#last90days: Turning chore to habit

Growing up, I felt that there were so many hours in the day. I could go to school, spend time with friends (either in person, online over MSN Messenger (who remembers those days?) or just chatting over the phone), attend extra classes (piano, tuition, dance classes) and still have time do to things I enjoyed such as reading and blogging. When I really looked at the difference in hours between those days in school and now, in actuality, because I had such long school hours (school would officially end about 4ish, I often stayed back for extra-curriculars till 6 and I lived about 30-40 minutes away from school), the real difference in hours between work and school is not as much as I thought it was.

Then I started reevaluating how I spend my time now and surprise surprise, a large chunk of it was spent aimlessly scrolling through Instagram and Facebook, watching YouTube videos and binge-watching Netflix shows. When I was growing up, I didn't have these and instead, read plenty of books, wrote on my blog, chatted with my parents and well, spent a copious amount of time on Neopets, but let's just call that socialisation. I know you know that I'm not saying these modern forms of entertainment are bad or are a waste of time. Instagram and Facebook allow us to connect without individual chat screens on MSN and absorbing content through YouTube and Netflix are equally valid learning opportunities when contrasted with books.

What I did realise however, is that my goals did not align with what I was consuming. I started the year wanting to read more, but what I had in mind was books not social media feeds. I wanted to write more, and by that, I meant writing on this space or working on some stories, but instead, I found myself wiling time away writing comments (without words btw, just emojis!) because it was easy. I would scroll through Instagram, see a cute outfit on my friend that I've been wanting to catch up with, and instead of genuinely trying to spark conversation, I'd send heart-eyed emojis. It's easy. And lazy.

So maybe taking the dedicated time to improve myself over the last 90 days of the year will be the right kick to get me being as productive, efficient and deliberate with my actions as can be!

Today I’m grateful for:

1. Time to go to the gym in the day. Squeezed in a teeny-tiny run of 1.5km.
2. A friend who graced my ears with her lovely singing voice. She’s joining a singing competition and I have the privilege of hearing her practice!
3. Another friend who helps me buy things from Taobao and tells me all about her cute purchases.
4. Being able to go to work early this morning, yet feeling like the day flew by.
5. Easy-to-work-with clients who speak with a smile on their face. I don’t actually see them face-to-face but it’s so easy to hear smiles and I had two smiley clients today!
6. Being greeted by our dog at the door when I came home from work.
7. Having an inspiring conversation with my father at the dinner table.
8. Having my boyfriend tell me he’ll be my buddy for #last90days!
9. Finally completing a task I was given in August for my dad’s company.
10. My mom, who’s been not feeling well for the past few weeks, is starting to recover!

#last90days: Starting the journey!

I’ve always found “challenge” type things rather fun, and after reading Girl, Wash Your Face (NYT #1 best seller), I was enamoured by Rachel Hollis and her perspective of life. So here I am, diving into her #last90days challenge, which was set up with the intention for us to end the year strong.

In essence, the challenge is built around something called 5 to Thrive and being committed to these five practices over the rest of the year is just the kind of thing that’s meant to help turn us into the best versions of ourselves. Whether or not we believe that’s true, certainly the pursuit of these 5 things are bound to yield something good out of it. Or, even if you’re just planning to revisit your New Year’s Resolutions, those work as well! Use these final 90 days of the year to really realign yourself to what you had planned to do this year.

What I scribbled in my notebook.

I’d like to write a little more about each aspect of the challenge in another post, but for now, here are the 10 things I was grateful for yesterday (1 October 2018).

1. The white shirt I bought from Lazada for a mere RM17.30 was not see through and made of very soft, comfy fabric. Score!
2. Came back to work after a long weekend (took some time off for a mini-vacation for my birthday) and no work disasters awaited me.
3. A healthy lunch which I packed from home came out super yummy. I was really just guessing when I put the ingredients together.
4. Although I ate the abovementioned lunch early cause I was hungry, I think it’s filling enough for me to not want to snack.
5. I made a good suggestion at work about a contract which was considered and taken on.
6. A proposal for work-life balance at my company was approved organisation-wide last week but launched department-wide today. I’m so excited by all the flexible opportunities!
7. I got hungry despite my optimism at item 4 above, but found a spoonful of rice leftover from my lunch flask, which was just enough to satiate me! (LOL this is a bit pathetic but about an hour later I also had an Oreo)
8. I’m grateful that I had a delicious dinner at Way Modern Chinois, recommended by a friend and made better with a discount app I’ve been using.
9. Signed up for the Private Retirement Scheme (PRS) which the previous administration set up to encouraging saving for retirement. Putting in RM1,000 entitled me to a free RM1,000. That goes a long way in the long term.
10. Grateful for my mom making dinner, which I’ll bring along for lunch tomorrow at work. Fantastic!

