Women's body changes by time. Some will look pretty old for their age especially after you have had your first child. That's what I heard from experienced mothers. It scares me honestly. I didn't want to look like a 80 year old ah ma after giving birth to my first kid.

I've been pretty strict when it comes to taking care of my skin except for the past few months, I've been lacking of that discipline until I found myself carrying Gajah Jr. I knew that from that moment on, I can't be lazy. This mama gotta step up to her skin care routine.

I basically uses the same toner for day and night and Thayers has been my 2nd bottle. Each bottle could last me a year, usage of twice a week. It comes in a 375ml and I got them mostly from Lazada. This toner is great cause it's alcohol-free so it doesn't leave harsh effect on my skin. As for the serum, I have just started being a loyal customer to it. Serum is THE most important part of your skin care. As you grow older, your skin start to sag. Depending on your specific skincare concerns, you may need higher amounts of these valuable skincare ingredients with anti-aging benefits.

Serums shouldn’t contain sunscreen actives like a daytime moisturizer would or the emollients or light, texture-enhancing ingredients your nighttime moisturizer should have. Instead, serums use that extra space to pack in other beneficial ingredients such as more antioxidants or skin restoring ingredients—and these complement the other products in your routine.

A serum won’t replace your daytime moisturizer with SPF or your nighttime moisturizer, but they WILL boost your overall anti-aging results and overall healthy appearance when used morning and evening.

The Innisfree No Sebum loose powder is also something that I've been using constantly. It is a sebum control powder that allows for non-greasy, downy baby skin, Sebum absorption powder and mineral sebum control powder absorb excess sebum for a bright, downy skin as if presently putting on makeup.

It also contains Jeju natural minerals and mint for refreshing control of oil and moisture. Jeju natural minerals and mint restores an unhealthy balance of oil and moisture, leaving a refreshing finish. Absorbing excess sebum and oil for downy makeup and an even skin tone. This powder also absorbs excess sebum and oil to prevent makeup from becoming patchy, while correcting dull skin tone to keep the skin bright and radiant all day.

Day routine:


As I have been applying makeups a lot throughout my pregnancy, I had to get myself a good makeup remover which also a contact lenses friendly one. I found the Garnier during my trip back to Singapore last year. You see, when you're pregnant, not all pregnant women will have that glow you've always dream of. I didn't have that but I develop slightly dark circle. So I will pack my face with a thin layer of concealer or medium coverage foundation before applying my eye liner and blusher. Those are my go-to regime before heading out. I don't like heavy makeup but I would love to look presentable whenever I'm out. It makes me feel confident.

For night cream, I opt for the gel type which doesn't leave my skin oily especially on my T-zone. It feels light and absorb instantly into my skin. My skin doesn't feel dry the next morning and I love the scent too. Lightly scented.

Night routine:

I read somewhere from an online article that pregnant ladies will develop this 'glow' in their 2nd or perhaps 3rd trimester. I doubt it but one thing I'm glad that my hair fall problem is not severe like some mother-to-be. My hair is already thin since born, so I don't need those extra shedding.

I didn't really grow much except for my cheeks and my boobies (obviously it is due to milk production for the baby). I had to change my outfit size from S to M which for me, is still acceptable. I developed pimples especially on the chin during my 1st trimester but it wasn't that bad and soon it diminishes when I enter my 2nd and 3rd stage of pregnancy.

So far it has been a smooth ride, alhamdulillah. Except some slight discomfort at the abdomen, constipation problem (major!), slightly back pain, peeing more often than before (sometimes it's only a 5 minutes gap), trouble in sleeping cause the baby keeps kicking. Yeap, that's all I guess. And I noticed that I walked like a snail. I mean snail could be faster than me.

I've seen some pregnant women who's stomach is as big as a giant egg walk as though they're competing in a marathon. How do you ladies did that? I'm halfway panting here within a few steps from my car door. I wish I'd have requested for a maternity parking at the office. Okay, that part. The reason why didn't I get myself a maternity parking. I hate exercising which I know that is important for mother-to-be cause I love to sleep. So the only solution I can think of is walking to and fro from my car to my cube, twice a day. Or perhaps a brisk walk to our in-house mini mart. While weekends, instead of spending my time walking at the park, I'd rather walk at the mall, doing some window shopping or perhaps get myself 1 or 2 unnecessary stuff. Hahaha. Brilliant idea isn't it.

