morgan @ vox

i was lurking through the australian vogue forum and stumbled upon the thread on dry brushing. some of the girls claimed it really worked in giving them really soft buttery flake-free skin and some improvements with their cellulite aka the dimples. i'm sold!

i've been battling flaky skin forever! no matter how much i moisturise, i don't seem to get that buttery glowing skin. plus in winter, dry skin is amped by 10 notches, despite moisturising religiously. i know there are scrubs etc, but i always feel scrubs just don't do the trick - in most instances, the beads are washed off in the shower before i got the chance to .. well, scrub!

so on saturday, i hauled my ass off to the body shop and bought their cactus brush. it is made of natural fibres (big tick) and it's pretty rough. that would depend on your preference though, i just felt softer brushes wouldn't work as well. logical? maybe not, but i like pain like that. hah! the brush does not not have a removable head though, so i'm stuck with its long handle, which is a bit of a bummer.

so what is dry brushing?

basically it is.. well, brushing your skin when it's dry! you start brushing from your legs, stroking upwards towards your heart and from your shoulder down, again towards your heart. apparently this also helps with lymphatic drainage and ridding your body of toxins. whatever, i just want smooth skin, dammit! but if you want more info, there are lots of links out there on google with more specific info and directions on dry brushing.

this is day 2 of dry brushing, i haven't noticed any difference yet, but i'm going to continue doing this everyday for sometime coz it's fairly simple, non-messy to incorporate into my routine and plus, it's inexpensive to boot. now i just need a good moisturising body butter, and i'm on my way to glow!

Nikond60

i'm so broke right now!

i didn't have any plans this weekend. i stayed home all day saturday and helped mom to clean up our garage. it's so satisfying throwing out old shoes, putting things in order and in the process we discovered things we haven't worn for ages, things we forget we have and the things we forget to throw away. i dug up old photos of an ex and i, a seashell necklace that another ex made for me... ahh... memories.

we dropped by a local goodwill store on the way home from church and dropped all our junk. we couldn't resist going in for a quick look, and i found a gorgeous red coat with gold buttons. this is going to be my red riding hood coat. it has an A-line shape, absolutely perfect sleeve length and it's fully lined as well (although the stiches for the lining are kinda itchy). gorgeous! i plan to wear this with my black tights and gold ballet shoes. now if only i have a pair of chunky heels to go with it, too...

Where do you go for advice?

More like, who do I go to for advice.  Usually my mom, a few trusted individuals from church and God - I pray for guidance. Although, mom's advice can sometimes be emotionally charged :D , so I try to sensor that a bit.

after all these years of battling dry skin, i have found a cure! huzzah!
my skin can be hard to manage particularly in winter, the areas around the nose and forehead just gets so dry and flaky.

so i understood from reading all skincare materials that my combination skin is dehydrated, but nothing seems to combat that. i have serums, oils (good oils), creams, balms, drinking heaps of water... my nose + forehead are still flaky and dry.

enter Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask (what's up with the super long name?)

i ordered a sample of this in summer, and i just decided to try it a few weeks ago. i applied this like a face cream overnight, instead of a mask. 3 days later, no more flaky skin. it feels gorgeous on, all creamy and soothing. and you know with paula's products, you get all the good stuff and none of the bad (fragrance, skin irritants, etc). i just purchased a full tube, which had arrived today. i lovesssss....

i bought a pair of Wicked Opaques 120 Denier from Woolworths over the weekend and they are awesome, y'all. go and get a pair before reading on...

anyhoo, i wanted to wear these tights with my sister's Country Road patent wedges, but it might take some getting used to, they make things a bit slippery.

i wore them today with a pair of leather lace-ups i found from a thrift shop. i just wished these shoes are a bit pointier/almond-toe shaped.

and here's yesterday's outfit, inspired by the flower prints at the Balenciaga show. and since i don't have the legs to pull a knee-length gladiator sandals, i'll just make do with these ones.

on the subject of footwear and such, finding the perfect pair of boots is just next to impossible. i found a pair that has the shape/heel height that i wanted, but the colour wasn't perfect. :(

outfit of the day!

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singlet: some generic brand

dress: valley girl

cardi: top shop

bag: country road

jacket: thrift shop

pearl necklace: thrift shop

footwear: vincci

 face of the day!

 what i used:

neutrogena sunscreen

australis foundation

besame blush

UDPP

MAC fluidline in blacktrack (tightline upper lashline)

estee lauder eyeshadow ivory box (all over lid)

MAC aquadisiac (lid)

sephora flashy liner waterproof in flashy blue

l'oreal mascara waterproof (i think it's lash extend?)

charming cat waterproof mascara (to add length and definition)

kevyn aucoin sensual skin enhancer (conceal undereyes)

benefit miss popularity (highlight inner eye corners)

body shop brow set

baby pink lipjelly in peche

went to a fave shopping haunt today and got these:

mink pink white safar linen dress and jay jay summer polkadot dress from thrift stores - a total of $12!

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and then we went to this random make up place and i got a mascara from a really obsecure brand.  i love the packaging though, and the mascara tube feels heavy in my hand (which has got nothing to do with how the product will perform, but...). it's made in china, although they're trying to pass it off as a japanese brand. even the english description on the box is really poor. at least it's cheap - only $6!

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last but not least, a bangle from diva ...

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i received my body butter haul from crater lake company a few weeks ago. i love their body butters so much. they are full of good moisturising stuff and smells so good. i ordered their Duet Body Butter, Flutter Butter, Comforting Creme and my favourite of all, Whipped Soy Butter (so dense and delicious!). actually the Duet Body Butter is fast becoming my favourite too. ah heck, i love them all.

i got them whilst clc was having a sale for their discontinued scents, so i got:

british royal tea - totally my comfort scent, yum!

white lotus and peach tea

violet creme puffs

tahi-tea - very fruity tea! so tropical

gilded lily - an understated floral

princess vagnilia - delicious concoction of vanilla goodness

i highly recommend them, sharonn, the owner is the sweetest lady. she included a handwritten birthday card for me and free samples including their perfumes and a small bottle of 2in1 shampoo.

the only thing i missed is the little pink ribbon that sharonn used to tie around these tubs. these ribbons add such a sweet girly stuff...

go buy!

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my besame haul is finally here!

i'm not sure what happened, i called them on 14 apr to check on the status of the shipment since i didn't get tracking notice at all! plus, they didn't respond to my email so i had to call 'em up. not too impressed with their customer service.

but nevertheless, i was informed that my order was shipped on 12 apr, but i got it today! so weird how it arrived so fast, right? but i think it was intercepted by customs coz the wrapping looked a bit dodgy when it got to me.

depite all that, everything IS truly gorgeous.. and TINY! i haven't tried any of them except my Red Velvet Enchanting Lipstick. I took some pics of me

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wearing it in 2 different lightings...

i also ordered my most favouritest perfume online since i can't find it in shops here or even duty free shops in asia! it's been discontinued so i need to stock up. now i got 4 of these babies, which should set me back about 4 years or so.. haha..