Shots from dinner at Way.

Part of my fun long weekend involved a little bow and arrow adventure which reinforced that I’m better off working a desk job than living in the outdoors.

Because I wrote these as the day went along, it’s interesting to see that although I was grateful in the afternoon for feeling satiated, I ended the evening wanting to snack again. Well then! Thinking of 1 thing to be grateful for a day can be fun, but thinking of 10 is a lot tougher than I thought it’d be. I think it’s an attitude, so hoping for a more steady attitude of gratitude by the end of this year. And if it means I’ll be writing more, then that’s a good thing too!

See you tomorrow!

Aurora Italia - Your New Companion

Look out, ladies and gentlemen! There’s a new player in the charm bracelets scene. Charm bracelets have cemented their status as a classic piece of jewellery for almost all occasions. They look completely different from one person to another and we’ve seen enough renditions of the popular bracelets to immediately have recognizable brands come to mind: Pandora, Tiffany & Co, and Thomas Sabo to name a few. I adore charm bracelets and you’ll easily spot it on my right wrist on many of my photos.

The unique charms on display at Aurora Italia’s Mid Valley branch.

The bangles available. The Enchanted Gold Bangle is selling for RM1798.

It is therefore my absolute pleasure to be able to introduce Aurora Italia to you. Fairly new to the scene, but with an instantly recognisable style, it stands out by having its bracelets and charms made out of 18K gold. So if you haven’t yet jumped onto the bandwagon, for long term durability and for something that will always hold value, gold is the way to go. LOLOL can resell also if the relationship doesn’t work out. If yellow gold isn’t your cup of tea, they have a range of white gold bracelets and pendants as well.

If you already have a charm bracelet, more likely than not it’s probably made of Sterling Silver. Whilst durable and beautiful, with silver there’s always the risk of the colour tarnishing and even with frequent polishing, the bracelet you first bought is in no way going to look like the bracelet you have now. If you haven’t already gotten a charm bracelet and you were planning to, Aurora’s a great choice because you can start off with a gold collection!

But as I already have a bracelet and as the charms already hold so many memories near and dear to me, I’m not interested in starting a new bracelet. However, the staff reassured me that if I ever wanted a gold charm to add to my wrist, it would fit right in with what I already have.

Spot the Aurora charm!

While they don’t do necklaces at the moment, their charms make excellent pendants and you are free to pair up the pendant with a chain from elsewhere.

One of their Zirconia adorned white gold charms reworked as a pendant.

They have some truly unique and highly detailed charms which the staff are very happy to let you try on and get a closer look of.

RM438 for the Hot Air Balloon and RM558 for the I Love You

It’ll make a great gift for..

• Your parents (which may not care as much about brand name as they do about the material)
• Your girlfriend (perhaps the Sterling Silver bracelets seem a bit… high school?)
• Your girl friend (matching bracelets, ladies!)
• Yourself! (Because who loves you like you, amiright?)

Additional Information

If you’re wondering where the gold is from, you can check out Public Gold for more information. 

Branches:

Mid Valley Megamall @ Kuala Lumpur
GK 03&04, Mid Valley City,
58000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Gurney Plaza @ Penang
170-G-K13 Plaza Gurney,
Persiaran Gurney,
10250 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia.

Queensbay Mall @ Penang
GF-K6(Postal No.SF-126),
Ground Floor, Queensbay Mall,
Persiaran Bayan Indah,
11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.

Website:
http://www.auroraitalia.net/

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pgauroraitalia/

Contact no:
011-1050-4750

Minding Money

There are several ongoing promotions at the moment such as if you purchase above RM2388, you will get a white gold alphabet charm worth RM338 for free!

Happy shopping!

This post was brought to you by Aurora Italia. Still, no one’s forcing me to say anything I don’t believe in and if I’ve said anything nice, it’s because I mean it.

Happy birthday, Butterfly Project! Long live being extra! (and how you can be too)

I remember feeling nervous in the car on the way to the party. Although it wasn’t my first Butterfly Project event (I’ve met the community several times before), this was a costume party and somehow things were different. I had fashioned a unicorn horn out of black stiff paper, glued glitter over it and stuck a butterfly sticker onto the horn. Sewing it to a tiara I wore for my birthday party years ago, I felt like a child preparing for a school performance, which in and of itself, was a trip down memory lane worth taking.

