Men in Music: Chris Daughtry (Daughtry)

Ah, Chris Daughtry. Yes, of the self-titled band, Daughtry:



One of the few bands on the radio worth listening to. They are a bloody fantastic band no less.

His only downfall? He was an American Idol contestant. Yes, I hate that show. But a few relatively decent musicians have come out of it, i.e., Kelly Clarkson and David Cook. I basically hate the rest with a passion.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand.

Chris Daughtry is one talented bugger. He looks a bit like Vin Diesel, which is really shame, cos I can't stand the air-headed manner of the latter. But it's fine, because it is completely redeemed by his voice. He carries a tune in the perfect tone of voice. It's not too deep, not too nasal and not too high. It's the perfect blend of the trio. I do love his voice.

Beyond the voice however, is music naturally. Not only is the music catchy and on the perfect level of soft rock (so much so that they give Nickelback a right royal run for their money), but the lyrics are fantastic. In the last year or so, the hits the band has churned out have been beyond decent. "Crash", "Feels Like Tonight", "It's Not Over", "Over You", "What About Now", and their latest, "No Surprise" (which has been on replay for the last 2 hours). Absolutely fantastic music.

And of course, let's not forget that Chris Daughtry sang on the track "The Past" by Sevendust, which is another terrific track.



Overall, Daughtry are pretty damn kickass, and aptly named, because Chris Daughtry is the only member that really stands out anyway. They're on their second album, and let's hope that there's a long career ahead where they don't sell out.

Rant & Review

Yes. This is something I have a serious peeve with. It seems that everyone is constantly on my case about my shopping habits. While I will admit they are mildly (perhaps an understatement) overboard, I honestly feel it isn't warranted. The question always posed to me is, "Do you really NEED more make-up/shoes/books/bags/sunglasses/[insert other random objects that I tend to purchase here]?"

Now, in all honestly, there is no "need" whatsoever in the lives of anyone around me. Nobody earns money to live at the bare minimum. If they did, they'd all be living in some hole in some random corner of the country living off staple food. Once you have scrapped all the non-necessities, a.k.a., luxuries, then you may preach.



If we look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, our first need is physiological. Nowhere does it say that we need to breathe the cleanest air possible, eat the richest foods available, drink the purest water, have the best sex, sleep on the most luxurious mattress, etc. But everyone does these things. Nobody who can afford it, no matter how miserly, would live below their means.

So, yes, I do love shopping, and I do go overboard with it. But where is the harm. As an addictive activity, it still remains far safer than substance abuse and gambling; and as a therapeutic one, it is cheaper and less long-winded than therapy. I am materialistic and enjoy being surrounded by nice things. Deal with it.

Anyway, updates of a less whiny nature will be coming up soon. I fell of the Skincare wagon this week because school started, but it shall most likely resume in the near future.

In other colourful news, I have taken to traumatizing my nails with colour:

My right hand:



My left hand:



My toes:



Everyone is disgusted with my nails. How unadventurous of them. Losers. Muaahaha. Anyway, I don't care. I love the yellow.

In other news, my faulty decision-making has once again reared its ugly head. Recently, I went to Body Shop and made one of the worst mistakes I have ever made. I went against my nose's decision.

I bought this stuff:



While it all looks deceptively lovely and decadent, in its midst hides the most heinous of products. You wouldn't guess by looking it at. Let us examine the suspects:

1) Moringa Body Scrub
2) Pomegrenade Body Butter
3) Moringa Shower Gel
4) Lip Balm

Now, I initially went to Body Shop for 2 reasons. First, in search of the flat-top kabuki brush (which my pocket is grateful wasn't available), and the Moringa Body Butter. This should give you a clue as to what the hell is wrong with the purchase I made. And finally, the lip balm, which is RM 26, RM 23 of which goes to an AIDS charity. It's a nice smelling, and pretty good product. So I would suggest you go get one in an attempt at karma-spending.

