Archive of ‘Beauty Adventure’ category
A Review on Colour Culture OPI Nail Spa
You should know that I love getting my nails done. I think its because my nails never give me grief. My skin might break out once in a while, my weight might fluctuate, and sometimes my feet just start to swell and I can’t seem to fit into my heels, but my nails – they’ve always been very well behaved. So manicures are my way of de-stressing.
I usually get my nails done at Creative Nails, but I wanted to try a new place so I decided to check Colour Culture out.
Colour Culture at Empire Mall, Subang Jaya. They're on the 1st floor.
Colour Culture is a chain of OPI nail salons in Malaysia - so they exclusively use OPI products. Which is always good. I’ve always liked OPI’s amazing range of products and nail colours so I was pleased with the colours they have.
The other thing I really liked about Colour Culture is that they have tv in their salons. Because seriously, do you know how boring waiting for your nails to dry can get? And you can’t read magazines because you don’t want to touch anything. For that alone, I give them extra bonus points.
They should make entertaining tv mandatory at all nail salons. Also notice that the wall is coloured and labeled in OPI nail polish shades.
I chose a basic manicure and pedicure which cost me about RM150. This is on the pricier side but maybe it’s because of the OPI products they use and the Astro subscription? ; )
Would I come back again? Other than the pricing, which is evened out by the good service (no pushing products and salon packages) and tv, I definitely would come back. The manicure and pedicure lasted more than 2 weeks so I didn’t feel too guilty about it.
The branch I went to was located at The Empire Mall, Subang Jaya , but they also have branches at Pavillion, Bangsar Village II, One Utama, Sunway Giza and Solaris Dutamas.
I have some good and bad news for those of you who had been anxiously waiting for the opening of Sephora in Malaysia.
The Good News Is: Sephora is finally open in Kuala Lumpur – their Malaysian flagship store is located at Starhill, Jalan Bukit Bintang. And Sephora will also be opening a second branch in KLCC soon.
The Sephora flagship in Kuala Lumpur. You can't miss it. It's the Rem Koolhaas looking structure next to Starhill. I wish I know how to photoshop photos. The 3 teenage boys at the foreground is really distracting.
Ladies at Sephora on a frantic shopping spree while their menfolk walk around like lost zombies.
So what’s the bad news? The bad news is: Their product line up is probably 30% of what they have in Sephora USA. They didn’t even carry the Bliss line of products. : (
Huffy at the entrance of Sephora KL. I forced her to make the "V" sign btw. It's the Asian thing to do. She was half-hearted about it - as evidenced by the limp V sign.
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And what else didn’t they carry? Off the top of my head*:
- First Aid Beauty (skincare products)
- Kate Somerville (skincare products)
- Shaveworks ( ingrown hair products)
- Supergoop! (skincare products)
- T3 (hair styling equipment and products)
- Temptu ( airbrush makeup technology)
*These are products that Sephora USA carry that I have been really really been looking forward to seeing here in Kuala Lumpur.
They DO carry these product lines that are exclusive to Sephora KL:
- Clarisonic (a skincare tool)
- bareMinerals makeup
- Murad M.D skincare (well you can also get Murad at CN Spas but I never liked pesky spa salesgirls so I never go there…)
- Urban Decay cosmetics
- Too Faced cosmetics
- Oscar Blandi haircare products
- Smashbox cosmetics
- Sephora branded tools and products
Ladies, if you really want to make you clean your face properly at home - this is the brush to get.
The bareMinerals starter kit. The brand that started the whole mineral makeup craze a few years back.
Murad MD skincare line at Sephora. Don't you really love it when people don't hide their products behind glass shelving and display product pricing in plain sight?
Oscar Blandi haircare products at Sephora. Btw, if you have fine or limp hair like me, dry shampoo should be your best friend.
And to top it off, the prices are a bit on the high side. Anyway, I guess I should look at the bright side and thank the cosmetic powers that be for giving us Kuala Lumpur girls at least 5-10 new cosmetic and haircare product ranges to choose from.
Smashbox products on display. They really do have great makeup primers.
So is Sephora Kuala Lumpur worth the wait? I guess if you did not know the existence of all the other products they carry elsewhere (like in their Singapore and USA stores), and if you want convenience and expertise – the answer is definitely yes. Sephora offers a one-stop destination for beauty products and unlike at department store counters where you can’t even look at any product for longer than 5 seconds before getting harassed by a salesperson, here you can try on perfumes, makeup products etc. at your own leisure.