I'd watched enough teenage American movies to approach costume parties with a fair amount of apprehension. It was April 1st, and somewhere at the back of my mind, I wondered if I came dressed as a unicorn, would I find myself the butt of a very elaborate prank? And so, as far as unicorns go, I was as tame as could be in my white dress fit for the office. Pulling up to the party venue, I could tell I needn’t have worried. Spotted through the glass windows of the venue were a throng of pastel-dressed girls, complete with beautiful floral unicorn horns and makeup so impressive, you could call it art.

Before I go any further, I should probably introduce the event. We were there for the Butterfly Project’s 5th birthday party. I can’t fully appreciate how far the community has gone, having just recently joined the community, but it was such a privilege to be invited that I had to go!

Tammy (the founder of the Butterfly Project) did a fantastic job with the party planning, that it seems almost an understatement to call it a party. We were treated to so many activities that it was almost like attending a private carnival. If you’re looking for vendors to bring your party to the next level, then read on!

GNG Studiobooth

I kid you not, GNG Studiobooth produced the best quality photobooth pics I’ve ever had. The pictures came out vibrant, with two pictures per sheet and a dotted line down the middle to snap the photos into half, making them perfectly sized for scrapbooking or storing in long wallets. How they truly stand apart from the competition is that they send you high quality snaps of your shots directly to your email. You could even shoot a Boomerang at the booth, which gets emailed directly to you for your Instagramming pleasure.

This are services they extend to their clients, which means that they’d be perfect for weddings, birthday parties and even corporate events. With the chance to take an unlimited number of photos, it’s no wonder so many of us left the party with group snaps and indulgent solo shots to remember the party by.

You can find them here:

www.gngstudiobooth.com

www.facebook.com/gngstudiobooth

Flowers Bar by Everyday Flowers

A great idea for a bachelorette or birthday party, Everyday Flowers introduces interactivity to the usual flower decor. We were all given the chance to create our own personalised bouquet. We got to choose flowers from a selection of gorgeous blooms, put em in a basket and the team works their magic. Soon after, you’ll have a beautiful bouquet to take home. For us, we got the chance to choose two flowers each.

The Everyday Flowers team then turned it into something beautiful, adding silver leaf, baby’s breath and other sprigs of gorgeousness to create a proper bouquet.

You can find them here:

www.facebook.com/everydayflowersmy

Renness and I with our completed bouquets!

Brrrloon

If flowers alone aren’t extra enough for you, balloons complete the party. If you’re looking to spice up an event - either an entire event venue like the Butterfly Project party, or just to get some balloons to decorate your seat in a restaurant - Brrrloon is a vendor that can bring you high quality balloons in a range of colours.

Flowers so beautiful, but you didn’t realise I was standing by the trashcan..

Balloons elevate any display table! Trust me when I tell you that my expression’s hiding the very real fear that I would drop the cake.

In addition to decorating the party venue, Brrrloon also provides a special activity, great for showrooms and corporate events. Introducing the auto-inflate colouring balloon. Water and limejuice react to release gas, inflating the balloon from the inside once you’ve had a chance to colour your balloon and personalise it. Once inflated, it’s meant to last for up to 30 days. What I can tell you is that it’s been 29 days and has shown no sign of deflation yet.

Stole this gif from Candace to show you how it looks.

Find them here:

Block Gurney, Unit G-1-2, Plaza Arkadia,

No.3, Jalan Intisari Perdana,

Desa Park City, 52200 KL

Contact No. 018-2777130
Website: www.brrrloon.com (Coming Soon!)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brrrloon

-

In between the activities, we found time to eat, mingle and take plenty of selfies!

Unicorn bag - party pack

A great host never leaves their guests empty-handed, and thanks to wonderful sponsors, we were gifted a range of wonderful gifts in our party packs. I gotta admit I didn’t think the day would come when I’d say this, but it’s way better than the candies we used to get as kids.

Thought it would be apt to show these gifts in a gif!

I haven’t had the chance to use all the goodies but here’s what we got! Special shout out to:

• belif Malaysia for their Best Sellers On-The-Go
• NYX Cosmetics Malaysia for their Vivid Brights Eyeliner and Lip of the Day Liquid Lip Liner
• Koji Dolly-Wink's Eyelashes
• Wanderlust Things for their sweet unicorn necklace
• Dear Beaute (Japan) for their hair care samples
• 50GRAM for the adorable unicorn mugs (I named mine Popcorn!)