So let's put things into perspective. The smell of the Moringa body butter is absolutely heavenly. It is quite possibly one of the nicest things I have ever smelled, and I fully intend to purchase it to make up for the present situation I am in. Why, then, do I not have it but a bunch of other stuff, you may ask. Well, they were having an offer. RM 85 for a set of shower gel, scrub and body butter. Which is a pretty decent deal. But for some reason, they only had 3 types of body butter available, and the moringa shower gel and scrub were heavenly smelling, so I was lulled into picking the least vile of the three body butters available. It was a terrible mistake. If I could go back in time, I would throw the tub of body butter at past-me's head.

It is the most horrible smelling product I own at present. Body Shop should be closed down for trying to kill our olfactory nerves. Let me put it this way, after returning from wherever it was I went, I took the body butter out of its packaging, telling myself that it couldn't possibly be as bad as I recalled from the store. I was wrong. Opening the tub was the worst mistake I made before today. So, what did I do? I hid it in my bottom drawer, where I stash all the back-ups and unopened items. This was on Friday.

For some reason, unbeknown to myself at present, I seem not to have any faith in past-me's decision-making abilities, and am doomed to repeat her mistakes. So, after taking a shower today, I figured that I might try the body butter out. I assumed, of course, that upon putting it on, it would absorb into my skin and the smell would diffuse somewhat.

I hate myself sometimes.

I have been sitting here for half an hour with a progressively worsening headache from the smell. It's hard to describe. But it has this medicated, processed, fake-pomegrenade smell to it. It is completely horrible. Not only that. It's also sticky and heavy on the skin. I have never hated a product the way I hate this one. It has no good qualities, other than the packaging. It might have turned me off pomegrenades too. What an evil invention. Good god.

Men in Music: Shaun Morgan (Seether)

I have decided to pay tribute to one of my greatest loves in life: Music, as well as the messengers of the medium. And more frequently than not, it's the men. Why? I am a voice whore. It's beyond my control. So, I figured, why not start off with a band which I am obsessed with in ways indescribable?



This here, is a band I can safely say, is one of my favourites. There is simply no way of describing how amazing they are, but I will try in any event.

Now, I know a lot of you will be going "Who is Seether?". To make your life simpler, I'm sure you know Amy Lee, a.k.a. singer of Evanescence. She did the duet "Broken" with Seether. No, it is NOT her song. She just benefited from their talent by dating their lead singer. Cow.

To put things into perspective, this is the only band I have found that actually sounds better on some tracks live than they do on the album. And their lyrics. Unbeatable.

So, who is the genius behind Seether? Shaun Morgan:



This is one talented bugger. Where to start? Okay, the obvious. His voice. <3 <3 <3

It is one of my favourite voices ever!!! EVER!!! Why? It's deep and warm and exquisitely lovely. I would marry that voice if it were possible. I'm not kidding. He has the amazing ability to pull off both hardcore goring as well as the softer form of crooning. It's not a completely versatile voice, but he does a brilliant job of extracting its best qualities for the kind of music he writes. And yes, he does write his own lyrics and music, because he is not some boyband pussy boy.

Beyond the voice, this is one exceptionally intelligent man. I am not being biased here. If you watch his interviews and listen to him talk, this is a point that won't escape you. Not only that, but just listen to his lyrics! You simply cannot write such profound lyrics if you are anything short of above average intelligence.

If you haven't already checked them out, beyond the song "Broken", I strongly suggest that you do so immediately. Their music ranges from pretty mellow to pretty heavy, so really, there is no excuse for not liking them. If you don't, don't tell me, because I will beat you.

Basically, this is the man I would like to marry. If I see him, ever, he is in grave danger of being kidnapped.

Hauling & Stuff

So, I went out the other day, and I wouldn't be me if I didn't buy more stuff. It is highly disappointing that I bought make-up, because I was exploring the whole vegan/anti-animal cruelty aspect, and found out that it's all a lie. For those of you who are all la-di-da about it, you might want to think again. And just so you know, M.A.C. and Body Shop are not completely cruelty-free as they claim. I am not a vegetarian, but even I can see that the way they treat these animals isn't worth any amount of vanity. So, I will readily admit that I am in fact a hypocrite. How shameful.

