#02. Dry Rose

#03. Dazzling Pink

#04. Peach Brown

#05. Vintage Red

The packaging was slick black with just a simple logo on it. You will be able to determine the color from the bottom of the tube. From the first impression I sure was already impressed with how vivid the color looks and how simple the overall packaging is. Just the perfect size to slip into my bag and on the go.

#01 Midnight Rose is just a gorgeous bright red color, perfect for a night out or on your date night. FYI, this is the perfect shade of red that has blue tones in it which helps make your pearly whites look gorgeous. I am normally quite skeptical of Red lipsticks because they can really make you look yellow but this shade is just great.

Next we have #02 Dry Rose which is a subtle vintage pink color that you can pair in for a daily makeup look. I love how this color just adds some flush to my face. One of the must have item for me is a lipstick or liptint especially if I'm bare faced. You sure don't want to look like a sick patient roaming around the street without an streak of color on your face.

#03 Dazzling Pink is a vivid bright pink color that most of my friends would categorize it at Miriam's color. This bright pink color has a tint of fushia to it and can really help brighten your skin complexion. I normally would not apply a full lip color but you can also use it for a gradient look. Just apply it to the inner corner of your lips and blend it out naturally. 

Now #04 Peach Brown is an interesting color option. I don't have any nude lipsticks and I tend to feel it makes me look like I just walked out of a hospital ward. However, for the G9 SKIN Peach Brown, it has a tint of coral in it which actually adds some color to the nude. First time trying out nude colors and well, I think with the right makeup this would be an interesting lip choice for a date night.

Finally #05 Vintage Red. If this is your first time trying a red lipstick, you can try this shade. It will slowly ease you into trying out brighter red. The red glides on easily

The G9 SKIN First Lipstick series exceeds my expectation of a good lipstick choice. I would normally go for liptints because I often find lipsticks to not glide on the lips and can get quite chalky. However, this lipstick series glides on perfectly. 

The color payment was gorgeous as you can get that exact vivid color in just one glide. Although it claims to be a matte lipstick, it was more of a semi-matte lipstick that does not leave your lips dry. This moist lipstick is perfect to hide any fine lines on your lips and is also long lasting. One tip is after applying one layer, blot it with a piece of tissue then reapply. This ensures that the lipcolor stays longer.

For those who are are not a fan of bold lips and prefer gradient lips, you can try mixing the colors together to give you a unique color combination. Just apply a darker color like #01 Midnight Rose in the inner corners of your lips and blend it outwards. I think blending #03 Dazzling Pink with #04 Peach Brown would be an interesting color combination as the nude from the Peach Brown would soften the vivid pink.

So which is your favourite color?  Because I just can't decide! Share with me which color do you think suits me best. 

Hello merry goers,

It's time for another food adventure and this time let's check out Restoran Three Brothers located in Seksyen U5, Bandar Pinggiran Subang. This restaurant is located really near to my office and just around the corner from Star Avenue. I had the opportunity to dine here one night with some other foodie buddies and oh-boy was it a super good cheat night.

Three Brothers Restaurant have been around for roughly 9 years serving a wide variety of Chinese cuisines but have recently added some fusion Western dishes as well. They can seat around 60 pax indoors with an additional table outdoors. Photos of their signature dishes are plastered over the wall so I was looking forward to the explosion of flavors for the dishes.

Our night started off with their Signature Scrambled Egg with Crab Meat. This golden dish was a wonderful mixture of fried eggs, shredded crabmeat, pine nuts and chestnuts shreds which added a fresh crunch to the overall dish. Topped with Ebiko, this dish had that nice popping texture when you bite into it. Add a generous portion onto the fresh lettuce wraps and this makes for an excellent appetizer.

We were then served with the crowning dish of Steamed Oyster with Garlic Sauce. I'm actually quite sensitive with oysters due to my shellfish-intolerance but just look at the size of the oysters! Air flown from Australia, they are plump and succulent. If you do not fancy raw oysters, you can get the steamed ones which still was juicy and flavorful. The garlic helps a lot with the flavor and one gulp, down the throat it slides.