When I got married, I've always wanted to be one of those hot mama-to-be when I'm pregnant. I didn't want to be a pregnant lady who wears only baggy clothes, slippers and carry nothing on her hands. Let's use Marion Counter as our benchmark. Minus the Louis Vuitton bag, Chanel purse, Louboutin shoes that she always wear for her family outing. Can't afford those although I work my entire life.

So when I got into my 2nd trimester, the urge of beautifying myself was so intense that I started to purchase myself new makeup stuff. One of them is this Maybelline V face duo stick. It works wonder. Not only they practical but also easy to pack in my handbag. It is not oily and lasted the whole day unless you wipe them off.

Features one contouring shade on one end and a shimmering highlighting shade on the other, these retractable “bullets” are angled for precise application and the cream base delivers a natural, blendable finish. This product gives a precise contoured look fit for daily wear.

It comes in 2 colors. medium or light. You can purchase it via Hermo Malaysia.

With our all year round hot weather in Malaysia, a good sunscreen is important in our daily skin care regime. Not just that, make sure that most of the products you used are made from natural ingredient. Zaman sekarang, everyone is so health conscious. So semua orang nak beli produk yang natural.

Suncreen is important because it protects your skin from the harmful rays of UVA and UVB that could lead to skin cancer, freckles, sunburn, over a time period due to long exposure to this elements.

I have sensitive skin and prone to breakouts if I use the wrong skin care. But surprisingly, this sunscreen doesn't give me all that. Instead it helps make my skin more refine and my pores are getting smaller. My skin doesn't feel sticky or oily after application. So I don't need to apply any foundation, just some dash of blusher and lipstick. It also doesn't leave this off white effect on your skin. Unlike certain sunscreen, after application, you can see that you skin tone is 1 or 2 tone lighter than the original.

What's good about Koqipop sunscreen?
1. It moisturizes your skin
2. Instant whitening and glowing effect
3. Covers up scars and freckles
4. Contains SPF 50++ that will protect your skin from the harmful UVA and UVB

I've been using it only a week plus yet I've seen some slight improvement on my skin. Imagine if continuous usage. I love the small packaging that could fit in your handbag. Light enough to put in your pocket too. Easy to carry around and it smells so good too.

For more info, visit byalexablue_instantshawl page today.

*Results from the use of Beauty product above may vary depending upon the individual and will depend on multiple factors, including your age, gender, skin type and condition, use of other products used, health history, lifestyle, diet and others

When I found out that I was pregnant at 6 weeks, the first thing that came to my mind was 'Okay, who's gonna take care of this kid when I'm away at work?' Yeap, even as early as 6 weeks, this question came to my mind. I hate last minute planning because I prefer a Plan A that comes with Plan B and Plan C. Call me psycho but that's how I am. Planning revolves around me.

Getting a REALLY GOOD child care center today are hard, let alone a nanny itself. Getting an old aunty to take care of an infant, you worry that they might be too old to attend to your child (although they have more experience in handling a baby). If you find the younger ones with a 2 year old kid to take of your baby, your child might not get the attention needed. Taking care of an infant requires a lot of your time because feeding time can be very often compare to a child who is on solid food.



Secondly, not everyone has the patience to take care of a baby. Even if you send to a professional child care center, an employee will need to attend to at least 3 babies per individual. It might sound reasonable. But the cost of a child care center is also not cheap. You want a good one, then you need to forget about the monthly allowance you kept to buy the latest Chanel handbag. I'm talking about the medium income wage earner here.

Thirdly, when the kid is big enough to feed himself, sit, walk all by himself, it gives you some slight sense of relieve because you know that they know when they're hungry or when they're full. Slightly independent stage. Unlike babies, they don't know how to hold their own milk bottle which sometimes can cause choke and death. Nanny or caretaker can't watch them 24/7 can they?


So I spoke to my mum on this and she suggested that she'll take care of the baby until he's like 1 year old, then we'll send to a nursery where the cost is slightly cheaper compare to the cost of an infant. They varies according to age. Plus I wanted to send my kid to a good nursery where I know he will not just sleep and eat. At least, there are some activities for his motor skills, learning other languages, learning about basic courtesy or perhaps a swimming class would be great. I'm a kiasu mother-to-be, yes, I am.

I've never really agree to send my kid to their grand parents as we know they can be spoil in certain ways but when I access the pros and the cons of sending my kid to a child care center at a very young age, it's better for the baby to be at stage where he can be slightly independent. Plus, I've witness how my parents took care of my sister, I know that my kid can be discipline from young. I want my kid to have a good foundation like sleeping time, potty trained, disciplined eating time, someone to read bedtime stories, someone to teach basic courtesy. A more systematic kind of discipline.