Anyway, I went to 1 Utama, and ended up buying a ton of stuff:



Yeah, I went to Stila again. I can't help it. The good news is, even the woman found it necessary to tell me that they won't have anything new coming in. The bad news is that I will still find something to buy.

Overall, this is the make-up I bought:



It's a combination of stuff from Stila and Watson's.

On the top right is Rimmel's Lasting Finish Mineral Foundation in 200 (RM 28.90) which I have heard fantastic reviews about, and upon trying out on my hand, loved. So I shall review it once I try it out.

Next to it, is a bottle of Bloop Nail Polish (RM 7.90). For some reason, there isn't a colour name, but it's a very light lavender colour which I found very pretty. This is how it looks on me:



It's pretty decent for the price, and true to its claim, it dries very quickly. It was dry enough for me to do regular stuff with within 5 minutes, which is awesome. However, the downside is that the colour is pretty sheer. As you can see, even in the picture, it's not totally opaque. And that's three coats of colour. But I'm not complaining all that much. And since I am damn fail at applying nail polish, the application for ruined in 2 minutes flat. Oh well.

The three pencils are Stila Kajal Eye Liner in Smoky Quarts (RM 30), Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in 002 Hazel (RM 22) and Maybelline Eye Studio Eyeliner in Brown (RM 16.90).

These are the swatches:



There is the vague possibility that the eyebrow pencil might be a little to light for me, but I got so excited about it that I didn't check. Let's hope not.

As for Stila's Kajal Liners, they are absolutely fantastic. I bought it in blue previously since they didn't have the black one, and I absolutely love it. It goes on very smoothly, and is extremely creamy and therefore easily blend-able if required, and doesn't smudge or fade as much as you would think.

Similarly, these Maybelline liners are amazing! They're limited edition, and so, so creamy and smooth. I bought one in green when I saw it in Guardian on a whim, and I absolutely loved it, so I picked up the brown because they were out of black, which I fully intend to get ASAP. They are pretty much comparable to Stila's Kajal liners, so I'm happy.

And finally, the Stila Bronzing Powder (RM 20):



How on earth could I resist?! For those of you who don't know, I love bronzers! They are like miracle products which reshape whatever you want. As Dmitri James said, they behave like plastic surgery tools, and he is right. Best invention ever! And such nice packaging. Just admit your jealous and don't bitch at me for buying it!

I also got a couple of random things. I needed a little make-up pouch thingy for carrying my random crap around, so I went in search of one:



The top one was from Miss T (RM 12), a store which I have avoided like the plague because it is distinctly pink. However, I was dragged there with promises of hidden treasure with the person I was with, and it worked out surprisingly well. It's the perfect size and shape for the contents I intend to haul about. And it looks good too. So, I thought I was sorted till I went to Watson's and found the 2nd pouch. It's a little trippy, and it was about RM 13, and comes with a handphone pouch, so I figured why not? You always need a backup of everything.

And then I got a couple of random items from Watson's:



The Rose Water Facial Masks (RM 24.90 + RM 1 for a 2nd box) are awesome!!! I bought one when I went through my rose water face products search, and loved it, so when I found out they were on sale, is it really a shocker that I got it? The bottle is kid's shampoo, for my make-up brushes. Yes, they are my children. I need more of them! I shall adopt a few more soon. Muahahaha!

The Skin Chronicles: Cleanser: Nivea Visage Oxygen Power Reviving Cleansing Gel (Normal/Combination Skin)

For this week, I'm trying out this product for my skincare routine. Twice a day and all that jazz. Apparently oxygen should be powerful enough to combat all my skincare woes, so woop-de-do. I shall update you on the results at the end of the week.

Estee Lauder Haul!

So, yesterday was the first day of the Estee Lauder model search, and although I have no aspirations or interest in modeling, I signed up for it as part of the I.H.A.S. (which will be discussed some other time) process. The deal was too good to pass up. For RM 280 as an entry cost, you get hair and make-up done, a photo shoot where they print out a PhotoShop-ped copy of one of the pictures of your choice, a RM 230 Estee Lauder voucher, a free makeover at Estee Lauder which is redeemable at any time, and a voucher for 30% off hair at the hair studio which did everything on the day. In short, an offer I couldn't refuse.

