Tag Archives: HYGR

Malaysian beauty and skincare products

Posted in Beauty Products, Reviews by

Social media has convinced consumers like myself to try our local products. Although some can be on the much pricier side – as long as I believe it is good for our economic cycle, I can afford to do so. These are the skincare and beauty products I have tried this year and I have to say, they leave quite a positive impression.

Simplysiti

I used to be a big fan of this cosmetic and skincare range, especially during the times of Dermagic in dark purple packaging. However, I stopped because I noted that the formula of their moisturizer (back then) felt a bit off and that was when I realized that their main manufacturer had changed from South Korea to Indonesia. They must have tweaked the ingredients a bit, out of innovation, only that it was too noticeable and did not appeal to my liking.

This time I got their serum, moisturizer and sunscreen. The sunscreen was my least favourite because the scent of bubblegum was too overpowering. I did love their moisturizer and serum.

CUURA

I was intrigued by this brand because beauty influencers were all over them with the ‘ooohhh’ and ‘aaaahhh’ for their sunscreen and supplements. I did buy their sunscreen which was great as it had the texture of BOJ and up till now I am still consuming their GLO NECTAR. Recently, I purchased their Travel Kit which has 5 items inside: DetoxCleanser (10mls), Dew Drops Essence (10ml), Hydra Boost Serum (10ml), Aqua Boost Moisturizer (10ml) and Brightening Sunscreen (10ml). It was priced at RM124 but I wished they could make it for less than RM100 or at least lower than RM110. The application is straightforward. I rationed them as I didn’t want them to finish too quickly. Ha ha. It’s great as a trial kit of their products as well.

HYGR

I was sceptical about trying their deodorant at first but once I did – I was in love. Yes, it is pricey but honestly, with it’s combined compact look and lingering scent, I would repeat my purchase. I bought the Citrus and Tea Tree deodorant. I also bought 2 sticks of lip balm in the code, Hibiscus. I gave one stick to my cousin. I chose Hibiscus because I think it complements my skin tone nicely. The fascinating thing about the lip balm is that it is pigmented enough to be used as a mono eyeshadow and a blusher. Hence, it became a great companion for my travels. In fact, I did bring it with me on my trips to Kuching and Miri.

LADY.NURTURAL

The owner of this business was a blogger that I really loved reading about since her younger years. Based on her blogging style, I have always regarded her as one of those with a flair for creativity and empathetic reasoning. Thus, I am overjoyed to see her translate these traits into her home business. You could see the love she put into the making of her product, the packaging and the marketing. I wouldn’t expect any less.

I bought some soaps from her website. I was terribly influenced to try the HUTAN soap bar because I wanted to experience the earthy-wet smell after a shower. Indeed, I did feel like I just got out of a forest, hiking maybe with all the sweat. It had that sort of fresh smell. I also bought the TAWAS soap as a means to reduce body odour. I have another 3 soap bars that have yet to be tried, so it will definitely last me throughout next year. They are too precious to be given away as gifts.

NIHON

NIHON is a skincare line formulated by dermatologists. I didn’t immediately jump on the bandwagon because the founder and those who promoted it in the first place did not appear convincing. However, as times passed with me being desperate to get my pigmentations under control, I decided to take the plunge. I knew that there was no way I would get skin treatment unless I went to Renora Clinic one day and took leave many days afterwards to heal. So, this is perhaps a reliable solution for me to take care of my skin at home.

So I bought the Essence and the Night Repair Creme. I loved the essence immediately and am seriously contemplating replacing my SKII Pitera with it. The creme has retinol which is something I always aim for in my night cream products. However, what I loved most about the creme is it’s tangy, citrus scent. It was uplifting yet calming at the same time for the nighttime application. I am looking forward to exploring other products like their day cream and sunscreen but it will have to wait until I have finished the many others I have at home.

Would you know of any other Malaysian products I can try?

A wedding weekend in Kuching

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel by

It was my cousin’s wedding that weekend and he had extended his invitation at least 6 months before the date. I asked my husband if he wanted to come along but he said the Deepavali weekend was too short – so I went with my boyfriend. Kidding, I went with my sister and my dad.

