I have a love-hate relationship with foundation. Some days I absolutely love the way my foundation looks on my skin; and some days it seems to go on patchy and I really hate it. However, we know that a good foundation creates a flawless face canvas, so no doubt it is the most important step in creating beautiful make-up finish. I desperately need a good one. So when I got the invite to try out Shu Uemura products available on sephora.my, I decided to invest in a good foundation.
Shu Uemura has two well known foundation: Face Architect and The Lightbulb. Both have good reviews online, promise reliable coverage and a wide selection of neutral shades that match real skin tones. I decided to give Face Architect a try :)
Shu Uemura Face Architect Smooth Fit Fluid Foundation, as its name suggests, takes the architectural approach to analyze bone structure, skin thickness, and facial features. Shu Uemura believes that with deeper understanding of human face, one is able to layer and sculpt the foundation in the best way to enhance the beautiful features of each individual. There are multiple shades available to answer individual needs of various skin. Found my shade 554 Medium Sand.
My verdict? The foundation feels pretty light and pleasant on the skin. The amount of coverage was fine, not to the extent of flawless but it certainly covers flaws. Use Shu Uemura Face Powder Matte (here) to set your foundation after application.
TWC concepts are not merely design, but an expression of life.
When we talk about bathrooms, it is about functionality. Bathrooms are a place for cleansing oneself, for taking our private time to relax and wash away the stresses and strains of the day, emerge feeling refreshed and ready to take on anything life throws at us. However, have you ever thought about injecting a little hotel glamour into your own bathroom? A place you'll be happy to spend time in? TWC concepts had a press conference at their new showroom recently, and it totally opened my eyes to how an ideal home is like. Read on to find the inspiration you need to create a luxury bathroom of your own.
COTTO Italia Collection
Introducing COTTO Italia Collection! As a leader in the tile industry, COTTO has journeyed across the globe in pursuit of beautifully designed ceramic tiles with truly exceptional surface texture. The search has brought them to Italy, and that's where the collaboration kicks off. Under the concept "100% born in Italy", it will surely answer the need of high-end homeowners and designers who appreciate the value and beauty of Italian design.
COTTO Italia #1 Bianchezza
Marbles are beautiful
Yes, marbles are beautiful. A charm of marble has always been irresistible in human history. It is a symbol of class, luxury, and purity in every architecture and interior design. Inspired by three of the most acclaimed white marbles --- Calacatta, Statuario, and Arabescato, this new marble collection of COTTO Italia will transform your ordinary bathroom into a five-star luxurious, elegant hotel bathroom. Also, with this new marble collection of COTTO Italia, you do not have to worry about problems of staining, yellowing, scratches, and also high maintenance cost because it's marble-look porcelain.
COTTO Italia #2 Woodland
The beauty of the wild
The emerging trend of wood on walls is a good way to balance refined and rustic looks. It adds depth and character to your bathroom, don't you think? COTTO Italia Woodland presents woods in different climates, from the North Pole to the South Pole, from the tropical to the arctic. It is an ideal interpretation of indoor area and outdoor space with a touch of natural elements. Available in two finishes, natural and grip.
Cotto Italia #3 Neo Basalt
A classic of natural stone with a sense of modern living
On the other hand, Neo Basalt series is a distinctive texture of basalt with earth-tone colours of the 21st Century. It is inspired from a revival of ancient Pompeii which was devoured by layers of volcanic basalt from a legendary eruption of Mont Vesuvius. The selection of six colours, three sizes and three surfaces of Neo Basalt creates a balanced space of simplicity and flexibility.
Fima Carlo Fratinni Texture Collection
Picture taken from Jubin BMS Facebook
Featuring 3 textures | 4 finishes | 6 covers
No luxury hotel bathroom is complete without a designer tap. Now with Fima Carlo Fratinni Texture Collection, it offers you freedom to create different looks. The 3 textures, 4 finishes and 6 covers that you see in the picture above gives you the possibility to to create an infinite number of combinations. You can always come up with a final product that you like!
Endless possibility of customization
From the left: Horizontal (H), Vertical (V), Cross (X)
COTTO Tunio Series
Where technology meets comfort
Choosing the right toilet is more complicated than you might think. And this - is not your typical toilet. Tunio toilet is specially designed, its elongated seat whose slim shape offers ultimate comfort for people of all sizes. It also has Automatic Flushing Sensor, Self-Nozzle Cleansing, soft close toilet seat, and UV nozzle sterilization after each use. There's also LED Night Light that automatically illuminates the bathroom at night, best for preventing elderly falls in the toilet at night. Although the price is slightly at the higher end, but I guess the quality of it will worth every penny that you spent.