If you’re looking for where to get the above, I’ve linked the product pages in the list above.

Thank you once again, Butterfly Project for such a fun party! The nervousness washed away amidst all the activities and I feel so blessed that I had the chance to go. How else in my adult life would I be able to have such wholesome family fun?

Squeezing in skincare before midnight x Althea

I don’t think I can say much more about Althea’s own skin care line that hasn’t already been said. Their 3-step solution is meant to bring simplicity to Korean routine and trust me when I say this, it is so satisfying to go through the routine quickly with my skin feeling clean and supple after it. If Althea sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Althea is an online beauty shop specialising in Korean products, which has shipped products globally. I also blogged about it not too long ago when I tried out the 7-step Korean skincare routine. Even in the post, I already had to confess that there were evenings where I’d take a shortcut and rather than complete the entire 7 steps, I’d cleanse, apply toner, moisturise, and call it a day.

Althea puts it best - “a solid routine starts from 3 essential steps -­ cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. All the other additional steps added to your routine are just that - additional.” With that in mind, Althea worked to develop a simple routine purporting to pack in all the benefits of a full-fledged one with their aptly named skincare line - Bare Essentials. And boy, what a great set of products these are! With minimalist packaging that you can’t help but display, trust me when I say that this simple routine is the busy person’s dream come true.

I’m not a skincare expert so all the insight I can share is purely from an experience perspective. For starters, the products smell great, they’re super easy to use and most importantly for me, they’ve given me a new way at looking at my night time routine. 

We start with the Contour Cleanser (1) which lathers wonderfully and leaves my skin feeling very clean. In fact, it feels like I double cleansed! There’s a cooling sensation too after its use so I love washing my face when I have work to do at night and need a little pick me up. But because it can feel a little tight which can happen when you wash your face with a fairly strong cleanser, step two follows right after. The Primer Water (2) was a really confusing product to me at first, because I was expecting texture like the Beauty Water I wrote about before, but it came out in a watery gel form. No cotton pads needed here. Squeeze a small amount onto your palms and pat it onto your face. Quick absorbing, wonderful smelling, and a really nice feeling after. The Fixer Cream (3) is next. It sets out to provide 24-hour hydration and I guess it does for those living in humid countries. When I’m a little more hardworking, I pair this part with eye cream and maybe even a face mask, but for the most part, this is a great moisturiser for everyday use.

All three products are available for RM116 which is a really decent price for what they are - high quality, solid products. But don’t just take my word for it - their reviews speak for themselves.

For me, the reason why I really recommend these products are because of the time taken for me to go through my routine. It isn’t just because it’s three steps. The fact that the cleanser lathers so quickly and the toner absorbs almost immediately means that on the days I come home late or I have too many things to do, it is physically possible to finish my routine in under 5 minutes.

If you wanna know what the routine looks like, you can see it on my Instagram! It’s literally a 45 second video so spare ya girl some time and check it out here:

One of the best feelings in the world is tucking yourself into bed before midnight. I’m so happy that @altheakorea’s #BareEssentials allow me to turbo charge through my routine and help me get my very own bare essential - sleep!

A post shared by @ tiffanykml on Apr 28, 2018 at 8:50am PDT

What that means for me is that quicker skin care means quicker bed time. That means more sleep. More sleep means a happier me. And good things happen henceforth.

Thanks for the Bare Essentials, Althea!

Get your own here:

althea.kr

Flour, Bukit Damansara - Curry me home

I have been meaning to write this post for about 2 months now, which is relevant for you to know because it means I paid my visit to Flour some time in February and this whole February thing lends a little bit of context to the meal we had.  So we were smack dab in the midst of Chinese New Year season and with every dinner plan that week promising either steamboat or all sorts jumping over the wall, North Indian food at Flour felt like a breath of fresh air. Flour hasn’t been around for very long - a little over a year old – but it’s made enough of a mark in the scene which leaves advance bookings necessary and the “Restaurant FULL” sign up front unsurprising.

Another detail I must add is that because it was technically a new year, I felt somewhat reinvigorated to new year, new me all over again and decided to drive to the restaurant. With driving not being my strongest suit, it was with heightened adrenaline and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude that I tucked into this meal. Read into that what you will in terms of the objectivity of this review but for now, I’ve digressed enough so take a seat, grab a drink and into the restaurant we go!