So, I shall not put up the pics because they are emo as hell, and the PhotoShop-ped picture is revolting because it's so fake. However, I did get some pretty fantastic items of make-up that I am quite happy with.



First off, because I recommended someone who went for it, I got an eyeshadow quad:



I initially thought it was the same quad I had purchased from Best Buy, but I was wrong. This has pinks instead of browns. So, yay! New eyeshadow.

Now, the thing with the RM 230 voucher is that you have to spend it on the day, and you can't spend less than RM 230, so you inevitably end up spending more. Smart tactic.

So, in a bid of vanity, I got the Advanced Night Repair (RM 190) which is an anti-aging serum:



Even though it's a night serum, it can be used in the day too to achieve better results. I shan't be using this right now though. I'll wait for my Clarins thingy to finish off. A little patience never killed anyone, and I desperately hope I do not start aging in the near future.

So, for the remainder, I got the Double Wear Stay-in-Place ShadowCreme in Ivory Lace (06) (RM 65):



With it's colour and purpose, I'm pretty sure it's a dupe for MAC's Bare Study Paint Pot.



What it does is to provide a base and prevent creasing of your eyeshadows. Now, a lot of people have complained that even with Paint Pots, they still need a primer to stop it from creasing. I'm not sure how much better this is, but I shall test it out.

The colour on this is light enough not to show up, which is always a good thing:



You can see the slight shimmer, but nothing else.

The final thing was the Pleasures Delight Perfume sample:



This perfume is not as revolting as it looks. It's actually rather nice. It has a sweet smell, but not saturatingly so, and extremely light and wearable. I don't really buy perfume anymore, but I would seriously consider this if I intended to get one.

And that is that for the shoot. One of the most awesome things about yesterday though, was the make-up artist who sorted my eyebrows out. She did an amazing job. I had been annoyed for 2 days because the woman who did my eyebrows made them uneven and terrible. Cow. I should beat her. But now they're sorted and there is equilibrium again.

The Skin Chronicles: Eye Bags - Purederm Cucumber Eye Pads

One of the most horrible problems I have are the presence of dark, dark eye bags. These exist for the following reasons:

1) I get inadequate sleep
2) I have an irregular sleeping pattern
3) Bad genes
4) I'm Indian

So, I tend to go out of my way to sort out the eye bag problem, and thus far I have not succeeded entirely. If only I could turn back time and take better care of my skin. Sigh.

Anyway, people keep giving me random advice on my eyes which never seems to work. For example, "Don't drink water before sleeping." How would that work? I don't believe in drinking water, period. I'm allergic. My only option is to run amok trying to find a cure.

During one of my frequent trips to the pharmacy, which I enjoy thoroughly, as evidenced by this post, I picked up this product because it looked promising. Apparently I have been infected by the lifelong knowledge that cucumbers are supposed to be good for your eyes. No harm giving it a shot right?

Well, a lot about this product appealed to me. The packaging in particular. It comes in a pretty little green container, and and has a twist-off lid, followed by a plastic layer to cover the pads inside. Now, the best part is that on this plastic layer is a pair of scissors!!! Yes, hygiene is necessary! I love such things.

So, when you open up the container, and remove the plastic layer, it brings you to the object of the exercise. The cucumber pads. The first thing that hits you is the distinctive smell of cucumbers themselves. Which is surprising. Because the only thing I think off when I am faced with that smell is a cheese sandwich. Then, it makes me hungry. Buggered stuff.

Anyway, the little pads a piled neatly on top of each other, and they are not actually cucumbers, although they are cleverly shaped like them. They are more like thin layers of cotton, which are seeping in a pile of liquid. So you just pick them up with the nifty little tweezers and avoid contaminating the rest.

When I use them, it is under a certain type of ritual. I'll take a shower, switch off all the lights, put on System of a Down - Hypnotize, and climb into bed. Only then will I put these pads on, lie back and attempt to pass out. It's the best situation ever to be in.

Now, these work fabulously for the purposes of relaxation and alleviating tired eyes, but they don't really do much for dark circles. There was very, very subtle lightening, but nothing to get excited about.