I used Batik Airlines for this trip and I bought the ticket at least 2 months before the trip. It costs me a total of RM477.68 for the round tickets including all sorts of fees and charges. I had a 7kg hand carry allowance for the trip and that’s it. I did not buy extra cause I knew I wouldn’t have time to go shopping or anything.

Hence my carry-on bag was very light and minimal. I had to bring my laptop with me because I still have assignments pending submission. I deliberately bought this new backpack from Shopee. I believe it would be handy for someone taller cause, to be honest, it was quite bulky for a short lady like myself. It served its purpose but I am now left to contemplate whether I would like to use it for my upcoming MIRI trip.

I also bought the CUURA Travel pack. CUURA is a local brand and its skincare products are great. I bought the pack out of curiosity although I thought the price was quite steep. It was RM129.00 with a variety of petite products inside the plastic pouch. They could have gone for a more compact pouch although I understand that maybe they wanted other products to hop into the pouch during the travels. It is quite good as an introductory package as well for people who are CUURA-naive but if you intend to travel for more than 5 days, you would need backup. I was rationing mine. If they could market this for just under RM100, I think it would be great.

I only bought the essentials for my makeup as I knew no one would actually be that attentive towards me during the wedding. Plus, I intend to go light for my makeup on the plane. I bought two products from HYGR – a deodorant and a multipurpose lip balm in code Hibiscus. I thought it was a great local product to try and so with just the lip balm, I’ve got my eyeshadow, blusher and lipstick sorted. I brought with me Wawa Zainal’s mascara cause I loved its formula and then I packed together a mini Elianto perfume. I wore jeans with just enough tops for the stay including a set of Baju Kurung for the wedding reception. I did not bother with my shoes since the reception is in the masjid and we need to take off our shoes anyway once we are inside.

I stayed at my sister’s place the night before and my brother sent me to the airport the next morning. I had breakfast at KLIA1 minus the coffee because I fear I might pee too much. I had water instead. I checked in online the night before and since I did not want to risk it, I printed my electronic boarding pass as well. I could choose my seat when I checked in online but the only seat available for me was the 29F. LOL.

The flight from KLIA1 to Kuching International Airport took about 1 hour and 55 minutes. On arrival, I made the biggest rookie mistake. I took an unmetered taxi to Vivacity Shopping Mall which was less than 15 minutes away and was charged RM30 for the trip. My advice is to get a GRAB or a MAXIM. The MAXIM seems to be very responsive in Kuching. I used MAXIM for my trip from the mall to my hotel and later for my trip back to the airport.

TAKA PATISSERIE

Apart from lunch, my main objective going to Vivacity was to visit this bakery on the LG floor. I have seen it’s beautiful pastries on Instagram and I really wanted to try them. I have to say, the setup is so magnificent and the pastries were decently priced. The cakes were pretty and even normal pastries looked extravagant in the display cabinets. I ended up buying one of it’s speciality, the Sambal Laksa bun and a few others. I was tempted to get more but since I was planning to get coffee afterwards, I stopped myself from impulsive buying.

BING COFFEE, PADUNGAN

This is a very nostalgic cafe. I have been a fan of it since houseman-ship years. I really loved it’s chicken panini, cakes and coffee. I ordered the iced latte and the panini of course. I wanted to enjoy it in my hotel room which is just across the road. I like how the taste remains the same over the decades.

WEDDING

The wedding was held the next day at masjid Al-Abyad, Matang. We went there in my dad’s rented Pajero – man I hate the doors, it makes me claustrophobic because the only way for you to open the backseat door is for the front passenger to open theirs first. It was a seated wedding and I really loved the vibe of the wedding. I loved the food as well. It was also a very short and sweet ceremony. We arrived there by 1030am, ushered into the hall to our tables, he emcee made his opening speech at 11am, then the couple walked in, received some blessings, had their food, cut their cake and by the time it was 12pm, everything was done. Leaving just enough time for photos and the caterer to sort out the leftovers. We should do more itineraries like this. We were literally done by 1230pm.

When I reached the hotel, I actually managed to stop at Bing again to get coffee and cake. This time I settled on a caramel macchiato and a slice of carrot cake. It was delicious.

In my next entries, I will write about the hotel and what I ate whilst I was there.