Tell me about the food..

If you’ve had enough of the modern day minimalist menus that’s currently in fashion but shares hardly more than the name of the dish and what you’re shelling out, the menu of Flour is made for you. Built almost like a book rather than a menu, it takes you on a bit of a journey by introducing the founders and cuisine (North Indian as opposed to the South Indian fare Malaysians are more accustomed to) and houses beautifully illustrated pages made for browsing.

To start, we ordered batata fritters (RM12), which were basically balls of deliciousness in our mouths. They arrived piping hot (major plus point!) and was the perfect introduction to what was going to be a flavourful meal.

After a bit of a struggle in deciding how much to order for our mains, we finally decided that for 7 of us hungry young adults, 6 curries, 3 biryanis and a serving of garlic naan was the way to go. 

For every curry you order, you may opt for a side of bread or a bowl of white rice. Not knowing which to pick, we left the choice up to the waitress and were treated with a variety of flatbreads, some fluffy, most crispy, but all perfect for accompanying the rich, piping hot curries at Flour. If you think you’ll be getting tough overnight bread here, don’t worry, there’s naan. ;)

If you’re curious, we tried the following:

• Murgh Makhani (RM27)
• Mutton Korma (RM32)
• Methi Chicken (RM26)
• Lasooni Ghost (RM31)
• Paneer Nimbu Do Pyaza (RM24)
• Ajwaini Baingan (RM22)

When the food arrived, I pulled apart the bread, had a helping of golden, creamy Murgh Makhani (butter chicken), and actually gasped at how gloriously rich, flavourful and deep the flavours were. If you like your butter chicken a little sweet and very creamy, you’ll adore the one at Flour. Probably the most popular curry of the night for us, when we were 6 curries down and the food was just starting to settle in our stomachs, we even contemplated ordering another helping because it was just so G O O D. But alas, belly and wallet constraints ended the journey there, though a few of my friends made repeat visits and had it again not long after.

A close second for me was the Paneer Nimbu Do Pyaza, another creamy delicacy that made me wish I had more bread to mop up the deliciousness left at the base of the bowl. Now this is almost inexcusable but I just flat out did not know that paneer was a type of cheese and was wondering how they managed to make tofu taste so good. I finally figured it out when my friends were asking if everyone had tried the “cheese one” and I was like, “no wait, which” only to realise it was the dish I was hogging. LOL well, you live and you learn, am I right?

I enjoyed the mutton korma because I thought it tasted really clean and not too meaty, which can happen sometimes with mutton. The meat tenderly fell apart in my mouth and the curry was a nice break from the other two above. However, I think in the entire pot, there were probably two solid pieces of mutton, a huge bone, and very little else which made us feel a little short changed. If they were more generous with the meat, it would’ve easily been one of my favourites, but as is, I would think twice before ordering it again, especially if I’m feeling hungry.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but if I’m having a lot of curries all at once, after a while, no matter how good they are, almost everything begins to taste the same. That’s exactly what happened at Flour and the rest of the dishes went by in a blur. I had the chance to try the other dishes we ordered, but the rest don’t stand distinct in my memory. All I recall was that they all tasted good in their own unique way and I left was convinced that whatever curry ordered was going to be good.

We had 2x chicken biryanis (RM28 each) and a serving of mutton biryani (RM33) to share. They were served in cute ceramic pots which kept them warm throughout the meal, but as far as I was concerned, the biryanis were just flavoured bases for the curries. Worth a try because to each their own biryani, but they didn’t do it for me.

Their mango lassi was a whopping RM13 each, served in small steel cups and very assuredly not worth the money. Not pictured is their masala cha (RM8) which was delicately spiced and pretty good. Hahaha though my friend who ordered it for a hopeful caffeine kick was very disappointed and spent some portion of the night crying out for coffee.

Drinks aside, it was a really good meal and I am already planning a repeat visit in my head. Anyone in?

You should try it if…

• You appreciate a good curry
• You’re looking to try something different
• You were a fan of Dishoom in London
• You’ve never tried North Indian food and want an introduction
• You already like North Indian food and well, want another place to try
• You’re thinking of a place for group dining that you can make reservations for (order more to share!)
• You’re vegetarian (plenty of options for you here!)
• You’re craving curry, but a mamak just won’t cut it
• You don’t eat spicy food (plenty of mild curries available - most of the ones we got weren’t spicy at all)

Minding Money Tips

Hahaha sorry this header’s a little misleading because I don’t actually have proper tips to give. Our total bill worked out to RM381.30 which wasn’t expensive, but it’s not exactly a budget offering. Including service charge and tax, that's roughly RM53+ per person without drinks.

