Even though I find the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation a pain when it comes to settling into my skin, I find myself reaching out for this on most days (nearly everyday as I’ve been going out everyday) as I love the sheer and natural finish this foundation provides! I don’t use the Healthy Mix Foundation as much as I find the coverage a little heavy for my liking. 

Okay, before I confuse all of you any further, I’ve summarized how I use these foundations:

Everyday: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

Evenings (when I’m doing a more ‘dramatic’ and polished look): Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

For special occasions or when I want to look like I haven’t got any make up on (eg. seeing the bf’s parents): Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation


I hope this helps anyone who’s looking at getting a Bourjois / Chanel foundation and are looking at how they differ from each other! =) 

Review: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation in 51 Vanille Clair

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I’m a die-hard Bourjois foundation fan as the lovely Lisa Eldridge  constantly features them in her make up tutorials. I never used liquid foundation prior to watching her videos as I always thought they would clog my pores and make me look incredibly ‘plastered’. 
Having tried the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, I started venturing out a little and gave Bourjois’ products a go when Boots did a 3 for 2 offer and I have not looked back since!
I bought this foundation in December last year, just before I left the UK for home. Back then, this foundation was newly released in the UK but I think this isn’t a new product as I’ve read reviews about this product from my fellow South East Asian bloggers. I wonder what took Bourjois so long to launch this in the UK! 
So this water-based foundation claims to boost radiance and provide the wearer with an even, revived complexion and boasts a 16 hour-wear just like their sibling, the Healthy Mix Foundation. 
I have to say I bought this foundation and carried it back to Malaysia without even trying it out and this just shows how much I trust Bourjois’ products! :D  
So the Serum foundation has a ‘Vitamin-rich fruit therapy’ and some of the fruits included in this bottle of goodness are:
Pomegranates
Lychees
Goji Berries 
Bourjois claims this is a gel foundation but I beg to differ as the foundation’s really runny! Here’s a swatch of the foundation in shade 51 Vanille Clair (the lightest shade) 
The Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation is the most liquid foundation I’ve tried, and some of you may be thinking

‘gosh, does this mean coverage is sheer?’

Well… I have to say coverage is sheer but like all Bourjois foundations, you can layer them on for more coverage. This, like the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation I reviewed yesterday  just melts into your skin!

While this foundation melts into my skin, this takes a little longer to set into the skin due to its runny texture, which can be a little bit of a pain if you are short for time! I find this foundation gives me a pleasant finish where it doesn’t look overly dewy or matte, thus making this such a bargain considering this is a drugstore brand that gives you the finish of more expensive foundations. =)

A highly recommended foundation if you can get your hands on one! I use this as my go to foundation as it’s cheaper than my favourite Chanel one and the finish is pretty similar! I also see myself taking a long time to use this bottle up as I only ever use a small drop of foundation for my nose / chin area and believe it or not, I still have extra to spread over my cheeks! Avoid pumping too much product out as I have a feeling it will take ages to settle onto your skin due to its watery texture.

I suppose this is not one foundation to consider should you be a full coverage girl but if you are a fan of natural-looking base make up, this is one of the perfect and affordable foundations for you. ;)

I will be doing a comparison post between the two Bourjois foundations and the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua one so stay peeled for updates! =D