Nyx Liquid Suede Metallic Matte Review

Picture taken from Pinterest.

I have always been a fan of Nyx. They have the best (and craziest) colour schemes you can think of. Blue lipsticks, metallic purple eyepaints you name it. I bought their Nyx Liquid Suede in Amethyst (non metallic version). Pictured above is their Biker Babe colour swatch that I bought. 

I am honestly disappointed with this line. The formula is absolutely DREADFUL. The pigment and colour is beautiful, no doubt, but the formula stinks balls. You need only dunk once and can swipe for the entire lips. The pigment is very good, just like their non-metallic line. But it dries the fuck up on your lips. I have never worn a lip colour that dried my lips like this. I had to keep licking my lips to moisten it! I have thick, full lips so you can understand why this was like pasting plaster on my lips! Every crease of my lips was visible and I looked like a mummy!!!

The colour suits me though and I really love the shine/shimmer on this bag girl. I just don't like how drying the formula is. Good god to me this is a flop. Because you definitely need to add lip gloss/balm on it to moisten it which is like, extra work for a lip colour. People just want to slather and move on, yo.

I would not repurchase this. 

*Product was purchased with my own money and I am entitled for my own opinion. 

First-Hand GE-14 account from a Malaysian

I am said to be one of the 90's generation that contributed greatly towards swinging the votes to ensure the Opposition wins the recent Malaysian elections. We are mostly first time voters and we changed the course of history. The majority of us are the racial minority of this country who is fed up with Barisan National's bamboozlement of the rakyat, particularly the younger generations who were rapidly growing up in tighter economy.

In my parent's time, in their mid-20's, they were able to get married, afford a house and buy a car with minimal loan on their backs.

At the same age or slightly older, people of my generation were still doing minimum wage jobs for the work of 10 people, and still living with our parents with hand-me-down cars. I did not get to enjoy the independent luxury that my parents enjoyed.

I am even unmarried because of this. I have nothing on my name simply because I have nothing on me to start a family of my own. My parents savings started dwindling as the country's economy was getting tighter and every penny needs to be pinched away before being spent on something. In order to buy a car, my sister and father had to save up downpayment for almost a year. My country could not provide free education to her citizens because there simply wasn't any money to spare.

Rapidly growing economy also led to me overspend on things that shouldn't cost what they cost. I am still living with my parents in a very comfortable apartment in Kuala Lumpur and a raggedy old Perodua car in constant need of repair.

Jibby and Rosmah were not the only reason, not are they the catalyst to Malaysia's rapidly dwindling GDP.

Jibby and Rosmah were part of a legacy of decades of money swindling, money laundering and money siphoning. This was a case where their political party had simply been in power too long and became so drunk in power that they usually resort to dirty tactics to ensure they're in power.

People affiliated with Barisan National was paid well. The citizen's tax often went straight to their pockets. They were riding on other people blood and sweat. It was this karma that I believe had come back biting in their respective rotten asses.

BN's notoriety gained when Malaysia was at her worst economic state, self proclaimed clown First Lady Rosmah Mansor was seen flaunting her baubles and trinkets worth millions. Leaders of the country parading around like peacocks while the people are barely able to eat? What's going on here?

Further heartbreak when a trustfund cum investment bank meant for the people was seemingly going straight into the ex-premier's coffers. Luxuries worth millions was seen flaunted in public by this heinous duo.

I think it was the boiling point that slowly brewed to a full-blown explosion.

During the GE13, which was slyly held on May 13th, people of my generation had hoped then to make a change. But history would repeat itself as it had decades before, where dirty politics prevailed: blackouts, rigged votes, premarked votes all played a role. BN knew it was on a losing streak so resorted to this shameful act.

At this point, people were wholly fed up. We're fed up with being bamboozled, fed up being made the sheep and donkey that's supposed to take this abuse.

We took to social media to encourage the youth, who would come of age to become eligible voters to make wise decisions that'll not only impact their lives, but the lives of the children they would have.

The youth especially was absolutely fed up. A small majority who were staunch BN supporters from the older days also experienced a change of heart, seeing how it also effects their financial lives (pensions that never kept up with the economic demands etc).

Social media was an absolutely pivotal platform to send out messages of reform. People my age were constantly calling out for people who are eligible to vote to register themselves as voters. People took to social media to make commentary of speculations on the future if BN wins again, and political commentators wrote independent essays on the importance of coming GE14.

