About Me
- Nadya Elvina
- Hello! I'm Nadya Elvina, a university student who gets too excited over beauty product and cats. Hope you enjoy reading!
Monday, 13 July 2015
My Absence
Hello everyone! I know I haven’t been posting in a really,
really long time and I need to explain that. So, you know that I’m still a
university student and if you’re one like me, or have been one, you know how
hectic it could be with all of the assignments, quizzes and classes. I know
that I could’ve written some posts here and there when I’ve got free time, but
I rarely got such luxury since even when I have no assignment for the week, I
got to spend my day in the library, reading a book or start doing my next
assignment. Even when I got free time, I tended to just relax for the day, and
when you only have limited free time, you’d have to choose only a few things
from your favourite activity list. Sadly, I had to put blogging aside. I don’t
want to just put a sloppy post just for the sake of posting weekly. I want to
give my best in each of my posts.
I’m not saying that I don’t miss blogging and reading other
people’s posts. I do miss them, a lot. It’s just that I don’t want to pressure
myself to do it when I don’t feel like it. I know that I’m not that person who
strives under pressure. I’m one of those people who tend to break down if I’m
not careful in managing my stress. That’s why I got to keep reminding myself
that blogging is not my duty, it’s my hobby, something that I do out of
passion, not because that I have to do it.
I do hope that I will be able to manage my time better next
time so I could do everything that I want and continue participating in
blogging world. Let’s just pray that there won’t be many assignments for my
next semester lol.
I don’t want to make this to be a long post. I just want to
explain my long absence and probably, my future absence from blogging world. I
hope that I could spend more time to post on my blog. Wish me luck! J
Tuesday, 21 April 2015
Simple Eye Makeup Remover Review
First thing before I move on to the review, I want to
apologise for the lack of post. I’m back to university which means I get a lot
of assignments. Now that it’s slowing down a bit, I could spare some time to
write this post. I will try to manage my time better so I could post here
regularly because honestly, I miss posting on this blog a lot. Thank you for
understanding J. Now
let’s continue to the review.
I’ve been a loyal user of Maybelline Eye & Lips Makeup
remover for about 3 years. I love it because it’s cheap and does its job quite
nicely. But, I decided to try out some other eye makeup removers out there.
First brand that I chose was Simple because I’ve been quite satisfied with
their products and it’s safe for sensitive eyes (I don’t think I have sensitive
eyes, but better safe than sorry right?). It also claims to be able to remove
waterproof mascara, which is something that I really look for since I wear
waterproof mascara almost every day. It was RM 19.90 (about $5.50) from Watsons.
First thing that I like, other than the price that is quite
affordable, is it doesn’t leave your skin feel oily. It feels almost like pure
water when I used it to remove my eye makeup. It also doesn’t have artificial
perfume or colour, which is a good thing because I don’t want anything
especially with artificial perfume near my eyes. Other thing is, it claims to have 2
vitamins in it, which are pro-vitamin B5 (listed as Panthenol) and vitamin E
(listed as Tocopheryl Acetate). I don’t really know my science, but I know that
those two things are good for your skin. Who doesn’t want to remove their
makeup and also give some vitamins to their skin? For me, this is an additional
point for this product.
Sadly, I don’t think this product actually works for
removing my eye makeup. I put a few drops of this on a cotton pad, press it
gently on my eyelids for a few seconds, and then I swiped it across my eyelids.
Nothing other than a few flakes of my waterproof mascara came out. After a few
swipes, I finally managed to get my mascara off my lashes. But still, it left
me with panda eyes.
So I would say that I’m not quite satisfied with it. Here’s
to continuing the journey of finding the perfect eye makeup remover!
Which eye makeup remover would you recommend?
Monday, 16 March 2015
Lips as Sweet as Cake
When Watsons started to sell Collection, other than their
famous Lasting Perfection Concealer I got really intrigued by their lip creams,
Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream. Sadly, the shade that I thought was perfect
for me was sold out. About a month later when I went back there I saw that the
shade that I wanted was there on the shelf and of course I grabbed it before it
sold out again. It was RM 19.90 (about $5.40) for 5 ml, quite an affordable price for a lip
cream.
The shade that I picked up was Fairy Cake. It’s a pretty
coral shade that doesn’t really look too orange but leaning more to pink shade.
As being said on the tube, it gives matte finish. The applicator is a wand just
like the one for lip glosses. The pigmentation is also great as it’s not too
sheen and just one layer of it will give you a nice coral pink lips. The
formula of this lip cream is so creamy and glides quite easily on my lips.