Sephora describes what each tool is for, so you don't get confused which brush/sponge/stick thingy is for what purpose. And if you still need more help, a Sephora associate is always around.
It is also refreshing to see products from brands like Clinique, SK-II, Dior, Make Up For Ever etcetera being out in the open for you to touch and feel on friendly shelves, and not behind glass displays or guarded counters. Sure there are Sephora salespeople around but tell them (nicely) that you want to just look around and try out products first, thank you very much – they would just leave you alone.
Isn't it lovely to be able to take your time to look, touch and sample products without a sales assistant hovering over you every second? This is the Make Up For Ever display at Sephora Kuala Lumpur.
So anyway, the fact that Sephora has landed on our shores is a good start. Hopefully they’ll expand their product lineup soon so I won’t have to go to Singapore to get my Bliss fix ; )
The Best RM30 I Have Spent On So Far In 2011: EH! Magazine’s Beauty Workshop.
Last Saturday Huffy and I attended EH! Magazine’s Make Me Gorgeous Workshop held at Paradox Bistro in Bandar Utama which was also sponsored by Victoria Jackson Makeup, Sally Hansen and Peek-A-Boo hair salon. There was also a brief introductory speech by Datin Ira from Positive Image Resources discussing what is the definition of beauty for the modern woman.
The very polished Datin Ira and Huffy. Sorry about the bad exposure. I'm still figuring out my new camera.
Although Huffy and I consider ourselves “beauty pros” but this workshop shows that you there is always something new to learn in the fast-changing world of beauty.
Me gawking at how flawless Victoria Jackson Makeup's foundation looked.
There were 4 sessions – the beauty talk from Datin Eda, a glamorous but down-to-earth image consultant who reminded us that beauty is not just about hair,makeup and clothes but also inner beauty. She spoke about her days as a tomboy growing up in a Felda estate and how she ended up to become… Datin Eda. I found her refreshing and funny, and the speech was a great way to warm up the attendees.
Next, we have the Victoria Jackson makeup artists who introduced us to Victoria Jackson’s makeup (which will be launching in major department stores soon) and the Victoria Jackson’s version of the natural makeup look. I loved the foundation and under-eye concealer they gave us as it looked and felt really natural when applied. Looking at each other after our foundation application, we all suddenly looked like we had flawless skin..lol. Can’t wait to get my hands on the products when they finally launch in KL.
The gorgeous makeup products from Victoria Jackson Makeup that we got to play with.
The second session was from Peek-A-Boo hair salon, who taught us how to properly blow dry, curl and flat-iron our hair ( the 3 basic hairstyling skills all beauty junkies should learn). The hairstylists also taught Huffy a fabulous trick- how to use a flat-iron to CURL hair! You read that right – we got to learn how to use a flat-iron to curl our hair…and it was easier than using a curling iron. The salon also brought along a plethora of Kerastase products for us to try out and use.
The third and session was by the Sally Hansen people who taught us how to do a manicure at home – filing our nail into an oval, square or squoval shape, applying polish and how to choose various products for common nail problems like yellow nails, brittle nails or nails that just won’t grow We also got to learn how to apply nail polish on our own nails. I’m sad to report that this is the only part of the workshop where Huffy and I failed miserably. We picked gorgeous colors ( Huffy picked a brilliant aquamarine while I picked a vampy dark red shade) but somehow both of us managed to smudge the polish on all ALL our nails. Sigh.
Anyway, the 8-hour long workshop also came with free lunch, snacks and a Sally Hansen goody bag for all participants. And the price for all this? RM30 per person – I think the value of what was given was 10 times that. So thank you EH! Magazine for a lovely Saturday well spent. If only all workshops were this fun.
I love getting manicures In fact, I attribute part of the reason why I lost weight last year was because of my menipedis. I used to eat litres of ice cream when I’m depressed about something but I’m much smarter now. Now when I’m depressed I do my nails : )
So one of my favorite places to do my nails is at Creative Nail Boutique. I think they have many branches ( Subang Parade, Hartamas Shopping Centre …)
They don't use diluted polish or harsh abrasive products on your nails.
The reason I like Creative Nail Boutique is because I notice that they don’t skimp on their products. The nail polish are of high quality (on par with O.P.I nail polishes) and aren’t diluted with thinner ( how to tell if it is? your nail polish should last you at least 10-14 days without chipping like crazy or peeling off) and they use good quality cuticle softeners and polish remover. ( some nail salons I know use questionable cuticle softeners not to mention industrial strength polish removers ( this is really bad for you skin and nails in the long run ) .