Thank you Agnes for the detailed explanation!
Thank you TWC Concepts for your warm, wonderful hospitality :)
1. Add a small amount of hot water into your favourite mug with matcha powder.
2. Use the back of the spoon to stir to make a smooth green paste.
3. Finish by filling your mug with warm milk.
Your Matcha Latte is ready! As simple as that :)
Do you know?
One cup of fine Matcha tea has more nutrition than 10 cups of normal green tea. When you drink green tea, you consume only very tiny little part from the tea which extracted out during infusion, the tea leaves are being thrown away afterward. Matcha basically is the powder form of green tea leaves that diffuse into water. When you drink Matcha tea, you literally consume the whole tea leave. That means you receive 100% of the nutrients in the tea leaves! What's not to love?
I got my matcha powder from The Dawns Tea to begin making Matcha Latte at home. The Dawns Tea is an online premium tea store, selling tea products from all around the world! Their matcha caught my attention as they are pure matcha from Japan, 100% natural with no additive. From making matcha tea to matcha latte or baking dessert, it's a big good news to all matcha lovers out there!
The operating theatre with its bright lights, sharp steel and demanding scrub nurses is a land of mystery for most medical students. Having seen so many operations done (from far corner of the room, of course), I had never stitched up an actual person. Ironically, my first chance of sewing up an incision happened when I was at Tzu Chi Hospital in Taiwan. It was a reconstructive surgery after resection of retromolar trigone cancer. Doctor Kang and Doctor Weng had removed the anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap and was now beginning to re-connect blood vessels at the neck.
''Why don't you sew up the site on the leg where we harvested the flap?'' Doctor Weng said.
I was a bit startled, but I nodded. Looking down at the patient's leg, there was a 4-inch incision to sew up. It wasn't too deep. Probably just need a single layer of simple interrupted suture. Very quickly the nurse handed me a forceps, a needle-holder and a length of 3.0 nylon. I tried to make myself comfortable with the instruments like how I used to practice in classes, and concentrate on the incision in front of me. The first few stitches took me an eternity to put in - using the forceps my left hand grasped and everted the skin edge slightly, my right hand pronated and supinated to allow the needle to pierce the skin - I don't know why but that particular moment made my hands tremble a little. While taking a deep breath in, I imitated how the surgeons normally wrap the suture around the needle holder to form the loop, and then tie the knot. And finally cut the suture leaving a 5mm tail. That's my first knot! I looked up and exchanged glances with Doctor Weng. He seemed satisfied. With Doctor Weng continue guiding me, I began suturing with more confidence.
Slowly, but more and more smoothly.
Skin pads, banana skin, orange peels? Nothing beats suturing a live patient. I can now suture better. Really.
Dear readers, I am back after a six-month hiatus! So many exciting stories happened during this period of time which I wish I could pen it down here. Been through several amazing postings in HKL and HTJS, completed my fourth year of medical school, had wonderful elective attachment at Tzu Chi Hospital in Taiwan, encountered inspiring people along the way, etc etc. I will try to recall and record them down here. While I am busy clearing away the dust here, here's a group picture with my favourite lecturer to put a good end to another good year.
When I was in Taiwan, I went to Shifen train station to release a sky lantern, inspired by the movie 《那些年，我们一起追的女孩》(You are the apple of my eyes). I first prayed for health for my family and friends. Then without hesitation, next on my list was: I want to be a different doctor.
Can you imagine that? In less than two years, I am going to be a doctor. I want to know, what kind of doctor am I going to be? I have seen both the incredibly passionate ways some of the doctors in the hospital treat their patients, and the behaviours of the others that I will never emulate in my own practice in the future. I've seen medicine serve some of its patients well and completely change their lives, while failing others. I had the chance to work on extremely effective teams and surprisingly dysfunctional ones, too. I've shared intimate moments with patients who placed their confidence in me - rather than the other senior doctors of the team - to treat them well.
Therefore I know, without a doubt, what kind of doctor I want to be.
But the truth is, I am scared. I don't know what future lies. I am afraid that one day, after committing my life to this profession, the sparks won't be there.
What if, one day I gradually become the kind of doctor I hated the most?
I believe most doctors went into medicine to help people. We want to practice medicine the right way, but too many forces today are causing us to have diminished enthusiasm for medicine. While taking care of people in their most vulnerable states, we make ourselves somewhat vulnerable in the process, too. It is hard, to stay motivated.
Therefore, I write. Ten years from now I am going to read what I have written today as a student. I want to replay the image of that female doctor, in the small consultation room of HKL, who would bend down on her knees just to adjust the footrest of the wheelchair for an elderly patient. Or the one who would put his pen down just to listen to what the anxious-looking old man was trying to tell him, and acknowledged the worry in his eyes.
