Out and About - End of 2012 Edition

♫ TVXQ - 이것만은 알고가 독백 (Before U Go)

It's 31st December 2012 already?! Dang, time sure passes quickly once you get over the fact that we all survived the Mayan Doomsday this year.

Anyway, this last edition of "Out and About" for 2012 will be a recap of some of the things I've done over the past couple of months, as well as some parts of 2012 that were truly memorable for me.

Earlier this month, Mayday's concert in Malaysia was announced. My brothers and I went to Paradigm Mall and queued  for FIVE hours just to buy their tickets. It was pretty crazy. Don't get me started on how much it sucked to line up for 5 hours and get lousy seats. Urgh, typical horrible organizers.

I got pretty crazy over the recent The Hobbit movie and watched it twice in the same week at the same cinema - once in IMAX 3D and once in normal 2D. Oh, and I also won a cute little The Hobbit book bracelet from Yuberactive's Facebook giveaway. :D

1 Utama's Christmas decorations were super cute this year, with the Snowmen & Friends in Pastryland theme. I totally feel like nomming the huge (non-edible) confectioneries!

Korean BBQ!
On Christmas Eve this year, my high school friends and I had a Korean dinner at Nak Won Korean BBQ. It was my first time having a proper Korean BBQ meal (Seoul Garden doesn't count because there's no pork LOL) and it was really good. I loved the many side dishes, especially the mushrooms. XD

After that, we went for some drinks at The Scott Garden. Wanted to order a beer tower but we were too full, so we got some cocktails instead. Kinda meh, but oh well. =/

My last purchase of 2012! Went to 1U to collect my prize (the gel eyeliner) from Etude House there, and decided to grab a couple of the Kissful Tint Chou since everything was Buy 1 Free 1. Might be doing a review on these soon, so keep an eye out. ;)

Now for the 2012 recap:

Jumped on the mint/turquoise bandwagon and never looked back. It's such an enigmatic colour, halfway between blue and green, and looks good on practically everybody.

Expanded my ring collection this year. I love cute, quirky rings (like the birdie and ramen noodles) as well as anything with bling, wings and bows. :P

Won a huge box of 6 full-sized Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams from a contest. This is probably one of the best prizes I've ever won wtf. Overwhelmed by the size of the box when I went to collect it. O___O

This photo best sums up what I've been doing in 2012 - online shopping! Seriously, it's come to the point that the Poslaju guy can recognize my name and asks me why I haven't been buying stuff lately wtflol. My mum has learnt to not say anything and only rolls her eyes when parcels arrive for me.

The Samsung Hello Kitty party was also an unforgettable one, as I got to meet some blogger friends and had a great time with the activities and move screening. 

This year was also a good one for my blog, because I got the opportunity to do lots of reviews on one of my favourite things - cosmetics! Some were bought by myself, while others were kindly sponsored/sent to me for review. 

How could I forget my beloved pink and purple dip dye?! This was definitely the highlight of 2012 for me (pardon the pun); it really gave me a confidence boost and I felt so much more alive when I was rocking it. You can bet that I'll be back with some crazy hair colours again in 2013! (●♡∀♡)

Last but not least, in the course of 2012, especially over the past few months, I've become unhealthily obsessed with several extremely handsome (and adorkable) Korean men. [Warning: Gifspam ahead!]

Park Yuchun (of JYJ)
Kim Junsu (of JYJ)
Basically JYJ because they are the dorkiest, cutest, most talented and perfect 3 people ever XD
Cho Kyuhyun (of Super Junior)
Jung Yunho (of TVXQ)
TOP (of Big Bang)
This is basically me everyday on Tumblr:
That's Yuchun in the frame, btw, pretending he is Junsu and acting cute. *coughdorkcough*

Thus ends my last "out and about" post for 2012. :D Going to have New Year's Eve dinner with my friends in a couple of hours, hope the LRT won't be packed since it's a long weekend. 

See ya'll next year, and Happy New Year 2013! ^O^☆♪)

Review: SkinFood Fresh Fruit Tint Gloss (Grape)

♫ XIA(준수) - Uncommitted

If you're a follower of my Facebook page, then you might have seen my photo update a few days ago of the SkinFood Fresh Fruit Tint Gloss (Grape) that I recently purchased.

SkinFood Fresh Fruit Tint Gloss
The Fresh Apple Sparkling Pore Gift Set was a small freebie given to me by the friendly SA at their 1 Utama branch. :) This is actually my first time purchasing and using a SkinFood product, despite seeing their shops in various malls and browsing through their outlets on several occasions. I guess I'm still more attracted to cute pink girly packaging like Etude House, lol.