What I noticed first when I applied it was the nice vanilla
scent, which I think really suits its name. This scent is not too overpowering
in my opinion and only lingers for a while, so don’t worry that it will make
you feel queasy if you don’t really like sweet scents. If anything, the scent actually makes you craving for some cakes!
What I don’t like about this lip cream is that it clings to
dry patches, accentuates them even more. I also feel that my lips feel drier
after I applied this lip cream. A wipe of lipbalm will help, but I recommend
exfoliating your lips first just to be safe. The staying power of this lip cream is
quite great, about 4 hours and it didn’t budge even when I drink or wash my
face in the middle of the day.
I really love the shade of this lip cream, too bad that it
doesn’t moisturise my lips as promised. But still, I will use it when I want a
nice coral pink lips for the day.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Neutrogena Fine Fairness Cream Review
For a really long time, I was searching for something that
could make my face brighter and fairer. I’ve tried so many products, yet
nothing ever really works with me. Browsing through my local drug store here in
Malaysia, I saw this day cream by Neutrogena. I know that Neutrogena is not a
new brand in skin care department, but I’ve never found one in my hometown.
This Neutrogena line is called Fine Fairness, promises to give a more
translucent looking skin tone, reduce uneven skin tone and of course,
moisturise. I’ve heard that Neutrogena products are trusted and well known for their quality, so I
decided to pick it up for RM 46.66.
The packaging is quite simple with glass jar and grey lid.
Even though it’s made of glass, it’s quite durable since the glass is quite
thick. I actually prefer jar rather than tube when it comes to moisturiser
since I could take as much as I need and I only use clean fingers to minimise
contamination.One jar contains 50 grams which could last maybe about 3 months.
The cream feels lightweight on skin, but it moisturises
really nicely. It’s absorbed really fast and doesn’t make your skin looks
greasy. I love that it doesn’t leave sticky and heavy feeling on skin which
many moisturises have. It has a nice scent which I love, but I don’t think it
would annoy those with sensitive nose that much since it’s really subtle.
After a couple months, I could notice that it does make my
face brighter and fairer. Even my mom noticed it and after I tell her about this day cream, she changed her moisturiser to this one too. Neutrogena Fine Fairness
Cream also didn’t break me out at all. This day cream also contains SPF 20++,
an important thing for a moisturiser to have because you can’t really go out
without some SPF nowadays. Sadly, it doesn’t really do anything for my uneven
skin tone.
Now I’m on my third jar, a rare occurrence since I usually
change my moisturiser a lot, and I still love it really much.
What’s your favourite day cream? Tell me down in the comment
J
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Goodbye Semester Break, Hello School
My 3 month break is coming to an end. I feel so sad but at
the same time so excited to go back to university again. Of course leaving my
hometown, my family, my friends and of course my cats never gets any easier. Going
back home after spending almost 1 year in Malaysia makes me want to stay at home
longer. I even think that it’s more difficult to leave now compared to when I
first left because I actually know what I would miss. Home-cooked meals, late
night chats with my family and cuddles with my cats are something that I took
for granted before, but all of that has become something that I miss most when
I’m far away from home. But still, picturing that I will get back to my routine,
being independent and meet my friends there in Malaysia makes them all more
bearable. I can’t wait going shopping, gossiping and all of those things with
my best friends. Going to library to study with my friends even seems fun (not
when there are tests and assignments though. Who ever thought that these things
are fun?)
A 3 month break was something that I thought will be boring
since I don’t have anything to do for that long, but how I was wrong. ‘Bored’
never crossed my mind, even when I just spend my time in my home, something
that I do a lot in this break. Doing nothing other than reading, watching TV
shows or Youtube or playing PC games is something that I need after 5 months full
of stressful school works.
Of course I didn’t spend the whole break at home,
that would be a waste of time. Me and my family went on a religious trip to
Saudi Arabia. We were planning on spending 9 days there, but we ended up
spending 19 days there because our travel agent messed up. Despise all of that,
it was still a nice and memorable trip. Visiting Mecca and Madina, praying at
al-Masjid al-Nabawi and Masjidil Haram and seeing Kaba in person are something
that you can’t forget. Especially when you’re doing that with your family, that
memory becomes the most precious one.
Going around the town hanging around or going shopping at a mall
also become something that I enjoyed a lot last vacation, either with my family
or with my friends. Seeing it changes and grows in 1 year, even when the
changes are not really that huge, still amazes me.
My family also got a new addition last month, a kitten that
we called Muezza, named after Islamic prophet Muhammad’s favourite cat. Muezza
is actually the grandchild of our cat, Garfield. She was given by our
neighbour, the owner of Muezza’s mom. This little kitten is just so adorable
and full of energy. Anything from crumples of paper to plastic wrap can be used
as a toy by her. Almost every morning we could find those ‘toys’ behind the
sofa. She also loves to chase Garfield that sometimes he got a little annoyed
that he could not get his afternoon naps. I just love both of them lots.