After eight hours in labour, two midwives came in to check on the mother. It was time, they finally decided. She didn't have time to panic. ''Next contraction and you are going to push,'' one of the midwives announced while getting the gloves on and equipments ready. She shut her eyes tight and started to push. Push and wait. Push and wait. Every time she pushed, the baby would come down, but then the contraction would end. The baby would pop right back up again. After a few tries, she looked as if she was going to be torn to pieces. But she was making little progress. The midwives asked her not to scream or yell, as it ''wasted her energy''. She tried her best to follow the instructions to just ''breathe through her nose''. However, she kept letting out sounds and the midwives were getting impatient. Time was ticking. CTG showing that the baby wasn't having a good time - he needed to come out now. Every second matters! Things got real, I saw the two midwives exchanged glances and the next thing I know, the doctor on-call was called in, and he decided in that moment a vacuum delivery would be best.
Immediately there was horror in the mother's eyes when she heard the word ''vacuum''. But there didn't seem to be any other way. The doctor applied the metal cup on the baby's head and tried the first vacuum and it failed. Then the second. She pushed, and pushed and pushed with all of her might. Her face turned beet red with sweat dripping down her face. Then time for episiotomy - I clenched my fist and held my breath. Please God let this baby be okay. Please.
Then that was it. The woman made the final push and the baby made his way into this world!
I panicked a little when the baby didn't come out wailing. It took a moment for his lungs to fill with the world and to bellow his frustration at being torn from his cozy home. The midwives quickly brought the baby to the Paediatric Team after clamping and cutting the umbilical cord.
I had never seen a vacuum extracted baby before, and my heart broke when I saw his poor little head, misshapen from the pressure of the suction cup. Although the swelling was temporary, I couldn't stop thinking about the traumatic birth the baby had to go through.
I have had acne for as long as I can remember. It was so bad that there were days I didn't even want to leave the house because I was too caught up in how awful my skin looked. :( It gets tired, to wear tons of makeup to hide my bad skin. So when Premier Clinic invited me to try their aesthetic treatment, I gladly accepted the offer.
Dr Elaine is a renowned aesthetic physician. She is well-qualified and is highly experienced in various aesthetic procedures. She listened to my problem first and then provided me with options to my skin problem. After some discussion, I decided to try Chemical Peel.
What Chemical (also known as Skin Peel) does is that it removes the top layers of the skin, and is done by applying trichloroacetic acid (TCA) to the skin, which causes it to naturally peel off. This removes any dead skin cells on the surface and reveals a fresh layer of skin, which is generally smoother and healthier than previous layers.
After cleansing my face, Dr Elaine started to apply the acid on my face. The strength of the peel and its effects can be increased by applying several layers or for longer period but because this was my first treatment, Dr Elaine decided that two layers on my skin for two minutes is the best for my skin condition.
There was a burning sensation during the initial application, especially on my nose. But do not worry as this is the solution taking effect on your skin! The kind beauty assistant held a small fan over my face which blow out cool air, reducing the sting.
After the treatment, Dr Elaine also emphasised on the importance of skin hydration and moisturisation until my skin is not sensitive anymore. Sun exposure should be avoided post treatment by applying sunscreen lotion.
All in all, I did not experience any redness or itchiness after the treatment. Over the next few days, there was some slight peeling of the skin at my nose area which was to reveal healthy beautiful skin underneath. For optimal results, a cycle of 2-4 peels are recommended.
I am happy with the treatment :)
Where to find them?
Strategically located in TTDI and Bangsar Baru, you can find them at the addresses below.
Pictures are more than just record of the moments. They are stories. As 2015 came to an end, I welcome you to a trip down memory lane. Let's reminisce the best moments in 2015 and hopefully, rekindle those cherished in 2016.
CHAPTER 1
The guiding light towards peace, harmony and happiness
Tzu Chi's beautiful lights
CHAPTER 2
Be in love with your life
The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself
CHAPTER 3
Dancing colours
A plain white paper has unlimited possibilities. Colour yours.
You were filled with days spent in enormous stress, frustration and worry. You were full of heartbreak, dampened pillowcases and insomnia. But you were also about amazing things that were beyond comprehension. You gave me so many opportunities and helped me grow by the tenfold. You gave me hope, love and a heart full of joy despite it all. You allowed me space to blossom in my own right, and led me closer to the person I am going to be. For that, I am looking forward to create more beautiful stories in 2016. Not only for myself, but for the people I love dearly.