But if you really want a tip, does it help to say that there’s a 7 Eleven right outside, and if you want to save money on dessert and you’re feeling #cheapo, you can get RM2 ice cream from next door? Um, not actually going to confirm if any of us did that but I’m just putting it out there that it’s always useful to know your options!

I tried the 7-Step Korean Skin Care Regime! x Althea

There are some things that really only work out when you start early. Flexibility, for instance. Now it's probably not impossible to become flexible when you're older because, as they say, with enough practice and stretching, anything is possible. But I can envision some sort of not worth it stage, where your bones have stiffened and you can hardly walk, where stretching out into a split is more likely to tear some sort of vital muscle than turn you into the ballerina you always wished you were.

But before I digress further, what I’m really trying to talk about is skin care. I've been blessed with good skin throughout my life that has generally been clear and even toned, but my time of not needing to moisturize or heck, even cleanse my face, is running out. I'm talking noticeable creases around my mouth and eyes and semi-frequent monthly break outs on my forehead. Friends have actually started commenting about my skin's steady deterioration so it's really about time that I started doing something about it, lest it becomes too late and all that can save me is a face lift or Botox lolol.

After 3 days of the skin care routine. You can still see some spots and redness but it was worse beforehand.

Rather than start out small, I thought, okay la, let’s do this properly. If we’re on the topic of skin care, no one does it as well as the Koreans and I decided to embark on the journey of..

7 Step Korean Skin Care

If 7 steps sound excessive, you should know that this isn’t even the full version. 7 steps is a fairly condensed version, with many incorporating 10 or even up to 14 steps in their daily routine! Just so we’re all on the same page, here’s what the 7 steps include! When I did some googling, there are some variations to this, but all in all, they generally follow this pattern:

Step 1: Oil cleanse

Step 2: Water cleanse (Yes, again)

Step 3: Exfoliate

Step 4: Toner

Step 5: Lifting cream

Step 6: Moisturize

Step 7: Mask

What was it like?

Step 1: Oil Cleanse
I used the Natural Pacific Perfect Deep Cleansing Oil for my first step which involved me slathering it on to my face and leaving it there for about a minute, rubbing in some water in to foam it up, and rinsing it off! Pretty straightforward and probably the most familiar step for those who cleanse on a regular basis.

Oily and sheer when on a dry face

Emulsified and milky

Step 2: Water Cleanse
So this double cleanse is a cornerstone of Korean skin care, because being Asian and competitive, ONCE IS NEVER ENOUGH. The cleanser we’re meant to use for the second step is a water cleanser which I suppose is milder and leaves my skin feeling clean but not too dry. This is probably one of my favourite steps and all I have to do is soak a cotton pad with the solution, and wipe my face with it. Rub from inwards to outwards and don’t be too sparse with the cotton pads (it’s okay to use more than 1!) else you might end up just distributing your gunk around your face.

Step 3: Exfoliate

Exfoliating is probably one of my least favourites because I never know whether I’m being too rough with my skin. So, Korean skin care necessitates that we rub off those dead ol’ skin cells which will make the moisturisers to come more effective!

Step 4: Toner
Before this, I always presumed toners were something related to the colour tone of your skin. But, well, it’s not hahaha and toners are meant to balance the pH levels of your skin and like exfoliating, also helps in the absorption of all the good products to come. The toner I’m using is the Beauty Water which feels amazing! Use a cotton pad to swipe it across your face for the most shiok tingling sensation across it. It’s so quick to do, but the feeling afterwards makes me feel like I did something complicated and important for my skin.

Step 5: Lifting cream

To combat the early onset of wrinkles, I’m using Leaguertox V-Shot Silhouette Lifting Ampoule as a lifting ampoule which has instant results! This one is pretty cool where a little goes a long way and instantly lifts up my face. So I put some under my eyes and by the corners of my mouth and jaw, massage it upwards and it’s like an auto face-lift. What the gel does is that it kinda turns sticky once rubbed in and holds my face in place? Which I guess would be useful when I’m asleep so my face sort of “sets” in a not saggy way.