This might be my most memorable vacation that I’ve ever had.
3 month felt so short when you pass it by doing something that you enjoy so
much with people that you love. Now it’s time to go back to school with all of
the assignments and exams that will follow. I hope that I would still be able
to write posts for this blog though. Wish me luck guys! J
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush
I have heard some good reviews about Maybelline
Dream Bouncy Blush for quite a while and I was dying to try it out which unfortunately,
I couldn’t find it in Malaysia. When I got back home to Indonesia, I was
checking out Maybelline counter in one of department store in my town because I
need to buy a new eyebrow pencil. That’s when I found this blusher. When I was
thinking whether to try it or not, the attendant told me that if I get it, then
I will get 25% discount on my eyebrow pencil. So I thought maybe this is the
sign from the universe that I should buy both of them and decided to add this
cream blusher along with my eyebrow pencil.
I got it in the shade Peach Satin, as the
attendant told me that it was the best shade for me. At first I was not sure of
it because it looked so orangey in the packaging and I was afraid that it would
look tacky on my face. But when I swatched it in store, it actually looked so pretty
and not as orange as I thought it would be.
It’s actually a nice shade of coral with a hint of glimmer in it. I like
that it doesn’t have too much glitter in it, making it great for daily use.
When applied to my cheeks, it gives a nice healthy sheen to my face.
What I noticed when I first use it was how
smooth the texture of this cream blusher was. It blends easily and also feels
lightweight, just as what it claims. It’s not really that pigmented which might
be a good thing if you tend to be heavy handed. As in the swatch picture, I actually layered it a lot so that you can see the colour of it. I prefer to apply it with my
fingers as I think it gives me more control rather than using a brush. I also
feel that when I use a brush to apply it, more product ended up on the brush
and not on my face. For staying power, I would say that it’s quite decent. It
stays at least for about 5 hours without budging that much.
For Rp 59900 or about $5 you can get 5.6
gram of this blusher, a great price for a great product. The packaging itself
was nothing special but it is quite compact even though maybe not that durable.
But still, it will survive in your hand bag if you decide to bring it along
with you for the day.
Have you tried it? Which shade is your favourite?
Have you tried it? Which shade is your favourite?
Sunday, 15 February 2015
Restore Your Hair Shine With Hair Oil
Frizzy hair is one of my recurring problem (thanks to the humidity) along with split ends. I’ve tried so many hair products in hope that they will be able to tame and restore my hair. Most of them ended up doing nothing or weigh my hair down. I heard a lot about argan oil and how it’s so wonderful at taming frizzy hair and adding shine to it without weighing your hair down. However, most of argan oil are quite pricey, making me quite hesitant into trying it out.
One day, I saw that Watsons launched a hair and body products line, Naturals by Watsons. One of the product in line is Argan Hair Oil. It was only RM22.90 for 100ml. However, this is not a 100% pure argan oil as it also contains avocado oil and wheat germ oil. The complete ingredient for it will be listed below. The bottle is made of dark brown plastic with pump. This hair oil promises 5 benefits in 1 formula, which are nourish, detangle, smooth frizz, damage repair and strengthen.
The oil itself is quite light and doesn’t weigh my hair down with a light scent that doesn’t linger on your hair. I use 3 to 4 pumps on my long hair which is a little bit past my mid back when my hair is half-dry, focusing on the end of my hair. Then I comb my hair so the oil gets to every strand. You can also apply it on dry hair, but I prefer to do it when my hair is half-dry. You won’t be able to tell that I just applied oil on my hair as it’s absorbed nicely and quickly, only leaving a lovely shine on my hair.
After maybe a month, I could notice that it really does help my hair as it’s not as dry as before and I can see that my hair is shinier and smoother. However, my hair is still quite frizzy even though it’s not as bad as before and my split ends are not completely gone. I’m still quite happy with it as it’s really affordable but still helps my hair to be healthier.
Ingredients: Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquoleate, Parfum (Fragrance), Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Tocopherol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Limonene, Linaloo
Have you tried any hair oil? Did they work on you?