That miraculously worked, methinks. GE14 saw the highest number of youth voters. People who were abroad insisted to fly from wherever they are to contribute.

Yet on the day of the election, we still saw foul play being carried out. The usual rigged votes, pre-marked votes, paid runners who are instructed to slip in BN votes into the boxes, blackouts and even going to the point of refusing to sign off counted ballots where high number of opposition (now government) votes won. The youth of Malaysia braved any possible violence and riots and fights and went down the fields to ensure the Elections Committee (EC) do their job of being a neutral party. IN Johor, a "riot" (which was a peaceful stand-off) took place when the EC refused to sign off the counted ballots because Pakatan Harapan (PH) was the majority. This incident would repeat itself in many parts of Malaysia, to varying degrees. I was up until 12am to keep up until sleep took the better of me and I had work the next day.

 In Whatsapp, people were updating live events of all this caboodle. In one of the Tamil schools in Setia Alam, there was another stand off because the EC staffs adamantly refused to sign off the balllots. PH has won majority. Indian boys in the nearby area had gone down and made a fuss. Rakyat prevailed. Trust in #machamagic

A video footage circulated in Whatsapp showing a POLICE CAR carrying black bags of premarked votes for BN being stopped by the rakyat. Again our #machamagic came into work who broke the trunk of the police car and destroyed the rigged votes on the spot. I have never been more proud of my Indian machas.

Another video footage showed the rakyat forming a line linking hands to stop a police car carrying rigged votes.

Just writing about the power of the people makes me tear up because when the people has had enough, we're a force to be reckoned with!

The first time in history where the rakyat POLICED the police!

And other countries could not believe that we actually won peacefully! We did it without bloodshed and loss of life. It was the most peaceful transition of power the world has seen it. And I am here to watch history happen, WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!

I am lucky that my polling station was just minutes away. I walked after breakfast and lined up after the necessary registration. It took me all of 30 minutes to cast my vote. UBAH!

My polling station was peaceful, well organized and the ushers were polite. All smiles! =)

I am excited, giddy and absolutely thrilled on what this new government has had to offer. 

Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturizer Review

I actually love product reviews. 

Depending on the whether, I have oily-combination skin. The shine is especially bad in my T-zone area. I look dreadful without anything on my face to regulate the sebum production.

You might think it is counter-productive or counter-intuitive to use a moisturizer on oily/combination skin, because the whole purpose of a moisturizer is to hydrate the skin ie regulate the "water" in the face. Does oily/combination skin need more water?

It is a myth that oily/combination skin does not need moisturizers. This skin type needs moisturizer like any other skin types. Granted, the formula for my skin type definitely differs.

First off; you need one that locks the sebum production, mattifies the sebum production on problem areas and treat any abnormalities of problem areas such as spots or acne (oily/combination skin often suffers from breakouts). 

Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturizer is one such brand that has been touted to carry the functions of clearing problematic skin, reduces sebum production for a matte finish and quick absorbency plus beneficial ingredients to "repair" skin. 

I've been using this for months now. And I must say despite it being one of the top ranked and favourite for people of my skin type: I found it very, very disappointing. 

I always find myself having shine all the same after 2 hours. I apply generous amounts of this product on my T-zone area. It doesn't work. It does have a very smooth, light airy feel to the application and it does live up to it's "mattifying" and "powder like" texture. And as promised on the packaging, it does not smell. 

Another weakness of this product is that it does not work on skin already riddled with acne. You kinda need to have "smooth" oily/combination skin or recently cured acne-free skin to see any semblance of effectiveness of this product. And again, that too, does not live up to it's reputation. 

I would not be repurchasing this. I have scoured around the market for affordable drugstore brand moisturizer and already have a few that I would buy after finishing this tube. 

*HONEST REVIEW MADE BY THE USER WHO PURCHASED AND TESTED THE PRODUCT WITH HER OWN MONEY

Why Manual Transmission Cars ROCK BALLS

Don't give me that look or say, "WHY?!?!?!?!!ONE ELEVEN".

Happy stick for the superior mind, death stick for lesser humans.