Quick guide:

Rating: 3/5
Lightens dark circles: No
Aids relaxation: Yes

The Skin Chronicles: Facial Scrub - Artistry Polishing Scrub Review

For those of you who are not aware, Artistry is part of the Amway brand of products and they produce a range of skincare and make-up.

The only reason that I have tried this is that my mother had it lying in the bathroom for ages, and out of boredom I decides to try it. Serendipity.

This is by far one of the best scrubs I've tried. I love it. It's a little bit rougher than most, so if you have issues, and don't actually want to feel like you are, in fact, polishing your face, don't use it.

The scrub itself is this very dense gel that's not easily spread and sticks fabulously to your skin. It is packed with coarse blue scrubbing sands/particles which really get the job done.

Overall, after using it, your skin feels exfoliated, clean and tight. It's the best feeling ever. I'm giving it a 4/5, just because you need to provide incentive for improvement of some kind.

Quick guide:

Rating: 4/5
Cleans: Yes
Exfoliates: Yes
Tightens: Yes
Dries out skin: No

The Skin Chronicles: Cleanser - Neutrogena SkinClearing Foaming Wash Review

Last week I tested this product out, using it twice a day as required. Note to self: Using it as directed tends to improve results. Who would have thought? In general, it tends to take a couple of weeks before you know exactly whether a product is effective or not, but my skin tends to react fairly quickly, so I kind of have the gist of whether it's a good plan to stick to by the end a week.

So, after religious use of the product, I found it fairly decent, but I wouldn't buy it again, or use it to completion (there's about half the bottle left between my initial use and last week's trial). It foams up fabulously, but I felt as though all the foaming caused it to lose a lot of contact with the skin, which could possibly result in a lack of effectiveness. I am hardly a skincare specialist, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong (which I'm frequently not).

Now, an interesting thing that it did do was to clear up this small cluster of barely visible pimples that was breeding at the side of my forehead, which is fantastic. But it didn't get rid of the two main problems I was targeting, i.e. the big pimples at the side of my mouth and on my neck which have now been there for about 4 weeks, and are refusing to go away. They seem to have melded themselves to my skin and taken up residence. If they bring their friends, I'm going for plastic surgery.

Another problem with this product is that it doesn't prevent new pimples from forming. Towards the end of last week, another pimple formed on my jawline, which is annoying me no end naturally. Go away!!!

Other than that, this product also does nothing for blackheads. By nothing, I mean nothing. It doesn't loosen them, doesn't remove them, doesn't prevent them. Blah.

Overall, I'd give this a 2.5/5. It's alright for a daily cleanser because it's not too drying, and it doesn't cause additional problems. But it's really not something you would use if you want flawless skin or prevention.

Quick guide:

Rating: 2.5/5
Cleans: Yes
Removes/Controls Blackheads: No
Removes/Controls Pimples: Somewhat
Dries out skin: No
Controls oil: No

Shopping & Gifting!

So, yesterday was plenty of fun. I spent the entire day shopping. What's not to love about an entire day of shopping?

Now, let's be clear. I didn't shop solely for myself (I'm trying to make myself feel better), but I did the whole gift shopping thingy. May is highly eventful. First off, Mother's Day is coming up next Sunday, so I went and got the mother a gift since my brothers will be doing nothing of the sort. "We" got her a voucher for a spa thingy which includes a massage, facial, etc. A pampering session basically, which I'm positive she will love, and is much deserved. Around the middle of the month, my brothers, who are 2 years apart mind you, have their birthdays 1 day after the other. I shall not however be divulging what I got them.

Naturally, since charity begins at home, and home is where the heart is, and that would mean charity begins with me, I had to shop for myself too. It's only reasonable. I was sensible enough to carry a big handbag so it looked like I didn't shop a lot. I love lying to myself. On top of which, there was a Zara warehouse sale on, which we lined up for for almost an hour, but never got into, so I had to make myself feel better. Naturally.