Read More »
The oil itself is quite light and doesn’t weigh my hair down with a light scent that doesn’t linger on your hair. I use 3 to 4 pumps on my long hair which is a little bit past my mid back when my hair is half-dry, focusing on the end of my hair. Then I comb my hair so the oil gets to every strand. You can also apply it on dry hair, but I prefer to do it when my hair is half-dry. You won’t be able to tell that I just applied oil on my hair as it’s absorbed nicely and quickly, only leaving a lovely shine on my hair.After maybe a month, I could notice that it really does help my hair as it’s not as dry as before and I can see that my hair is shinier and smoother. However, my hair is still quite frizzy even though it’s not as bad as before and my split ends are not completely gone. I’m still quite happy with it as it’s really affordable but still helps my hair to be healthier.
Ingredients: Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquoleate, Parfum (Fragrance), Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Tocopherol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Limonene, Linaloo
Have you tried any hair oil? Did they work on you?
Saturday, 7 February 2015
January Favourites
I am currently on my semester break, so I don’t really use
that much makeup since I spend most of my time just chilling in my home and of
course I don’t wear makeup in my own house. That’s why most of my January
favourites aren’t makeup products, but mostly skin care and just some random
stuff. So here are what I've been loving throughout January
Fringe
Just like everyone else who has too much
free time, I spend most of it in front of my laptop, watching TV shows. Fringe
is what I've been watching for a few weeks, and I’m telling you, I’m obsessed
with this show! My day isn't complete without me watching at least one episode.
This is actually not a new series since it ended in 2013.
It is a science fiction series about an FBI
agent who handles not your daily, normal type of crimes, but bizarre phenomenon
with the help of a (slightly) mad scientist and his son. I love everything about
it, the actors are brilliant (you’ll know why I said this when you reach season
3), the storyline is intriguing with plot-twists everywhere and the characters
are developing so nicely. Walter Bishop, the mad scientist, is probably my
favourite character in the show. His weird sense of humour could lighten up
even the darkest situation. If you love science fiction, you would want to
check this one out.
Bio Oil
My skin was really dull and dry after I got
back home from Saudi Arabia. I put this oil on my face overnight in hope that
it will re-hydrate my face. The next morning, I swear I could really tell the
difference this oil made. Not only that it has re-hydrated my face, it also
brought back the glow in it at the same time. Since then, I used it every
night. Sadly, after a few weeks, I had a breakout. I’m not sure what caused it,
whether this product or other new skin product that I recently tried out. Now
I’m waiting until my skin clears up, then I will try this out once more. I hope
that it will go well this time.
Simple
Spotless Skin Rapid Action Spot Zapper
If you have read my last post, you’d know
how I love this product. Since I’m having a breakout recently, this product has
saved my skin. It certainly has healed my spots faster. If you want to read my
complete review on this product, click here.
Tammia Beauty Puff
I actually bought this only about a week
ago, but it was still in January, which means it counts right? For Rp88000
(about $8) this beauty puff is amazing. It works really well in applying my BB
cream and I've never felt this easy when I’m applying it on my face. It glides
smoothly on my face and I really love the finished look of it. It looks really
natural and skin like compared to when I use a brush or my fingers. I think I’m
never going back to using brush or my fingers anymore as long as I have this on
my dressing table.
The Body Shop Honeymania Body Butter
My skin is really dry lately and this
product has amazingly helped it a lot. The consistency of this body butter is
so thick and rich. You only need a thin layer of it to work its wonder on your
skin. I wear it most of the time at night before bed, and don’t you just love
the feeling when you wake up and your skin feels so soft? The scent is also so
gorgeous as it’s a perfect combination of sweet and floral, helping me to relax
at night. Now I know what to reach for whenever my skin acts out again.
So, what have you been enjoying lately?
Friday, 30 January 2015
Retail Therapy
I had been having a few down days lately, so I decided to go
shopping at a department store in my town. A retail therapy, as you may say.
Nothing like a few treats for yourself to brighten your day right? I usually
don’t buy as many things as I did this time. However, I hadn’t gone shopping
for quite a while, so I thought that’s fine to spoil yourself for once in a
while.
First, I went to The Body Shop. I picked up their body
butter, which is Honeymania Body Butter. It smells so wonderful, a great
combination of sweet and floral scent. I hope it will hydrate my skin which is
very dry lately.
Then I went to the makeup section. I was looking for Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in the shade of Romantic, but sadly they are out of stock. So I decided to try another lipstick by Revlon, which is Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in the shade of Enticing, a deep red which looks so gorgeous. Other thing I picked up was L’oreal True Match foundation in N3 Nude Vanilla. I’ve read some good reviews about this product and I can’t wait to try it out! Last thing I picked up was Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm Smoothing Cherry since I ran out of my Baby Lips lip balm. Now I think everyone knows how wonderful this product is and I’m telling you, I can’t live without it.
While browsing the beauty aisle, I came across Tammia brand.
