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.

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

TNS Haul & Hippies

So, my exams are over and I am officially FREE! Best four-lettered word ever invented! Naturally, the end of exams calls for celebration. For frame of reference, celebration = shopping. Actually, everything = shopping. Fact.

In any event, as I was dead tired yesterday, due to the extremely innovative idea of my school to place all three of my papers on the same day, I wasn't in the mood to do much. I did, however, traipse around Ikano with my brother, where a sight I assumed was a hallucination brought about by lack of sleep greeted me. Hippies. Yes. "Real" hippies. Apparently, there are Earth day celebrations going on. Presumably, having a couple of hippies in a tent, doing handicrafts no less, inside a mall is an appropriate manner of celebration.

I kid you not:



That LSD-induced plethora of colour is the tent they were in.

Anyway, on to more exciting aspects of my life. Retail therapy. I initially went out today to get an eye primer. That didn’t work out for 3 reasons:
1) They don’t have Urban Decay in Malaysia
2) They don’t have Too Faced in Malaysia
3) They don’t even have L’Oreal De-Crease in Malaysia!

I appear to be doomed to creasing eye shadow. Oh well.

Anyway, due to my disappointment, I needed to elevate my spirits, so I decide to go buy something I had been eyeing for awhile.

Basically, upon prior research, I found out that the best ingredients for a toner include rosewater and glycerin. Naturally, I began searching high and low for a toner of this nature, but wasn’t able to find one for about a month. Yes! A month! I know!

So, long story short, I finally found it in The Natural Source (TNS), where they were having an offer. Spend RM 100 and get something for RM 1. Although the accountant in my head was reproaching me in very harsh language, the female in me won out. I’m sure you agree that it makes sense too. If you don’t, you are wrong. And this is MY blog, so go away.

Sidelining: Recently I read a couple of reviews of some of the products from TNS, and they were not good. Nevertheless, since I don’t trust other people’s opinions, I shall find out for myself.

Now then, walking out the door, I was laden with the following:



Yes, doesn’t it look lovely? The reason there are 2 toners is because another friend wanted one too. Let us inspect the items.

First up, the item that started it all. The Terra Firma Wild Desert Rose Water Gentle Facial Toner (RM 30):



It’s this pale pink liquid that resembles the MAC brush cleanser, which was quite disturbing, because I assumed it would smell similar. This is not the case. It actually has the very pleasant smell of roses…shocking isn’t it? Apparently this is supposed to “invigorate your face”. How exciting. The list of ingredients seems relatively harmless, although I’m not sure what a lot of it is.

Ingredients: Purified water (aqua), Cocamidopropyl, Betaine Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Phospholipid PTC (cocamidopropyl pg-dimonium chloride phosphate), Benzyl alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Rose fragrance (parfum), Matricaria extract (chamomilla recutita), Simethicone, CI 14720, CI 42090

If I were a chemist, I’d be having a field day. Now, it says rose fragrance, which appears to be perfume, and I asked the salesperson, who said it was made from rose water, so I shall pretend I believe her for now. And since I’m assuming chamomilla means chamomile, I’m quite happy.

Next up is a facial scrub. I initially wanted their oatmeal scrub (because oatmeal is supposed to be good for blackheads) but I was informed that it was for aging skin (which I am happy to say the salesperson insisted I didn’t need, thereby appealing to my vanity). So I got the Daintree Naturopathic Skincare Tropical Sugar Can Antioxidant Facial Exfoliator (RM 65):



It says on the packaging that it can be used daily, but it is advisable to only exfoliate your skin a maximum of twice a week. Moderation is the key to everything, apparently. Anyway, this product has a pretty nice smell. Not exactly sugar cane, but sweet-ish nonetheless. The ingredients here are even more babbly than those in the toner.

Ingredients: Aqua (Purified water), Microcrystalline wax, Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS), Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Peg-7 glyceryl cocoate, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Saccharum officinarium (Sugar cane) extract, Xanthan gum, Methylchloroisothiazolinone (and) Methylisothiazolinone, Magnesium chloride, Magnesium nitrate, Tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E), Ascorbyl palmitate, CI 19140 (Yellow 5), CI 42090 (Blue I).

Now, from the ingredients I did understand, this product should be pretty good because it has most of what you need to keep your face healthy. First there’s purified water. Who needs to drink it when you can put it on your face twice a week? Then there’s SLS which is good for acne, and glycerin which is good overall for something or the other. I believe it’s for lines or acne or something to that effect. Bottom line is that it’s good. And, Vitamin E is good for restoration. So really, this product should work. Should. We shall see.

Finally, we come to a debate-ably exciting purchase. The Camouflage Colour Skin Crayon in Plum (RM 24):



So, what exactly is a skin crayon? My first thought was to run around drawing on people as a child would. But no, I believe that might be considered assault. Further, it’s a deep red. Unless you are a lobster (in which case you shouldn’t be on the computer, but rather on my table with a side of butter), this colour will hardly “camouflage” you. Lies!

The true meaning of “skin crayon” appears to be that it is multi-purpose, i.e. lip liner, eyeliner, etc. And I have been looking for a red eyeliner for about 5 years now. Finally! Because I was so immensely excited, I didn’t realize how tiny this pencil is until I got home. It’s only about 10cm/3.7in long. That is TINY!

All that aside, in my excitement of finally finding a nice red eyeliner, I was determined to swatch mine. Upon touching my skin, this is what occurred:



Anti-climax. Annoyed. Fuming.

Perseverance is the key, so I tapped off the broken bit and this is what it looks like:



I like. Except for the size and breaking parts.

They had a lot of fantastic colours, but because of their sizes, I don’t recommend them.

On that note, I shall end off with this:

PLACEBO!!! Their new album will be released on the 8th of June. I am uncontrollably excited. So much so that I am practically vibrating in a fixed position. They have released their first single, titled after the album: Battle for the Sun. The sound of this track is very similar to what their Black Market Music album sounds like, which is awesome beyond words! Happy!!! PLACEBO!!! <3