Orange Saloon

I am sure by now most of you are aware of websites that offer fabulous discounts on restaurants, saloons, and other shops suchs as dealmates and milkAdeal. I purchase the above deal recently.

RM58 instead of RM218 for a haircut by a professional creative stylist + moisturizing treatmen using Alfaparf Milano products + wash + blow at Orange Salon.

The location of the Salon is at Southgate Commercial Centre. The location is quite convenient if you dont mind the jem! and parking is free too.

The saloon has a very classy design altho I cant find anything that is in 'orange' color.

The staircase behind me lead to a manicure and padicure area. nice huh?

The PC is located at every booth. I dont know if it is meant for customer to used because I was not offered to use it.

Altho the deco of the saloon is nice, the services are nothing to shout about. The so called "professional creative stylist" that was assigned to me was nothing near creative nor professional. He did not recommend anything and just follow whatever I asked him to do. And my hair was shampoo and washed at the basin. By right, normally your hair will be shampoo at the booth first and later wash at the basin. And normally the hair wash that I get from other saloon will take about 15 - 20 mins (they will put shampoo on your hair twice), but here, it only took 10mins with only one wash. Dah la rambut saya tebal, rasa tak bersih and tak puas :(

The hair cut pun macam orang baru belajar potong rambut. how can they call themself professional creative stylist? and the moisturizing treatment pun ala-kadar je..

Rasa macam serik pulak discounted deals. Service yang dapat pun "discounted" jugak.

Probably some of you out there have different experince?

obsessed over shampoo!

I have hair loss problem. Not only during shower. masa tido ke, driving ke, my hair is left all over the places!

What is the main reason? Not because of pregnancy >> duh, obviously not (from my reading I found out that pregnancy is the main reason among women). Probably because of aging (I'm not old, but getting wiser), and because of too much exposure to chemicals (hair products, environments, etc). I used to have a really thick, black, shinny hair.

I've been changing shampoo like nobody's business. Pantang orang recommend shampoo for hair loss, I will be the first person to get it (not literally...)

Just look at the picture above. That is the amount of shampoo that I have in my bathroom! tak sesmpat habis, I am tempted to buy a new one.

This is my daily shampoo, Loreal Elseve. Until one day I found out that this shampoo makes my scalp oily. I washed my hair in the morning, and by the time it was 4pm, my scalp (and my hair) will be really2 oily like I haven't hit the shower in 4 days! yuck! I decided to try out new shampoo.

I tried Dove Hair Fall Therapy next. This shampoo makes my hair rough. I didnt know if it reduce the hair fall, macam takde effect je. Probably because I used it for 1 week only, not enough time for it to take effect.

This is not shampoo, its hair conditioner. Its is good. Makes my hair all soft and shiny. I didnt buy this for any specific reason, just because it is on sale :)

Next I tried Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo. The name sounds scary no? amino acid?? ahahaha. But the sales lady strongly suggested this shampoo for my hair loss problem. What I dont like about this shampoo is the strong smell of coconut (the main ingredients) and the fact that it is not foamy. Rasa tak puas shampoo kalau takde buih. But I've read in one article saying that shampoo with lots of foam carry chemicals that can harm you in long run... haih And it is quite pricey too. About RM80 (just the shampoo, I didnt purchase the conditioner, maha sangat)

This shampoo I bought because of the review that I read on blogs. They claimed that this shampoo is perfect remedy for hair loss. Bawang shampoo. It smells really strong (weird smell of herbs, not bawang.. hehehe) But recently, I read in one of the blog too, that it was reveled in one of the Chinese News Paper that this is a cancer causing shampoo. Scary kan! Apa lagi, into the dustbin it went. (Price: +-RM15)

So one day, I went for hair wash at one of the saloon in Bangsar, the shampoo guy told me i have sensitive scalp (red marks on my scalp) which will lead to hair loss (Which is already happening!)

He suggested Nioxin no8 (cleanser & conditioner). Memang bagus! Now after hairwash, bila tgk amount of hair yang gugur, memang makin kurang....(+-RM70/each)

Ni pulak Schwarzkopf Bonacure sensitive soothe Hair Therapy. I bought this recently pun sebab termakan recommendation from saloon people. RM135/ bottle. Blom try, nak tunggu Nioxin habis dulu.

So for those of you with similar problem, I hope the above helps. Nak try shampoo saya pun boleh, I have plenty!

Good luck!

face creme

How much are you willing to pay for a good face cream? I mean a really, really, really good cream?

I started using face cream/ moisturizer when I was in my secondary school years. The first cream that I used is Oil of Ulan (now re-branded to Oil of Olay). If anyone of you can recall, this cream is packaged in a heavy glass bottle.

The product was acquired by Procter & Gamble in 1985. P&G greatly expanded Olay both in lineup and internationally. Olay became one of P&G’s billion dollar brands in 2003.