Step 6: Moisturise
Over the years, I’ve collected a variety of moisturisers from my half-hearted attempts at keeping my face supple over the dry winter months in UK. I never diligently used any of them but now that I’ve started trying to care for my skin properly, I’ve been playing around with a range of moisturisers. Haven’t found my go-to yet but I love how no matter what, I wake up with my skin feeling soft.

Step 7: Sheet mask

I found this very difficult to follow on a daily basis because it’s so over-the-top! Sheet masks have always felt like a treat to me so it seems a bit indulgent to do it every day, and I find myself giving this a miss every 2 days. But, if you really think about it, it’s only about RM3 per mask, so if it makes you feel like a queen, then by all means, it’s a small price to pay for royalty!

Where do I begin??

If you’re a first timer like I was, all of the above can sound a little overwhelming. My products came from a variety of brands and making an investment on things you don’t really know how to use can be intimidating. However, knowing what the 7 steps entail means that you know what you’re looking out for. More often than not, you probably already have some moisturiser lying around, a cleanser that you’re already using perhaps or even some exfoliating cream. Just put them all together, supplement the missing steps and you’re well on your way to starting on 7 steps.

If you have no idea where to start, my products were all from Althea, a Korean-Malaysian shopping site for Korean beauty products. Whilst they do sell most of the items individually, they periodically issue Althea Boxes which put together a collection of skin care or beauty products all in one box. I had the chance to review the 7-Step Korean Skincare Box which was absolutely perfect for a beginner like me because it pretty much sourced all the different products I needed and is much more affordable than getting the products on their own.

The box itself is sold out right now, but you can still get the items individually if you wish to. I’ve starred the ones I personally found amazing to use so definitely check those out.

P/S: Minding Money Tip: 15% off for first time customers!

Here's what was in the box and the links to them:

• *Natural Pacific Perfect Deep Cleansing Oil - get it here
• *The Saem Healing Tea Garden Tea Tree Cleansing Water - get it here
• Dr.Frog Control-Tox Peeling Gel (120ml) - get it here
• *Son & Park BEAUTY WATER (340ml) - get it here (non-Althea link)
• *Leaguertox V-Shot Silhouette Lifting Ampoule - get it here
• Rire Camu Camu Moisture Cream - get it here
• Lebaton Pearl Whitening Essence Mask - get it here

Just as a general remark, I really recommend these Althea Boxes because they come at good price points and from what I’ve seen, include full sized products so you won’t have to worry about not getting your value for money. It’ll make a great gift for your girlfriends, your mother or even yourself.

Is it worth the effort?

I had so many questions when I first started this like do I have to wait between each step? How much time is this going to take? And ultimately, is it worth the effort??

For the first question, it’s recommended that you allow the product to set in before you apply your next one. So maybe a minute between each?

When I first started, it took me 30 minutes to go through the whole procedure, excluding the sheet mask. Now that I’ve gotten used to it, it takes less than 15 minutes, and can be a really therapeutic way to end the day. I’ll confess that I’ve given it a miss every now and then, but will at least try to water cleanse, toner and moisturise if I can.

This has done wonders to making me feel more adult and when I got a really strong tan after my recent trip to Australia, very quickly lightened me back to my slightly-less-tanned-but-still-tanned self.

The best part of this is really just feeling like I have cleaner and healthier skin. My recent period came and went without any major breakouts and whilst I still haven’t returned to the baby skin days of the past and don’t know if I ever will, it’s doing a lot better than it did prior to this!

All in all, it’s a commitment worth sticking to and I’ll do my best to keep at it!

Thanks again to Althea.kr for the sponsored box. As usual, I’m not being forced to say nice things and I’m only saying it if I mean it.

Tiffany x Caffe Bene: Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Series Party!

I don’t think I’ve ever had a post so colour themed, so if you’re into purple, then you’re in for a treat!

K-culture blew up as I was a high school student, and I can still vividly remember when bingsu hit our shores (I guess it arrived with a Big Bang ;)). In fact, the first one I tried was at Caffe Bene, and I remember glorious toppings of chocolate ice cream and chunky brownies, so I guess you can say that we’ve had a pretty good relationship. But if you haven’t met bingsu yet, here’s an introduction for you: bingsu is pretty much the millennial ice kacang, which puts it squarely in the realm of being very Instagrammable.

I was recently invited for a party with the Butterfly Project at Caffe Bene to sample their new seasonal range: Ultra Violet Purple Sweet Potato Series. No prizes for guessing what the dress code was though I have to say, I never thought I’d ever try dressing up for a party to match the food being served.

