When I was a medical student in Preston, I often frequented my local grocery store and grabbed a simple bouquet of flowers. Simply because it looks pretty by my window. Flowers are somehow not a thing in Malaysia. Yes, you get flowers for special occasions. But less likely on days where ‘you just feel like it’ or ‘just because’. Hence, giving flowers became a seasonal and special occasion gesture only. The thing is, I am one of those ‘just because’ people. I would love my desk to have a vase of them ever so often.
Hence, can you imagine my joy when I saw this florist selling a minimalist option? No fancy paper or wrap. Just fresh flowers in brown paper. They are so budget-friendly.
I stumbled upon this option during one of my doomscroll days on GRAB. It was priced at RM26.50 per bouquet from Alice Florist, Jalan ONG KIM WEE. I immediately ordered it and had it delivered to my house. I bought 3 because I wanted to give them to my friends. Indeed, I received those mini packages of happiness in less than an hour. They were out of pink roses, but I was equally happy with the orange ones. Now, if only my husband could get me one of these every fortnight. That will be great. Ha ha.
I am in love with this Tyeso tumbler. It keeps my drink cool – the ice remains there for at least 6 hours. On most days I would bring iced coffee to work and then during lunch break, I would fill the empty but iced-filled tumbler with plain water. In that way, I could stay hydrated until it was time to go home.
I bought mine in purple and for my husband, in black.
Here it is making it’s debut in this vlog.
The price is RM28.50/ piece. Without a tumbler bag.
I initially bought this tumbler for myself because I wanted to drink more water at home. Water that remains cool for a very long time. This is of course no ordinary tumbler because it is one of those subtle BTs merchandise that ahem, represents Suga. It was a collaboration between BTS x Built NY. I bought it from Shopee Malaysia for RM164.50 including postage. It took about 2 weeks to arrive as it was shipped directly from South Korea.
I loved this product and have been using it daily for my cold drinks. I sip my drinks using the blue straw I purchased from Zus Coffee.
My husband saw the tumbler. I don’t think he knows it’s a BTS thing but he seemed to be interested in it. And so I bought him a tumbler too but from the Stanley x Starbucks collection for his birthday this year. It was in navy blue with a straw. It is made from stainless steel making it a good choice to hold both his hot and cold beverages during the long hours at work in the office and on the field. Seems that he loved it loads and have been ‘showing it off’ on his table and all. Didn’t know it would mean so much, to gift a tumbler to a grown man.
I came to know about this service during a scroll on Instagram. It was a video by Cupcake Aisyah making a review on her perfume choice with this company. Plus she had a code that entitled me to 10% off my first purchase. I guess I was sold by these points;
The perfume line up they have in the luxe and non luxe category – the choices were wow
I can manage my subscription to pause whenever I like or terminate my subscription anytime I want. This means that if I am kind of short on cash for that month, I can just skip that month. Or I am just not up for perfume anymore.
It’s like getting a sample monthly (8ml) without having to commit to a big bottle. Knowing myself, if I suddenly hate the smell of the perfume, I am most likely to just give it away. I did it once when I bought thattabacco-ish scent from Body Shop a few years ago. It smelled okay in the store but got a bit weird once it is in my home. HA ha ha. So yes, this monthly plan seems to suit my style of purchase.
I chose the Luxe package. The price is RM59.90 per month. Therefore, the perfume options are slightly on the higher tier in the fragrance industry. Miss Dior sold out, as expected. I was a bit lost on which ones to choose but after reading several reviews I decided to put my money on Hermes Le Jardin De Monsieur Li EDT.
I was sold on the part where one reviewer puts it as
It makes you feel like a CEO
Indeed. It does give off that vibe. It is also a unisex fragrance which is something I like – a masculine-ish scent on my body. LOL. I am not really a fan of very floral, sweet like scents. Nor do I love those hard core male perfume although some do smell nice. However, what started as a strong presence of power pretty much softened after a few hours, even to yourself. Sometimes I forget I am still using this EDT. Which probably explains why you need to spray it for about 3 times a day to keep it on you for the whole day. After all, it is an EDT.