I continued using the product until 2005. I have a very good chemistry with the product. In fact, when I decided to change to product/ brand of a higher brand, I did a skin analysis. Even the beauty consultant was impressed with my skin. According to her, my skin analysis showed that my skin is equivalent to the age of 15 years old girl. 10 years younger! But I changed my product anyway. Nie la yang di katakan peer pressure. I was already working at that time. Earning my own income, I felt that I deserve a more expensive product reflecting my status at that time. Takkan la dah jadi executive, pakai RM30 moisturizer kan (how mengada I was at that time... I should have stick to Olay!)

So I started using Clinique. It is not that expensive, but still branded. But the product doesnt suit me. My skin was left dry and break-outs every now and then. Bad choice!



So I was forced to switch to another brand. After much consideration, I switched to Clarins. I was tempted with their plant-based-product. The smell of the cream are nice too.... hahaha.. Also, I decided that 28 is a good age to start using anti-aging product (yeah, yeah, I was a little vain). The product is slightly more expensive from the last that I used, but still I find it affordable. The anti aging cream is ok on my skin and I even decided to subscribe to their facial package. And oh my! the facial sessions was amazing! they did not use any of the painful machines to extract black-heads and so on. In fact, no machine at all. They only use special massage techniques and it feels like heaven!



But recently, I was really, really tempted to use another product/ brand. A friend of mine is using it. I even saw the product on E! when they discussed about top 10 best product. I read about the product in my chick-flicks novel and in the magazines. The product are everywhere! The only thing that stop (or rather delayed) me from making the purchase is the PRICE. It cost a fortune! Well, not really a fortune, but hell expensive. Way expensive then the products that I ever used.

Last 2 weeks, coincidentally the product was having a promo at the concourse level of my office (KLCC). Convenient! The promo doesnt mean price cut. They were only having some promo (where they throw in some free stuff upon purchase). So I finally bought it! Do you want to know what is the product? read about it in my next entry :D

Threading for Hair Removal

source of Pic

What is threading, you may ask. Threading, one of the oldest methods of body hair removal, is popular in India and the Middle East. It is also used in some western beauty parlors. Threading involves rolling twisted cotton threads over untidy hairlines and plucking out the unwanted hair. One reason for its continued popularity is that it is so much healthier for the skin and doesn't result in ingrown hair.Yet for all that it is a temporary method, unlike laser hair removal which is as safe as it is long lasting.

I'm one of the hundreds if not thousands of girls out there who swore by threading as our monthly beauty ritual. My friend e-mailed me the other day to ask me where I would recommend to get such service. Do you want to know where I normally go for this? Read below:

Her Question: "kat mana u buat threading eyebrow ek? yg murah dah tak sakit"

My Answer:

-I paling suka buat kat Bangsar. At one of the shop-lots yang facing Bangsar Village tu (Sederet dgn Chawan, Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa, Baskin Robin, etc) Takde la sakit sgt, totally depends on siapa yang buat kat you haritu. Ikut nasib. Ada yang buat gentle enuf, ada yang sakit sikit (but nothing compares to Brazilian Wax!) I slalu buat eyebrow and upper lips. Dia charge RM9/ RM10. Ada about 2 kedai kat situ, you can go either one. Just cari kedai india, dia akan tulis kat banner luar… kalau dia ada buat facial, manicure, body scrub, etc, sure ada threading

-Tapi semlm I baru pegi buat. Kat KJ (sebb malas nak drive g bangsar). Kat depan Padang FAM tu. Ada kedai india gak, second floor. That is Sara’s favorite place. I ada la dalam 2 or 3 kali buat kat situ. I tak suka sebb everytime I pegi, sure kening I akan darah… I dunno y. tapi tak sakit la. and dia buat kening I jadi nipis sgt, which I don’t like. But yesterday I dapat org lain pulak. This older lady. Dia buat very gentle (tapi agak slow, me think dia dah rabun). Tak sakit langsung, and Im satisfied with the result. But slightly pricey. For kening and upperlips, RM14.

Victoria Secret

Remember my previous entry about my frustration due to the unavailability of Victoria Secret in Malaysia? well, fret no more! As I walk to the boarding area of KLIA (Domestic), I taught I was in a dream. There, in front of me, lay in one corner, a Victoria Secret counter! no kidding, a licensed VS counter here in Malaysia. A wide array of Perfume, Body Spray, and Body Lotion are now a drive away (Well, since it is in the boarding area, either you have to travel or ask someone who will to buy them for ya!).

According to the Sales Girl, it is the first Airport Outlet and I was surprise as the price was far from expensive. Body Splash that I normally buy from a friend who returned from US or a stewardess cost only RM40 (They normally charge between RM50 - RM80). The body lotion is also RM40. The lip gloss (the taste is so yummy!, the yummiest that I ever tasted)is only RM38, and the make-up bag is only RM49!.

Bias vs Racist

Have you ever felt like u were racially discriminated? Well I have, a few times before. And one incident happened very recently.