Now, there is this Korean brand of make-up called Elianto which is pretty good. I've tried their eyeshadows, and they are lovely. Usually, their brushes are quite crappy, but a couple of months back I found a set of 5 brushes they had on offer which were absolutely astounding. I love them! The fluffy powder brush is so, so soft. They really need to make all their brushes this quality. The most amazing thing is that they don't shed! They really don't! So, everytime I go to Elianto it is with the hope in my heart that they have come out with new brushes. No such luck. I did, however get some palettes for the Stila eyeshadows I got.



There is the little powder puff thing, which is just to rest and steady up my hand for eyeliner.

Anyway, these quads are pretty nice and sturdier than their 10-shadow palettes. They had bigger ones, but those hold 6 shadows and 1 blush. I might get it in due time because my old Elianto palette, which is ludicrously flimsy is broken! In any event, I've filled them with my shadows, but there is the 'Lake' shadow that's left. I shall figure something out.

This is the pink & white quad:





This is the black & white quad (RM 14):





Yes, two of the shadows are new, which brings me to the fact that I went to Stila again. I love Stila. Especially when they're pretending to close down.



First off, I got a couple more eyeshadows in Pigalle & Promenade (RM 25 each):



These are absolutely gorgeous. I didn't swatch them because I didn't feel like it, but basically Pigalle is this dusty burgundy shade that is very gorgeous, and Promenade is a pink duo of baby pink and a dusty rose pink that works well together.

Next, the Kajal Eye Liner in Sapphire (RM 35):



It's such a pretty deep blue, and it goes on amazingly smoothly! I love it! I want more!



And then, since it's spring all over the world, I had to get the Spring Ephemeral Eye Shadow Trio (RM 50):



This is a pretty neutral trio, which is terrific:



And of course, since Stila is next to Make Up For Ever, it would be blasphemous if I didn't visit:



When I went to MAC the other day, I forgot to get translucent powder. So, since I'd heard that MUFE's was good, I decided to just get their HD Powder (RM 120):



And then the woman presented me with an offer I couldn't refuse. Now, to be honest, I have an obsession with Kabuki brushes. By obsession, I mean that if I see it, I have to buy it. To put this in context, I bought the Maybelline mineral foundation just for the kabuki brush, which is horrible I might add. So, when she said "Oh, let me show you the brush for the powder." I figured that it'll just be a normal brush, and despite my brush-obsession, I would be able to say no, and walk away. This, however, was not the case. She pulled out a kabuki brush. And in a bid to control myself, I reminded myself about the incident with the Maybelline brush. That worked quite well until I touched the brush. It's so soft! I'm in love! It's actually comparable to the MAC 182. Damned sales people. So there is it. I bought the Kabuki (RM 180), and it came with a very nice pouch:



The brush is made from natural bristles, and is quite dense and small (as it should be):



So, after that, on the way to Craft Heaven to buy brushes, we dropped into Bonita, where a brilliant sale was on, and I got a pair of sunnies (RM 19.50) which were 50% off:



We all need sunglasses right? It came with a pretty neat holder too:



So, when we finally ended up in Craft Heaven, I managed to control myself somewhat and only buy one brush. The Loew-Cornell Maxinne's Mop 3/8" (RM 13.40):



For the record, I am completely artistically disinclined. So why am I buying painting brushes you might ask?

Because this particular brush is a brilliant dupe for the MAC 239! It's extremely soft and packs on colour amazingly. This is my second one. I mean honestly. The MAC 239 is RM 103, and this is RM 14 maximum. It's a no-brainer for a perfect dupe that works just as well.

That is all I bought, but as good days tend to be, I also got a gift from the person I went shopping with. We all know how I love gifts. Especially in the form of eyeshadow. She recently went to India (hahaha), and got herself a nice stash of fabulous make-up, and while she was there she evidently decided that I should benefit from her trip there too and got me this:



A very sleek nice case that doesn't look extraordinary when closed (except for my reflection in it), but the colours are fabulous as I found out while drawing make-up faces on my hand last night:



The insignia on top says "BR" for those of you who are interested. And I already have a huge matte palette from them. Their eyeshadows are of amazing quality, and very pigmented. Makes me happy.

And that was the result of my leaving the house yesterday. I need to be locked up. I'm blaming oniomania:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oniomania

So you see, it's not my fault!