My staple holiday dress

Caffe Bene(pronounced Kah-Fey Bey-ney and not Cafe Bean as I once thought)

The event was held at the One Utama outlet which is a beautiful two story store tucked away in the Old Wing, and the first of the Caffe Bene outlets to feature its modern, newer industrial look. With a focus on “more than coffee”, Caffe Bene is positioning itself as a everyday hang out especially for its new outlets in One Utama and Mid Valley, equipping its stores with story books, plug points and wide tables. If natural lighting and a comfy seat is your cup of tea, you’ll be happy to spend hours at Caffe Bene.

Caffe Bene shared with us that the idea behind a sweet potato series was multi-pronged. On one hand, pastel purple is just so aesthetic and as the Pantone colour of the year, it only seemed fitting. On another, they equated sweet potatoes with the comfort food of the generation before ours, and conjured up images of young teens taking their parents to try bingsu (which is traditionally not something older people would have), but with a flavour that would be familiar and resonate with them more than, say, chocolate or Matcha.

Tell me about the food..

Meet the cast of characters: the latte, bingsu, Frappeno and my personal favourite..



the waffle!

Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Cream Waffle (RM18.90)  - Vibrant purple sweet potato paste layered on top of Caffe Bene signature Belgium waffle, crunchy granola, topped with seasonal purple sweet potato gelato and dusted with some purple sweet potato powder.

Hahah look at the adoration the waffle’s receiving!

Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Bingsu (RM29.90)  - This ultra violet icy treat is built up with layers of shaved ice, purple sweet potato milk base, crunchy granola, bouncy agar jelly and topped with Caffe Bene’s seasonal Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Gelato.

You can eat bingsu in one of two ways: (1) press down on the ice cream and mix everything up so all the flavours are combined. The ice keeps the ice cream from melting too much and you get a creamy, almost McFlurry like concoction; or (2) eat it layer by layer but get left with some layers of just ice in the middle.

Caffe Bene recommends doing it the first way but since people like monstrosities like deconstructed cheesecakes, I’m sure some would prefer the second. Whatever floats your boat, man!

The bingsu was the most photogenic of the bunch and found itself the star of many photos. But as beautiful as it was, I think you’ve got to be a fan of sweet potato to really appreciate this. It had a very generous chunk of sweet potato paste in the middle but I was honestly more interested in the jelly pieces than anything else in the dessert. On the plus side, it wasn’t too sweet and we made it all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Frappeno (RM16.90) 

I didn’t try the Frappeno so here’s the press release description: The perfect icy drink for a hot summer day. Ice blended purple sweet potato frappeno, topped with whipped cream and sprinkle of purple sweet potato powder for that finishing touch.

Ultra Violet Sweet Potato Latte (RM14.90)

This was comforting and tasted nothing like a latte I’ve had before. Because it was so creamy, it was almost like Nestum or oats. I didn’t taste the sweet potato in this one at all, but Xinaday gulped it down and said she really like how much it tasted like sweet potato (???!!!?) LOL maybe my palette isn’t cut out for food tasting if I’m missing notes like these but hey ho!

The series will be here till 15 April 2018 so you have about a month to try these ultra violet beauties.  

You should try it if..

• You’re a fan of sweet potato
• You love purple/ pastel colours
• You don’t like desserts that are too sweet
• You love bingsu and want to try something new
• You’re in One Utama or Mid Valley and you want somewhere to sit down, charge your phone and relax
• You want to introduce Korean desserts to a your elder relatives

Minding Money Tip

If you want to try the desserts, but you’re watching your wallet, here’s my Caffe Bene Minding Money tip for you: go on Wednesdays! Depending on the hour you go, you’re entitled to different discounts for different items from the menu.

Thanks to..

Caffe Bene and the Butterfly Project for the fun party! I took home a fun goodie bag with gifts from MAISON de gigi, JUICY Fresh Juice Bar and Caffe Bene Premix Coffee.

Special shoutout for this tube of Barbeque Flavoured Popcorn! Best prepackaged popcorn I’ve ever had! I honestly had good intentions about bringing some to work to share but it was so good, my family (okay, mostly me) finished it in less than a day. If you find it, it’s a must try! I hardly ever enjoy savoury snacks but this was a 10/10.

Anyway, it should go without saying that all the views here are my own and no one is forcing me to say nice things about them. If I’ve said nice things, it’s because I mean it.

See you next time!