With both husband and wife working and with the ever demanding increase in cost of living, we can no longer rely on single income. The basic needs of a household can only be fulfilled with both spouse working. You no longer have the privilege to let your spouse be the only sole bread winner.

So sometimes, it's okay to get help from your parents or family members, if they don't mind. Discuss and get their consent before agreeing to anything.At least you know your kid is in a good hands.

You can pretty much relate pregnancy with wrinkles, eye bags, dark circles and what comes with it. You don't have to wait after giving birth to your baby. Getting sleepless night during pregnancy is enough to make sure look like someone has punched you in the face the night before.

2nd trimester is definitely a slight challenging phase. Your baby starts to learn how to do somersault routine and other acrobatic moves in your belly. Not knowing when is daylight and night, they think your bedtime is their sunrise. Can't blame them cause it's always 'night time' in their world.

I've always been conscious about the way I look especially my skin. I hate plain H2O, hence my skin has that uneven tone, freckles built over time, dull skin, breakouts. Let alone fruits. I started to eat healthily, like really healthy, as I enter my 2nd trimester. I had to cause my blood count went lower every time during check ups, I have bad constipation problem for the past few weeks. So I changed my routine and it works. I can now poo happily but still, my skin needs the extra nutrient from a good skin care apart from the food I consume.

I waited patiently to invest in a good serum cause I know serum plays an important role in prepping your skin before applying your moisturiser or make ups. I have never spent more than a RM100 on skin care except for this time around.

Been eyeing on this brand for the longest time ever since I was in college but never had the $$$ to get it. But since I have a generous husband who spoil me on certain things in life, I can't say no. Hahaha.

It was on 50% discount during the MyCyberSale, I can't resist but to get it!. I love the texture that doesn't leave oily and sticky feeling. My skin is definitely smoother but it doesn't help to tackle the freckles much. But I know it's not easy to remove freckles permanently.

So what is this product all about?
Elixir 7.9, with 7 plants and 9 anti-aging patents, delivers all its concentrated power to your skin with one single drop. To be used every day, morning and evening, under your usual day cream to greatly increase its rejuvenating effectiveness or, as a 1-month intensive treatment 2 to 3 times per year, when your skin needs it.

Paraben-free formula, tested under dermatological supervision.
Suitable for all women and all skin types.

PROVEN PERFORMANCE

Elixir 7.9 has been tested and approved by nearly 200 women during 1 month.
They noted visible rejuvenating effects on their skin:
- Smooths wrinkles,
- Refined skin texture,
- Boosted radiance,
- Intensified and revitalized skin.

Further details of this product on Hermo Malaysia

*Results from the use of Beauty product above may vary depending upon the individual and will depend on multiple factors, including your age, gender, skin type and condition, use of other products used, health history, lifestyle, diet and others

Recently my interest in grooming myself came back.

I started to put on makeups on a daily basis. Even to the office. Knowing me as someone who don't bothers to put on even a simple lip tint or lipstick, let alone putting on foundations, I made it. WITH medium coverage foundation TOO. Surprised myself too.

So I took the advantage of the recent Malaysia Cyber Sale to get myself a bottle of good serum. I'm turning 32 this year, so my obvious concern are wrinkles. Not that I have them yet. While searching for one, I kind of stumbled accross this foundation from Innisfree. I'm crazy over this brand, not sure why. I've purchased a few range of their skin care product and I kind of like them. I don't buy foundations online because the risk of purchasing the wrong shade of your skin is high but I gambled it anyway.

I don't have fair skin anymore like I used to back when I was in my 20s. Mainly because I was exposed to outdoor activities a lot during those time and not bother to apply sunblocks. Cause I though being tan was cool. I developed freckles on my cheek bones as a result of that.

This foundation comes in 3 shades.Light Beige, True Beige and Natural Beige. I took the True Beige one. This version is recommended to those who has oily skin and if your skin texture is thin and sensitive. It's not a full coverage foundation. If you love natural makeup and want to keep the flaws and freckles on your face medium covered, then go for this. I love the fact that it didn't leave my skin oily after a few hours of application. But it comes ONLY in 15ml tube so it won't be enough for hardcore makeup users. I use them mainly to cover my dark circles (pregnancy makes you develop dark circles -__-). I didn't notice my dark circles until a colleague of mine pointed them out. Uurrgghh.