SkinFood Fresh Fruit Tint Gloss (Grape)
Banana, grape and ice fruit [pomegranate?]
Besides purple (grape), they also have it in yellow (banana) and blue (ice fruit). I was sorely tempted to get the banana, but decided on the grape. You'll find out why soon enough. :P

The tint gloss comes in a regular squeeze tube, and contains 9.5g of product. The slanted tip makes for easy application of the gloss, although it can get a little messy if you squeeze out a bit too much product.

The gloss itself is quite transparent, and corresponds to the packaging's colour. The Fresh Fruit Tint Gloss in Grape is a sheer purple colour with extremely fine shimmer particles that are not noticeable when applied on the lips.

Why is it called a tint gloss, then?

SkinFood Fresh Fruit Tint Gloss lip swatch
Here are swatches of the gloss. It goes on sheer at first, but after a couple of minutes it changes colour to a deep pink shade. The effect is a hot pink glossy pout. :3 The gloss is slightly tacky but lasts for up to 4+ hours without eating or drinking. Even after blotting with tissue and having a meal, the tint is still very much visible on the lips. You just need to top up some clear gloss to regain that sleek shiny look.

Taken with my iPhone's front camera, rather blur but it shows the most accurate colour of the tint gloss on my lips. It's bright, isn't it?

This is what the tint gloss looks like after a light meal. The colour remains very vibrant hours after eating and drinking, therefore I would call this a lip stain rather than a lip tint.

I'm starting to find this little jewel very handy, especially when I'm going out for the whole day and don't fancy touching up my lip colour every few hours. It doesn't dry out my lips, and the colour intensity depends on how much gloss you apply, so it's possible to use just a bit and get a nice gradient pink tint. Super love this 2-in-1 (stain+gloss) product!

The SkinFood Fresh Fruit Tint Gloss (9.5g) retails at RM 27.90 per tube, and is available at all SkinFood outlets in Malaysia.

✓ Pros: Pretty colour change effect, 2-in-1 tint and gloss, easy to carry around, affordable price, does not dry out lips.
✗ Cons: Will leave stain on skin/items, colour change varies according to individual.


December WonderBox

♫ TVXQ - 이것만은 알고가 독백 (Before U Go)

Look what arrived just in time for Christmas!


Yes, it's the December Christmas edition WonderBox! Isn't the ribbon bow and tiny golden wand pretty? I can definitely feel the Christmas vibe from it, hehe~

December 2012 Christmas edition WonderBox
Since it's a Christmas edition, I already sorta guessed that the ribbon would be red with green or gold accents. Bingo! :P (No prizes for guessing right though, lol)

Product info card and vouchers
Brochures and vouchers
As usual, once opened, you will see the info card along with some brochures and vouchers inside. This month, they included an Empro embroidery services RM100 voucher, a Jantzen Salon 30% off voucher, and two O.P.I. Color Culture service and package vouchers.

Click for larger image
December's goodies!
This month's edition is extra special because instead of the usual 5 items, you get 6 in your Wonderbox! Now, on to the items~


Empro Brown & Black Mascara (full size)
An effortlessly lightweight 3D mascara which comes in brown and black. Its anti-clumping and long lasting effect makes it suitable for all-function wear including on false eyelashes and eyebrows.
I've read many reviews on this mascara, and I like the idea of having 2 shades in one tube. I wonder if anybody has used it on eyebrows before, and what the result is like? XD

Clinelle Eye Bright (15ml - full size)
Improves firmness for all skin types. Helps reduce the appearance of eye bags and dark eye circles.

This is probably a sign that I need to start using eye creams already. T__T

Clinelle Purifying Toner (30ml - travel size)
Increases skin moisture instantly. Soothes and calms your skin while reducing oiliness.

I've been skipping toner in my cleansing routine lately, so I guess I'll try this out to see if it suits my skin.

Kérastase Masque Chroma Riche (30ml - travel size)
Leaves hair soft and glowing with radiance,  revealing intensity and depth of colour, while hair fibers are protected from external aggressions. 

Kérastase Bain Chroma Riche (30ml - travel size)
Leaves hair moisturized, supple, disciplined and protected against external and dullness with added shine.

I have always wanted to try Kérastase hair care products, but their prices are really quite steep. Let's see if they work as well or better than my current Essential shampoo and conditioner. (`∀´)Ψ

O.P.I. Shatter Nail Lacquer - Gold (15ml - full size)
Inspired by graffiti art, OPI Shatter leaves behind a crackled, two-texture finish when painted over any dry OPI hue nail polish.

I admit, I wasn't a fan of the "cracked" nail polish trend at all, but after seeing this particular gold shatter, my mind straightaway went to the Christmas staple red + gold combination, and I'm quite liking it that way. 