The salon staff are very well trained and they do a good job of effective yet gently cleaning your nails and cleaning up your cuticles. The other thing that I really like is that they never hesitate to redo your nail polish if you change your mind. I once wanted to try this blue nail polish but it made me look like I had jaundice….so they took it off cheerfully and repainted my nails another color.
My fav product from the salon is the Solar Oil nail and cuticle conditioner. Apparently its one of their bestsellers. This conditioning oil would not only make your nails look shiny and healthy, it also smells super yummy. It’s one of the many products that the salon has for your hands and feet.
So if you’re looking for a good and reputable nail salon, head over to one of Creative Nail Boutique’s branches. Their services start from as low as RM35 for a basic manicure.
L: Friendly Store Rep will give you whatever product samples you request. R: Kiehl's bestselling Body Lotion, in various sizes.
I think 20+ years of living with me has influenced my dad somewhat. Since a couple of weeks ago, he had been complaining of ‘dry skin’ .
A little backstory -for those of you who doesn’t know him, he’s a typical male – he has no clue about anything to do with taking care of his skin. His only grooming product is this Nutrimetics deodarant (which he has used for the last century) and whatever hair styling gel/lotion he can find at Carrefour. That’s it.
Over the past 10 years at least, the women in his family had tried many times to get him to wear sunscreen,use a facial cleanser, and/or put on moisturiser at night. All pleas fell onto deaf ears – he thinks we’re all sissies ( we are, admittedly) and that our dependence on so many beauty essentials shows how well the evil media and beauty companies have gotten to us.
So when he came to me for help with his dry skin problem, I took it as a sign. He’s turned! And as soon as he could find some time off from his busy schedule, I dragged him to the nearest Kiehl’s that I can find and got him a bottle of their famous Creme De Corps ( French for plain ol’ Body Lotion) . I also wanted him to get the Facial Fuel Energizing Cleanser, Facial Fuel SPF 15 Face Lotion and Facial Fuel Anti Wrinkle Cream, but one look at his panic stricken face and I said, “How about if you just try some samples first?”
As if on que, the very friendly customer rep gave my dad 3 samples of the products I suggested. She even patiently answered his questions (What is a facial cleanser? What is SPF? What is an Anti Wrinkle Cream) without making a face. Because I was. I can’t believe my dad didn’t know what SPF was. And this from a man who built a career building complex megastructures.
What we (or rather, my dad) got at the store.
Anyway, Kiehl’s Creme De Corps is one of the bestest body lotions in the world. It’s super moisturizing without being greasy, fragrance free ( good for those with sensitive skin or those who just doesn’t want their moisturizers to clash with their perfume) and it absorbs well ( i.e. you wont leave greasy fingerprints 5 minutes later after application) . In fact the only drawback is the price. A 125 ml bottle costs RM105. I was a bit suprised by this because in the states, the same bottle would cost rm60. So I don’t understand why the huge price difference. Anyone care to explain?
PS/ For those of you who prefer a more lighter formula, go for this lighter version: Creme de Corps Light Weight Body Lotion.
PPS/Kiehl’s usual store policy is 3 product samples per customer, so if ever you decide to get something from Kiehl’s , don’t forget your samples! : )
Okay..so this is Part 2 of our Sungei Wang Adventure. Sungei Wang is huuuuuge. We got there at 2pm, and only finished exploring at 8.30 pm! And all we did mostly was window shopping (except for a spot of actual shopping at one store).And at this store which specializes in hair products..all Huffy and I could say was ..Waaaaah! And the prices was quite decent. Don’t forget to ask for a discount : )
I forgot the name of the store, but its on the 1st floor of Sungei Wang. They have a complete range of all the respectable hair care products you would want.
And this is my most favorite haunt at Sungei Wang: They sell a mix of hair/nail products and beauty gadgets at very good prices. And the store assistants are really friendly, so you can ask a lot of questions about the stuff they have.
SKL Wholesale: This store has really good prices and friendly store assistants who can answer all your questions about their products.
And to end our Sungei Wang adventure I would leave you with this random photo of Huffy buying Famous Amos cookies:
She's addicted to Famous Amos cookies.
Enjoy ; )
Thanks for visiting our blog! This blog is updated regularly by Heidi & I, two sisters living in Kuala Lumpur.