As we savor the flavor from the oyster, we were served with Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Geoduck (RM88). Geoduck is one of the more expensive seafood choices so this sure is one pretty rich soup options. The premium soup is double boiled with Kampung Chicken, Geoduck, Mushroom, Scallop, Shellfish and other herbs. Really flavourful, this really packs a punch in the nutritious department. 

The Black Garlic Braised Giant Garoupa was fragrant and captured our attention as it arrived at our table. Black garlic is not normally used in Chinese dishes so this was an interesting flavor to find. It's my first time trying black garlic and I find the flavor to be really aromatic and addictive. It adds so much flavor into the overall dish although I find that the giant garoupa was rather dry.

Another highlighted dish would be the Roasted Iberico Ribs! The huge slab of ribs arrived at our table and was welcomed with oooos and aaahs. Juicy and tender, when the ribs were carved we each couldn't wait but to grab one piece. Just look at the size of the ribs. So worth my cheat night as I savoured the juicy ribs. Seasoned perfectly, the ribs were a joy to feasts on. Definitely recommended.

I was actually really quite full by the time I finished my piece of rib but then the Cheezy Baked Seafood Loaf arrived. Loads of cheese with seafood was baked in a loaf of bread and I really liked the bread type that they chose. Although it was baked with cheese, it still maintained good texture and was not soggy. Any cheese lover would die for this dish as the amount of cheese they added was plentiful. Really creamy and cheesy, this dish had a good amount of seafood like mussels and prawns among others.

We then ended the night with some luxurious 48 month Iberico de cebo with Rock Melon and Caviar. This sure was a rich treat with the flavors playing really well. You get the tinge of saltiness from the finely sliced Iberico de cebo paired with the sweetness from the rock melon. The caviar and addition of gold flakes made the whole dish complete.

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Hi merry goers,

Nowadays, we go all out for beauty and even go through pain just to look flawless. When it comes to getting rid of unwanted hair on our body, the first thing that comes to our mind would be shaving or waxing. Well, the less painful method would be laser hair removal or IPL but that would hurt your wallet because that treatment ain't cheap.

Shaving is the easiest and most convenient form of hair removal but leaves your skin feeling raw plus the hair grows thicker which becomes a real pain. Hard waxing is one of the most popular waxing method where if you go to the beauty parlor, the beautician would use a heated wax which would harden, attaching to the hair and it would be stripped off. 

Have you heard of Sugaring? It's actually similar to waxing but the difference is that instead of using hard wax, it is all natural using a gel made from sugar, lemon and hot water. This hair removal treatment is an ancient method used throughout Northern  Africa, Greece and Middle East. 

The benefits of Sugaring compared to Waxing is that this method does not stick to your skin but only to the hair. So instead of that painful waxing experience which tugs at your skin, the sugar only binds to the hair and pulls the hair. Not only that, since the gel mixture is mostly made out of sugar, there is no worries about leftover residues after waxing as you can easily wash it off with water. 

The mixture is slightly warmed to room temperature and is used just like a wax to remove the unwanted hair. Wax removal can sometimes be pretty harsh and results in hair breakage which would cause ingrowth. Not only that, because wax normally contains resins they can sometimes stick to live skin that when accidentally removed can cause slight skin burn. However when you use sugar paste, it only adheres to your dead skin cells which will effectively remove the hair and help exfoliate at the same time.

Using sugaring method is gentle and effective which leaves your skin silky and smooth perfect for those with sensitive skin types. 

I was first introduced to Sugar Waxing at Simran Beyond Beauty located at Taman Tun Dr Ismail (opposite McDonald's). A quaint and cozy beauty salon which offers a lot of treatments all using organic ingredients. Among some are for hair growth which I am looking forward to try during my next visit.

I was able to have a look at the sugar paste that would be used. The mixture is made from sugar, lemon, water and some special ingredient. Totally organic, this mixture is also edible! Trust me, because I tried and it tasted so good. They often offer a spoon for customers doing sugar waxing to soothe them and to distract their attention. 

It was sticky and tasted just like honey. It was definitely a sweet treat to suck on. One plus point is that because the mixture is totally organic it is also water soluble. So if there are any residue left on your skin after waxing, it can be easily washed off.