I have several loyalty/ membership cards. HiltonHonors, MesraRewards, RealRewards, i-Setan, O-Brien, CoffeeBean, Starbuck, Enrich Card, BodyShop and even McDonalds to name a few. These loyalty/ membership programs will normally give you benefits or discounts as part of the benefits being a member. Some even send cards/ gifts/ vouchers to their members as a sign of appreciation. My e-mail was flooded with wishes, and I also received a few letters that comes with vouchers and special offers.

Every year without fail, Clarins (I'm using their skincare and also taking their facial package)will give a voucher that entitles me to either 1 facial session of 50% off voucher of any one of their treatments.

So to cut the whole crap short, I received a card from clarins wishing me Happy Birthday and asking me to visit their outlet (in this, my outlet is in The Curve) to collect my birthday gift. So naturally I went.

When I arrived at the Clarins Institute, I handed over the card to the consultant and told her that I'm there to collect my birthday gift. I saw her thinking for a moment before asking me to wait and spoke to the other consultant in chinese (Im not sure either its mandarin, hokien, or cantonies, and I really dun give a damn). She then produced me a small box and told me that my Birthday gift is a cosmetic purse that contain a few minature of facial product. I was surprised and thought that Clarins had decided that free facial was too much for them to afford. Owh, and not to forget, they also throw in one outdated note book (the note book was sold few months back as part of one of their campaign) So I took it with no prejudice until she opened her record and asked me to sign. There were several other customers celebrating their birthday in November & December and I can see the whole list. To my surprise, some of the customers recieved free facial session (I knew this bcoz they actually put a small remark next to the name), while few unlucky other which include me received the less-worthy trial pack (and these unlucky peps are actually Malays!).

I regreted wasting my energy, time and petrol just to be a victim of a bloody racist.

Well, I dont wanna say more, you decide!

Shopping Spree

I went on shopping spree, again yesterday. I know I should be tightening my belt and all for my coming wedding, but I only shop because I really need those things. *whatever*

My first mission is to look for a perfume. The problem with me is that I didn’t stick to one particular perfume. And I can only differentiate the smell using to verbs; wangi or tak wangi. I can’t elaborate more then that! I simply can’t.
But I have a thing for Victoria Secret’s body spray. I’ve been using them for more then 5 years now. I love the smell, so did my bf (Fiance I mean). I know this because my perfume never fail to distract him from football (believe me, nothing else could!). Some of my friends describe the smell as sweet, yummy. Delicious, “geram” and “rasa macam nak makan”. Hehehe. But there is only 1 problem with the perfume. It is not available in Malaysia! (Only available in the US if I’m not mistaken) Sure there are few boutiques/ stores that sell them illegally (they are not the licensed distributor), therefore it is quite pricey and the range are limited. *sigh*


Source


Back to my attempt to search for a perfume. My first stop is at the Estee Lauder counter. I’m tempted to buy the “white Linen” range as I got free sample last month and I think it smell nice. But unfortunately the lady at the klcc is too busy with a customer that I don’t bother to wait.

Next, I went to a corner where they displayed various perfume brands. A very friendly female-guy approached me and let me tried a few different brands. After 6 different brands and 5 coffee sniffing intervals, I still cant find the right brand. Next, I went to another sales person. She asked me how do I like my perfume to smell. I said I like floral smell, I guess. And My fiancé always seems to favor perfume with a “delicious” smell. She instantly recommended me to try on the “Incanto Heaven” by Ferragamo. And she’s absolutely right. I love it! She helps me describe the smell. It smells peaceful, elegant, fresh, and stylish all at the same time! Priced at RM 297 for a bottle of 100ml (I know, it’s a bit pricey, but I think its worth it!), the girl gave me a very trendy handbag. But save your breath, it’s not Ferragamo… hehehe


Source

Next mission is pressed powder. I’m currently using M.A.C. It has been for 2 years now. And I love it. I’ve heard a make-up artist said that M.A.C make-up will look better once you are sweat (Once it really blends with your skin I guess). And it is true! It makes your whole look sexier.

But being me who am anxious on trying products, I’m always tempted on trying Bobbi Brown. So that is exactly what I did. As I’m approaching the counter, I’m thrilled looking at the color range as I really2 love earth color. The girl on the counter who was very observant automatically walks out from the counter and welcomes me. After telling my intention, she sits me on the chair and expertly stroke on the pressed powder on my make-up-less face. She hand me the face mirror and wallah! I look refreshed and effortless-radiant. I felt in love with the powder and its light texture. Unfortunately the one with foundation is out of stock (I mean the shade that suits me); therefore I have to settle with the normal pressed powder. The price is RM110 (non-refillable>>> another shortfalls compared to M.A.C). I decided to give it a try and if I’m not satisfied, will turn back to M.A.C. the girl offered to put a blusher and lip-gloss to complete my look. Why not! Hehehe…



On another note, i-Setan is currently having a Mid-year sale (heck, almost every store is having one, its Malaysia mid-year mega sale). Unfortunately, no discounts on perfumes and make-ups. But there are giving RM10 vouchers for every RM100 spent on these items (for members only). So apa tunggu lagi, jom shopping!
Mission accomplished! Phew…