Imma tell you. I never once shied away from driving manual cars. I was in fact excited over them. For me, the ability to drive a manual transmission car is absolutely a must-have skill. You'd never know when you'd be needed to drive a truck. Or something that isn't automated. 

When I started enrolling into driving school, I insisted on learning on the manual cars when my school offered packages for auto cars. For me, having a licence for only auto cars is a loss of skill. 

Here's the breakdown:

For someone's who is not a morning person, driving an Auto car would mean stagnancy in brain activity. Because you only have essentially two gears to maneuver with: N while stationary and D for driving and finally P once you reach your destination. R for when you need to back the fuck up, DUH.

With Manuals on the other hand, you need to be constantly alert. Like, you need to gauge whether you want to go on Speed 1 or 2 when the traffic jam is crawling, and Speed 3 or 4 when the highway is fairly spaced out with cars and if the traffic is at a standstill, you can simply free up your gear and pull on the handbreak. And you need to mentally memorize the positions of each function on the gearbox. You don't actually see the gearbox while you're changing gears, you sort of use your mind's eye when you do this and it asks you to STILL concentrate on all your vital angles and peripherals. 

See? For a morning person, a manual car is a must-have to give yourself that little jolt to being awake because you cannot afford to be a caffeine-deficit zombie as you'd be with an Auto. I found, over the months of driving to and from work that my mind is constantly alert and sort of...exercised? Like, there's serious brainpower involved in driving a manual car. For those of us who's just a slut for challenge, I DARE YOU. It is also easier to control the speed of your car in a Manual. The speed indicators 1-2-3-4-5 (some cars have up to 6 and I know one model of an Audi car has up to 7), controls how fast you need your bad boy to be. 

WHAT ARE THOOOSEEEE????

Driving a Manual car is seriously a lot of fun, depending on your personality. I agree, during traffic jam, driving a manual car is an absolute pain in the butt. But look at the positive, and think, well; toned calves! 

Say suppose you're driving on the highway and you want to change channels on the radio, if you had been driving on 4 or 5, you can change to 3 so that you get to slow down just a teensy bit to give yourself that quick timeframe to change channels. Of course not recommended on a busy road, use common sense and gauge the distance and sparcity of cars on the road. Had you remained on gear 4 or 5 on the highway, there is an increased risk that you'd underestimate actually how fast the car is going because you're at your maximum speed. You'd keep pressing the accelerator unknowingly. By changing gears to a slower level, you'd never exceed the speed limit of your gear (gear three gives you a maximum of 60 - 80mph while 4-5 gives you above 90mph). The "slow motion" in a dire situation gives you a leverage to quickly sort things out. 

The pros of an Auto car far exceeds a Manual, this I acknowledge but you cannot deny that driving a Manual is just so. much. FUN.

Susu Rizqi Mamadil ~ HOLY SHIT

This has got to be the first time I did a review on a local product. (Date written: 03/04/2018).

So I recently moved to a new job where I am surrounded by lots of Malay people. And one thing I learned from Malay ladies is that they're the most tip-top in anything related to jamu products. From makeup, to home recipes for better skin and internal health, and urm, bed business, they're somehow always on the update. Of course, since the brands are all locally made, I listen with a pinch of salt. Some I heed because my own Indian culture has something similar and it's tested & tried, some I just...NO THANKS.

So enter Mamadil. My colleague is a HUGE fan, she bought Mamadil Women Love, the milk (Susu Rizqi) and the Hydro-Wash. 

I am of course quite interested in Susu Rizqi. Why the hell not? It's goat's milk! Goat's milk is not only expensive, but contains more nutrients than cow's milk and the benefits: tenfold.

So when I looked at the ingredients...

Taken from here. 

Let's explore the powerhouse of an ingredients list: goats milk, olive oil extract, black seed, honey, dates extract and raisins. All superfoods blended beautifully to conjure an addictive and delicious of a health drink. I can honestly see why people love this. 

Now you see, the first time I was exposed to this milk was when I received a free sample from this colleague to "try first and judge". I was given the chocolate flavour which was not to this colleague's liking. Neither did I find it delicious. I was then informed by this colleague that she is getting a new packet, with the Vanilla flavour. I was promptly given a free sachet to try the vanilla flavour. 