I bought my husband the Body Shop Athletic fragrance once which is nice. I should get him that for his birthday. But I am thinking of getting a sample from my packages unisex fragrance line for his upcoming birthday. I still cannot get over my most favourite perfume from some time ago – Ralph Lauren Style. It is hard to move on from that but the product have been discontinued. I still keep the near empty bottle in my safe keeping box. It was a gift from my friend, Mimie. Every once in a while when I missed my life before marriage and employment, I would lift the lid of the bottle and take a sniff of its faint smell. It was a carefree world where I could sleep for hours and eat without the worry of getting fat.
I have a code for 10% off (Malaysian subscribers only) – no one took it up. ha ha ha.
It started with a mild blemish at the chin area. Soon, acnes were erupting not only there but also above my lip. It made me hormonal. I haven’t felt so insecure with my face since teenage years. I had to fix this. This time I went back to the website I used before Althea which is Hermo Online. I didn’t like the courier who sent my previous Althea goods. Rude nak mampus. It is not Althea’s fault though but the choice of courier macam mehhh.. . Therefore, crossing my fingers for a charming courier service. Here is what I did to combat my acne. (in progress)
1. BUY MORE MASK
I decided to buy more 3 ply mask of my own to be changed daily. Sometimes I tend to use it over 2 days. In a way, I hope that the skin could breath better and not be exposed to the same dirt all over again. I discovered a hijabi friendly mask on Shopee that comes as a headloop instead of an ear loop. It’s a 3ply mask that I could use in my workplace setting as well.
2. EAT BETTER. DRINK MORE WATER
It is back to the healthy eating days. More salad. Stocking up on my butterhead and romaine. More plain water. In fact, I cleaned out my freezer and fridge. Whatever we did not touch for the past 6 months goes inside the bin. I also rearranged the tupperwares and dry goods in my little pantry. Bought some 3 tier shelves from Mr D.I.Y. and now I love my food storage area. I figured if we chuck out the nasty stuff – it wouldn’t be an option for our meals. Even so, I still have some crisps and biscuits at hand. For the kids.
3. HERMO HAUL
Its time to take skin care seriously. Again. It has been neglected for quite some time. A lot of experts say that you shouldn’t mix the product. I agree. But for now, I am desperate. If this mask acne is still not taken care off, I might have to step into a medispa or aesthetic clinic to sort it out. Thankfully, I have 2 friends who had just obtained their license to carry out aesthetic related services. I have a phobia with skin treatment especially on the face because I tend to up like a lobster after the session. It ain’t good if it is a work day the next day.
In my haul, Nature Republic is topping the list. Simply because it is one of the cheapest brand on the site. I bought a lot of masks for the face and 2 pieces for the feet. My foot calluses needs some TLC. I am loading quite a few new brands in my shopping cart. First, I have this 14 day miracle cream by Some By Mi. The brand is supposed to be natural, mild yet effective to the skin. I am sold by its AHA-BHA-PHA jargon. Undeniably, any red popping acne will tone down on application within 24-48 hours but it doesn’t make the old acne scars go away. I think I need a different product for that. I have been using this product for 2 weeks and I wonder if it is supposed to be a miracle once the skin purging phase is over. This is because I still have that on off acne making very brief stops on my chin.
This striking yellow goodal green tangerine vit c pad is surprisingly pleasant to use. It does feel a bit acidic though when you apply it on a daily basis. The skin stings. Hence, I am spacing out its application to every 2 -3 days. The price is quite steep so I will definitely keep an eye out out for discounts or sales. A tub of goodal has 70 nice citrus smelling pads selling at RM 84.00. For this purchase, I bought mine at just above RM50.
I am also very consistent with this Aromatica hair essence. It boasts being free from silicone sulfate, an ingredient in hair products that makes it frizzy and all. I have yet to see the results with this essence. My hair still looks like I came out of The Croods movie. Maybe I need to concurrently switch shampoo or something. Anyhow, I have begun to pick up the habit of combing my hair everyday (again). I have stopped doing so since housemanship.
I doubt I’d be aesthetically pleasing for my 10th year wedding anniversary. Coming soon end of December. Nevertheless, I am have planned for a mini staycation to commemorate the day. I even made an effort to get my husband a gift this time. Prior to this, anniversary is just dinner with the kids at a restaurant. We haven’t been going out as a couple ever since I gave birth to the kids. I guess this is the sacrifice we make as a duo in the medical line. I am thinking of snapping good photos as well despite looking fat. It’ll be a great addition to the album.
Minci Moss 