First test: Purple base + gold shatter
I tried out this combo on a couple of fingers, and I must say it looks pretty cool. Purple and gold, such royal colours eh? :P

Second attempt: Duochrome amber/red base + gold shatter
This is what I currently have on my nails, and I really love the effect! Due to the duochrome base, the crackled effect is quite subtle unless you take a closer look. (♥‿♥✿)

I'm happy to say that I'm really pleased with this month's WonderBox, as it has a good balance of skincare, hair care and cosmetic items. The cheerful red ribbon definitely gives it a festive vibe, perfect for Christmas and gifting to friends and family. :)

If you're interested to subscribe to the January and subsequent boxes, do pop by WonderBox Malaysia, or visit their Facebook page for more info. 

Keep Calm, I'm Still Alive


If you're reading this on 23 December 2012, then

Congratulations! You survived the end of the world.

 I know, shit happens. We have to go on with our boring daily lives until the zombie apocalypse comes.

While waiting for that to happen, it'll be a pretty good idea to go on with the Doctor's mindset:


In other news, I'll be using Big Bang's "(Intro) Alive" as my ringtone until 1 January 2013. Just in case you were wondering.

We Only Got 4 Minutes


In the words of Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake, "We only got 4 minutes to save the world."

I don't believe it will end (more's the pity HAHAHAHA) but if I did, I'd probably spend the last 4 minutes of my life hugging my family members, books and makeup items. LOL


What will you be doing in the last 4 minutes before the world (supposedly) ends?

Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2012

♫ XIA(준수) - Uncommitted

I admit, this post is more than a little overdue, but I try to reassure myself (and you too) by saying that the sale is still on until the 23rd of December, so you still have plenty of time to go grab some books. :P


Since I am a self-confessed bargain hunter AND bibliophile, I could never pass up the opportunity to go for this book sale, especially when one of my best buddies managed to score a preview pass and could bring a +1. Ψ(`▽´)Ψ


6th December 2012 - We took the KTM to Serdang, and then a short bus ride to The Mines. Got kinda lost in there because there weren't any signs or directions to the convention centre. (-_-;) In the end, we asked one of the shop workers and finally managed to find the way. Find the F.O.S. store and you'll see the link bridge to the convention centre.
So glad to see this sign.
The corridor leading to the convention centre was so dark, we were almost scared to go down until we saw another person (also going for the preview) heading the same way. You can see that the end of the corridor with the stairs is practically pitch black. SCARY WEI
Deserted and, in some places, dark corridor leading to the convention centre.
The first thing we saw after climbing up the stairs to the convention centre's main lobby area - the Wolfmobile!
BBW Book Sale 2012 Wolfmobile
We arrived around 12noon, and the doors were scheduled to be opened at 12.30, so we made pretty good time. Expected lots of people, but wasn't really prepared for this:

It looked like a small migration of sorts, with people eagerly waiting for the doors to open while holding their preview passes and pulling along trolleys and luggage bags. (~。~;) After going for last year's sale, I sorta understand why. I brought a backpack because I didn't want to hand-carry a whole bunch of books via public transport. ^^;;
3 million books waiting for you at the world's biggest book sale!
Of course I headed to my favourite sections first! :P (Do you spot Waldo in the picture? HAHAHA)
Fiction and fantasy. P/S: Try and spot Waldo!
These Nancy Drew hardcover books really brings nostalgia to a whole new level. I remember reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys back in primary school, along with Famous 5, Secret 7, Sherlock Holmes, etc. Thinking back, I sure read a lot of detective/mystery novels back then, lol.
Nancy Drew hardcovers RM6 each
I also really like James Patterson's writing style, although I've never read any of his Alex Cross books before.
James Patterson books, RM8 each
Most of the books there are RM8 each (paperback and hardcover), with some at RM10/RM15, while cookbooks were mostly RM15-RM30. Below is a photo of my 'box of books' after spending almost 4 hours there. (My friend and I took turns to browse the books after our initial round, coz we were pretty tired and managed to find a snug corner to sit.)

My haul for that day! 14 books in total (2 not shown) for RM 109. All were RM8 except for "Tokyo on Foot" (RM15) and two small recipe books (RM3 each).

ONE book alone made the whole trip to MIECC worthwhile. I found a hardcover copy of Haruki Murakami's "1Q84" lying randomly in a pile of other books, and was overjoyed - until I found that a corner of its cover jacket was torn. Tried to find another [unspoiled] copy but to no avail, so I hung on to this one. :P A bit of Scotch tape, and I have a brand new copy of 1Q84 waiting to be consumed. ψ(`∇´)ψ

A hardcover copy of Murakami-sensei's 1Q84 for RM8 - I can still hardly believe it!
Murakami's 1Q84 (hardcover) for RM 8
If you're a book lover on a budget (or not), you definitely have to check out the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale - The World's Biggest Book Sale with over 3 million books!! Check out their Facebook page for news and updates, and happy reading! :D