My, my my! I must declare the vanilla flavour is SO MUCH BETTER than the chocolate one. This prompted me to buy my own bundle (vanilla flavour because it really does taste like ice cream!). Let me tell you the chocolate flavour did nothing to give me any sort of difference but the vanilla did...WITH ONLY ONE SACHET. Read on.

Mamadil Vanilla Flavoured milk made me feel:

1) Energized to wake up in the morning. Seriously I have never been a morning person but drinking this milk prior to my bedtime really made a difference. I have never felt such a wonderful clarity of mind upon waking up. So this is a yes for me.

2) Bowel movements was right on time. I usually poop much later in the morning after my coffee and nasi lemak has settled in but with this milk consumption, the next day (keep in mind all this is the next morning after drinking one sachet the night before!) I pooped right in the morning. Taik Susu Rizqi kekeke.

3) I noticed a certain glow to my face. Like I am a dark skinned Indian, but there was a "freshness". In Tamil, it's called "Saraswathy Latchanam". And I noticed this with another colleague who drinks this too. Her face is usually dull and lifeless in the morning but her dark circles have reduced and there was this unusual "glow" to her face. She even looks happier. It could be something else of course just coincidental with her taking the milk at the same time heh heh. 

4) This has nothing to do with physical manifestation but OMG the Vanilla flavour is so delicious and addictive. You just wanna finish the entire box of 20 sachets. OMFG such an incredible taste. Even as I am writing this I am savouring the taste. 

Now you see, the bundle that I bought came with three (3) free sample of the chocolate flavour (meh) and 2 booklets, each of a testimony of users and another one containing testimonies and other products available in the Mamadil collection. I plan to finish the Mamadil chocolate flavour in the morning because I really am not too fond of the flavour. Get rid of it eh. 

This is what arrived in my package. Free samples heh heh. The bundle contains only 20 sachets. Which means you have to buy them every 3 weeks or so to see the difference. Each bundle costs RM79 and I bought them directly from www.mamadil.com.my. Paid online and received it 3 days later. Very fast service. 

Mamadil is a very professionally packaged local product that was marketed very well and so far with the milk products the quality seems to keep up with the claims. 

The main reason I have fallen in the Mamadil bandwagon is because I want to see an improvement in my overall health. There's no harm in drinking a milk product that uses natural and healthy ingredients. I do not want to believe the testimonies that I have read online because most of them seem to be dealers of the products so there's a bias there. I want to be a completely independent reviewer of this product and confirm whether or nor this milk is a pass or just a overhyped flop. 

Oh at the bottom of the deck you can scan the QR code, scratch the little grey line to see if you're the lucky winner for a free Mamadil product. Malang tidak berbau, I takde RIZQI ini hari. Moga-moga orang yang beli ini RIZQI dia lebih bagus dari saya wahuhu...only wish the best for others!

Okay after I have completed the box and hopefully purchased a new bundle, Imma come back to you in like...3 weeks? 

Keep this in your bookmarks and explore my other pieces!

02/05/2018

Here I am almost a month later. Don't judge, everyone's get the Lazy sickness from time to time. Or in my case, 24-7. 

I meant to do this at the end of April but some romantic episode had kept me occupied *wink wink*. 

My previous claims still holds true. This milk really does enable you to have a good's night sleep, pass BMs easily etc. I have yet to see any improvements on skin to be honest. I just see a glow but nothing that improved skin texture or condition.

Another thing I noticed about this milk: it keeps you full for hours to come! It's an excellent meal replacement. I am seeking to lose weight safely (I couple this with exercise) and I can see a difference. It does keeps you energized for workouts and it's a great source of boost. You do not feel hungry after working out. I use it as a breakfast and dinner meal replacement. My wallet is not thanking me because it is on the pricey side and I've taken to buying two boxes every 3 weeks. I have recently made my 4th purchase last week. It arrived the next day of purchase so...yeah. Still no luck on the scratch-and-win thing that comes with the box. 

I can really see this as a staple in my diet, though I hope for a long term because I think this milk is doing a great service for what I need it to do. 

Maybelline Fit Me! Poreless + Matte Foundation ~ Review

Hello there~~~

I am generally impressed with Maybelline products. This Fit Me! line is all the rage in Youtube and Instagram. Many dark-skinned beauties (such as myself ahem) have found the shade range in this line to be absolutely phenomenal. In fact, I dare say that Fit Me! is more dark-skin friendly as compared to their other lines. I made a review on their Dream Velvet line here. 