I’ve never actually tried anything made by this brand, but I think they look
good enough and they also have a pretty decent price too. I picked up three
things from there, which are a stippling brush, a puff blender and a nail file.
The stippling brush is quite soft, but I haven’t used it yet so I don’t know if
it could do its job well enough or not. I really like the puff blender’s shape.
Not only that it’s cute and reminds me of marshmallow, it also has the smaller
end for that hard-to-reach area and also the wider end that can be used for the
wider area of your face. However, just like the stippling brush, I haven’t had
the occasion to try it out yet. There is nothing special about the nail file,
as it’s just your regular nail file that is used to shape your nails.
Last section that I went through was clothing. I bought two
blouses that I thought would be perfect for when I go back to school in March
as they are so cute, yet simple. I just have to pair them with my jeans and I
would be good to go. The first one is a navy blue top with pointed flat collar.
It has polka dots on it with two sizes, big ones and small ones. The second
blouse that I bought is a white top with small hearts on it and ribbon collar.
Who can say no to that? At least I can’t.
That was everything that I bought on my shopping trip. Hope
you enjoyed reading it and have a nice weekend!
Friday, 23 January 2015
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
I bought it for RM 35.90 which is about $11 at Watson. When I
apply it, it feels so moisturizing that I don’t think I need to use lip balm
beforehand. It also leaves minty taste after applying which doesn't really bother me since it lingers only for a
little while. The staying power is also great. After 5 hours, you can still see
it on your lips even though it may have faded just a little bit. However, I do
notice that if I use lip balm before applying it, the staying power won’t last
that long. Maybe because this lipstick is kind of oily itself, and by adding
lip balm, it becomes much easier for it to slip off my lips. The packaging is
great, as the cap doesn’t easily come off in my bag even if it’s outside the
makeup pouch. However, the label might fade after a while which what happened
to mine, as you can see in the picture above. You can see the nicer version below.
 |
| As taken from their official website www.revlon.com |
All in all, this lipstick is perfect for a daily use since not only it gives you nicely coloured lips that lasts for a long time, but also moisturizes your lips. The shade Honey is great if you want a nice pink colour that looks natural on your lips. Bonus tip, it can also be used as a cheek stain in case you don’t bring your blusher wherever you go and need a little bit of touch up in the middle of the day.
Saturday, 17 January 2015
Zap Your Spots in 4 Hours
I rarely have acnes on my face. But once it’s there, it really
enjoys its stay on my face. It actually took a few weeks to go away. I have
tried a few acne cream products, but they are usually not as effective as I
want them to be. However, it is not my problem anymore since my eyes caught one
of new addition of Simple product when I was strolling down the Watsons aisle,
and that is Simple Spotless Skin Rapid
Action Spot Zapper (that’s a really long name).
It promises to zap spots in
just 4 hours. At first I was skeptical about this promise since I have never
thought that such incredible product exists. I still bought it anyway because it
has a roll-on applicator; quite convenient for someone who doesn’t like getting
their hands sticky like me. Simple products are also known to be gentle for
sensitive skin. I don’t have sensitive skin but it’s nice knowing that the
product is safe even for those with sensitive skin. You get 15 ml of product in
one tube. It might sounds so little but you actually just have to use a small
amount of it on your spots, so one tube might last for quite some time.
Unfortunately, I forgot the price since I bought it a couple months ago.
Read More »
It promises to zap spots in
just 4 hours. At first I was skeptical about this promise since I have never
thought that such incredible product exists. I still bought it anyway because it
has a roll-on applicator; quite convenient for someone who doesn’t like getting
their hands sticky like me. Simple products are also known to be gentle for
sensitive skin. I don’t have sensitive skin but it’s nice knowing that the
product is safe even for those with sensitive skin. You get 15 ml of product in
one tube. It might sounds so little but you actually just have to use a small
amount of it on your spots, so one tube might last for quite some time.
Unfortunately, I forgot the price since I bought it a couple months ago.
I tried it on my spots and it actually went
better than my expectation. The applicator glides smoothly over my acne and the
cream itself is clear and absorbed easily by my skin in just a minute. It
doesn’t make my acne completely gone in 4 hours, but I notice they have got
smaller and the redness was gone. I apply it twice a day, morning and night,
and my acnes are gone in just one to two days. This product is especially
effective if you apply it to a new acne.
Overall, I am impressed by this product.
Even though it doesn’t exactly make my acnes disappear in 4 hours, but at least
it makes them less noticeable and heal faster.
Thursday, 15 January 2015
A Tiny Introduction
Hello everyone! So this is my first post in
this blog. This blog will consist of beauty things like make up, skin care and
hair care, along with some slices of my life here and there.
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