Innisfree Smart Foundation Water Balancing SPF30 PA++ contains Jeju mineral and green tea ingredients that makes the skin look healthy and alive. Get them today from Hermo Malaysia

**Results from the use of Beauty product above may vary depending upon the individual and will depend on multiple factors, including your age, gender, skin type and condition, use of other products used, health history, lifestyle, diet and others

So where did we stay in Taiping?

Juan been telling me about this hotel that we should stay. Which is by the lake with 2 views you can choose, the back lane view or the lake view. If it's peak season and with luck, you might get the lake view. We got ourselves a housing estate view. Boleh la kan.

It was supposed to be a surprise for Juan but knowing me who can't keep surprises to herself, I had to tell him 2 days before. Nak rahsiakan nama hotel pun tak jadi.

I booked through Bookings.com and it was on promo, RM168 inc 6% tax and breakfast for 2.

What I expected? By the name itself, I expected that the hotel will be as exclusive as Gurney Hotel but in reality, it looks more of a 3 star rated hotel but t's clean and quite spacious. But the walkway to our room were not well lit with only wall lights instead of ceiling lights. Breakfast was good (because they served real Koko Krunch, not those bought from food supplier). I tend to go for cereal first every time during my hotel stay. I just love cereals. My favorite part of this hotel is the bathroom. It has this retro touch with black and white tiles. It looked more of a 70s and 80s kind of bathroom. The bed was spacious but there were no closet. It's just a railing with hangers for you to hang your clothes.

When you were young, you dream of someone as handsome as Brad Pitt to be the love of your life until you enter adulthood. Snap!!! By then you realize that handsome can't help you with the house chore, washing the dishes, do the laundry, cleaning your baby's poop. Well, looks are just fantasy we put our mind into. In real life, that doesn't help much especially in marriage.

Looks can change by time. Those man you see handsome will grow old someday and so will you. And then what? Plastic surgery to get back the shape you used to have? Don't think so.

Me and Juan spent our last weekend in Taiping. I've been to Taiping before, years ago but never really explore the place. Just a short getaway before the baby pops out. I needed a break and Juan just recovered from a 'bad' week. He was down with fever and swollen ankle. So I thought it would be a great thing to do. Since we can't travel long distance, this will do too. Just a 1 hour drive from Penang.

It was nice of Juan to bring me out for a brisk walk at the famous lake garden, an iconic place for Taiping residence. Clean, with LOTSA hawker food, children playing at the playground. But try to avoid night and late evening walks. The place can be a little dark with mosquitoes.

Small gesture like this makes me think of how bless I am to be married to a man who has so much patience, helpful (although sometimes he can be annoying), respectful and gave me some sense of freedom to do the things that I like. So I wouldn't be worried much to have someone to help me with the baby once she's/he's out. It takes 2 to make a marriage work, honestly. With both husband and wife working nowadays, the role of a husband does not stop at work place. It now extended to household too and women are not contained in the kitchen, it extend to the outside world. Both parties has their own role and responsibilities and it gets tougher with a baby on tow.

Which husband doesn't make his wife crawl up the ceiling at times? Well, those are the ups and downs that comes in a package when you're married. No marriage is perfect, if there is, I will find it first, don't worry. You want to grow old together NOT half way through the journey. My dad always advise us that PATIENCE is what it takes to make a marriage work. Cause I always wonder how can my dad married to a woman who always nag 24/7. My mum always has something to bring up even smallest thing like cutting the onion in an irregular sizes. Horror I tell you.

Find man who can accept you at your best and even at your worst. With this kind of man, you don't have to worry of waking up without your make up on. The one thing I kept thinking about was 'Will my husband still love me when I'm sick?' Sick in the sense that he still loves you even when you're laying down on your death bed. That was before I got married. But now, I know that my husband will always be there through sickness and health, anytime of the day. Just as my father was there for my mother:-)

Looks VS A Man Who Can Do Housework. You choose.

Hijabster like me has one thing in common....hair fall. Don't lie if you said you don't have this problem. You hair is cover up for the whole day and it could trap oil and heat in there that causes hair fall. My mum even asked me if I was balding the other day. Cause I have think hair in nature and with this hair fall problem, it doesn't get any better. 

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye:

Well, at some point in life you think you've lost your best friend because you used to be on constant meet up and phone calls. But as you grow up, phone calls becomes lesser, let alone a message.