The above colour is 338 Spicy Brown. Their darkest colour. And very beautiful colour.

The only downside it is absolutely the wrong shade for me! In my excitement to have found foundation for darker skin, I bought this because when I tested it under white light in Guardian pharmacy, it flawlessly covered my hyperpigmentation (caused my years of acne scarring). 

This glass bottle doesn't have a pump, which means you have quite a bit of wastage pouring it on your hand and using a makeup brush for application. I cannot understand why it doesn't have a fucking pump. 

The thing about the shade 338 Spicy Brown is, it is made for those with red/brown undertone in their skin. I have yellow undertone. Which means I need to use foundation with a lot of "yellow" in it. Thankfully my mom has red/brown undertone so I could give this to her. =P

I'll tell you what's absolutely amazing about this shit:

• It really is full coverage! OH. EM. GEE. It's so fucking full coverage. With my severe hyperpigmentation, I did not even need concealer. 
• It gives a smooth, flawless finish. I have enlarged pores on the apple of my cheeks and it smoothed it out!
• When I poured some product on the back of my hand, the solution was thick, creamy and a little runny, but once it's on your face...MIRACLE. It was lightweight, airy and absolutely a comfort on the skin. You could feel your face becoming fresher.
• It's buildable but one coat really is enough!
• It's a perfect everyday foundation. 
• It's extremely long lasting. My face was shine free for a long time!
• It has very little transfer. You can get away with not using a setting powder with this one. 
• It's a perfect night-time foundation. My face looked amazing when someone took a photo of me with flash on.
•  This is generally touted as a perfect foundation for those with oily/combination skin. 

What I didn't like about this:

• It doesn't have a pump so if you are using this foundation for everyday (work, school etc) you better give yourself a little more time before you head out of the house. Messy eh. 
• No SPF! So not ideal for being out under the sun.
• It oxidizes like CRAZY. Like cray cray oxidize! I recommend you get shades 2x lighter than your actual skin tone. I looked like I slathered chocolate on my face! I am caramel/tan this was waaaaay to dark on me. 

Would I recommend this? Absolutely. For my dark skinned sisters, you have found yet another affordable foundation for your skin tone range.

*Honest UNPAID review by a customer who tried and tested this with her own money. 

Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft Matte Hydrating Foundation ~ Review

In the last couple of years there has been more awareness of creating shades for people with darker skin colour like mine. With drugstore brands releasing some shades for darker beauties to compete with high-end brands, the everyday dark-skinned woman is happy to have access to products that match her skin tone (and friendlier to her wallet). Maybelline as I understand it have made a small attempt to release foundations for darker skin tones. I'd like to believe this.

The above product you see is their very popular Dream Matte line that was tailored for those with oily/combination skin, whereas their Dream Satin line is more for those with normal/dry skin.

I am actually terribly disappointed in this one. I was really excited to see a matte foundation catered for those with problematic skin like mine AND a shade range that matches mine. But the problem is, it only matched me when I was under the white light in the Watsons branch I bought this. 

It applied smoothly, the coverage is amazing! This is their darkest shade and within the range of caramel/tan skin tone that I am. It has a mousse-like texture and feels very cool when smoothed out on the skin. You really feel refreshed on this foundation.

It was chalky as hell. If foundation oxidation is an issue, a foundation that loses it's colour upon application is no less better or worse. It's just as bad. 

Even though the shade is a match for my skin but when spread out with a professional foundation brush, it was chalky and looked like I slathered talcum powder on my face like a schoolgirl from 1950's. 

I love, love, LOVE the feel of this on my face: it's airy and lightweight. You don't feel like there's something on your skin. It doesn't transfer too! So that's great. And it's definitely matte. My face remained shine-free and matte for a very long time. =) 

I just don't like how the shade is delivered on my skin. Maybelline should reconsider the formula on this Dream Velvet line to ensure their shades deliver for their intended skin colour. Beauties that are darker than caramel/tan...I am sorry but absolutely stay away from this tube! Oh yes, it's a relatively small tube (small standard 30ml). You may have better luck with their Dream Matte Mouse that comes in a really cute tub packaging. Not all Maybelline carries this in Malaysia so you're better off buying this online. 

*This is an unpaid review. A customer who purchased and tested from her own money.