The method of sugaring is similar where the sugar paste is melted and heated up before applying to the hair removal area. Take a deeeeeep breathe and with one pull, the slightly harden sugar paste would tug off the hair. My personal thoughts, it was slightly more painful than using chemical wax. However, it was still bearable. Post-waxing treatment is just using aloe vera gel to soothe the waxed area. I actually didn't apply any soothing gel which I normally have to after waxing. Growth of hair after waxing was slower and finer as well. Plus this time round I had no issues with ingrown hair which was great! Ingrown hair can really be so uncomfortable.

Reduces risk of ingrown hairs

Gently exfoliates skin

Best for sensitive skin

Sugar paste is all natural and hypoallergenic (it's even edible!)

Water soluble - easy removal

Eco-friendly and cost efficient

I would really recommend you trying out Sugaring at Simran Beyond Beauty and you will really experience a different hair removal treatment that is not only organic, natural but also encourages less hair growth in unwanted areas.

Simran Beyond Beauty

54-A, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1, 

Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, 

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+60 3-7725 3897

https://www.facebook.com/SimranBeyondBeauty

Til next time,

xoxo

Miriam

Hi merry goers,

One issue I personally find irritating is having a strawberry nose. Do you know what a strawberry nose means? It's when your nose resembles a strawberry when it has tons of blackheads! In Japan, "strawberry nose" refers to a nose that is covered in blackheads. Blackheads resemble strawberry seeds which makes the nose look like a strawberry. No girl ever wants anyone to say that she has a strawberry nose. Or worse case scenario, when the boy she likes comes up close and sees the blackheads on her nose.

Do you know how blackheads are formed? It's actually due to oil, dust, sweat and bacteria that you are exposed to every single day that clogs up your pores. Overtime, blackheads are formed and voila! There you have your very own strawberry nose. There are so many products out there that helps to solve this issue. From extraction by force, nose strips, gels, etc.

I personally hate pressing or extraction by force. Whenever you go for facial, the beautician would start pressing and pressing your nose to get all your blackhead out. By the end of the session, you might come out looking like Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer. Well, I'm not saying that Rudolph ain't cute because he definitely is but I sure do not want to walk our of the facial centre looking like one. 

I used to use nose strips which doesn't really work that well for me and oh boy I hate the time to pull of the strip like a bandaid. It hurts! There seem to always be left over residue after using nose strips as well so I stopped using it after a while.

Then, I was introduced to b.liv Off With Those Heads gel. I actually heard tons of raving comments about this product and that it really works so I decided to put it to a test, not only on myself but also on several other white mice.

The product comes in a little bottle which is so convenient to bring along especially if you are travelling. Initially I wasn't sure of how it works and I thought it was a cleanser of some sort but then I realised that it was actually a leave on product. Just one pump and you would have sufficient product to apply it on your nose.

The product is a transparent clear gel which absorbs into the skin really well leaving a cooling sensation after application. It contains tea tree oil, peppermint oil, aloe vera extract and witch hazel extract that helps soften the blackheads, allowing for effortless extraction. Plus it also helps to control your oil secretion and has powerful antiseptic, anti fungal and anti bacterial properties; great for acne skin.

How the product actually works:

My personal experience is that I am amazed on how this product work! The gel actually gets absorbed really well and dries clear. My nose immediately felt smooth and I could see a significant difference in terms of my whiteheads. I do not really have blackheads problem but whiteheads, I have tons which if I leave it alone will turn into blackheads. After using the product, I realized that over the day, my pores did not secrete as much sebum and my T-zone did not look as shiny as it normally does over the day. 

I also realized that over time, my pores look smaller and not as apparent. I really recommend this product that honestly took me by surprise. You only need a bit of product each time and you can try it out for 14days first to see the effect. One bottle can probably last you quite long too. 

You can now find the b.liv Off with Those Heads (RM99, 15ml) at all Sa Sa outlets in Malaysia and online at www.bliv.com. Time to get rid of that strawberry nose!

Til next time,

xoxo

Miriam