A real friend is never lost. When you need them, they'll appear. Just like fairy god mother. The definition of best friend is when you feel sad, you best friend comfort you and gives you pep talk. When you're in trouble, she gets into trouble TOGETHER with you. She doesn't judge you when the world seems to walk away from you. She stood by you through storm and rain. You both fought and make up. Best friends always seem to have something to talk about. Even when both are in silent mode, your body language does the talking.

I have a best fiend since high school and although we stay far from each other and rarely see each other, We've never actually lost in touch. Whenever I need her, she always there for me. Vice versa. She's the definition of a real bestie. We don't say 'I love you' in front of each other but through messages. Ego I guess or something that we're not used to. But what's important, I know that she's there when I need her.

It's hard to come by true friend nowadays. People are becoming more materialistic. They don't go the extra mile for a friend. They leave when things are hard.

Dear Alla,
Thank you for being a sister and family to me. Thank you for all the trouble we got together, all the wild night we had. Most importantly, thank you for being the best of friend to me when no one else did.

For more details on SAFI Sahabat Sejatiku, visit their Facebook page here.

I got this Argan oil approx. 2 months ago. A gift from Gush Cloud Malaysia. Didn't expect that I'll win this from them but hey rezeki jangan ditolak kan.

Anyway, I've been wanting to find a good Argan oil around but I'm not an expert in differentiating between a fake and a real oil. So when I got this from Melvita, I was jumping with joy. Knowing them as an established brand, I knew that their products are top notch.

What I like most about this oil is that, the moisture from the oil itself kept me hydrated throughout the day. Not too oily nor not too dry. I use it on my belly and elbow. The driest part of my body. When it dries, it itches which makes me a scratchy person.

Melvita's Organic Argan Oil repairs, protects and strengthens skin, hair and nails. So you can also use it on other part of your body too which is great. All goodness in one bottle kan.

Argan trees grow exclusively along the Moroccan coastline, in the regions of Essaouira and Agadir. The nuts from these trees yield an oil that is exceptionally rich in essential fatty acids and sterols.  For centuries, it has been renowned for its repairing properties, ideal for dry and fragile skin, and for its softening and protective benefits.

Melvita Argan Oil features:
Colorant and preservative-free
Natural and Organic Cosmetics certified by ECOCERT
100% of the total ingredients from natural origin
100% of the total ingredients from Organic Farming


Unroasted argan oil is a true beauty secret held by Berber women. Organic Argan Oil is also traditionally used to massage joints and to care for the nails and hair.  You can get a bottle of this from Lazada Malaysia.

This is a continuation from Part one of my nightmare. Read here

So as per my conversation with the 2nd customer rep was that I check my credit card statement in the next cycle as they have initiated the refund. It will take about 7 days to process. So I let it go and decided to play the 'wait and see' game.

So there was my credit card statement that I received many days ago in my postbox and to my expectation, the refund was not imprinted. I assumed that the refund thing didn't happen. I walked into the lift feeling 'calm'. Cause partially it was my fault for trusting online ticketing system apart from airline booking.

I wasn't mad but the fact that they offered their service on Facebook ads, made me feel frustrated that how can such company has such an improper system implementation and no proper training of customer service. They should have a back up plan in case their system was down and things like this happening to customer like me. Of millions of Malaysian, it has to happen to me. Gosh.

I told Juan that I wasn't going to call Redbus customer service again cause I know it will be a waste of time. But one thing for sure, purchasing bus ticket online will be off from my list. I've learned my lesson.

If you need to get a ticket, best is to walk in to a bus counter where you know they're legit and for real.

Update: My refund has been credited into my account after 2 months.

I've been a follower of Sugarbelle cosmetics since the first day of their Instagram account was created. Never did I thought that one day I will purchase one of their best selling lip matte.

I've been the 'safe side' person. So instead of getting myself a bold color lip matte, I settled with a tube of natural color. I purchase the lip matte in Sand Storm. a lightly pinkish earthy tone, suitable on my skin tone and I can wear them to office too.

First thing, I just love the bottle. Secondly, it doesn't dries out my lip unlike my NYX lip matte. But anyway, I believe the ingredients are slightly different. The Sugarbelle lip matte is slightly glossy and it is advisable that you scrub your lip before applying them. The only thing I dislike about this lip color is that it doesn't look smooth on your lips and it has to be applied 2 to 3 layers to make it look perfect. Although it's a matte lip tube, but the texture is slightly towards the glossy type. Not too glossy nor not too dry.

I love the smell cause it smells so sweet and bubble gummy. It makes you wanna lick your lips every time.

Get yours today from Sugarbelle :-)